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  “Initializing…control achieved. Testing systems……….all systems operational.” The new AI, Ashredar kept up a running report as it took over the systems of the ship. “System calibration sub-optimal…working on calibration.”

  "Well, it seems Rangiku found the right place to plug in the AI," Seraphiel stated jokingly.

  “Mmm. She is good at plugging.” Yoruichi said in a suggestive voice.

  The AI made an intentional and very artificial throat-clearing sound. “While the calibrations are underway, I’d like to introduce myself. I am Ashredar. This is a very fine ship. Very fine indeed. Would it be fine if I took a spin around the system to get more familiar with the systems? I might also want to test-fire the weapons a few times.” The AI requested politely. “There’s also no name for the vessel in any registry.”

  “I was planning on naming the ship after we got an AI, so it doesn’t have one yet. Permission for movement and weapons granted.” Seraphiel nodded before introducing the rest of the crew one by one.

  "Nice to meet you all. May our cooperation be fruitful." The AI stated with an officious voice. At the same time, the ship picked up speed, slowly aiming for the edge of the system.

  “The same to you. Tell me when you’re done with calibration to the point you’re confident in flying around. We have the next destination to go to, but we wouldn’t want to embarrass ourselves.” She teased the AI a bit, something she knew the AI would have to get used to on this ship. She knew Protoss could get a bit stiff and high in discipline at times, though she also knew they could mellow out with a bit of time and effort.

  Speaking of, Rangiku and their new Protoss friend, Naidam returned at the same time. “This ship is marvelous. Not quite as spacy as the usual Protoss vessels, but I suppose it makes up in sturdiness and deadliness. The systems are also fascinating.” The Protoss Templar seemed impressed.

  “This isn’t spacious?” Yoruichi asked in confusion. “There’s room for a crew of hundreds and we have like a dozen. We even have a bar and a spa.”

  “I’m afraid you misunderstood me. Our ships have much more empty space. Since nearly everything can and will be constructed of energy fields, there’s less point in permanent fixtures. As a result, every room and corridor is much wider as well as much brighter in illumination. We naturally have fewer rooms as well.” Naidam hurried to clarify the misunderstanding.

  “Huh. And here I was about to ask Sephy to make even more space with some spatial charms.” Yoruichi hummed.

  Seraphiel clapped her hands together to draw everyone’s attention. “Let’s move to the cargo hold. I believe it would be nice to see our new member’s abilities, and I do think I promised Wrex the honors.”

  Another clap of her hands, and everyone found themselves in the wide-open space of said cargo hold. It was clear this particular space had already been expanded magically, since you could park three entire ships of the size the hold was supposed to be in inside, assuming you managed to get them through the bay doors, which weren’t as large.

  "That's…a neat trick," Naidam said carefully, clearly glancing around nervously. Warping and teleporting were not new experiences to a Protoss, the ease at which it had happened, essentially without his consent was somewhat disturbing though. If she could do this, what was to stop his new captain from teleporting him outside the hull? Better not pick a fight with her.

  “Yeah, you seem to be improving.” Yoruichi grinned, noticing the sudden nerves on the previously jovial Protoss. This had clearly been a show of power from Seraphiel, and the effect had been just as intended.

  "I'll make sure nothing gets destroyed, so you can get wild boys," Seraphiel promised, her powers wrapping around the entire room, reinforcing all the walls. "You can begin whenever you feel comfortable."

  The two men looked at each other a bit before walking close to the middle of the cargo hold, taking a comfortable distance from each other. Wrex pulled out a wicked-looking shotgun, while Naidam ignited the two psionic blades on his wrists. As if triggered by an unseen signal, the two psionically charged each other. Wrex turned into a bolt of psionic energy, while Naidam seemed to move so fast that he was teleporting, while wrapped in a cocoon of his own power.

  Both missiles of psionic might clashed in the middle, the shockwave blasting the entire hold while ruffling the clothing of the observers standing by the side. Naidam was pushed back as expected, but a lot less than everyone had expected. Even Wrex grunted in respect as the Protoss warrior recovered instantly, blinking behind Wrex just as a shot from his psionic shotgun annihilated the space where the Templar had just stood.

  At the same time, the blades of the Protoss cut through the air, only barely scratching Wrex's shields as the wily Krogan dodged aside. The Krogan countered immediately, smashing the butt of his rifle at the face of his adversary, who agilely spun away from the strike, his blades cutting Wrex’s shields again as the much more mobile Protoss danced around him.

  "Bold of our new friend to engage a Krogan Warlord in melee," Teclis commented, the fight moving so fast that even his Elven Perception had trouble following every detail.

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  “That is the Protoss way. Bravery is something they have in spades, as well as experience engaging dangerous enemies in close combat. He likely wouldn’t have it any other way.” Seraphiel explained as the resident Protoss expert.

  "He's doing well," Rangiku added positive reinforcements.

  “In not getting splattered, yes. In terms of winning though, no chance.” Yoruichi’s judgement was much colder. “Admittedly I might’ve tried the same the first time I saw Wrex. Now I know better. Nowadays I’d snipe him from range. Repeatedly, and with heavy overkill.”

  "You might find that more challenging than before with his new Class," Shepard added her two cents. "Taking punishment is what his new Class is all about. The only one I'd bet against him in pure endurance competition is Seraphiel, and that's because she cheats."

  Seraphiel nodded in agreement. “A valiant effort though. However, not knowing your enemy is going to be our new friend’s undoing. Look, Wrex is about to spring the trap.”

  Wrex’s shields collapsed with a crack, and Naidam smelt blood. His blade struck like a viper towards Wrex's eye. Wrex didn’t even blink as the blade stopped mere millimeters from the large glinting eye, as the glowing [Fortification] barrier glowed across his skin. A Skill that didn’t last very long but would make him pretty much invulnerable for that brief time. A huge, clawed hand closed around the wrist of the agile Protoss. The Krogan pulled Naidam into a fierce headbutt, before repeatedly smashing him against the floor, before planting his boot on Naidam’s chest with the shotgun pointing at his foe’s face.

  Despite the disorientation, Naidam was already gathering his powers into a huge point-blank explosion, but that power was suddenly dispersed by Wrex’s. “Nice try pup. Unfortunately, that won’t work against another trained psionic.”

  "I yield," Naidam admitted, the boot leaving his chest right away.

  The other gave a nice polite applause. Seraphiel stepped forward. “Right. Critique, points of improvement, suggestions. Go.”

  Kaede seemed to appear from the shadows, adopting her teacher's tone. "Well, despite the great showing, fighting someone like Wrex in direct melee is not the best idea. Nin-nin." She even added her annoying tick at the end.

  “To be fair, that’s supposed to be my forte as well.” Naidam pointed out. “Though, it clearly didn’t work. I have ranged abilities, but they’re severely limited in comparison.”

  “The thing is, you’re a striker. A quick and agile scalpel. Wrex is like a regenerating brick wall. We all know how that fight ends.” Tatsumiya, also a teacher, pointed out. “It’s not that you’re wrong about your abilities, but you are facing a very bad matchup. When faced with a bad matchup, you need to change it. That requires versatility in abilities. If you have limited ranged capabilities, you need to develop more.”

  “Which brings us to another point. Knowing your enemy.” Seraphiel took over. “Now, I did just throw you two into a fight suddenly, with little opportunity to seek information, but this is where experience becomes valuable. You need to gather the necessary information in the middle of the fight and read your enemy. Wrex read you perfectly and laid the appropriate trap. You saw an opportunity and executed in a heartbeat, which can be good and shows decisiveness. The problem was you not realizing the opportunity was there on purpose.” She clapped Naidam on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. These kinds of things are just what you were sent to us for. Experience only comes with repeated exposure to all sorts of situations. Besides, your idea to stab through the eye and into the brain was a correct one. Pretty much nothing else you could’ve done to take down someone like Wrex quickly. Good plan, failed execution.”

  Wrex clapped the young Protoss on the other shoulder. “Don’t worry pup. No one actually expected you to win that. If you had, you wouldn’t be here. Just shows you have room for improvement. You fought well. Your movements were very fluid and efficient, and you kept out of reach quite well. You need a plan for when you get caught and more experience fighting skilled psionics. Luckily, we have some of the best on this ship to help with that, and I’m not talking just about myself.” He nodded towards Seraphiel and Shepard.

  “He isn’t just being polite.” Shepard was in agreement. “You did well.”

  The intercom made a small sound, completely unnecessarily as the comms didn’t usually make such sounds. It was just Ashredar’s way of drawing attention and signaling the AI was about to speak, just like the throat clear earlier. “The calibrations are at a state where we can travel safely, and any error margin in my performance is at an acceptable level.”

  “Good.” Seraphiel opened communications with everyone on the ship. “Hold on to something. We’re about to move back to Citadel.”

  The world seemed to twist for a moment, and suddenly everyone could feel they were not where they’d just been. They couldn’t see out of the cargo hold to tell where exactly they were now, though they could guess based on Seraphiel’s announcement, but they were sure it was somewhere else than they’d been a moment before.

  “I’m reading a relatively sizeable space station nearby, and a lot of ship traffic. There’s a protective fleet around the station, some of which seem to have been agitated by our arrival, as well as what I assume to be civilian shipping.” Ashredar reported straight away. “We also seem to be within a nebula.”

  “How far did we just travel?” Naidam asked quietly. He had expected something like that after being transported into the cargo hold, but it was still weird to experience and sent his mind whirring.

  "Hard to say with the distances of this universe but suffice to say we're nowhere near Aiur," Shepard explained. "This is my home galaxy. Using gateways, we'd have to take at least a dozen, though I'm not exactly sure where Aiur is."

  Two things struck Naidam right away. “I don’t suppose we teleported to a previously marked spot like a pylon, did we?”

  “No, though I’ve of course visited Citadel several times in the past.” Seraphiel realized some of what Naidam must be thinking.

  The young Protoss realized that she could drop him inside a star if she wanted to, if he didn’t figure out a way to stop it. He also realized the tactical implications. “You realize that this would be a huge advantage in a war. Any war. Even if you move only a single ship, the ability to just drop above your enemy’s headquarters is something that can’t be denied.”

  Seraphiel just smiled. The young Protoss was thinking too small. Wrex agreed. “You don’t seem to realize pup. She could move the enemy headquarters into an ambush instead.”

  “Entire planets?” Naidam asked, shocked.

  “Not quickly or easily, but with enough preparation, yes. Moving something like an entire planet would take the wind out of my sails for a long time though and would depend on the number of inhabitants. Every person on the planet would make it harder. It’s not exactly a pool of mana that I’m drawing on, or something similar. It’s more like a muscle. If I overtax it, the more I’m likely to injure myself, and the more I’ll need to rest afterwards.” Seraphiel offered a short description. “Moving a single ship of unresisting individuals is relatively easy.”

  “And how would you resist it? Hypothetically.” Naidam asked, his concern quite obvious.

  “Oh, you spooked the pup.” Wrex grinned. The wily Krogan had already figured out ways to resist.

  “I won’t reveal all my tricks.” Seraphiel mirrored the grin. “Now let’s get to recruiting. Shepard, can you help us? The word of the heroic Commander Shepard would go a long way to get some great recruits.” There were always people looking for opportunities for adventure and work. Some to gain thrills, some for levels, some for money, and some just wanted to do good. The trick was to find the right people.

  “I am Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite store on the Citadel.” Wrex tried to mockingly imitate Shepard.

  Shepard just laughed at the poor attempt. “Sure, although I’m just a bit disappointed that you haven’t asked me to join.”

  "Oh, you have a standing invitation. I simply assumed you wouldn't be able to. But yes, I would like to formally invite you to join our crew, Shepard. And you can answer whenever you want." Seraphiel smiled at her former lover and friend.

  "I accept," Shepard said right away, to everyone's surprise. "Come now, don't look so shocked. We all enjoy each other's company, and you already know I've enjoyed Sephy's company especially in the past.”

  “Quite loudly in fact.” Wrex quipped. The old Normandy didn’t have very thick walls.

  Shepard continued without responding to the Krogan. “I can already tell that you will be in the center of whatever is with this current mess of things. It’s great levels, and I’ve been bored out of my mind before I met you. I also have it on good authority, that if I bribe you right, you might help us again if the Tyranid problem raises its head again.”

  Seraphiel smiled. “I didn’t need an explanation, though I appreciate it anyway. Welcome aboard. Now let’s find some new crew. Wrex, you promised me some commandoes and I damn well intend to collect!”

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