Chapter 6: First mission with the new squad: Feros

-Normandy, Med bay

Does she even belong on a starship?

Commander Jane Shepard stood just outside the doorway of the small storage room, peering through the crack in the partially ajar airlock. She would have to get Adams up here to look at the door at some point, but for now, the damage was incredibly convenient to Jane. The door was, of course, unsafe in this condition, but it provided her a hidden vantage point from which to look in at the magnificent creature they had just picked up on Therum. As much as she wanted the ship to be in top condition and working properly, she was a little grateful for the twist of fate that had caused one of the human engineers to knock a medical cot through the door just as it was closing, bending a chunk of the metal and causing it to no longer settle securely and seal the rooms from each other. The quadrant would have to be replaced, but for now, it served Jane's purpose well.

She glanced behind her at the doctor, but Chakwas was keeping herself busy going over some charts. Jane suspected the observant medical officer was aware of her agenda and the fact that it might have stretched just a little further than a commanding officer checking on a crewmate, but the good doctor graciously didn't say a word. She just patched up the commander's ankle, and then studiously minded her own business, allowing Jane her quiet observation. Of course, it was also possible that the doctor merely thought the commander was growing concerned about the wide variety of personalities aboard the Normandy and she was here to better understand this one, but Jane wasn't really in the mood to ask. Whatever the doctor's personal opinion about her continued presence in the med bay, she was keeping quiet and that suited Commander Shepard just fine.

I wonder if Liara knows I'm here watching her.

The young asari was seated at a console, looking over what looked to be some sort of diagrams of old buildings. It was fascinating to Jane that she could read and understand such things. The woman would study one diagram for a few moments, and then brush her hand across the screen, pulling up a new schematic. Jane's eyes were transfixed by the asari's every movement. She moved like water, gracefully though the air, reshaping itself to fit around any obstacle or slide through even the smallest weakness in any barrier. It was a wondrous sight.

That's an interesting analogy. She certainly slipped through all of my barriers as if they were a sieve, and she the water. Now, she is gathering into a pool at the center of my chest. Should I go in there and talk to her? Or will I make a fool out of myself... Perhaps it's too soon.

Jane certainly wanted to go inside and talk to Liara, but she hesitated. Of course, as the commanding officer of the Normandy she had authority to go into any room she wished, but something gave her pause. She didn't want to disturb the young woman, at least not yet. Liara looked tired, and confused, and thoroughly exhausted. She needed at least a few more minutes for it to sink in that she was really alive and safe. Jane didn't blame her. Despite her own intense military training, she was sure that had their positions been switched, she, too, would need some time to sort out her thoughts.

All Liara had wanted to do was spend her time happily digging up the ruins on that planet. She didn't want any parts of her mother's war. The young asari was caught in the the middle of a galactic incident she wanted nothing to do with, and it nearly cost her, her life.

This has to be so hard for her...

Jane couldn't imagine what it must have been like to be surrounded by geth, relying on an ancient civilization's mastery of biotic fields to protect her. She couldn't imagine what must have felt like, to endure the whispered promises of a slow and torturous death, the second the field failed. She didn't want to think about the despair that must have threatened to crush the poor asari's heart as she came to terms with her helplessness, and the hopelessness of her situation. Liara would have had no idea anyone was coming to rescue her. She could have died in that stasis field, alone and frightened, a miserable wretch whose body eventually had no choice but to abandon her.

Jane shook her head a little to clear it. Her thoughts were starting to turn a little morbid. None of that mattered, because Jane had gone after her and Jane had rescued her, and now she was here sitting at a console, just quietly looking at images of ancient structures.

Maybe it's helping to keep her mind off what happened. Maybe, she really does just need a distraction and not... more time to dwell on it alone.

Commander Jane Shepard nodded to herself, her mind made up. She adjusted her Alliance uniform, hoping she looked at least somewhat presentable, and hit the switch to open the airlock.

-Commander's log 5:37:23:53

I replaced Williams with Liara for the trip to Feros. I don't know what made me do it, but I did it.

Actually, I know exactly what made me do it. I want her near me. After I went in to talk with her last night, I felt like she should be with me always. It's a strange thing, isn't it, how one can be so sure of something so important after such a short encounter? But, there it is. I want her with me always. I've said it.

There's something different about her. Maybe it's just in the way she carries herself. I can see the confidence inside her, but it's struggling to get out. It's straining against its cage, locked up in the deep recesses of her soul for reasons unknown. I know that the nervous and frightened child on the surface is not the woman within. I see it in her eyes, and I hope she finds her strength. Maybe she will let me help her with that. Maybe she will want me to help her with that...

As we talked, she shifted nervously from foot to foot, and expressed herself with her hands. It was a fascinating sight, and I couldn't take my eyes off her. We had a very long conversation, and by the end, it felt like we were connecting. I asked her everything I could think of, just to keep her talking, and she didn't seem to mind answering my questions... some of them... twice. I wish I could see inside her head. I wish I knew what she was thinking.

Maybe I do know what she is thinking, though. I've seen enough of those trashy romance vids to realize that nervousness like she was displaying is usually indicative of a deeper interest. She became especially flustered when she started talking about studying me because of my exposure to a Prothean artifact. I found that part of the conversation particularly amusing, because she was so caught up in her own embarrassment that she didn't even realize her words had sent lightning straight through my core. I was more than a little grateful for that, actually. I really should be keeping myself under control. But, I do not know how. Not anymore.

I love the sound of her voice, and the way her face lights up when she smiles. She is so sweet and innocent, and she deserves to spend all of her days in happiness and joy, far away from wars and fighting and bloodshed. I want her to be alive, and well, and happy for the rest of her days.

...

I look over that last entry, and realize that I am about to subject her to the very thing I wish to protect her from. How can I take her with me on this mission, and keep her away from the fighting at the same time?

I can't.

So, what am I to do? Do I drop her off on some planet somewhere, and let her live her life? No, I can't stand the thought of being away from her. I have no option but to keep her here with me, and hope beyond hope that I can figure this thing out before it gets us all killed.

So, I replaced Williams with Liara, and I probably shouldn't have. Liara is no soldier, but my heart will not allow me to be parted from her, not now. I don't think it will ever release me...

Anyway, I should focus on the purpose of this log: documenting our missions.

We went to Feros to investigate a geth invasion. It seemed like a nice enough place when we disembarked, but that changed rapidly when we were immediately attacked by a pack of the drones. I hate these missions that start off right away with a whole lot of shooting. When they start out like that, you just know that the entire thing will be messy from beginning to end. This one, was particularly messy...

The place was a disaster. There were bodies everywhere, and civilians with guns. It was impossible to tell which of the dead had fallen to the geth and which had fallen to friendly fire. I regretted bringing Liara immediately; she didn't need to see this. War is the province of soldiers, not scientists. Still, she showed remarkable resilience, only commenting about the colonists' strength and determination to continue building their world. She is incredible.

After we talked to the leader of the colony, a steady man named Fai Dan, we learned that the geth had overrun the tower. We weren't going to get any answers out of him until that threat was cleared, so I led the team inside. It was then that I had a "Danger" moment. Instead of taking the stairs on the left to the tower, I passed them completely and started down the other side. Liara's voice jolted me back to reality, suggesting that we were moving in the wrong direction. I felt like such an idiot. Why do I turn into an idiot around her?

I got the team turned around, and took out my frustration on the geth that were lying in wait for us. It was almost too easy. Or maybe I was just too overpowering, compensating for my earlier embarrassment. I am a little ashamed to admit that I may have channeled the platinum again… Just a little. Anyway, Tali hacked the drones and I picked them off easily. She's getting a lot better at these away missions, and her hacking skills are invaluable, especially against this terror her people unleashed upon the world. The irony is not lost on me.

The ship that had dropped off this wave flew away, and I took a few moments to gather my thoughts. She's distracting me, and I know it. Still, what can I do? I can't bear to ask her to leave. Even now, I fear I would feel emptiness descend upon me if she were gone.

Tali and Liara were looking at me for direction, and I turned around and led them back to the colony. Fai Dan was grateful, but I learned that they still were lacking in essentials like food, water and power. We had a mission, but I couldn't leave the colonists to their fate without at least trying to help. I gathered what information I could and we set off in search of aid in the tunnels.

The geth were crawling everywhere. I don't even know how we managed to overwhelm them; there were just so many, and they are so fearless. They keep coming, and coming, and they don't stay down unless you really melt their circuitry. I really wish that they were on our side...

I accidentally fell against some sort of switch trying to avoid fire, and Tali deduced that it was some sort of water valve. She continues to prove her worth to the team. I'm beginning to really like the quarian race. They are a brilliant people. It's too bad they had to go and unleash this machine race on everyone, and well, get themselves kicked out of their own home world.

We found another valve ahead, and Liara commented that it still didn't seem that the main line was fully operational. God, how I love to hear her voice. It's like velvet, and her speech is so eloquent. I don't even think she uses contractions. I could sit and listen to her for hours and probably never hear a word, yet never get bored.

After that we came to a strange sight. There was a man standing in a corner fighting with some sort of demons in his head. I offered to help him, but he was too far gone. It's a shame. I've seen this sort of thing before in some of the weaker soldiers. The death and carnage of war breaks them down and drives them to recede into themselves. They lose their minds slowly, and are never the same again. I glanced at Liara and hoped that would never happen to her, but there's no way to predict whether she will be able to handle the mental stress. All I can do is keep her close to me and hope that my strength will be enough to keep her on her feet. I have to protect her, at least as much as reasonably possible under the circumstances.

We moved on and found the last water valve. At least now the colonists wouldn't die of thirst before more help arrived. We doubled back and crossed a bridge, then took out some more geth drones, and pushed forward into a handful of krogan. I will never understand those beasts. I've spent enough time with Danger to get why mercs hire themselves out to the highest bidder, but these krogan are actively allying themselves with those who seek the ultimate destruction of all organic life. I find it hard to believe that even they are that thick. I hate killing them, but I have no choice. It's sad, because they are a fierce and proud people, and it won't be long before they are extinct. It might not happen in my lifetime, but it will surely happen, and the universe will be poorer for it.

We destroyed the Geth beacon they were defending, and headed back toward the colony. On the way I noticed a door I hadn't seen on the way in, and we proceeded cautiously inside. This time we didn't have to worry about geth though. This time it was some sort of rabid hound, but they were easy to dispatch. The beasts were dumb, and we just funneled them into the doorway and took them out one by one. Then Tali and Liara flanked the Alpha male, and between the three of us he barely got off a whimper.

There was a ship inside, interestingly enough, but I didn't stand around worrying about what it was doing there or how it got there. It had power cells, and the colony needed them. Tali hacked a nearby storage container while I pulled them out. We had accomplished our missions. I looked at Liara and she was smiling at me. Maybe she's happy we took the time to help the colony. I didn't ask. There was too much to do. We needed to get the supplies back and go attack geth at their source.

-End Entry

-Normandy, Commander Jane Shepard's Quarters

Jane leaned back from her journal entry and stretched. Reading back over her words, she realized the mission was a long one, and the story wasn't even halfway told. Writing usually helped her clear her thoughts, but this time her mind was just racing with the events of the day. It was just coming into evening, and she looked over to the console, hoping to see the telltale blink. Nothing. Danger hadn't gotten back to her yet. She hoped her friend wasn't serious about the 'burying herself in a pile of bottles' comment, but with Danger you could never tell.

Sighing, she closed her eyes to relive the rest of the night and try to make sense of it before putting it into words. She'd have to worry about Danger later.

-Feros, en route to Exogeni Corp Building

I really hate this car. The firepower is nice, but it's impossible to maneuver.

Commander Jane Shepard attempted to keep the vehicle out of geth bullets while returning fire, but it was all but impossible and they often had to stop to reinforce the hull. She slammed her hand against the dashboard, and glanced sideways at Liara as the asari tried to hide a giggle behind her hand.

Thank god Tali is here to fix this. I don't know how I would have done this mission without her. She's helping to keep me somewhat sane. Why did I bring Liara? Every time the woman speaks, my heart skips a beat, even if it's something mundane like commenting about intelligent beings not voluntarily entering geth territory. This is insane. Even under the best of circumstances I can barely drive this thing. With her sitting next to me, it's surprising we haven't been blown to bits yet. I had better leave her behind on our next mission.

Jane shook her head, and peered over the dash, scanning the distance for any hostiles. She continued to drive slowly along the skyway, barely paying any mind to the broken chatter on various comm signals. It was all white noise anyway, and barely compared to the white noise in her head. In addition, Tali couldn't pinpoint the location, so Jane wasn't worried about it. They would find the source soon enough.

Stop looking at me, Liara. I know I can't drive. You try to drive this thing! I wish Danger were here. She can drive anything. Then I wouldn't have to embarrass myself any more than that which is obviously unavoidable these days…

Liara was amused at the clearly uncomfortable commander attempting to keep control of the vehicle and manipulate the weapons systems, but tried to keep her face from showing it. She wondered briefly whether the commander was just a bad driver, or if something was distracting her. It was hard to tell with the human. It must have been all that training in the military, hardening her will and teaching her how to keep her chiseled face devoid of emotion. She was curious as to what it would take to melt the heart of the powerful soldier... but didn't have time to really delve deeply into the matter, as something caught Jane's eye, and the commander brought the rover to an abrupt stop, jostling both her and the quarian in the process.

"Ow, Commander, are you trying to tear my suit?" Tali pushed herself off the wall and glared at the human from behind her mask.

"Everyone out – there's people holed up in there." Jane pushed the door open and hopped out of the vehicle. She offered her hand to Tali, but the quarian pushed it away.

"Get off me. Ugh. I am not getting into this car again until you learn how to use those controls!"

Jane just shrugged and grinned, nodding to Liara and taking the lead. They descended into a small opening in the ground, to be greeted by more civilians with guns.

Great. This is why wars like this should be stopped. These people don't have the physical or mental training to handle what comes with killing others, even if they are 'only' machines.

Jane decided to keep the conversation brief. She didn't want Tali and Liara becoming emotionally involved with people here. It would just make it harder if they had to make difficult decisions. They learned that there was still at least one civilian inside the compound, and there was also apparently some important data to be retrieved for a bounty. Jane was mildly annoyed at the request, considering the circumstances, but agreed they would do their best to find the information. Tali seemed annoyed as well, judging by her comment about everyone thinking the commander just enjoyed being in harm's way.

Tali would have liked Danger. If she thinks that I'm considered a risk-taker, she'd probably have a heart attack after a day with my buddy.

They left the small force of armed civilians behind, and returned to the Mako. Tali made a comment about resistance being heavy when they got inside the building, and Jane just shook her head.

No shit, Tali. I guess you haven't noticed like, all the resistance, EVERYWHERE since we got here...

Jane punched some buttons into the console, and managed to get them to the entrance without incident, despite having to maneuver a ramp.

I'm getting better at this! Ha, take that, Danger!

She pulled the machine to a graceful stop, and nodded in satisfaction.

"Looks like we're on foot from here, ladies. Let's go!" She opened the door and once again hopped out. Tali and Liara joined her, and the three of them advanced slowly on the small opening in the wall leading to the entrances to the research facility.

Jane suddenly stepped forward and stretched out her hand, unconsciously channeling platinum as she called forth a translucent silver barrier. There was a threat just over to the right, and immediately she sprang into action.

Briefly she wondered if anyone else could... see... what she was doing...

No, that's not quite right. See isn't the right word...

She couldn't exactly 'see' it herself... Was it even there? Or was Jane just making a fool out of herself, stretching her arm forth as if she were a biotic...

"Damn it, who the hell are you?" The commander lowered her weapon, and the barrier, and cursed under her breath as a young and frightened girl stepped out of the shadows.

Fucking civilians with fucking guns. They are a menace. She's probably the one the ExoGeni employee was looking for. What is she doing out here, in the middle of nowhere, shooting at people?

Jane listened to the girl's story, but looked at Liara and saw the same question in the asari's eyes that echoed in her own mind.

These corportate types never quite give you the whole truth, do they? No... They don't.

She grunted and narrowed her eyes, wishing she had time to question the girl further. She didn't though, and there was not much Jane could do about it. She wasn't about to interrogate the girl here, in the open, in the middle of a geth invasion. Instead, she directed the child to hold her position, and promised to find a way to lower the barriers. Then she motioned to Tali and Liara, and drew her assault rifle, sensing trouble ahead.

At least we managed to get a security badge from her. That should come in handy. I hope she doesn't shoot her eye out with that pistol... Civilians with guns...

They quickly dispatched the nearby patrolling enemies and Jane looked back at the young girl. She was safe, and receding back into the shadow. She wouldn't cause them any trouble.

Good. I'd take you with us under any other circumstances, but I'm lucky Tali and Liara are competent enough to manage themselves. Maybe if I had Kaidan and Ash...

No, she couldn't dwell on her choice. It was too late now, anyway. They were well into the belly of the beast, and even if she had wanted to swap out squad members, it was too late. The geth would have brought another wave by the time they got back down here, and who knows how many more of the colonists would be dead by then. No, she was stuck with her team as it was, and that meant leaving the girl behind and hoping she didn't shoot them in the back, accidentally or otherwise.

Jane nodded to herself, her decision made. It wasn't so bad, really. The team she had was starting to work together pretty nicely. It hadn't been more than a couple hours, but they were starting to anticipate each other's moves and adjusting their individual strategies to fit. Tali would hack the geth drones, and Jane would either take them out with focused fire, or Liara would use her biotics to disable them. It was working out fairly well.

A quarian hacker, an asari biotic, and a human soldier. Who would have thought? It's turning into a terrific combination. I just wish that Liara didn't have such an eff..

Jane's thoughts were interrupted by the wall she had run straight into.

Shit, that was smooth. I take back what I thought earlier – I'm glad Danger isn't here. She would laugh her ass off at me.

As it was, Liara and Tali just stood there waiting for the commander to get herself back under control. There was the hint of joyful laughter in Liara's eyes, but she had the grace to keep her thoughts to herself. Instead, she just smiled that intoxicating smile at Jane, and waited until the commander collected herself and led them into the building.

I need to get this under control. Focus on the mission, Jane! The mission! That's all that is important. Right. Let's think about this mission. This mission is about a... Thorian? Is that what those crazy scientists said? Pft, whatever that is. Well, whatever it is, I bet it doesn't run into walls like an idiot. Wow. Great job focusing on the mission, Jane...

She shook her head, and looked around the room. It didn't take long to find a way into the building, but Jane silently cursed as she heard Liara comment that it was a one way trip.

Yea well, this whole fucking mission is probably a one way trip, Liara. Welcome to my world...

She led the way down into the corridor, and they crept quietly up the stairwell. Jane motioned for the team to be silent, and listened around the corner. Their next obstacle was a krogan arguing with a VI, which Jane had to admit, was rather comical. She stood; readied her weapon but held it in a non-threatening manner, and slowly advanced up the stairway, indicating to Tali and Liara to stay put. She hoped to reason with the krogan, and possibly get some information out of him. Perhaps one lone krogan would behave differently than when they were in a pack...

Apparently not.

Jane gritted her teeth as he advanced on her, and she unconsciously called forth a translucent silver barrier, and used it to force him against the wall. He didn't want to talk. They never wanted to talk. She smiled sadly at him, put her pistol to his head, and fired. As she let his lifeless body slide to the floor, she looked behind her and was grateful that Liara hadn't yet rounded the corner. The asari didn't see the translucent platinum barrier, and she didn't Jane kill the creature in cold blood.

Another one dead. I wish they didn't have such a need to enter battle. The universe will mourn them when they are gone, even if they don't see it now…

Jane shook her head as she kicked the body down the stairs, and turned to the VI. She grilled it for what information she could, which admittedly wasn't much, and then led the team into the building. Geth were working everywhere, and had set up some sort of a... research station. Their ship was somehow attached to the tower, and Jane just couldn't believe what she was seeing. It was a magnificent sight, even if it was a bit... creepy. They were efficient, and terrible, and... beautiful.

Another race the universe will mourn, when they are gone.... They are so insect-like. They focus on one purpose and never falter. Even the things they build reflect the beautiful simplicity and efficiency of insect physiology.

None of that really mattered though. As much as Jane may have admired the geth, she still had a job to do and that meant getting that ship off the building. They pushed forward, easily dispatching the resistance, and came to some controls for the cargo bay doors. Tali immediately deduced that they could crush one of the ship's claws with it, and Jane motioned for her to do whatever was necessary. She may be able to take the long view of geth contributions to the universe, but here and now, they were just a threat.

Tali nodded and then made quick work of calculating the sequence to get the bay to slam down on one of the ship's claws. Jane could almost hear the smile in the young engineer's voice as she informed them she hoped it was filled with geth. Jane just watched the machine fall, and shook her head sadly as more magnificent creatures were destroyed by her hand. She glanced at Tali, and wished that the quarians didn't have to wear those full body suits. The woman's facial expressions were always masked, and the commander wasn't sure just how serious she was about wishing death on the geth.

War is the province of soldiers... not scientists. This will break them all, Jane. You shouldn't have brought Tali, either. She doesn't know what she is saying...

Jane's inner thoughts were once again interrupted though, this time by her pilot informing her that the colonists had gone mad and were trying to get into the Normandy. She wasn't worried about them getting into the ship, but thought it best to get back there anyway. Her team had done enough damage here. The geth ship had fallen, and the geth were pissed.

Mission accomplished, I guess. We can directly quantify the success of the mission by how many people we piss off, right? Right.

Jane led the team out of the building, and together with the civilian scientist, they made their way back to the Mako. They dropped the civilian off where the ExoGeni group was holed up, and learned that the Thorian was currently living beneath the colony at Zhu's Hope. Jane just gripped her rifle, smiled her very best 'fuck you' smile, and turned away before she did something she would regret.

Great. Why is nothing ever just easy? Why can we never just, go into a place, and like, get all the information at once? Why do we always have to run around in a big circle before folks will just spit out the truth? Well, at least these researchers have some ideas on how to get the colonists out of the picture without killing them. It's the least they can do, after putting them in this situation to begin with. Fucking corporations.

Making their way back to the Mako, Commander Shepard wondered how ExoGeni could be so cold and unfeeling. They put this colony at extreme risk, knowing this ancient creature lay just below them. It was unforgivable. And now, because of them, she would have to destroy it.

It seems like all I do these days is destroy things. That's all I do. I am the harbinger of destruction. And, I hope that she never realizes it.

-Normandy, Commander Shepard's quarters

The commander looked over at the console again. Still no blinking light. She was still on her own. Well, it was time for some sleep. She could put the rest of the mission into perspective tomorrow morning, and maybe make some time to go chat with Liara and see what she thought about everything.

Yes, I want to talk to Liara tomorrow. I hope she is holding up ok and the mission wasn't that stressful on her. I'll need to keep an eye on her and make sure I'm not pushing her too hard.

Tomorrow, she'd finish her reflections and plan their next step. She pulled off her armor, placed it neatly in her trunk, and climbed into bed.

-Nightmares

You are welcome here. You are always welcome here.

She looked at the sky. Or was she looking at the ground? Jane wasn't sure. She rolled to one side, and then rolled to the other. Yes, she was definitely looking at the sky.

I am here again. I have advanced. I must arrive.

She sat up, and looked around her. Her surroundings were much the same as they always were, but it seemed that the planet of platinum swords was just a little bit closer. The sound was just a little bit louder.

Where am I to go this time?

She didn't ask the question of the voice. She asked the question of herself, and sensed that the voice was pleased. The swords danced and sang in the twilight. Jane got to her feet. This land was desolate and barren. There was no mercury lake, and there was no path to follow. There was nothing. She started walking.

How must I choose the direction?

She counted her steps. One, two, three, four… She counted, and walked. There was emptiness. She changed direction. One, two, three, four… She was met with silence, and an endless expanse of silver land. There was not even the slightest hint of a breeze to help her determine in which direction to go.

Jane sat down, and gazed at the planet of platinum swords. She didn't want to ask the voice. She felt somehow, that the voice rather liked when she did things on her own. She needed to find her way through this trial, so she could arrive.

I must arrive. I am destined to arrive.

She thought about her previous trials. They were all painful, and tested her physical strength of will. She was strong, and her body honed. She took pride in keeping herself in top physical condition, despite her ankle injury. Her last two trials forced her to draw upon reserves deep in her soul. Would all the trials be like that? Would they all be a test of strength?

She lay back down, and looked up into the twilight.

This is how I arrived here. Is this how I am to advance to the next?

She felt that she was on the right track, but it was hard to see how she would advance to the next trial if she was laying down, looking up at the velvet blanket covering the night…

The velvet blanket, covering the night…

Covering the night...

...

Covering the night…? Where are the stars?

Jane looked up in earnest, but could see nothing. It was as if something was blocking her view, blocking the view of the souls that were meant to dot the blackness and give direction to those lost in midnight. She closed her eyes and thought back to another place, and another time, when she had gently flicked her wrist and sent a fully grown krogan crashing to the ground. Her eyes shot back open, and she smiled. It seemed the swords in the distance sang more loudly for her, as she raised her left hand, and sliced open the night with platinum lightning. The canopy fell away at her command, and the stars rushed to meet her. Or was she rushing to meet them?

Their heat seared her flesh and their edges sliced her skin, but she just threw her head back and laughed with the swords, as the voice joined her once again. Her blood fell to the ground, and she turned herself in the air to look at the patterns it formed. The drips were nearly identical to the patterns of the stars behind her, and she smiled at her mirror image, a silver replica of herself on the ground, as it slowly waved goodbye to her.

A wave of silver ice shattered the crystalline universe, and carried Jane away into the darkness…