Dragon Effect: When Worlds Collide

Chapter IV

Normandy – Hangar

Cassandra and Sera looked around at the crew of the Normandy as they jeered. Apparently this 'training' was extremely popular among them. In the middle of the hangar, Garrus and Jacob were currently fighting one another. Fighting was the word to use here since both men were armed and using the tools or abilities they were most proficient at.

It had been almost two weeks since Cassandra and Sera were introduced to the crew. The first meeting went as well as could be expected. Sera freaked out when she saw the alien species, she hit on Miranda, Jack, Tali, and Kasumi all within the span of a few minutes. Tali in particular got a rare 'woof' exclamation from the blond-haired elf woman.

Cassandra had been more professional than her companion and took a liking to Miranda's own professionalism. Jack commented that they had just gotten another cheerleader and gave both women a wide berth, a wider berth than normal in the case of Miranda. Shepard had instructed everyone to catch both Cassandra and Sera up on most things they would need to survive in this universe.

Jacob, Garrus, Zaeed and Grunt were in charge of their weapons training. Jack, Miranda, and Samara took care of biotic instruction and how to deal with biotics in combat. Mordin and Doctor Chakwas tended to their medical and physical care. Tali and Legion showed them how technology worked and helped with their omnitools.

Kasumi and Thane were in charge of history and getting them caught up in the ways their two universes differed. Kasumi's instruction on the matter was a bit more colorful than Thane's. She and Sera quickly became good friends due to their similar personalities most likely.

In the hangar, Jacob ran in between two of the turbines that helped serve as obstacles in the make-shift arena Garrus fired a round from his M-97 Viper sniper rifle. The projectile caught Jacob in the side and sent the man skidding to the floor. The crowd that had been rooting for Jacob suddenly groaned as he went down.

"You know Jacob; I'm used to hitting a moving target. Especially when the window of opportunity is so small." Garrus said with a chuckle as he moved out from cover.

"Yea I know that too well Garrus, but it was worth taking a hit if it got you out of cover!" Jacob exclaimed before reaching out with his right hand towards Garrus.

A field of blue energy enveloped the turian as he suddenly began to float off the ground.

"Gravity is one mean mother!" Jacob yelled as he took aim at Garrus with his M-5 Phalanx heavy pistol.

Garrus merely smirked with a silent reply replied as a sphere of condensed energy fired from his rifle and hit Jacob square in the chest. The biotic was sent flying backwards and crashed to the ground.

"You probably should spend less time with witty one-liners." Garrus stated with his smirk still evident as he walked over to Jacob and helped the man to his feet.

"Alright so who's up next?" Jacob asked looking at the crowd

"Maybe our new friends would like to have a go. They could use the practice." Thane noted looking over to Cassandra and Sera.

"Well what do you think ladies. We've given you a rundown on everything. Want to put it to the test?" Garrus asked.

"I think it wise to test out what we've learned. I'll take a go at it." Cassandra answered as she went towards the weapons locker that had been designated for her.

"Alright now who's willing to take her on?" Zaeed asked.

Grunt chuckled at this and moved up.

"This should be fun. She comes from a warrior's collective and is one of the best amongst them. A fine test of my skills if I face her in combat." The young Krogan commented as Cassandra walked back.

She had a M-15 Vindicator attached to her back as well as a M-6 Carnifax as her sidearm. Both weapons stayed attached as she adjusted the gauntlets she wore. Grunt pulled his M-300 Claymore as they met near the middle of the area but hesitated to raise it once he saw that Cassandra was still unarmed.

"Draw your weapon, I want this to be a good fight." Grunt commanded.

Cassandra smirked slightly and raised her arms as she took a fighting stance.

"You're going to fight me in melee?" Grunt asked with a wide grin.

"I like you. Not many humans would think of taking on a Krogan in close quarters combat." The Krogan continued as he holstered his weapon.

"True, but technically I'm not one of your universe's humans." Cassandra replied.

"Just fucking fight already!" Jack yelled and at her que Grunt took off charging towards Cassandra.

"I AM KROGAN!" Grunt bellowed as he ran.

Casandra stood her ground, more than that she shifted her position slightly and braced herself. Her left arm was raised and backed by her right with a leg slightly behind to help cushion the blow. As Grunt came within range that he could neither stop or change course that's when everyone saw the flash of light that was Cassandra's omnitool activating.

There was a loud impacting sound as Grunt crashed into the shield formed by Cassandra's omnitool. The dark-haired woman was moved back about an inch as her body absorbed the kinetic force but surprisingly held her ground. With a sudden rush forward using her entire body Cassandra pushed Grunt away and sent the krogan flying back almost two feet.

"Holy shit!"

"What the fuck?!"

"Did you see that?!"

"Never thought I'd see the day a krogan gets pushed back by a human."

Various exclamations and responses came from the crew at the feat as Grunt steadied himself. He looked at Cassandra with a fiery passion in his eyes. Cassandra had lost her smirk and locked gazes with the alien as she took her stance, shield out front with her free arm raised. From the omnitool attached to Cassandra's free arm a short blade folded out and formed completing the woman's armament.

"Clever, I never would've thought you strong enough to push me back. But having the shield absorb the impact must have made things a lot easier." Grunt noted as he prepared for another charge.

Cassandra herself took a short back step away, crouching into the jump and immediately followed up by springing forward into a full sprint towards Grunt. With a laugh of pure battle-filled joy Grunt met Cassandra's charge head on, literally. Krogan skull met omni-shield in a clash of power between the two warriors as neither side gave ground to the other.

Cassandra tried to swipe at grunt with her omni-blade but the young krogan grabbed her arm. Using his free hand, Grunt reached between Cassandra's legs and with a swift application of his strength lifted the woman into the air before slamming her down on to the ground. With his head acting as a lever it was much easier to throw Cassandra from their grapple. The seeker bounced twice before rolling to her feet. At this point Grunt had drawn his weapon and unloaded two shots at Cassandra. Omni-shield at the ready, Cassandra was able to block the shots before charging forward.

Grunt avoided the charge and countered by kicking out at Cassandra's side as she passed. A faint glow surrounded the woman as she absorbed the blow and slid a few inches to the side. As she went on the offensive Cassandra began to weave her blade with a mix of horizontal, diagonal, and vertical slashes in quick succession.

Grunt was barely able to avoid most of the attacks as his kinetic barriers absorbed most of the impact from the attacks. Roaring loudly, Grunt fired another double-tap from his weapon. The shots caught Cassandra off-guard and at near pointblank range. Thrown backwards from the force of the attack, Cassandra landed awkwardly on her side. Sera cried out in concern but held herself back when she saw Cassandra begin to rise.

"Never before have I been struck with such force. Your worlds weapons truly are destructive. If we had had them during the attack on the conclave or during the blight, then we might have been able to save more lives." Cassandra said as she turned to face Grunt.

"Krogan don't waste time thinking about what-ifs and what could have been. We live for the promise of a worthy opponent and the thrill of the fight. Come now and show me your strength!" the juvenile alien exclaimed before charging once more at Cassandra.

The seeker prepared for the encounter and engaged Grunt once he was in range. The crew began cheering each of the combatants on as their fight resumed. The two of them went back and forth for another six minutes or so. Neither one kept an advantage for too long. It soon became apparent to everyone one that Cassandra was beginning to lose steam. Grunt's krogan physiology gave him a much larger reserve of stamina and endurance.

"Hey guys, perhaps we should call it a tie. Cassandra's on her last legs." Jacob stated looking between the others for some sort of acknowledgment.

"Do you really think either one of them would accept that?" Garrus asked.

"Cassandra could get seriously hurt if we don't intervene." Jacob stated almost immediately.

"Hey, this is good shit, don't stop the fun. I'm surprised it's you calling for a stop and not the cheerleader." Jack spoke as her eyes stayed glued to the combat.

"I'm curious to see just how far Cassandras abilities can be pushed. It's valuable data worth collecting." Miranda spoke as her eyes stayed focused on Cassandra.

"I agree. Physiological and Psychological data from watching Cassandra fight is important. Besides Chakwas has med-bay ready in case of anything. I too would like to examine Cassandra in further detail." Mordin pipped in.

"Don'cha worry too much. Cassie has got this in the bag. Just wait and see." Sera stated with a smile.

As Jacob found himself defeated by majority he turned back to watch the fights climax and conclusion. Cassandra was breathing heavily while Grunt seemed to be only slightly winded. Grunt lowered himself slightly and in a rush of movement began to sprint towards Cassandra at top speed.

Cassandra stood her ground and when Grunt was only a few meters away she quickly drew her Carnifax and shot at the ground, more specifically at Grunt's legs and feet. The quick and surprising attack caused grunt to stumble forward. Off-balance and awkwardly positioned, grunt was an easy target for Cassandra as she tackled him to the ground and mounted him before placing her omni-blade at his throat.

The silence that had swept over the others was deafening. Grunt looked up at Cassandra with a mix of emotions. He admired her but was also frustrated at his loss. He respected her as a fellow warrior but cursed himself for thinking that she wouldn't use the guns she had equipped.

"I concede." Were the words that broke the silence.

Sighing heavily, Cassandra smiled before slumping down on top of Grunt.

"Ok, now we need to get her to the medbay." Jacob said as he rushed over towards Grunt and Cassandra.

"I'll do it; you guys can continue sparing matches." Grunt said as he stood and lifted Cassandra bridal style before heading towards the elevator.

As the two of them left the others began to discuss the fight with great enthusiasm. Sera took the opportunity to strap on her combat gear before skipping over to the fighting space.

"Alright then, now that Cassandra's had her fun I think I wanna go round." Sera stated cheerfully.

"Bubbles, here wants a go round huh. I'm more than happy to oblige." Jack spoke with a grin.

"Uh maybe Sera should go up against someone who can't rip apart reality." Garrus said with slight caution.

"Don'cha worry you're lil head about it Gary. I faced off against Corrybumdas and he was a lot scarier than Jackie." Sera spoke as a dangerous glint began to shine in her eye.

"Sounds like fighting words to me. Ready to dance Blondie?" Jack asked as a blue glow began to surround her hands.

"Just try to keep up." Sera replied with a wink.

Unknown

Mersa breathed deeply. Her concept of time was skewed. The Evanuris had been instructing her endlessly. She was given short breaks so as to review what she learned and retain the information before going back into depth with her studies. Mersa's spirit had been pulled into the fade while her body was left to her captors. Whenever she returned she found herself still stuck in the liquid tube but her body felt stronger after each visit.

As she began to move her fingers, Mersa could feel the Fade's influence around her body. She closed her eyes and began to focus the magical energies around her before violently expanding them. The sudden rush of power shattered her container and caused Mersa to drop to the ground.

You must not allow yourself to be recaptured

That was kind of the plan.

Loud clanging immediately surrounded Mersa as lights flashed on and off. A sound, different from the clanging, to her left caused the young elven woman's attention to turn. She saw a doorway open as half a dozen figures ran in. Not waiting to see if they were willing to negotiate, Mersa immediately sent a stream of lightning towards the group. The electricity arced between all six and caused them to explode violently.

Control yourself, you can't afford to waste your power. You have no idea how much you may need later.

This is my first time, give me a break. Practicing in the Fade is a lot different than the physical realm. I don't have to worry about limits there.

Mersa began to heat her body with fire magic, quickly drying herself. Steam rose from her skin as she made her way towards the door and walked into the corridor.

A/N: I felt like writing so I did. Drop a review, or don't I'll update when I can.