USS Tokyo – Battle Bridge
Misato could feel the exhaustion and wear on her body starting to kick in as she took up position at the helm. She was going to have to operate the console with only her left hand, being fairly sure that her right wrist had been broken after being unceremoniously thrown around whilst on the main bridge.
Aoba was the only other person she had brought down to the battle bridge with her, he had taken up his position at tactical. Ideally, he wouldn't be here at all, Misato had intended to do this alone and reroute everything to the one station, but she knew fine well she wasn't capable right now. Aoba, being her head of security, was best placed to assist, and hell, give them a slim chance of surviving.
Ironically the battle bridge had somehow managed to remain unscathed amidst all the chaos and horror that had unfolded over the last hour or so. The one place made and named for battle, remained pristine. A good thing for Misato and Aoba, it meant safety, for now.
Before taking any action Misato took a moment to survey the situation. All three of the Evangelions had been disabled, the twelve Evangelions they were fighting had been reduced to just four, each of them had not returned to the Covenant, their role seemingly over.
NERV itself had been obliterated, reduced to rubble by the energy weapon the Covenant had deployed.
As for the Tokyo, the saucer section was limping to safety, carrying evacuees from NERV and the rest of her crew. So, she was left with the stardrive of a Galaxy class ship, a hefty supply of torpedoes up against one of the biggest monstrosities Starfleet had ever developed.
The smart thing to do would have been for Misato to have taken the entire ship and fled, getting as many to safety as she could but she couldn't do that. As long as Asuka, Shinji and Rei were still adrift in their ships and needing rescue, then she would remain.
"Captain, I'm getting a transmission from Commander Ibuki... they're safe. No word yet on any casualties, but they're safe."
Misato let out a quick sigh of relief, it was one small bit of good news amidst the bad. Still, things were far from over. There was now the matter of the three pilots and getting them back safely.
It was tense, ahead of them the dreadnaught hung motionless. It was hard to know what it was going to do next. Was it preparing another attack or was Keel satisfied with the destruction he had wrought?
"And the pilots?"
"Their ships are dead in the water." Aoba confirmed, "I've tried locking on for an emergency transport, but there is some sort of interference around each of them blocking attempts."
"Keel..." Misato snarled, "Is he the one blocking it?"
"Hard to tell, it seems to be coming from the ships themselves, but we'd need more time to analyze it."
"Which we don't really have."
"There is one thing captain, I've been analyzing the Covenant itself throughout the course of the battle. It might be nothing but..."
"Whatever you have is better than nothing, let's hear it."
"When we first encountered them, I was sure to perform full scans, as we would do any unidentified ship. Most things checked out, but I observed some potential defects in their amour plating, starboard side towards the aft. I did think about alerting their engineer to it, but there wasn't time."
"Go on..."
"Anyway, I've been monitoring it over the course of the battle. Every time they've fired, I've been picking up traces of plasma leaking out from those panels. I don't think they finished off the ship, or at least didn't check it over properly, defects like that should have been picked up before launching."
Misato nodded, "Unless they were in a hurry to leave... their arrival did come as a surprise to NERV and Keel was keen to move on. What are you thinking?"
"That plasma is leaking out into space, beyond their shields. If we overload a couple of torpedoes, fire them and detonate them at the tail end of the leak, it ignites it. We could do a fair bit of damage, maybe enough to make them back off."
"What are our odds?"
"They're not zero..." He replied dryly.
"It's something, get to it. I'll lay in a course."
Struggling with her good hand, Misato started to lay in a basic course to give them a good shot of hitting the plasma trail. She tried to ignore the pain coursing through her body, instead focusing on her newfound hatred for the man in charge of that vessel. She as going to make sure that if she died today, then she was going to take Keel down with her.
Keel wasn't just responsible for all of this, but he had been responsible for Gehirn, for what had happened to her father. Who knows what else he had done. His path of destruction ended here!
"Captain, they're charging weapons."
"Figured they would eventually." Misato shook her head, "Arm torpedoes, shut down power and life support on all decks beyond this one. Redirect surplus power to engines and shields. We're not letting him win!"
"Aye captain."
Just as Misato started to move the stardrive forward, before the plan could be executed several flashes of light appeared in front of her in the space between her ships Stardrive and the looming covenant. Her mouth opened in shock to see a fleets worth of starships positioned between them and the Covenant.
"What the..."
Her eyes passed from left to right, surveying all of the ships that had suddenly appeared. At the centre of the them was a Sovereign class ship, flanked by their now familiar friends in the nuQanjaj. On either side of them were three Klingon cruisers and three Akira class vessels.
That wasn't all though, looming close to the fleet was an impressive and slightly frightening Jem'Hadar battleship, with at least a dozen Jem'Hadar fighters circling. She watched as the twelve fighters separated out into groups of four, each group taking up a defensive position around the pilot's ships.
Everything was silent and the tension on the bridge thickened as she waited for someone to make the first move. The fleet remained in place, not one ship edging forward or moving as the Covenant also made no movements.
Misato wondered if Keel would actually be mad enough to give the order to attack, as monstrous as his ship was, even that wouldn't be able to stand up to all of this.
It was the Sovereign that made the first move, followed swiftly by the nuQanjaj. They both sped forward, each one firing warning shots with their phasers towards the vessel. The Covenant fired back, its shots missing as the Sovereign rolled effortlessly out of the way. This action also spurred the Jem'Hadar ship into action, it also moving forward firing an array of disrupter blasts towards the aft of the Covenant.
The Covenant tried to fire back again, his phaser blasts scorching the shields of any vessel attacking it, as it slowly rotated on the spot. The fleet were relentless, pelting its shields with blast after blast but they weren't quick enough. The Covenant finished turning, and in a flash of light it went to warp and was gone.
Misato sat back in her seat, grateful for the assist but not elated. Far too much had happened, she had come far too close to death, she was in pain mentally, physically and worst of all Keel had gotten away.
"Captain, we're being hailed!" Aoba called out.
"Put it on screen."
She thought about standing up to greet whoever it was, and even made a feeble attempt to but her body refused to cooperate. The pain in her wrist was intensifying and other parts of her body started to ache. Whoever the captain of this Sovereign class was, they'd have to just deal with her sitting down.
The screen came to life, and she felt her eyes widen with shock at the person occupying the centre seat of the other ship. It was Ryoji Kaji, his face awash with concern and his presence confusing her. Kaji had been on the Covenant last she knew, accompanying Keel!
During the last couple of hours, the thought of him hadn't even crossed her mind but when she thought about it, how would she have felt knowing that he was still there? Not knowing whose side he was on, after all she had been told he was working with Starfleet Intelligence.
"Kaji?"
The man, much to her surprise didn't smirk or change his expression to the familiar mix of smugness and confidence she knew so well. Instead, he looked deadly serious, concerned and maybe even a touch angry. It was a look that, if she had to admit it, frightened her.
"Captain Katsuragi, I'm glad to see you alive and well. I admit, when I saw Keel had launched his attack, I feared the worst."
Misato laughed, "Alive, but certainly not feeling well. What's going on?"
"It's a lot to explain and I don't think now is the best time. Just know that you're safe for now, the fleet are going to establish a perimeter and ensure Keel is gone. I'm going to send a small team over to yourselves from the Teesside to assist with any urgent repairs and putting your ship back together, the nuQanjaj has already sent work to Ibuki and your saucer is on its way back."
"Thank you but... what's going on, last I knew you were on the Covenant and now..."
"As I said... it's a lot." Kaji frowned, "I'm just sorry I couldn't get here sooner, I... never anticipated he would act so quickly and ruthlessly, even deploying the MP Fleet, he'll pay for this."
"Kaji..."
"Forget it... Like I said, I'll explain later." He forced a smile, "Admiral T'Sol is leading this fleet, she insists you get yourself to our sickbay as soon as possible for treatment. Our Jem'Hadar friends are bringing your pilots back to safety too.
Misato was going to resist the order to go to sickbay and offer to help, but the exhaustion was too much for her pride to fight back against, "I'll be there, thank you."
Three Days Later
USS Teesside – Sickbay Ward 1
Asuka's eyes opened slowly, the ceiling coming into focus bit by bit, followed by slight twinges of pain in her legs and right arm. She took a moment in her groggy state to steady herself before turning her head to see just where she was. It was a sickbay ward, whether it was the Tokyo or not, she couldn't be certain, all these places looked the same to her.
Wherever it was, it had an incredibly muted atmosphere. Several of the beds seemed to be occupied, a few had concerned crew members standing by them. Some of the beds occupants were up and chatting in hushed turns with whoever was near to them, some were still sleeping.
She waited a few moments as a wave of dizziness washed over her, and then made an attempt to sit up. Her limbs ached, either from the battle or from just being out for however long she had been unconscious for. Her mouth was incredibly dry, and she had a sudden desire to be anywhere but here.
She hated hospital wards, she always had done, ever since she was a child.
"Asuka!"
Asuka's head turned towards the source of the familiar voice that had called out to her. Hikari had just entered the ward and was making a beeline for Asuka's bed. She wasn't sure how to feel, on the one hand she was glad Hikari had arrived, snapping her aware from that dark path her memories led down, on the other she really couldn't be bothered to deal with other people right now.
"H-Hey..." Asuka managed to force out, her voice hoarse.
"Oh my god! You're finally awake! I should go and tell the captain! No wait! The nurses! I should..."
"Hikari!" Asuka cut her off, "Don't... calm down idiot!"
"Sorry! It's just... it's been rough. Is there anything I can do?"
Asuka nodded, "Water... please."
"Of course." Hikari nodded as she moved to a small replicator, ordered a jug of water and two glasses. She poured some of the water into a glass and handed it to Asuka who eagerly gulped it down.
"That's better." Asuka set the glass down on her bedstand as some of the dryness in her mouth and throat subsided.
"We've all been so worried about your three." Hikari blurted out, "It's been... a weird couple of days."
"Couple of days... how long have I been out for?"
"Three days, give or take." Hikari answered, "Rei woke up yesterday, but Dr Akagi came to take her away, insisted it was better she stay with her for now. Shinji is still out, they've got him in another ward."
"I see..."
Asuka glanced around the sickbay again as some memories of the battle started to form in her mind again. Between the three of them, they had been able to take out over half of their enemies but then something changed. Suddenly the enemies became more aggressive, harder to shake and using their numbers much more to their advantage. First, they had been able to disable Rei before turning attention to Asuka and Shinji.
From there her memories were shaky at best, she remembered doing her best to fight back. Managing to take out one of them, it was all hazy, a mixture of extreme pain, frantically dodging fire and fighting back before her ships shields were totally drained, and she fell into blackness. Strangely, the last thing she remembered was the scene of sunflowers and the warmth of the sun beating down on her.
There was no warmth right now within her, instead she suddenly felt angry and embarrassed at her loss. It wasn't good enough, she needed to be quicker, stronger and smarter! She should have seen the changes in behaviour coming and she should have been able to remember what had happened.
Not only that, but her loss had rendered her useless for three whole days. It was embarrassing.
"Asuka I... I don't really know how best to say this, but... thank you."
"Huh?" Asuka was snapped from her thoughts by Hikari's words, "What the hell for?"
"Well, what do you think? You... you saved our lives, the three of you! If you didn't go out there and fight, then we'd all be dead right now. You put yourself in danger to save us, so that we could escape. It was impossible odds... I... I'd never be able to do that..."
"Heh, I wasn't good enough though, was I?"
"What do you mean?"
"I lost." Asuka tilted her head back to look at the ceiling, "They beat me, I lost to them... I failed everyone... including myself."
"Asuka..."
"I may as well have done nothing... If I had only been a little bit better than I..."
"Now you look at me right now Asuka Langley Soryu!"
Asuka had little choice as Hikari suddenly grabbed her chin and turned her head to look directly into her eyes. Hikari's expression had changed, it was almost frightening, Asuka was even more surprised at hearing Hikari use her full name. She hadn't been addressed like that since she was a child.
"Wha-"
"Now, you're being the idiot!" Hikari's voice was slightly raised, "I know you don't like being 'beaten', not that it's something little 'Miss. Naturally Talented at Everything' has ever had to deal with."
"I..."
"You know, not everything is about winning or losing! I don't care if you 'lost', your friends don't care if you 'lost', you know what we care about? We care that you're alive!" Hikari continued scalding her.
"Hika-"
"Do you know how worried I was? I saw what was happening, I saw you nearly die Asuka! I saw you give everything to protect us, put yourself in the line of fire for others and all I could think was that I wanted my friend to come home and all I wanted was for it to be over so you wouldn't be hurt!"
"I'm..."
"I..." Hikari's words got caught in her throat as Asuka saw the girls eyes tearing up, "I don't want my friend to die!"
Asuka averted her gaze, feeling nothing but guilt at how worked up the young woman had gotten over what she had said. She didn't realize the extent to which Hikari, or anyone else, really cared about her.
She had always shunned attachment, feeling she wasn't deserving of it, something brought on by what her father and his family or friends had told her growing up. So, Asuka had always forged on, feeling she didn't need anyone and certainly wouldn't rely on anyone. Hikari had been her first and only friend and even then, Asuka had hardly been proactive in that friendship.
In her brief time aboard the Tokyo that had changed somewhat. She'd started to make an effort, understanding that maybe it was okay to open herself up a little bit and it wasn't such a bad thing to have a few friends. Of course, two to three weeks of effort was hardly going to make up for her years of, as she thought she was, an asshole.
"Sorry..." She muttered, "I didn't think..."
She trailed off as thoughts started to cross her mind about how she'd feel if it was her in Hikari's place. What would she feel right now if all she could do was watch whilst one of her friends was hurt. She'd probably be angry, determined to put it right and even a little bit upset.
She thought about the way she felt when she saw those ships targeting Shinji during that battle and her stomach tightened. All she felt at that moment was rage, a sheer determination to stop them and save him. She even felt sick at the idea of him being seriously hurt or losing him.
This was the problem with her though, as much as she pretended to not care, she always had done. Every injustice seen growing up, every time she saw someone bullying another, she hated it and wanted to do something about it, but she never did. She always just shrugged everyone off not wanting to get attached or let her feelings be compromised.
"No, you didn't."
"Sorry." Asuka mumbled again desperate to change the subject, "So... what happened anyway, after I was taken out... did Shinji?"
Hikari finished drying her eyes and shook her head, "They went after Shinji after they disabled your ship, and did the same to them, after that... it was weird, the ships suddenly retreated."
"Okay." Asuka nodded, "So the battle ended?"
"No, not quite. We thought it had but suddenly the Covenant started targeting NERV. We were given the order to assist in the evacuation, make sure the NERV personnel were okay and treat any potential wounded."
"What about NERV?"
"It's gone, barely anything is left of it but... they managed to get everyone to safety. The captain separated the ship, sent all of us in the saucer section to safety and they stayed behind."
"I see..." Asuka bowed her head, "So she's..."
"She's fine!" Hikari cut in, "We got to the edge of the system where we were safe and then... an entire fleets worth of ships just suddenly dropped into the system! Starfleet, Klingon, and even Jem'Hadar! They attacked the Covenant and sent it running."
Asuka lifted her head up, shocked but also relieved at what she was hearing.
"Heh. I bet Kensuke was in his element seeing all those ships."
Hikari laughed, "He's dying to come over here, says he's always wanted to see a Sovereign class ship up close."
"Sovereign? So, we're not on board the Tokyo?"
"Nope, this is the USS Teesside, captain gave me permission to come over here to assist analyzing the debris of the ships we fought. She's hoping maybe we can develop some better countermeasures should we fight them again."
"What about the others?"
"Touji is aiding with security operations, working with the Jem'Hadar to keep the system secure in case the Covenant comes back. Kensuke is busy with repairs on the Tokyo, not only did it take a lot of damage in the battle, but the saucer separation caused some problems too."
"And you said Dr Akagi came to get Rei?"
Hikari nodded, "Yeah... I didn't really get to speak to them or anything, but they both seemed upset. I can't imagine how hard it'd be to see your home destroyed like that."
"No... Same... I guess."
"There's also... I probably shouldn't tell you this but... it's better you hear it from me and not a random officer, plus... you'll be visiting Shinji, right?"
"Why would you think that? I probably won't have time! I mean when I'm out of here, the captains probably going to have me helping with security, I can't waste time visiti-"
"So yes then." Hikari cut her off.
"Yes... I will be." Asuka nodded.
"Asuka... Not to embarrass you but it's fairly obvious you have feelings for him."
"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."
"So yes then."
"I'm not dignifying that with a response." Asuka felt her face glowing redder, "Can we just get to whatever you wanted to tell me!"
Hikari nodded the smirk leaving her face, "Fine, sorry. I shouldn't joke around, it's actually a bit serious. It's about Shinji and Rei too, well not them directly and it's just a rumour..."
"Go on..."
"Touji told me it, he heard it from another officer who heard it from a security chief."
"Hikari, I do plan on getting out of this ward this week..." Asuka felt herself growing impatient.
Hikari kept her voice hushed, "When they evacuated NERV they managed to beam everyone up, well they thought it was everyone. One person was unaccounted for amidst all the survivors and rumour is no one has seen him since."
"Who?" Asuka asked, feeling like she already knew the answer to her question.
"Commander Ikari." Hikari confirmed her suspicion, "No one's seen him apparently, either he escaped which seems impossible or..."
"He's dead..." Asuka finished the sentence for her, "Shinji's father is dead..."
USS Tokyo – Briefing Room
Misato wasn't quite sure what to expect as she entered the meeting room aboard the USS Teesside. She hadn't met Admiral T'Sol before but had been made aware by Kaji the other day that she had been instrumental in putting together the fleet that had rescued them. She had also been made aware that T'Sol held some sort of rank and sway in Starfleet Intelligence and had handled tracking Keel along with being Kaji's direct superior.
She still had many questions through, and didn't feel good about the whole situation. She couldn't help but feel like she had been some pawn in game that was being played by people around her. Keel moved his pieces, T'Sol moved hers, even Gendo and Fuyutsuki back on NERV seemed to have their own plans. There was also the link between Ritsuko and Section 31, was T'Sol aware of that too, or did 31 have their own machinations?
She was admittedly, getting beyond fed up of scrambling for answers and being left in the dark. This extended to her crew who she knew were fed up of their recent role in all of this. Ibuki had told her several times, and each time Misato felt guilty not only because of the knowledge she was keeping from them but also the fact that there was nothing she could do.
Taking a quick glance around the room she saw that she was the last person to enter out of those invited. T'Sol was already sat at the head of the table, Kaji in position to her right. Ibuki was positioned on the left, a space for Misato between them and T'Sol.
Kaji cut a very different figure to the one she had grown accustomed to back in the academy and the one he presented the other day with Keel. He was clean shaven, looked serious with his ponytail tied up neatly, his uniform crisp with no creases and a stern expression.
It was a reflection of the real Kaji, the one underneath the image he presented. The one Misato had rarely gotten a glimpse of during their fling in their first year at the academy. Kaji liked to present himself as slightly aloof, a little bit goofy and flirty, a mixture of a classic superspy and a certain disheveled detective out of a 20th century show he enjoyed.
His idea was to catch people off guard, make people think he wasn't as clever as he let on, so they'd trust him or be more liable to slip up.
T'Sol stood up, "Captain Katsuragi, thank you for joining us. I hope you're feeling better."
Misato gave a nod, "Much better Admiral, eager to return to duty."
"I am pleased to hear it." T'Sol gave a slight nod of the head before sitting back down, "Rest assured our engineering teams will have your ship back to operational status before long, for now we should discuss what has taken place and the next steps. I imagine you have many questions."
"A few." Misato confirmed, "Knowing why Keel attacked us might be a good starting point."
"I fear that Keel's actions may have come as a result of my carelessness."
"Your... carelessness?"
"Yes. Tell me Captain Katsuragi, what do you know of Keel and the Gehirn incident?"
The question made Misato pause for a moment, not entirely sure if this was some sort of test or not. Would she be getting herself or anyone else into trouble if she admitted that she knew the truth of Gehirn, or is that what the admiral wanted? It was difficult to tell, like most Vulcans, T'Sol gave nothing away.
Before Misato could give an opportunity to answer, Maya spoke up, "Gehirn was the name of the colony wiped out by the Borg, wasn't it?"
"That is correct Commander Ibuki, and what was one of the major things about said incident?"
"There were no survivors." Maya answered, "The Borg completely obliterated it, leaving only a crater where the colony had been. It was brutal, even for the Borg. I remember reading about it in a history record. What does that have to do with this, or Keel?"
"Because the records are wrong." Misato piped up, frowning, "It wasn't the Borg and there was one sole survivor... me."
Maya found it hard to hide her shock, "Wait... You? You... but... the records and your records... they don't say anything about that?"
"Because I don't remember anything of it." Misato replied coldly, "As for the records, they were falsified weren't they Admiral? By Keel's orders."
"That is correct." T'Sol confirmed, "So, you have been made aware, I assume Akagi filled in the blanks for you. Tell me, what do you know?"
Misato could feel Maya's icy stare on her as she started to speak, trying to ignore the guilt she felt for not keeping her first officer in the loop.
"The reason for the colony existing was to research some sort of bioship they nicknamed 'Adam.' They tried to activate it, and that's what caused the destruction of the colony. I was the only survivor."
"Correct, your father was in charge of the research project. It is our belief that he believed his experiment that night could have catastrophic consequences so arranged for you to be moved off planet should anything happen."
"If he believed that, then why did he go through with it?" Maya asked.
"Keel." Kaji replied, "Keel was in charge of the project, his word was law and to hell with the consequences."
"Keel is also the reason I can't remember anything. He saw to it that my memory was altered, that there were no records of me being there, instead the gap in my memory and my father's loss was played off as some attack on the vessel and accumulated trauma. Gehirn itself was covered up as an attack by a stray Borg cube."
"But... why?" Ibuki asked, "Callous as it sounds, accidents happen and have happened throughout our history, why cover it up and blame the Borg?"
"Because that was not the end of it." Misato replied, "If it had been then, then maybe the truth would have been made known and it'd be just another unfortunate accident in the history of the Federation, but... it wasn't, was it Admiral?"
T'Sol gave a solemn nod, "No, it was not."
"Keel covered up the incident, everything to do with Gehirn was shrouded in secrecy as it was with very few in Starfleet knowing the truth of the matter." Kaji started to explain, "For many of those involved the project ended there, but of course Keels machinations continued."
"Keel orchestrated the awakening and destruction of Adam, sacrificing the Gehirn colony to engage the next stage of his plan, the Instrumentality Project." T'Sol continued, "Captain Katsuragi, you are no doubt aware of what happened after the destruction of the colony?"
"A signal was sent from the location of Adam to somewhere in the Gamma quadrant. It was... thought to be a signal to awaken their race."
"Correct." T'Sol confirmed, "Keel had placed himself as the foremost expert on the Ancestral's, it was borderline obsessive, but Starfleet continued to listen to him. Keel spoke of the risks this awakening presented and put forth a new plan to combat the threat. This resulted in the research and development of a new class of starship."
"The Evangelion project?"
"Keel was given ample resources and sufficient secrecy to develop the project. Some of the best minds in Starfleet contributed to the project, names you will recognize such as Dr Yui Ikari, Dr Naoko Akagi and Dr Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu." Kaji continued to explain, "Many sacrifices were made to make Keel's goal a reality. My own parents and home town were caught up in his schemes."
Misato felt her stomach tighten at Kaji's words. He had always been coy about his past, mentioning he had lost his parents at a young age and generally had to fend for himself. Suddenly his way of being, his obsessions started to make sense.
"I'm sorry." Misato lowered her eyes, "I had no idea."
"Over time, some of us became suspicious of Keel. He had gathered himself together a committee of powerful people across various races in the quadrants, some of which the Federation were still at odds with."
"If you were suspicious of him, why did no one take action?" Maya asked, "Surely someone else could have spearheaded the project?"
"Because there was little evidence to support our suspicions and because Keel had made himself watertight from a political standpoint. There was little we could do, there was an ample amount of fear at the time and Starfleets resources were drained, between the Dominion war, Borg attacks and who knows what else, Keel managed to keep himself going."
"What exactly does he want though? Why go to all of this trouble?"
"The simple answer is that Keel wants to become God." Kaji replied.
"What?" Maya exclaimed, "That's ludicrous!"
"Ludicrous as it sounds, it is the truth." T'Sol replied, "Keel's obsession revolves around that one desire of his, to become God and reshape the galaxy as he sees fit."
"Is that even possible?" Misato asked.
"He believes it is, which makes him dangerous." Kaji answered.
T'Sol cut in, "Gehirn was declared off limits after its destruction, so no one returned until recently, we were able to persuade Starfleet Command that Keel had been lying. We found only a pool of a unique liquid where the colony once was, on studying the liquid we found readings consistent with what we believe to be the early primordial liquids present across many planets in the galaxy. Our belief is that Gehirn was not destroyed, as much as it was reduced to its base building blocks."
"That's..." Misato started.
"Horrific..." Maya finished the sentence.
"That is what one of their ships was capable of, Keel believes their homeworld has the technology to not only reduce all life across the galaxy to this state but also to reshape it as he sees fit. He feels all life had reached a period of stagnation, and only he can guide them to their next phase."
Misato was mulling over T'Sols words in her head, it all sounded ludicrous and beyond anything she had ever thought of in her life. She knew there were beings out there capable of great power and destruction but nothing like this. One thing was becoming certain in her head, Keel had to be stopped.
"This is impossible... Gods... don't..."
"They do." Misato stopped Maya, "We've seen numerous races capable of great power, the Q as an example."
"Yes, although for all their power and chaotic nature the Q tend to have a policy of upkeeping the order and natural development of species." T'Sol added, "They do not tend to involve themselves in conflict."
"They have rules." Misato explained, "When Q appeared to us, he explained that something big was happening but he or the Q couldn't interfere. They were bound, but he wanted to help us."
"Yes, I have seen the reports." T'Sol answered, "That particular Q has shown quite a keen interested in the Federation and humanity in particular. Several times he has given us something of a nudge in a specific direction, the meeting of the Enterprise D and the Borg as an example."
"He was doing the same here... He warned about something big happening and wanted to make sure we were prepared." Misato shook her head, "But what do we do? Keel had a three day head start on us and we don't know where we're going! He does!"
"Not quite." Kaji smirked, "Keel thinks he knows where he is going. His plan hinges on two things, the first is locating their homeworld and accessing a location that he has dubbed, 'The Garden of Eden'"
"He's really taking this biblical thing to its extremes, isn't he?" Misato replied dryly.
Kaji chuckled, "He sees himself as a god in waiting, delusional but dangerous."
"Point still stands, he has a head start."
"No, he thinks he does thanks to me, but the location I helped feed him was a lie. He's been sent on a wild goose chase for the time being."
"What of the key?"
"We have it, or at least did." Kaji frowned, "It was with Gendo, I transferred it to him when I was last here."
"Gendo Ikari is dead. We recovered his body, there was no key."
"Then speak to Fuyutsuki, Gendo would have given it to him for safe keeping."
"Why did Commander Ikari have the key?" Maya asked the same question that was on Misato's mind.
"It was part of a deal to gather information on Keel. We would transfer the key to Gendo, and he would give us what we needed to take action." Kaji explained.
"Commander Ikari had his own plans for the garden and the Ancestral's technology. As you both know, he lost his wife tragically many years ago, resigning his post and being put in charge of what we call NERV. For a time, he was Keels trusted right hand man, but Ikari was always planning to betray him, using the technology of the Ancestral's to reunite or resurrect his dead wife."
"I see." Misato shook her head, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Captain Katsuragi, I don't think I need to explain to you how important it is that we do not allow that technology to fall into the hands of Keel. He must be stopped, and that technology destroyed."
"I understand."
"Starfleet has given me clearance to assign you to this task. In addition, we will be providing you with a specialized transport ship for transporting the three Evangelion class ships. We've come to a special agreement with our Romulan and Klingon allies to provide it with a unique cloaking device."
"Thank you."
"I'm also assigning Kaji to your ship, his knowledge will be invaluable on helping you locate and access their homeworld."
"Of course. Thank you, Admiral."
USS Tokyo – Sickbay
Shinji groaned as his eyes opened slowly revealing the blurred but recognizable lights of a sickbay ward shining down on him. His muscles ached as his senses slowly returned to him, his vision becoming unblurred, the ambience of the ward, the smell that seemed to linger in any hospital, the feel of the blankets that covered his body and the taste of dryness in his mouth.
He tried to move, his muscles aching and resisting the attempt. He stopped, giving himself a mental countdown before trying again, this time he was able to prop himself onto his elbows and shift back in his bed slightly, propping himself up on the pillows and giving him a better view of the room.
He looked around, he seemed to be the only patient present right now but not the only person. Near to him he could hear a soft snoring sound, he turned and was surprised to see a small sofa bed had been set up, and of all people, Asuka was lying on it, sleeping peacefully.
"Asuka?" He uttered quietly.
She was dressed in more casual clothes, jeans and a plain black T-shirt exposing her arms, her right arm was bandaged but she seemed fine beyond that. He made no further moves or sounds for now, instead watching her peacefully and finding himself smiling.
She looked very different to how she had done back on the planet. Back then she had looked troubled, often muttering in her sleep and eventually having to be woken up from what seemed like a terrible nightmare. This time, she looked calm and at peace, the last thing he wanted to do was disturb her.
He was just happy to know that she seemed to be okay and the fact that the two of them were here, did that mean everyone else was okay too? He looked around the room again, this was definitely a sickbay ward aboard a Starship, he felt relatively okay, a little bit of pain and stiffness in his body but that'd pass and looking at Asuka, she also seemed to be fine.
So, did that mean the others were fine? He couldn't see anyone else in the ward. Was Rei, okay? What about the captain, or his friends Touji and Kensuke?
All he could remember was the way the battle had ended for him. He had seen Rei be taken out, Asuka shortly afterwards leaving only him. He could remember being chased by those ships, trying desperately to fight back before his ship was disabled by them.
Bit by bit it was coming back to him and he started to feel sick as the memories formed. He could remember the ships backing off, leaving him stranded in his own craft, drifting and unable to do anything. Shinji could remember the horror he felt as the Covenant readied a blast, aiming it directly at NERV. The last thing he could remember was the image of the beam striking the planet before a strange warmth enveloped him, there was a smell of a familiar fragrance and then darkness.
"NERV... NERV was..." Shinji's heart started to race as he tried to move again. He had seen NERV get destroyed, all those people... his father... they were down there! They had failed! He had to know what had happened.
He swung his legs out of the bed, his muscles aching and resisting as he tried to stand up. He stumbled and froze as he heard a voice behind him, "And just what do you think you're doing?"
He turned to see Asuka was no longer sleeping, instead she had sat up and looking at him with a stern expression on her face.
"Back in bed. Now!"
"Asuka! I... NERV... it was... I need to find out."
"Lie back down you idiot!" She cut him off, "Everyone is fine."
"They're... fine?"
"Yes, they're fine... now get back in bed, unless you enjoy walking around practically naked."
"N-Naked?" Shinji stopped for a moment and realized the air outside of bed felt a little bit colder than usual, he looked down to see he was clad in nothing but a basic and very thin hospital gown, also realizing that Asuka could see just a little bit more of him than he might have liked.
He very quickly and feeling very embarrassed hopped back into bed, pulling the covers up over him.
Asuka smirked and shook her head, "Idiot."
"Sorry."
Asuka chuckled, "It's fine, just try to be more careful in the future. I won't always be around to save you from embarrassing yourself."
She made a quick mental note of the image of Shinji's backside before turning to more serious things.
"I suppose I should tell you about what happened then?"
Asuka stood up, moving a bit closer to Shinji's bedside as she wondered just how much to tell him. There were still many blanks in her own head to fill in that Hikari hadn't gone over. She hadn't been able to speak to the captain yet, and the on duty nurses hadn't gave her permission to leave.
Still, she wanted to be the one to be there when Shinji woke up and tell him what she knew, or at least be there in case the news about NERV was graver than she had heard from Hikari.
"Short version, the three of us got knocked out and the Covernant attacked NERV. Katsuragi was able to get them evacuated, she separated the saucer, got everyone to safety and a big fleet of ships turned up to scare Keel off. In the end... we won! You did good out there?"
"So... everyone is fine?"
Asuka nodded, "Yup."
It was something of a lie, if what Hikari had told her was true then Shinji's father was the furthest thing from fine, but Asuka couldn't bring herself to mention that to him, and she didn't even know it was true. There was no point bringing it up yet.
"Where is everyone?"
"Rei is staying with Akagi, probably cos of that whole former Borg thing. Hikari is fine, on duty at the moment, your two stooge friends are also, and unfortunately, I might add, also doing fine."
"What about you?"
She shrugged, "Fine, bored. Doctors won't let me leave yet, they've let me come here to see you but that's about it. Captain's been in a meeting all day and said she'll be along shortly but who knows when that'll be."
Shinji nodded and smiled back at her, not really knowing what to say next. Her words helped to lift the weight off of him, knowing that everyone was okay was a big relief but at the same time what had happened still didn't feel real.
Yet, he knew it was. He had actually been there, fighting alongside them. He had protected people, protected his friends and fought for his life. He had been hurt but he had also survived.
It was also such a relief to him to see that Asuka had survived as well. Above all else he was the one he had been worried about the most. When he had seen her ship be taken out that was when he had felt the biggest amount of pain, the biggest surge of rage and anger. All he had wanted to do in that moment was tear apart the ships attacking them.
He wasn't sure what he would have done now if she had been seriously hurt or worse. She was the reason he was alive, it was thanks to her guidance and actions before and during the fight that he had been able to keep going.
In those moments before everything had gone black his thoughts had even turned to her. The embrace they had shared before the battle, the warmth of her touch, the softness of his body against his, the smell of her hair and the way her breath on his neck made his hair stand on edge.
Everything about that just felt so right to him, and he longed to feel it again. As naive as he could be, he knew what those feelings were. He liked Asuka, a lot, maybe even loved her. He wasn't sure, love was such a strong word and one he never felt qualified or deserving of. Whatever these feelings were though, they were strong.
"A-Asuka..." He started to speak, not quite sure what he wanted to say next. A part of him wanted to reach out and take hold of her hand, another wanted to get out of bed and hug her, but the thin nightgown would make that very awkward.
"Hm?" She replied.
"I..."
Before he could say anything else, and perhaps thankfully as he still hadn't thought of a coherent sentence to say, the door to the ward opened and captain Katsuragi stepped straight through. She wasted no time in spotting the two of them and making her way over to Shinji's bedside.
"Ensign Soryu, Shinji, it's good to see you both awake! My apologies for getting here later than expected, Admiral T'Sol had quite a lot to say." Misato quickly explained, "Are you both okay?"
"Good captain." Asuka answered first, "Eager to get back to work."
"Good attitude to have, but don't worry too much about getting back just yet. I'm granting you and Shinji the next week off to rest. The combined crews of the Tokyo and USS Teesside should have everything in order."
"I appreciate that, but I'd rather not be doing nothing whilst everyone else is busy." Asuka protested.
"Same, I'd actually like to help."
Misato gave a nod, "I like the enthusiasm guys, but trust me we have it all in order, I've got two highly qualified Starfleet doctors and Ritsuko ready to bust my ass if I didn't give you a few days off."
"Fine, I guess we can do..."
"That also means no bat'leths in the holodeck."
"Aww but that's-"
"No bat'leths."
"What about a mek'leth?"
"No! No Bat'leths, Mek'leths, or kut'luchs. No ceremonial daggers, knives or swords. Rest and relaxation or a strictly serene variety. What's wrong with a nice cafe or beach?"
"Fine." Asuka folded her arms, "A beach it is..."
"Good." Misato grinned, "Now, I've been told to not stress the two of you out too much today so a full debrief can wait. That said, I do need to speak to Ensign Soryu for a moment. You don't mind if I borrow her do you Shinji? I wasn't interrupting anything special, was I?"
She chuckled as the two of them blushed and fired back a hearty 'No!' in unison.
"Come on Soryu, with me."
"Back in a moment then, I guess." Asuka waved casually to Shinji as she followed Misato out of the room and into an empty doctors office nearby. Almost immediately Misato's expression changed, there was no casual smile or grin. This was all business.
"We'll skip the preamble, I'm assuming Ensign Horaki filled you in on the details of what happened, as well as the current rumours surrounding NERV?"
Asuka hesitated for a moment, initially not wanting to get her friend into trouble but realized that Misato likely already knew and probably didn't care. Her thoughts also quickly crossed to what Hikari had told her before they had gone to the second ward, the rumour that Shinji's father had gone missing.
She nodded, "Hikari gave me a brief outline, yes."
"Then you're already aware that we are trying to locate Shinji's father?"
Asuka nodded again, lowering her eyes to the ground, "Yes, I am."
"We found him, the team down there located his body earlier today. It was in an unmapped part of the facility, a memorial dedicated to his wife, to Shinji's mother. He must have went down there after the evacuation started."
Asuka shook her head, "Shinji..."
"That's why I wanted to speak to you Asuka. It's my duty to tell Shinji what has happened, both as his captain and as one of the closest things he has to a friend in this part of the galaxy. At the same time, I can only do so much to support him, he's going to need another friend by his side."
"I'll be there." Asuka nodded, "When you tell him, I'll be by his side."
One Day Later - Misatos Ready Room
Asuka felt a deep sense of unease as she met Shinji and the two of them entered the ready room together. It had been a day since the two of them had been given the go ahead to leave Sickbay and return to the Tokyo. Asuka had done her best to avoid Shinji in all that time, feeling awkward about what she now knew and what was about to happen.
She felt even worse when he greeted her with a smile on his face, seemingly in a good mood. How could he not be? The three of them had played their part in saving hundreds of people, everything seemed great. Except of course for the Targ in the room that was the news of Shinji's father.
A part of her had wanted to deliver the news to him herself. She felt awful having to keep this from him for the last day and pretend everything was fine. At the same time, she knew it was probably better it coming from the captain and having Asuka there to support him. Not that she really knew how to do that either.
Asuka was still getting used to this whole having friend's thing, it was supposed to be a slow process. Hanging out with them one day a week, spending some time on the holodeck and having one drink in the ships Ten Forward. Not immediately jumping to supporting someone having lost their father.
She tried to think about how she would feel and what she'd want to happen is this had happened to her. It didn't help, she hated her father, and he hated her just as much. Asuka had endured years of him telling her she wasn't good enough, that she wasn't cut out to be in Starfleet and had no chance of making anything of her life. Shinji's father might have been an asshole, but at least he had been passive in his neglect, Asuka's father had been much more active in hers.
Still, to lose him in such a way would definitely sting, especially if it happened before she could prove him wrong.
This really wasn't her wheelhouse at all, truthfully it was one of the reasons she tended to keep herself distant from others for so many years. To get close to others was to attract complications and distractions. Asuka had a strict set of goals she wanted to accomplish, things she both wanted and needed to do. Things like this took away from all of that.
Actually, that wasn't the complete truth, and she knew it. To get close to others meant she'd have to open up, and to open up meant there was a risk of being hurt. Asuka had already opened herself up more than she ever intended to over the last few weeks. She had spent more time with Hikari, initiated friendship with Rei and even allowed herself to follow her feelings and hold and be held by Shinji.
She had even considered next steps with him. Thinking about what could happen. Hikari was right, she did like him, it was why she wanted to support him now, it was why she had considered going on dates with him and more. All things she had not cared for or considered in her past.
Shinji occupied her thoughts, and even when she tried to resist, the feelings grew stronger. She hated it, but it also brought her comfort. When she found herself alone and fearing the dark or one of her usual nightmares, it was him that she thought of. Asuka hated having to rely on thinking of another, but she liked that she finally had some light to chase the darkness away.
So, for better or worse, she was going to be there for him. She would let her instincts guide her forward.
Misato looked solemn, and was standing as the two of them approached her desk. Asuka spoke first, "Ensign Soryu, reporting as requested."
"Crewman Ikari, also reporting." Shinji was still smiling as he spoke, and Asuka felt her stomach twisting into knots.
Misato gave them a nod, "Thank you both for coming, at ease."
Both of them relaxed their stances slightly, Asuka finding things a touch more difficult, knowing just what was to come.
"First of all, I wanted to once again thank you both for your actions during the battle against the Covenant and the Eva-Series. Without yours and Pilot Ayanami's bravery and ability, neither of us would be stood here today. You have all of our thanks. Whilst I can't confirm anything just yet, I will be speaking to Admiral T'Sol about making sure the three of you receive proper recognition."
"Thank you, captain." Asuka nodded back at her, bracing herself for the next bit.
"Unfortunately, that isn't why I've asked you both here today. As I'm sure you're both well aware by now, we lost the NERV colony in the orbital strike from the Covenant. The facility is lost as are most of the grounds. An evacuation order was issued, but unfortunately it seems there was... an issue."
Asuka prepared herself to do something, she still wasn't sure what it was yet, but she felt her body tensing up, ready to move.
"There is no easy way to say this, and I wish I didn't have to." Misato turned her gaze towards Shinji, "Shinji, I'm sorry to say this but... your father was not transported up with the other evacuees."
Asuka froze as she saw Shinji start to grow pale, the smile wiped from his face and his hands clenching into fists.
"M-My father was not transported up? Then... where is he?"
Misato shook her head, "He stayed on the surface, we... aren't sure why but he bypassed the emergency transport. We... recovered his body yesterday morning. Shinji... I'm so sorry."
Shinji said, but Asuka could see the words having an effect on the young man. She almost wished she could reveal this was all some horrible joke being played on him, to try to make it less real but it was real. Shinji had lost his father. Asuka tried to move forward or open her mouth to say something, but she felt frozen, the words trapped in her throat.
All she could do for now was watch as his hands tightened into a ball, she saw his nailed digging into the palms of his hand. She watched on as the top half of his body started to shake, and his face changed, his top lip trembling and a tear rolling down his cheek.
"Shinji..." Asuka finally muttered as she found herself able to move forward. She still wasn't sure what to do but found herself placing a hand on the lower part of his back and rubbing it gently.
Moments passed as she moved in closer, and he started to sob louder. She took hold of his hand, gently running her thumb over his fingers, encouraging him to unclench his fist. It seemed to work as she intwined her fingers with his. Holding his hand, she brought him around, pulling him closer towards her, supporting him and hugging him as he continued to cry into her shoulder.
"I'm sorry Shinji..." She closed her eyes and held him.