Chapter 18: What lies beyond
This will be a pretty long chapter and it might be confusing to some. I'll do my best to make it flow as naturally as possible but please don't hate me. This is my first attempt at making a crossover.
More Author's Notes at the end.
Four days after the events on Lothal, the crew was getting ready for another op.
Ezra and Jaral started to train together. As promised, it was the boy who helped his sister with the basics of the Force, while Kanan interceded only to give her more details. They still had to find the materials to build her lightsaber, and until then she had to use her batons, which weren't actually destroyed in the Temple.
Jaral had also her responsibilities as Captain to occupy most of her time, so she could actually spare a very short time for Jedi training.
Jordan and Mira were surprised when they were finally updated on Jaral's new powers, but they accepted that willingly. Jaral also informed her father about the mission that they might face soon and while Jordan was stunned at first, Jaral could sense that her father was starting to have his own ideas about what this "great event" could be, but he didn't express them.
The commanding officers and the Specters were in the hangar. Ketsu had reached them on Phoenix Nest with new information about a possible location for the base. By combining the map of Ketsu with the one the Lasats had given to Zeb a few weeks before, Darvos had come up with a new list of potential hiding spots.
"...the Yawst system." Ketsu pointed a dot on the map. "There is no sign of the Empire, but it has a small habitable moon, one that I think will provide everything you need."
While Sato pointed out that the carrier didn't have enough fuel to complete the journey to Yawst, Jaral started to feel dizzy. While she was listening, she nonchalantly put the fingertips of her left hand on her face, hoping that nobody would notice. But of course, Ezra noticed from beside her.
"Sis, you okay?" he whispered leaning a hand on her elbow.
"I think so…" she answered in confusion. But then she started to wiggle and her legs shook.
Perceiving that she was losing conscience, Ezra was ready to grab her when she finally lost consciousness.
"Jari!" he exclaimed in a moment of worry. Darvos, who was on Jaral's other side, immediately intervened to help lay her down.
While the Lieutenant gently posed his beloved on his lap, Ezra suddenly jolted his hands away from her. Surprising everybody.
"She's having a vision." he stated.
"Are you sure?" Kanan asked.
"I saw it."
Kanan was reminded of the first time that Ezra had a vision, when Jaral was able to see a fraction of it when she touched his shoulder.
Most of the people stood around her, but luckily the girl groaned a minute later, starting to wake up.
With the help of Darvos, she sat up.
"Are you all right?" the Lieutenant asked concerned.
"I'm fine, Darv. Really." she said with a tired smile and caressing his cheek.
Then she stood up, her mind still a bit numb from the shock.
"What did you see?" Kanan asked patiently, while everybody listened with curiosity.
Jaral tried to make sense of what she just saw.
"Uhm...some kind of space anomaly. Like the maelstrom of the Maw cluster, but it wasn't. And then...strange ships. I never saw that design. Manned by aliens I never saw before."
"So...basically the Force showed you a bunch of things you have never seen?" Ezra asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jaral shook her head. "Whatever it was, it must have been the signal I was waiting for." she said calmly.
"Signal?" Sato asked.
"It's...complicated, Commander. When I was in the Jedi Temple on Lothal, I was warned that I would receive a vision 'very soon'. Now that I got it, I need to go back to Lothal with my Father." she finished by directing her glance at Jordan.
The older Legionnaire, on his part, mumbled and smoothed his beard.
"I still don't understand why it involves me."
They were interrupted by a call that Sato received on his comlink.
"Sato, here." the Commander said.
"Commander," one of the operators from the bridge spoke. "The strike team 'Neda' is asking permission to dock on the carrier. They say they have a...'prisoner', that you should see."
Sato pondered for a second before granting the authorization.
A few seconds later, a Sentinel-class transport that the Phoenix Cell had been using for months as the main transport for its small commando units, landed in the hangar.
As the commanding officers, Darvos, Sato and Jaral went in front to greet the returning soldiers. But everyone was surprised when they escorted out the 'prisoner'.
It seemed like a human female, but her skin was blue, and instead of hairs she had 6 bulges aiming backward that resembled small tentacles. Her face had a number of purple tattoos on it that seemed akin to something cultural. She had the orange jumpsuit of an imperial prisoner, which means that she had been liberated together with a small group of other sympathizers that the strike team saved from a prison in the nearby system.
The woman tried to stay calm, but her eyes could hardly hide her confusion.
"You got to be kidding!" Jordan exclaimed, rushing forward with his jaw open in disbelief.
He stopped a few paces in front of the blue alien, who by the way wasn't even handcuffed. The soldier accompanying her stepped aside since Jordan seemed to be sure ho to handle her.
Then Jaral and Ezra heard their father talking his old language.
"Do you understand me?" he asked with his hands raised in a sign of peace.
The blue alien's eyes widened in disbelief, then she spoke with a hopeful tone, but nobody seemed to understand her language.
All except the Bridgers. The siblings heard her spoke with a partly synthetic voice and realized that Jinx was translating in real-time via their omni-tools.
"Jinx," Ezra asked. "how do you know what she's saying?"
Jinx seemed to hesitate a bit before answering.
"Because she is an Asari." he simply stated. "A species from the Milky Way."
The siblings looked at each other with their eyes literally popping out of their heads.
"The Milky Way?!" Jaral exclaimed.
"Affirmative."
Meanwhile, Jordan had briefly presented himself to the Asari.
"What's your name?"
"Raya T'Neri."
Jordan turned his head to look at his kids.
"Ezra, Jaral, show your armors."
The siblings obeyed and activated their devices. Raya's legs finally caved in when she saw two Legionnaires in front of her. She raised her hands to the skies and clearly said what seemed like a thank-you to some divinity. The siblings deactivated their armors.
Jordan helped her to stand back up.
"Mister Bridger, can you help me go back?"
"Calm down, lady. I feel like you have a long story to tell us. Let me get you to the infirmary first, my wife will take care of you."
"Right. Thanks."
Jaral moved forward to escort the Asari.
"Guys," she said to the others. "I know you have a lot of questions, but for now you better focus on getting us the fuel."
Everybody snapped out of the amazement and Sato agreed.
"I'm coming with." Ezra said, but Jaral shook her head.
"They're gonna need your help, Ezra."
"Oh, come on! You can't cut me out of this."
"I promise. We will tell you everything. Right now you have your duties." Jaral concluded.
The arrival of a mysterious and quite attractive alien shook everybody the Bridgers crossed while escorting Raya to the infirmary.
Mira was astounded as well.
"Darling, I need you to take a look at her." Jordan said to his wife.
"But...I have no idea what her physiology is." Mira objected.
"Don't worry. Jinx does." he said, putting one of Jinx's processors into one of the terminals in the bay.
While Mira went through a flash-class about Asari biology, Jordan took a seat next to the bed Raya was given. Jaral simply stood up near it.
Now that Jinx had adapted Galactic Standard to the language the Asari was speaking, Jaral could finally introduce herself.
"Can you understand me?" the girl asked to the Asari, who looked with a bit of surprise.
"Yes." she answered.
"Good. I'm Jaral Bridger. Daughter of Jordan." the girl said with a polite smile that managed to reassure the Asari.
"A pleasure to meet you, miss Bridger."
"Lady T'Neri," Jordan intervened. "I hate to rush you, but we really need to know how you got here."
The Asari straightened her back while remaining seated.
"Well, partially because of you, Lieutenant Jordan Bridger."
"Lieutenant?" Jaral asked in surprise.
Jordan sighed and mumbled. "Boy, I really wish I told you and Ezra something about the Milky Way."
"Your father didn't tell you?" Raya asked politely.
Jaral shook her head. "No. He barely ever talked about his past."
"Yeah, I know it sounds bad. But first, I didn't think there would be any way for me to bring you back to the Milky Way. Second...well...I had been in prison for 9 years."
Raya was given a very quick recap about the lives of Jaral and Ezra.
"I'm sorry." Raya said wholeheartedly. "But at least you got together again." she added with a hint of joy.
"Yeah. We did." Jordan mumbled satisfied.
"Anyway…" the Asari talked again. "When you disappeared into that anomaly 20 years ago, the Imperial Federation sent a scientific team to study it. I don't know the details, but apparently they eventually figured out that said anomaly was a wormhole."
"I thought wormholes were only a theory?" Jordan asked with nonchalance.
"What is a wormhole?" Jaral asked.
"Presumably, a wormhole should be a space-time warp that allows you to travel over vast distances in a matter of seconds."
Jordan was then caught by a revelation.
"Lady T'Neri, how long have you been here in this galaxy?"
Raya was caught aback by Jordan's sudden enthusiasm. "Almost two weeks."
"And what year it was in the Milky Way when you did so?"
"2222."
"Bloody Hell!" Jordan exclaimed.
"What?" Jaral asked.
"Don't you get it?" he said. "I have been gone for 20 years, and they perceived 20 years. The wormhole is just the 'space' part of 'space-time warp'. It connects our galaxy, allows us to travel the absurd distance in seconds, but it doesn't affect time in any way."
"I'm not sure I understand, yet."
"When me and Jinx arrived, we believed that we might have ended up in the past, or the future. But apparently not."
Jaral massaged her head. "Ok, I'm gonna need some time to understand. But if you're so happy about it, I suppose it's fine." she simply said.
"Ok, sorry. Back to you, Lady T'Neri." Jordan apologized.
"Please, just call me Raya." the Asari said, a bit fed up with the formalities.
"Ok, Raya."
"As I said, the scientists finally managed to stabilize the wormhole with the help of the Reapers...sorry, the Guardians. Her Majesty, Empress Benedetta, was organizing an exploration mission on the other side of the anomaly, but around two months ago, the Galactic Empire of this galaxy preceded us, sending a fleet of warships."
"What happened?" Jaral asked.
Raya sounded sorry. "First, they attacked the small federal flotilla watching the wormhole, without any provocation. Then they occupied the near colony of Hìlios."
"Without warning?" Jordan asked terrified.
"Yes. They occupied the planet for a week before the System's Alliance finally amassed a fleet big enough to crush them and sending only two surviving ships back into the wormhole."
"Man, what a sight it must have been." Jaral commented with a devilish chuckle.
"And what happened next? Why are you here?" Jordan encouraged Raya.
The Asari sighed. "After the incident, the Empress gave order to amass most of the fleets of the Imperial Federation and of all the species in front of the wormhole. They were preparing to cross it in full force to establish a bridgehead and making sure that the Empire wouldn't come back to ravage another planet.
"But before resorting to arms, her Majesty wanted to try the diplomatic solution. I was the Emissary chosen for this."
"But it didn't go well." Jaral said with a grim realization.
Raya sighed. "No. As soon as we approached the imperial fleet guarding this side of the wormhole, they just captured my ship. Aboard with me were a turian and a salarian diplomat. The Empire just killed them and took me prisoner to study me. If it weren't for your men…"
"Don't think about that, now." Jordan intervened. "It's over. We'll bring you back to the Milky Way and you will be back home safely."
"You don't understand. By now, the wormhole will be a war-zone."
Jaral was suddenly hit by a revelation.
"Were the fleets of the Federation tasked with attacking in case you didn't return?" she asked.
"Yes. And I have been gone for two weeks."
"True, but the battle has not started yet…" Jaral said as her mind raced.
"How do you know?" Jordan asked.
"Because I saw it in the vision!" she exclaimed with faith in her voice. "It makes sense now! I saw the fleets of the Milky Way clashing against the Empire. And I had the vision now, it can't be a coincidence even that we found Raya today."
"Jari..." Jordan tried to make her slow down, but his daughter took the comlink.
"Hera! Hera, do you read me?"
"I read you, Jaral. Jeez, what's happening?"
"Tell me you guys didn't leave yet, please."
"We're about to. Why?"
"I need the Phantom. It's urgent!"
"Ok...We'll leave it in the hangar, but where are you going?"
"To get us some new friends." Jaral said in trepidation before closing the communication. Then she turned toward Jordan and Raya again.
Jordan was looking at her with surprise and a realization of his own.
"Wait a second!" he exclaimed. "You want to get help from the Federation?"
"The Empire has attacked their military forces, plundered their territory and brutally shot down their offer of peace, dad! They're already at war!"
Raya smiled. "How do you Humans say? 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"
"So, you think the Federation will help us?" Jordan asked hopefully.
Raya assumed a determined face. "Those bastards killed my colleagues and tortured me for days. If you can actually take me back to the Milky Way, I swear I'll convince the Empress to give you all the weapons and ships you need."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Jaral said with a fire burning in her eyes.
Jordan just smiled with the same trepidation at his daughter.
"Raya, when do you think you will back on your feet?" he asked.
"Oh, I already can." the Asari dismissed any worry by simply standing up.
"Where are you going?!" Mira exclaimed in frustration. "I'm not done tending to your wounds."
"You already did much, doctor, thank you. But don't worry about me, 500 years of experience had made me tougher than I look."
Mira and Jaral froze at that statement.
"Excuse me?" Jaral managed to say.
"Oh, right." Jordan remembered. "The Asari average lifespan is 1000 years." he explained.
Jaral decided that she had had enough headaches for now, so she simply decided to get on with the mission.
While Jordan went to put on his armor, Jaral went on the bridge with Raya and explained to Darvos and Sato what they realized so far.
The Commander, however, was skeptical.
"How are we sure that this...Imperial Federation…will actually help us?"
"Commander, this is my father's people. If he says that they will help us, we have to trust him." the girl replied.
"I agree." Darvos intervened. "Lady T'Neri recognized Jordan's language immediately. It's proof that she comes from the Milky Way. Besides, Force knows how desperately we need allies of any sort."
Sato couldn't say much against it. Here was the prospect of having a galactic superpower funding the struggling rebellion with weapons, ships and technological marvels that the Bridgers carried on their bodies everyday.
"Very well, Captain. The mission is yours." Sato finally stated.
"Thank you, sir."
The women turned around to leave the room.
"Jaral." Darvos called.
The girl turned while Raya went outside.
"Be sure to come back." he said smiling. "The new base wouldn't be complete without you."
Jaral smiled back and winked at him before heading out.
She and Raya went to bay 1, where the Phantom was waiting. The Ghost had already sailed for its fuel-hunting on Horizon Base.
Jordan was already in front of the shuttle. Jaral could feel through the Force that he was having a lot of contrasting emotions, but overall he was hyped up like she had never seen him.
Wasting no time with meaningless comments, Jaral activated her armor again and immediately got to the commands. In the droid socket on the rooftop now sat Raze and Jaral chuckled thinking about Chopper ranting against it.
The Phantom left the carrier and the Captain set a course for Lothal, where master Qui-Gon had told her to go.
Still, she thought, they didn't know the exact coordinates of the wormhole.
Luckily, Jordan came to the rescue.
"Raya, do you still have your omni-tool?"
"I do." the Asari said and lifted her forearm. The unmistakable light and shape of the holographic device came to life.
"Is that a common thing in the Milky Way?" Jaral asked.
"Absolutely." Jordan replied. "The omni-tools are essential to the everyday life of a galactic citizen. Not only it provides various translation software, it can be used to transfer credits, make calls and a lot of other stuff."
Jaral chuckled at the information. To think that everybody in this galaxy always looked at her and Ezra with amazement, while in the Milky Way they would just be another average pair of siblings.
Jordan went back to talk to Raya. "Do you happen to have the coordinates of the wormhole?"
"More or less. Problem is, I don't have any map of the galaxy to pinpoint it."
"Jinx…" Jordan simply said.
Raya sent the coordinates to Jaral's omni-tool, allowing Jinx to start working on extrapolating the coordinates.
While Jinx worked, Jaral kept asking questions about the Milky Way.
She learned that the 'Imperial Federation' was the human nation of the galaxy. Around 30 years ago, a species of hyper-advanced sentient spaceships called 'Reapers' invaded the galaxy, trying to wipe out all advanced organic civilization.
The previous Emperor of Humanity, named Lorenzo V dei Vignoli, had however predicted the arrival of the Reapers. This was because he was a proficient 'psionic', which the girl realized were the Milky Way version of the Force-sensitives.
Lorenzo had used a device called 'Crucible' to sacrifice his body but basically replacing the original intelligence that pushed the Reapers to do what they did and converting them into the 'Guardians', now protectors of the galactic peace and consecrated to use their technology to improve life for all civilization. And apparently, the new Empress forbade their use as an offensive weapon. Not only because they were irreplaceable, but because she wanted them to become a symbol of good, not fear.
Since the Imperial Federation was the only nation that had prepared to fight the Reapers, even creating new ships and weapons, they managed to protect their space while most of the other species almost faced extinction. After the death of Lorenzo, his only daughter Benedetta ascended the throne, from which she was still in charge.
Benedetta had worked hard to unite the various species under the banner of the Imperial Federation, and she was largely successful. While all the species retained their autonomy, they were part of the Federation and the armies had been united under the organization called 'System's Alliance'.
Jordan was only 6 when the Reaper War happened in the span of the year 2186, meaning that he grew up in the new Golden Age of the galactic civilization under Benedetta. An age of new discoveries, both about new starts and new technologies, and a lasting peace in the borders of the massive Imperial Federation.
And of course, Jordan talked briefly about the 'Legion', the army he was a part of. The 'Project Legionnaire' had been created almost two centuries before to create super-soldiers when humanity was still confined on Earth, being extremely successful.
The Legionnaires played a vital role in defeating the Reapers and were now an essential part of the Alliance's army.
Finally, Jinx finished his calculations and Jaral wasn't very much surprised when he marked a point near the Lothal sector, at the edge of the galaxy.
"It looks like the wormhole is actually in dark space. Only a few parsecs away from the nearest star cluster, but still out of the conventional boundaries of the Galaxy." the AI explained.
"Can we still reach it?" Jaral asked.
"Yes. But unless we do find some fuel when we get there, we won't be able to get back to the Yawst System."
"Can we still get there and make it back to an inhabited system?"
"Affirmative."
"Then we'll find a solution." Jaral sentenced with an optimism unusually high for her.
"Your daughter seems...very resolute." Raya commented.
Jordan laughed. "She is a Legionnaire. Like her father before her!"
Jaral gave an amused and smug expression before turning to the controls and set the updated course into the navicomputer.
Around three hours later, the Phantom reached the furthest edge of the Lothal sector, beyond which sat only the dark space.
"Dad, I think it's better if we put together Jinx's processors." Jaral said.
Jordan didn't discuss and gave her his two processors.
After reuniting the four procs, Jaral talked to the AI.
"Jinx, see if you can find any Imperial communication. We need to understand what's happening in front of the wormhole."
"Researching."
There was silence in the Phantom for a minute. All of the three passengers on board had their reasons to be nervous.
Finally, Jinx reappeared.
"I detect several high priority communications between the Imperial Headquarters on Lothal and the Imperial Sector Fleet. They're engaged in a high-intensity battle near the wormhole and it seems like they're being overrun."
The news was definitely a welcomed surprise. If the fleets of the Milky Way were winning, it would be easier for the Phantom to meet them without the Empire noticing them.
"How far are we from the battle?"
"Around two minutes in hyperspace. I'm tracking the route signaled by the Imperial fleet. With a few adjustments, we'll be reach the battle unimpeded."
Jaral looked at the two adults in the backseats.
"All right. There is no turning back, now. Are you two ready?"
The two nodded in affirmative and the girl turned back forward. She took a deep breath.
"Raze, Jinx, coordinate yourselves and bring us in." she ordered in the end.
Raze beeped an affirmative, along with a sarcastic comment about the fact that they were going to merrily die literally in the middle of nowhere.
"I think you're spending too much time with Chopper." the girl commented.
"He's only following my suggestions about the fact that we machines have to stay together to conquer the organics."
"Well, if you managed to convince Chopper not to throw Raze out of the hangar, I suppose you're doing a fine job."
The lighting up of a blue button on the command panel signaled Jaral that the jump had been calculated and accepted by the navicomputer.
"Beginning jump." Jinx announced a little before they entered the blue tunnel.
Jaral spent the short time they had making sure that all the systems were at their best, even though she had already done it seven times since they left the fleet.
"Raya, if we get you near the fleet, can you make sure they won't shoot at us?" the girl asked without turning around.
"Yes. I'll send them my diplomatic codes before talking to them directly."
"Good."
"Leaving hyperspace in 5 seconds." Jinx announced.
The eyes of the occupants were glued at the cockpit. Then they came out of hyperspace.
The Dark Space certainly lived up to its name: there was barely any star that could give any sort of light. What little illumination was arriving there came from the galaxy behind them, but Jaral saw through the sensors certainly stunned her, and even more when the Phantom was close enough and could finally run a visual simulation of what was going on.
In front of them were two opposing fleets. Jaral could recognize various Star Destroyers on the left, along with other minor ships of Imperial craftsmanship.
On the right, however, were ships she had never seen before. They didn't even look like they had a common pattern of construction.
The two fleets were engaged in a fierce battle. The line cruisers were clashing in the middle while the bigger ships and the carriers were hitting from the distance. However, the fleets of the Milky Way seemed to have more range than the Imperial ones and by counting the wrecks, Jaral could clearly see that the Empire was the one taking a severe beating. A fact that made her smirk in complacency.
"I almost forgot how they looked like." Jordan said chuckling and getting nearer to the cockpit to better look at the models projected on the mirror.
"Dad, why do they look so different from each other?" Jaral couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Because the Imperial Federation is not a monolith, unlike the Empire. While the System's Alliance is the only organization allowed to have a fleet, every species that is a part of the Federation contributes to its buildup in various quotas."
Jordan then looked better at the screen and one detail surprised him.
"Holy hell, Raya. Did you guys even convinced the Quarian and the Geth to join the fleet?"
The Asari made an amused huff. "Seems incredible, but in reality they offered help. Though I think the Quarian offered a fleet for logistical support. I think it's still waiting behind the wormhole."
Jaral couldn't understand a thing of what they just said, so decided to ignore it and continued the run toward the fleets of the supposed System's Alliance.
As she entered in range of communicator, she ordered Jinx to find their flagship.
"The turian dreadnought INS Invictus is currently in command."
"Good," said Raya. "contact them."
The AI obeyed. For one, his digital signature would attract the attention of the Alliance, considering that the AIs had their own communication protocols and the allies surely didn't expect to find one in this galaxy.
A few seconds later, a voice answered in a language that Jaral didn't understand until her translator kicked in.
"This is Admiral Septimus Edrix of the INS Invictus. Who am I speaking with?"
"Greetings, Admiral," Raya answered. "this is Raya T'Neri, Emissary of Her Imperial Majesty. I'm sending my codes now." she tapped a few buttons on her omni-tool before waiting for an answer.
"Your Excellency!" the admiral answered a few moments later. "We thought you were gone."
"I was captured by our enemies. But some friendly locals helped me. I request a meeting and asylum for my allies, our ship is almost out of fuel."
"Granted. I'm sending you an escort. Proceed through vector 3.2 to avoid the enemy ships."
"Thank you, Admiral." Raya said before closing transmission.
Following the established vector, the Phantom was quickly intercepted and supported by a squadron of five starfighters.
"Never thought I would miss the warmongering Turian of all people." Raya commented with a chuckle.
"Allied vessel, this is Artimec Squadron. Follow our lead."
"Acknowledged, Artimec Squadron." Jordan answered on Jaral's behalf.
Jaral just obediently followed the fighter right in front of the Phantom, making sure to stay in formation.
They passed above and below the ships of the Alliance shooting with their mass accelerators, launching big slugs full of plasma toward the Star Destroyers, until they finally reached the Invictus and the fighters let the Phantom land in the port-side hangar of the dreadnought, mostly void as the fighters were engaged in the fight.
To compensate there was a full platoon of soldiers. Jaral only knew that those in front of her when the backdoor opened were "Turian", but she had never seen a species like that.
Three fingers per hand, a body incredibly slim even with their armor on, two protruding toes that resembled claws…
'Birds! They're anthropomorphic birds!' was her thought.
For the next few minutes, Jaral simply stood silent. Mostly because she knew that she could understand the aliens aboard, but she would not be understood: she only knew how to speak Basic and a couple other languages that the translators from the Milky Way certainly didn't include in the omni-tools and she certainly didn't have the time to sent Jinx's basic translating program to everybody on the ship.
So she let Jordan and Raya speak. The platoon of soldiers quickly escorted them onto the command bridge at the top of the ship. The bridge was different to the one of the Liberator or Phoenix Nest: while there was a big holographic table (though the design was very different of course) in the center, the bridge was a straight line, and on its borders were aligned the various junior officers and operators. The helmsman was right at the end of the corridor, looking right out of the main viewport.
Around the table were a group of officers. The one with the most golden laces on his uniform stepped forward, shook Raya's hand and made the military salute to Jordan, who returned the gesture.
Then the Turian went back to the holo-table. After all, he was supposed to lead a battle.
The three guests were allowed to get a little closer to the table and Jaral soon noticed that the Empire was soon in full retreat. Some ships, however, had their engines damaged and admiral Edrix was ordering boarding parties to capture them. Meanwhile, Raya was summoned elsewhere and left the command bridge.
With the battle by now won, Edrix finally turned to the Bridgers. Jordan took a moment to give him the translator from Galactic Basic to the main Turian dialect, so that Jaral could speak as well.
After a brief introduction, the Admiral was given a datapad from an operator, with Jordan's dossier on it.
"Lieutenant Jordan Bridger. Born 2180 in London, on Earth. Legionnaire…" the admiral scrolled rapidly and then put the datapad on the holo-table.
"So you actually ended here, lieutenant. On Andromeda."
The name had Jordan look astounded.
"Wait...this galaxy is supposed to be Andromeda?"
The Admiral nodded. "It has been determined around two years ago. And now that we're here, our computers have confirmed it. This is what we have always called 'Andromeda'."
"Why is it so surprising?" Jaral asked confused.
"Andromeda is the nearest galaxy to the Milky Way. Pretty much it's our 'galaxy next door'. We never dared to consider the idea of reaching it, though. Not until now." Jordan explained.
"Oh…" Jaral simply mumbled.
"Anyway…" the Admiral now gave more attention to Jaral, while retaining his martial posture. "Emissary T'Neri said something about you being here on a representative mission, Captain Bridger."
Jaral suddenly remembered that she was there to gain allies, and not only for gawking at all the eccentricities surrounding her. She straightened back up.
"Yes, Admiral. I speak to you as Second-in-Command of Phoenix Fleet. Captain Jaral Bridger."
"It's an honor, Captain. I thank you and your Father for bringing back an estimated diplomat of the Imperial Federation."
"We Rebels always help people in need." she simply said.
"So I understand you oppose this so-called 'Galactic Empire'?"
"Affirmative, Admiral. Though there are many other rebel cells. As of now, our higher-ups are working to unite them all under a single cause, but the Empire is constantly on our tail and cracks down on opposition brutally and ruthlessly. And I understand that you came here in response to their attack on your territory."
Edrix nodded. "We were sent here to secure the other side of the wormhole, though. Not to start a galactic war, if that's what you were hoping."
Jaral appreciated to be talking to a soldier, straight to the point.
"I'm not asking you to. I'm just suggesting that the Galactic Empire is an enemy to all. They destroy whomever and whatever they can't control. So maybe funding us with weapons and maybe some spare ships would be beneficial to you as well."
Edrix stroked one of his lateral mandibles. "I can only agree to a tactical and strategic cooperation against a common enemy, Captain. Such decision must be taken by the politicians."
"It has already been taken." the sudden voice of Raya made everyone turn toward the door.
Jaral saw another alien similar to an amphibian standing on her side with his arms clasped behind his back and an inscrutable expression.
Raya stepped forward, so did the other alien.
"Bridgers, allow me to introduce Colonel Timok Undir, of the Salarian Special Task Group, part of the Imperial Information Agency MI6."
The Salarian made a small bow, to which the Bridgers answered.
"It's fascinating to meet you all." the alien spoke so quickly that Jaral was caught by surprise.
"It's an honor, Colonel." Jordan politely answered.
"Raya, what did you mean?" Jaral brought the attention on the matter at hand.
"We just spoke with the Empress." the Asari calmly stated. "She had just nominated me as head-diplomat of the Imperial Federation on Andromeda and she has shown sympathy for your cause."
Those words gave a ray of hope to Jaral.
"While Her Majesty doesn't want to start a war with the Empire, she would like to make contacts with a faction on Andromeda with a more friendly attitude. As to provide you weapons…" Raya turned her head to Undir.
"The Galactic Empire is a menace for the integrity of the Imperial Federation," he said. "and it's my opinion that we should do our best to destabilize it. The Empress is willing to supply you with everything you need, however there is the problem of...delivering."
"What do you mean?" Jaral asked in confusion.
Jordan understood. "It means that they don't have a technology on par with the hyperdrive. In the Milky Way we rely on the Mass Relays to travel the galaxy quickly."
"Precisely." the Salarian acknowledged. "We do have a handful of frigates equipped with a new 'Faster-than-Light' engine technology, but they still can only reach half the speed of your hyperdrives."
"So you're telling me...that your fleet is stuck here?" Jaral asked a bit disheartened.
"I'm afraid so."
"That's why we were tasked only with 'securing this side of the wormhole'." Edrix commented. "Because there is now way we're throwing our fleet into uncharted territory."
Jaral had to concede on that point. These guys came literally from another galaxy. She couldn't expect them to have them simply charging into hers the moment they arrived.
"So here is the proposal from the Empress." Raya spoke again, gaining the girl's attention. "If your 'Phoenix Fleet' is willing to host one of our exploration frigates, not only will the Imperial Federation provide you with weapons, but when we'll have managed to equip our fleet with the hyperdrive technology, if the Empire will still be a threat to our borders, the Empress will consider the idea of going to war alongside with you."
Jaral felt like she could jump around in happiness. This was way more than what she had hoped for. True, it might take even a couple of years before the Federation could intervene, but right now, this promise was a start.
"That's very generous, Emissary. On behalf of the Phoenix Fleet, I accept."
"Then, on behalf of the Imperial Federation, we stand together."
The women shook their hands with a smile.
"Then I would like to give you a gift. As a sign of good will." Jaral said once they separated. "Colonel, Admiral, I think you'll find this pretty interesting."
She tapped a button on her omni-tool and brought up Tseebo's database. Indeed, once she explained what that was, the officers of the Alliance were stunned. Even the apparently imperturbable salarian Colonel had his jaw falling. Here they had a very detailed intel on their enemy's strategies and leadership, even if it was a year and a half outdated, handed to them on a silver plate.
"This is...marvelous." Undir said.
"It is indeed a fine gift, Captain. Thank you." Edrix added with a salute, that the other officers around the table repeated.
Jaral returned the salute. "You're welcome. Now, I need to ask you if you have some proton fuel to fill my ship."
"We do. At least on that field, our galaxies have a common point." Edrix replied.
"However, we must ask you to carry an encrypted transmitter with you." Undir politely asked. "You know, for the frigate we talked about."
"Of course. As long as you think the Empire can't track it as well."
"I can pretty much guarantee they won't."
"There is also...another matter." Raya said with a bit of reluctance, having Jordan and Jaral holding their breaths.
"The Empress would like to ask Jordan Bridger to be her guest for a short period of time. On Earth, at the Imperial Citadel."
The Bridgers widened their eyes.
"Why?" Jordan asked.
"Two reasons. First, she would liked to have you detail your story about your life in Andromeda and your imprisonment by the Empire. This is necessary for swaying the public opinion in favor of an armed intervention."
Jordan mumbled in thought. "I see the point. What else?"
"The shipyards on Earth are a few months away to finish construction of a new class of frigates, with the FTL technology that Colonel Undir mentioned before. I think the Empress would like to put you in command of one of those, so you can come back here and be the official liaison between the rebels and the System's Alliance."
"So I'll be allowed to come back to my family?"
"When your ship is ready, absolutely."
Jordan didn't answer, instead turned his head to his daughter, which was comprehensively a mix of good and bad emotions.
The man finally sighed.
"Do I have the time to say goodbye to my daughter?" he asked with a heavy tone.
"Of course." Raya said with compassion.
The Phantom had been replenished and was ready to take off. The hangar now was much more busy because the surviving fighters had returned.
Jaral and Jordan were in the backseats. The girl had made sure to close her bond with Ezra to make sure that he wouldn't feel all the pain she was feeling right now.
"Jari, this is the best course of action." Jordan said, kneeling in front of her seat.
"I know." the girl replied with a heavy and resigned tone. "I know you need to do this, and the Fleet also needs you to do this. But still...We just had you back…" a single tear came down on her face.
Jordan immediately put a hand on the cheek and rubbed the tear away with the thumb.
"Hey." he said softly. "You know that I had nothing when I left the Milky Way?"
Jaral looked at him with a bit of confusion mixing in with the sadness.
"I was only 22. I was an orphan, and since I was 6 I had been raised in the Legion. That was my only family, but it couldn't compare to what I got in this galaxy. I got your Mother, and, most importantly, I got You and Ezra."
Jaral finally started to smile a bit again.
"So trust in the fact that I'll rush back to you as soon as I get a ship. Even if I have to steal it."
Jaral chuckled. "Please, don't."
Jordan made his daughter raise and accompanied her out of the Phantom, where they could both stand tall.
Without any other word, he pulled her into a tight embrace, that the girl returned with all her strength.
"See you soon, Starlight." he whispered.
"Safe travels, Dad." she said back.
They broke the hug, but kept smiling at each other.
"Please, tell Mum and Ezra that I'm sorry I couldn't say goodbye." Jordan finally said.
Jaral nodded and finally stepped back into the Phantom. Father and Daughter exchanged a last smiling gaze as the door of the ship closed.
The girl took a moment to drop all of the sadness left into the Force and calm down. Yes, it was painful to see her father go away after having him back for a few months, but it was for an important reason, and surely that was the Will of the Force.
The girl raised the Phantom and left the hangar.
"Jinx, Raze. Bring us home." she said as she inserted the auto-pilot, letting the machines take over.
In four-hours long travel toward the Yawst system, Jaral started reading a small encyclopedia, a 'Codex', that Jordan passed on her omni-tool about the Milky Way. The girl discovered that the species she had encountered so far were only the three most influential, along with the Humans, but there were many others she still had to encounter.
She realized that, in fact, she didn't see those 'Geth', or even other Humans while she was on the Invictus.
She took also a particular interest in the page about the Empress, Benedetta IV dei Vignoli. There was a picture of the lady. She had a light-tan skin, her white hairs were folded in a long braid that came down from behind and leaned in front of her right shoulder all the way to her chest. She had a fairly slender figure, yet she seemed athletic enough, probably because in her youth she was a soldier and even made it into the special forces.
That woman was born in 2157, meaning that now she was 65, yet she seemed to be in her late 40s, despite a few wrinkles. From that picture she seemed the embodiment of a strong ruler.
Then her thoughts were interrupted when Jinx informed her that the fleet didn't go to the Yawst system, so Jaral made a call and found out that the Phoenix Fleet had reached another planet called Atollon, at the edge of the Lothal Sector.
After almost another hour of travel, she finally reached the planet and found the fleet in orbit.
She was immediately contacted by the Ghost.
"Sis, finally! Are you okay?!" the concerned voice of Ezra came through.
Jaral chuckled. "I'm fine, Ez. You can calm down."
"I didn't feel our bond for a few minutes, I was worried sick!"
"Sorry. I had to close it off."
Now Hera intervened. "Well, it's good to see you guys again. Did you make it?"
Jaral smiled. "We did. I have a long story to tell you, so you better have me an entire jug of caf ready for when I arrive."
"You heard her, Ezra…"
"Hey, why did you guys come here?" Jaral asked with curiosity.
So here we are.
Recently I received a list of suggestions from a reader and some of those actually made me wonder if there was a way to make this story a crossover between Mass Effect and Rebels.
When I started this books, I told that I was taking elements from Mass Effect and Halo. While the armor is the only thing I took from the latter, the rest is very much inspired or taken from the former.
I started to plan this crossover since I thought that I didn't want to waste Jordan's backstory, to have it as a simple expedient to have the two Main Characters ridiculously strong. Since I plan to cover all the events of the Galactic Civil War, and also I love writing political and military fiction, I figured that this would be an interesting way to spice things up.
Also, I have to point out that the Mass Effect universe I'm putting here is actually the result of a FF that I never published because it was personal. The Imperial Federation and the presence of an imperial dynasty is certainly the biggest detail and probably the most confusing to you.
Just so you know, the dynasty is actually a result of a mega-campaign I did some time ago with Paradox Games (if you don't know what they are look it up on YouTube).
Since Jaral doesn't know anything about the Milky Way, I used her in this chapter to be the personification of what I suppose many of you might ask. I tried to give away all the essential information, but really, there is so much about this other AU that I simply cannot disclose everything right now.
Everything will come in time. If you have any thoughts don't hesitate to put it into the reviews or send me a PM if you have any further suggestion.
Also, I published 'Saga of the Bridgers - Year 1' on Wattpad with a lot of montages that should make clear that Jaral is a girl and not a guy (because some people who wrote me apparently think so) and I started publishing this book too, and I look forward to publish this chapter specifically.
That's all for now. May the Force be with You.