Chapter 1: Elysium 

It doesn't make sense. Cole MacGrath, told himself for the fourth time. What was there to stop? Not only that, but why would there be a need to send a starter group of three Supernovas, When two could have been than sufficient? 

Unique Shepard wants you three to be the starter team. Shepard has made it abundantly clear that the results born from choice weren't good enough. You know better than most that better choices are why the supernovas are used. You, Mercer, and Chief are our veteran members, so get us the results we've came to expect. 

That was the end of the briefing before the flumes opened, and a Conduit, a virus, and a Spartan were dropped into their newest alternate dimension. That day had been months ago. It wasn't all that crazy an experience anymore. This was their job, and they loved it to some extent. Time was all but frozen back home, and they had a chance to be part of something so much bigger. In the years he spent as a Supernova, Cole had seen weird thing from living viral shape-shifters and supersoliders, to blond haired robots and psychic guys with laser-swords. 

Returning to his current worries, Cole checked the time on his (thankfully shock-resisitant) omni-tool. He knew that Mercer was returning his reconnaissance venture into the Terminus Systems today, and he knew Chief had arrived on shore leave. Cole snickered Human Systems Alliance, so when he accomplished more in a month than most N7 operatives could do in a year, the brass that he was "overworked". They were all just lucky that Cortana's effects allowed Chief to keep his armor, and her. For some reason, AIs were taboo in this territory. 

Cole, personally, had gotten a job on Elysium, maintaining the power grid. Before he could laugh at the irony of his situation though, the electrokinetic Supernova felt a tingling in his spine. He knew by now that it meant a just dropped out of FTL near the plant. He looked up, but where expected to see an Alliance vessel, in its place was a fast- approaching Bartarian heavy frigate. What's worse, the tingling continued, and Cole realized that more ships were dropping out of FTL and he doubted any of them were friendly. "Great," he thought. 

"Looks like the job just came to us." A familiar New York accent called out. On Cole's left, stood Alex Mercer, the nigh-immortal viral powerhouse. He had the same feral grin on his face that meant he was about to enjoy killing people, and in this case aliens. Mercer had tempered his sociopathy over the years, but violence and death were his purpose in life and nothing would change that. "You were waiting at the wrong bar, by the way. Cortana picked up their signals even before the planet's early warning system, and Chief is trying to raise the Alliance." 

Cole smirked, "And until they get here we draw a line in the sand?" 

"Never seems to fail." They didn't need to turn around to know who the gravel-ground voice belonged to. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Spartan John-117 stood there with an assault rifle, ready to go. 

Cole sighed, then began to crackle with sheets of blue lighting covering his body. In this territory, blue sparks meant "biotics" but even the powers of an asari Matriarch were small time compared to what he could do. "Cortana, what are we looking at? 

Batarians, and a lot of them. I think they want to take the Skyllian Verge." said Chief's "backseat driver". 

Alex cracked his and his arms started to writhe around in the form of black tendrils, finally settling in the form of black organic metal claws. "Let's welcome them to Elysium then, I don't know about you, but I think we found our into the galactic big leagues!"

Cole said nothing but he couldn't agree more. Splitting up had been to quietly learn about this new territory, and now they had regrouped in time to make their presence known, loudly. 

"And so we go," they all said in unison, charging directly at the Batarian invasion force.