Reunions And A New Mission.

Things were not looking good. Nova, Lena and Theron had recently completed their mission of tracking down stolen Zerg DNA samples. The original plan was to retrieve the samples and arrest the thieves, however it turned out far more complicated than what they planned for. Turned out the people who had the samples were using them for twisted experiments. Retrieving the samples was no longer an option so they were forced to destroy the base to keep the zerg infestation from spreading, and they only managed to save one person, one of the station medics named Rosa Morales, who was more than willing to cooperate just to get out of that place. With the station destroyed, the team returned back to Malcom to give their reports... safe to say, he was not pleased by the developments.

"This... is not good" He muttered before addressing the team "Your reports are troubling to say the least, and when we questioned this Morales girl, she only confirmed what you've already told me. So the thieves weren't just criminals looking for some quick credits, but madmen trying to use the zerg DNA for horrific experiments...".

"Yeah... it was not a pretty sight" Theron said, no hint of his previous hostility for his father. Despite their problems, this situation was far more serious.

Malcom took a short breath before he spoke "I read your reports, but I prefer to hear the details from you all directly. Just what exactly did you encounter in that place?".

Nova nods as she stepped up "Yes sir, as our reports described, when we arrived at the base we could tell right away that something was seriously wrong with it. Our suspicions only grew worse when we got inside as we didn't encounter a single guard, and the whole place looked like it had been deserted".

Theron continued on "And honestly, right now we wish that had been the case. Me and Nova began inspecting the base while Lena stayed behind to guard our ship-".

"My ship" Lena corrected, earning some looks froms the others and shrunk back sheepishly "Sorry, please go on".

"As I was saying: Me and Nova headed deeper inside the base, searching for any signs of the stolen samples... or any signs of life for that matter. But the base was as silent as death, and there was a lot of damages, like they had been attacked... Of course, we would soon learn what really happened" Theron continued.

"As you already know, the madmen had been using the zerg DNA to experiment of different races, hoping to weaponize it somehow, trying to use to enhance a host's natural abilities. And it went about as well as you'd expect, by the time we got there, most of the people there had been infested by the Zergs, and there was quite a few zerg pure forms that had managed to evolve as well. Rosa Morales was the only survivor we knew of, and there was no time to search for more. We made the decision to simply blow up the base and kill all the zergs before they had the chance to spread" Nova finished explaining.

"You made the right call, as much as we wanted to study the zergs and find out how to beat them, we now know it was simply to risky" Malcom said before turning around and looked out the window "I wish I could tell you that your mission was a huge success and we no longer need to worry about the zergs anymore...".

"But?" Theron asked, knowing whatever his father said next would not be something good.

Malcom sighed "But we were naive. The zergs are very much still a threat, and our attempts to contain them has only been partly successful".

"Partly successful?" Nova asked.

"We underestimated the zergs cunning, once they learned they couldn't break through our blockade with brute force, they switched tactics" Malcom said as a grim look spread across his face "They began targeting our ships directly and... abducted some of our troops".

"Abducted? But zergs aren't that smart... right?" Lena asked in a worried tone.

"Individually no, but according to some old information we managed to dig up, once the zergs are successful in forming a hive mind, their effectiveness grows immensely. The Hive minds guides the swarm and thanks to their collective conciseness they can analyze every single detail of a battle and then adapt" Malcom explained.

"So the longer they fight the more dangerous they become... That's just great" Theron said with an tired sigh.

"And if we don't find a way to contain them soon... we could be looking at another galaxy wide infestation" Nova said in dread.

"And another war for survival... If the zerg swarm reaches a highly populated planet, I'd rather not imagine the problems it would cause. We need help to stop them, which is why I reached out to multiple people for help, and luckily, some jedi were willing to help" Malcom explained.

"What jedi?" Nova asked.

Malcom looked back and noticed someone "Here she is now".

The rest looked and saw a slender young woman with light skin and platinum blonde hair tied in a ponytail. She wears a standard jedi robe with white clothing underneath... Lena had wide eyes, she knew exactly who that was.

"Angela..." She whispers but Nova heard her... That woman is Lena's former jedi master.

"Lena, it's been a while" Angela said, she looked happy to see her old student again.

"Yes... it has..." Lena said nervously.

"You already know each other?" Malcom asked.

Angela looked at him "We do, but I won't waste your time with the details. I'm here to help, as you requested".

"Very well, we're still working on our plan, so take the time to rest up and prepare as much as you can" Malcom ordered.

"Yes sir!" The team said.

"As you wish" Angela added.

With that they left the bridge.

Once outside, Angela walked up to Lena, her warm smile never fading from her lips.

"It's so good to see you again Lena. Do you mind if we speak in private before our mission begin?" She asked.

Lena looked at Nova who just nodded at her before looking back at her old master "Sure... I guess we do have some catching up to do".

Angela smiled wider as they walked away together. Once they arrived in a private room, Angela gave Lena a big hug. Lena was survived, but hugged her back as memories of all the times Angela would hug her whenever she was upset and needed comfort. Angela was more than a master, she was almost like a mother for Lena, despite the age gap not being that big.

"You have no idea how much I missed you, my old padawan" Angela said, her embrace feeling so warm.

"I missed you too..." Lena said with tears in her eyes.

Angela slowly broke the hug and held Lena's face in her eyes "You've grown since I last saw you... I'm glad to see you're alright".

"Sorry for not contacting you... I just..." Lena began but could not find the words.

"Your departure from the jedi order hurt a lot. But I understand why you did it, you needed time to find yourself, to figure out your place in the galaxy. It saddens me you didn't come back, but at least you didn't fall in to the dark" Angela said.

"But I did... I drifted through the darkness for so long... I had no idea who I really was, or where I belonged... I cam so close to just giving up... over and over again I asked myself why I even bothered to go on... I enlisted in to the army, but I still struggled, despite becoming one of their best pilots, and I was becoming to reckless, like I was trying to kill myself. It wasn't until Genji found me and brought me in to the Republic's elite forces that I finally started to feel a sense for purpose again... and when I met Nova, everything changed" Lena said.

"You're in a relationship with her, aren't you?" Angela asked.

Lena was surprised but sighed, of course her old master could see right through her "Yes.. Are you going to lecture me about how that is a bad thing?".

"No, you're not with the jedi order anymore, so it's up to you if you want a romantic relationship or not" Angela said.

"Thank you... you always did understand me better than any of the other masters" Lena said.

"Not all of us fully agree with the jedi code. While I do still look to it for guidance, I still believe we all choose our own paths. You've chosen yours and I am proud of you for that" Angela said.

Lena looked ready to cry again "You... have no idea how badly I needed to hear that... thank you... master".

Angela smiled warmly "I will admit, I missed hearing you call me that. But I'm no longer your master, I am your friend... I always viewed you as a little sister".

Lena blushed "And I viewed you as a mom...".

Angela chuckled "As a mom huh? Does that mean I should tell you to behave or be sent to bed without supper?".

"Hey, I'm not a youngling anymore!" Lena said with an adorable pout.

Angela just laughed before pulling Lena in to another hug "You always were a joy to be around".

Lena smiled and leans in to the hug "Likewise, Angela".

Even after all this time, the former Master and Student were as close as ever... And soon they will work together again, like old times.

Meanwhile, Nova was making sure her gear was in order before her next mission until she heard someone enter and looked up.

"Oh, hello Genji, I see you're back on your legs again" She said.

"Indeed, my cybernetics suffered minor damaged in my battle with Malgus, but it was an easy enough fix. I will be joining you on this next mission" Genji said.

"Sounds good to me... Say, you know Lena right? She told me you were her combat instructor" Nova said.

"Indeed, Angela is many things, but a dedicated lightsaber duelist is not one of them. She could only teach Lena the basics, for the more advanced levels, they asked me to help" Genji answered.

"Well I can say you did a good job, she's a hell of a fighter when she needs to be" Nova said.

Genji leans on the wall "Indeed she is, I just wish she would open herself to the force more".

"What do you mean?" Nova asked in confusion.

"She never told you? Lena posses a rare ability some call Force Echo. She can sense and objects history through the force. With just a touch of the object, she will know everything that happened, like looking through an open window to the past, and in some cases the vision can be so clear it would be like she was there herself. A very useful ability for investigations" Genji explained.

Nova looked down on her rifle "Looks like there is a lot more she didn't tell me...".

"She had her reasons. Only Lena can decide when she wants to open up about what she's been through. You just have to trust her to know when it's time" Genji said.

Nova knew he was right... still she wondered just how much she didn't know about her lover... But those questions would have to wait until things settle down for a bit. For now they need to find a way to stop the zergs before it was to late...

Their hardest mission was about to begin.

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