Chapter 116
Rivals ReunitedAnnie turned abruptly from where she’d been staring through the viewport. “We should help.”
The bridge had been quiet since Carmen’s revelation about the invasion. Everyone processing what it meant.
“If there are gates open, then people will be in trouble,” Annie continued. “There might even be more of the cultists and their rituals.”
Augustus nodded slowly. “It’s an excellent opportunity to build rapport with the council or other players on The Nexus. We could use some goodwill.”
Talia and Felix said nothing, but Alexander could read the agreement on their faces.
He considered it. They’d come here for information and to help their rescued aliens get home. Fighting hadn’t been part of the plan. But Annie was right. People might be dying. And Augustus had a point about it being an opportunity.
He looked at Carmen. “Do you think they’d be open to it?”
She met his eyes. “If things are as bad as people out here think? Sure.” She paused. “It’s likely not as bad as they think, though. Spacers aren’t the most reliable information sources. We love to gossip.”
Alexander smiled at that. “Alright. Captain, would you… open a channel to The Nexus and tell them we’re willing to help.”
Carmen moved to the communications console, her fingers dancing across the controls.
She leaned forward, voice crisp. “This is the GSS Sleipnir out of Sol. We are carrying a team of Tier 2 superhumans with extensive combat experience. They are willing to offer their assistance against any ongoing multiversal invasion threats.”
Silence filled the bridge for a moment before a response came through. The voice carried the clipped efficiency of military communications.
“Sleipnir, this is Nexus Control. Confirm last. You have superhuman assets aboard?”
“Confirmed,” Carmen said. “A highly versatile combat team with a mixture of powers and prior experience with invasion events.”
“Stand by.”
The channel went silent. Alexander felt the tension settle across the bridge. The crew at their stations stayed focused on their tasks, but he caught glances toward where Grimnir stood.
Spencer cleared his throat. “Well, hate to hitch a ride and split, but I need to go for a walk. The Queen assigned me a few tasks while I’m here. Gotta get to work.”
Annie turned. “Wait, aren’t you going to help with the gateways?”
He smirked. “Nah, I’m more of a lover than a fighter. Besides, pretty sure this is a big chance for Grimnir to shine.”
Talia’s eyes narrowed. “How?”
Spencer shrugged. The sound of pages flipping filled the bridge. Soft at first, then louder. Like someone rifling through a book at incredible speed.
The space behind him began to ripple. Reality bent and folded like pages turning. The effect was unsettling, making Alexander’s eyes want to slide away from it.
Spencer started walking backward into the distortion, still smiling. “My powers don’t work that way!”
He raised both hands, finger guns pointed at Alexander. “I’ll see ya round. Thanks for the ride, cuz’.”
He stepped through and vanished. The rippling effect collapsed into nothing.
Annie stared at the empty space. “That was weird.”
“He’s always been like that,” Augustus said with a sigh.
The comms crackled back to life. “Sleipnir, authorization granted. Transmitting priority docking coordinates. Military escort inbound.”
Carmen’s fingers moved across the console. “Coordinates received. Thank you, Nexus Control.”
Two sleek vessels appeared on the viewscreen minutes later. Small fighter-class starships, their hulls marked with insignia. They took up positions flanking the Sleipnir.
“Escorts in position,” Yuki reported from the helm. “They’re transmitting an approach vector.”
The Nexus grew larger in the viewport as they closed distance. Alexander still struggled to believe it. Hundreds of miles of interconnected structures, docking arms extending like spokes from central hubs. Thousands of ships docked, besides the thousands more stuck in holding patterns.
The architecture was alien. Smooth curves where human stations would have hard angles. Metal structures joined with organic-looking segments flowing into crystalline structures. It shouldn’t have worked, but somehow it did.
He reached out with his powers when they were close enough. The station lit up in his awareness. Computer systems managing thousands of simultaneous processes. Communications arrays handling traffic from across known space.
All of it felt alien. The technology operated on principles he recognized, but the implementation was completely foreign. Like listening to a language where he understood individual words but not the grammar holding them together.
The fighters guided them toward a docking berth. Clamps engaged with a series of mechanical thuds that echoed through the hull.
“We’re secure,” Carmen announced. She turned to face Grimnir. “Good hunting.”
Alexander nodded. “Thank you, Captain. Keep the crew ready. And if things turn bad, don’t wait for us.”
They moved through the ship toward the airlock. Alexander adjusted his gauntlets. He could almost feel the focus of the others.
The airlock cycled open.
A delegation waited at the other end of the docking tube. Most were aliens, wearing vaguely similar uniforms despite the extreme variety in limbs and shape.
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One human stood among them, a woman in the same uniform.
An alien spoke. Droney translated smoothly for Alexander, directly parsing the meaning into his mind.
The human translated for them. “You are the superhuman assets?”
“Yes,” Alexander said.
“We require you to demonstrate power usage before we can continue.”
The group looked at Annie.
She blinked. “What, me?”