Sarah sighed. She hadn't seen two red haired women showing up on the Normandy. Along with some weird looking old guy, Oriana, and a very confused looking woman. Without thinking she asked, "How the fuck did you get here?"
Jessica jumped, and replied, "Sarah?"
"Jessica?" Sarah inquired, "Aren't you supposed to be in an alternate dimension?"
"Long story."

"Alright. You have to keep a low profile. Here... you've been dead for years."

"I'll do my best. You have anywhere we could hide?"
"I'll let you know if I find about a place you can hide." Sarah said, giving Jessica a hug. "But it's good to see you again. Outside of weird mind travel and such."

Jessica returned the hug, and said, "I hear ya, sis."

Then, Nihlus asked, "Where did these extra humans come from?"
Sarah sighed, and said, "You've got to be fucking kidding me. Why did it have to be Nihlus who shows up right now?"
Jonathan laughed, and said, "Let me handle this, Shepards."
Nihlus looked at the ancient human with confusion, and asked, "Who are you?"
"Jonathan Rakdos." he replied, appearing behind Nihlus and placing a hand to the back of the turian's neck. "But from here on out I and those who are also from my dimension are invisible to you. You never have seen us. And you never will."

Sarah looked as a strand of energy extended from Rakdos into Nihlus' brain. After a moment, Nihlus walked away. "Will he be okay?" the Commander asked.
"No harm shall befall him other than that which is dictated by the timeline, Ms. Shepard." Jonathan said.

Jessica said, "Didn't the Council of Elders forbid the use of that technique? On accounts of manipulating the mind being taking too much power over another?"
He looked at her, and said, "The Warrior is doing well in teaching you of the old ways. But, she does not know everything."

Sarah asked, "Can you please fill me in on about what you're talking about? If you're going to be stowing away on my ship it's the least you could do."

"It isn't your ship yet. And just because we're on board your ship and not in our home dimension doesn't mean we can't be helpful." Jessica said.

"Sis," Sarah replied, "you just came in from an alternate reality. You are using weapons that won't be invented for years. If you show up on the battlefield the entire multiverse might implode. Do you really want to risk that?"
"Do you really want me, my clone, and her handler sitting around on the Normandy bored?" Jessica asked flatly.

Sarah sighed, and said, "I'll have to check with the higher ups in the... group that I am asociated with due to the fact that they are pretty much the only option I have."
"Who are they?"
"First explain your confusing situation and then I'll explain mine."

"Deal." Jessica replied. "Nicole, AKA the Warrior, is an entity inside my head. Forged from one of those Butchers I told you about."

"Right... you did bring those up."
"Anyways, humans long ass time ago made the Reapers. Rakdos is from that time. What's your group of mysterious allies?"
"The Beings of Light. Dead people who don't pass into the void or go crazy waiting to pass into it."
"Fun. So, how's your Miranda?"
"She's alright. Here on the Normandy."
"Care to introduce me to your girlfriend?" Jessica asked with an asshole smirk.

Oriana looked up and just asked, "Aren't we supposed to be heading back to our universe?"
Rakdos looked at Jessica and said, "She has a point. I do need to find us a way back. These Lucis Entia sound like a good place to start investigating ways back home. Where can I find them?"
"Fuck if I know. I know how I could get to 'em. But beyond that... I have no idea. You've got that whole... 'never been dead' vibe about you."

John walked up and said, "I'll take care of this, Sarah. Orders directly from his majesty. Bring the old one before him. Something about talking over a way to get him away."
"What about the others? Can you take 'em too?"
"No. Only one may go. And that one has been decided upon."

Sarah nodded, and said, "Don't let him fuck anything up, Dad."
"I don't plan to fuck anything up. Just get people home." Rakdos replied, following John.

Once he left the room, Sarah said, "You asked to meet my Miranda?"
"Yeah." Jessica said.

"She'll be this way." Sarah said.

-=0=-

In the small quarters Miranda and Sarah shared, the Operative did a double-take as a red-haired woman who was clearly not Sarah stepped in. She did a second when another identical woman stepped through behind her.

Her jaw dropped when Brooks stepped in, followed by Oriana. Then finally Sarah stepped in. The Operative asked Sarah, "WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?!"
"Long story." the first redhead replied. "But you definitely are Miranda. A bit different, but still clearly Miranda."

The Operative looked at her and asked, "Who else would I be?"
"I just thought differing circumstances might have led you to be different from my Miranda."
"What?"

"But the mannerisms are the same. Still got the same air of confidence. Do you have a tiny scar on your right leg where a tree branch stabbed you while you were out in the forest that was on your father's estate?"
Miranda jumped, and asked, "How did you know about that?"
"You have a scar on your right leg?" Sarah asked. "How haven't I noticed that before?"
Jessica replied, "It's really tiny. Like... half a millimeter."
"How do you know about it?" Miranda asked.
"Simple, my Miranda has that same scar. She got it while hanging out with me after we first got together."
"Why do you keep talking about your Miranda? Who the bloody hell are you?"
The woman shook her head, and said, "Oh right. You wouldn't recognize me because I died much younger in this version. I'm Lieutenant Commander Jessica Shepard. N7 Marine."
"There's no Jessica Shepard N7 in service." Miranda replied.

"You're acting awfully thick for a genetically engineered woman who has been through some of the craziest shit in history. I mean, you brought Sarah back from the dead and you can't understand what I'm hinting at?"
Miranda sighed, and said, "You're Sarah's sister from an alternate reality. You got into this one... somehow."

"Yup." Jessica said. "You had me worried there for a second that something was wrong with ya."
"Why would you be concerned if something happened to another reality's version of me?"
"Just because you aren't my Miranda Lawson doesn't mean I want anything bad to happen to ya. And, Sarah cares about you a lot. And that makes you surrogate inter-dimensional family. Or something."

"What's with the wo man who looks just like you?"
"Clone. Cerberus secretly made her while rebuilding me."

"How did other-reality-me handle rebuilding you?"

"It was tough on her. Seeing your girflriend as a burned up pile of meat, armor, and tubes isn't easy."
Miranda nodded, and said, "How did you get here?"
Sarah said, "Her mentor-buddy fucked up. Sent them here on accident. Jessie, you got any idea why he fucked up?"
"He was just trying to get us out of the line of fire."
-=0=-

Halthas stared out, and felt a faint whisper on the winds of his strange, fluctuating world. He looked up, and vanished. Reappearing aboard a small ship. He looked around, and saw those the winds spoke of. And he whispered in the tongue only he and his brother knew, "Follow me, those of the firstborn dimension. Follow me, into power beyond your wildest imagination."

The leader of the group turned, and said, "You're one weird motherfucker. Go away."
He glared at her, but did as he was told.

-=0=-

Rakdos walked into the chambers of the king of the Lucis Entia. The ancient ruler looked at him, and said, "Jonathan Rakdos. I have long awaited this day. When you would arrive with your realm's Shepard."

Rakdos nodded, and asked, "Why?"
"Because, with the aid of her Warrior, the Dark Spirit Halthas may be destroyed forever."
"What does the Warrior have to do with handling your dimension's Dark Spirit?"

"The Warrior is an entity that this realm has no parallel for. One that should its possessor be Halthas's chosen victim of possession, would destroy him. Inside her there is only room for one mind that is not her own. The Warrior and Jessica would have the might to utterly eradicate Halthas."
"I cannot ask Jessica to do that. I cannot even let her or Sarah know of such an option. This is not our dimension. Were we to intervene... everything might die. Not just in this dimension, but all others as well."
The King sighed, and said, "Do you know what happens to the one who kills the Dark Spirit's host?"
"They become the new host I assume. What remains though is the multiversal laws. That no denizen of one dimension may directly affect the future of another. The laws of the universe are clear on how this works. Why are you so eager to risk destroying everything to stop this Halthas?"
"He has been around for countless eons. So many years he has existed. And he will continue to exist if there is no kind of intervention."
"There is a way in your dimension to handle this evil. There is no such thing as an indestructible evil. Every dimension must be able to handle it's greatest evil without intervention from another. Such is the only law from the Source of All Things."

"You know as well as I that the Creator of All Realms has not always looked at every possibility."
"Should your evil currently have no means of defeat in your realm, one shall come. Such is the way of things."

"But will it be too late?"
"You know the way of things. A hub dimension will not fall to malevolence because then it would spread too far. Were that to happen, the Source himself would intervene."
"But you know as well as I that he is loathe to make himself known."

"True, King. So it is your duty to ensure that it is not necessary for that intervention. I can tell from the look in your eyes. There is a way, but you are afraid to use it."

"True."
"But the problems of your realm are not why I came to speak with you. I came to see if you know a way for me and my companions to return to our realm."
"There is a way. But, you cannot travel back so quickly."
"Temporary weakness caused on your end is what lead us here?"
"Precisely. That weakness is... predictable. It will happen again in three days time. Once that is done, you will be able to cross the path back to your realm."
Rakdos nodded, and said, "Very well."

-=0=-

Halthas stared up, and said with a small smile. "Soon. Very soon."
"What is coming soon, My Liege?" a servant asked.

"Spread the word amongst those loyal to me, slave. The prophecy shall be broken soon."
"What prophecy, my liege?"
"They shall understand. You needn't."

"Very well, Master."

-=0=-

"The prophecy of which Halthas spoke, was recorded as The Day of Darkness Fall. The last prophet, Irthael, spoke it upon his deathbed. After being struck down by the Dark Brother himself.

"It said, 'In man's darkest hour. When the light has been snuffed out and the Creating King lies dead at the feet of his Dark Brother shall the blade Inthirazal awaken in the hands of its true master.'" an old man said to a group of children.

-=0=-

A/N: So it continues. Hopefully ya'll enjoyed this chapter. As for the sudden strange way things are going, I will just say that it's all part of the plan. Please let me know what you thought of the chapter in a review. That way I can hopefully get better at satisfying everyone. :-)