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The ship docked smoothly on the newly built station, and the team had disembarked in less than a minute. As Seraphiel sniffed the air, the place had that newly built smell, with freshly welded seams, electrical burns from not all wiring quite working correctly, freshly laid concrete, and recently cast metal. Oh, and the thick odor of oils and other lubricants. Since everything was freshly made, everything was also freshly maintained. She could spot some of the berths that were still being worked on. The outside of the station might have been finished, along with the defensive systems, but the internals and docks were still being worked on.

“Any idea why we were called?” Seraphiel asked.

"No definitive ideas, though I can take some guesses," Chachamaru replied. "They told me they have a job offer, but didn't go into detail. As we have a good relationship with them, I decided it was smart to hear them out personally.”

“Something to do with the Tyranids? You helped with them the last time, right?” Yoruichi asked. She and Rangiku were looking around curiously, not being as familiar with advanced technology as most of the others. Teclis seemed less out of place, even with his High Elven robes, while Shen-Zoo was feigning calm disdain, even if her curiosity was rather obvious.

“Although possible, it seems unlikely.” Seraphiel shook her head. “They seem to have the situation under control, and the fleet outside should be large enough to deal with a Hive Fleet.”

The number of ships outside the station was quite impressive. Turians and the Humans of that universe were quite industrious and militarily minded, so rapid military build-up was not too out of their character. Combined with the static defenses like weapon platforms and the base they were on, the defenses in this system, and especially the gateway, were quite formidable.

"I got the impression that this request was more personal in nature," Chachamaru interjected not explaining further just yet.

Their speculation continued as they marched through the station, noting all the unfinished shops and buildings. Even a military installation like this required services, and places for rest and relaxation. The exterior of the station truly was much further along. Still, the large military building they entered was completed. As soon as they stepped inside, they were greeted by an Asari officer, who identified their party right away. Considering the makeup of their group, that wasn’t too difficult. “Good afternoon. Spectre Shepard is waiting for you in congress room five.” The blue-skinned woman handed them a key and pointed them down a particular hallway.

“Oh? Shepard’s behind this?” Seraphiel asked, not having expected that.

"She was not the one who contacted me, but it would seem so," Chachamaru replied, clearly not too surprised as she led them in the appointed direction.

The key allowed them direct entry to a rather sizeable room with a holoprojector at the center of a large conference table. Shepard seemed to be going through some maps on the projector as they arrived, though she stood up cheerfully as they arrived. “Welcome! Good to see you again.” Shepard came around the table to give Seraphiel a hug.

“Wrex!” Shepard greeted right after the two separated, she nodded to the Krogan standing at the back of the group.

“Shepard.” Wrex greeted back simply.

“I see some new faces as well.” Shepard looked especially towards Rangiku, Teclis, and Shen-Zoo.

Seraphiel made some quick introductions. ”This is my former Vice-Captain, Rangiku Matsumoto, of the Shinigami. She joined us just a week ago, though she’s an old friend from a long time ago. This is High Loremaster Teclis, one of the best mages I’ve met. And finally, this is Princess Shen-Zoo, our support specialist.”

“Happy to meet you.” Shepard nodded. “I’m Champion Shepard, an old companion of Seraphiel. And why am I not surprised in the least that you’ve already managed to get a Princess to be a part of your group?”

"A Dragon Princess no less," Seraphiel said smugly, causing Shepard to just shake her head. “And you’re not one to talk. You’re the one that had the most eclectic crew possible when we were fighting the Reapers.”

Tatsumiya was the one to interrupt the fun and bring up the business. “What’s this all about? We heard there was a job for us?”

“Yes and no. I have a job for Seraphiel specifically, although in a way for the rest of the group as well.” Shepard stated a bit cagily. “I noticed you took part in a Grail War.” She half-asked quietly.

Seraphiel lifted an eyebrow. “That wasn’t supposed to be all that public information.”

“Well, I happen to know about Charlotte Richards, so it wasn’t hard to connect the dots. Especially since I’m rather familiar with your preferred fighting style.” Shepard shrugged. “Even if you were a bit hamstrung by the setting. Don’t worry, it’s not widely known, and the Grail War isn’t something just anyone can observe.”

“Ok, so what about it?” Seraphiel asked.

"Well, seeing as you're now getting active, how would you feel about starting your career as a proper Champion as well? I have an event coming up, which just so happens to be a team event." Shepard smiled. "There's really nobody I'd rather have by my side."

Seraphiel’s eyes narrowed. “Two people isn’t exactly a team yet.”

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"Well spotted." Shepard nodded. "The event calls for three-person teams. We need a third Champion, and I happen to know a couple of options. As for the rest of you, we would need a ride and bodyguards. Sabotage isn't unknown in these kinds of events, and we would have to travel quite aways.”

The group looked at each other a bit, each of them nodding. “I see no objections. Consider me intrigued.” Seraphiel spoke for the whole group.

“We’ll have to gather some supplies first, but it should only take a couple of hours.” Chachamaru gave her approval as well, and signaled Kaede and Tatsumiya to go with her to pick the supplies up. “You can hash out the details.”

“How’s the situation with the Tyranids?” Wrex asked, being the one with the most to lose if the bugs came this way.

“They sent a few probing attacks our way, but I believe our defenses encouraged them to go another way. Especially since we already gave them a bloody nose with Seraphiel’s magic. That said, we’re being careful, and any extra forces we possess will get channeled here as soon as they’re either built or made available from their normal duties. Many are actually looking forward to a fight, as it’s a great opportunity for some levels. Of course, that will also mean a lot of dead people, so not everyone is as gung-ho, but what can you do.” Shepard shrugged again. “War is good business though.”

“Yeah, no-one goes bankrupt selling weapons.” Wrex nodded. “I’m sure my people are eager to re-enact the war against the Rachni, what with us finally recovering from the genophage and everything.”

“Genophage? I don’t believe the translation spell quite got that one?” Shen-Zoo asked.

Wrex grunted. “My people were uplifted by the other races of our universe to fight an enemy similar to the Tyranids. We helped them win, and as a thanks they neutered us with a genetic plague that caused most of your children to be stillborn. That went on for about a thousand years, before Shepard, Seraphiel, and a few others dealt with the plague. We still aren’t quite as fertile as we used to be, but that’s probably a good thing. Otherwise, we might’ve become one of the Locust races ourselves. Despite all my efforts, we still aren’t exactly a peaceful race.”

"To put it mildly," Shepard grunted, causing Wrex to grin.

"That seems horribly unfair still," Shen-Zoo stated.

“It was. Our people are going to hate the Salarians and Turians forever for what they did, but at least we’re moving on.” Wrex explained. “Maybe in a few generations that hate will become less pronounced. Mind you, Krogans can live a really long time, so a generation is a rather fluid concept.”

Seraphiel turned towards Shepard. "So, what's this Champion event about? And more accurately, how do these Champion thingies even work? It's my first time if you don't count the Grail War. And I was just summoned for that one.”

"Well, those Grail Wars are one major way. Almost all of the top Champions can be summoned as Heroic Spirits after all. Mostly, we get informed of any events our God wants us to participate in, either by the god or by one of their messengers. Not all gods are as personal as yours." Shepard grinned. "Sometimes our gods are nice enough to directly transport us to the location, but most of the time we need to hitch a ride. Sometimes we need to travel quite far, as is the case this time. The events themselves can be absolutely anything from singing competitions to Grail Wars. Naturally, I'm not entered into the former.”

"Maybe I was too hasty in dropping that performance Skill," Seraphiel muttered.

“What was that?” Shepard asked with a sudden grin.

“Nothing at all.” Seraphiel denied. “This event is a more traditional team fight one, according to what you’ve said.”

“As far as I know. I haven’t gotten all the details yet. We usually don’t, so we can’t prepare too much beforehand. Otherwise, it would turn into an arms race. That said, even combat-focused events often include other elements, so teams that are pure fighters usually get brought down a bit. That's just one of the reasons I wanted you on the team. Even if you don't have System-assisted Skills for some things, you've gained actual skills and experience in most things.” Shepard leaned over the table she was sitting at.

“And you said you had some ideas for a third?” Seraphiel questioned.

“Yes, but I’ll keep that one a secret for now. They should be at the event, and if they are, we can ask them. They’re not exactly the most popular person around due to certain circumstances, so we most likely won’t have to worry about someone poaching them.” Shepard had apparently decided to be all mysterious. “Team-ups at the event site are actually the norm in such events, as not all Champions have connections with other Champions. That’s another reason you might want to take part, to make some of those connections.”

“Right. I was under the impression that you’re a mid-ranking Champion, so I assume this is an event for such.” Seraphiel knew Shepard wouldn’t take her words as an attack, although they could be seen as rather rude. She also had a bit of a fear that she might be connected to other Champions already.

“Correct, though it’s not entirely uncommon for one of two high-ranking Champions to take part out of boredom. The number of events for the high-ranking Champions is less, mostly because even the gods find it difficult to corral them sometimes. Besides, many of them have entire planets to defend. While it would be considered highly rude to attack a Champion’s world while they’re gone, it has happened in the past.” Shepard revealed with clear distaste. “Usually, the high-ranking Champions don’t bring their A-game though, as they know it would spoil everyone’s fun if they stomped all over every event.”

“Right. Let’s get to it then.” Seraphiel nodded.

------

Yoruichi and Rangiku found Shepard in the gym area of their ship. The two hadn’t exactly been searching for the Human Champion, but now that they were here, they knew they had some things they should talk about. “Shepard. It’s always gratifying to see even Champions working out.” Yoruichi said with a cat-like grin.

Shepard used her Biotics to flick off the gravity enhancer over the spot she was using for push-ups. “Well, even with stats it’s important to stay in shape. Besides, even if there was no need, it’s a habit at this point. Something I’ve gotten used to doing all my life.” She smiled wryly.

“Oh, I agree. Even for us Shinigami, it’s important to stay in shape, although the methods we utilize are a little different. Otherwise, someone as lazy as Rangiku here would have no hope.” Yoruichi teased with a grin, earning a punch to the shoulder from the blonde woman. A rather lazy punch.

“I am curious what your exercise is like.” Shepard asked, while jumping up to a standing position.

"For us, it's mainly about spending our powers regularly as we are still spiritual beings. In my case, that usually means more [Shunpo], and battle training is always useful. The important part is working hard towards an ideal, and the mental work helps form us into what we are. It's not that there is no physical component, but that the physical aspect is secondary." Yoruichi explained.

“Makes sense I suppose. I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject.” Shepard admitted. “Now, I get the sense you sought me out for a reason. And I can somewhat guess what that reason is.”

“Yes, well, I would be worried if you didn’t have some idea at least. Seraphiel. Lovers.” Yoruichi drew a small circle with a finger that clearly encompassed all three.

"Many lovers," Rangiku added. She actually had a less direct relationship with Seraphiel, as it had been more a case of them both getting into trouble together. It had always been understood that Yoruichi and Seraphiel had a special bond, and Rangiku had been more of a companion on such adventures than a lover.

“Yes, and I suspect there are many more that we’ll run into in the future.” Shepard nodded. “I already told her that I just want her to be happy. Things have changed a lot since we were together. I’ve changed a lot. I’m not sure if it would even work between us anymore, but I’m not really willing to let go either.” It was a fact that they’d only been together for a few very tumultuous years, and that was several decades ago.

“Well, both of us are fine with Sera having multiple lovers. In fact, that’s part of the fun, as we get to have fun with many people as well. We just want to be part of that fun. And if you happen to be among those lovers…well, I certainly won’t object.” Yoruichi grinned a bit. Shepard was looking rather delicious after all.

“Well, that’s certainly an interesting way to deal with the situation, though I would have to know more about both of you to even consider it. I'm not quite as liberal with my affections as Seraphiel, although I don't judge her either. There would be no point. I knew what I was getting into.” Truthfully Shepard had prepared herself for the fact that she wouldn’t be able to have Seraphiel all to herself, as that was simply not in the Celestial’s nature. On the other hand, she hadn’t quite prepared herself for what that meant in practice.

“Of course, all of this is provisional on Captain’s approval.” Rangiku pointed out.

“Of course, though I don’t see her refusing.” Yoruichi shrugged.

"What's the deal with the others? Teclis and Shin-Zoo in particular?" Shepard asked.

“Oh, they’re not involved. I think Teclis might be interested, though there’s some baggage with his brother. As for Shin-Zoo, she seems…well, the word that comes to mind is that she’s above these sorts of things. I think it has something to do with her nature as a Light Dragon, and her growing up as royal. On the other hand, I’ve heard about some really randy Dragons, so who knows.” Yoruichi made an indifferent gesture. “I don’t think she’s going to get involved.”

“Well, as it happens, things might get interesting when we get to the event. The third member of the team I mentioned? Yeah, they have some history with Seraphiel. That’s partially why I didn’t mention anything.” Shepard revealed.