Fire, it was all around her. No matter where she looked she couldn’t avoid it, and no matter how she tried she couldn’t block out the sound of explosions and her comrades crying for help. The battle had not gone their way, the Iron Syndicate had anticipated their ambush and decimated her mechanized squadron. They had only narrowly been able to push them back and hold the position. 

“I… I don’t… want… to die” She heard Nova say over the tele-link. Ava wanted to go out there and save her, but she knew there was nothing she could do. Leaving her XO and close friend behind would be beyond cruel. As she opened the canopy of her mech the knot in her stomach grew even bigger. She would step out and take the phase pistol from its holster as she walked to what remained of Nova’s vehicle. As she walked she could feel the stares of her people. They hated it, but they knew it had to be done. After arriving at the unit she could see Nova through the broken glass. The woman had been drafted only a few months after she was. As an immigrant from Orineth her parents had been designated hostile aliens at the onset of the war. While Ava at least had spent her earliest years inside the dome, even though she couldn’t remember it, Nova had known nothing but the camps and the war. 

When Nova’s eyes met Ava’s, the former smiled slightly. “Please don’t forget me”

“Never” Ava replied as she raised the pistol and ended Nova’s suffering with a single shot, while denying the Iron Syndicate a new resource. 

In an instant the fires disappeared, soon after the rest of her team and everything else around her. There was a black void everywhere. “You broke your promise!” She could hear a loud scream before being pulled by a cold arm. When she turned around she saw Nova, but also the hundreds of others that had died. “You were supposed to remember us!” They all screamed in unison. 

With a loud scream Ava rose up, looking around she had to adjust to her surroundings first but after a few moments realized she was in her quarters on the Harmony. Her entire body was covered in sweat and both the sheets and blanket were soaked. She felt incredibly guilty, she had promised never to forget her people and to carry their memory with her everywhere she went but admittedly in recent years the safety and security of Starfleet had made her suppress those memories. Now as they were hours away from the Veil of Shadows it was all coming back. She had to redeem herself. 

“Computer, time” Ava asked as she got up from the bed. “It is currently 0645, Captain” There was a Senior Staff meeting planned for exactly 0800, the purpose of their mission had been classified so far but at the meeting she would finally be allowed to inform her Senior Staff. 

Bridge, 0745

After showering, getting dressed and having a quick breakfast Ava now found herself on her Bridge. “Status” She asked while motioning for the Officer of the Watch to remain in the command chair as she was not planning to take over the Bridge for only fifteen minutes.

“We have arrived at the location earlier than expected, Captain. The Normandy is about one hour behind us. We are currently holding position near the Starfleet beacon” Said Officer of the Watch replied.

“Very well, inform Fleet Admiral Archer and hold for now. I will be in the conference room” Ava ordered before making her way to the large meeting room adjacent to the bridge. With a focus on diplomatic capabilities the ship had many conference areas, but the one on the bridge certainly was the most impressive. After replicating a cup of Masala Chai she would take her seat at the head of the table, waiting for the rest of her staff to come in. Once everyone was there at 0800 exactly Ava would commence the meeting.

“Thank you everyone for making it here, for the past two weeks I and Commander Yuan have had to keep all of you in darkness about the purpose of our mission. This was not by choice but a direct order from Fleet Admiral Archer who has restricted release of the classified information I am about to share until today. 

The Nebulon Expanse is an area within the Alpha Quadrant encircled by the nebula known as the Veil of Shadows, which we have approached this morning. Both due to its unique characteristics and an ancient spaceborne creature lurking within crossing the Veil of Shadows has always been extremely dangerous with only a few individuals managing to escape and as far as I know no one from this side of the Veil going in. I myself am from a civilization inside the Expanse. 

In addition to six warp-age civilizations, there is also a machine threat known as the Iron Syndicate. The Iron Syndicate was created as a self-replicating army by one of the civilizations in their goal to defeat and conquer the other five. They failed to anticipate the inherent threat of such a creation however and lost control over their monsters. Ever since the people of the Nebulon Expanse have been in a war against the Iron Syndicate. While the Veil of Shadows has been successful at keeping the outside universe out and the Nebulon Expanse in, recent changes have made it easier for us to go in and thus likely for the Iron Syndicate to get out. If they manage to cross the Veil, and even worse get their hands on modern technology, we may face a threat bigger than even the Borg.

Starfleet Command has ordered us and the USS Normandy to cross the Veil of Shadows and establish contact with the civilizations within. Our goal is to ascertain the status of the Expanse as our most recent information is a decade old already and provide support to contain the Iron Syndicate. Due to interference from the Veil of Shadows, once we are inside we will be unable to communicate with Starfleet Command. For this reason Fleet Admiral Archer has established her flag on the Harmony and will be the voice of both Starfleet Command and the Federation inside the Nebulon Expanse. This means our duties will be extremely complex; diplomacy, combat, intrigue, we must be prepared to engage on any possible operation. Are there any questions so far?”

Ava looked over the two dozen or so faces represented at this meeting. The Harmony was a big ship and as such had a lot of departments. Many of the officers held three pips, but that was to be expected with one of the more prestigious deployments in the fleet. As no one took the chance Ava would move to the more concrete immediate needs. “You have all been given access to the full records Starfleet has on the Nebulon Expanse, Abyssal Wyrms, Veil of Shadows, Iron Syndicate, Republic of Virella, the Sovereign Dominion of Orineth, the Celestial Sovereignty of Arion, the Sanctified Dominion of Luminara, the Celestial Confederacy of Eldora, and the Dominion of Valeria” When she mentioned Virella Ava would gaze with slight anger at Commander Camara, their Special Mission Adviser and a Virellan who had escaped the Expanse despite not being Sector 9. “Most of that won’t matter until we actually make it to the other side though. The Normandy will catch up with us in thirty minutes. I need Engineering to disable as many non-essential systems as possible to reduce our energy output, if it is not essential for our survival, our tactical capabilities or our propulsion it should be turned off. At the same time Starfleet Engineering has developed a set of protocols for the deflector and our shields that should enable us to cross the Veil safely. Operations will implement these changes. Tactical, configure our quantum torpedoes to fire at their highest yield. If we encounter an Abyssal Wyrm nothing short of the absolute maximum of our tactical capabilities can save us. We will be crossing the Veil at 1100. All departments must be ready by then. The Normandy will implement equivalent changes when they arrive and cross together with us.” Concluding the formal part of this meeting she looked over the faces again, only to see determination albeit some confusion. “We haven’t known each other very long yet, but I trust each and everyone of you with my life. Crossing the Veil is dangerous but this crew can do it. Dismissed.”

The room would steadily empty again just as it had filled half an hour earlier. In the end only Ava and the Special Mission Adviser remained.

“Captain, may I have a word?” The latter asked.

Ava looked at Annette again, the woman with her long white hair and eyes was the poster image of the “pureblood” Virellan. She had read the file and knew Annette came from former nobility and was a Handler in the Virellan Army with the rank of Major. Meaning she had overseen numerous Sector 9 formations go to their deaths from the comfort of the Dome. The woman had tried to meet with her for the past week, and Ava had managed to avoid it so far but she knew she couldn’t avoid her forever and now the point where it was unavoidable had arrived. Perhaps in a way it was a positive. After all if she were to feign diplomacy towards the government that had put her in chains, she better practice first. 

“Of course Commander, how can I help you?” Ava asked, feigning a smile. 

“Captain, you don’t have to feign pleasantries for me, I know when you look at me you see what we did to your people. What we did to you. I just wanted to sincerely apologize for my role in the crimes against the Sector 9. I tried to save as many lives as I could but I know I should have done more. I just hope that you will allow me to help you fight not just the Iron Syndicate, but also to bring justice to Virella and expose my people’s crimes”

Ava was taken a little aback by her words. Yet she couldn’t help but feel they lacked sincerity. “Commander, you did me the kindness of speaking your truth to me so I will return the favour. I don’t like you, I don’t like the Republic of Virella. You put me in a camp because I didn’t fit the image of a perfect Virellan and you executed my parents for the crime of having me. I know you didn’t do these things personally, but you worked for the system that did. You claim to have saved lives, but your orders undoubtedly doomed thousands of my compatriots to death in a hopeless war. I can and will never forgive you for that. But I care about the Federation, I care about Sector 9, and I care about everyone in the Nebulon Expanse who deserves rescue. We aren’t going to be friends, but I recognize your value to the mission and will use your knowledge to guarantee our success. That is all I can give you”

Annette nodded. “That is all I ask, Captain”