Mass Effect the Immortal Series part 1: Flight of the Normandy

by black dragon

A rewrite of one of my older stories: The Challenger Deep is the deepest part of the ocean, and for millions of years has kept its secrets for itself. In the year 1960 a team of scientists made the first dive to the Challenger Deep. What they discovered was something that would forever change the course of human history.

18. Battle for the Odyssey

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN MASS EFFECT THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS!

A/n: Alright folks as I said I was splitting the Chapter that originally was going to show the Normandy rising from the sea. Well since the original chapter was very short and not so enduring as far as chapters go I decided to split the chapter so it appears as if things are not going the way they should. Let me tell you this was one of my favorite parts of the story and to mess it up this badly in the original….well it needed some work. So here you go folks the undersea battle of Normandy vs. Submarines. And remember if you like the story then please leave a review and no FLAMES, LORE MONGERS, OR BASHINGS PLEASE! Thank you very much. I would also like to thank my ever so awesome beta for helping me out and making sure I stay as close to the lore as possible.

WARNING ACTION AHEAD!

So without further ado on with the next chapter of….

Mass Effect The Immortal Series pt 1: Flight of the Normandy

Chapter 17: Battle for the Odyssey

OFF THE COAST OF VIETNAM

The captain of the Thai Naval Vessel, Queen Sirikit was the first to notice something was not right with the blockade. In the early afternoon sun, he could see the ship he and his fleet of smaller war vessels came to block. The Ocean Odyssey was a vessel many prized for its advanced technology and revolutions in human advancement. Its massive size dwarfs that of most warships but it is also smaller than the largest aircraft carrier the Americans and the Koreans have. It was something the captain of the vessel was not anticipating on guarding, even when the King of Thailand had ordered him and the Thai Navy into action.

"Sir, is everything alright?" asked a subordinate when he noticed his commanding officer was staring off into the distance.

"Something is coming, I can sense it," he said looking at the ships in the distance. The unease in his gut was telling him to stand ready because something was about to happen.

"Sir, it appears as if the jamming signal is still there. We had received a message from the Malaysian Command ship via Morse Code; they said to use Morse Code, Flag or mirror signals to pass along messages," his communications officer said to him.

"Very well, tell them thanks for the update, we will put it to use," he said as he turned his vision towards the horizon again. The anticipation in his gut was still there; it was a lingering feeling of something. Like he was hunting in the jungles of Thailand right now, waiting for the chance to either run or kill his prey. But his unease made him feel as if he was the hunted. The need to run and hide was all that was coursing through his veins right now and it was being felt throughout the ship.

"Sir, we have submarines inbound, baring 0260, range 6.43 kilometers and closing fast!" the sonar officer said and the captain rushed towards the sonar to see for himself. Cursing, he rushed towards the communications officer, "Get word to the fleets now!" he shouted. It was then that the sonar started shouting.

"Sir, we have torpedoes inbound!" he said.

"Launch countermeasures! And prepare for evasive maneuvers!" he yelled and everyone on bridge started moving while alarms started blaring in the rest of the ship. The captain then began to shout orders into his mouthpiece for a ship-wide broadcast. Everyone started running for their battlements as they prepared for battle.

"What kind of ships are we dealing with?" he shouted to the sonar.

"American Ohio-Class submarines, sir!" he said to the captain. At the captain's confused glance, he returned it, while more countermeasures were released and explosions could be seen. Looking out beyond the ship's bow, other ships were also going on the defensive. The other Thai ships were in the process of arming themselves when the first ship exploded. It was a Vietnamese ship that exploded to his right. The fire that consumed it was intense as the ship rapidly sank. Suddenly, the water was filled with explosions as several more ships started to get hit by more torpedoes. People started to scramble to get to battle stations and counter attack the enemy.

"Why are the Americans attacking us!?" he shouted at the helmsman.

"I don't know sir! But they are coming around…..sir they are targeting us!" said the sonar man.

"I want countermeasures in the water and I want us to prepare to fire back! Deploy charges...let's draw the bastards to the surface!" he said and the men quickly got to work.

NORMANDY

"Dr. Alenkov, submarines have started firing on the blockade," Martha said as she monitored the ships on the fleet and the ones that exploded.

"What is the situation with the other ships?"Dr. Alenkov asked as she stood behind Martha, her arms crossed as she saw the situation unfold.

"All ships are confused and are preparing their weapons for possible attack. They don't know what is going on, but the Thai seemed to think that the American's have attacked their ships." said Jessica from her station to the left of Martha.

"EDI?" Dr. Alenkov said.

"Dr. Jenkins and I are working as fast as we can in unlocking the jamming signal. Major's Lawoski and Reynolds are stationed down at deck level with their men, ready for deployment," EDI replied.

"I want all weapons online. I need torpedoes armed and ready, and bring the GARDIAN lasers to half power, we don't know what kind of firepower the Normandy has." Dr. Alenkov said to Ichigo, who sat at the weapons station. He powered up the lasers and asked Lucas if he could help with torpedoes. Lucas was more than happy to help. Flipping a few switches, both men looked as if they wanted to play in the arcade.

"Martha, bring us about the north side; I want to keep an eye on the Russian subs. The Ohio- and Alfa-Class subs are nuclear, so somehow, they have access to nuclear energy. Meaning, they know someone who has access to plutonium. We can't have those subs going off in the middle of the ocean. The radiation alone could kill everyone." said Dr. Alenkov.

"Not quite, the Normandy's weapons should be able to vaporize the plutonium before the radiation has a chance to pollute the ocean. But we will have to be sure we want to do this," EDI replied.

"Very well. Martha, how long till we reach the first target?" she asked.

"Ten minutes," Martha replied.

"Good, how far can the Normandy shoot?" Dr. Alenkov asked.

"The Normandy's torpedoes can shoot a great distance and do not require the fuel tanks that a conventional torpedo uses. The torpedo itself is magnetic, which requires it to be in relatively close range in order for it to home in on a target. However, I can program it to target a single entity overriding its need to follow its own programming. That would make it harder to divert once fired. I can also predetonate it if you wish me to do so," EDI said to Dr. Alenkov.

"Good. Martha, get us close and then Lucas, Ichigo target the torpedoes," she said, and a chorus of 'Aye, ayes' could be heard as she stared at the screen in front of her.

U.S.S. ALASKA

"Sir! Torpedoes in the water, bearing 080 starboard side!" said the sonar officer in charge. Both the admiral and the captain rushed to the bridge just to see several ships being bombed including a Korean aircraft carrier.

"What about our own ships?" the admiral asked.

"The Thai, Malaysian and Vietnamese ships think that we set them up sir," said the sonar officer.

"Sir, the Korean's and the Chinese are…. sir, I have multiple targets coming in at 0780 starboard side, detecting several Russian Alfa-Class submarines heading towards us sir!" he said.

"Get me on the phone with Washington, now!" the admiral said and the person in charge of communications reached over to dial, but then, the ship suddenly shook.

"DAMAGE REPORT!" the captain roared.

"Damage contained to the port side! We just missed being hit by a torpedo, sir!" said the sonar officer.

"Why haven't you called it out!" the admiral shouted.

"Sir, it was not on screen, sir! We didn't see it!" said the sonar officer.

"That means that the torpedoes are not ocean-based, so where had they come from?" asked the captain, just as there was shouting from the deck as a crew member rushed in.

"BALISTIC MISSILES IN THE AIR, SIR!" someone shouted and quickly, the admiral rushed to see for himself. Sure enough, the water came alive with ballistic missiles, as one of the ships started to fire into the air.

"Sound the alarm and someone get me on the phone with Washington!" he said.

"Sir, the jamming signal is still operational, sir!" said the Comms officer.

"Damn it!" shouted the admiral in exasperation, before turning, "Get all birds into the air now!" he ordered.

The Captain quickly rushed towards the comms to get the orders out, only to get thrown back when another explosion hit. One of the missiles had hit the flight deck, causing a massive explosion and destroying several planes. Another missile hit near the base of the tower, causing a wall of flames to go into the air. A third explosion hit the control tower itself, causing the glass in front to shatter and a wall of flame to enter the room. Crew members scrambled to get to cover as fire and glass flew everywhere. Some never made it as bodies hit the floor. The Captain watched as the Admiral fell to the ground with his head leaving his body. He fortunately was able to get down in time along with the sonar officer in charge.

Getting up, he quickly yelled, "DAMAGE REPORT!"

"Sir, we are hit on the Starboard deck! We're also getting damage reports from the tower, sir!" said one of the other officers.

"What about our birds?" he asked.

"The ones above deck are gone, sir, all others below are stuck; the elevators are damaged. The tower also took a few hits, and the Admiral... sir, I am sorry sir, but the Admiral is gone," he said.

The captain looked at the headless body of the admiral along with several other men before looking up, "How many casualties?" he asked gravely.

"We don't know sir, we're still counting!" he said.

"Then get me a full report on our fleet now!" the captain ordered and the man quickly rushed to get the job done.

"Sir, the Odyssey is starting heat up its weapons, sir!" said another officer.

"I want all personnel to prepare for possible impact!" the Captain called out and the man quickly relayed the orders. This left the Captain, who was still bleeding from a cut on his head, to slowly get up. He cursed when he sliced his hands on some broken glass, but he was still able to stand. Looking down, he was glad that he had ducked or else he would have suffered worse. Some of the other men, however, did not make it and he looked up to see for himself. The Ocean Odyssey was powering up its weapons, if the light on its aft was anything to go by. The gun quickly hit one of the Chinese vessels, causing a massive explosion as the boat began to sink.

OCEAN ODYSSEY

The rear rail gun did wonders in hitting its target with deadly accuracy. The Chinese vessel was too busy trying to defend itself from the Koreans and the Japanese to think of looking towards the Odyssey.

"Fire!" said Tao-Yun, and a beam of light made from molten metal collided with the ship, causing massive explosions as it quickly sunk, killing everyone onboard. The laughter from the pirates allowed them to start the engines to prepare for their departure.

"Wait for the signal from the submarines, when I get it, we leave," said Tao-Yun and the men quickly got to work.

Off to the side, Enrique and Micheal, who were still tied to the deck of the ship, watched as the blockade, a once organized solid front, now reduced to flames and missile attacks. The smoke and ruin of their ships was enough to have the men think of something that would get them out. But they had no idea what to do. Even Enrique's skills on the streets had no place on a ship full of seasoned pirates.

They watched in horror as the ships turned on each other, not knowing what is really going on.

"We have to do something!" Micheal said to Enrique.

"What can we do, amigo? We can't go against them, they will kill us if we tried," he said.

"I don't know, but we got to do something!" Micheal said sounding desperate.

"All we can do is wait for the right opportunity, and then we get the fuck out of here," Enrique said and Micheal agreed, knowing that the chance of escape was futile, but they at least had to try. But coming up with a plan was not happening, as one of the guards noticed their conversation. Grabbing Micheal from behind, he dragged the filmmaker towards Tao-Yun, his steps hard and sure. Even with the rocking waters, the man knew how to walk on boats.

"Sir, we caught this one talking to another. I think they were trying to plan an escape," he said as he tossed Micheal down on the deck. Tao-Yun looked down at him, his eyes narrowed as he looked at Micheal's face.

Then recognition finally dawned on him like a lighting strike, "I know you! You make movies for television. You filmed our fellows in Cambodia. Do you know what happened next?" he asked, getting in Micheal's face. Micheal struggled, not understanding what was being said, but a quick slap to the face held him.

"The Government killed them! You showed their faces and now you will pay! One of them was my brother!" Tao-Yun said as he hit Micheal again and again, till his face was bloody. Enrique, who was further back, watched in silence as the men continued to beat him. He wanted to jump in, to help him, to do anything to end this, but he was restrained by two armed men. He could do nothing.

Suddenly, there was a massive explosion that shook the ship. Everyone held on as the ship pitched and the alarms began to sound. The waves rocked the ship as further explosions took place underwater. Tao-Yun quickly rushed towards the side to see for himself what was going on. He and several other men quickly wanted to know what was happening.

"Get me on the radio with the submarines now!" he said.

NORMANDY

"We got 'em, Dr. Alenkov!" Lucas called out, having the time of his life shooting torpedoes.

"Stay focused! We have several more torpedoes to cut off," the doctor replied and turned towards the hologram in front of them.

"Martha, when I say turn off the stealth systems, do it!" she said, looking down at her pilot.

"Are you sure Dr. Alenkov? I mean, they will see us when we do so," Martha replied, sounding unsure of herself as the Russian lady put her hand on the seat.

"It is a scare tactic I want to play. Let them know we are here and that we are angry," she said and as she said it, Martha smiled a sly smile as she turned back towards the screens in front of her.

As she looked towards the screens Dr. Alenkov watched the submarines as they floated by. "Drop us out of stealth now!"

"Mama's very, very angry," Martha said laughing as she hit a few buttons, "Alright stealth mode to be dropped in three….two….one….drop!"

"Stealth systems disengaged," EDI reported as Martha steered them towards the American submarines. She could feel the Normandy's engines as they pushed her through the water. She was feeling the adrenaline coursing through her veins as she dodged a torpedo.

"What the fucking movie is that line from?" asked Jessica as Martha steered them through a field of depth charges that were put out for the submarines.

"Lost World, Jurassic Park should watch it, valley girl!" Martha joked as she maneuvered the ship around another round of depth charges.

Major Lawoski chuckled over the comms. "Must go faster, Must go faster!"

"Alert! Torpedoes inbound from multiple sources," EDI announced and Martha looked at the monitors and saw that they came from the subs. Dr. Alenkov stood poised as always, but her eyes narrowed.

"Martha, steer directly towards the torpedoes, all thrusters full. Mr. Bridger, power up the Thanix Cannon, but only at a quarter power, I don't want to cause a massive explosion yet," she said.

"Thanix Cannon armed and online ma'am," said Lucas as he took controls while Martha steered the ship through the depth charges.

"EDI, how are the barriers holding up?" Dr. Alenkov asked the A.I.

"Kinetic Barriers are holding at ninety nine percent," EDI announced and Alenkov smiled, "Good. On my signal, Mr. Bridger, you are to open fire on the torpedoes,"

Lucas's onscreen readouts showed the torpedoes at ready while she waited, "Torpedoes inbound in twenty seconds….fifteen…..ten," he said

"Fire!" Alenkov ordered, and Martha watched the windows outside the ship light up as the Thanix Cannon fired. Then the ocean lit up as multiple torpedoes exploded. The ship didn't feel the aftershock, but Martha knew that the people above did and smiled to herself.

THAI NAVAL VESSEL QUEEN SIRIKIT

The captain held on as everyone onboard the vessel fell, when the sea suddenly burst, rocking the ship. Whatever was coming at them from the Northeast was coming fast and they caused a lot of damage.

"Damage report!" he shouted to his second in command.

"None sir, thank Buddha!" said the person nearest to the window.

"Any casualties!?" He demanded and everyone scrambled to check, "No casualties, but many are injured sir!" was the reply over the radio. The captain cursed as he quickly rushed over to the deck, followed by his men. Looking through a pair of binoculars, he watched as the blockade became a battleground of many different navies. Smoke filled the skies as many ships were sunk and many more under fire.

The American Command ship suffered heavy damage from torpedoes and it looked as if it was taking on water. Suddenly, someone started shouting and the captain rushed back onto the bridge.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Sir, something just showed up on sonar," he said pointing to the screen. The captain looked, and his eyes widened to the point of stinging as he saw something approach from beneath him. Also on the other side were the American submarines, which had moved closer to the blockade with torpedoes occasionally going. This time, something MASSIVE is moving beneath the surface. Turning towards the sonar specialist, he demanded to know what was the depth of the object.

"It is deeper than the submarines, but it just appeared out of nowhere as if it was there the whole time," the Sonar person said over the radio.

"Keep an eye on it, if it is friendly or not," just as he said it the sonar personnel shouted, "Torpedo inbound baring 090 Port aft it is coming right at us sir!," said the sonar specialist.

"Helmsmen, steer this ship at 60 degrees starboard and then again to port to try to evade the torpedo," the captain demanded as the Helmsmen got to work trying to deter the torpedo. Suddenly the sonar specialist shouted, "It has a lock on us impact in 30 seconds," he shouted. The captain turned towards the man on the right, "Deploy counter measures! Then steer us hard to port, all right rudder, all ahead full!" he said, and the man did as he was told, the sounds of countermeasures being deployed reassuring them somewhat. It was not long before the first torpedo hit the counter measure. However, three more were reported by sonar, heading directly towards them. The captain ordered them to again deploy countermeasures, but even that was likely to fail.

"Brace for impact!" he shouted and the collision alarm sounded. However, an explosion was felt and heard, but nothing happened to the ship. The water some distance away flash-boiled. Light streams came from a single entity beneath the Queen Sirikit. Then, suddenly, the water exploded with multiple explosions. They were so massive that the shockwave was felt on the Thai ship. Men were thrown to the ground, and the ship rocked with the pressure wave caused by the explosions. Looking up in shock from where he fell, the Captain rushed towards the deck to see for himself what was causing it, only to see nothing.

NORMANDY

"All torpedoes destroyed!" Lucas said from his spot.

"Do not get comfortable Mr. Bridger, we still have the submarines to deal with," EDI pointed out as Martha steered the ship away from another sea mount.

"Martha, get us up above these sea mounts and into a better attack approach. We need to get to those subs!" Dr. Alenkov said and Martha pushed the ship upwards, closer to the surface. It was still dark, but the holographic images showed the submarines in front of them.

"They are right in front of us Dr. Alenkov, we got lucky and saved that Thai ship from death. But the others are not so lucky," Martha replied.

"Jenkins, EDI, how is the jamming coming along?" Alenkov asked.

"Almost there, we need a little….GOT IT!" he said happily.

"Jamming frequency found, deactivating now," EDI said and Dr. Alenkov crossed her arms as she looked at the graphs displaying the different signals. The ships started changing their displays from red to green, signaling that the jamming signal is off.

"Jessica, get me all ships in the region. EDI, translate my voice on all languages available now!" she said.

Jessica started typing in on the holographic interface, quickly selecting all the warships in the blockade. "Ships selected!"

"All channels are open for broadcasting," EDI said.

Dr. Alenkov didn't hesitate when she started broadcasting, "This is Dr. Elenna Alenkov of the Challenger Deep Project. If you are hearing this broadcast then I urge you to cease fire NOW!"

The explosions stopped for a second before a voice was finally heard over the loudspeaker: "This is Captain Martin Chadwick of the U.S.S. ALASKA. We are heavily damaged, torpedoes have taken out our ships, and the others started firing on us. What the hell is going on?" said a voice. Dr. Alenkov smiled seeing as the lights started to broadcast.

"This is captain Lao-Shi-Min of the Chinese Vessel Tiāntáng zhī mén. We demand to know why you attacked us?" came the voice of the obviously Chinese captain.

"This is Takeyoshi Mihara of the Japanese Defense fleet, state your business, Dr. Alenkov, and why you are broadcasting to us now?" was the demand from the Japanese vessel.

"I am well aware of your demands and the damages to your ships, however, you are currently being preyed upon by submarines that do not belong to neither Russia nor the United States. Our ship has the means to break the jamming signal and we have. You are now free to contact your governments and inform them of what has happened, while we take care of the submarines," Dr. Alenkov stated as she stood there behind the pilot's chair, looking at the screen with several sound graphs each with a different frequency on it.

"This is the captain of the Thai Naval vessel Queen Sirikit. I have heard what you are saying Dr. Alenkov, but from my understanding, you should be at the bottom of the Marianas Trench several thousand miles away. How are you here and where are you?" the captain of the Thai vessel asked and Dr. Alenkov smiled.

"We were trapped at the bottom of the Marianas Trench, you mean?" she stated.

Just as she said it, alarms started to go off EDI suddenly appeared, "I've detected multiple bogies inbound range….030 port side, depth 800 feet,"

"They are running deep! Martha, what is our depth?" Dr. Alenkov asked.

"We are at 3,520 feet," Martha replied as she kept her eyes on the screen in front of her. Dr. Alenkov had to think for a moment, remembering her time in the military, trying to see where these men were coming from.

"EDI, the transmissions from the Ohio-class subs. They were in multiple languages correct?" she stated.

"That is correct Dr. Alenkov," EDI replied.

"Good. Get me a transmission to them and make sure it is in their language," she said to the A.I. making sure to be as blunt as possible.

"Transmissions is open now Dr. Alenkov," said Jessica from where she sat at her station.

Dr. Alenkov took a deep breath before she began to speak, "This is Dr. Elenna Alenkov of the Alien Space Vessel Normandy. you are ordered by the U.N. to surrender now and cease fire! If you fail to do so, our vessel is equipped to destroy any and all submarines in the area. This is your only warning." She signaled to cut the transmissions and so, they waited. It was a long wait as the Normandy crew grew silent and waiting.

Finally, there was an incoming transmission - one that Jessica relayed to the overhead speakers - as Dr. Alenkov made her way back to the C.I.C. It was short and to the point. One that made her blood boil since it was targeted at her.

"There will be no surrender, we want what is ours. The Ocean Odyssey and its technology now belongs to us! So everyone onboard as well as the research belong to our superiors not to the United Nations!" The voice sounded cold and calculating, and it was definitely male. That much, they could tell, but for everyone onboard the ship, it means one thing….war.

"Where is that transmission coming from?" Dr. Alenkov asked when she had returned to her station just above the holographic form of Normandy.

"The transmission is coming from the submarine at the very back of the Ohio group. But the signal bounced off several of them before I was able to pinpoint it. But it seems that submarine is holding out on everyone else. It was also the ship closest to the Odyssey, meaning that the pirates plan to use the sub as a means to escape with the scientists and the technology," EDI replied.

Martha looked through the holographic imagery of the fighter group. She frowned when she saw the shape of the ship that the pirates are using. She thought about it and it was then that Lucas noticed.

"Yo, girl wassup?" he asked.

"Something is not right," she said more to herself then anything.

"Really? How so?" asked Lucas.

"The way these ships are lined up the Alfa Class and the Ohio. Why would someone with so much money want with alien tech?" she asked him.

"A lot of countries and corporations would pay billions to get their hands on one piece of alien tech. Even if it means killing off the competition. That is why they had the 'E.T. act of 1979' as a means to control the amount of alien tech that is being reverse engineered." replied Lucas. Martha leaned back on her chair and whistled when he said it. It did not entertain her one bit.

"Do you know about the E.T. act of 1978?" he asked Martha and she shook her head. A bit of confusion on her face.

"Guys I am picking up something," said Ichigo, breaking off their conversation and both got back into focus.

"What do you have?" Martha asked, looking at Ichigo with concern.

"Unknown….wait! TORPEDOES INBOUND! 15 SECONDS, BEARING….66 DEGREES NORTH BY NORTH WEST!" he said and then started muttering in Japanese since that is his base language.

"All hands prepare for possible impact in ten seconds. Kinetic barriers online," EDI's voice said over the loudspeaker as she diverted the shielding towards the possible impact zones. Martha quickly activated the thrusters and moved the ship away from the torpedoes, but the torpedoes seemed to have a lock onto the ship.

"Hang on, everyone," she said as she steered the ship towards the surface.

"Martha, avoid going to the surface, I want to avoid the looks of surprise on the other ships. Also, to avoid the torpedoes, turn the ship around and bring the lasers back online. I have an idea," Dr. Alenkov's voice said on the loudspeaker.

"Alright, I am all in for it," Martha said as she turned the ship around. Everyone onboard didn't even feel the turn of gravity, since the ship emits its own. Instead, Martha viewed the change through the view ports in front of her and on her holographic screen. From the darkness outside, they couldn't hear the torpedoes over the sound of the engines. But when Martha hit a switch, all sound was gone, replaced with the sound of the torpedoes. She quickly maneuvered the ship away once again as they headed towards the Normandy.

"Three more torpedoes inbound from the south, bearing 74.98 south by south west." EDI's said from Martha's right.

"Martha, I want you to direct the ship towards these coordinates, can you handle that?" Dr. Alenkov said to her. Looking down, Martha saw the coordinates and smirked.

"What is so funny Martha," said Lucas.

"Hey Lucas, did you ever play a game called chicken?" Martha replied, looking at Lucas with a smirk on her face, her lips almost baring her teeth.

"Yeah, played it several times with my brother when we used to race our dirt bikes back home, why?" he asked confused as he turned to her.

"Ever saw a show called Seaquest DSV?" she asked.

"Wait, is that the one with Johnathan Brandis and Roy Scheider?" he asked and Martha's smirk grew brighter, "Yeah what about it?"

Martha then turned towards the location Dr. Alenkov showed her and laughed, "Well, remember the first episode where they sent the dolphin out to tag the sub?" she said to him. It was then that Lucas finally caught on and started laughing, "You sick son of a bitch!" he said.

"I've never seen the show," Ichigo replied.

"Neither have I," said Jessica.

"Well, look at it this way: it was a show made back in the 90's where a submarine that looked a lot like a fucking squid explored the world's oceans. Well, that sub had a talking dolphin..." Martha was interrupted by Jessica.

"Talking dolphin?" Jessica asked.

"Yeah, well he didn't actually talk, more like his clicks, squeaks… Anyhow, the dolphin was told to tag this submarine because their computers had a failure." Martha replied, letting the ending slide while she steered the ship away from a seamount. The resulting explosion was the result of the torpedoes hitting the ocean floor.

"Basically, their computers had gotten hit by a very bad virus and so, they had to use the dolphin to tag the subs. That way, their torpedoes could effectively lock onto the target," Lucas finished while he saw Martha suddenly lurch to avoid another torpedo.

"Can the torpedoes damage the ship, by any chance?" asked Jessica.

"No, but it can wear down the Kinetic barriers. The armor can withstand multiple hits but we don't know if they are nukes," Martha replied.

"The torpedoes do not carry any nuclear source. I also detected no nuclear fusion reactors from the submarines you mentioned." EDI's voice sounded curious.

All four of them looked at each other curiously, "Explain?" asked Martha.

"When I did a search on your submarine classes, both the Ohio- and the Alfa-class submarines are run by nuclear energy. This enables them to remain underwater for longer periods of time. However, I do not detect any source of radioactive materials from the submarines. Instead, I detect a more fossil fuel based engine," EDI replied.

"EDI, are you sure?" Dr. Alenkov's voice said from the C.I.C. She sounded curious.

"I did an initial scan of the submarines, looking for any sources of radioactive materials that would be destructive to your ocean. Instead, I found a more fossil-based engine in all the submarines. Only one submarine is powered by a nuclear fusion reactor, and that one is currently damaged by the others," she said and Martha saw on the scanners.

"U.S.S. Idaho nuclear submarine from America served as a scout ship for the Atlantic Ocean back in the 90's." said Lucas looking up the specifications.

"Why isn't that sub fighting?" asked Martha.

"It's damaged; one of its rudders is malfunctioning and is being towed by one of the American ships," said Lucas.

"Alright, we know who the real sub is what about these, 'fake' subs?" Martha asked.

"The submarines all used a fossil fuel-based engine. The heat and exhaust that the sub emits is going into the ballasts instead of being released into the ocean. It is possible it was a ploy to divert detection from other subs and to hide the sound of a fossil fuel engine," EDI said from the left side.

"What about thermal scans?" Dr. Alenkov's voice said and Martha could see EDI hard at work at scanning.

"Thermal scans detect the heat signatures of all the submarines. Human scanners can't detect it because the cold water dissipates the heat hiding the submarine's signature and disguising it as a normal marine mammal, such as a whale. However, the Normandy's scanners are more sophisticated, allowing us to detect the slightest change in temperature." EDI replied.

"Meaning we can detect the subs without them knowing," said Ichigo, smirking. Jessica seemed surprised that such a ship could detect such heat signatures, but Martha's smile was the biggest.

"Dr. Alenkov have you seen a show called Seaquest DSV?" Martha asked.

"Yes, Ivan is a huge fan of the show….I get what you are going for, but do we have the means to tag the subs?"she asked, catching on to the strategy.

"Yeah, we use the heat signatures to our advantage," Martha said to her. At this, there was a silent pause and Martha was afraid she might have overstepped her bounds a bit, until the woman's reply was more than enthusiastic.

"Do it," was the reply.

Martha smirked as she got to work, putting all those hours playing video games to use. Pulling up the tactical feeds, she began to analyze where the subs were going to be, based on their heat signatures. The three chasing them were from the Russian side of the line. Three Alfa-class subs were coming towards the Normandy. But with Normandy being too deep for them to reach, they simply started launching depth charges in the water. Martha scoffed at that notion. The Normandy's more advanced systems could handle them. It was the torpedoes she was more worried about, and she wasn't even sure if they could reach them this deep, anyway.

"EDI, how many hits can the shields take before the torpedoes make contact?" Martha said.

"Based on my estimations, they can hold for a bit, Martha. The armor can withstand any conventional Earth Weapons save for a nuclear warhead. Even so, even at this depth, the pressure wave from a close explosion will rock the ship, possibly even knock people off their feet" EDI replied.

"Why? Doesn't this ship have artificial gravity or something?" Hilary asked.

"It does, but the kinetic force from an explosion is too rapid and sudden to immediately compensate for. The artificial gravity and the inertial dampeners are designed for a stable foothold during flight and minor impacts from things like micrometeorites, not direct hits from explosive warheads," EDI explained.

"Ok, she can hold off an entire fleet as long as they don't use nukes, got it," said Lucas as he looked at Martha. "What are you thinking, Marty?" he asked.

"We go with what we were planning by using the heat signatures on the subs," Martha said. Just as she said, it flashes of light went off around them and the sounds of explosions shook the ship. They knew they were trying to get them to rise up to reveal themselves.

"How will we get to them?" asked Jessica.

"We go ghost," Martha said as she flipped a few switches, "Activating stealth systems and engaging thrusters," she said before pushing the ship forward to face the ones on her list, the Ohio-class submarines. "Going ghost in three….two….one!" With that, she flipped a few switches.

"Normandy stealth systems engaged!" EDI said as Martha turned towards her companions.

"Lucas, get those torpedoes, ready we are going in," Martha said as she steered the ship more towards the subs. Lucas cackled as he started flipping holographic switches on his end of the bridge, "Torpedoes one and two armed," he said.

"Ichigo, I want you to handle lasers, Lucas you get torpedoes, Jessica handles sensors," Martha said as she went through.

"Got it!" they said as the interfaces changed.

"Alright, we have three fake Russian Alfa-class submarines coming in from the north and, from the looks of it, they can't see us," Jessica said.

"Good," Martha replied as she drove the ship down towards the bottom. The depth charges stopped when the depth became too deep. She then laid the Normandy near the bottom and waited.

"What are we doing?" asked Ichigo.

"Something that Hilary mentioned," Martha stated as she waited as she watched the sensors. She wasn't sure how long they waited, but it was painstakingly intense either way. Submarine crews were used to a silent game of cat and mouse. At least in the movies. This time, however, it seemed the enemy was impatient: the submarines stopped searching and started going for the ships again. This time, Martha waited till the Ohios were right over them, before activating thrusters and deactivating the stealth systems. Rising at a rapid rate, she signaled Lucas to open fire, and he did so, followed by Ichigo with the lasers. The explosions that took place were massive as the sound permeated the ship. There were the briefest of minuscule flashes that faintly lit up the cockpit, as Martha steered them clear of the debris. Going into a barrel roll, she then had them lined up on a second submarine.

Ichigo didn't hesitate as he activated the lasers. Just as he did, something slammed into the Normandy. Everyone felt it as Martha held on to the helm.

"What the fuck was that?" asked Ichigo.

"Alert! Multiple torpedoes inbound, starboard side!" EDI said and Martha maneuvered the Normandy around for an attack run.

"Lucas, Ichigo are you guys ready?" she said to them.

"Yeah," they both said at the same time.

Martha activated the thrusters and pushed the ship forwards in an attempt to attack the torpedoes. More were coming and she could see them on her sensors this time. The first time caught her off guard. This time, however...

"GARDIAN Lasers online and ready," said Ichigo as the targeting system was activated. Multiple targets were shown on-screen as he picked a few before firing lasers. Martha held onto the helm as she steered the ship. Another round was heading right towards them; this time, Ichigo was ready when he opened fire.

"Martha, head directly towards them, I have one of the subs in my sights," said Lucas. Martha pushed the Normandy towards them, her thrusters going hard as she went to work.

"I detect three submarines inbound, all of them Alfa-class and one Ohio behind," said EDI.

"Going dark," Martha said and activated the stealth systems, maneuvering the ship behind the subs, and went for a strafing run. At the signal, Lucas fired the torpedoes using thermals to detect the subs. The first hit in a massive explosion. Martha rolled the Normandy away from the subs, going for another approach, this time with lasers ready. Ichigo made short work of the subs' torpedoes, while Lucas focused on the subs themselves. It was a game of cat and mouse, with the subs trying to find and destroy the Normandy.

Two of the submarines ended up hitting their own, when Martha activated the stealth systems, causing the torpedoes to lose their homing and instead lock onto the nearest target. That target being another submarine. It was then that two more of the subs torpedoes had hit the Normandy's side.

"EDI!" Martha said.

"I detect an outside source, it is coming from the Odyssey," EDI replied and Martha cursed, remembering that some of the alien tech is onboard that ship.

"Alright, forget stealth, let's go the old-fashioned way," she said.

"I have an idea how to deal with the sensors," Dr. Alenkov said as she showed herself on the side screen.

"What do we have to do?" Martha asked.

"Not you, EDI, does this ship carry any EMP weapons?" she asked.

"No, this ship does not carry such weapons. However the torpedoes can arm magnetically in close range," EDI replied.

"Martha, can you get us in close to one of the subs? Lucas, when in range, fire torpedoes," Dr. Alenkov said and the two looked at each other and smirked, "Alright, GAME ON!" they both called out.

Martha maneuvered the ship into range, but doing a barrel roll to avoid a pair of torpedoes. She looked at the kinetic barriers that were still at 95 percent thanks to that first hit. She cursed at her carelessness and decided to stay on the offensive. Another hit from the side showed her that someone was trying to take pot shots.

"EDI, can you find out who is doing that?" Martha asked.

"I've already found them," she said and the image zoomed in on the Ocean Odyssey. "You got to be kidding me!" Martha complained.

"How the fuck did they get those torpedoes!" Ichigo complained as Martha steered the ship yet again to avoid another shot. When she saw the sub in her sights, she nodded to Lucas who took up the shot. She could see through the view ports two beams of light shoot out from the Normandy and strike the submarine. At first, there was nothing, then…

"Target has been tagged, target has been tagged!" Jessica laughed. Just as she said that, Martha turned hard left, rolling out of the way of the torpedoes that were behind them. She could hear them now as they whisked over their heads. They waited with baited breaths for the sound they were expecting.

"Torpedo bound for target. Detonation: 10 seconds," EDI said and everyone held their breath. They waited as she counted down the time.

Then, as if a storm suddenly hit.

BOOM!

The sound of the explosion was felt throughout the ship as the sub vaporized in front of them. She bet at this depth it could be felt on the surface. But all Martha thought was that one was down and three were left and on their tail. Turning the ship, she accelerated towards the next ship with guns ready to attack. The lasers that Ichigo shot did their job as a secondary BOOM was heard, followed by several more as he shot at the torpedoes that were launched at them. While he was having fun, he couldn't help but wonder how they had that many of them. Felt out of place. But then, he wasn't an expert, so he ignored the question. It was then that one of the subs tried to go for the surface. But Martha drove the Normandy after them, and Lucas finished it off with a shot from its torpedoes. The loud explosion shook the ship as she cleared the explosive debris.

Suddenly, a beam shot past them, but it was too weak to actually do any real damage.

"What was that, EDI?" Martha asked.

"Rail gun discharge from the Odyssey, the ship is starting to make its getaway," the A.I. replied.

"Martha, get that ship, we can't let the Odyssey leave!" Dr. Alenkov ordered.

"What about the other ships above?" Martha asked as she was curious why they were not responding.

"Most of those ships are too damaged to put up a fight, we are going to have to do it on our own," Dr. Alenkov replied as Martha avoided another torpedo, only for a second one to hit them on the right side.

"Kinetic barrier holding at 94 percent," EDI replied.

"Why were the other ones more effective on our shields," Martha asked curiously as she avoided another torpedo. The water became full of them as she steered the ship away from another volley of torpedoes. Then the light came again; this time, it hit the Normandy from above.

"Kenetic Barrier at 89 percent," EDI said.

"Oh shit, how much firepower does the Odyssey have?" asked Lucas as he shot another round of torpedoes at the third Ohio sub that came into view.

"I don't know, but we have to take out the remainder of the submarines," Ichigo said as he shot his lasers into another volley of torpedoes.

"Lucas, disarm the torpedoes but leave the magnetic homing on," Dr. Alenkov said, much to everyone's surprise. Martha whistled when she said it.

"But... Doc, if we do that, then how are the torpedoes going to work?" Lucas asked in bewilderment.

"It is time to play phase two: tag the submarine," she said, and Martha and Lucas looked at each other before they caught on.

"Ok, Lucas time to initiate Operation Darwin," Martha said, and Lucas nodded before turning back to the controls, "Alright, disarming torpedoes, leaving magnetic homing on. EDI, make sure to let us know as soon as the torpedoes are locked onto the submarine and attached, then we see if Dr. Alenkov's plan works," he said before targeting one of the Ohio subs.

"Ohio-class submarine in range," Lucas said.

"On my mark…..FIRE," she said and Lucas released the torpedoes. Martha watched from her seat as the water around her lit up as the torpedoes shot past. They rocketed forwards towards their targets.

"Ten seconds to impact!" EDI announced, "nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one….torpedo one attached, torpedo two homing."

Martha watched from her monitor on the side as the second torpedo attached itself to another submarine – this one was an Alfa-class.

"Torpedoes one and two locked and attached Ma'am," she said to the intercom.

"Good, Martha, take us deep, all the way to the bottom. Let's see how this plays out," Dr. Alenkov said, smirking, and Martha engaged the stealth systems and dove deep. When she got to the bottom, the minor trench they were in provided shelter from the battle above. They waited with baited breath, until finally, the sounds of distant explosions hit their ears. A huge cheer seemed to go on in the C.I.C. until Dr. Alenkov silenced them.

"We are not done yet, we still have one more ship to go before we get to the Odyssey. That ship must be the one in charge of the operation. Martha, take us to depth, I want a full scan of the ship when we get there. EDI, I want you to examine the whereabouts of all the ships in the area and inform the bridge crew of any new developments," she said and EDI sent her acknowledgment.

Martha sighed as she steered the ship towards the depth that Dr. Alenkov wanted. As much as it was fun to do so, she was starting to wear out. Luckily for her, she was not the only one. Lucas and Ichigo, both at their weapons' posts, were also feeling the strain, while Jessica, who ran communications, was starting to look a bit agitated when she worked at her station. When Martha was at depth, she started to do her scans, looking for the submarine. When she located it, she sent the coordinates to Dr. Alenkov.

"Alright, I know you are tired, folks, but we are almost there. Martha, that submarine is almost at the Odyssey. If those pirates make it off, then everyone is lost. Take that thing out!" she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," Martha said as she steered the ship towards the submarine. Lucas was ready with torpedoes, as was Ichigo with lasers, when EDI gave a warning. Martha had barely enough time to roll the ship out of the way before a beam of light hit them, cursing how the water made them just sluggish enough to make every dodge a close one.

"Fuck, that damn fuckin' rail gun!" said Lucas as he clearly wanted to vent his frustration.

"How the fuck are we going to deal with that?" asked Jessica. They all sat there while Martha kept them clear of the rail guns fire.

OCEAN ODYSSEY

By now, everyone saw the explosions underwater. The ships around them ceased fire on each other, but refused to move away from the Odyssey. Tao-Yun had started to order the ship to move when it was blocked by the Chinese. When he shot them with the rail gun, the explosion and the sinking of the vessel filled him with some sort of sick satisfaction. But the explosions underwater did happen, and as his sonar person explained, a much larger ship had arrived, and this one maneuvered much better than the subs they had with them.

When it arrived was when things started to fall apart. Tao-Yun was ready to fight his way out, which was why he had his fellow pirates smuggle on the rail guns and the other weaponry that was needed to arm the ship. His benefactor was no stranger to weapons and shielding, so he was glad for the energy shield that protected the ship from that missile the Chinese had sent them. But when the submarines that were supposed to escort them suddenly started to explode and the ship appeared and disappeared, that was when things started to go downhill.

Then came the call from some Russian doctor.

Oh, he had his dealings with Russians before and he had personally killed a few. But when this 'Alenkov' came and ordered their surrender, he was the first one to tell her to basically shove it! Then all hell broke loose with the destruction of the submarines. The ship that she came on, the 'Normandy', was a fast ship. Despite its size, the submarine underwater could maneuver better than any of their submarines. And Tao-Yun wanted that ship!

"Sir, the final escort is gone!" he heard and Tao-Yun's eyes widened when he heard it. Turning, he saw the frantic look on his sailors' faces when it happened.

"What!" he asked, shocked as he rushed towards the sonar room and looked down at the computer screen. Sure enough, their escort was gone, and the large ship, the Normandy, remained. It was a blur on their sonar, but the ship's size was hard to hide. Tao-Yun tried to decipher what it was, but then it seemed to vanish.

"Where is it?" he demanded as sweat poured from his brow.

"We lost it again sir," said the crew member behind him, and he turned to him before putting a bullet through his head. His patience had run out and his anger had reached a boiling point.

"Find it! Find it now!" he roared, and everyone quickly went to do his bidding, not wanting to end up like the crew member on the floor. He then started to bark orders.

"I've had enough of this! Find that ship! Blast it out of the water with the rail guns now!" he said and the man in charge of the gun started firing at random into the water. The sea boiled with the sight of so many explosions. Oil littered the water, so the sea began to burn as it caught on fire from the three rail guns. Many other ships too close to the oil slick also caught fire as crews were desperate to escape the blaze. The American ship, the U.S.S. Alaska, was one of those ships caught in the blaze. But as luck would have it, due to its size, the flames did not come up high enough to cause immediate problems. However, the smoke made it uncomfortable to work around.

Many people struggled to get out of the range of the flames that now rose from the amount of smoke and debris that came from the underwater battle. The rail gunner then started firing at random spots hoping to deal a final blow. However, they found nothing.

Then, as if from some nightmare, something came towards them. A massive wave seemed to part the ships as if it were alive. It rammed into the ship, causing men who were not holding on to fall into the ocean and be consumed by the flames. Others tried to fire on the wave, but what caused it simply disappeared into the depths. Now, Tao-Yun was angry, as he scoured the swells for any signs of the ship. But he found none and looked again at the smoking flames of the naval ships. By now, with the loss of their jamming signals, they knew that the United Nations had ordered more ships to close in. But would their benefactor back them up this time?

NORMANDY

Alenkov watched the ships on the holographic interface. She stood at her spot on the raised platform. She felt that it was here that she belonged, overseeing her crew. As she watched the many ships scramble to get out of the flames, she turned towards EDI's holographic form.

"Shall we?" she asked, smirking.

"Normandy is ready and waiting," EDI replied, her voice sounding smug. Looking towards the holographic interface, Alenkov saw the Ocean Odyssey sitting there, as well as the hostages onboard. The artificial intelligence had used her own hacking skills to hack into the ship's computers, cutting off the jamming signals and got them views of the ship's interior. She could see the hostages around her and she could see them lined up along the deck with their hands up and soaked with sea water. Armed men were around them, with guns pointing at them and at the ships beyond.

"Get me on the line with all the ships in the area," she said.

"Communications are online Dr. Alenkov," EDI replied.

"This is Dr. Alenkov of the Normandy. Your ships are destroyed and you have nowhere else to go. Surrender now or you will be shot," she said, making the threat clear. She waited with baited breath.

"Dr. Alenkov, you have a transmission from the U.S.S. Alaska," said EDI.

"Patch them through," she said and the voice transmission of the Alaska came into the room, "Normandy, this is the Alaska what the hell is going on? First we have submarines in the area, and then you show up with that large ship. Just what the hell is that you are using?" he demanded and several other ships also demanded the same thing. Dr. Alenkov smirked, seeing that she wanted to brag, but at the same time, kept her cool.

"Captain, this is a state-of-the-art alien vessel. And frankly, they had stolen our only means to food and supplies as well as kidnapped our companions. And I am tired and starving, so what would you do if you were under those circumstances for a few months?" she replied and there was silence.

She looked ready to laugh at the hilarity of it all but first things first.

"Martha, take us to the surface, I am tired of this game," she said and all she got from Martha was an, "Aye, Aye, captain!" before the line went dead.

TBC

a/n: Man that was intense! I originally planned for this sequence but it never fell through in the original. So I had to psych myself up with watching a whole bunch of war documentaries and submarine battle scenes from several movies and t.v. series to get the feel of the battle. Though it may seem one sided remember the Normandy is far more advanced then the submarines. And the submarines are poor imitations of the originals. I mean come on not everyone can steal plutonium or uranium from anyone!

Anyhow what do you guys thing? Please leave a review and remember no FLAMES, BASHINGS OR LORE MONGERS PLEASE!