Chapter Four
"Into the Deep"
Eventually, the robotic female voice of EDI echoed throughout the Normandy, asking for the guests on board to report back to the War Room. Lieutenant Adams gave those who helped him in the Cargo Bay the promised omni-tools while Doctor Chakwas discharged those that had come to see her. Once everyone was gathered, Burnham once again explained the coming plan of action.
"At first, we were curious to imagine what effects there would be on the spore drive within a universe where, as far as we could tell, the mycelial network it runs on did not exist." She gestured largely to Stamets and herself.
"We believed ourselves to be, so to speak, 'off the rails' when our anomaly first occurred, does everyone remember? We thought we had hit a dead end to the network and that reversing our coordinates would take us backward on the network. However, if we perhaps were in a space where the mycelial network did not exist, it would have been the same situation as before."
"That we are reaching these spaces suggests that the spore drive can deliver us outside the network," Stamets said next, sounding a little excited about the whole thing.
"We observed that both the Discovery and Enterprise experienced some level of time displacement, as the internal data on both suggests that different amounts of time have passed for each ship. While I can't at this time speak for how time is possibly affected when jumping between universes, I do not believe it impossible to say the spore drive has the potential to manipulate our moment in time."
"We've measured these disparities in time and have determined a set of coordinates by extrapolating from the data. If we put these into the spore drive, we should be able to reverse our jump out of this universe, but our plan is not to once again go blindly into the unknown. This time, we will go back to that space between dimension and spend some time studying it. We believe that it may, essentially, be a space connected to many different universes. Only by studying it may we get to a place where we may be able to send each of you home to your respective universes."
With that out of the way, Shepard let out a long sigh. She evidently had been the least helpful in the room during this discussion.
"The Normandy will see your ships on their way before we go back to our duty. It is my genuine hope that you all make it back home."
The Discovery got to work beaming back everyone from the Normandy. Stamets and Burnham were back first, getting to work quickly on applying their findings while all of the Discovery's guests were given passage to the Bridge. Most of the next thirty minutes passed without much happening, and soon it was time to depart.
However, as the Discovery made its final preparations to jump, a very odd thing occurred. Everyone got to watch as giant, alien-like structures jumped into view to tower over the Discovery, the Enterprise, and the Normandy.
Kirk's eyes widened, opening a comm channel over to the Discovery, looking intently at the strange structures.
"Mister Saru... I think we have a... small problem here."
"What's going on? Wha--" Saru began to question, before laying his eyes on the alien-like structures himself, his mouth almost threatening to drop in shock,
"What... What are those?"
Commander Shepard's voice came in, managing an audio feed but her technology not compatible with a video one. Her voice was distant and afraid, two words that few who met her would normally describe the way she talked.
"Those are... the Reapers."
One of the enemy ships closest to them glowed for a moment and conjured a giant red beam of energy that shot toward the three ships. Saru cried out for evasive maneuvers, but it was the Enterprise that was hit. The beam effortlessly cut through the ship's shield and destroyed a portion of the ship.
"Spock!" Kirk cried out, attempting to contact the Enterprise now,
"Respond immediately! What's your status?!"
"The Enterprise has sustained heavy damage, Captain! Minimal casualties reported, but it is clear that these entities possess firepower well above what Starfleet ships are capable of," Spock reported back from on the Enterprise, having assumed command as the First Officer.
"The most logical course of action is to make a retreat any way we can."
Elliot's mouth went wide at the raw destructive power. He took a few curious steps closer to the bridge view, eyes examining these Reapers in wonder.
"The power these things must wield is unbelievable..."
"That was just one attack," Burnham said, eyes wide with fear and shock.
"We have to go... We have to go now!" She started tapping quickly at her console.
"Burnham to Engineering. We have to jump immediately!"
***
On the Normandy, Shepard watched the scene with horror from a vid display. It seemed they had waited too long helping these two ships from other dimensions and were now facing down an armada of Reapers.
One Reaper spoke, its voice so infinitely loud and booming, that it could be heard by all three ships.
"I am Harbinger," it said.
"Your destruction, and salvation, are at hand."
These Reapers were on their way to Earth, as far as Shepard could tell. That Harbinger and a group of Reapers ran into them here had to have been an incredible stroke of bad luck. Bad luck that would cost them their lives.
"EDI, can we jump to FTL travel immediately? Can we escape them?"
"Negative, Commander," EDI said over the ship's communication.
"The chances of us escaping via FTL are far too low. Commander, we are simply out of time."
Shepard knew there was only one choice.
"EDI, tell everyone to hold on!"
***
The Discovery shook violently as another Reaper blast brushed against the ship.
"We're ready to go!" Stamets announced.
Burnham was about to give the order to go when Shepard's voice came in.
"The Normandy is coming with you. If we stay, we die." A few seconds followed where the Normandy traveled into the hangar bay of the Enterprise, and Shepard said,
"We're in."
"Go!" Burnham yelled, staring down a beam of red light.
***
The jump was rough, both ships experiencing massive turbulence in the seconds that followed. On the Normandy, a strange box phased inside the cargo bay; a souvenir of the rapid trip between dimensions. When it was all over, the three ships were left with nothing but silence.
From the Discovery's bridge, nothing could be seen outside the view screen.
"We're back where we started," Burnham announced. She let out a shaky breath and brought one hand to her forehead.
"Everyone, please sit tight while we assess the damages."
Elliot grunted as he got to his feet, having fallen over in the chaos. He let out a quiet laugh.
"Never have I seen something more beautiful," he muttered to himself.