The wavy white walls of the currently empty pocket dimension began to oscillate, hardly noticeable at first among the swirling mass before becoming increasingly violent. These waves began to push outwards with impossible flexibility, bending and stretching until the space-time of the area ruptured violently into a dark void from which crashed through a mechanical vessel made of an unknown dark metal and flashing with a multitude of lights. Lights that looked quite angry at the moment.

Suddenly an eruption of purple energy burst out one of the sides of this unknown machine, showering the area with debris which hit the “ground” below it with surprising noiselessness as the impacts were softened by whatever material made up this dimension. Then came another explosion. Then another. The thing fell fast and without any control, soon hitting the ground and giving off one final, much larger burst as it did so. The group rippled before settling once more.

A lone alien female exited through an opening made by way of a door panel clattering off it’s hinges to the ground. She stepped down onto the dimension for the first time, coughing from the smoke that poured out of the doorway behind her.

Her name was Lu’sula Lan Velfor, the lone survivor of this mission. The other crewmembers were…quite dead. She didn’t need to take much time to confirm this, and she didn’t want to spend any more time within the wreckage then what was absolutely required. She was in a relatively safe spot of the ship, but even that spot had become far too dangerous. Actually…she looked up at the worrying spot in this sky that was tearing apart the fabric of reality.

Oops. Perhaps this entire pocket dimension was far too dangerous. Perhaps they had pushed their luck just a little too much this time. Her brain was working in overtime, trying to figure out how she could possibly escape from here now. It was then that she realized she wasn’t alone.

Subtle as the vibration may have been, Aleigha Thrope recognized the difference within the room around her. Gradually, the confining space of Orion’s coveted Transition Chamber slipped away, all four walls dissolving into nothingness. For a brief period of time – seven seconds exactly according to Aleigha’s count – there was nothing surrounding her except unerring darkness. Tendrils of strange, pearlescent energy seeped into the edges of the Silver Fae’s vision, drifting lazily into existence around her fully after several moments. Though dissipated to some degree, or perhaps muffled by the strange environment, Aleigha could detect the unmistakable scent of smoke and scorched metal.
Aleigha sensed more than felt the abrupt disconnect from the neural network that allowed all Orion agents to communicate seamlessly despite time or distance. The lack of surprise that creased her brow stemmed from having detected the subtle hiccup within the shifting between time and space. The transition rarely caused so much as a faint pulse of energy, let alone the tremor she felt just prior to being transported from Orion’s newest outpost. More subconsciously than anything, Aleigha gingerly ran her index finger along the thin metallic line that peaked out from behind her left ear, displacing a few strands of silvered hair in the process.
Nothing, she thought to herself, a near-soundless huff of air escaping her in response to the lack of electrical discharge from the device embedded into her skull. The Temporal Capacitor always took ample time to recharge, though even upon first arriving to the staging grounds of previous operations, Aleigha could already feel the gathering of the necessary energy for the return trip. Which meant something was dreadfully amiss.
Surveying the expansive nothingness surrounding her, Aleigha thoughtlessly glided her hands over the various items that she carried with her. This particular mission did not call for more than stealth and perhaps a bit of cunning. After all, she need only procure some manner of relic within an unstable dimension. Now the Silver Fae was beginning to feel woefully under equipped, having only a small selection of throwing knives in addition to her customary and very much basic loadout. Though, a sense of comfort came over Aleigha as her right hand settled to rest cautiously on the longsword Saiph’s pommel.
Having no sense of direction, along with no concept of where she was and if this place was even where she was intended to go, Aleigha’s attention drifted toward the distinct sound of movement. Sixty years with Orion granted the Silver Fae with an expanse of knowledge revolving around a large variety of topics. In most cases, these held little weight or provided no support during many of her operations over the last six decades. However, even she recognized the battered, dismantled heap as some manner of vessel. And considering the state the craft was presently in, the hint of intrigue and ultimately slight surprise that creased the corners of each eye was excusable, if only because such was in response to the sight of someone disembarking the still smoldering ship.
Aleigha immediately began to weigh the various possibilities laid out before her. The presence of another could prove a threat to Orion’s objective of obtaining the unknown relic. Assuming the relic was located in this dimension to begin with. Though, this unconventional meeting could also promise some answers about where she was, and perhaps even guide her to where Orion’s relic might be. And while Aleigha did not particularly enjoy the concept of using others to achieve her own goals, working with Orion had taught her that sometimes doing so was necessary. Working with Orion also taught her to never expect something to go smoothly, let alone end without a fight – particularly if a powerful relic or invaluable piece of information was involved.
Nevertheless, Aleigha took a cautious step toward the seemingly only other entity within the area…