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It has only been a week since Archer stumbled upon this universe. He was currently at a space station that eerily reminded him of Chaldea. Waking up being summoned? Normal occurrence after pledging to Alaya but the place he was summoned on the other hand..was a surprise to say the least.
"So you're telling me," March 7th said, gesturing wildly with a half-eaten sandwich, "that you're from a completely different universe where people fight wars with magical servants, and you just... showed up here?"
"That's the simplified version," Archer replied dryly, watching Dan Heng methodically clean his spear. Even the way the younger man moved reminded him of someone, though he couldn't quite place who.
"And you think some of us look like people you knew?" Stelle added, looking up from her attempt to understand the Express's navigation system.
"More than you'd expect," Archer muttered, then louder, "It's probably just coincidence."
Himeko said knowingly over her coffee. "The universe has interesting ways of connecting people. I'm sure you'll find your place here with us."
“That’s true,” Welt smiled mysteriously.
If only it were that simple, Archer thought, but he was grateful for the Express crew's easy acceptance of his situation. Still, the familiar faces kept throwing him off balance…
- Asta
"Welcome to Herta Space Station!" The pink-haired girl practically bounced as she greeted them at the docking bay, her enthusiasm so genuine it was almost blinding. "I'm Asta, lead researcher! Well, one of the lead researchers. Actually, I'm more of an assistant lead researcher, but—"
Archer stared. The pink hair, the bright purple eyes, the way she moved with barely contained excitement as she gestured toward various pieces of equipment…
"Sakura?" he said quietly, before he could stop himself.
"Oh! Did you say something?" Asta turned to him with bright, curious eyes. "I'm sorry, I get a little carried away when we have visitors. It's just so exciting to meet travelers from the Express!"
"Nothing," Archer said quickly, studying her more carefully. Same infectious enthusiasm, same way of lighting up when talking about her work, same gentle energy that made everyone around her feel welcome. But where Sakura had focused her brilliance on magical engineering, this Asta channeled hers into cosmic research.
"And this is our latest project!" Asta continued, practically vibrating with excitement as she led them to a massive telescope array. "We're tracking stellar phenomena across twelve different galaxies!"
"Asta's one of our most dedicated researchers," Himeko said warmly. "She's been invaluable in our studies of the Stellaron."
"Oh, you're too kind!" Asta flushed slightly, tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear in a gesture so familiar it made Archer's chest tight. "I just love learning about how the universe works! Every discovery is like finding a piece of a cosmic puzzle!"
Exactly something she would say, Archer thought, watching as Asta launched into an explanation of stellar formation with the same passionate intensity Sakura had brought to her magical research.
"You're doing that thing again," March observed quietly.
"What thing?"
"The thing where you look like you've seen a ghost."
Archer glanced back at Asta, who was now enthusiastically showing Stelle a holographic display of cosmic phenomena, her whole face lit up with genuine excitement.
"Not a ghost," he said softly. "More like... an echo of something beautiful."
- Illya
"Mr. Svarog says you're travelers," the small voice said from behind the massive robot. "Are you here to hurt anyone?"
Archer looked down to see a young girl with silver hair and red eyes, peeking out with the careful wariness of someone who'd learned to be cautious. The resemblance hit him like a physical blow—same delicate features, same way of holding herself like she was smaller than she actually was, same piercing gaze that seemed far too old for her face.
Illya, he thought, his chest tightening.
"We're not here to hurt anyone," March said gently, crouching down to the girl's eye level.
"We're here to help, actually. I'm March 7th, and these are my friends."
"I'm Clara," the girl replied, stepping out slightly from behind Svarog's protective bulk. "And this is Mr. Svarog. He takes care of me."
"CLARA'S SAFETY IS MY PRIMARY DIRECTIVE," the robot announced, and Archer had to suppress a smile at the familiar overprotectiveness. Different guardian, same fierce dedication.
As they explored the underworld, Archer found himself watching Clara interact with the other residents. She moved among them with the same gentle authority he remembered, offering comfort to the worried and practical help to those who needed it. But where Illya had been burdened by the weight of her magical circuits and family legacy, Clara seemed genuinely at peace with her role as the community's heart.
"She's remarkable," Dan Heng observed, watching Clara organize the distribution of supplies they'd brought.
"She reminds me of someone," Archer said quietly. "Someone who deserved better than what she got."
"Clara seems happy here," Himeko said gently. "Sometimes that's all we can ask for."
Sometimes it is, Archer agreed, watching Clara laugh at something one of the miners had said. And sometimes it's everything.
- Lancer
"Trust me, friend! Sampo Koski never lets a customer down!"
The blue-haired man's grin was so familiar it made Archer's eye twitch. Same cocky confidence, same way of gesturing like he was telling the most important story in the world, same general aura of 'this is definitely going to go wrong somehow.'
"Somehow I doubt that," Dan Heng said flatly.
"Dan Heng! You wound me! Have I ever steered you wrong?"
"Do you want the list alphabetically or chronologically?"
Archer watched this exchange with growing amusement. It was like watching Lancer try to convince someone that his latest plan was 'totally foolproof' all over again. The same barely-controlled chaos, the same infectious enthusiasm for terrible ideas, the same way of making disaster look like an art form.
"—so anyway, that's how I ended up owing money to three different Stellaron Hunters, but the important thing is we got the intel!" Sampo was saying, apparently having launched into another story while Archer was reminiscing.
"That's the important thing?" March asked incredulously.
"Absolutely! Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"
As if summoned by those words, an explosion echoed from somewhere deeper in Belobog's underworld, followed by what sounded like very angry shouting.
"Sampo Koski!" came a furious voice from the distance. "Get back here!"
"Would you look at the time!" Sampo said brightly, already backing toward the nearest exit. "I should really be going—"
"Oh no you don't," Stelle said, grabbing him by the collar. "You're explaining that explosion first."
Archer shook his head, grinning despite himself. Same reckless bravery, same talent for finding trouble, same way of somehow making it all work out in the end. Definitely Lancer, he thought. Different face, same beautiful disaster.
- Taiga
"And that's a wrap on today's exploration stream!" The reddish orange-haired girl lowered her camera with a satisfied grin, her whole demeanor radiating the kind of confident energy that came from someone who'd never met a challenge she wouldn't tackle head-on.
Archer blinked. The hair was different, and she was clearly more tech-savvy than the person she reminded him of, but that stance, that fearless grin, the way she moved like she was ready to take on the world...
"Guinaifen's one of the most popular streamers on the Xianzhou," March explained as they watched the girl pack up her equipment. "She goes to all sorts of dangerous places just to get good content!"
"Dangerous places?" Archer asked, though he suspected he already knew the answer.
"Oh yeah! Last week she livestreamed herself exploring an abandoned space hulk, and before that she did a whole series on tracking down urban legends in the undercity!"
Of course she did, Archer thought, watching Guinaifen cheerfully argue with what appeared to be a security officer who was trying to tell her she couldn't film in this particular area.
Same stubborn determination, same complete disregard for her own safety when something interesting was involved, same way of making reckless behavior look like the most natural thing in the world.
"She's also surprisingly good in a fight," Dan Heng added. "When we ran into those Fragmentum creatures during her 'Haunted Space Station' stream, she held her own remarkably well."
"Let me guess," Archer said dryly, "she livestreamed the whole fight."
"Of course! Her viewer count hit a new record that day."
Archer shook his head, but he was smiling. Same Taiga energy, different focus. Where his old acquaintance had channeled her fearlessness into becoming a better warrior, this Guinaifen used hers to entertain and inform her audience.
"Hey!" Guinaifen called out, having apparently won her argument with the security officer.
"Hey guys! Mind if I get you in a quick interview? My viewers love meeting theAstral Express members!"
Some things never change, Archer thought as March grumbled “again’ but immediately perked up at the prospect of being filmed. Absolutely never change.
- Merlin
"The art of strategy," Jing Yuan said thoughtfully, moving a piece across the xiangqi board,
"lies not in the grand gestures, but in understanding the flow of cause and effect."
Archer studied the general's face, noting the same gentle eyes and knowing smile he remembered from someone else entirely. But where Merlin had hidden his wisdom behind playful mischief and theatrical sighs, this man wore his understanding like comfortable robes—present but not ostentatious.
"An interesting philosophy," Archer replied, considering his next move. "Someone I knew once said something similar. Though he preferred to couch his wisdom in jokes and complaints about his workload."
"Ah, a fellow appreciator of the indirect approach," Jing Yuan chuckled. "Sometimes the most important truths are best delivered with a smile."
They played in a comfortable quiet for a while, and Archer found himself relaxing in a way he hadn't since arriving in this universe. Same thoughtful intelligence, same way of seeing patterns others missed, same gentle guidance disguised as casual conversation. But where Merlin had been restless with the weight of his knowledge, Jing Yuan seemed to have found peace with his role as protector and guide.
"You seem troubled," Jing Yuan observed, not looking up from the board. "The weight of familiar faces in unfamiliar places?"
Archer's hand stilled over his piece. "How did you—"
"I've lived long enough to recognize the look of someone meeting echoes of the past," Jing Yuan said gently. "The universe has its patterns, but they don't always repeat exactly as we remember them."
"No," Archer agreed quietly. "They don't."
"Perhaps that's for the best," Jing Yuan suggested, making his move with practiced ease.
"After all, if everything repeated exactly, we'd never have the chance to see old stories find new endings."
New endings, Archer mused, studying the transformed board position. Maybe that's exactly what I need to find.
+1 Saber
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" Pom-Pom's voice echoed through the Express as alarms began blaring. "UNKNOWN VESSEL APPROACHING! ALL CREW TO STATIONS!"
Archer was already moving before the announcement finished, something in his instincts recognizing a familiar energy signature even across the void of space. The Express crew scrambled to their positions, but he found himself drawn to the observation deck, his heart hammering with a hope he didn't dare name.
"What's the situation?" March called out, rushing past with her camera somehow already in hand.
"Single occupant vessel," Dan Heng reported from the navigation console. "Small, fast, and... Wait, they're hailing us."
"On screen," Himeko ordered, her usual calm efficiency taking over.
The display flickered to life, and Archer's world stopped.
Blonde hair, green eyes, blue and silver armor that looked impossibly pristine despite having clearly traveled between universes. And an expression that shifted from professional assessment to shock to something like overwhelming relief when she saw him standing there.
"Saber," he breathed.
"UNIDENTIFIED VESSEL!" Pom-Pom announced importantly. "STATE YOUR BUSINESS WITH THE ASTRAL EXPRESS!"
"Archer," she said, ignoring the conductor entirely, and there was a lifetime of shared battles in that single word.
"Saber," he replied, and found himself smiling despite everything. "I should have known you'd find your way here eventually."
She gestured toward the Express crew, who were watching this reunion with various degrees of fascination and confusion. "Though you appear to have found worthy companions."
"They're good people," Archer said simply. "The kind worth protecting."
"Some things don't change," Saber observed with approval.
"Wait, wait, wait," March interrupted, waving her hands frantically. "You two know each other? How? Who is she? Why does she have a sword that's glowing? Someone needs to explain what's happening here because this is either the most romantic reunion in space or the most awkward one and I honestly can't tell which!"
"I am Artoria Pendragon," Saber said formally, though her eyes never left Archer's face. "And I've been searching for this man across several universes."
"Several universes?" Stelle echoed, looking between them with growing fascination.
"It's complicated," Archer and Saber said in unison.
"Of course it is," Dan Heng muttered, but he was already moving to lower the Express's defenses. "Everything about this crew is complicated."
"Well," Himeko said, settling back with her coffee and an expression of fond anticipation, "I suppose we should invite our... guest aboard. Something tells me this is going to be quite a story."
"The longest," Saber agreed, but she was smiling now, that small, genuine expression Archer remembered so well. For the first time since his summoning to this strange universe, everything felt like it might actually work out.
"So," March said, practically bouncing with curiosity as the docking process began, "universe-hopping knights, magical servants, and dramatic reunions in space. This is the best day ever!"
Archer caught Saber's eye through the viewport and saw her trying not to laugh at March's enthusiasm.
Some things really don't change, he thought. And sometimes that's exactly what you need.