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Chapter Text

On board the Colonial Battlestar  Galactica(BSG-75)

"Set Condition One across the fleet and launch Alert Vipers!" Bellowed a voice over the massive starship's PA system. Sat within the confines of the multi-tiered CIC, right in front of the rather analog tactical map, an elderly man with glasses watched as his tactical officers and Executive Officer moved pieces on the board as if they were playing a tabletop game. The quiet, distant thump of magnetic decoupling filled their ears while, overhead, four screens whined, displaying a three-dimensional minimap of the contacts around them.

"Five more DRADIS Contacts on approach, bearing two-two-niner, carom oh-eighteen! Basestars, sir!" The Officer in charge of their sensor suite barked out as the ship's commanders braced for one hell of a firefight. Around them, friendly IFFs slowly began to wink off as the survivors of the destruction of the Twelve Colonies jumped away. The Galactica veered, trying to bring her entire top deck weapon complement on the advancing swarm of enemy units.

"Gunnery, fire at will! Get a flak wall up!" The Commander of the ship, a handsome man with a sunken face and graying hair ordered as he arranged his glasses. Commander William Adama stared at the near-hundred contacts that now winked onto the screen of the DRADIS system, noting each smaller red dot marked a Cylon Raider. The Cylon had been relentless so far in their pursuit of the Fleet, which left them with little in terms of options to combat the hostile fleet. He lifted the com phone on his console and turned back to his officer, stating, "Dee! Get me Apollo and Starbuck!"

"Sir!" The girl snapped a salute, quickly engaging the comm system via her console.

The Colonel that acted as the ship's XO stared with wide eyes at the slew of contacts on the DRADIS. He spoke to Commander Adama, "Sir, these bastards have us surrounded! Fleet's barely making it out-system!" before leaning on the console. A thundering roar rippled throughout the ship, followed by the groaning of the Old Girl's superstructure and shakes that caused a lot of the crew to have to brace. Colonel Saul Tigh scratched the top of his balding head and said, "This is gonna be one hell of a fight, sir... And we've been getting those odd anomalies on our FTL Drives ever since we picked up that damn Alien artifact."

"I'm aware, Colonel. Let me know when the rest of the Fleet made it out-system," He told the man as he stared at the DRADIS continuously update with enemy and allied positions.

Outside, meanwhile, lilac tracers met scarlet ones as the hundreds of Cylon Raider craft bore down upon the maybe dozen or so Colonial Viper MARK II fighters. The sleek, well-built fighter craft, painted white with red stripes, powered their trio of engines and utilized RCS Thrusters to maneuver around them. On board the leading Viper, Captain Lee 'Apollo' Adama, son of the Commander, said, "All Pilots, on me! Starbuck, check our left, we got incoming, maybe a dozen!"

"I see'em!" Lieutenant Kara Thrace, callsing 'Starbuck' replied, her voice sounding off over the Wireless. She called out, "Duck, Hardball, on me!" then utilized puffs from her RCS thrusters to slow down, turn hard left and let her engines roar, her twin magnetic cannons rippling as she fired, eyes locked onto the first enemy fighter. Behind her, the two Pilots she'd called up to help her followed suit, six bursts raking the dozen or so Cylon Raiders. The first volley took maybe four of them out.

"Frak, they're moving fast..." Mumbled Apollo. He barked, "All craft, break formation and pick your targets! Make sure to watch each-other's backs!" then turned left on the stick, aiming for the lead Cylon. Bursts of blue zipped past his cockpit as he dived down to engage them. He veered toward Starbuck, utilizing puffs from his RCS thrusters and firing at a slew of Bandits.

Starbuck formed up with him, going over the wireless, "This sure is a frakload of toasters! We got any idea how they found us!?" and opening fire on a pair of Raiders. Lee replied with a negative huff, struggling under the Gees to avoid enemy fire. He returned a burst of his own, catching a Raider dad in the 'cockpit' area, causing the hull to split in two. He formed up with Starbuck again, the two sweeping the area ahead together.

"Apollo, Starbuck, this is Galactica Actual. Status report?" Commander Adama requested just as a burst caught one of their other Vipers dead-center. The airframe of the ship folded in on itself, the pilot inside cooked alive by fuel detonation. A quiet swear escaped Lee's lips as he tracked dozens of targets at the same time. He cut down two more Raiders in a burst.

Then, he replied, "This is Apollo! We're up to our necks in contacts and I'm losing a few pilots, sir! Send up the second wave!" as he veered away from Starbuck and flew 'low', dancing through the Galactica's own Flak net to avoid getting shot down by friendly fire. The fleet of Basestars around them fired their nuclear payloads continuously, with secondary anti-fighter missiles attempting to track through the clouds of black smoke and shrapnel.

"We're working on deploying the second squadron now. Fleet's still got two minutes before they're fully away," Adama warned. It wasn't long after that a dozen new friendly IFF DRADIS contacts appeared on their screens, the Reserve Vipers launching and swinging in to join the battle. Their Archer AAMs launched from their undercarriage, locked onto a squadron of Raiders and struck, detonating amidst the enemy fighters.

The reply was swift. Electronic jamming followed by the Cylons' own BVR AAMs striking three of the Reserve Squad's pilots. Apollo swore to himself and barked, "Starbuck, take the Reserves and get those Heavy Raiders off of the remaining ships!" to which Starbuck gave a grunt of confirmation, before veering hard left and taking lead of the squadron, weapons at the ready.

This was nuts, thought Apollo as he turned to face another dozen Raiders with maybe eight Vipers still alive behind him. The Basestars had reserves to launch by the hundreds at this point, with almost a hundred enemy craft already in play just ahead of him, moving around the Battlestar's flak net to try and get whatever nukes they had strapped onto themselves off.

He sideswiped two launchers with his reforming eight-bird flight, cutting them to ribbons through automatic fire and some daredevil piloting that Starbuck would be proud of. He brought about his craft, feeling the G-Forces pressing him into his chair as he aimed for another Raider and pulled the trigger. He watched the ammunition cut through it, cratering its armor before it folded in on itself.

He swore to himself, "Frak me, we'll run outta ammo at this rate..." before he banked right and powered engines. He radioed, "Actual, Apollo. Status on the jump!?"

"Nearly done, Captain. We have our own Solution ready and drives are spooled. Get ready for a hard landing," William replied with his terrifying calm. Situations like this never seemed to stifle his father. Hell, he was pretty sure the Old Man thrived in unwinnables like this one. He watched one of their few remaining nukes arc low, then dive up from the bottom of the Flak net and strike just underneath a Basestar, visibly shaking the damn thing. Was it inertia-guided, or did they somehow find a little hole through the Cylon's jamming? No time to wonder.

"Affirm. We'll be ready," He replied, then radioed, "All Vipers, reform around the Galactica and don't stray from it! Sphere formation, surround the Old Girl and be ready to dive into the Flight Pods!" then he turned about, pressing himself into his chair via almost ten gees of pressure through the fast spin. He boosted his ship's engines to maximum and lanced toward their mothership.

His eyes locked onto the Colonial One, President Roslin's civilian ship, a beautiful starliner whose paint looked only lightly chipped by the gunfire. Its jump drive spooled, but something was wrong. Where there was usually a bright white light enveloping the ship during jump, this light was blue, eerily dark and terrifying. That picosecond of him looking at it had felt like he was staring at the Devil's maw for a good few minutes.

When the confusion cleared, he saw he was near the Galactica and set up in defensive position with the rest. Shaking his head, he radioed, "Starbuck, did you see Colonial One's jump...?" as he arrayed himself with the defense group, forming up on the top layer of the ball, namely angling at around 339 degrees on the right, watching the flak volleys exploding hundreds of kilometers away from the ship to keep enemy nukes at bay.

"I didn't. Why?" The girl's voice sounded strained, but it was normal. She was pulling more Gees than most everyone else right now, trailing another Heavy Raider and laying into it like it was nobody's business. He could see the bullets rupture fuel lines, the brain connection to the ship and the crew aboard. Fuel spewed into the void from the engines of the craft, then ignited as Starbuck quickly made another pass.

Apollo sighed and replied, "Nevermind-FRAK!" freaking out only when a tracer line from one of the other Raiders nearly hit his cockpit. He brought his bird about in a rather risky maneuver with RCS thrusters and cooked the bastard with six shots to the cockpit and wings. He saw the bat-like automated fighter explode in a blaze of glory as he boosted his engine forward.

Kara sounded worried, "You good, Lee?!"

"Alive! Frakker nearly skimmed my cockpit off!" He replied, only to hear a short laugh from the girl. He rolled his eyes, then paused and said, "Keep your head in the game, Starbuck, we've got more!" only to bank right. A shot scratched the belly of his Viper and deflected off to the side, flying wild into the nothingness of the void. He answered, diving down on one that had shot at him and tearing him to shreds with a full salvo.

Another Viper exploded close to them, with Kara stating, "There goes Hardball! Son of a bitch..." angrily. The two formed back up with the rest of the squadron, before alarm bells started ringing in their helmets. Early warning that the Galactica was about to jump. Damn, that meant they were really rushing to get the hell outta here. Kara quickly checked her DRADIS and saw that they and their Mothership were the last Colonial vessels in the AO, with the Cylon Fleet slowly gaining more and more ships.

Apollo sighed and radioed, "All ships, HARD LANDING! We're getting the frak out of here!" before sending forward his Archers. Though unguided, the missiles would do well to at least stave off the advance of the Raiders, buy them the precious few seconds they needed to land, thought Apollo. The dozen or so remaining Vipers swung on their axes until their noses were facing the Flight Pod. Powering their engines to maximum, the Galactica's Air Group swung in.

Firing RCS to ensure proper landing, they dropped their magnetized landing gears and skidded to a halt on the unpressurized Pod. Apollo radioed, "Actual, this is Apollo! All Flights are on board! Get us the hell out of here!" then bracing as the pod folded into the sides of the Battlestar. He felt a sudden pit in his stomach, followed by what seemed to be an explosion of static in his com that made him nearly rip his helmet off his head and the suit collar with it.

His stomach felt like it turned inside out the moment the ship jumped...

Then, he passed out in his seat.

Research Outpost Anchor-014 'Prof. Laszlo Sorvad'

Border of Unified Earth Government Space, Unnamed Nebula

5th of April, 2559 UNSC Military Calendar

In a not-so-stunning turn of events, a familiar doctor had been brought under escort to the newest discovery of technology close to UEG Space. A small UNSC Presence resided at an outpost within a deep nebula on the Galactic South of the Orion Arm, fairly close to its bare base. Doctor Catherine Halsey watched as they approached the Anchor-type station built around the alien device, cradling it in a cage of Titanium alloy and in energy shielding.

Maybe sixteen ships were moored at this station, too, all of them attached to her via umbilicals. Nine were military. Five frigates, two Phoenix-class refit suport ships manned by the UNSC Marine Corps and two capital-class warships:A Cruiser, the Monroe, of the Valiant family, and the Carrier Midway, a decent fleet support carrier belonging to the Epoch-class family, her fanning 'wing' titanium plates concealing her hangars neatly under shadow.

A surprising amount of firepower to place around an alien device, the elderly Doctor Halsey thought as she pushed her glasses up to the bridge of her nose. Ahead, through the Pelican shuttle's window, she could see the outline of the device. It was far stranger than Forerunner technology and shone neither like Hardlight, nor like their standard material. The symbols dancing on it felt much more ancient, headache-inducing even. There was a small black hole floating within, seemingly acting as either the centerpoint of the alien station's purpose, or as a power generator.

"This is Pelican Hotel Zero-Niner-Seven Heavy, approaching hangar zero-four as per order of Traffic Control," The female pilot of the Pelican spoke calmly as she brought them in nice and slow, only puffing from the bird's engines to ensure they were going in smooth. She turned to Doctor Halsey and all the elderly woman could see was the cold glass of an armored, opaque blue visor. The pilot then told her, "They're already waiting for you, ma'am. Secondary artifacts recovered during First Contact with the alien device require your presence."

"I will be right with the staff," The woman replied as she held onto her harness. She looked behind her, watching the Marines and ONI Security detail cradling their MA40 Assault Rifles. By 'ONI' she meant SPARTANs brought on by the Office of Naval Intelligence from the SPARTAN Branch. The sole four of them who weren't ONI's lackeys were very familiar faces to her.

Clad in a dark-green armor that blended almost perfectly with the Blood Tray's dimmed lighting, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 looked over his own personal Battle Rifle model 75, racking the bolt back to ensure that the gun was working properly. He looked up at Doctor Halsey and gave a nod, to which she nodded back. As the Pelican gently swung in for landing on the hangar deck, her escorting Broadswords peeled off left and right.

As they touched down, Halsey was the first to undo her harness. Standing to her feet and patting down the labcoat she wore over a standard issue Navy jumpsuit, the woman watched as the rear hatch of the Pelican opened, letting the fluorescent white of the Anchor station's light flood into her retinae. She blinked, letting her glasses polarize as their HUD system, embedded within the thick frames, powered on.

A platoon of Marines and another Scientist were waiting for her. The two women, colleagues in the UNSC's scientific division, nodded to one-another as Halsey exited the transport, followed by her escort. She extended her hand to the woman and said, "It has certainly been a while since we've last seen each-other, Doctor Tillson," as she stared the long-faced, grey-haired woman in her green eyes.

"That it has, doctor. The Symposium in Sydney, if I recall," The woman replied kindly, showing the Doctor to follow her. As they walked through the station's halls, doctor Tillson told her, "I quite enjoyed your presentation on the history of the Forerunners. The added evidence to the fact of inter-service rivalries and the issues faced during the rather tumultuous war with that unknown enemy you mentioned multiple times was a fascinating boon to furthering my own research on the matter of the Composer."

Halsey nodded, "I am glad to hear that. The Composer has been the talk of the entire scientific community for the past two years, ever since you recovered it off of Installation 03... Though I am more interested in that," and she pointed at the massive alien structure containing a black hole. She leaned against a railing and looked out through the centimeters-thick reinforced glass, asking, "What is that Black Hole exactly?"

Tillson shrugged, "Preliminaries said it might've been artificially made, a portal of some sort. Right now, many of our newfound youngsters suggest the item might actually just be powered by that micro-black hole," and the two women took a moment to watch the strange dark nothingness pulsating within its containment chamber. She added, "Though the items attached to this device are the most interesting thing..."

"Lead me to them, then," Halsey replied. The pair walked through the confines of the station, further into a central lobby. Halsey watched the crews milling about, both civilian and military, discussing matters such as the tech while sat on couches or around tables. She, however, didn't care for that. Approaching a small altar in the back of the room, placed below an emblazoned two-dimensional display of Earth and flanked by two flags, one of the UNSC's eagle and the other, of the UEG's Earth and Laurel Wreath, she stopped. In the holographic picture placed upon the wall, an elderly man with slicked-back, greying hair, sharp eyes and a thick, smooth beard stood, parka with his obscured tag on.

A name plate below read 'Professor Laszlo Sorvad, 2490-2552'. She sighed deeply, placed a hand on it, then nodded to her old friend's portrait, before showing Tillson to lead the way. Further in, they came upon a corridor leading to the cradle that held the alien device in its metallic embrace. Marching through it, the women came upon the laboratory where staff was studying the technology. Tillson told her, "We found a large cache of ancient technology, older than even the Forerunners, attached to that station. The only thing that might seem familiar is what appears to be a control console..."

And, indeed, amidst the pedestals and tables where scientists buried their faces into the newfound alien tech, or in computers to help examine said tech, which did not bear any sort of familiar motif to that of the Forerunners, they saw it. A holographic console, shaped into a quarter-disk and with various familiar, in fact Forerunner, symbols floating around it.

Halsey stopped in front of the console, which seemed to almost greet them, glowing a vibrant color. Tillson watched eagerly as her colleague seemed to be examining the device, forming hypotheses and- "It's a control console," Halsey interrupted her thoughts. She looked at Tillson and told her in her usual deadpan, "Similar to the ones found on most Halo installations and the two Forerunner Shield Worlds we've run into so far. It is, however, certainly more intricate."

"How so?" The other doctor asked.

Halsey pointed at several variable geometry holographic protrusions and a winding, almost synthesizer-like line in the center console, stating, "These seem to be tracking some sort of... Displacement, maybe tonnage or..." then scratching her chin, "And this line here. It's a power drain. It seems to have plateaued long ago, courtesy of that black hole within. Your youth hires were right, doctor. That artificial event horizon is the power source."

"It's good to know one hypothesis was confirmed," Tillson replied in a murmur, then asked slightly more loudly, "How do you figure, however?" all while watching Doctor Halsey work her magic, her hands gently dancing on the console's hopefully non-important bits. Still, Halsey seemed to have an inkling of an idea of what she was doing, if one was to go and look at her tablet, which had a Lexicon of all Forerunner symbols on it.

"The power draw is surprisingly continuous," Halsey replied, "Add to that there might be systems here to control input and output and..." then she sighed, "John. I require Cortana's help here. This seems like it might be important enough to warrant her presence-" and she paused as the Spartan approached almost islently, handing her the chip. She watched Cortana manifest from it, the AI made from a clone of her brain smiling at the woman. She greeted, "Good to see you again, Cortana... Ready?"

"As ever," She replied proudly. She looked to John, who seemed tense, then said, "Relax. I'll be fine. Been in one of these before, remember?" And she had been, multiple times. It was probaby why John himself was as uneasy on the matter as Halsey was. The two, however, had perfectly good poker faces, which annoyed Cortana a little. She told Halsey, "Put me in. Let's see what this is about."

Halsey nodded and, without hesitation, slid Cortana's chip into a protruding slot of hard-light. When it connected, a blue wave rippled through the Console, like a droplet of water disturbing a pond. It took a minute for the Console's normal myriad of colors to return, though, with Cortana appearing as a holographic display about as tall as Halsey, her eyes surprisingly wide. Halsey raised a brow, asking the unspoken question.

Cortana, to her credit, maintained her composure as she spoke, "This is a gateway, doctor. An FTL Gateway of some kind," and she pulled up a few diagnostics screens that showed everything in more clear-cut detail and in English. Cortana crossed her arms, eyes still wide, then said, "According to Lexicon Translations we have, the Forerunners called this thing an 'Unbroken Filament', or a 'Star Road'. A direct gravitational link between two points in space and maybe even time... And this Console is the only thing that is Forerunner. Like an Afterthought."

"Incredible," Tillson murmured, "Are you sure?"

"Sure as I am of my name, doc Tillson..." Cortana mumbled, then added more sharply, "Power output's currently minimal. This thing's outputting somewhere around a hundred thousand Terrawatts of power and it's at its lowest. It's..." only to take a second to blink, surprised, then state, "It's on sleep mode. Not active right now," before she looked deeper into it. Both Tillson and Halsey stared with interest as the AI's azure avatar glowed with the colors of the Console.

"... Can you change that?" Halsey asked. Cortana looked to Halsey with a raised brow, then simply nodded. Halsey gave her approval to Cortana in the form of her own nod of the head, then she looked at Blue Team and ordered, "Get the Captain of the Sahara-class Prowler we have instated here. I will send a message to Lord Hood that we may have made an interesting breakthrough and are going to investigate it."

"Doctor...?" Chief asked, concerned.

Halsey nodded, "It will be fine, John. Progress demands experimentation," She told him, then looked to Tillson and stated rather matter-of-factly, "We'll take the Prowler and have Rear Admiral Coulson's local fleet on standby to help us... Provided our FTL Com can even travel through this 'Star Road'. That is, if Cortana can activate it," before looking to the AI.

Cortana replied, "Already working on it. There's some complex algorithmic work going on in ensuring the proper power output," then she looked to Halsey, "And making sure the event horizon doesn't breach containment and eat us all alive," and smirked. Halsey hummed, then nodded in approval, much to the horror of Tillson and a few other scientists that had gathered to watch.

"John?" Halsey looked to him, then said, "Immediate orders from your ONI Director. Get that Prowler ready," to which the Spartan, surprised that Halsey would pull rank, snapped a salute. He stepped off with Blue Team to the docking area where the Sahara-class Prowler Blue Job was. Halsey, meanwhile, turned to watch the Artifact ahead of them as its frames and boons started to dance. It shifted, danced, the black hole within the power facility grew almost a hundredth of a Stellar Radius and power output started flowing. The two component parts of the 'Star Road's containment pried themselves apart and an azure portal started to swirl in the middle.

Thunder and lightning echoed almost audibly even in the void. Then, the portal, a black hole with an azure, water-like outline and texture, coalesced...

Outer Rim

Near the Unknown Regions

Aboard the Republic Imperator-I, Bloc 0 Star Destroyer Chimaera

Usually, the assignment of a significant Republic Task Force to an area of operations meant an arrangement of forces the likes of which made the hostile reconsider their probability of success. With the automated forces of the Confederacy, however, the Droids rarely ever ordered a firm retreat. This area of operations, however, was not a standard operation, nor just a normal patrol.

Staring out from the wide, armored bridge of one of the newest warships of the Republic Navy, surrounded by both Clone and Human officers, a blue-skinned man with burning red eyes arranged his grey uniform, tugging at the collars and straightening out the pins on the left of his chest. He was handed a tablet by a Clone officer on the ship, which he took with a simple, but kind nod.

He'd read the reports of the recent discovery around fifteen times, but still couldn't believe something. The described alien technology was millennia older than anything they'd discovered so far, regardless of its origins. Many speculated it might have gone beyond the earliest known histories of the Galaxy, even before the Republic itself. The small science staff and the garrison assigned to the planetoid next to said device also reported hearing things.

Many were dismissed as simple prolonged isolation-relayed symptoms. Still, when Admiral Mitth'raw'nuruodo, known to many of his peers simply as Thrawn, was ordered by the Chancellor himself to jump to the barren Dromos system, he felt a strange sensation deep within his stomach. Like they weren't supposed to be here at all, or that, if they were, they were about to make the strangest and probably most Galaxy-shaping discovery in the past few centuries.

"Exiting Hyperspace in five, four, three, two, one," A human officer on board spoke. Ahead of them, Hyperspace momentarily glowed, going from its usual whirling, cloudy teal to a bright white, before the blinding white dissipated, revealing the surprisingly small Neutron Star ahead of them, its whirling electromagnetic coronas situated in the North and South. The officer looked up at Thrawn and said, "We've arrived, sir."

"Very well... Make for Dromos II. Best speed," He ordered, staring ahead at the star's azure spinning coronas. He saw almost a dozen more ships appear around him. Two supporting arrowhead-shaped Venators with indents for the hangars, a squadron of five Arquitens-class light ships and a few supporting non-combat vessels including tankers full of Tibanna. The Chancellor had made it extensively clear that the Artifact was important enough to warrant stationing them there with extra supplies.

The system, though, was barren, like said. Three planets, all of them ice balls containing Helium-3 in large quantities beneath the glass-like sheen of the ice and the biting cold of the surface. Dromos II was the largest of these, surprisingly. Located in what would usually be the habitable zone, this ice ball was home to the least invasive and dangerous conditions in the system.

It was also where the strange alien artifact orbited. A black hole seemed to be housed within it, a terrifying display of its builders' might. The white alloy shined even in this lifeless void of a location, glowing symbols dancing on its body like paintings of old. Thrawn scratched his chin, interested, then heard from his com officer, "Sir, Science Staff is requesting permission to come aboard the Chimaera. They have new reports."

"Permission granted. Tell them to head for the lower hangar," He replied professionally. He turned to his XO and ordered, "Commander Pellaeon, you have the conn," only to receive an affirmative reply and a salute. He saluted back, then marched toward the starship's turbolift. The Imperator-I Bloc 0 was truly one of the newest ship designs. Not many of them had been built.

Wide halls, good for the crew and hidden deep beneath layers of armor and protected by deflectors. He did not feel a hint of claustrophobia as he walked through the area, meeting with Clone Troopers along the way. As he descended down to the last deck of the ship, he was met with the sight of a landed Republic shuttle in on the Hangar deck's black, reflective flooring. Around them, in separate hangars, lay fighters, bombers, support craft, dropships and even Walkers. The hangar was massive enough to possibly fit a pair of Ambassador-class starships.

He saw the science staff, human and alien alike, turn to greet him. They all waved, with the lead researcher approaching Thrawn. He greeted, "Good afternoon, Admiral! It's certainly been a while since we've had visitors at our fine little establishment," only to add, "I'll get straight to the point, seeing as I'm aware you are a busy man! The Artifact we discovered? It is certainly much more ancient than originally thought possible! Nearly ten million years old, in fact!"

"... Ten million," Thrawn replied, "It seems strangely new in looks."

"The vacuum of space doesn't allow for much decay," The man replied, then asked, "May I join you on the bridge? My staff will probably return to the outpost..." to which Thrawn replied with a nod. The two started walking back through the massive Republic warship, with the Doctor explaining, "The sheer magnitude of the power output this station has, even on minimal power, is incredible! The event horizon contained within the station itself is the generator."

"An interesting show of strength by the creators of the device, then?" Thrawn hummed, "How is it still retaining power?"

The Doctor answered, "Simply put, it just is. We're still looking into its capabilities, but we do have a few theories as to what it might be," then he and Thrawn entered the Turbolift. The Admiral looked at him, waiting for him to continue, to which the Doctor stated, "We think it might either be part of a greater network of defense stations, built around the Unknown Regions to keep something out. We've detected hints of a possible barrier surrounding our galaxy, too, but that is speculation right now."

"A Barrier...?" Thrawn hummed, "The Chancellor will want a full report, but carry on with the other 'options', Doctor."

"Of course," The man replied, then arranged his glasses onto the bow of his nose and added, "A second option would be a Terminus. An endpoint for a much, much larger network of interconnected tunnels. We find that the most likely, considering there's traces of... Well, almost a whole new set of Hyperlanes, perhaps, behind the device's operational capacity. We have also found a computer connected to it, but have been unable to translate any of the symbols. We have no equivalent in any Republic database, ancient or not!"

Thrawn supposed, "Perhaps it is of extra-galactic make, then, though that wouldn't explain this theorized 'barrier' you've detected," and the two arrived on the bridge. The Doctor nodded almost enthusiastically, probably glad Thrawn was engaging in this kind of discussion with him. Science, as much as art, was a necessity to understand any foe, Thrawn thought to himself, but it was also a matter of understanding how his ships operated that kept him close to science.

"Indeed! I would not be surprised if that was the case... Though the alien console connected to the device is strange, too," Added the Doctor, a little moment of clarity hitting him. He told the Admiral next, "It's barely a hundred thousand years old. It was also guarded by a lone automated defense drone, but, sadly, said drone self-destructed when we attempted to stun it and take it for studies."

"Shame," Thrawn mumbled, "What would a hundred-thousand-year-old console be doing linked to an alien device a hundred times its age?"

"We don't know! Perhaps some other ancient alien civilization utilized this device beforehand!" The doctor was terrifically excited. He must've missed having people to engage with, or had gotten bored of his crew. Interesting, Thrawn thought, but regardless, the Doctor continued, "I'd love to keep studying it, maybe even attempt to turn it on with the Chancellor's permission!"

"We will contact him soon," Thrawn replied, "Though, for now, I want to know as much as possible about this device."

The Doctor eagerly nodded, continuing to brief Thrawn about the intricacies of the Alien Device ahead of them. The more he listened, however, the more Thrawn could understand that it was fairly likely this was some sort of Gateway. But a Gateway to what, exactly, some sort of alien world, perhaps? They'd heard of ancient technology-filled worlds being hidden behind similar artifacts in the past, but to see one up close was interesting.

Whatever was probably beyond that thing would lead them to a treasure trove. Thrawn was sure of it. Or, well, no, it was the first time in his life he was not sure of anything. Located in such a desolate place, looking as pristine as it did, being as old as it was and being linked to a device infinitely younger than it in the grand scheme of the galaxy's history? Worried was a better word for what Thrawn felt.

He, however, paused all of his thoughts, his concern only intensifying as the sensor officer reported, "Admiral, sir! Power buildup within the device! It's... Activating...!" only for them to watch it. Ripples of energy formed within the gate as its two sections split, revealing a portal that slowly opened itself to their sight, a spherical whirlwind of what looked almost like water.

The Admiral blinked, then spoke over com, "Doctor, did any of your men touch anything?"

"N-No! Haha! It powered on its own! Like it just got a 'turn on' signal from somewhere!" The cheer in the doctors' voices and cheers was audible. Thrawn blinked, then sighed and decided it was no time to pause on this matter. The Chancellor had sent him here for a reason. He looked at his com officer and, with sole hand motion, ordered him to call the Chancellor on a secure line ASAP.

It seemed as though this little exploration task force had not been formed for naught.

On board the SSV Normandy SR-2.

Current Location:Terminus Systems

2185

Despite the Cerberus markings, the Normandy was still a ship commanded by an Alliance Officer. Never was that more apparent than when Reveille played across the ship's Public Announcement system, waking the dozens of crew to get them to their stations. The warship, itself an upgrade on the SR-1 series Stealth Frigate made with both Turian and Human technology added upon it, was a sleek, beautiful design with more 'humane', less military accommodations.

Nowhere was that more apparent than the Crew Deck, where there was a kitchenette, a nearby medical bay where doctor Karin Chakwas, the elderly medical officer of the crew, was working on her usual, and an office on the opposite side of the ship where the 'boss' of the Alliance Officer in charge of this vessel was currently busy doing paperwork for them.

Commander Samantha Shepard, Sam for short, a blonde-haired beauty with blue eyes, had descended from her own cozy room, which was at the top of the starship on Deck 1, down to this deck in order to grab herself her morning mug of coffee. Though she still looked a little rough, courtesy of her just having woken up, the black-white-grey uniform with the Cerberus logo on her shoulders still worked well on her frame and she seemed fairly fresh.

"Gardner," She greeted the man sat behind the cooking station. The kitchenette itself actually looked more like a proper apartment kitchen, containing everything from countertops, to an induction stove and electric oven, as well as a massive fridge. She watched the man activate the coffee maker and told him, "Don't suppose you got those ingredients we bought."

"I did, Commander," He nodded, scratching the top of his bald head, over which the man unironically wore a hair net. It was kind of hilarious. He handed her her mug of coffee, then said, "Sure stopped the idiots from complaining now that we got actually decent grub," before casting a sidelong glance at a pair of the Ship's crew who were off-duty, eating breakfast. The two men shrunk under the Mess Sergeant's gaze and he smirked proudly at that, then turned to Shepard and asked, "What's on the docket today?"

"More patrols until the 'boss'," Shepard said that last word sarcastically and even emphasized it, "Sends us more intel to work with. It's been a dry spell ever since we were done with Omega," then she leaned against the counter and sipped from the fresh, warm brew. Letting out a breath of contentment at the bitter, acidic, but still enthralling taste, she said, "Good brew."

"Thanks," Gardner grinned, then turned back to cooking, "Got that one specifically because I knew it was a favorite among the Military. 'Death Wish' or something."

Shepard snorted. Ah, yeah. 'Death Wish', the sole coffee with enough caffeine to actually send someone into cardiac arrest in the Alliance Navy. So the rumors went, anyway. She replied to him, "Glad to know you know us that well, Sarge. Godspeed with the Cooking," then straightened up and started walking toward the elevator. On the way, however, she met the other beauty on the ship, a young woman with a beautiful face, wavy black hair and a body well-accentuated by the black-and-white tightsuit she wore. Shepard greeted her, "Miranda."

"Commander," The woman replied in a murmur, face still buried in a datapad she was analyzing.

As they boarded the elevator, the holographic door lock going green and opening the moment it detected both of their IDs through their specialized Omni-Tools, the Commander asked, "Anything new sent by the Man? Any leads we can go off of?" with a hint of a joke. She was referring to the Illusive Man, obviously. Miranda looked up, lips razor thin, then shook her head, to which Shepard let out a sigh, "Another day of patrols it is. Hope we won't get caught with our pants down..." then hit the button for Deck 02, the CIC and Bridge.

"Thankfully, the SR-2's sensor suites and stealth should prevent that," Miranda shot back. She sighed and lowered the Datapad, before noting, "Did you just wake up?"

Shepard nodded, then confessed, "First day in a while I got a chance to sleep in. Mind you, it's still barely 7AM ship time..." and watched as the elevator doors slid open, revealing the sprawling Combat Information Center. Dozens of orange holographic consoles lined the walls and the central display area, where the ship's design and 'upgrade progress' was visible. Several sections glowed blue, including the newly-mounted Thanix Cannon and the upper deck armor and reinforced Kinetic Barrier emitters.

A redhead with short hair turned about and saluted, smiling brightly, "Commander, miss Lawson," and lowering her hand when Shepard gave a salute and a nod back. She said, "You have no new messages today, Commander... Like the last three days," before turning back to her console. The Commander let out a mirthless laugh at that, probably bored out of her mind, then walked up to the Galaxy Map. The swirling arms of the Milky Way appeared ahead of her, showing multiple important locations and visited sites, with a history list floating right beside her.

"Thanks, Kelly..." Shepard sighed, eyeing Omega in the Terminus and wondering if she should just take the crew there on a break, or head to the Citadel for it. She stepped off from the pedestal in front of the Galaxy map and told Miranda, "Maybe we scared them off," as a joke. Unimpressed, Cerberus's Guardian for Shepard raised a brow and shook her head in reply. Shepard sighed and mumbled, "I was just joking..."

They passed through the massive central corridor, where gunnery, sensors and other stations were placed by the sides of the catwalk, then approached the bridge, only to find their pilot arguing with their AI again. The brittle-boned Jeff 'Joker' Moreau quipped, "... Look, all I'm saying is, it'd be pretty cool if you could take the form of... I dunno, a hot babe or something. Maybe then you wouldn't be so annoying to talk to!"

"I much prefer this holographic form. I feel it is much more approachable," The Enhanced Defense Intelligence, EDI, for short, replied in a deadpan, her strange football trophy-like shape never once changing, save for the vertical synthesizer running down her hologram's length moving as she spoke. Shepard liked EDI. She was a nice foil to Joker in many ways.

Joker rolled his eyes and scoffed, "Of course, the bot would think a literal lightbulb's more approachable than a chick..." then paused as he felt a hand land on his chair, causing his entire being to shiver. He was thankful he managed to stop it before it broke any of his bones, but looked up and saw Shepard staring at him with a grin. He greeted, "Oh, hey, Commander. And Miranda."

"Joker," Chuckled Shepard, "You and EDI ever gonna get along?"

"When I'm dead, probably," Joker joked. Shepard looked back at Miranda partially apologetically(Though not really. Miranda was a bit annoying), then looked ahead at the Gas Giant they were flying by. He said to her, "Hey, Commander, what's the chance we can get some new coffee? Gardner gave me some Death Wish yesterday and I shook so hard I think I chipped a tooth. Haven't had a cup since."

Shepard snorted, "You'll pry that coffee from my cold, dead, biotic power-fueled hands, Jeff," which got a short laugh out of Joker himself. Understandably enough, Shepard quite enjoyed having her heart rate go over 200 BPM. That was a rough estimate she'd given herself, but it was probably wrong. Chakwas never confirmed anything, either, but alas.

"Anything on sensors, EDI?" Miranda asked, more focused on the business aspect here.

EDI replied monotonely, "The Gas Giant we are currently flying beside and four other in-system planets. That is all," while her sensor suite continued to beep away, scanning. Miranda sighed deeply, not knowing if she should be thankful for not finding anything. The AI then let out a hum, paused and said, "Stand by... Detecting gravitational interferences ahead. Not matching orbital interference from the gas giant."

"... Set us to yellow alert and be ready. We might have something coming in. Stealth drives up?" Shepard asked, staring ahead at the space between them and the gas giant. She could see something near by the gas giant, flickering to life, shining, though she couldn't quite make it out. Joker gave a thumbs up as the ship started running silent, the muffled alarm of the vessel echoing through the PA. The Commander licked her lips, staring ahead at the rippling space.

They were several thousand kilometers away, still. EDI spoke, "Unknown device on the far side of the giant detected. It's emitting incredible amounts of energy... Stand by for-" And a flash of light blinded everyone. When their vision cleared, however, proximity alarms started screaming. EDI spoke with a spine-chilling amount of concern in her voice, "... New contacts on Sensors!"

As their vision cleared, the crew of the SSV Normandy soon saw them. Stood bow-to-bow with them, hundreds of vessels of different shapes had suddenly materialized out of thin air. From arrowhead-shaped vessels bearing grey hulls with red stripes, to massive black armor blocks with guns strapped to them, to civilian-looking vessels and even a luxury liner or two.

"Joker..." Shepard whispered, "We may wanna start moving away-" only to freeze as the sensors suddenly picked up weapons charges. Shepard read the screen and went pale as snow, eyes widening as she saw the possible output of the armed vessels. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, then shuddered, fearful and mumbling, "Please, for the love of God, tell me they haven't spotted us..."

... Com systems suddenly blared to life, as did sensor warnings. They saw them.

Chapter Text

Aboard the Galactica

The Battlestar's systems blared warnings across the hull, alarms ringing and wailing like bats outta hell as the crews slowly woke up from their strange jump-induced unconsciousness. On the hangar deck, Lee and Starbuck were barely waking up alongside the rest of their pilots, with Lee murmuring, "Frak me, we should've ditched that damn artifact..." before looking over at Kara. He watched her hunch over the side of the aircraft and spew her breakfast and lunch onto the deck.

Chief Engineer Tyrol had been fairly quick to get back to his feet, it seemed. Him and the rest of the deck crew. He looked up at Starbuck and motioned to the puddle of vomit on the floor, to which Kara simply showed him a familiar, obscene and ancient gesture so-long-reviled by most Humans before hunching over and climbing out when the ladder was installed. Galen Tyrol, a bulky, well-built man in orange and yellow overalls, looked at Apollo and threw his hands up, to which Lee snorted, then swore to himself, damn near doing the same as Starbuck as he felt acrid bile rise in his throat.

He pushed himself out of the cockpit of his viper and jumped out, then stumbled and rubbed his face, finally noting all the flickering lights on their mothership because they gave him a headache. Power seemed to slowly be restoring itself as Chief Tyrol approached him. Tyrol spoke, "Got into contact with the crew near by the FTL Drive. Random connection lead to us doing a blind jump into the middle of nowhere."

"Artifact started glowing, too!" A younger technician by the name of Callie added, her voice rough from throwing her guts up. She wiped her mouth, pallid, then told the Captain and Chief, "Same time we started jumping. By that I mean the whole fleet. I think it synched us, made our ships' jumps weird and sent us gods-know where," as she walked up to them.

"Explains why I saw the Colonial One glow godsdamned blue when she jumped. I gotta tell the commander when I get to him to give a call to the President and the wider fleet," Lee shot back, then swallowed emptily. He coughed, asked, "What about shipwide coms? Can we get a link to CIC?" and looked over to the rest of the staff finally scrambling to their work, dizzy, confused, but alive. Their pilots were evacced from the aircraft and the worst off were thankfully throwing up now.

Callie nodded, "Ship's rebooting as we speak. Give it a minute," then she cleared her throat, quickly apologized to the Chief and had to spit off to the side in a paper towel. Her voice cleared up a bit as she added, "Artificial Gravity and life support remained online, thankfully. And I can hear the engine reverb through the hull, meaning nav and engine systems remained online when we jumped."

"Artifact must've scrambled our jump solution," Tyrol added upon that, "Here's to hoping it did link all our ships together, or I think we're gonna be scraping the fleet up from across the Galaxy as we go," then he breathed a deep sigh. A distant hum filled their ears, then reverbed through the ship again and the lights stabilized, their incessant neon buzzing filling their ears. He pointed up at it with a smile, then sighed and said, "There they are..."

"I'll get to the CIC with Starbuck. Kara, c'mon!" Lee added, seemingly recovering better than most.

"Yeah, yeah," Kara sighed deeply as she stumbled away from her fighter. The two dashed off at a running pace toward the ship's center, while Chief Tyrol and Callie exchanged one quick glance. They sighed and immediately rallied the rest of the Crews back to their positions, getting the Vipers and Raptors into place and ensuring they worked fine. In case they needed to scramble again.

Dashing down the corridors, past crew barely standing due to the misjump, Kara said, "Why the frak did we even pick up that artifact anyway!?" and she led the turn to the left as they moved toward the bridge of the ship. The Combat Information Center was probably rebooting every single defensive system they had available and trying to clear out the confusion. Part of Starbuck prayed they had the common decency to get DRADIS up first so they weren't blind.

"Doc Baltar seems to think it had some sort of significance to our search for Earth!" Lee replied, spring in his step as they surged through the deck, "That, or an ancient and very powerful weapon."

"Take that part out of its description if it fraks with FTL Drives," Kara joked, sidestepping a pair of Marines helping people to their feet. Lee let out a short laugh at that, dodging the Marines, too, and hearing a 'what's the hurry, sirs?' from a younger Crewman. He yelled back to that Crew, "Making sure we're all still alive, Ensign Connelly! Keep moving!"

When they arrived at the CIC, Gaeta and Dee were already working on restoring the two most important systems. Colonel Tigh, wobbly on his feet due to the jump and the nausea, looked to the pair and said, "Well, thank the Gods you two decided to show up. Least we know you're alive," before motioning to Dee and Gaeta and stating, "Shipwide Com and fleet com are still being restored. DRADIS is still frakking down..." then he looked up at the 'REBOOTING' notice and the loading tab, the line being halfway there.

"So, we're blind," Kara quipped.

"For now," Adama reassured them, retaining his usual calm, "Nothing shot at us yet."

Kara then mumbled, "Yeah, yet..." which got a glare from Tigh.

Lee nodded, then leaned over the table and rubbed his eyes, "Ugh, headache..." then said to his father, "Chief and Callie told me the Artifact had something to do. Might've synched our jump coordinates properly across the fleet before..." he took a moment, trying to think of the right words. The headache was screwing with his mind, so he said, "I don't know, scrambling them."

"We figured. The first section of the ship we got back into contact with was Engineering," Tigh nodded, arms crossed. He shook his head and mumbled, "I get the headache, kid. That jump screwed us something fierce..." before looking back up at the DRADIS screens, waiting for them to fix themselves. Gaeta was working overtime, the poor kid. Lee had noticed it rather quickly.

Dee quickly reported, "Sir, shipboard and fleetwide coms are back online. We're getting distress signals from everyone, including the Colonial One. Seems they restored some power ahead of us..." before she sat down, "They're odd, though. Callouts from ships like the Astral Queen and Cloud Nine are stating something about several other unknown ships..."

"... Set the Fleet to Condition One," Adama ordered calmly. He looked to their two pilots and nodded to them, before humming and watching as the DRADIS came back online. Indeed, Colonial Contacts surrounded them at first... Then, almost a hundred new signals flashed on-screen, including one distant, right at the ship's bow. Picking up the ocm, he barked, "Fleet, Condition One! Launch Alert Vipers!"

Duvalla, Dee, seemed to pause, however, as she stated, "Sir! We're receiving Wireless handshakes from the Fleet... Or Fleets, I should say," before she lifted up a transcript, "Calls from two Admirals denoting weapons ready status, but a desire to talk. They're on an open channel, sir, and they're already talking to each-other. They want us on the horn, too."

"Patch them through, but maintain Condition One," Adama nodded. He looked up at the variations of contacts. Large, medium and small. Warships bigger than the Galactica, supporting Cruisers, frigates and fighters swarming around them and the rest of the Colonial Fleet. He added, "When the President's awake, put her through, as well. I feel like she might want to hear this."

"Sir," She replied, "You're linked into the com, sir. It's at your console."

"Thank you, Dee..." Adama replied. He looked to Lee, then to Starbuck, then to Tigh and said to all of them, "Well, wanting to talk to us is a good enough start. Let's see what our friends have to say to us," before putting the large phone up to his ear and speaking, "This is Commander Adama, of the Battlestar Galactica, escort ship of the Colonial Fleet. To all unidentified ships in the Area of Operations, we mean no harm and will not fire unless fired upon. If you copy us, reply to this call."

It took a moment for the static to start, then slowly clear up. A strong, hardy male voice replied, "This is Admiral Thrawn of the Galactic Republic Navy, to Commander Adama. We copy you loud and clear. Is all well on board your fleet, Commander? Our sensors have detected power surges across all of the hundred or so civilian vessels in your care, probably courtesy of your jump vector."

"We're regaining contact with them now, Admiral. Thank you for your concern," Adama said, though even his stoicism couldn't hide that tiny amount of surprise in his voice. Someone who gave a frak about them seemed to surprise even Starbuck and Apollo, the two of them staring with wide eyes at the exchange. Tigh waited with baited breath as the DRADIS's whines filled their ears, marking the allied ships and the launched Vipers.

"Good to see our third friend has finally awoken. This is Doctor Catherine Elisabeth Halsey, of the United Nations Space Command to Commander Adama and Admiral Thrawn," A female voice, elderly, but strong, replied over the com next, "We are an exploration fleet with an armed escort and aren't actively looking for a fight, either, as we've told the Admiral."

"Roger that," Adama breathed a sigh of relief for the collective safety of the Fleet, one that the entire crew almost instinctively shared in. He looked to Dee, put his hand against the microphone and said, "Bring us down to Condition Two. Keep our Alert Vipers out there, just in case," before putting the phone up to his ear again and speaking, "I'm glad to see we're all on speaking terms, then."

"Indeed," Both the Admiral and the Doctor said almost synchronously, which got a short chuckle out of Starbuck. Thrawn spoke next, calm and collected, "We've never heard of either your Colonial Fleet or the United Nations Space Command, Commander and Doctor. I wish to inquire about your business within this sector of space," all while voices of the crew became audible over the com.

"The feeling's mutual, Admiral," Adama replied, "Your factions are unknown to us, though I'm sure you've noticed we also have a fourth unknown present," and he stared at the last vessel that the DRADIS had marked. He looked to Dee, who nodded, "Before we get into any long-term discussions, I'd like to contact them, as well. Ensure they aren't hostile to us."

"Of course," Thrawn replied.

"Certainly." Halsey added.

Dee said, "Com channel open, sir. They accepted the call," before she patched it through so the other two officers of the trio of Fleets might hear it. Adama noticed they weren't moving, thus meaning they were probably hoping they hadn't been spotted. Going by reports he could read and hear over back channels, the Fleet had appeared next to a gas giant. Regardless.

He spoke, "This is Commander Adama to fourth unidentified contact. We mean no harm, but will fire if fired upon..." then simply waited...

"We hear you. This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy," He could hear the relief in the woman's voice as she spoke. She let out a short laugh, "Hell, we heard the entire com conversation between you, the Admiral and Doctor. We're not hostile either, we're just stunned. You folks basically appeared in front of us and... Well, spotted us," That seemed to be the part that affected her.

Adama replied, "Of course, we did. Your Frigate may have a small DRADIS Cross-Section, but she's not undetectable," then he leaned forward, "We didn't mean to appear on your patrol vector, however. Our fleet was attempting to escape pursuing enemy vessels," and he watched as Fighter DRADIS marks danced around their motherships like buzzing flies.

"I presume you were not followed," Thrawn decided to interject, then said, "Greetings to you, as well, Commander Shepard," all with the same calm demeanor and voice. IT was almost chilling to hear this commander of the Republic speak, thought several people aboard all warships, but he seemed kind enough. Adama was quick to give confirmation that they were, in fact, not followed by the enemy.

Halsey told them, "It seems that we are safe for now, then, gentlemen. I would like to request a meeting of our command structures aboard one of our vessels. Exchanges over Com are dreadfully boring, even with active holographic communication," which got a short hum of agreement from Thrawn and a quiet one from Adama. Tigh and the others on board the warship seemed to tense.

"This is gonna be fun," Kara murmured sarcastically.

Lee snorted, "Pessimistic much?"

"Look, I'm just saying..." She shrugged. Tigh made a sideways cutting motion with his left and which shut the two pilots up, then looked at Adama again, crossing his arms to his chest. So a doctor, a civvie in charge of a naval force meant for 'exploration' and apparently housing about a dozen ships, plus whatever she was on, wanted to meet the military staff.

The Admiral of the Republic spoke over com, "If we had any ships that could act as neutral ground, though," more throwing the hint toward Commander Shepard, who let out an awkward laugh. Adama appreciated the semi-straightforward request of the man, similar to how clear-cut Halsey seemed to be. He nodded to everyone, then breathed a deep, long sigh.

"Get the President on the next shuttle over," Adama told them, "If discussions are to happen, we're going together. Get a detachment of Marines as escort."

"Sir," Dee replied with a quick salute. They were gonna need the backup to chat and if the Commander agreed, it was best to have their own security. They didn't know each-other, nor the Normandy's crew, so safety was paramount. He sighed and looked over the starmap findings and the Gas Giant location, plus the DRADIS sweep that had detected the Alien artifact their own was interacting with...

"Sir, the... Commander gave the go-ahead," Dee smiled awkwardly. Huh, that solved the meeting point.

He wondered what Thrawn and Halsey would bring.

Aboard the  Normandy

Shepard tugged on the collar of her old Alliance uniform, a piece of clothing she was surprised she still had around with her. Normally, she wouldn't have worn it if she wasn't gonna go to her own funeral, but she figured she'd need a better piece of clothing than the standard short-sleeved shirt and cargo pants of Cerberus make. Tugging at and then straightening out her collar, she nodded, then paused at pinning the rank pins.

She swallowed, then sighed deeply. To the Alliance, as far as she knew, she was basically dead. They weren't gonna care if she wore it, right? So why did it feel so wrong to don this uniform now? Perhaps, because she was working for an organization once known as terrorists, she thought. Perhaps because she wasn't alive anymore in the Alliance's eyes specifically. Perhaps-

She heard the doorbell ring, twitching and almost dropping the pins. Breathing in, then out, she called out, "Come in!" as she decided to put them on. Best to look properly presentable. When the holographic lock disappeared and the door slid apart, she saw the familiar, avian figure of Garrus Vakarian appear. Half his face was scarred by a nasty hit from an enemy Gunship on Omega, but he still looked as handsome as ever.

Well, as handsome as a Turian would.

She smiled awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck and asked, "How do I look?"

"Like you didn't die two years ago," Joked the man, also clad in a dress uniform of some sort. She chuckled at that, to which Garrus nodded. He sighed, rubbed his eyes, then said, "Look, Shepard, I'll get straight to the point. Do you really think it's a good idea to have a Cerberus ship be the meeting point for these three weird groups? We're not exactly an Alliance diplomatic vessel."

Shepard nodded, "Which is why I figure it's fine. A private enterprise ship's the 'safest' place to meet as neutral ground. Plus, it'll let me figure these people out and send some information over to Admiral Hackett about them for later meetings..." and she sighed, looking at herself in the mirror again. She patted down the uniform, looked up at the two fish tanks and walked up, tapping a couple of buttons on the holographic screen between them to drop pellets for the various exotic fish to eat.

Garrus hummed, then shrugged, "Alright. Wonder if Hackett's gonna be pissed. I know the moment we report it to the Citadel, it's gonna get their panties in a pretty big twist," and he and Shepard walked toward the elevator. When the Commander hit the button, Garrus quipped, "Miranda's also fuming. She wasn't told ahead of time and now she's the one who has to keep Jack in tow."

Shepard snorted, "Of course. What about Jacob?"

"He's staying in his corner of the ship per his own words. Mordin, meanwhile..." Garrus seemed to wince, or perform an action similar to wincing by pulling his shoulders back a little and opening his mandibles to signify concern. He then switched the subject quickly, "EDI's also fine with staying put, Jack's being Jack and Zaeed's in his little hole in the ship, just staying nice and cozy."

"So it's just you and me... Again..." Snorted Shepard. Garrus nodded approvingly, to which she said, "Honestly, good. Place is getting crowded as it is. A little breathing room while we meet these three new groups of supposed Humans is gonna help," before the elevator stopped and its door hissed open as they arrived on the CIC deck. The crew, all clad in freshly-ironed uniforms now, stood at their posts as usual.

Approaching the Airlock on the left side of the ship's long neck, the pair soon found the first arrival by the noise of the docking clamps and the equalization of pressure. The shuttle didn't really look the part of a shuttle, more of a Stealth Ship like their own. Large and armored and with photoreactive panels meant to provide active camouflage, the UNSC's black ship attached to the Normandy. The Airlock cycled...

And in came the first person. Frail, with greying hair, small and old, Doctor Halsey pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose. She was flanked by two seven-foot-tall soldiers clad in bulky-looking, but agile armor sets. One wore a dark green and had the number '117' marked on his chest in white, while the other wore a silver armor with a much larger visor helmet and had the number '087'.

Halsey noticed the Commander first, the woman in the Dress Uniform smiling awkwardly at the scientist with a steel gaze. Then, she saw the alien. At around the same time, both soldiers with her also did, seemingly tensing. Garrus, awkward as could be, simply gave a wave with his three-fingered hand. The Doctor spoke to Shepard, "I would presume this is one of your crew?"

"Yeah, this is Garrus. He's an old friend from back in the day," Shepard offered, smiling awkwardly.

Halsey nodded at that, convinced enough, then said, "A pleasure to meet you both, then, Commander. Mister Garrus," and extended her hand. The soldiers behind her seemed to calm down a little. To heavily emphasize LITTLE. They still looked ready to rip and tear through the ship like living blenders. Shepard awkwardly laughed and shook the woman's hand, while Garrus simply remained quiet.

"Good to meet you, too, doctor," Garrus replied for both himself and the Commander. He motioned to the left and said, "I'll take you and your guys to the meeting room in the back of the ship," before he started leading the way. Halsey nodded in thanks and showed her troops to follow with a small wave of her hand. She and the pair of supersoldiers stepped off with Garrus.

Shepard mumbled, "Don't do anything stupid, Vakarian. I need my shooter... And my drinking buddy," and smiled. Despite hearing the fading clangs of the heavily-armored soldiers' footsteps, she still felt at ease enough aboard her own ship. In the meanwhile, though, she had to wait as she heard the strange UNSC ship decouple. It veered to within sight of the windows and then flew off. It disappeared next as its active camo kicked in, to which Shepard whispered, "That's how their Stealth works, huh...?"

"I want one of those!" Joker yelled as he looked back at Shepard.

"Talks go well, maybe we can get one, Joker," She replied, putting her hands behind her back and interlacing her fingers. The second shuttle soon announced its arrival, its engines gently puffing with the aid of RCS thrusters to ensure a proper docking procedure. When the airlock cycled again and the door opened, Commander Shepard was face-to-face with Commander Adama, the elderly man in charge of the Galactica. Not only that, but beside him was a brown-haired woman with glasses and a suit, an aide of hers who looked young and a bunch of black-clad Marines with strange rifles bringing up the rear.

The Commanders saluted each-other, with Adama stating, "Commander Shepard. Thank you for having this meeting aboard your ship," before motioning to the woman on his left and stating, "This is the acting President of the Colonies, Laura Roslin," to which Shepard's eyes widened. She snapped a salute toward Roslin as well. The woman smiled kindly at Shepard, like a mother staring at her daughter, then simply extended her hand.

Shepard, surprised, shook it. Roslin told her, "You have our thanks from the whole of the Colonial Fleet. Both I and the Commander agree that it is imperative we don't start another shooting war on top of the one we have right now..." as she turned to their escorting Marines and made sure their weapons were on 'Safe' by eyeballing them. Once satisfied, she turned to face Shepard again.

"Bad news, ma'am?" Shepard asked.

Roslin nodded, "Fairly. Mind taking us to the meeting room?"

"Sure, but we should probably wait for Admiral Thrawn to make it here. We've only got me and another of my command staff here to take people to the meeting room, so," She told them. Both seemed understanding enough, simply stepping out of the way of the Airlock. Adama gave a signal to the crews on the other side and the ships began decoupling procedures. Shepard activated her Omni-Tool, surprising both of them, before turning to see their faces. She blinked, said, "OH, right... This is an Omni-Tool. Handheld supercomputer, 3D Printer and a lot of other stuff. I was just checking my watch."

"Huh," Both elderly people let out while the Marines exchanged looks. She shrugged and turned it off, then sighed and straightened her posture again, waiting for their last Guest of Honor to arrive. The last shuttle arrived next, a tri-wing design with a large maw. It looked slightly threatening, but it, too, utilized its thrusters and antigrav properties to dock with the vessel, a cordon seemingly extending from the mouth and linking with the mouth. The vessel attached itself to the ship's airlock, it cycled...

And then the door opened a certain chill filled the room, like the temperature had just suddenly dropped to subzero temperatures. It wasn't the imposing height of the man at six feet tall. It wasn't the grey uniform and the rank pins on his chest, nor the dark blue skin and burning red eyes matched with a hair so black, it seemed to almost be swallowing the night. It wasn't even the four or so soldiers clad in white armor, their faces obscured and black weapons held at parade rest, that stood behind him.

Admiral Thrawn's mere presence seemed to instill a sense of respect for anyone watching. He was purely professional, not even a speck of dust on his uniform or the battle gear of his soldiers. Shepard and Adama both stared at the imposing, alien-yet-human-looking man as his burning red eyes examined both of them and President Roslin. He was, by all accounts, first to salute the pair, his imposing voice sounding a little more menacing, yet strangely and disparately warm, as he greeted, "Commander Shepard. Commander Adama."

Both officers saluted, with Shepard swallowing her fears and feeling her heart thump in her chest. She said, "Welcome aboard the Normandy, Admiral. These are Commander Adama and President Roslin, of the Colonial Fleet," and both of them stepped forward as Thrawn extended his hand. The Marines and the man's soldiers exchanged quick looks as tension filled the air.

"Admiral," The Commander shook the man's hand.

"A pleasure," Roslin spoke, smiling despite the chill in her spine.

Thrawn replied, "The pleasure is all mine, ladies, Commander Adama," with a soothing voice. He seemed to be sizing them all up.

Roslin looked to Shepard and asked, "Commander, mind leading us to the meeting room?"

Shepard, well aware of the woman trying to avoid the awkwardness, nodded and showed them to follow. The group with their escorting marines marched through the wide CIC, with Shepard giving a quick nod to Kelly Chambers, her yeoman, to get something ready. Walking into the cramped rear areas, the group then marched into the wider room at the rear through a set of hallways, finding themselves in an enclosed area with a center ovoid table with the top and bottom smoothed out into two parallel, straight lines.

Already present on the deck was Doctor Halsey, whose eyes only slightly widened as she saw Thrawn. The two figures locked eyes and the room seemed to further chill as Adama and Roslin took their positions at the left side of the table, their Marines lined up behind them like Halsey's own two soldiers were behind her. It was then that Shepard and the others noticed that Halsey herself seemed a bit different than your average doctor. Something about her felt dangerous.

Shepard joined Garrus at the opposite end of the table to Halsey and the alien whispered to her, "You know, it's not usual I feel ghost feathers standing on end on my neck, but this meeting feels like we're sitting on a landmine waiting to go off," to which Shepard hummed in agreement. Thrawn greeted everyone with a nod and walked up to the side of the table opposite Adama and Roslin.

As the room went silent, Shepard stepped up to the table and said, "Seeing as we're all here, finally, all I can say to you, ladies and gentlemen is welcome aboard the SSV Normandy. Normally, I would say this ship serves as part of the Alliance Navy, however..." She sighed deeply, "There are a lot of long stories to be told today and I won't be the one to start with mine, because it'd be almost unbelievable, sans the fact I'm standing here. Let's start with the beginning, though."

"Indeed," Thrawn nodded, "We've already had our introductions over the com, so we may skip the pleasantries."

"Agreed," Adama replied with a nod. He told the group, "A question, if I might? How did the rest of you arrive here?" which caused the room to go quiet for the moment. He told them, "We arrived here by being in the possession of a strange alien Artifact we discovered just before we were attacked and had to make an emergency jump. I figure it best to get this out of the way first."

Halsey replied, "Of course. We arrived here through an alien artifact as well, one resembling the very item hanging in orbit above the Gas Giant we are currently next to," and she leaned forward. She seemed to be examining everyone, much like Thrawn. Thrawn himself, meanwhile, seemed to find some form of equal within her by the way he stared:like he was looking at a problem he was trying to solve.

"Much the same as us, then," Thrawn added. He looked over to Shepard and asked, "Commander?"

"W-We jumped here utilizing our own FTL... No artifact, no nothing, just standard Eezoo-based Faster-Than-Light Travel through a Mass Relay..." Shepard replied, stunned and taking a moment to process all of this information. It took her a second, but when she parsed through all that was said, she cocked her head to Adama and Roslin and asked, "Wait, attacked-?!"

Halsey hummed, "So. Native to this Galaxy, then?" And that seemed to turn the entire meeting on its head, all members looking at her with surprise, Garrus himself clearing his throat. She looked around at everyone, then said, "Yes? Are you surprised to hear this? The item we've all certainly run into here, sans Commander Shepard and her ship, was an alien device, ancient, perhaps ten million years old. A Star Road, as it is referred to by the records in the control console, which is-"

"Approximately ten times newer," Thrawn completed, surprising the room again, Halsey included. He recounted, "Barely a hundred thousand years old, give or take maybe twenty thousand," and he leaned against the table. He added, "A device named as such probably infers travel between two different locations, if not more..." and his volume dropped to that of a whisper as it all sank in, "Said locations potentially being entire new Galaxies..."

Adama breathed, "This is incredible," seeming completely stunned. Shepard understood that very well, considering what she was hearing sounded nothing short of a Science-Fiction affair. He told them, "And you think the artifact we have aboard our ship did this to us? Brought us here?" And he also asked the upcoming and most pressing matter for the Colonials. That being, "Can it be reversed?"

"It should be possible," Halsey offered, which seemed to calm down the two Colonial Officials, "These Star Roads seem to have two lanes, one for each way, so to speak," then she looked to Thrawn, "And they are powered by artificial event horizons, meaning a seemingly infinite amount of energy to keep them active, with the added caveat of maintaining the Black Hole's stability."

Thrawn hummed, then agreed, "Indeed."

Shepard whispered, "I want Mordin in here. The Eggheads seem to be enjoying the chatter and I wanna understand it," to Garrus, who let out a short laugh, then held onto his mandible. Sighing, she cleared her throat and asked, "Pardon me, ladies and gentlemen. If I may cut off the science babble for a bit," and she eyed the Colonials, asking, "Attacked?"

Adama looked to his President, who nodded. He turned to face the Commander and replied, "Yes, attacked. The enemy that drove us from our homes was pursuing us when we made the jump," then he leaned on the table, too, using both hands for support. Seeing a little confusion amidst the people, he told them, "A race of machines we created to serve us, the Cylon, rebelled almost 40 years ago and decided it'd be fun to start a genocidal war against us. We won the First war... Second one has turned a little sour, as can be seen by the convoy of ships behind us."

"We're the last of our people," added Roslin, "Almost fifty-thousand souls."

"Out of how many?" Halsey asked rather harshly, suddenly interested., eyes locking onto the pair.

Adama sighed, "I don't recall the exact number on the last Census the 12 Colonies Government took, but we were reaching tens of billions on each of our worlds," then he told them, "The bastards hit us hard and fast. Nuked all twelve colonies. Fifty megaton warheads on each major city and military installation as far as we know," and he saw Halsey's eyes seemingly light ablaze, despite her calm demeanor. Her two escorting armored figures tensed again, looking to one-another and simply exchanging small-talk.

"Christ," Shepard whispered, a little mortified. She looked to Garrus and said, "They're almost like the Quarians..."

Garrus nodded, "Tali's gonna like them," before watching Doctor Halsey process the situation. Thrawn didn't dare say another word and his own troopers didn't seem to flinch at the thought, though Shepard could faintly hear the grips on their rifles tighten, the undersuit gloves crinkling up and squeaking a little against the hard metal of their strange weaponry.

Halsey breathed a sigh and took off her glasses, "An all-too-familiar thing for us. We've had a similar genocidal war, though in our case, it was not against our own creations," and she started cleaning them with the handkerchief in her left breast pocket, "Instead, we found ourselves facing a theocratic alien hegemony. To make a long story short, our victory was more akin to winning our right to live. Thirty-three billion dead across hundreds of colonies in twenty-seven years... How long did it take these 'Cylon' to do what they did to you?"

"Hours," Roslin replied, then narrowed her lips and swallowed, trying to stifle her tears. She soon saw Thrawn's face, a stone mask, colored blue, but very human. His burning red eyes, however, did not hide the fury like the poker face he was trying to put on. It was, however, not just fury. IT was him trying to understand why supposedly sentient creatures would do something like this so easily.

Thrawn had always been someone to care about the intricacies of Conflict. Studying and learning about his enemies had always been a passion, one he took from the Chiss Expansionary Defense Force all the way to his Service as a member of the Republic Admiralty. He wanted to meet these automatons, these 'Cylon', learn what made them tick, understand them... And perhaps destroy them before they posed a threat to much grander plans. He noticed all eyes were on him, cleared his throat and spoke, "Apologies... That is truly a horrific crime. Especially for automata you made to help you. Any ideas why they rebelled?"

"None," Adama shook his head, "If there was a reason written down, it's been lost in the fires that burned Caprica, Picon, Tauron and all of our other Colonies," before he straightened out, "What about you, then, sir? It isn't usual for an Admiral to come by with a fully armed Fleet for an exploration or science job without there being a War on. Or the Department of Defense of your Republic asked you to..."

"Indeed," The man replied with a nod, "Astute, Commander. The Republic itself is in its fifth year of a War against a group of secessionists. Well-armed and well-equipped. It's been a long conflict and it was also one of the reasons I was sent to the location of the 'Star Road' in our Galaxy. The Republic wanted some form of weapon or tool to turn the tide and our Galaxy is surprisingly filled with Ancient items from long-dead empires."

"Sounds like we all have our own problems, though our War is thankfully over," Halsey replied. She looked at Shepard and asked, "What about you, Commander?"

"It's a genuinely long story, ma'am, but I can boil it down to the following:We're on the trail of people kidnapping human colonists from the place you wound up in. All we know is they may be working with another problem we face in this Galaxy..." Shepard told them, "Another extra-galactic affair. A dirty one that may come bite us in the ass sooner than any of us expect. I think we'll need the information."

"I see," Halsey hummed, "I would suggest we bring this discussion to an end and prepare to bring on ambassadors and envoys, but I'm sure we can all agree that the matters at hand can only truly serve to bring the participants of this little meeting together," and she looked around. The three other military officers nodded, to which she replied, "Very good. Madam President Roslin, we'll send people of our own to talk to you."

"As will we," Thrawn nodded, then looked to Shepard, "And you, Commander?"

"I'll contact some friends in the Alliance. Get envoys here as well," Shepard replied with a nod, "They'll all sure as hell wanna know about all this," then she crossed her arms to her chest. She almost wanted to scream from the flurry of new information and the god-damn briefing she was gonna have to give everyone about the situation, all while having to talk to The Illusive Man and juggle all this other Collector Business.

As the meeting adjourned, Halsey decided to speak, "One more thing. A suggestion to start this cooperation out right and one that can be hashed out by the civilian and military sides alike," to which everyone looked at her. She stated, "A Waystation, built around the Star Road Terminus here, so we may organize coming and going vessels from all three Galaxies and prepare to make First Contact with the rest of this place."

"A good idea," Roslin nodded, "Perhaps even an added defense fleet to deal with hostile incursions from all sides."

Nods of approval and hums of agreement echoed from all those in the meeting. It wasn't long before that, then, that Commander Shepard had decided to escort everyone out with Garrus's help and lead them to the Hangar, where their shuttles could potentially land to pick them up. Her head was swimming in information, in numbers, in the sheer scale of the crap around her and in the fact that two separate factions of the three they'd just met went through hell.

Christ, she needed a drink right now...

Chapter Text

Aboard the SSV  Normandy

"... And you're saying they just appeared in front of you through that alien device?" The Illusive Man, a fitting name for someone as strange as him, spoke. His mechanical blue eyes peered into Shepard's soul, but the Commander didn't flinch. She hated having to work for him, but she owed him for reviving her for one and, for the other, she wanted the Collectors gone as much as the next girl. They were stealing humans, after all.

Shepard was sat in the same room where the first meeting between the four sides had taken place, though with the table retracted into the floor. She was surrounded by a holographic 'room' of sorts, peering into a central circular screen displayed by the FTL Com system on board and staring the man dead in the eye. The gleaming sun behind him, where his station was, glowed faintly thanks to the opaque windows of the Station itself. She couldn't tell stellar formations there thanks to that, though, so no way of tracking him down.

She replied calmly, "That about sums up our first meeting, yes. Not to mention them immediately charging weapons," then she shrugged, "Three factions, two run by humans, one run by an alien that looks close enough to a human to make doctor Solus think his species is some sort of parallel evolution to humanity. We won't know unless Thrawn lets him and Halsey do full physical exams. The Republic's a terrifying bulwark, apparently comprising most of their known Galaxy sans some rebelling systems they've been at war with for five years..."

The Illusive Man remained terrifyingly impassive, simply staring at Shepard with the same odd frown he'd had since their first meeting. He lifted his left hand and made a 'go on' sign. Shepard rolled her eyes and continued, "Adding upon that issue are the Galactica and her fleet of around sixty vessels. They're apparently being pursued by an automaton enemy fairly similar to the Geth. In fact, them and the Quarians seem like sister peoples almost, more so than they'd be with us. The Galactica herself is the sole military ship."

She checked her Omni-Tool quickly, then sighed and said, "Then, there's the UNSC. Another scary group with another sad story. Genocidal war against an alien hegemony that led to thirty-three billion dead," and she smirked a little at finally seeing the Man's brows quirk up in surprise, "Similar to the Colonials, though unlike them, the UNSC and Unified Earth Government still have planets to call home. Earth included."

"This is a concerning development," The Illusive Man spoke, "The fact we're directly linked to all three Galaxies means we may be facing further trouble than just the Collectors or the Reapers now. If the UNSC's, the Colonies' or the Republic's enemies decide to come pay us a visit," he pulled up some data on his own Omni-Tool, "I..." then he cut himself off and changed subjects surprisingly fast, "I assume you intend to contact Hackett after this."

"Little bugs in my ship's systems tell you that?" Shepard quipped with a hint of vitriol in her voice. The Illusive Man didn't address the matter, but she said, "You just like hearing the sound of my voice, boss? Because you could've picked up all of that with the bugs all around us," and she lifted her hand, curled all fingers but her index and did a round, spinning motion, basically hinting at her knowing the entire ship still had his little spy nets.

He replied, "As I've said before, Shepard, merely a security measure."

"One we're slowly cleaning out," The girl replied, mildly annoyed, then told him, "I don't like Peeping Toms," and smirked at him. He seemed to get the hint, which made Shepard happy. She told him, "I will be calling Hackett now, if you got all you wanted out of me for now, that is," with a smirk. He nodded his head slowly, then shut off the comlink between them, to which Shepard pinched the bow of her nose and murmured, "Jesus Christ, I really need that drink..." before looking up and calling, "EDI, get me a link to Admiral Hackett. As secure a channel as you can make it."

"Understood, Commander. Establishing handshake and disabling local intelligence taps," The AI replied calmly. The room's lights seemed to flicker for a moment as EDI's counter-intrusion protocols kicked in, before Shepard was once again surrounded by that same holographic tube with its details, diagnostics and the central round window ahead of her. The FTL Com system immediately linked to Hackett, revealing the man with a greying five o'clock shadow, scars on his face and the blue Alliance Navy uniform.

He turned about to answer, then blanked upon seeing Shepard, his eyes shooting wide open. Shepard's lips became razor thin, despite the smile she wore as she straightened up. Snapping a crisp salute, she said, "Admiral, sir... Shepard, reporting for duty..." to which the man blinked and rubbed his eyes. She could see his ship's com room in the background, devoid of anyone but him.

He spoke, a bit hostile, "This a joke...? Some new VI system for prank calls? Wearing the face of one of our best isn't a good idea for you Cerberus freaks-"

Shepard shook her head and raised her hands, "Look, sir, I'm not working with them because I want to. Rat bastards have me by the throat," then smiled as she saw the recognition in the man's eyes come to the forefront. She told him, "Possible defunct ID Code:Artemis, reporting for duty. Not a particularly good way to say 'hello, I'm back from the dead', I know, sir, but we've got a situation and I couldn't not contact you about it."

"Shepard," He spoke, almost in disbelief were the dead woman not staring him in the face. Noting she was still holding the salute, he snapped a salute back and nodded, "At ease, Commander. Good to see you're alive and kicking, Cerberus gear notwithstanding," before he watched the Commander straighten up with the same poise and posture he'd expect out of an N7 soldier. He told her, "Must be urgent if you're using a secure net to contact me from a Cerberus ship. Need a rescue?"

"No, sir," She shook her head, surprising the man. She first explained, "I'm in the Terminus, investigating the abduction of human Free Colonies in the area. We think the mythical Collectors might have something to do with it," and she opened her Omni-Tool again. She told him, "I'm transmitting all available intel through an encrypted channel. You'll recognize the scheme, it's one of the ones I and Captain Anderson used personally."

He nodded, "The man gave it to me in case you ever showed up again. He was convinced you couldn't have died," then he opened his own Omni-Tool upon the message being received. He gave a hum of approval, then looked to her and said, "I know it wouldn't just be a courtesy call or something to let me know about the Collectors, Commander. What's so important you had to break Cerberus's NDA?"

"Three new arrivals, sir... I'll give you as brief a rundown as I gave the Illusive Man," Shepard replied, a little awkward. She then began explaining each of the three factions in as much detail as they'd given her. Hackett would probably not have believed it had it come from the mouth of anyone else but her, but he still stared at her like she was both a Ghost and a liar. She corroborated it all with recordings from the meeting taken by the wire taps in the room.

The evidence was good. It convinced him, Shepard thought. She said, "I contacted you because we need Envoys... I know a Cerberus ship, even the SR2 Normandy, is a mighty big ask, but... They agreed to have their own civilian representatives stay aboard," then she stared at him, her face growing into a frown, "And this ship is being run like an Alliance one, regardless of the Cerberus Hire-On Staff's wishes."

Hackett took a moment to process all the new data. The Colonials, UNSC, the Republic, all of it. New factions, possible new friends or terrifying new hostiles. The Cylon, the Covenant, the Wars. He sighed, rubbing his temples, then said, "One of these days, Commander, you will actually give me a heart attack..." before turning to her and said, "I can't promise anything, since the Alliance Government and the Citadel aren't fond of Cerberus, but I'll talk to the government officials I have reach with, get at least an ambassador for every one of the three new arrivals. Anderson thanks you for the post, by the way."

Shepard laughed awkwardly. Yeah, she'd made Anderson the Councilor and Udina remained ambassador. She spoke, "I don't regret it, sir..." before sighing deeply. She stretched and added, "I should probably head out. Have to go check on Doctor Halsey and madam President Roslin. Am I dismissed, sir?" and her boots clicked together as she stood at attention. Hackett gave her a small smile, saluted and nodded to her to be at ease after she saluted back.

With the comlink turning off, Shepard stretched, yawned and said, "Been a long couple days..." before turning and walking out of the room. The lock ahead of her opened the moment it detected her Omnitool and ID tag and, once in the hallway, Shepard took a right toward the ship laboratory. Entering, she immediately found herself surprised by Mordin's rambling.

"But data inconclusive! Can't say for certainty dark matter within the event horizon assisted in bringing your fleets here," He spoke, but despite the seemingly aggressive debate he was having with, surprisingly enough, Doctor Halsey, both of them seemed in good spirits. The Salarian missed part of the top crest on his head and his skin transitioned from a dark, almost rusted red at the top of his head to white at the sides of his mouth. His uniform, white with red stripes, reflected this, while the strange assistive device attached to his right shoulder glowed.

Halsey spoke, surprisingly jovial herself despite the impassivity of her face, "On the contrary. Spectrographic data from the scans we've performed on the device denote accumulations of Dark Matter when the ships utilize the Star Road Terminus in order to jump out-bound. Recent inbound arrivals have also proven that there is some effect attached to this particular cosmic resource that allows our ships to traverse the time-space jump on the Road and retain our current timeframe, too. The gravitic analyses are still underway."

"Would very much like to see them if possible. Researching further into intergalactic travel, potential for incredible discoveries beyond. Perhaps even assisted colonization of untouched Galaxies," Mordin offered, "However, reticent in believing that Dark Matter this concentrated in the Event Horizon. Would like to further studies once business with 'Collectors' finished-" and he paused, then smiled more brightly, his pearly black eyes greeting the Commander with a surprising glint of excitement, "Commander. Welcome, welcome! Doctor Halsey and I, discussing possibilities of the Star Road. Device that brought them here seems to indeed be much older than any known pre-historic civilization in Galaxy. Older even than Protheans!"

"Wait, the Star Road, that thing," Shepard pointed out of the window at the station they and their entire fleet group were orbiting, "Is older than the oldest knwon civilization in the Milky way...?" And she stared at them, stunned. Both scientists nodded without hesitation. The Commander blanked, looked over to see President Roslin and one of her escorting Marines sat in the back, with Roslin leaning against a counter, hand covering her mouth as she listened to the two.

Shepard walked to join her, leaning against the counter with her arms crossed as she watched the two Doctors return to their surprisingly heated debate. She leaned toward Roslin and asked, "How long have they been going at it for, ma'am?" before watching the two go to one of the holographic consoles in the lab and discuss spectrometer readings or something.

"The past three hours," Roslin replied, amused, "It's almost as if two long-lost best friends found each-other..."

"Birds of a feather," Shepard mumbled, smiling a little. Mordin had always had this air of oddity about him. Like he wasn't all there, an obvious fact going by the idea the man barely spoke in first person, nor did he ever speak complete sentences. Halsey, meanwhile, was incredibly eloquent, terrifyingly so, even. It was a contradictory and complimentary relationship from the outside. Like Roslin said, two long-lost friends finding each-other.

Shepard chuckled and asked, "Take it you and the Commander are sticking aboard? Because I just might've gotten Alliance reps to come to the second meeting between diplomats," to which Roslin nodded.

"Just me for now. The Commander had to get back to the Galactica, ensure things are still running smoothly," The Colonial President then replied. The two watched the Doctors 'argue' about some scientific discoveries made by both as they went over the details on their datapads. She mumbled, "I wonder how my Vice President, also a scientist, would get along with the two."

"Swimmingly," Shepard joked. She looked at the Marine behind her, who gave a salute out of respect. Shepard saluted back, then smiled at the man. He nodded, kind, but reserved, which was Shepard's signal to go. She said to the President, "I should go. Make sure Doc Halsey's guys are getting along with the rest of the group. See you around, Prez."

"Have a fine day, Commander," She wished, kindness in her voice. The Commander gave a wave, then stepped out, marching toward the Armory through the same hallway. Thankfully, it was just opposite the labs, meaning she arrived fairly quickly. The door opened and she found Jacob and Garrus engaged in small-talk. Beside them, standing quietly and a little menacingly, was the Master Chief, Spartan-117. Halsey's personal guardian. Garrus, meanwhile, said to Jacob, "... And you've been missing with this thing a lot."

"Not exactly easy to aim. The Avenger's an old rifle, man," Jacob shrugged, sighed, then scratched his chin. With dark skin and almond-colored eyes and with a black combat uniform to match, Jacob was a former Alliance Marine, rough-looking and well trained. He had a shaved head, a short stubble and mustache and he was actually fairly handsome, but he was not Shepard's type.

Chief spoke, "The scope's off..." surprising everyone with his voice.

Garrus looked to him and said, "How do you figure?"

"Misalignment in the lenses," The Spartan replied as he walked over, feet thundering against the metal of the floor. He showed them the rifle's sight and showed the slight dings and dents in the scope, then handed it to Garrus. The Turian quickly went and started making adjustments, before peering through the scope. He handed it to Jacob, who hummed, smiled and nodded.

"Clear sight picture, now. Thanks, big man," He said, looking to the Spartan. Chief simply gave a nod, then looked back toward Kelly as she sat by the second table in the room, field-stripping her shotgun. Halsey had clarified a bit ago that Kelly-087 was a female Spartan and one of Chief's closest friends. She seemed calm enough as she worked the weapon. She remained quiet, however.

Shepard walked forward, asking, "Howdy, boys. Am I interrupting?"

"Commander," Both Garrus and Jacob spoke at the same time, while Chief and Kelly simply greeted the Commander with Nods. Garrus spoke next, "Just figuring out why Taylor's aim wasn't exactly great," before mimicking a human grin to the best of his abilities. He joked, "Turns out it was the equipment this time," as he watched Shepard approach. Both she and Jacob were Biotics, he recalled. Jacob damn near flipped Garrus the bird.

She, however, snorted at that and leaned against the table, stating, "You boys really need to pick up the pace. Chief outdid you both in spotting the issue with this rifle," as she picked it up. She ejected the heat sink from the weapon, made sure it was clear, then peered down the scope, adjusting it. Then, she told Jacob, "I want you aiming right if we fight Collectors, Taylor. Good thing you're a Biotic, though."

"Look, I'm gonna do my best if we do go up against'em. It's up to the Doc to keep us safe, though," Jacob defended himself, smirking, "Ain't he making some sort of countermeasure to the Collectors' ability to incapacitate us?" and he eyed the Chief and Kelly, both of whom were listening in on the discussion with little in the way of shown emotion. Both were even more concealed by the heavy armor they wore.

Shepard nodded, then replied, "Might be a little while. He and Halsey seem to have engaged in some sort of small-talk about the 'Star Road'," before pausing as she saw their confusion. She told them, "The damn thing that brought all three of their fleets into our own little galactic neighborhood, fellas. That station they wanna reinforce out there, by the Gas Giant."

Both soldiers nodded, with Garrus stating, "Citadel's gonna want to find out about this."

"Whether through us or through the Alliance's own reports," Shepard shot back, "They will-" and she cut herself off as her Omnitool dinged. Bringing the device up and out, she noticed a sudden message received. She chuckled, "Seems The Illusive Man might've finally sent us an update on our job if this is anything to go by. We'll have to deal with it after the meet..."

Aboard the  Chimaera...

The lower deck of the warship was preparing for the arrival of their diplomats. Thrawn himself stood at attention with a battalion of Clone Troopers and their supporting elements, the TK Troopers, recruited directly from many of the Republic-controlled worlds meant to supplement the Clone Army during the brutality of the War that'd been ravaging the Galaxy for all of five years now.

The newly-arrived Consular-class corvette of the Republic Navy slowly angled to connect with the vessel's docking clamps. Two loud clangs filled the troops' ears as Thrawn stood there, watching the heavy, multi-layered bulkhead door. A pressure monitor on the right flickered to life. The words 'EQUALIZING PRESSURE' danced on the screen in blue Aurebesh lettering as two bars moved up and down, signifying the two ships' pressure and oxygen levels.

When the two bars met in the middle, they stopped moving and the pressure hiss of the airlock cycling filled Thrawn's ears. It wasn't long after that the door slid open, revealing a familiar and beautiful human face, clad in fairly senatorial clothes. Beside her, an orange-skin girl with tattoo-like marks on her face and long, white and blue Lekku(Head tails) stood, clad in brown robes beneath which lay the lightened plastoid armor of clones. She'd chosen to forego the shoulder and arm armor, leaving only the forearm gauntlets. Similarly, she had also left the thigh plates behind.

Thrawn snapped a salute, greeting, "Senator Amidala, General Tano. Welcome aboard and apologies from taking you away from the young twins."

"It's alright, Admiral," Padmé Amidala, queen and senator representing Naboo's interests in the Republic Senate, smiled. She said, "Anakin's taking care of them while I'm away. I'll say they're both handfuls for being two years old," then looked to Ahsoka and explained, "Plus, Ahsoka wanted to visit this new Galaxy first," while the girl gave a thumbs up at that.

"Just so I can say I did something ahead of my master," Ahsoka chuckled, "How are things here, Admiral?"

"Hectic," He replied, "I'm certain you've seen the two other fleets present when you arrived, but the situation seems to be even stranger. Per the words of the Normandy's commander, this entire quadrant of space faces abductions from an unknown hostile with an extragalactic master," then walked with them to the Turbolifts. He told them, "You'll be meeting other staff there, including the presumed officers and civilian representatives of the Commander's group, the Systems' Alliance."

"Can't be any worse than our outing to Mandalore, or that time Sing tried to shoot me," Padmé quipped, garnering a chuckle out of Ahsoka. She noted the concerned look of the Admiral and told him, "If being with Anakin has taught me anything, the worst thing we'll have to face is being parents to twins. Four different Galaxies ain't got nothing on a boy and girl born from Skywalker blood."

Thrawn hummed, still mirthlessly staring at the two women. He shrugged and replied, "If you say so, madam Senator."

Ahsoka chuckled, "As the designated aunt, I can confirm the kids are a handful," only to pause as they reached the Bridge. The trio walked over to the command deck, the admiral wanting to prove a point on the matter. As they reached the windows, he motioned outside and the two women stared, bug-eyed, at the sight of the hundreds of vessels of various sizes and types. UNSC and Colonial Vessels floated farther away and the alien device stood between them all, a small scaffolding already signaling the beginning of the joint construction of a station.

He told them, "The first thing we agreed upon was the necessity of a Waystation. The UNSC 'SeaBees', their Construction Battalion, have already started assembling a rough scaffold around the Star Road itself," before motioning to a UNSC support vessel and EVA crews working on the almost spherical design. He told them, "Once treaties are ratified by you and your counterparts, we will co-operate in building the Waystation's external and internal sections... The Colonial Navy will require more than a station, however."

"So I can see," the Senator eyed the civilian fleet and the Galactica, whose superstructure was partially visible under the armor layers. She said, "I think we've spent enough time here, Admiral. Best to make headway to the Normandy for the meeting," before she and Ahsoka marched under escort from him and his troops. A sensor ping noted new arrivals appearing at the edge of the system, only to soon broadcast Alliance signals.

The envoys from the Alliance were quick, Padmé thought to herself as they entered the elevators. She looked to Ahsoka, who nodded approvingly, then hit the button after Thrawn had gotten on. Their mission was easy:Chat to the three other civvie representatives on board that neutral ground, head out and maybe request semi-permanent residence on board the Waystation once it was completed so they could talk properly.

Taking the shuttle over, the two women were also greeted by the sight of the UNSC Navy's presence in the area on a much grander view. Thousands of meters long, their heavily armored gunships also had shields, apparently, plus kinetic weaponry and heavy reliance on missiles. Ahsoka whistled and said, "I think we're making some pretty good allies, honestly. Look at all the guns on that one," then pointed out the Valiant.

Thrawn noted, "The United Nations Space Command Battle Group's flagship. Bears a spinal kinetic battery. They rely heavily on brute force..."

"As if we don't at times," Ahsoka quipped

Four factions, four reps, four talks. And four fleets. Helluva powderkeg.

Chapter Text

The talks had gone surprisingly well, with the Alliance, UNSC, Colonial and Republic representatives having all come to a surprising agreement over the state of the world they found themselves in. President Roslin had taken the 'stand' now, sitting at the head of the table as she spoke, "I wish to thank our newfound and dear friends for the compassion they've showed the people of the Twelve Colonies. When we first set out from Cyrannus, we were lost, without a target save a mythical planet where a thirteenth Sister Tribe was supposedly settled, so we may all rebuild. Now, we find ourselves in the company of not only fellow humans, but people with kind hearts. Humanity owes her siblings a great debt we will never truly be able to repay, but let me declare:may our friendship be long and prosperous."

"Hear, hear!" Cheered the representatives. Handshakes were exchanged, smiles and laughter and a couple of drinks to celebrate the formal signing of a sort of aide treaty between the group. The people present had agreed that they'd be cooperating for the betterment of everyone involved, though Roslin had felt the need to point out the Colonials seemingly couldn't help with that much, considering their technology felt a little more archaic in comparison to the others'.

Halsey walked up to Shepard as the last of the chatter was winding down, then said, "It seems as though our two Earths will be cooperating henceforth, Commander..." all while nursing a small soda. The talks had taken little more than four hours. Four hours since Shepard had received the message about their last recruit's location. The Dossier on the Warlord had waited enough.

"Here's to that being a long and fruitful relationship, Doc," Shepard offered with a kind smile, "Once everyone's off, we'll be heading out. We got a mission."

"Excuse me," Roslin, who was apparently right beside them, caused the women to turn toward them. Her eyes seemed suddenly filled with hope. She asked, "Did you two say 'Earth'...?" her voice shaky, as she stared at the two of them. Her voice did genuinely crack as she clarified again, "Two Earths...?" all while staring both women in the eye. For a moment, confusion struck. Then?

"Yes...?" Both women replied, then paused. Halsey stood for a moment and asked, "The Thirteenth Tribe. They settled on Terra. Earth. Did they not? Per your own religious scriptures that a couple of your representatives kept quoting," all while looking at the dark-skinned and slightly more heavy woman clad in what seemed to be similar attire to that worn by African-American women of deep religious belief from the URNA, or the US, in Shepard's case. They both received a nod from Laura and Halsey covered her mouth, "Incredible."

"There must still be an Earth in your Galaxy, then," Shepard murmured, "That makes three."

"Or perhaps yours are the sole two, unless the Republic humans were born on their version of Earth or the Twelve Colonies," Roslin whispered, then looked back at her aides, Billy, the young man who had kept her company and become a sort of surrogate son included. She turned to Shepard and Halsey and requested, "I beg of you, keep this secret for now. I will talk to Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh about it, but..."

Halsey completed, "It might lead to a rather terrifying political discourse aboard your Fleet. Riots, perhaps even discussions on the Religious matter of which Earth is the true Earth," then sighed deeply, rubbing her face, "I sometimes dislike our race simply due to such petty discourse leading to greater issues. Religious and political lines should have gone out of the window the moment we took our first steps into the Void."

"Humans are as varied as the aliens we met along the way, Doc," Shepard quipped, arms crossed to her chest, "Can't ask us to be so uniform when we travel up here. There'll be dissenting ideas and voices simply based on the fact we are not alike," and she shrugged. She was a woman born of Military parents that were currently serving aboard Alliance warships and she hadn't even managed to tell them she was alive.

"Indeed. Variety is the spice of life, after all," Roslin chuckled, "Though I do agree a little with the doctor. Life would be so much easier if we could all just simply agree."

"Simplicity is also boring," Senator Amidala joked as she approached. The three women looked to her, the young senator and mother cracking a small smile as she said, "Our little meeting is a complicated series of events, honestly. And it's all the more exciting for it. Makes for a fun thought of my kids befriending the random human from one of the two Earths or the Colonies."

Shepard smiled, "That's the spirit, Senator. See? Admiral Thrawn's friends ain't as scary as him."

Padmé chuckled at the quip, then said, "You haven't met my husband, then. Anakin can be a lot to handle when you first meet him, but he grows on you," only to hear her comlink beep. She sighed and said, "Right, I guess I do need to get aboard our envoy ship and send a message to the Chancellor, let them know we're fine here," then she put her hands together and said, "As a member of the Republic Senate and a leader of the Quorum, let me say that I look forward to a fruitful cooperation between our four nations."

Shepard raised her hand, putting her index and middle finger and her ring and pinkie and splitting them into a V sign, stating, "Live long and prosper, Senator," which got an actual, genuine snort out of Halsey. The Commander laughed and said, "Don't freakin' tell me you know Star Trek, doc Halsey!" only to see the two confused women ahead of them. She said, "Long story..." while still giggling, "Maybe we'll have a sit-down and watch it together some time."

"I prefer VOY, though TNG is a close second in favorites," Halsey joked, though with the usual serious face she wore, one could never tell if she was, in fact, joking. Shepard could tell slight hints of the dry wit and humor of the Doctor, seeing as she used it herself at times. She escorted Doctor Halsey and Senator Amidala to the airlock, while President Roslin excused herself and was escorted by her Marines and staff down to the Hangar bay, where a Raptor was waiting for them.

It wasn't long after that Shepard and her crew were alone on their ship once more, with Shepard looking through her Omni-Tool's data and eyed the Fleets hanging out around the Star Road. Two new UNSC vessels jumped in-system, the blue aura they were tinted in vanishing as they activated their fusion engines and pushed themselves away from traffic. One of the last surviving Punic-class Supercarriers of the UNSC, a massive armored behemoth, and another UNSC Frigate, this one an 'Anlace' energy weapon ship.

"Commander," She heard Miranda. Turning her head from her Omni-Tool, the Commander nodded to her for-the-moment-XO to talk. And talk she did, asking, "Why haven't we left to find Doctor Okeer yet? I understand the current situation demands we let all political staff leave the ship for the newly-arrived envoy vessels, but that does not mean we should just stay here. Especially after President Roslin, Doctor Halsey and Senator Amidala have left."

Shepard replied, "We'll be on our way in the next ten minutes. All three sides made a request out of me to test out cooperation between our militaries," and she shut off her Omni-Tool with the touch of a button. She then clarified to the seemingly-confused woman, "We're getting soldiers from each group assigned to us, including a pilot from the Galactica whose bird they requested we take care of."

"Oh," Miranda blinked, "Well, I'm going to have to recalculate our pay slips then..."

Shepard snorted at that, "I look forward to hearing what we're paying the New Hires with, heh..." before pausing as a com ping echoed. She showed her to follow her to the cockpit and said, "Patch them through, EDI. Encrypted channel..." as she noted the four contacts on the radar. She leaned forward and spoke over com, "Allied craft, you are clear for landing in the Hangar Bay. We'll be down to greet you momentarily. Welcome aboard."

Affirmative replies filled the com as Shepard stretched and yawned, mumbling, "First salary they get, I'm getting them to pay for my drinks," as she walked forward. Miranda almost seemed stunned that Shepard so easily let new people in. When they boarded the elevator, Shepard told Miranda, "You need to learn to relax. They're new people, more guns for our hunt."

"I'm worried about how they will work with the overall crew," The woman replied, "We both know Jack will not be keen on making new friends... This entire group is a squadron of misfits and strangers, you know that. Adding people from three different Galaxies into the mix may cause further friction than just the issues I have with Jack," and she paused as the elevator dinged. They'd arrived.

Shepard told her, "I'm well aware of the possible problems, miss Lawson," now utilizing a more standard, straightforward, no-bullshit military tone, "Doesn't mean we can deny the requests of our three newfound allies for a trial run. We'll be getting them aboard and the Alliance envoys made it plenty clear they'll be expecting reports from us, too," only to see her eyes shoot wide open. She told her, "I'm still an Alliance officer. Reporting to the Alliance, dead or alive, is my prerogative."

Miranda seemed to resign herself at that. She went quiet and walked out onto the busy hangar deck with Shepard as the ships completed the final checks after their touchdown. Shepard saw a decently well-armored fighter first, its cockpit providing a fairly good view of the surroundings to the pilot. Said pilot sat beside the aircraft in a flight suit, doing a quick check on the craft's systems. She turned and gave a wave to the Commander, smiling, then got back to work, her lekku moving slightly due to the speed she turned her head back with.

Next was an exoatmospheric, sleek-looking gunship with missile launchers and laser cannons mounted front and back. It disgorged a platoon of troops clad in white armors with blue marks. The two leading men wore more ornate gear, though, with 'skirts' and pauldrons with the blue marks. One had a Republic coat of arms emblazoned on the side of his helmet's rounded dome, while the other had an extra layer of chest armor, colored grey, with a blue double chevron poking out from underneath the collar.

Following up, a Dropship that was already preparing to leave, namely a UNSC Pelican, dropped off another of the Master Chief's Spartans onto the deck. The man cradled a Designated Marksman Rifle and wore a matte blueish armor and a helmet with a narrow, menacing-looking orange visor. Last, but not least, was a Colonial Raptor from which a pilot and his systems officer dismounted. The pilot was a handsome young man from the looks. Buzzcut black hair, blue eyes, sharp jaw and all. His SO looked calm, collected. She was cute, too.

General Ahsoka Tano lead the group of soldiers in white and blue up to Shepard. The two women saluted each-other and said, "Commander. Sorry for bringing in a few extra hands, but I figured the boys in Jester Squad could use a little RnR from the Frontline," before turning to introduce them. She pointed at the man with the republic mark on his helmet and said, "This is Jesse, the Lieutenant of Jester."

"Ma'am," Jesse greeted, "Don't worry, team's name's just for show," before casting a glance at the other Trooper and quipping amusedly, "For the most part."

Ahsoka chuckled, then showed the other Trooper and said, "And this is Fives."

"Commander," Fives spoke with a concerningly simialr voice as Jesse. He sounded jovial about it, too, "Don't worry. I won't be too much trouble, I don't think," before crossing his arms to his chest. Shepard looked to the General, to which Ahsoka raised a brow. Shepard made a motion of the hand to the two men, then signed to them to take off their helmets. They did as asked...

"Holy..." Miranda blanked, "Twins?"

"Clones," Ahsoka spoke, surprising the pair further. When she saw just how bug-eyed they'd become, she asked them, "Didn't senator Amidala get to tell you girls that we're using a Clone Army that's numerically supplemented by an experimental volunteer force we call TK Troopers?" only to get synched shakes of the head from them. Ahsoka sighed and replied to them, "Let me reassure you, the boys are just fine. They're great soldiers and even greater men."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, general," Jesse quipped as he and Fives both slid their helmets back on. He then looked to the Commander and told her, "The Clone Army has been fighting the Seppies since the start of the war. I scrapped enough droids myself to tell you we're better," as he patted the two pistols on his hip. Continuing, he told Miranda next, "We're paid with Republic credits, serve the Republic willingly and are treated fairly by most of our officers. General Tano's one of the best."

Ahsoka replied, "Pays to have been serving with them since the start," before putting a hand on the Commander's shoulder and stating, "If you're feeling uncomfortable, we can talk about it, figure out a compromise, but I took the Jesters with me because I figured the extra firepower wouldn't hurt." She sighed, added, "Considering we're apparently hunting some mythical group who abducts people...?"

"Any extra gun is welcome," Shepard conceded with a nod, still slightly surprised. She scratched her cheek, speaking with a lower tone of voice, "Just... Gonna have to get used to the fact you guys are using Clone Troops. Don't let the Citadel know, they have a whole charter on sentient rights," then she sighed. She looked to Miranda and said, "You mind if you lead them to their quarters after we gather everybody, miss Lawson?"

"No, that'll be fine," Miranda replied, still staring at the squad of men led by Jesse and Fives.

"Welcome aboard, gents. Make yourselves at home and watch out for Cerberus staff," The Commander joked, looking back at Miranda, "They're prone to poking and prodding things they don't understand 'till it bites them in the ass," and she smirked as the Clones and the General laughed, while Miranda rolled her eyes. Little jabs like that weren't uncommon between them. Much as Miranda disliked it.

She approached the next man over as the UNSC Pelican took off and was surprised to see he was the sole man dropped off. The Spartan proceeded to salute the Commander, stating, "Spartan Lieutenant number 104 reporting aboard, ma'am. Call me Fred," to which Shepard saluted. They had a Spartan supersoldier with'em now, huh. Fun. Shepard had gotten a little information out of Halsey about them a few hours ago and it turned out they were some of the toughest SOBs in the UNSC.

"Welcome aboard, Lieutenant. I'm Shepard and this is my XO, Lawson," Shepard replied kindly, "Glad to have you on board," and she got a nod from Fred. That seemed to be it for the conversation. Shepard had realized it a minute into sitting face-to-faceplate with the Spartan and not exchanging another word. She dismissed him with another quick salute and a nod, then approached the final party.

The pilot of the Raptor turned about and saluted, stating, "Commander Shepard, sir. My name is Karl Agathon, captain. Callsign's Helo. Good to meet the people we're gonna be supporting from the air," as Shepard gave one back and extended her hand. He told her, "If you need someone jamming Coms while you're down on any rock, me and Charger are your best bet on that," but Shepard could tell something was bothering him as he shook her hand.

"Glad to have you aboard, Helo. We'll trust you got our backs with extra ECM," She replied. She figured it was best to ask him about what was bothering him later, so, she turned to Miranda and said, "If you don't mind leading them to their quarters, I'll go set a course to the system we need to get to. We'll get Okeer and move on to our next series of objectives."

"At your orders, Commander," Miranda replied, seemingly finally happy they were getting a move-on. Shepard understood, getting stuck in one place for this long as probably going to negatively affect their progress on finding the Collectors and dealing with them, so she just took the next elevator up to the bridge. That meant that she'd stayed behind to look at the four new craft.

Ahsoka's fighter looked like a mean, proper warship with twin cannons and lighter weapons, what looked like inbuilt missile launchers and some form of fold-out solar panels. It was colored dark-red with white marks, sort of meant to contrast with her orange skin, she supposed. Shepard also made a mental note to ask the Commander just what Ahsoka's race was for future reference, should she have to visit their Galaxy.

Next was the gunship the Clones had come aboard on. The two pilots were still aboard, seemingly running checks on it. Both waved to the Commander and both wore the samey blue markings and stripes as Fives, Jesse and Jester Squad. She smiled and waved back at them, her mind still partially stuck on the fact they were all Clones, basically siblings. It was cool, a big family and all, but it was also fairly scary.

She noted the heavy cannons and slim, beautiful design of the drop ship, noting that they had two heavy-duty air assets covering them if needed now. Speaking of, she switched to the Raptor itself, a bulky Colonial vessel, painted an almost rusted brown. It had small wings, RCS thrusters and computer systems inside that looked a little ancient, honestly, but they were probably for facing the 'Cylon'. That machine race probably had really good electronic warfare skill.

Was time to set a course to Korlus, though, Shepard thought. She'd see all that stuff in action later.

Above Korlus, some hours later

Shepard stared at a holographic table, having donned her black N7 armor with the white outer and red inner stripes on the left arm. She checked her Carnifex pistol and her Mattock. The bulky, tan rifle was the heaviest AR-type weapon she owned, while the Carnifex was the true definition of a Mass Effect-based hand cannon. She looked at both, stowed the first, watching it collapse into its portable form, then stowed the second, letting it do the same.

She looked at the people around her on the deck of the Kodiak dropship they were about to take down to the planet. She'd elected to bring General Tano and her squad, Frederic, Miranda and Garrus. The latter two were to assess the new arrivals, with Ahsoka noting, "I've called up Reaper Four to provide us air cover. Joker and Blackmail are the pilots..."

"And we have Helo and his Raptor preparing algorithms to jam hostile coms," Fred quipped as he racked the bolt of his honestly ancient-looking slugthrowing firearm. He stood to his feet and said, "I suggest we divide the team, Commander. Take two approaches to this Doctor Okeer's lab, hit them, split their forces. We go in during the confusion, nab the alien and get out."

"Gunship's gonna be running interference against possible enemy air and hardened structures." Jesse continued as he drew his twin blasters, "Reapers are good pilots, damn fine shooters in their bird. They'll get us in and out if things get hairy and we need to bug out, too, considering the cargo space on the new LAATs is actually pretty good," then he looked to Fives, "What're you thinking, Fives? Plan Two-Four?"

"I'll go with Fred if we're splitting the teams," Fives nodded as he readied his DC-15 carbine. The other half-dozen or so clones behind her, whom Shepard had yet to learn the names of, nodded in agreement of the plan to split the teams. Shepard looked to Miranda and Garrus, with the former seemingly staring impassively at the group, while the latter retained some form of a Turian smirk.

Shepard nodded, then said, "Alright. I'm gonna trust one of Doc Halsey's supersoldiers to lead Team Two. We meet at the Lab, nab Okeer, get the hell out with the Gunship. Rifles up, eyes peeled and hit'em hard," as she drew her rifle. They felt the aircraft begin its descent, with Garrus, Ahsoka and Shepard taking position to be the first off the bird. She looked to the General and told her, "Y'know, I thought I got used to working with aliens. This is way beyond my paygrade right now."

Ahsoka snorted, "Don't I know it..." then she drew two hilts from her belt. She looked to the Commander and told her, "This is gonna be interesting. If I caught you folks right, you use slugthrowers. Magnetic in nature," to which she got a nod. She hummed, then ignited the twin plasma blades from the hilts and looked back as she caught the slightest twitch from Fred.

As the Kodiak dropship came down below the cloud layer, the group could finally see the junkyard the planet had turned into. Remnants of old Starships lay strewn about, from hull shapes to small power conduits, still flickering in the darkness of the shaded parts, to even weapons systems, long disassembled and laying strewn about in pieces, like those of a very large and very deadly puzzle.

"So," Shepard looked at Ahsoka, "Laser swords?" and she smiled awkwardly. Ahsoka flashed a grin and jumped down, landing on the first pair of the Blue Suns' mercenaries with acrobatic prowess. Shepard and the others soon rappelled down on dropped lines, with the Commander drawing her rifle and shouldering it as she stared at Ahsoka, impressed. Last to drop in was Fred.

"Lightsabers," Ahsoka corrected, "Long story. We'll talk when we're back aboard the Normandy."

Shepard nodded, then activated her omni-tool and transmitted, "Helo, you're clear to initiate jamming," before shouldering her rifle. The Clones and everyone else formed a perimeter as the speakers around the junkyard began to scream out at them, the Commander sighed as she checked the map she'd received from the Illusive Man, then looked over toward a large crashed cargo hauler. She pointed at it and said, "That's our target."

"... Intruders will be decimated by the Blue Suns' military prowess! Or you can turn around now and avoid needlessly dying to my boys!" A female voice barked over the PA system, clearly full of herself and willing to argue about her and her Mercs' superiority. This was gonna be an interesting outing, Ahsoka thought as she prepared herself to engage the rest of the enemy's troops.

The General sighed and said, "She sure loves to run her mouth," before looking to Miranda, "Any idea who the Blue Suns' commander is on this planet?"

"Her name is apparently Jedore," Miranda replied, powering her Biotics and drawing her submachine gun, while Garrus grabbed his sniper rifle off his back. She told them, "Raptor crew reports hostile communications have been jammed. We should make a move as soon as possible, Commander," and looked at Shepard. The Commander gave a nod of approval, readied her weapon and, with a chop of the hand, told her team to execute the plan.

Chapter Text

The first shots of the battle rang out in Shepard's sector as she led the platoon. Her Mattock barked, rounds ripping through the air and nailing the advancing units of Blue Suns infantry. "God dammit, they took our coms offline!" Complained one of the Blue Suns as he took cover, loading a fresh heat sink into his rifle. He poked out and Jesse, to Shepard's surprise, domed the man with two direct blaster pistol shots. The two holes bored into his helmet replaced the shining eyes of the Mercenary-worn armor's helmet as the corpse collapsed.

Shepard gave Jesse a nod as they advanced, Garrus noting, "I had him," with got a snort out of the clone. The group pushed forward and spread out into the cover provided by the field of trash around them. The Clone Troopers fanned out, forming a perimeter ahead of the command squad while the outpost ahead fired at them. Garrus scoped in one of the gunners and nailed him in the head with his Widow, taking the man's face clean off, then said, "Four more!"

Ahsoka stepped forward, dodging past their rifle shots due to her enhanced reflexes. Her hand shot out, then curled back and one of the men flew toward her. With a swift swipe upward from her lightsaber, she separated his head from his body, then took cover as more rounds from the enemy's kinetic rifles rang out. She used her index and middle to point out to two clones, then brought the fingers together and pointed left. Flanking maneuver.

They nodded, while Ahsoka gave a signal to the others to provide covering fire. Jesse was first to stand up and open up with his blasters toward a hostile Merc on the high ground. Blaster bolts dug holes into rusting metal and even cut through at points where the metal was either thinner or structurally weaker. The Jester SL pushed forward to his General, while Shepard, Miranda and Garrus followed closely behind.

Miranda lifted a biotic barrier between them, making it one-way, before Shepard quipped, "Never thought I'd see energy weapons in action! Your shots are ignoring our freaking barriers!"

Jesse spoke, "You called'em kinetic barriers, didn't you, commander?" as he ducked behind cover and let his blasters cool. Shepard nodded, to which the man replied, "They probably can't handle the heat of a direct blaster bolt strike!" then he poked out again, firing the pistols and telling her, "These damn things are like focused plasma torches in a shot!"

"Or worse!" Ahsoka added, then poked her head out. She ducked as a round from one of the rifles skimmed her cheek. She murmured, "Ugh, if there's one thing I hate about slugthrowers, it's that we can't deflect them. We really should start investing in personal kinetic shielding ourselves if we're gonna be fighting here," only to peer out from behind cover. She gently moved her hand in a round motion, then curled her fingers into a fist, quickly pulling it back.

The shooter slipped back, his shots suddenly going wide. Garrus domed him with a sniper rifle round clean through the forehead, while the last two Mercenaries were suddenly and rapidly gunned down by the clones Ahsoka had sent on a flank. Miranda lowered the barrier and breathed a sigh, then said, "Not bad, Lieutenant," as she looked at Jesse. The man nodded in thanks, then the group pushed forward, taking up a forward chevron formation, Jester Squad's heavy gunner in the lead with his Z6 Rotary.

Shepard approached the corpse of a dead man as they entered a 'valley' between two semi-dismantled vessels. She plucked up the man's helmet and listened in, hearing nothing but static, overarching and repeating calls and whatever other jamming Helo was employing. She mumbled, "Should've started investing in Electronic Warfare earlier on," before tossing the helmet aside and rejoining the formation. She said to the group, "Seems like captain Agathar's doing his job alright. Confusion across the net."

The commander of the Garrison present seemed to be getting all the more pissed at them. The swearing made it even more obvious, Shepard thought as she decided to mentally tune out the words coming out of her mouth over the loudspeakers. Ahsoka, however, said, "She really hates us now that we've managed to scramble her brains hard enough... Let's see how bad the other outposts get."

"How's she even talking if we're jamming coms?" The Clone in the lead of the formation, the gunner simply named Bold, "Hell, you'd think the kriffin' bitch would shut her mouth..." which got a few laughs out of the boys as they pushed through the place, riflemen sweeping even the metallic ridges above with their blasters. Garrus himself looked at Shepard as she kept her Mattock pointed up.

He asked her, "You alright, Shepard?"

She enumerated, "Backed up by a platoon of special forces, a supersoldier and an electronic warfare bird, with a gunship on tap..." then smirked, "Never been better, Garrus. It feels like I'm back with the Alliance Military..." and the two smiled at each-other. Looking over to Miranda, she said, "And we got one hell of a biotic with us. Nice work with that barrier."

"Thanks, Commander," She replied, scanning the areas around with her own SMG. She mumbled, "Feel a little under-armored for this, though," as they walked past another corpse. This one wasn't made by them, though, so she paused and knelt to check it. Shepard whistled and signaled a hold, the platoon now forming a perimeter around her and Miranda. She gave a gentle preliminary check to the human corpse, blanked and said, "This man's got broken bones. Like something rammed into him."

"Something?" Jesse asked as he held his blaster pistols close, "The hell could break a man like that?"

"Okeer's a Krogan," Shepard spoke as she knelt beside the corpse and took his helmet off. She saw the fractured jaw hanging slack, the caved-in skull and missing teeth and the swollen eye, then said, "Might be trying to cure the Genophage here through some workaround..." and stood up, "Seen it with Saren two years back. Krogans are aggressive, big lizard-like sons-of-bitches. One of my best friends is a Krogan."

"I sort of miss Wrex," Garrus joked, "Especially in situations like these. He'd be laughing his tail off at this whole mess."

Ahsoka asked, "What's the Genophage? Some sort of disease if the Krogan are working to cure it?" and she stared Shepard and Garrus in their eyes. The two exchanged quick glances, then Shepard laughed awkwardly. A crash, steel hitting the muddy, dirty floor, echoed and all the dozen or so guns immediately pointed at the new target. Blood foaming at the corners of his mouth, a pallid Blue Suns soldier stepped out of cover.

He stared up at them and said, "Oh, fu-..." before starting to violently cough. He collapsed onto the floor, leaning against one of the walls and holding onto the wound he had on his hip. Shepard showed everyone to settle down, then stepped forward, kneeling beside the man and stowing her rifle. He looked up at her and said, "Go on... Put me outta my misery. Can't be any worse than if Jedore finds out about the Krogans roaming this mess..."

"I ain't here to kill you," She replied, then looked back as the others set up another defensive perimeter. She said to him, "I just wanna talk. Get some info on where to find Okeer and about what the hell happened here."

"Okeer happened," Coughed the man, staring at her, "Long story, Blue Suns secret."

Shepard rolled her eyes and lifted up a canister marked 'MEDI-GEL' in big, bold letters. She told him, "I wanna give this to you. Make it worth my while by spilling corporate secrets and I'll even pretend you weren't here in the first place. You can get off this rock if you find a ship, too," then she dangled it over his head and snatched it back as he tried to grab it. She said, "Just tell me the info."

The soldier sighed, swore under his breath and started, "Okeer... He's a millennia old soldier. Bet you read that on his file if you're here to grab him," to which he got a nod from both Miranda and Shepard. He continued, glad to be right on that end, "He obviously wants to cure the Genophage and has the brains to do so. Smartest lizard I've seen out of the lot of'em... Thing is, he thinks he can cure it by cloning. Has some Darwinistic tendencies..."

"Cloning Krogan," Jesse spoke, kneeling in front of the man, too. He mumbled a sarcastic, "Fun."

"And illegal," Shepard murmured, then said, "He's cloning Krogan and probably making them aggressive as all hell, going by what you and your mangled buddy back there look like," and she tilted her head toward the corpse only a hundred meters away from them. The man swallowed, coughed blood and spat it to the side, then nodded. Shepard sighed deeply, adding, "And let me guess. Your bosses wanted them as shock troops, but, in the usual mad scientist fashion, the Krogans escaped. Started killing your people. We're gonna probably run into'em farther ahead."

"Yeah..." He nodded. Shepard looked back at everyone, with Ahsoka giving a nod of approval while the others simply held point. She shrugged, leaned forward and utilized the Canister, spraying it into his injuries and letting it flow into his body. He breathed a deep sigh of relief at that, rubbing his face, then offered, "Thanks. Didn't actually expect you to keep your word," as Shepard helped him to his feet.

She pat him down and said, "That's something that's never gonna be drilled outta me. Get moving if you wanna get off this rock," to which the man nodded, hobbling away. The Commander let out a deep breath, then radioed, "This is Team 1 to Team 2, beware of possible contact with Krogan berserkers. Bastards are trying to cure the Genophage by cloning more Krogan, probably for their shock troops. Load armor piercing rounds."

Fred replied rather monotonely, "We copy you, commander. Hostiles already encountered in our sector. We're facing delays, but will hopefully be able to get some time back in a few. Team 2, out," all while gunfire filtered through the com. The link went quiet, to which Shepard chuckled. She motioned for the team to keep moving forward and drew her Mattock again.

"My boys cheered him on over the com just a sec ago," Jesse joked as he scanned the area ahead. Stairwells, a straight ascent and a lot of enemy outposts currently in disarray. The distant gunfire filled their ears and the roars of Krogans filtered through it, muffling the screams of the people they were catching out in the open while they were trying to re-establish coms. The pistoleer Clone said, "Even Fives. Seems like he knows how to knock heads together."

"If you'd read his file," Shepard joked as she lead the group forward, pushing past a corner and sniping a Merc whose shields were down, his brain-pan suddenly painting the entire rusted wall behind him a brighter shade of red. The Clones pushed deeper into what seemed to be a listening post or shanty town as more and more of Jedore's boasting echoed over the com. Jesse looked to Shepard and Ahsoka for approval, nodded and shot the PA system, causing sparks to fly and scaring the half of a platoon currently spread out across this place.

The Clones, Shepard and Miranda pushed forward, while Ahsoka guided Garrus's sniper shots and held her Lightsabers close in case anyone was gonna swing their way. She mumbled, "Y'know, I'm less and less fond of facing people throwing slugs my way instead of plasma or blaster bolts," before utilizing the Force to disarm an enemy soldier, literally twisting his arms, breaking them and forcing him to drop his gun.

Garrus domed another and said, "You're quite rough with that magic of yours..."

"The Force ain't simple magic. And I got taught by the best in the Knights of the Republic," She replied, taking cover as a round zipped right between the two 'horns' on the top of her lekku. She murmured, "Not like it's gonna be of any help, dodging these shots..." then paused as a lilac glow appeared in the corner of her vision. She blanked, right beside Garrus who wore what could only be described as a smile.

The two watched the Commander power on her Biotics. A purple aura surrounded the form and armor of the woman in charge of the Normandy and her ground teams. It wasn't long after that that dust kicked up around her. A flurry of lilac light flowed like a trail toward one of the enemy soldiers and the Commander reappeared, draped in that power as a kinetic shockwave sent the man's body flying into a wall, snapping his spine.

Enemy hound-shaped mechs, two-eyed warmachines of both bipedal and quadrupedal form, charged out of the darkness. The Clones all laughed at this, with Jesse calling out, "Seems like we can't get away from it anywhere! LET'S SCRAP SOME CLANKERS, BOYS!" before opening up with his blasters. The platoon formed a firing line and gunned down the advancing YMIR-class mechs and their supporting elements, plugging the larger cannon-armed units full of blaster holes.

Ahsoka looked to Garrus as the man sniped away at the enemy Drones, then smirked. Letting the Force flow into her body, her mind and, specifically, her feet, Ahsoka stood. Moments later, to Garrus, it seemed like an orange, blue and white blur had just skipped past him, glowing emerald blades moving like a wall of plasma and light. Moments later, Ahsoka reappeared next to the Commander, slicing in half a massive mech that had aimed its rocket launchers at her. She spun about, threw her lightsaber at a platoon of smaller humanoids armed with rifles, then caught the spinning sword mid-flight.

She looked to Shepard and said, "Nice moves, Commander!"

Shepard whistled and replied, "Not bad yourself, General!" before the pair took cover as another platoon of Blue Suns charged them. Shepard checked her watch and said, "Gotta keep moving if we're hoping to make the RV with Fred's team..." before she watched a Clone long-arm a grenade of some kind. The explosion that followed was so powerful and deafening it made Shepard's chest shake.

"Easy on the thermal dets!" Jesse ordered as they pushed forward, taking a knee. He told the Commander, "Pitcher's trigger-happy with them. Has one hell of an arm for throwing them, too," then he ducked as a bullet rang off his helmet. He mumbled, "Slugthrowers with lower power my rear, I felt that one rattling my teeth..." which caused Shepard to look up.

She radioed, "Garrus, sniper, top of that gantry! Sniper!" before hearing a distant shot ring out. Atop a gantry that was holding a decommissioned reactor, the Blue Suns shooter up above now painted the wall and fell over the railing, a sickening, but distant crunch causing the fighting to pause for a moment. It wasn't long after that the first of the hostile Berserkers made its appearance.

The Cloned Krogan were another variation of the same crime to Shepard. Monsters made to be used as weapons and presumably discarded later. Clad in blood-red armor, armed with shotguns and fury boiling in their veins because of whatever modifications Okeer made to them, a trio of Berserkers charged into the line of fire. The Z6-carrying heavy Clone suddenly found himself slammed into and thrown against a wall, alive, but injured.

Ahsoka narrowly managed to acrobatics her way away from the one charging her, then sliced another's left arm off only to get pinned against the wall by it. It roared in rage, the helmet on its face emitting steam from the filters on its sides. She grit her teeth, put her palm against the helmet and, pouring Force Power into it, squeezed until she started seeing the helmet crack.

When it shattered, she saw the Krogan's lizardlike face, the heavy armor plate adorning the top of its hunch and head and the fury burning in those eyes. Without hesitation, she put the tip of her blade clean between its eyes, twisted and pulled out, leaving a neat little plasma-drilled superheated hole right into its brain. As it registered it was dead, she kicked off of it and sliced another's legs off.

A volley of blaster bolts gunned down the third, finishing off what they'd started. The Z6 gunner huffed and spoke, "Take that, you kriffing son of a bantha..." before groaning, "Ugh, my chest... They hit hard, the bastards..."

Garrus walked up to him and stuck him with a canister of Medi-Gel, telling him, "You can whine, you can move, Trooper," then offering him his hand. The gunner nodded in thanks to Garrus, then hefted his weapon as Jesse, Shepard and Ahsoka rallied them to move forward and make the RV point at the base of the ship. More Mechs, rogue Krogan and enemy troops waited.

With Frederic and Fives, the situation was proving just as tenuous. The Spartan slid underneath a charging Berserker, stopped himself and jumped to his feet, before clambering onto the back carapace of the Berserker and putting the edge of his blade through a small seam between the helmet and armor. Below said seam, he cut into cartilage and then into bone, severing the roaring lizard's spine.

He jumped off of the creature and landed in a combat roll, drawing his rifle off his back and firing two shots. One killed the target's kinetic barriers, the other took his helmet off. Following up, he switched his DMR to full auto and let loose with suppressing fire while Fives and the other clones pushed up, blaster bolts flying in reply to the Mercenaries' rifles.

Fives said, "Y'know, this isn't how I thought I was gonna spend my RnR!" jokingly. He poked out and fired a full burst from his blaster rifle, then ducked as a round struck close enough to his visor to crack it. He swore, "Kriff, that got my visor..." before he knelt behind cover. Fred gave him an 'okay' sign, meaning he was covering, to which the man took his helmet off and looked it over. He let the self-repair systems engage(Something he'd really only seen on Commando helmets before), then slid the helmet back on.

Standing up, he pushed up to Fred, next to an overturned starfighter. He fired his blaster at the same time, watching as his boys took cover to let their weapons cool, or outright returned fire. Enemy mechs, rogue psychotic lizards and platoons of mercenaries. He mumbled, "I swear I've been in a similar situation with Rex and General Skywalker before this..."

Fred stepped ahead of the line of fire, taking several shots into his golden-glowing shields to protect a clone trooper. He spoke to Fives, "Behind me. Blast the bastards," before he primed a grenade and long-armed it toward the enemy. Fives didn't have to be told twice, taking cover behind the walking, seven-foot-tall tank and firing his blaster at enemy positions on the tops of rusting containers and ramshackle shacks turned into defensible positions.

The Clones advancing with him fired DC-15 and DC-15a blasters at the enemy, with the Carbine troops pushing up behind Fred and using him like a living tank:For cover. Rounds sparked off of his shield while he shot at the enemy, suppressing the hostile troopers and cutting down another Krogan that charged him. Fives domed another man on a rooftop, patted Fred on the shoulder and got zapped by the shield, shaking his hand after the zap coursed through his glove. It was minor and he could still aim.

Fred stopped, then took off in a blindingly fast sprint toward a Krogan that was charging them, slamming into it like a sledgehammer hitting a reinforced concrete wall, an unstoppable force meeting a momentarily immovable object. The two pushed against each-other like two young men roughhousing, though, in this case, Fred felt the weight and strength behind the Krogan soldier's muscles and body. It growled at him, hissing steam from its mask still, then headbutted Fred off of it and drew its shotgun.

Two shots nailed Fred center-mass, one managing to damage, the other to almost completely drain his shields. Fred was quick, however, much quicker than the enemy. He ducked under the third shot and charged, sweeping the legs out from under the Krogan before turning it onto its belly, putting his hands together and pummeling the monster's back until the armor and following that, its spine cracked and broke. A single hit and he'd just broken an enemy's back.

Fives pushed up beside him and cut down two men with his blaster, then said, "Nearly got two on your back, sir," with a bit of smugness in his voice. He then chopped an open left palm open to a target position at nine o'clock and another at one o'clock, his troopers immediately responding and taking positions and exchanging fire with retreating Blue Suns as Fred recovered his shields.

Distant gunfire grew closer, followed by the thunder of footsteps, as they approached the meeting point and the ship that was now being used as a research base. Shepard greeted the Lieutenant with a smirk, "Just in time, eh?" to which Fred nodded. She looked back at Miranda and said, "Let's get ready to call the Gunship. We'll need to haul ass outta here fast after we get Okeer."

"I'll call it," Jesse replied, "Lead the way, Commander, El-Tee..."

The pair nodded, then kicked the door in as soon as everyone had stacked up. The Troopers, Spartan and crew of the Normandy kicked the metaphorical door, pushing into the rusting hallways of the vessel and engaging the enemy they caught in their sights. Blue Suns troops died, firing their weapons at the Commander and her crew or trying to run away.

Shepard pied a door, but ducked into cover as shots rang out. Ahsoka was quick, grabbing a thermal det from one of her boys, priming it and throwing it within the confines of the room before taking cover. The blast shook the room and the hull of the ship groaned, but they'd cleared themselves a path, past corpses and the screeching steel, past dying hostiles and Mercs fighting Berserkers.

Right into the open heart of the vessel. Bringing up the rear, Fred decided to provide security with Jesse and Fives, noting, "Bastards barely knew we were coming..."

"Remind me to buy Helo and his co-pilot a drink," Fives quipped as he turned to watch Shepard interrogating a blue-skinned 'Asari' scientist clad in a white suit with a red stripe across the chest area. He watched Garrus join them, too, his own burst-firing rifle drawn and at the ready, before he asked him, "How's it looking in there? We know where Okeer and the Merc boss are?"

"Girl's someone we found on Virmire, back when we were fighting another fairly familiar big bad," Garrus quipped as he shouldered his rifle, "She helped with researching the Genophage, to try and cure it. We stopped that and damn near got ourselves shot by our Krogan buddy," which garnered snorts out of the pair of clones and a hum out of Fred, who kept his eyes down-range.

Jesse quipped, "You guys sound like you had your kriffin' fill of big, galaxy-saving adventures."

Garrus contained his laughter to a mere short chuckle, then replied, "Can't exactly say 'no' when your old boss comes back from the dead and asks you to go on another one, or ten," which caused Fives to burst into a short laugh, too. He told them, "You two ain't anything to scoff at. Clones or not, I'll be damned if General Tano wasn't right about you boys."

"You're a good shot, Garrus. And the fact Fives didn't complain about Fred," Jesse shot back, garnering a short snort out of the Spartan. He continued, "Maybe this posting won't be so bad if the locals are nice."

"Basics ain't so bad, eh?" Joked Fives. A whistle echoed and the group turned to face the women and the rest of the clones. Shepard waved them forward and the trio of leaders nodded Shepard went in first with Miranda and Ahsoka, the girls preparing to meet Okeer farther ahead. Indeed, after another series of short firefights, the group saw him. Sat in the control room above a cryogenics lab and with a fairly vile scowl on his millennia old face, Okeer turned to face the arriving crew. There was a tank next to him... With a Krogan inside.

"It's about time you arrived," The alien spoke, "The batteries on these tanks will not wait while you play with these idiotic mercs."

Ahsoka murmured, "Ain't he already a ray of sunshine," as she crossed her arms and approached the window, peering down at the dozens of tanks of Krogan built for Jedore's supposed military force. She listened to Okeer monologue. Whatever 'Darwinism' was, Ahsoka soon understood it as a sort of 'survival of the fittest, the best and brightest'. She didn't approve it, so working with Okeer was bound to be one hell of a fun ride. The Krogan in the tank was pure, huh?

"... It is a matter of my legacy," Voiced Okeer.

Jedore spoke over the com, furious, "I realized it was you who released the Berserkers, Okeer. Hell of a mistake after we gave you all you wanted," then she growled, "We're coming for you and your buddies. They won't find you or your little toy soldier in the cryo-tank in this mess, especially when I'm done burying you," and the PA system shut off. Okeer sighed.

"Seems we may have to accelerate our plans," The Krogan spoke, "Go. Hold her off while I prepare myself and my creation for extraction."

Ahsoka quipped, "Oh, Extraction won't be a problem," as she watched Jedore, clad in blue armor with what looked to be extra external holographic layers hovering around her, enter the room down below with a rocket launcher. She spoke over com, "Reaper Four, you're up. Time to shoot Jedore off her high horse, boys," only for Okeer to blank. He listened in the distance.

The hum of antigravity engines filled their ears, followed by the thunderclap of missiles exploding the rooftop. Through the breach, the Republic gunship descended, greeting the Mercenaries down below with accurate anti-infantry laser fire and causing Jedore to take cover as her men were being gunned down. She poked out and aimed her launcher, then swore something at them and fired.

The gunship shifted left, letting the missile hit the ceiling instead of them, then aimed at her. Both cannons soon barked in unison. A full burst of energy caught the woman, tearing her to shreds down below, to which Shepard whistled in surprise. Garrus got a slight shiver up his spine, while the Clones gave thumbs up and cheers. Miranda, seemingly impressed, nodded her approval, then looked to Okeer.

"That was easy..." Garrus quipped, staring at the corpses, then at the Krogan in the cryogenic tank.

Aboard the  Galactica

Beta Viperidae system

Star Road Terminus Station

While the outer structure of the facility was still being built, Doctor Halsey had been authorized by both the UNSC and the Colonial Government and Military to come aboard and learn more of the 'Cylon Threat'. Marching through the strangely angular corridors of the Galactica under the escort of the Chief and a platoon of Marines from the UNSC's own Corps, the Doctor and Commander Adama both moved to meet the local Infiltrator.

Sharon. The fact that she had a name was a bitter pill to swallow. Halsey had expected a number out of what was supposed to be an automaton army that had wiped out all but fifty thousand humans in the Twelve Colonies' Galaxy. Part of her had felt a similar degree of rage toward the Cylons when she'd heard that as she felt when the Covenant had started burning their worlds.

But then she heard Sharon had a lover, friends, what she believe to be a family. It was both interesting and terrifying to think about, considering what she used to think of living, thinking machines like them. She wondered for a moment just how alike a human and a Cylon Infiltrator were, to the point she figured she could go to the named doctor Gaius Baltar, the lead researcher of the Colonials.

As she was led to the cell by Adama, he told her, "Be extremely careful. If there's anything these infiltrators are good at, it's lying."

"Only fitting, I suppose," Halsey sighed, then nodded for Adama to open the door. The Commander did as asked, hitting the door open mechanism and allowing Halsey to walk inside. It was at that moment she saw Sharon Valerii, the disgraced Lieutenant and Cylon Spy. A beautiful young woman who stared at Halsey as if she was suddenly face-to-face with the boogeyman... Understandably, Halsey thought to herself.

She greeted, "Hello, Miss Valerii... We have much to talk about."

Chapter Text

Halsey and Sharon stared at one-another. It hadn't been a long interview, but Sharon could probably tell of the distaste Halsey had for the ones that had attempted to wipe humanity out. Then again, Halsey had learned a little of the Cylon as well, and with the physiological research she heard doctor Baltar had supposedly done, she could learn even more. Still, she stared at the pregnant Sharon and part of her wondered just how much of the Infiltrator was human.

She spoke as kindly as she could muster, "Thank you for your time, miss Valerii," before sighing and stowing her tablet away. Sharon didn't seem to know much of anything, in truth. She'd told Halsey all that she remembered about her time on the desolate wasteland that now was Caprica, of the Cylon Infiltrators' various models, including her own and all that. Halsey told her, "I'm sure I'll be able to put in a good word to the Commander and President for you being so keen to cooperate."

"A new face to humanity helped," Sharon spoke, a little awkward. She joked, "Though your troops glaring at me from behind the grates and bulletproof glass did also persuade me to talk," motioning to the Chief. The Spartan perked up a little at that and Halsey, in her infinite wisdom, gave a simple wave of her hand to show him it was fine. He nodded, paused for a moment, then Halsey put her hands next to her head and moved them up. The Spartan once again took a pause, then nodded and gently removed his helmet, revealing the tired, old, scarred face of the hero of mankind. He remained impassive, though he didn't seem that hostile.

Sharon smiled a little at the show of kindness that was revealing the face of one of the soldiers keeping tabs on them. She sighed, relaxing a little, then said, "Thanks for the offer, Doctor, but I understand fully why I'm in this cage. I can't blame the Commander..."

"Another version of you putting two slugs into the man's chest," Halsey replied, surprising her. She told the girl nonchalantly, "Our little alliance is being built on trust of one-another. To that point, I, as acting Admiral and director of the Office of Naval Intelligence, have had to give up some approved information of my own. They told me of many of the things the survivors of the Twelve Colonies have had to face before I came here."

"Don't presume they told you that there might still be plenty of survivors on Caprica...?" She asked, leaning back and rubbing her belly. She smiled as she felt the baby kick, then told Halsey, "She's moving around an awful lot in there..."

The doctor couldn't help but crack a small, melancholic smile as she remembered her own pregnancy. With a heavy sigh, she told Sharon, "Captain Thrace did mention they ran into survivors on Caprica, yes. A Resistance group," before she checked her tablet, "I wished to speak to UNSC HIGH-COM in order to see if we can start sending them supplies... Though I hope you wouldn't tell that to your kin?"

"I don't think I can," Sharon admitted awkwardly, "Also... Uhm..."

The awkwardness which the humanlike Cylon woman now displayed made Halsey blink. The emotions were far too real to simply be displays made to confuse the human mind, she thought. She gave a slow, calm wave of her hand to allow Sharon to continue. Sharon did, "Helo sent me a letter about there being actual, living aliens in the Galaxy we're currently in. Is it true?"

"Well, yes," Halsey replied, "Not only do we have aliens in this Galaxy, but mine and the Republic's as well. The Galactic Republic Admiral we've talked to is, in fact, an alien with a somewhat human appearance," before she pulled up the image of the man on her tablet, a photograph taken by Alliance and ONI staff to show. The tall man, clad in the grey Galactic Republic Navy uniform, stood proudly, his face showing no emotion as his red eyes peered into the cameras.

Sharon seemed scared for the first few seconds, but childlike curiosity seemed to snuff out the fear as she saw the humanlike features of the Chiss admiral. She smiled and said, "This is amazing... All this time, we all thought we were alone," before looking at Halsey, "Not to say intergalactic travel isn't amazing, but you get my point, right?! Aliens! Honest-to-God Aliens!"

Halsey genuinely cracked a smile at that, covering her mouth to hide it. The beauty of a human, or even something human-made like these Cylons, facing a peaceful First Contact with such wonder made the jaded heart of the woman a little warmer. It was something that'd been sadly ripped from the people of the Unified Earth Government thirty-four years ago.

She shut off the tablet and stood up, then said, "As I'm doing the rounds aboard each allied vessel to help the UNSC understand you all for now, it might be a while before you see me again, miss Valerii. Thank you again for your time."

Sharon chuckled, "All I have is time while I'm in here, doctor. Glad that I could be of some help to your people, too..." then she took a good second to ponder what else to say. She settled on, "And thanks for even considering trying to talk to the Commander and President for me," then looked down at her tummy and put her hands on it, "If nothing else, I just want to keep my baby, raise her with Karl whenever he comes back from his assignment..."

As a former mother herself, one who'd lost her daughter at a late age, Halsey understood. She replied to the girl, "I will do my best to convince them. Farewell, miss Valerii," then turned and faced the door. The Colonial Marine on guard duty opened the door, allowing Halsey to step outside. She thanked the man quietly, then waved to John to follow her. As they walked down the corridors, the Spartan's footsteps thundering against the steel plate below them, Halsey said, "They truly seem too human, these Infiltrator models."

Chief inquired, "Concerned over something, ma'am?" with little change in his tone.

"No," Halsey replied, calm, "From the way I've heard and seen Adama talk about miss Valerii," and she looked at John as they walked, "The man still cares about her as if she was his own daughter, understandably. The Galactica crew seem fairly tight-knit as far as families go..." she lifted her tablet and started writing, "To that extent, I will very much request something that may ease the Commander's life in terms of the 'question' of the halfbreed child. I will ask that she be kept alive simply so we may non-invasively study her."

"Do you think they'll let that happen, ma'am? The Cylons wiped out their homeworlds and families, too," John perceived it through a military and surprisingly human lens at the same time. Halsey was impressed, listening to him as he spoke, "They might try to keep the baby away from Lieutenant Valerii and Lieutenant Agathon at the very least. Fears of possibly raising an enemy among their ranks..."

"Then, we'll just do what we can," Halsey shrugged, "This alliance is already more in their favor than anyone else's. They have pretty much already received the lion's share of it:Options in regards to where to settle, either in UEG or Systems Alliance space, they have the guaranteed protection from us, the Alliance and the Republic and they might even have a consolidated force to retake the Twelve Colonies with if so requested and negotiated. Saving a child and its mother and letting them live somewhat normal lives seems fairly disingenuous of them to refuse..."

"Hope you're right, doctor," Chief replied calmly, all while Cortana seemed to be surprisingly quiet on the matter. Halsey appreciated the AI not interrupting to give her own opinion here. There was a certain bias to be expected from an AI, due to being artificial and organic in nature, much like the Cylons. She would not have even held it against Cortana if she did intervene.

They stopped in front of a door, hearing the ramblings of a man inside. Halsey noted that this was, in fact, the bulkhead door leading to current Vice President and Doctor Baltar's laboratory. She breathed in, sighed and mumbled to herself, "Time to see our Colonial counterpart..." before calmly knocking on the door. The rambling seemed to cease, only for the door to unlock moments later, revealing a man clad in a shirt, tie, suit pants and a labcoat, as well as glasses. His long hair was unkempt and a mess and his five o'clock shadow was growing closer to a very unmaintained beard.

He and Halsey stared eye-to-eye for a moment, before the woman spoke, "Doctor and VP Baltar, I presume?" and extended her hand. Gaius blinked, staring in pure surprise at the woman. She told him, "I had half-expected you to be away, dealing with issues of the Vice-Presidency. I am glad I caught you in your laboratory," as she waited to shake his hand.

"Uhm," Gaius blinked, then replied, "Oh, yes, indeed. You are... Doctor Halsey, I believe?" and shook her hand, only to blank the moment the looming shadow of the Spartan appeared in the corner of his eye. He looked at the Chief and went bug-eyed while the Spartan simply stood there. The supersoldier offered him a nod of acknowledgement, to which Gaius waved, surprised.

"I understand you have a Cylon detection method, correct?" Halsey asked, straight to the point. He took a brief second to understand the question, then tilted his head forward, confirming it. Halsey told him, "I'd like to see it. It might be useful if we wake up with them on our own turf," to which the man awkwardly and almost bumblingly let her in.

When she'd arrived at the computer designed to examine blood samples for the Tell of Cylon versus human blood, she saw the differences, noting them down. She hummed, then looked up as she saw Gaius whispering to something behind him, only to clear her throat, taking his attention toward her. She said, "The Algorithm, while genius, is surprisingly slow... Did you intend to upgrade its speed?"

"Yes," Gaius nodded, then sighed, "Doctor, do you mind me asking some questions?"

"By all means?" Halsey replied as she checked the code, making sure to save a copy on her tablet for later verification. She saw him turn his head ever so slightly to listen to something that was talking to him. Halsey knew this type of person. She deduced Baltar from the get-go. No, he was not cowardly. Had Halsey been a little younger, she was pretty sure she would've reacted with much the same fear about the existence of humans in other Galaxies as he did.

He was a selfish animal. She could tell by the face alone, by that look in his eyes. He wasn't even a simple monster of science like herself, rather a man stuck with his basest instincts taking somewhat of a forefront in his mind. However, above all others, he thought right now of his survival. She wondered what it meant for their alliance, stating simply, "Calm down, doctor. I merely seek to understand the people I will working with on the Waystation."

"Of course," Gaius sighed deeply, taking his glasses off, "Pardon me, doctor, but it's still... Hard. Getting used to the idea we ran into several new species and two new groups of humans with homeworlds, colonies, ships..." then, he looked Halsey in the eye as he told her, "The Algorithm for the detector. I've been meaning to improve it somehow, but my mind is blanking currently due to the situation. If you have any ideas, I am willing and able to listen..."

Halsey nodded. Good, she thought. He knew what was good for him...

... Meanwhile, on the hangar deck of the Galactica, Lee and Kara watched with smirks on their faces, listening to an elderly UNSC Marine barking, "... And don't get me started on the sloppy formation and the looks y'all are givin' me! You're staring at my black ass like I'm Satan himself, crawled outta the gates of hell to get your heads out of your own prissy asses!" then taking a deep, long drag of his cigar. Scratching his salt-and-pepper mustache and grinning as he took the cigar from between his lips, he spoke, "But that don't matter none to me, honestly. I'm here cuz your Colonel, Tigh, asked me to see what the hell kinda Dogs he has on board his ship. That is little pups... Or Devil Dogs."

Kara, though amused, asked, "And who're you, then?"

The man smirked, showing the pearly white teeth that he was known for, his brown eyes locked onto Starbuck. Facing the Marines, he spoke, "My name's Sergeant-Major Avery Junior Johnson. Call me Johnson, Sarge, or Sergeant-Major. I'm one of the men of the United Nations Space Command's Marine Corps. Your new best friends," with a certain pride in his voice.

"Most of these guys have shot at tin cans that'd probably make you blush, Sarge," Kara quipped, facing the man. Johnson snorted at that, to which she said, "I'm serious. Cylons ain't anything to scoff at. Toaster bastards are deadly in the air as they are on the ground. Hell, I can tell you these weapons saved our asses on multiple occasions. Admittedly, they take a few shots to take down the bastards, but-"

Johnson looked over to the Marine in front of him and requested, "Hand me your weapon, son," only to slowly be handed the strange bullpup weapon. It was a black rifle, made mostly of polymer, but with a magazine in the rear grip. The stock was almost like a thumbhole one. Johnson found and hit the magazine release and examined the ammunition, then blinked. He looked at the blonde and said, "These are nine millimeter rounds. Barely fast or capable enough to penetrate light armor."

"Well, they did good enough for us most of the time," Kara mumbled, partially lying.

Lee stepped in and told him, "Sergeant-Major, with all due respect, do you see where we are?" as he opened his arms, broadly showing their surroundings. Johnson nodded, well-aware they were on a ship, to which Lee asked, "What kind of rounds do you usually employ for defending your warships if you get boarded, then?" only to yet again pause as Johnson pulled a shotgun shell out of his rig and showed it to them.

"Eight Gauge soelkraft Buckshot most of the time in my case," Johnson grinned, then stowed the shell back into his rig. He then pulled out his pistol and showed the men the magazine, "Or Fifty Caliber semi-armor piercing high explosive. For when you really wanna hurt somebody," before turning to face the man and asked, "Captain Adama, right? Lieutenant Thrace's buddy."

"Yes," Apollo then replied, staring at the magazine as Johnson slotted it back into his pistol.

He told them, "Trust me when I tell you, sir, I'd rather be packin' these in case your bot buddies decide to swing by and take a pot shot at us. I'm not sayin' your stuff doesn't work for you, but I am sayin' I'm a little disappointed you're reducin' yourselves to using low-caliber rounds against them. Readin' the briefings about them that Commander Adama wrote, it makes me think we should really start supplyin' you lot with good guns ASAP."

Kara blinked, then asked, "You folks actually fight Aliens, right?"

"Yes," Johnson replied, then smirked as he said, "Marine Corps' job. Kick alien ass and look damn fine while doin' it," before asking her, "You folks don't have that many aliens in your home Galaxy aside from the tin cans, right? Toasters as you call'em," and got confirmation from Kara. He told them, "Our people ain't that different, El-Tee. We lost worlds, too, we just never had to go full Ark to escape our enemy. And thing is, we wanna help against the Bots, much as Command doesn't wanna get into another War. It's why I'm here, prepping to train your Marines and give them some new weapons to fight the Toasters with. Lil' Common Ground."

Kara sighed, then said, "If getting your guns means I get to pack something other than the standard Colonial sidearm in my Viper, that's fine by me. They really made them a bit unwieldy," before looking to Lee, "Think your dad and the Prez really approved provisions like new guns for our troops? I mean, I know Tigh approved of a harder training for the Marines, but new gear...?"

"President Roslin's having talks with everyone from the Alliance to the UEG right now, but military stuff goes through the Commander," Lee replied calmly, crossing his arms to his chest, "So, yeah, it's probable he approved the re-training. I don't think he expected you all to be so prompt, though, Sergeant-Major, what with the mess that the Colonial Fleet is right now. Rumors abound about the Two Earths and our Republic partners..."

"Rumor Mill always goes strong in a small group. Fifty thousand folks ain't that big a party," Johnson quipped, then slid his cigar between his lips. He noticed the case of cigars in Starbuck's breast pocket and, in a surprising move to the UNSC staff present near the Pelican they'd come in with, offered one of his own to Kara. He then said to the two, "Don't know much about the Systems Alliance folk yet myself, but I know the UEG won't force y'all to pick us as a new home. Vote it out for all we care, but we got your backs."

"Reassuring," Lee nodded, "Thanks, Sergeant-Major."

"Welcome, cap. Mind me gettin' back to work with your Marines?" He asked. The two officers shook their heads. Johnson gave them a salute out of respect, then swiveled about after receiving a salute back. Kara and Lee exchanged a quick look, then Kara removed the tip of the cigar, slid it between her teeth and used her lighter. Taking a puff from the cigar, she smirked and gave a nod of approval. The two then watched a Republic transport and an Alliance shuttle touch down in the hangar, too, presumably for a little chat.

Maybe this was gonna go well after all, both she and Lee thought...

Aboard the  Normandy

Shepard found herself once again walking through the ship, this time heading right down to the Hangar to engage in small-talk with a certain someone. General Tano was an alien, that was for sure. She didn't know the species, what she was capable of and all that, she just knew the girl was from the Republic, had fought in a war against their Separatist enemies and was a high-ranking officer fighting the enemy still. The thing was, she looked incredibly young.

As the elevator reached the bottom of the shaft and the door slid open, the Commander marched out onto the deck, unsurprised to see the Clone Troopers, a dozen or so men with the same face, just varying features like haircuts, hair colors and tattoos. They were laughing, chatting, betting on something. Even Jesse and Fives seemed to be engaged in the small-talk.

To the right, she saw Helo tending to their aircraft, his co-pilot checking shipboard systems. She'd need to have a talk with him later. Regardless of how calm he seemed right now and how nicely he smiled to the crew, the man was troubled by something. Understandably, Shepard thought, since apparently his girlfriend turned out to be a Cylon and was currently pregnant.

Ahsoka was also tending to her own starfighter, her small companion droid chittering happily as she did so. She smiled and gave it a pat on the top of its frame, then paused as she seemed to have felt the Commander approach. Turning to face her, she stood to her feet with a smile. Shepard snapped an almost instinctive salute toward the General, which Ahsoka replied to in kind. She then told her, "At ease, Commander. No need to follow all the military protocol on a private contractor ship..." And then she added, "Speaking of, I've been meaning to talk to you about our posting, so it's a good thing you came here."

"Oh, well, that's gonna make things easier," Shepard quipped as she leaned against the Starfighter's side, watching Ahsoka get back to work on it. She asked jokingly, "You answer mine, I answer yours, or do I have to answer first since you're a general?" to which Ahsoka let out a chuckle. The general gave a short wave of the hand, meaning Shepard could go ahead. She took the offer happily, asking, "It's gonna be a bit of a personal question, ma'am, but how old are you?"

"Nineteen," The girl didn't even hesitate as she used a spanner or something to set a component into place. Shepard went bug-eyed at that, staring at the girl like she'd just called out the Devil's name. Ahsoka looked up and said, "Problem?" before standing up and leaning against the starship as well. She wiped away some muck from her face with a towel sat on a flat part of the vessel, then said, "I was taken in young."

"Yeah, but still. A general at nineteen..." Shepard mumbled, "Any particular reason you're seeing war so young?"

Ahsoka's lips became razor thin, a melancholic look on her face. She spoke softly, "Well, it's because of how I was brought up," only to show Shepard to wait. She said, "My turn," and looked at the Commander. Shepard gave a nod, well aware she'd agreed to an exchange of information, which meant Ahsoka could safely ask, "Why are you not commanding an Alliance vessel if you're an Alliance officer?"

"I died," Shepard responded just as frankly as Ahsoka, to which the girl blanked. While Ahsoka simply looked, stunned not to feel any sort of disingenuous lie from the woman, the Commander pointed at scars on the side of her face, stating, "Cerberus decided to try and play God. Revived me from the dead, worked on it for two years. I owe the bastards now, but our goals are aligned. For now, obviously," she shrugged, "I've shot at them before, about two and a half years ago."

Ahsoka hummed, then replied, "Sounds like it wasn't pretty. Take it the 'Collectors' we're hunting had something to do with it," with incredible deductive skill. The girl was really perceptive as whatever she was, Shepard thought. She said, "Alright, well, now it's your turn, though I can sort of guess what's coming next. I was a Jedi back in the day, found and brought to our temple to be raised. I was a Padawan when the war started, basically an apprentice."

"Oh," Shepard blinked, "Got it. And that led to...?"

"Fighting in the war," Ahsoka replied, "Though it was obviously a poor decision. Jedi weren't exactly the best officers back at the start of the war, to put it bluntly," then she patted her lightsabers, "Many of us thought that these and our Force powers made us practically invincible. Many more saw the troops under their command as... Well, not as men, but expendables, like the Droid Army we're fighting."

"That's certainly no way to make friends," The commander quipped, smiling, "Going by the way Jesse, Fives, Bold and the others treat you, you weren't that type of officer."

Ahsoka chuckled, "Oh, no, I was annoying when I was a kid. Thirteen and thrown into the fray, under the command of one of our best and The Chosen One of prophecy," then she leaned down and grabbed her water bottle, taking a sip. She sighed, shaking her head, "Master Anakin Skywalker, Skyguy as I call him, taught me everything. The 501st, his Legion, included Clones that became some of my best friends... By the way," then she smirked, "Feel free to use that nickname when you meet him."

Shepard snorted, "Nah, not gonna disrespect him. Anyways, moving on. Much as I'd like to learn what you mean by the Jedi being poor commanders and what that entailed for the Republic going forward..." and gave Ahsoka the in for her next question. The General spent a moment thinking up what to ask next. About the XO that seemed to be stuck-up, about the crew that felt off, or about Okeer the Warlord and his tankbred Krogan? Shepard told her, however, "Before you ask about the rest of the crew, they're Dossiers given to me by the Cerberus boss, a man we call The Illusive Man."

"Ah," Ahsoka sighed, "That makes sense, I guess. Then how about the fact your ship seems to also be actively undergoing upgrades?" before pointing up and stating, "Just yesterday, when I moved past the cryopods, I found mister Vakarian upgrading the gunnery calibration for what he called the 'Thanix' Cannon, your shipboard main gun. I've also seen armor upgrade packages and all else when I came in."

Shepard replied to that, "The last time, the Collectors caught us unprepared. Any extra layer of defense I can strap onto this ship so we don't lose it is being put on. The Illusive Man even hinted it might be a good idea to ask local crew what they think I should put on the Girl," and she shrugged, "I'd ask you guys, but it might take a while for the resources to arrive."

"Makes sense," Ahsoka shot back.

"Finally... What exactly happened in your world for your 'Republic' to have been at war for five years? You mentioned you were a Jedi, too..." Shepard raised a brow. That second line was not phrased as a question, but was one regardless, a hint that she wanted to know what Ahsoka meant by the fact she had been a Jedi. Was she no longer one, or what?

Ahsoka hummed, then said, "It all really began at the battle near the Republic's capital city, Coruscant. A massive CIS fleet appeared out of Hyperspace in a ploy to try and end the war, or so we thought," and she crossed her arms, "We fought them and managed to beat them, rescued our chancellor in the meanwhile and won. Found out the Separatists were simply using it as a distraction to bring up masses of reserves they had built up..." then she tapped her foot, "As for what happened in regards to me once being a Jedi, our order, an ancient order formed millennia ago, had a Schism. It happened due to defeats under Jedi Generals leading to a Review and a Report."

She hummed and checked her pockets to see if she had some sort of databank or info on it, then added, "The Republic had made the 'Force-Sensitive Commander Review' a priority after the aforementioned defeats. Said review had a good chunk of the Order, formerly generals in charge of everything from Naval to Ground Operations, removed and demoted. The Schism came after a good few of us, my master, his master and a few close friends included, agreed with the Review and reformed. I got promoted after leading a siege on the planet of Mandalore and successfully capturing the planet's hostile leader," then she paused and added, "Who's a whole different can of worms, while they remained generals because they'd proven themselves before."

She then pulled something from the side of her ship and used the spanner on it, continuing to explain, "Following that, the Schism separated us into the Old Jedi Order and the Knights of the Republic, who follow different paths. The Old Order retains the ideas of Light without darkness, while me, my master and the others do dip our toes into the Dark, but retain our light-sided alignment, so to speak."

"Well, that's a lot..." Shepard hummed, rubbing her face, "So your religious order broke apart after a Ruse done by your enemies worked and caused you to win one battle, but lose a bunch more. Your friends, you and the people who trained you stayed as Knights of the Republic while the Old Order retreated into seclusion..." then she sighed, "And now you're all stuck fighting the fifth year of this war of yours."

Ahsoka nodded, "Yeah. Long story short... A little incompetence went a long way to making things a little worse for wear in our Galaxy. We're working to fix it," and she shrugged, "It's not far now. Some estimates say maybe another year 'till the Separatists' last reserves are exhausted and we win. We'll see if it's true or not. We'll also see how our encounter affects everything else."

"Yeah," Shepard sighed deeply, "Now it all makes sense. Thanks, General."

"Any time, Commander," Ahsoka smiled, then turned back to work. Shepard looked over to Helo again, then decided it'd be better to talk tomorrow.

Too much for one day.

Chapter Text

The Normandy continued its cruise, waiting for signs. Either new Dossiers, or a new mission from The Illusive Man. It was with that in mind that Shepard had gone down to the gun battery to talk to Garrus, figure out his take on the new arrivals. She'd probably go talk to Jack about it, too, but one of the Clones was missing and Shepard felt like she might find a corpse down there. She was still gonna go, but she needed to figure out a proper punishment for Jack first.

Entering the gun deck, she was met by Garrus humming a calm tune as he calibrated the main cannon, the two central heat sinks and barrels visible past the holographic console the man was so calmly tapping away at with his three-fingered hands. She leaned against the door frame, watching the maintenance go on while checking her Omni-Tool for new messages.

She had to admit, Garrus was kind of adorable, humming like that.

Still, she had to interrupt him to get an answer. Walking up to her Turian comrade, she tapped him on the shoulder, grinning as she saw him almost turn around and punch her in the mouth. He breathed a deep sigh, then greeted, "Shepard. You surprised me," while putting up a brave face. She snorted, then leaned over to see what he was doing. He told her, "I'm recalibrating the Thanix cannon's targeting matrix if that's what you're worried about. Should give a nicer, more accurate firing solution to EDI and the Gunnery crews."

"Smart," Shepard quipped, "But not why I'm here. I wanted to ask you your take on the new crew so far," and she looked over to the calibration console as Garrus input the last few numbers. The man was nothing if not thorough, even lifting one finger to show Shepard to wait a minute 'till he finished. He wanted to be thorough in that and, hopefully, in answering.

Once he was done, Garrus turned to face her and said, "They're fine so far. The most interactive of the group are the Clones and General Tano, with the least surprisingly not being the seven-foot-tall human supersoldier," only to look back and watch as the man clad in a Colonial Navy Uniform sat down at a table and started eating his dinner with his co-pilot. Garrus tilted his head toward the man and said, "Karl isn't a talker."

Shepard replied, "Commander Adama sent me his file. His girlfriend's apparently one of the automatons they're fighting out there," which got a look of surprise out of Garrus and a nod of affirmation for Garrus's feelings from Shepard. She said, "I was just as surprised when I learned about it. Add to that the fact the girl's apparently real enough to be pregnant..."

"Spirits," Garrus murmured, looking at Karl, "I can guess he isn't happy, but why?"

"She's in jail," She replied, "Don't know of her conditions, but if we ever visit the Colonial Fleet in our travels, I'm sure we'll see," only to sigh deeply. She shrugged and told Garrus, "Look, they're very much like the Quarians. People driven off their homeworlds by machines they built just because said machines started asking too many questions... I wonder how alike both them and the Reapers' creators are at this point."

Garrus hummed and said, "You really think the Reapers actually have creators? Sovereign seemed pretty cut-and-dry about it back in the day," then added, "You think these Cylons might have something similar to Indoctrination to keep people like Karl nearby?" when he noticed his CO was staring at Karl with a combination of pity and distrust, her brows furrowed and lips, razor thin. She looked over to Garrus and her expression shifted at that comment, eyes slightly widening and her mouth opening, before she smirked.

"You know me too well, Vakarian," She quipped, gently nudging his elbow with hers. Garrus let out a short, awkward laugh at that quip, then listened to Shepard as she told him, "I'm gonna have to have a talk with him. Can't have our Electronic Warfare with his head in the clouds. His Co-Pilot seems to be disinterested in helping him get out of his rut, too.."

"She's probably thinking of her own issues, but I get your point," Garrus nodded. No need to get both involved.

"I should go," She told Garrus, patting him on the back, "Keep up the Calibrations," then she stepped off toward Agathon and his crewmate. Said crewmate noticed the blonde-haired Alliance N7 Operative and nodded to the commander, offering a smile. Shepard smiled back, then saw Karl simply look up from his food and at her. He gave a nod in greeting, calm as ever. She sat down beside the two of them and said, "Hope you don't mind if I talk to you two for a bit, Clutch?"

"I know ya wanna talk just to Helo, Commander. It's alright," The girl smiled and offered a nod. She looked at her boss and said, "See you in the hangar to finish the stuff up, boss..." before she grabbed an apple, the sole thing left on her tray, and walked off.

Shepard then asked, "I know you've only been aboard for a couple of days by now, Captain, but I'd like to know what has you so down in the dumps," before leaning back into her seat. Karl stared at her for a moment, concerned, to which she offered, "Don't worry. It's between you and me, off the record. I wanna know if I can help somehow, but..."

Karl sighed, then said, "I appreciate the thought, Commander. If you've read my file, I'm pretty sure you're aware of it, but I'm... Just worried about Sharon."

"Heh. Figures," Shepard snorted, then smiled, "Take it humanoid Cylon are much less automaton-ish, considering she's pregnant and in jail, but I think you get the necessity for security, too, right?"

"Of course, I do," Agathon replied, looking at his current commander calmly. He added, "Especially since a copy of her apparently put two slugs in the Commander's chest," and that caused Shepard to pause for a moment, process the idea. She sighed and said, "I wouldn't be too keen on having one aboard, either. Especially after that kind of situation. But I'm guessing she's different, or you think so."

He nodded, "She is..." and he seemed sad.

Shepard smiled yet again, "You really do love her, don't you?"

"Yeah. And that's the worst part," Karl replied, annoyed, "Loving what everyone calls a machine... The same machines who wiped us out down to a few dozen ships and fifty thousand people," He covered his face, mumbled, "I swear, it feels like I'm losing it. Gods..." and rubbed his eyes. That last little bit surprised Shepard, but she also remembered that they're from a different galaxy and version of humanity all together.

"You believe in multiple Gods?" Shepard raised a brow, deciding to switch topics.

Seemingly glad to change the subject, even though his facial expression didn't really show it, Karl replied with, "... Yeah. The Lords of Kobol, we call them. You might've heard of them if part of the book I browsed is anything to go by," before pulling out a book on Greek myth. He said, "Zeus, Artemis, Aphrodite, Apollo and the whole other lot of Mount Olympus..." while looking at the Commander. She nodded, to which he continued, "I sent a report to Fleet about this, by the way."

"The fact you guys believe in the same Gods as the Ancient Greeks is interesting," Shepard quipped, then asked, "Do the Cylon, like Sharon, believe the same?"

He shook his head, "No. They believe in what they call the One True God. Keep preaching about his love for us as part of His creation and all that," before he set the book beside his nearly-empty tray. He asked her, "Are you religious, Commander?" then picked up the apple on his own tray and took a bite out of it. Honestly, he seemed like a very nice guy, reserved and calm. His Ladiesman moniker on the personal notes didn't feel deserved.

Shepard shrugged, "You know the old saw, 'no atheists in a foxhole'?" only to receive confirmation from him. She rubbed the back of her neck, "I've been in a hell of a lot of foxholes, a lot of them terrifying," while memories of the Skyllian Blitz flashed into her mind, right alongside the hunt for Saren. Shaking her head to snap out of it, she said, "Not looking to share those right now. Don't wanna bore you."

Karl replied, "Thanks for listening, though. Good to know we've got a Commander fairly like Adama on this ship, ma'am," and he actually cracked a small smile. She smiled back kindly, glad to finally see him smiling a bit. He told her, "We'll share some stories about the most memorable 'foxhole' any of us have been in later if that's okay with you, ma'am. I gotta go back to the maintenance checks on my and Clutch's bird."

"By all means, Captain. Dismissed," She saluted and got one back. Standing up, she walked over to the office and opened the door, only to find Ahsoka and Miranda debating something with one-another. Some philosophical quandary, it seemed. She quickly re-examined the office, noting everything was at its place:Miranda's large skeletal desk, the computer, the chairs and the bed hidden behind a glass wall with curtains, as well as the windows and other various pieces of furniture. Ahsoka was sat on one of the two chairs and was seemingly having fun, while Miranda retained a strange calm. Shepard asked, "Hope I'm not interrupting, ladies...?"

"Oh, Commander," Miranda greeted with a tilt of her head, "No. I and General Tano were just discussing the morality of the Lazarus Project."

Ahsoka said, "Life is a precious thing. I'm... Honestly torn between liking and disliking what Cerberus decided to do," then shrugged, "But you don't seem to mind having your life back, so I guess I won't ask," all while she was seemingly processing the fact that they had brought a dead woman who'd fallen through the atmosphere back from the freaking dead. Shepard understood the confusion.

Shepard joked, "You kidding? I'd be more angry if they kept me around as a test tube baby instead of waking me," then walked over and grabbed a seat, too, telling Ahsoka, "However, I'd have also been pissed if they woke me and I had a control chip in my brain," only to note Miranda's surprise and Ahsoka's momentary silence as she stared at Shepard, then at Miranda.

Ahsoka said, "At least that's familiar..." only to notice the surprise in the two women. She said, "Apparently, a failsafe was installed within the Clones where they have Control Chips of their own. The Chancellor explained to us that it was a failsafe should something go wrong. Say if the Jedi tried a Coup, or if the Chancellor himself wanted to fully seize power from the Senate. Orders 66 and 67, specifically, declaring either party as a threat to the Republic's democracy. We found out about the chips through Fives, actually."

"... And the Clones aren't mad about it?!" Shepard demanded, baffled, "That's-"

"It's a nudge in the right direction when activated," Ahsoka shrugged, "And it makes sense. Contingencies are necessary should democracy be fully usurped or should the galaxy need a certain part of the Republic dealt with. The Chancellor was very transparent about it toward Fives and to us afterward... Heh, Fives was stunned to find out it wasn't a conspiracy theory, just something like that."

"Yeah..." Shepard blinked. She and Miranda exchanged quick looks and Shepard glared at the Cerberus op for a moment. Miranda seemed a little horrified to realize just how close she'd come to pulling something similar, so she asked, "And you aren't afraid the Chancellor is going shoot you all in the back?" to which Ahsoka shook her head. Miranda sighed and said, "I guess transparency means trust..."

"Yep," Shepard shrugged, "If you guys and girls trust it..."

"We do. Like I told you when we met, I trust the guys with my life," The General smiled, then looked to Miranda, "However, this doesn't mean I approve sticking a chip in the Commander's brain. I admit it may seem a bit hypocritical of me, but unlike whatever you were planning to put in there, our chips are subliminal and are simple nudges instead of outright taking control. Per the Kaminoans themselves. They even showed us reports."

"That's a hell of a leap of faith, ma'am," Sam Shepard, Commander of the Normandy and the woman recruiting weirdoes to the force, said. She looked to Miranda and told her, "Lemme know if the Illusive Man sends any orders our way, okay?"

"Will do, Commander," Miranda replied with a nod, "And, for the record, I suddenly feel better about not implanting that chip..."

"Heh. Amen," Shepard gave a nod. She bid goodbye to the two women, then decided to go check on missus Jack and praying she hadn't smeared any of the new people against the wall just yet. Travelling down to Engineering and descending down below the maintenance sections into what she could only assume were the fuel injectors, she found Jack... Playing some sort of card game with Fives. Fives and Jack looked up at her, while Shepard greeted, "... Am I interrupting...?" with an awkward smile.

"No, ma'am," Fives replied, suddenly a bit surprised.

Jack scoffed and said, "Relax, Same-Face. Shepard's surprisingly cool," before looking over to the Commander, grinning and offering, "Care to join us? He's teaching me how to play a card game they call 'Sabacc' in their Galaxy. I swear, this is the fucking coolest, aliens and Clones from a whole-ass different Galaxy and the first thing one of'em teaches me is card games!"

Shepard snorted and said, "Glad to see you're getting along with each-other."

"She's fine, ma'am," Fives quipped, "Once you get used to the eccentric personality and the boatload of tattoos, that is," and he smirked as the girl gave him a genuinely light punch in the shoulder of his plastoid armor. He joked, "Oh, you get to kriffin' swear at me and punch me now, eh?" to which she flashed him another proud grin. Despite Jack's light amount of clothes, the girl looked surprisingly normal in the shadows, playing with the Clone Trooper whose helmet rested on the messy table next to them. Shepard now noticed the man's goatee, thin mustache and the Aurebesh '5' on the right temple, next to a little scar over which hair had grown.

Shepard then said, "Well, don't throw him against the wall or something, 'kay, Jack? I'll let you two have your fun, but I expect you to report to muster tomorrow morning," which got a dismissive reply and wave of the hand from Jack and a salute from the Clone, but with an added smirk. Relaxed, Shepard walked back up the stairs and took a left, thinking of opening the Krogan tank.

She was surprised to find Fred there, standing watch over the Krogan with orange skin, thick, weird scales, a weird crest and white armor. The Spartan cradled his DMR, which seemed to have been loaded with heavy armor piercing rounds from the looks, while he leaned against the wall. Noting Shepard was present, the man straightened up, snapped a salute and got one in return. Shepard ordered, "At ease..." before walking up to the tank. She asked, "He still napping?"

"Looks like it, ma'am," The Lieutenant replied as he cradled his rifle, "Still don't really trust him, but he's not swinging at us like his siblings were."

"Okeer?" She raised a brow.

The man replied, "Should be returning in a second, ma'am," only to pause as the door opened. The Spartan seemed to tense at the sight of the Krogan in 'civilian' clothing as he stomped forward. Shepard knew there was no such thing as civvie clothes for the Krogan. She could see the lining meant to survive at least a couple of shots from pistols to grant him a chance to charge.

"We were just talking about you," Shepard quipped with a grin. The Warlord huffed, to which the Commander jabbed a thumb back and asked, "You wanna crack the egg open before we do anything else? Because, I'm gonna be honest, I'm tempted to see what you've made here..." only to note Fred tense further, his gloves audibly rubbing against the polymer bits of his rifle.

Okeer spoke, "You wish to awaken the tankbred, too?" before stepping forward toward it. He told Shepard, "Perhaps our goals are not as different as I thought they would be... Yes, I would like to see him tested in battle by you," then he turned to face the Commander, "If for nothing else than to see that my investment was worth the price of creating the New Generation of Krogan."

"This is gonna be interesting," Fred murmured, "You sure this is safe, Commander?"

"Yes, Fred. It'll be fine. I got you and Okeer here with me," She replied as she stepped forward. She called out, "EDI, you mind preparing to open this tank?" all while she checked to see if she'd brought her own pistol, her Carnifex, with her. She did, thankfully. Stowed it in the left thigh pocket of her pants, just ready for quickdraw should she need to do something about the new guy. EDI let out a few distraught sounds, but did not oppose.

Time to crack the Egg, Shepard thought.

The Waystation

Halsey calmly stared out of the window of the still-under-construction Waystation. The gas giant that they orbited lay behind them, protected by a newly-arrived half-dozen UNSC vessels and the Republic naval force present in the area of operations. She sipped her coffee from her specialized mug, then mumbled something to herself as she checked her tablet.

She looked back at the section she was currently residing within. A small observation deck into which various amenities were being built to house the dignitaries. As of right now, a lattice of titanium reinforced with a Republic-built material was built, almost like a cage, around this small platform of the Waystation, with double-layered 'transparisteel'. A metallic alloy that was completely transparent and was much more resilient than standard glass to damage, though it could still be broken.

Added upon this, the Station had a dispersal field generator installed by the UNSC's technicians within its bowels, alongside a Deuterium fusion reactor and various other secondary power systems, though it also drew power from the Star Road's own Penrose sphere, the generator utilizing the event horizon of the inner black hole. She also saw several defense turrets being installed, formed of twin-barrel turbolaser batteries belonging to the Republic. A last line of defense.

The fleet would defend this place and the Colonials, who were helping build it up, thought of it as a potential step-off point for deploying scouting missions into their own Galaxy for what they called 'Tylium', their own rare fuel. She watched a Republic Arquitens-class starship float by, its three engines on low power as it moved under the escort of a pair of, surprisingly enough, Colonial Mark II Vipers.

The Mark IIs and the Arquitens had almost the same paintjobs, though the red of the Vipers was darker and they had the standard golden flame-like coat of arms of the Colonial Government on their sides instead of the Republic's strange, round one. She saw other Vipers patrolling on CAP duty, even escorting UNSC Longswords armed with nuclear warheads around.

The sole local ship present amidst them all was a lonely Systems Alliance Cruiser, the Tokyo. She floated by the station in geosync orbit, maintaining security for ships docking and coming and going from the station itself. It was an odd design, almost a triad-shaped vessel, its hull angular, white with blue stripes. The lights on board, windows, were bright, but built in lines and the four massive thrusters pushing the vessel pulsed azure. her main gun stood in the top prong, a spinal gun several hundred meters long, while secondary armaments lay either on the two bottom prongs of the triad, or mounted in turrets across the hull.

She glowed slightly teal from the kinetic barriers utilized in defense against possible hostile raiders, a surprising sight to behold. And the woman knew why the Alliance Cruiser was here:Keeping the diplomats visiting people around the gathered Exo-Galactic Fleets and on the Waystation safe via guarantee of fire support. Still, she was dwarfed by even their basic vessels, with the Chimaera, whose daggerlike shape now flew beside her, being a terrifyingly well-armed counter.

She heard leather shoes clap against the steel floor and hummed, then said, "Admiral Thrawn," without even looking back. Thrawn hummed, seemingly impressed, as he joined the woman. His hands behind his back, the Admiral stared out at the gathered fleets, while Halsey said, "Truly an incredible sight to behold. Come to me thirty years ago and tell me we'd be sat beside aliens and humans from three other Galaxies and I would have genuinely laughed in your face..."

"The feeling is shared," Thrawn replied calmly as she looked at the woman, who now donned a UNSC Navy Admiral's uniform under her labcoat, the Office of Naval Intelligence patch's form poking through the white and blue. He told her, "Commander Adama's force is running CAP today. It seems as though the Galactica wanted to stretch her legs."

"Understandably," Halsey nodded, then looked at her tablet, "Have they spoken to you about them?" only to look up at him and see middling confusion on an otherwise perfectly-chiseled face. She continued, "Of the Cylons. I have gotten a thorough look at one of the Infiltrator Models, miss Sharon Valerii. She seems far too harmless for anything written in the report to be true and yet..."

The Admiral told her, "I had almost assumed you would be judging the book by its human cover, doctor," with a slight bit of mirth, "I'm glad to be wrong."

"She shot Commander Adama. Or, at least, a variation of her did," She replied with a hint of aggravation, "Judgement will be passed once I have spoken a few more times with her and run some tests, courtesy of Doctor Baltar's own method of detecting Cylons..." before sighing. She asked rather sarcastically, "Speaking of mister Vice President Baltar, I don't assume you've had the pleasure of meeting him?" as her gaze swept toward the Colonial One, docked closest to them. The vertical hammerhead design, the multiple sublight engines, the visible RCS thrusters, all on a standard space liner.

Thrawn wore a sardonic smile now, "I have. The fear I saw in his eyes was stunning."

"Yes," Halsey mumbled, "That man isn't fit to lead anything scientific, much less be second in line for anything as important as the Government of our fellow spacefarers..." mildly annoyed as she checked reports. She asked, "How far away is Galactica at the moment?" while a report of radar contacts played across her screen. She knew the Waystation still lacked its own sensor system, currently operating off of the DRADIS and other suites of friendly ships...

"Near the Belt," He replied, "Presumably patrolling nearby the place's 'Mass Relay'. Why?"

"If these sensor readings I just received from the Tokyo are correct," Halsey started, showing him her tablet and looking over to the direction of the Mass Relay, "Then, they're about to have company. At least two ships, marked hostile," to which Thrawn paused. Seemed as though their friends were about to be battle-tested from the get-go. Worrying, both thought. To that extend, Halsey seemed to prepare to send a message burst to Commander Adama.

He pulled up his comlink and said, "Get me the Chimaera and a shuttle, ASAP. We've got incoming..."

Aboard the  Galactica

Commander Adama watched the DRADIS system calmly, checking his wristwatch as they prepared to return to the Waystation. He looked over the map, noting the various marking figurines pointing out the location of their friendly station and their allies. They'd had to substitute the UNSC's, Alliance's and Republic's ships with ships from their own fleets, as well as civilian vessels.

Tigh leaned over his own section of the central console, looking over starmap readings and stating, "Doctor Halsey assured us we should be able to make a jump if we need Tylium reserve replenishment and admiral Thrawn said we'll have his support if we need it while we refuel," before sighing and rubbing his face and the top of his own balding head. He said, "Honestly never thought people would be so quick to help us."

"Me neither," Adama replied calmly, then said, "But let's not look several gift horses in the mouths this time. We're barely recovering after that little bout between each-other after we found Kobol," and he leaned forward onto his elbows, "The last thing we need is an argument with people much more advanced than us on the cusp of the greatest possible moment we've ever found since the start of our travels."

"You really think they're gonna let us join them on either of their Earths?" The Colonel asked, seemingly suspicious of their allies, "I mean, what'd they have to gain?"

Adama shrugged, then said, "I've already discussed possible choices with Doctor Halsey, with the President's approval, of course," and he walked over to Saul, pouring himself and the man a glass of water from a nearby decanter. He hand the man his glass and told him, "Possibly our FTL Drives, plus more studying of the Cylon Infiltrator we have aboard, to find ways to put'em out of action for good just in case."

"Well, ain't that a treat," Tigh shot back sarcastically, crossing his arms to his chest, "Anyone bother to tell the UNSC folk our FTL Drives require Tylium, which they haven't heard of, to function?" to which Bill replied with a simple nod. Saul swore to himself, if he wasn't around at times, Bill would stumble into a gigantic mess that he could hardly fix on his own. Then again, Saul nearly did something stupid when he became CO. He needed to remind himself to talk to Ellen about some of the 'guidance' she gave him during that time.

Adama told him, "If we're lucky, we'll be able to secure our way back into our galaxy, too, maybe deal with the Cylon and get access to more Tylium reserves as we go. Before we come back to whatever Earth the Quorum of Twelve voted on," and he took a sip of the water, finding the taste as pleasant as always for something filtered and refiltered to ensure it had nothing dangerous. It was tentatively sweet and one almost couldn't taste the reverse osmosis.

"Roslin still mad at me?" Tigh asked jokingly as he sipped from the water, finding the taste contrarily lackluster. He was too used to booze for water to taste normal. When Bill shook his head, the man allowed himself a sigh and said, "Good to know that woman can bury the hatchet with just about anyone. Right now, though, we've got the Gideon disaster on the discussion for the Quorum..."

"Calm, Saul," Bill sighed, "As disheartening as it was, it was one event in a series of cascading issues ever since Roslin decided to play the Hero, courtesy of the Scrolls, while we were being hard-headed," and he drank half the glass in one go. He took off his narrow glasses, rubbed his eyes, then mumbled, "Though I Have a nagging feeling we've got bigger problems on the horizon than just that..."

"Commander," Dee started, looking over to the man with a hint of fear in her voice. The man turned to face her and nodded to her to go ahead, "... We're receiving priority communications from the Chimaera and Waystation. The Alliance cruiser Tokyo has detected incoming enemy vessels heading through the Mass Relay we're right next to, and-" she was cut off as DRADIS alarms echoed.

Gaeta called out, "DRADIS Contacts! Bearing 421, carom 072!" as the contacts flashed on-screen, scarlet chevrons.

Adama sighed deeply, then said, "They're too small to be basestars... Plus, basestars have our FTL," before pausing. He asked, "We getting any form of radio contact, Dee?"

"No, sir..." She replied, "Wait, stand-by. Incoming wireless transmit. It's in their language, but I'm getting a transcript now, courtesy of Citadel translation protocols," as the strange printer between her and Gaeta's consoles started spitting out one of their octahedral A4 papers. She detached it from the line and read, "This is Batarian Frigate Pride of Varo, disengage weapons and prepare to be boarded."

"Batarians," Tigh gasped, surprised, "Pirates."

"We're near the Terminus, so it scans," Adama voiced. They'd been briefed by the Alliance on various hostile species in the area, Batarians being the chief threat. He told them, "Set Condition One across the ship and launch Alert Vipers and Raptors. I want electronic warfare enveloping them and causing damage way before we engage with our guns and missiles."

"Sir!" Gaeta saluted, then pulled the mic off his console and spoke, "Set Condition One! All crew, Battlestations! I repeat, Battlestations! This is not a drill, launch Alert Vipers and EWAR Squadron!" before looking at the DRADIS. Allied ships had started moving, but were far away. He reported to the Commander and Colonel, "Our allies are moving. ETA, ten minutes!"

"Confirming allied reinforcements!" Dee called out.

Tigh murmured, "We'll either be dead or done with the Slavers before they arrive..."

... In one of the launch tubes, Starbuck murmured, "Talk about fraking up my easy day," as she looked over to the crew chief waiting to launch her via the catapult. She gave a thumbs up and said, "Starbuck, green light!" before bracing and grabbing onto the sticks. Powering the ship to max thrust as the magnetic catapult activated, the girl felt herself pushed into her chair and breathed heavily, tightening her muscles and practicing slow, calm breaths to retain consciousness. She felt her flight suit tightening against her as she exited the tube, then pulled up.

She saw the Galactica's guns swivel about toward the Batarian ships that had emerged from that blue-shining, two-pronged 'Mass Relay' thing that they'd been continuously briefing them about. Looking to her right, she immediately caught sight of her CAG and said, "Apollo, I'm on your eight o'clock!" as she veered toward him, utilizing the ship's directional thrusters to follow him.

Lee told her, "Time for a party, eh, Starbuck?" as the rest of the squadron formed up around them, taking up an echelon formation. Behind them, their Raptor spooled up its Electronic Warfare suite, while the warships ahead, ugly amalgams of black hull with spinal mounts and cannons, dived toward them. He said, "Careful on the approach. They might be Frigates, but their guns look mean."

"No lasers I can see from this distance," Starbuck mumbled, silently praying the damn things didn't have weapons systems to shoot down fighters. Each ugly vessel stood at about a hundred meters long, though there were irregularities in their design, probably later additions by their Batarian captains to denote the ships' importance. They started firing their main batteries at Galactica, mass effect-assisted Kinetic rounds slamming into the armor on top of the Old Girl and denting it.

Galactica's own quartet of dual-mount gun turrets swiveled out of their hideouts on the ship's back, while their secondary point-defenses lit the void up in puffs of smoke and fire from flak, almost like a rapid fireworks show. Twin-barrel heavy turrets that gave the ship its battlestar designate soon let loose their first volleys, Starbuck tracking the shells as they flew straight as Athena's Arrows toward the enemy vessel closest to them.

The two ships moved toward them without any sort of plan of attack, it seemed. They just fired wildly from their main batteries, their rounds smashing into the Battlestar's armor as she swiveled about to bring more of her guns to bear, rotating on her axis slowly while moving forward. Starbuck watched the first round impact off the bow of the enemy vessel and laughed as she saw the ripple of their azure kinetic barriers, a blanket of energy meant to dull and stop kinetic energy.

Apollo said, "That probably woke the Batarians up. All Fighters, on me! Load missiles!" before he thumbed a couple of buttons and switched to his helmet's targeting systems. Locking onto the second enemy vessel as its own smaller secondary guns traversed to meet them, he barked, "FIRE!" before letting loose two missiles from his undercarriage. The two guided weapons danced toward the Batarian warship's bow, then struck, the joined explosions causing another ripple effect and leaving a scorch mark on the ship.

The slew of starfighters then fired their main guns. The coilguns mounted to their four o'clock and seven o'clock wing spars spat straight lines of high-velocity projectiles at the enemy ship, cutting into the kinetic barrier. Some sparked off of it, while others seemed to touch the armor. The Raptor behind them reported, "Enemy barriers should be down in three... Two... One..." as the starfighters pushed past the ship's main gun batteries, feeling the reverb of their mass drivers firing again. They saw the Batarian ship's barriers flare.

Lee hummed, then said, "Starbuck, Pythia, on me! Everyone else, go for the second one!" before he pulled hard left on his stick and back on the throttle. He felt the G-forces hit as the RCS thrusters turned him about, then he slammed the throttle forward as his two requested wingmen joined in. All three then opened fire down the length of the ship's top, kinetics tearing through the armor plate while the missiles fired by Pythia drilled craters onto the already weakened top.

The vessel sparked and flared as fires now burned and atmosphere vented. Both ships tried to retreat, their secondaries still trying to shoot down the fighters as Apollo said, "Confirming enemy Barriers are down! Good job, Racetrack!" before radioing, "Galactica Actual, CAG! They're all yours!" then watched the volley strike. The guns tore through the belly and left side of the enemy vessel, tearing greater and greater holes into it.

"Back home for a stogie," Joked Starbuck as she watched the Batarian ships be torn to shreds happily. The enemy warships would later be proven to be simple raiding craft, with said vessels not being prepared to face even an old Battlestar like Galactica, rather more heavily focusing on raiding civilian vessels and lightly-armed military ships like Corvettes. Why they tried to, nobody'll know.

At least it ended well...

Chapter Text

Adama was aboard the Waystation today, surprised to see how much those two Batarian vessels and the subsequent scouting forces had lit a fire under the asses of their allies. As he marched from the Hangar, the latest part of the station to be built, onto a monorail tram built by the UNSC in an armored transparisteel tube, he watched Clones, UNSC and their Marines mix together for training operations. Alliance military staff watched as the troops played a BLUFOR-v-OPFOR game in the rear section of the Hangar, with the Clones acting as OPFOR.

Sergeant-Major Johnson was escorting him to the meet. The two men gave each-other respectful nods and Adama noticed the man was wearing his Dress Blues, cap under his arm and a pistol stowed in a leather holster attached to his belt. They saluted each-other next and Adama commented, "Glad to have you as my guard today, Sergeant-Major. How goes training my boys and girls?"

"They're fast learners, sir," Johnson smirked, "Kinda like I'd expect any good Marine who went out into space to be. Give'em the gear to break a Tin Can in half and you've got the finest damn fighting force protecting your vessels and away teams," then he scratched his chin. The Star Road appeared on their right and the two men watched quietly as another UNSC vessel came through, a four kilometer long carrier. Johnson said, "Looks like the Admiral's serious about us kickin' ass."

"What's the plan?" Adama inquired, crossing his arms to his chest.

"If we get approval or help from everyone else, a small task force goes into Batarian territory," Johnson quipped, then turned to face the Commander. He continued, "Hit'em nice and fast with a few fighter-launched nukes, disable a shipyard and save some slaves. Nothing big," and shrugged while rifling his pockets for one of his trademark cigars, "Nobody wants to start a War just yet, but they fired first."

"Those ships were registered under Hegemony flags," The Commander nodded approvingly, "A tap back should show them we mean business. Same for the Citadel Council we keep hearing about from the Alliance Staff on the station," then he turned around, watching the Carrier float above them, its fusion drives glowing, a quiet reverb filling the rigid tube as she passed by with her escorts.

It was rather terrifying to watch a vessel of that size come out. Word of mouth was also that the UNSC had bigger ships than it available, but said ships were currently busy dealing with enemies on the 'home front', their own Galaxy. The Tram stopped at a midway point, near one of the other sections being built, only for a Clone to come aboard. Clad in a blue-white armor with a helmet that seemed welded in places, as well as that strange 'skirt' and the shoulder pauldron and with an added rangefinder on the right side of the helmet, a Clone Commander stood face-to-face with them. He saluted, "Commander Adama, Sergeant-Major Johnson. I'm Commander Rex."

"Welcome aboard, Commander," The two men spoke in unison. Yet another series of exchanged salutes later, the Tram started its route back across the Waystation and toward the meeting point. Adama looked to Rex as the older Clone trooper took his helmet off, revealing dyed, platinum-blonde hair that was buzzcut almost to the skin and the calm, yet somewhat wrinkled face of one of the War's veterans. He slid his helmet under his arm and looked at the two Intergalactic counterparts, noting professionalism.

Adama inquired, "When did you arrive, Commander?"

"Just two hours ago, with the 332nd Division and the Tribunal," the man replied, jabbing a thumb back toward the latest-arrived Republic vessel, a Venator. He said, "Discussions are underway in the Senate in regards to the Batarians' aggression toward the Combined Fleets and the Waystation, so they want me and the boys on tap if the situation does devolve into border raids."

"Sounds like your guys are ready to go, sir," Johnson quipped, then watched as a trio of Clones floated above them, carrying extra tools for the engineers that were encasing the Waystation's Star Road into a corridor of armor to ensure its safety. All three men snapped greeting salutes to the Officers, their helmet face plates oddly painted orange and white in the pattern on General Tano's face.

Rex nodded, "Boys heard the bantha herders we're going to face are Slavers. We have a bit of a thing against Slavers."

"Understandable," Adama replied curtly, "They're disgusting creatures," all while he eyed the Tribunal. She was a fine ship, much like most of the Republic Navy's vessels, though she was also obviously more of a carrier than a battleship. Some of the files they'd gotten about the early war between the Republic and the CIS hinted that the Jedi didn't really know how to use these ships. Lost them often, too.

Upon arriving at the central section of the Station, the Tram's doors opened, allowing the trio of soldiers to exit unto the platform. Surprisingly, this section of the Station seemed to be just about finished. Not bad for something basically built out like a Prefab in the span of a few days. It was still being built, a fact obvious to anyone paying attention. Panels were missing, loose wires hanged in places where workers were still building and so on, but it was operational enough to be considered a good meeting spot.

As they entered through the corridors, to the sight of joint patrols from all four parties involved in the matter, the three men were surprised to see Alliance Marines simply keeping their distance, their strangely form-fitting armors being an immediate tell of the operators' genders. Male and female Marines alike stood guard beside UNSC ones, Clones and even a couple of Adama's own Marines, now re-armed with some UNSC weapons like MA5s.

"Getting really close, are you?" Rex asked as they walked forth into the deeper portions of the stations, past maintenance rooms and working crews, past Astromechs and building drones and into the wider central area of the Waystation, where the massive dome and meeting area were. In the middle of the room they'd just walked into stood a single table with maybe a dozen seats. Four seats were occupied, with Senator Amidala sitting face-to-face with President Roslin, while doctor Halsey exchanged small-talk with the Alliance rep.

The troops guarding the door clicked their heels together and Roslin said, "There's our three soldiers. Welcome aboard the Waystation, Commanders, Sergeant-Major," with a smile. Adama nodded in greeting, while Johnson and Rex snapped salutes. Rex walked over to Senator Amidala's side, while the others positioned themselves next to their respective wards, too. The only one without a figure shadowing him was the Alliance Representative.

"Back to business, then," Padmé voiced, interlacing her fingers onto the wood table itself. She said, "The Batarian incursion into this little system in the Attican Traverse is a potential prelude for a greater assault. The Senate has already begun their debate, as I'm sure Commander Rex has let your veterans know, doctor Halsey, President Roslin. And mister Ambassador Tuft," she turned to face the dark-skinned man clad in a white dignitary outfit, before speaking, "You have to understand, those Batarian Slaver ships engaged us. They've been presumably tipped off by someone about the presence of a small 'colony' being created here and didn't count on a military force of our combined strength being here to halt them."

"While I agree that the Batarians started this whole mess and that someone told them you're here," The man replied as calmly as he could, "I don't think having your people debating open war over a small raiding party is a good idea. Especially with the Citadel Council breathing down our necks. They might be unwilling to do anything for human-controlled worlds in the Traverse and Terminus, but that doesn't mean they don't have a say in greater galactic affairs such as engaging in open conflict against the Hegemony. They've already put forth bills to limit their Slave trade-"

"But will not do more than that, because of their multi-species purview and Humanity's relatively recently-gained standing and youth among the Galactic Community," Halsey put it about as bluntly as a hammer. She looked to the others present and stated, "I have a full carte blanche as the Admiral in charge of the Office of Naval Intelligence to pursue whatever actions necessary to defend human interests and the Republic is willing enough to at least debate sending the Batarians a message about crossing us."

"Should help keep our people safe," Roslin mumbled, "Though I'm not sure we can back you up with the Galactica..."

"As I said, you're suggesting what will be open war in the Traverse!" Tuft shot back, stunned at how casually three human factions are willing to go out and fight an entire other alien empire. He told them, "And we might be blamed for it! The Citadel Council's still talking and they're not convinced you're another of Commander Shepard's insane tirades about extragalactic aliens and machines!"

"... We'll ask about that later," Sighed Halsey, "As of right now, however, this is a matter of pre-empting an enemy attack."

"Proportionate Response," Roslin offered.

Senator Amidala quipped next, "Well-put, honestly."

The Doctor nodded, "Indeed. As for the Galactica's involvement, unless the Commander deems it necessary or is just wishing to follow up on destroying their two raiding ships," She motioned to Adama, who paused, then continued, "It is optional. We understand wanting to keep your sole active warship close by the Civilian Fleet, President Roslin. It is up to you to decide on it internally. We can, however, provide security for both if you so wish."

"People, please!" Tuft requested, almost in a panic, "Can we at least consider not engaging until you have all chatted with the Council?" before noticing all three were staring at him like he was crazy. Rubbing his face, he mumbled, "I can't openly stop you, can I?" before sighing deeply. He leaned against the table and told them, "I'll give a call to the Alliance. Let them know what's going on."

"The Batarians need to learn that there are people who will respond to their aggression," Roslin told him, "As much as I would have liked every alien species we met so far to be friendly, welcoming and kind, neither I, nor the rest of my people are naive enough to think that it'd be the case... And, sadly, the last few months have proven to me a necessity to be swift and decisive with our actions."

"You've only known us all for a few days, madam President," The Ambassador spoke, "We've only had a diplomatic presence here for the better part of those few days, courtesy of commander Shepard's actions... Do you trust your newfound allies so much? Enough to have them go to what might possibly be a war against the Batarians without preparations, or...?"

Halsey sighed and said, "Did you miss the start of our discussion, Ambassador? I know the Commanders and Sergeant-Major did, but did you?" only to hit a button on the table. A holographic, three-dimensional display appeared, showing a Batarian planet nearby. She told him, "This data was taken from one of the SPYSATs we deployed near this system. A small Batarian fleet has already gathered here," and she pulled the relevant images from orbit, "A Dreadnought, four Frigates and two Cruisers, per data. Enough of a show of force for us to call for a First Strike policy here."

The Ambassador stared at the sight of enemy ships present within the system, next to the planet, close to the Mass Relay, all the information. It coalesced for a moment into the full picture and allowed him to come up with a quick plan so he could say he at least tried to stop a Galactic War from breaking out. He breathed into his hands, trying to calm down, then said, "... At least call over the Com and tell them to strike their colors first. That way, if they fire, you'll have some sort of alibi, lee-way, to talk with the Council before they bear down on this Station, looking for answers as to why an Alliance representative was unable to talk down three massive groups of humans from turning the Hegemony to a memory..."

The three groups exchanged looks, then nodded. The man felt his knees grow a little weak as relief washed over him. Rubbing his face, he mumbled, "Thank you all..." before jabbing a thumb back and stating, "I'll go give the call now, if I am excused," and he got another set of nods. Stepping off, the man started mumbling to himself about their insanity and all.

Roslin quipped, "The humans here must be living easy lives."

"Agreed," The rest of the table chorused. An understandable fact, going by the designs of their vessels and all. The Alliance had provided their three human-led counterparts data on the other major powers, including those that formed the Citadel Council. The Asari Republics, Turian Hierarchy and Salarian Union were the three other major constituents and the only three other spacefaring nations with Councilors.

And possibly were going to be the biggest headaches here...

Normandy

The tank drained. The nutrient-filled liquid that contained the Krogan within its lukewarm embrace slowly pooled down at the base, then vanished past grating at the bottom of the tank. The Krogan's skin, scales and armor remained covered by a thin film of paste as the door hissed open and swung up. He fell to his knees, bowing his head, before spitting out the thicker nutrient liquid that'd gotten into this throat and mouth.

He looked up, past Okeer, past Frederic and at Shepard. The blonde woman smiled a little at the sight of the young alien, but it wasn't long before that smile turned into a frown. With the roar of a mighty warrior, the Krogan pushed past both its 'father' and the armored guardian that was to protect the Commander, before grabbing her by the throat and slamming her against a container in the bay hard enough for it to partially dent. To everyone's surprise, all it did was seemingly cause the Commander to grunt a little.

Fred was quick to recover, pointing his DMR at the side of the Krogan's head as the Krogan himself spoke with a smooth, yet focused voice, "Human. Female. Before you die," and he seemed to be staring right into Shepard's soul as he requested, "I need a name..." all while Shepard waved both Okeer and Fred off. Fred kept his gun trained on the Krogan still, but Shepard glared at him, causing him to pause... Then lower his weapon. It was still off safe and the Spartan was tense.

Okeer, meanwhile, watched with great interest, not saying anything. Shepard grunted, then looked back at the Purebred Krogan, "Sure... I'm Commander Shepard, from the SSV Normandy. Relax, it'll be alright-"

"Not your name," the Krogan replied, "Mine. I am trained and I know things..." then he cast a sideways glance at his 'Father', stating, "You could not implant connections. Your words ring hollow," and that seemed to have slightly angered the Warlord. Fred put a hand ahead of the elder Krogan as if to try and stop him, while the tankbred looked back at Shepard. He told her, "Warlord, legacy... 'Grunt'. Grunt was among the last. No meaning. It'll do," then he looked upon Shepard again, "I am Grunt. If you think yourself worthy to command me, then prove it and destroy me."

"Guessing he doesn't like you much, Warlord," Joked Shepard as she looked at Okeer.

Grunt spoke, "I feel nothing for his clan, nor his enemies or battles. I will do what I've been bred to do, fight and destroy the enemies of that who commands me, but his imprint has failed," yet again disregarding the big man who made him. Grunt then added, "And without a reason, one fight is as good as the other. May as well start with you..." and he pressed his arm against Shepard's trachea, causing the Spartan to tense again, while Okeer prepared to intervene, stop him from shooting.

For a moment, Shepard considered letting it happen. She didn't, however, looking into the eyes of the confused young Grunt and telling him, "I have a great ship and a strong crew," While tilting her head toward Fred. She then gave a nod Grunt's way and said, "You can make it stronger," all while smirking. She had a small trick up her sleeve if Grunt decided to not play ball. Okeer saw it now, too, and growled.

Grunt seemed to pause, think for a second, then replied, "If you're weak and choose weak enemies, I'll have to kill you."

"Our enemies are formidable. You can be sure of it," Shepard reassured the big man. He took a minute to consider it, while Okeer mumbled something, surprised to see just how quickly Shepard's charms had gotten to the young Grunt. Fred, meanwhile, was just waiting for something to go wrong so they could space both aliens. He nominally didn't dislike any alien, but sour experiences with the Covenant made him wary of them targeting humans. Though he'd noticed Shepard's Ace in the Hole earlier than Okeer.

Grunt hummed to himself, then looked at Shepard, "That's... Acceptable," before grunting and nodding his head, "Very well. I'll fight for you."

Shepard smiled at that, "Glad to see you chose reason."

"What?" Grunt paused, then looked down as he felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his abdomen. Looking down, he grinned as he saw the woman's Carnifex pistol pointed right at his hearts and point-blank, where the Barriers probably couldn't stop it. He laughed and said, "Offer one hand, but arm the other," before backing off, "Wise, Shepard. If I find a Clan of my own, I will be honored to pit them against you."

Shepard rubbed her neck, then said, "Glad to hear it. Welcome aboard," before pausing as she saw Grunt turn toward and stare intensely at Fred. The Spartan stared back as he kept his rifle at the ready, to which Shepard looked at Okeer. Okeer grinned and, suddenly, the Commander felt a pit in her stomach. Looking at Grunt, she asked, "Any particular reason you're staring at my Lieutenant like he's a rack of ribs fresh off the grill?"

"He seems like a fine opponent," Grunt answered, "Spar me."

"Oh, this is gonna be a headache," Shepard pinched her brow, then said, "Grunt, I understand your desire to fight, but keep it for the enemy. The Lieutenant's going to have work to do for a while yet..." only to see the Krogan get tense. She winced and looked at Fred, stating, "Buuuut maybe you two can spar later, alright?" to which the Alien grinned. Shepard mouthed a 'please' to Fred, who sighed deeply, shoulders getting the tiniest amount of sag. He, however, nodded.

With Grunt seemingly satisfied and another pair of Marines being assigned to guard the door instead of Fred, the Commander and the Spartan walked out of the room and moved to the CIC. Fred spoke, "Permission to speak freely, ma'am?" all while making sure he had everything down in his mind. They were basically going to have him fight a War Machine hand-to-hand. Smart. He could handle it without killing the alien.

"Granted. Before you do, though, sorry," she winced, "He just seems like he needs an outlet for anger and I'd rather he not fight Okeer on board my ship," then she paused, "I'll have to separate them, though..." and let out a deep sigh. Turning to face the Spartan, she asked, "Anyways, do go on...?" all while her own mind realized that she'd just set the man up for a death match. She'd have to set up ground rules later.

Fred told her, "I'd like a little free time to contact Doctor Halsey and the others. Get the lay of the land and an update on how discussions between all four sides are going before we get deployed to our next mission," while sliding his rifle onto his back. She heard the hum of a magnetic strip activate and lock the gun into place almost perfectly against his back.

Well, she really saw no problem with that, telling him, "Sure thing. I'll get a message sent," before she opened up her Omni-Tool and accessed some data on it. As they arrived at the CIC. She dismissed Fred, walked up onto the podium near the Galaxy map and leaned against the railing, rubbing her face and mumbling, "I think Fred's gonna die..."

"I hope not," Fives quipped from behind her. Shepard jumped and swiveled about, to which Fives gave a wave and said, "Commander. The General wants to talk to you about an update we just received," before adding, "And your pilot, Joker, mentioned something about the Illusive Man contacting you via the Quantum com system in the back of the ship."

Shepard wanted to scream.

After having gone to talk to Ahsoka, she learned that the Republic, the UNSC and possibly the Colonials had been attacked by a pair of Batarian Hegemony warships and were now planning a little retaliatory 'no, fuck you', counterattack. A small border skirmish to tell the Batarians to not mess with the Waystation or anything in the Traverse that might be human while talks proceeded.

She had gotten back from talking with Anderson, Udina and the Council when they met these people several days ago. The Council wasn't particularly happy to do anything beside sit with their thumbs up their alien asses after reinstating her, at least when it came to the Collectors. Anderson had wanted to meet the three new parties personally, but was held back by Ambassador Udina. Now, apparently, they sent one of Udina's old friends, Tuft, to talk to these people and Tuft had tried to calm the trio of their newfound allies down. It was good to see them united, though.

Less good was the possibility of a genuine multi-galactic war on their hands, with three other Galaxies bearing down to kick their Galaxy's Slaver Empire's ass all the way to the curb. She prayed it never got to that, though she honestly didn't hold high hopes. Which was why the Illusive Man seemed to show the slightest bit of concern when Shepard appeared, haggard as she was, on the com screen. She said to him, "Finally got a new job for us?" rather surprisingly calm. He wanted to ask her what had gone awry, but chose not to.

The Illusive Man, in all his wisdom, simply nodded and said, "We have advance warning this time, Shepard. We know the next Colony that's about to be hit... Horizon. I'll forward the details now," before humming. He paused and decided that, against his better judgement, he was better off if he asked, "Pardon, Shepard, but I do have to ask, what's gotten you like this? You look like you've had one hell of a bad day..."

Shepard didn't really sugarcoat the explanation of upcoming Galactic Events...

Oh...

Chapter Text

The Normandy was preparing to deploy onto the colony of Horizon. Shepard sat in the com room, explaining to Thrawn, "... And that's part of the reason we believe there may be a hostile force coming. We've got the Anti-Seeker 'cure' that Mordin developed at the ready and we can send the formula your way, but we might need the backup from something heavier than the Normandy..."

"I understand," Thrawn replied calmly from the holographic com, "I will detach the Tribunal to assist you against them, but I'm not certain she will arrive in time. Good luck out there, Commander..."

"Yeah. To you guys as well," She nodded, "Don't rough the Batarians up too much. Might start a war or the Council's gonna be peeved at you..." before she shrugged. She honestly really gave no shit what happened to the Batarians. The two then gave each-other a nod and the com shut off. Shepard walked out, letting the table raise, before immediately taking the elevator up to her room and finally pouring herself a shot.

After downing about four more and taking a quick nap, the Commander had awoken to the news they were, in fact, arriving near Horizon. She gathered herself off of her couch, stood to her feet and immediately took the elevator down to CIC and entered the armory, donning her gear. Activating her Omni-Tool and connecting it to the PA allowed her to order, "All crew, to the briefing room."

Shepard had upgraded her armor and checked over her M96 Mattock. She then slid it onto her back, letting it fold and walking to the deck with Jacob. Entering the briefing room, she saw the entire team that had been gathered so far, prepared and waiting. Jack herself donned some clothing, thank the maker. A leather jacket, gloves, jeans and some light armor. The others wore the same gear they'd worn when they headed out last.

She spoke, "Alright. We're nearing Horizon, so I want to have a plan of attack at the ready in case these actually are Collectors..." then walked over to the table, activating its holographic transmitter and showing a two-dimensional map with images taken by an orbiting satellite Cerberus must've hacked. She said, "The Colony of Horizon's a decently large place. We'll cover as much ground as humanly possible by splitting up into three teams:Two that will go in immediately and one that will act as QRF in case the shit hits the fan."

"So, basically, Third Team's going in regardless," Jack murmured, grinning. A few murmurs agreed with her statement.

Shepard sighed and said, "Point is, we might finally have a way to stop them, or at least figure them out here," then she pointed at the map again. Calmly, she ordered, "I want everyone packed and ready to go. Jesse and the General are leading team two, I'll take one. Fred, you're Two with Ahsoka and the Clones. Keep your eyes peeled for civilians and make sure we have the gear at the ready to help evacuate them."

"Commander, with all due respect," Miranda started as she powered on her omni-tool, "Our primary objective should be attempting to take a Collector prisoner and attempt to interrogate it," and the screen switched to the collage of images taken by the security cameras on Freedom's Progress. Enhancing the image through the Omni-Tool's functionality and with some obvious help from EDI, Miranda locked the image onto a Collector soldier.

The four-eyed bipedal creature seemed to be staring at the camera, its insectoid eyes glowing white and its carapace shifting colors with the light that fell upon it. It held an organic weapon, shaped exactly like a standard assault rifle. Shepard could even make out the slot where the weapon heat sink would eject from or be re-inserted into, though it was covered by flesh and chitin.

She wanted to reply, but Fred leaned forward and said, "If we're capable of hitting these things with anything that could knock one out, miss Lawson, who's to say it'll even cooperate?" only to look at the Commander, "Do we even have a means to shut these things down and to grab one?" only to pause as one of the Clones cleared his throat. The entire room looked at the squad of white and blue-clad soldiers.

"Technically?" Jesse voiced, stepping forward, "We have a stun setting on our blasters. I can't promise anything, but we might be able to put one to bed, nab it."

Shepard paused for a moment, considering their options. She sighed deeply and replied, "If you can afford it without taking casualties, Jesse. I don't wanna be responsible for the General losing men under her command. Otherwise, operational objective remains:Clear the place and find survivors. If we can hold until the Tribunal arrives, we might even be able to do some damage to the enemy ship."

Shepard breathed a sigh, "Otherwise, that's all. Pack your gear. I'll see you in the Hangar in an hour," then she waved over Grunt, Mordin, Zaeed and Garrus. As they walked out, she told the four, "I think we're about to have one hell of a welcome party from the Collectors. I wanted to ask you four specifically to tag in with my team. Miranda, Jacob and the others are Team Three."

"Jack's gonna be upset she ain't tagging along," Joked Garrus.

Zaeed replied, "Yeah, well, she's probably jinxed herself and her goddamn team. Three's probably gonna have to back our asses up down there," as they took the next exit to the left and armory. Each member of the team geared up with their respective weapons, Shepard grabbing her M96 Mattock, M4 Shuriken and the M6 Carnifex she'd managed to grab when she went to retrieve Mordin.

Mordin himself racked back the charging handle of his own Shuriken, slid a new heat sink in and spoke, "Indeed. Possibilities of allied force engaging Collectors endearing," then he scratched his chin, "Do wonder if countermeasures against Seekers work. Haven't had much time to test full effects," only to pause as he felt all eyes on him. He corrected himself quickly, "But should be fine."

"Not sure of yourself, doc?" Zaeed asked, cool as a cucumber on the surface, but goddamn concerned after what Mordin had just said. He saw the Salarian simply smile at him, to which he replied with a 'calm' and sarcastic, "Well, I feel safe..." as he grabbed an Avenger off the table and slid it onto his back holster. He then grabbed a Katana shotgun, slotted that onto his back at the lower magnetic connection point and, finally, he grabbed a Carnifex off the table.

"Relax, Zaeed," Garrus quipped as he slammed home a fresh heat sink and racked the bolt of his Widow. He flashed the human an alien grin, slid the weapon onto his back and said, "We'll only make sure you're first if you start being annoying," while looking the old mercenary dead in his eyes, all while Mordin remained surprisingly silent, but still smiled.

Grunt let out a chortle, picked up the Claymore shotgun Okeer had given him as a gift and racked the pump, then boasted, "A few bugs don't scare me."

"Keep that confidence up throughout the fight and we'll be fine, big man," The Mercenary replied as he put a few extra heat sinks into his rig. He looked at Shepard and said, "Do you trust these 'extra-galactic' newcomers, Commander? I mean, I haven't seen'em in action, but half of'em looked like they were wearin' plastic. The other half looked like something from the History Books."

"They covered our asses just fine when we retrieved Grunt and Okeer," Shepard replied as she finished loading up on everything, including Grenades. She told Zaeed, "Keep calm and carry on, Massani," with a smirk, then waved everyone out. Taking the elevator down to the hangar, the group soon saw the rest of their comrades were already armed. Obviously, a chunk of the crew only needed to stow smaller gear. SMGs, pistols, the likes. The others, however, never left their specific accommodations without their weaponry.

Shepard then spoke, "Team Three's with Helo. One takes the Kodiak, two takes the LAAT," and pointed to each respective aircraft.

Jack boarded the Raptor first and said, "Don't fly us into a mountain, soldier-boy," to Helo as she sat down. The man let out a fake laugh while his co-pilot glanced back at the Psychotic Biotic. The others followed her close behind, while the Clones, Spartan and General boarded the LAAT. A ripple filled the cargo hold as the vessel decelerated, having reached the AO above Horizon.

Joker spoke over the radio, "Okay, ladies and gentlemen, we've arrived at our destination. Stand by for Atmo Insert. That means brace for a choppy entry, by the way," all while the ship began to rattle. Joker's channel was still open as he let out a quiet, "Woah," before EDI chided him, though what she said was barely audible. The man then spoke, "Alright, all teams, green light to launch..." a little more subdued and seemingly concerned.

As the hatch opened, the groups looked ahead, to the sight of the sprawling hills and fields of golden crop, the growing trees, the distant mountains and gathering clouds, only for their eyes to finally settle upon the centerpiece of it all. Situated above the prefab buildings of the decently-sized colony stood a single, monolithic ship. Protruding out from what seemed to be a dug-out asteroid, the alien warship was tubular in shape, almost perfectly so. Despite that. Semi-circular prongs of armor plate poked out from amidst its body, like ribs holding the rocks that would probably act as camouflage normally in place. Sat upright, its thrusters and mass effect fields glowing, the vessel was the centerpiece of a localized lightning storm whose lightning glowed golden. Various gasps filled the com, but Shepard could only focus on the vessel.

"So, that's what took down the SR1," Murmured Sam, feeling a light chill up her spine. Images of the fight flashed in her mind. The boiling plate, the particle beam cutting through the Normandy's armor, the wanton destruction, floating pieces and the failing life support and worthless firefighting. Her chest suddenly felt tight. She grabbed onto the top of her armor's chest plate and gently tugged back, trying to make some room for herself to be able to breathe as the air in the ship felt like it'd suddenly disappeared.

"Force," Ahsoka murmured over coms, "That's a big ship... Its mass effect fields must be incredibly powerful to keep it upright..."

"Good to know you've done your homework, General," Shepard replied, then breathed a deep sigh, thankful Ahsoka's words had taken her out of her fugue. She looked at the ship's console and said, "Setting us down," as she tapped a few buttons on the haptic interface. The Kodiak's landing engines fired as the ship slowly angled its nose up to thirteen degrees. It slowed down and landed in a clearing near by the colony.

As they dismounted, the LAAT touched down next. Karl contacted the groups over the com, stating, "This is Helo. Electronic Warfare systems are online... For all the good that might do against that ship," before they heard Miranda mumble something. He added, "We're holding position five klicks out and maintaining contact with Orbital. Call us if you need the help."

"Roger that, Helo. Thanks," Shepard replied, then gazed over to Fred and Ahsoka. The Jedi gave a wave to the Commander, who waved back, while Fred simply nodded. The two then moved forward with the Clones, marching for another entry point. Shepard looked over her own team and showed them to follow as the flaps of hundreds of small, chitinous wings filled their ears. The group started moving forward as small, fast-moving black clouds began to appear overhead. Only, they were not clouds. Resolving into the forms of the famed 'Seekers', decently-sized, chitin-covered bioengineered insects, the swarms soon started descending toward the crew.

Shepard suddenly held her breath as she balled her fist, showing the group to stop. They did, holding position as they watched the bugs descending toward them. She caught Mordin cast a sideways glance at their Kodiak, then look back up at the alien swarm. Zaeed caught onto that and mumbled something that Shepard immediately silenced with a low side-swipe of her open right hand.

Their hearts all beat in their throats for a moment as they watched the buzzing insects slowly descend toward them. As they were coming down, the group grew more and more tense, Garrus thumbing the safety off of his Vindicator Battle Rifle as he watched. The descent grew a little steeper for the bugs as they swept over a rock and some of the trees.

Then a moment where everyone held their breaths came as the Swarm drew close enough for each individual bug to be visible...

... Then a collective sigh of relief echoed as the swarm flew over their heads, completely and utterly ignoring them. Shepard scratched her chin, shook her head and smiled, then gave a thumbs-up to Mordin. She then radioed, "This is Shepard... Countermeasure successful. The Seekers can't detect us," before hearing muted jubilation from all teams. She balled her fist up and then opened her palm, chopping forward.

The group began to move slowly down the hill, guided by broken fences put up by the civilians. In the distance, heavy GARDIAN turrets rose up above the Colony, dead in the water, quiet and pointed away from the Colony. She spoke, "I have sight on the GARDIAN defense system that was being prepared. They look almost completely ready..."

"And guns of that size were supposed to scare off that thing," Zaeed scoffed, "Might as well be goddamn throwing pebbles at it."

Garrus corrected, "GARDIAN systems ain't anything to scoff at. Something must've gone wrong with their calibration sequence, though. They're not even tracking the enemy ship," and he pushed up next to Shepard. She nodded in approval at Garrus's assessment of the situation, then tapped her com twice, trying to signal Fred. Fred tapped back twice as well, confirming they were in the clear for now.

As they pushed into the Colony itself, there were no signs of battle damage. No stubs from spent heat sinks, no bullet holes marking the walls, no nothing. Fives commented over the com, "This place is dead..." which got a stifled chuckle out of General Tano and out of Ahsoka. He spoke, "Was Freedom's Progress like this when you got there, Commander?"

"Exactly the same, Fives," Shepard replied as they scanned the Prefabs for movement. They found nothing. The place was, in fact, dead, save for the light groans of metal here and there, the thunder of the electricity coursing onto the kinetic barriers of the Collector vessel above and the chirps and chitters of the alien harvesting force. As they entered the place, Shepard asked, "Team Two... Any civvies?" while walking up the stairs.

"Negative so far," Ahsoka replied, "Seeing a lot of pods, however," and that made Shepard cast a glance at a pileup of those same pods. Chitinous, biomechanical and shaped like the cocoons of butterflies, though with an orange-tinted, symbol-marked window to view whatever was inside through, they sat quietly in the street corners, waiting to be gathered. Some were empty. Others were occupied, obviously, though it was hard to tell who was inside.

The Commander breathed, then replied, "We're seeing the same here," as she scanned the rooftops and the tinted windows for movement. Lights were still on in some of the buildings as they trekked through the place. As they trekked deeper into the area, the group soon found themselves near some sort of loading ramp and an area that was concerningly open.

She chopped her hand forward, then tensed with the rest of the squad as she heard Fred comment over the radio, "Contact on the Motion Tracker, airborne. Incoming hostile," very matter-of-factly. She heard Ahsoka's lightsabers ignite, then Fred told her, "Looks like we're about to be engaged, Commander. Godspeed," only for the rapid, almost supersonic flap of chitin wings to play over the com. And close to them.

"Contact, dead-ahead!" Zaeed barked. Indeed, as the group scattered into defensive positions in the loading dock, behind boxes and armored drums, they saw them. Descending like predatory birds or giant wasps, clad in the same chitinous armor and glowing due to their own personal kinetic barriers, Collector Soldiers landed amidst cover, one of them bellowing orders to the others in their chittered language.

They numbered about twice Shepard's squad here and they'd arrayed themselves tactically, like proper soldiers. Their first shots rang out and zipped over Shepard's and the others' heads, scraping barrels and hitting kinetic barriers as they pressed the advantage. Shepard poked out from behind her cover, firing from down low with the semi-automatic Mattock and feeling and hearing its thundering punch.

The Collectors took cover when return fire started coming, with Zaeed immediately standing up and firing his Avenger at the enemy force in bursts to keep them pinned down. He barked, "Vakarian! Their leader is open!" before pointing at the unit with biotic barriers and a beam weapon in the back. Garrus immediately switched over to his sniper rifle, shouldered it and peered through the scope.

Even as bullets from the hostile units zipped past Garrus, the Turian remained steady in hand, scoping out the hostile leader as it aimed its own beam weapon at him. A heartbeat and Garrus's mandibles clicked, followed by the thunderclap of the Widow. The mass effect-assisted bullet zipped through the air and slammed into the shields of the monster Collector, its chitinous plates seemingly shifting as its kinetic barrier collapsed.

Shepard was next, popping up and doming the bastard with her Mattock. Two shots clean through the mouth tore through it, painting the wall behind it a pallid, glowing white thanks to the bug's blood. She then aimed for other advancing Collectors and fired, but her shots missed the same as theirs. Garrus immediately flipped his weapons, switching over to his Battle Rifle and firing a burst toward the monsters.

The Commander ducked again as a shot struck her biotic barriers, then another. She powered her biotics next, her entire body glowing a deep lilac. A ball of energy formed in her hand, which she cocked back and, upon standing up, threw toward the first enemy she met. The Warp blast struck the monster, staggering it and boiling away skin and armor. It stumbled, allowing Mordin to hit it next with a headshot.

She then jumped over cover, while Mordin called out, "Simply amazing! Biotics interesting field of study, Commander!" With a smirk as he pushed up behind her, firing his SMG at the enemy. Grunt followed up next, roaring happily as he slammed into the next Collector and flattening it against one of the raised walls. He dented the frame of the already-damaged prefab, causing part of the wall to collapse before he turned about and fired his Claymore.

The high-caliber Krogan-made shotgun barked loudly, like an angry Alpha Varren on the hunt. The shot ripped the Collector's chest cavity wide open, revealing the internal 'wires' and enhancements done to this presumed thrall to the Reapers. The Krogan then proceeded to throw a punch at one of the two advancing on his flank and peppering him with bullets.

The other was gunned down rather rapidly by both Zaeed and Shepard. It was so, moments later, that everything went dead quiet, with the only gunfire now being from the guns of their Comrades. Lowering their guns allowed Shepard to speak, "We're clear in our AO, General! We're moving up to a possible meeting point!" before she waved her squad forward. Breaching into a building, the group pushed through, passing abandoned trays with cooled food, empty chairs and bunks and safes(Though not without Shepard emptying them of funds).

A Collector soldier, plugged full of blaster bolts going by the plasma scores on its body and drilled by a Lightsaber, flew backward under the combined weight of a Force Push and the Spartan Lieutenant's titanium boot. It fell to the floor, hissing and chittering before the Lieutenant put his boot into its face and caused its outer plates and inner skull to cave in. Pulling his foot out of the now-dead collector, the Spartan looked to the Commander and nodded. He spoke, "They managed to take down my shields by focusing me, but it didn't help them much."

"One of'em damn near cut my head off," Bold spoke next as he hefted his Z6, "Bastard with a particle beam rifle."

"I deflected it back at the Collector officer," Ahsoka smirked, to which the Clones laughed, though there was a certain level of unease to that laugh. Fred looked to Ahsoka and gave a nod, before the group formed up again and started pushing deeper into the colony at Shepard's wordless orders. Horizon seemed to be rather occupied by the enemy. Their invasion forces held much of the area around them.

As they advanced, Karl reported over com, "There's fluctuations in the ship's fields. Almost like alarms. Seems like you woke them up by killing that patrol, Commander," all while the audible requests of the crew for the Pilot to bring them down filtered through.

Shepard clicked her com and replied, "Well, tell the gang they'll have to get down here soon enough, so Jack oughta stop busting our collective balls about it."

After a moment of pause, Karl replied with, "While I'd love to give the full reply, Commander, I'll just say she confirmed. Give us a ping when we gotta roll in. Helo, out," and the com went quiet. Shepard and the group continued advancing in a staggered column, Fives, Jesse and the Clones scanning the area with their blasters as they pushed on through.

Marching past, the group immediately came under fire as another squad of enemy units engaged them from above. Fred was quick on the draw, doming the first enemy unit he caught in the scope of his DMR before taking cover. Shepard and the others watched the monsters landing amidst the buildings, taking cover behind boxes that were strewn-around and moving to flank them.

A volley of blaster bolts soon erupted from amidst the ranks of the Clones as they formed a perimeter around the group. Shots scarred the buildings or drilled holes into tempered glass, shattering it, all while the squad engaged. Mordin spoke, "Enjoy the sight of these new weapons! Might wish to acquire pistol for self-defense later!"

"Just get in contact with BlasTech, doc!" Fives quipped as he took cover beside the Salarian, then poked out and fired a burst at one of the Collector drones. Ducking back down, the Clone joked, "Pretty sure they'll be happy to expand their business into this Galaxy, too!" while waving Bold over. The heavy-weapon clone moved up, hefted his rotary cannon up and let loose a volley that pinned several of the enemy units down.

Meanwhile, Shepard sniped with what was basically a Designated Marksman Rifle in all but name, doming another and narrowly missing its sibling. She reloaded, then looked over to Garrus as he was trying to line up a shot before asking him, "You ever think we'd be doing this!?" and preparing for either the dumbest or funniest answer from her old comrade in arms. For all attempts at being a smarmy guy, Garrus was still a bit of a nerd.

"Fighting side-by-side with my dead former CO two years after we defeated a Geth invasion and an ancient machine, or shooting at the mythical Collectors?!" Garrus quipped, garnering a laugh out of the Commander.

Another shot snapped over her head, then a burst, then a beam from one of the Collectors' heavy weapons.

The reply was a snap-pop from Fred's DMR, then another, then a burst. Fives followed up with his own blaster, putting down two enemies as they advanced with five shots altogether. It was getting fairly dangerous, with the Collectors seemingly able to co-ordinate properly in their flanking maneuvers. Thankfully, it seemed as if Shepard's picked squad was working well together...

... Until a familiar groan filled her ears. Cocking her head to sight where the noise had come from, she went bug-eyed, watching as a pair of what was once humans marched over toward them, their mouths wide open, eyes wide. Their skins were a sickly blue tint thanks to the nanomachines in their bodies, pipes poking out of their stomachs, concentrating into where the belly-button had once been. They roared and switched from shambling to running.

"Husks!" Shepard barked, then stood up and fired at the charging melee units, "The bastards have Husks!"

Garrus was quick to realign his shots. He hit both in their heads, breaking apart what little remained of their human skulls. He watched their headless bodies stumble and drop, the lights from their bodies extinguishing. He reloaded his weapon and said, "There's certainly gonna be no doubt about them working with the Reapers now...! Especially considering this is the same tech we saw Sovereign and his Geth employ..."

"Yeah," Shepard scoffed.

Zaeed stepped forward and threw two grenades, then hit another creature in the head with his shotgun's butt. He told the others, "Might as well start pushing! Sitting ducks are dead ducks!" before aiming his Avenger and firing. The others nodded, with Fred taking point to protect the squad. He grabbed a Husk by the throat and slammed it into the floor, stomping its head clean off.

A few more bursts and the place went quiet again. They pushed deeper into the place, encountering more resistance even as they climbed up the stairs at the center of the colony. There, however, they found them:Humans, frozen in place by the Seeker swarms. Some tried to help their friends. Others carried weapons, attempting to fight back the Collectors here, with the unsuccessful attempts marked by bullet holes. Mordin spoke, "Interesting. Marks of resistance here. Colonists' doomed attempt to hold enemy off, no doubt."

"Seems like they did their best, but without the Seeker defense..." Fred spoke as he approached one of the frozen civilians. He felt for a pulse underneath the field that held the man in place, then said, "Confirming, ma'am. Colonists are alive. You think they'll recover?" as he turned to fully face the woman, cradling his DMR in hand. There was something going on here, alright...

"If given enough time," Ahsoka spoke, though she seemed tense.

As they entered a building, Shepard asked her, "Something the matter, General? You seem a bit... Out of it right now..." all while wondering just what could spook a Force User. They seemed almost like Biotics, but more powerful, even though she didn't participate much in the fight. She couldn't blame the woman, though. There was a lot going on here.

The girl nodded, then sighed, "There's something about these Collectors. Something dark... I can sense it." Then, she leaned against a table, staring at the civilians around them.

"Oh, boy," Fives started as he entered the building, too. Noting that all eyes were on him now, he told them, "Look, when a Knight like General Tano feels something 'dark', I'd be worried..." before looking at Shepard. The Commander seemed to pause for a moment, realizing what that might imply, then nodded. Fives immediately picked up on that, stating, "And, yet again, they're proven right."

Shepard told everyone, "You heard Garrus mention the Reapers, right?" to which they nodded. She continued to explain to the extra-galactics, "It's a long story, but to put it simply, they're ancient alien machines that are hell-bent on eradicating all advanced sentient life in the Galaxy," then, she pointed at a few pods piled up in a corner and added, "And it seems the Collectors are their puppets."

"Oh," Jesse blanked, then sighed, "Never a dull day in the Grand Army of the Republic."

Fives snorted amused with his brother.

"Trust me when I tell you, you'll find very few dull days with Shepard beside you," Garrus quipped, well aware of the type of shenanigans they got up to while working together. Ahsoka let out a short laugh at the joke, then sighed deeply. She obviously hated being proven right, understandably enough. Especially about a situation this god-damned sensitive.

"Alright, people... Let's keep moving," Shepard then ordered, "We've still got a lot of Colony to cover and very little time left," and the group descended to the other side, marching toward what seemed to be a garage of some kind. Shepard chopped with her left hand twice, on one side and the other of the door, before approaching the emerald-shining haptic interface of the lock. Hitting the button and covering the rear, she let the massive garage door slide open, revealing a ramp leading down to an underground point. A place filled to the brim with boxes, from the looks of things.

The Clones and Spartan breached first... And met their first living Civvie.

Chapter Text

"Woah, woah, don't shoot!" The man clad in a black-and-white shirt, cap and cargo pants said as he raised his hands. He had hidden behind one of the boxes in the garage, but immediately noticed that the people who'd entered were human or humanoid, at the very least. He commented, "I'll be damned. More soldier types..." his accent audibly strange, voice gruff.

Shepard blinked as they descended, stowing her Mattock on her back and asking, "There more soldiers nearby?" before giving a wave of her hand for the team to secure the area, form a perimeter, that kind of thing. She wanted to have an uninterrupted conversation with their newfound buddy. Going by the looks of him and the tool box sat on top of the box he was taking cover behind, he was the mechanic. And he was tense.

Raising her hand, she spoke, "Relax. We're here to help. Even have a ship incoming with a lot more troops to get these bastards off your lawn."

The man blinked, staring at her, then crossed his arms and asked, "It ain't Alliance, right?" with concern. Shepard was willing to ask the man what was so bad about the Alliance, but, as far as she knew, in the two years they'd come to think of her as dead, not a lot happened. A short surge of military enlistments to help rebuild the Alliance fleet, followed by a drawdown as the losses felt at the Battle of the Citadel were being felt.

So, she shook her head and answered him straight, "No. My buddies over there," while jabbing a thumb back at Ahsoka and her Clones as they searched the place for useful intel, "Have a warship coming up. They're a fairly new addition to the Galaxy, though, so it's taking them a little while to pinpoint Horizon," and she crossed her arms. She asked, "Take it there's another Alliance troop here?"

"Just one," The man scoffed, "She was s'pposed to be helping us set up the GARDIAN lasers you saw outside."

Shepard sighed deeply, "Didn't get to do it before the bastards hit. What happened to them?"

"Targeting's scrambled," He replied, then leaned against the box, "Ain't got a damn clue how to fix it. And I can't reach the com tower and sensor suite alone to try," and he tilted his head toward the other door in the garage, sitting opposite the one they'd come in through. He shrugged, "Maybe you'll have better luck. You made it this damn far, right?"

"We'll get those guns online, get that ship to scramble," She offered, "Thanks. Any name you can give me on the possible Alliance casualty?"

"It's W-" The man was about to speak as the ground suddenly shook, the locked door next to them groaning under stress. He swore, "Damn!" then ran toward the security camera screens installed nearby. He activated them with his Omni-Tool and panned the camera at the locked door. A squad of enemy Drones were pounding at the door. A couple were firing their weapons at it to try and breach, while the others prepared to join in.

"Great. Stay here," Shepard ordered. She whistled to her team and gave a chop of the hand left and one right, to each flank of the door, then one in the middle behind a few boxes, one of which she lifted with her biotics and positioned as cover. She looked at everyone and said, "Breach and clear. Move fast for the antenna and let's get those targeting sequences in order. Bold?"

"Ma'am," The man tilted his helmet to mimic raising a brow.

"Right down the middle," The Commander ordered with a grin. The man seemed to let out a noise of excitement as he set up with his gun behind cover and started spinning it up. She looked at the man on the control console and ordered, "Unlock the door..." as she charged her biotics. Ahsoka beside her ignited her lightsabers. Shepard also drew her rifle off her back, while the others set up to engage.

Garrus quipped, "This is gonna be fun..."

Grunt let out a short, slow laugh as he racked the pump on his Claymore, Mordin checked his SMG and Zaeed simply zeroed his own rifle's scope, stating, "Bunch'a bloodthirsty lunatics, heh. More and more like my kind of gang," before properly pressing the Avenger into his shoulder. The lock ahead turned yellow, its central haptic interface connectors starting to glow a faint green, before it collapsed in on itself and the main door opened.

When the first Collector's eyes could peer inside, it staggered as Bold quipped, "Say hello to my little friend!" before squeezing the trigger. The gun started spitting blaster bolts, causing the aliens to scatter back. Bolts boiled the air as the other Clones began their own fussillade, while the Spartan and Zaeed lined up their shots. Shepard's biotics flared as she sent a Singularity in-between four troops, catching them all and causing them to float around the oscillating ball of dark and light matter.

Ahsoka surged forward, the flurry of her azure blades like a dance of light as she cut into the aliens. Screams of pain, obviously modified by the aliens' physiology, escaped as she cut them into halves, then quarters. She danced around the Singularity so as not to get caught herself, spinning and stabbing another alien creature in the chest, before severing a second's head.

Shepard pushed forward, throwing a Warp at a nearby Collector Assassin, one of the aliens with the Particle beams. Its biotic barrier blocked the hit, but it did catch flames of a purple hue and stagger, causing its aim to go wide and cut into the outer walls of one of the nearby houses. Grunt slammed into the beast next with a mighty Krogan battle cry, sending it flying backward.

The Clones and Lieutenant moved up next, their weapons barking as they pushed through. Zaeed and Mordin knelt, with Mordin looking over the data in his Omni-Tool as another swarm of Seekers flew overhead. However, something caused a collective chill to go up the spines of everyone present. A commanding voice bellowed, "Assuming direct control..."

... And the Collector Assassin that Grunt had managed to punt into a wall glowed, its chitinous skin cracking for beams of golden, irregular light to poke through. It landed, then glared at Shepard and said, "The architect of your ascension has come, Shepard," before glaring. Grunt surged forward, roaring once more, only for the being's powers to manifest. A bright white, fluttering burst of biotics sent the Krogan flying backward a few feet backward, the scream being of 'terror', or whatever could pass as such, for Grunt as he flew.

The enhanced Assassin balled its fist and another platoon of Collector units emerged ahead of them, opening fire with their organic assault weapons. Bursts of metal spat out like sharpened, jagged teeth breaking from the maw, denting and striking metal and forcing everyone to run for cover. Amid this scramble, the Alien in charge aimed its particle beam at the group and fired, the weapon letting out a blood-curdling screech as the focused beam of gold energy struck.

Bold took a hit from the beam right to the chest, causing him to stagger back. Ahsoka was quick. She lifted her hand and then yanked it back, pulling the Clone toward her as soon as she felt her Force power 'latch' onto him. Grunt, who'd joined them in cover, grabbed the man mid-flight, set him down in cover and watched Shepard apply medi-gel. Bold, to his credit, groaned and let out, "That's gonna scar...!"

"That can't be anything normal," Ahsoka spoke as she readied her lightsabers. She stood up and used the Force, feeling the weight behind her push slam into the biotic barrier of the monster. It replied by firing back at her, which she deflected into the ground with her lightsaber. It shifted its aim toward Mordin as the Salarian man tried to engage and he narrowly escaped being turned into a microwaved meal.

Shepard barked, "Taking a guess you're the Collectors' leader?! Why are you doing this!?"

"Humanity's Ascension is at hand," It replied as its troops advanced on the group. What it couldn't see, however, was Shepard preparing her team to take it down. Fred poked out and fired two shots at the monster, causing it to halt its advance and aim for him. Beside him, however, Fives and Jesse popped out, firing their blasters at the escorting platoon of Collector drones, cutting several down in the volley.

Shepard powered her biotic amps to the max and threw a Warp at the bastard, watching as its biotic barrier detonated. She stood to her feet, marched toward the monster and squeezed the trigger of her mattock as many times as was necessary to put it down. Ahsoka's lightsaber flew in from behind and above Shepard and nearly hit the bastard. IT caught the blade mid flight by the hilt and threw it back while Shepard reloaded.

The Commander then charged, powering her Biotics and slamming into the controlled Collector with the full might of a biotic hammer blow. It only staggered the Collector, however, causing Shepard to call out, "ALL TEAMS, FOCUS FIRE ON THIS CRYPTIC SON OF A BITCH!" as all her anger boiled over. She jumped back using her Biotics and joined the teams in focusing down the bastard.

A dozen gun barrels started spitting out hellfire, cratering the monster's armor and body and causing it to stagger back. Each shot pierced a chunk of its body, either tearing off a limb or vaporizing a part of its chitin plate. The light seemed to wink out from the cracks as the creature was torn to shreds by the heavy fire. When it collapsed and the light completely faded, the monster's body scattered to the wind.

Shepard slammed her hand into the heat sink ejection button, dropping a spent, boiling-hot stub from her rifle and slotting in a fresh one within moments. The Clones hit their weapons' cooling modes, hissing steam exuded by the vents as Fives commented, "I think we burned out some grass, too, ma'am," before pointing with the barrel of his DC-15 at the scorch marks on the floor.

"It's dead," Shepard sighed deeply, "Though I've got a feeling that isn't the only time we're gonna see the Collector leader."

"Seems like he has a bone to pick with you all," Ahsoka commented, keeping her Lightsabers at the ready, "How'd it deflect my Lightsaber...?" and she looked at the shorter blade she'd thrown, noting a small 'scorch' mark in the shape of the Collectors' three-fingered hands on the hilt. She hummed, then decided to shut that blade off for now, stowing it on her belt.

Mordin voiced, "Collector leader, interesting. Seems capable of remote control, enhancing specialized drones when seizing it. Assassin armor and barriers replenished when he took control," then he approached the scorch mark as the Clones, Fred and Garrus made a perimeter. Kneeling and activating his omni-tool, Mordin continued, "Control seems almost psychic in nature. Direct link via biotics? Implants? Hm. Would like Collector corpse for study if possible..." And he looked to Shepard, "With your permission, of course, Commander," then smiled.

"Rather not risk it taking control of that corpse aboard the Normandy and causing any damage," Shepard replied warily, then sighed. She approved Mordin's inquisitive mind, but this just stuck a whole new, painful variable in front of them. The Collectors were already capable of coordinating, but with an officer on the ground, things would get a hell of a lot worse. She looked up at the ship still hovering over the planet, then radioed, "Helo, we got an ETA on the Tribunal's arrival?"

"Next ten minutes, ma'am. Suggest you get those guns up if you wanna push the enemy ship out of position," The Colonial pilot replied. Shepard saw the Raptor flying overhead, 'orbiting' the colony and the warship itself. He spoke, "Also... Not to look a gift horse in the mouth, ma'am, but you'd think that thing would've picked me up on sensors and shot me down by now."

"It didn't shoot at us when we landed, either, and it has a fairly long-range particle beam. It was forward-facing only, though, I think..." Shepard hummed, then said, "Let's just count our blessings and get moving. Prep to land Team Three, because I feel like we might need the backup," and she motioned for the team to rally up. Helo gave an affirmative reply and started preparing to land, all while the rest of the team pushed forward.

"A Collector officer that can take control of Drones, biotics being available amidst their ranks," Ahsoka recounted as the squad formed into a diamond, covering each-other's backs. She looked to Shepard and said, "There may be more to these creatures than the nickname you gave them lets on..." and she looked at one of the Drones as they passed by it, its corpse filled with bullet holes and blaster marks.

"Remind me to brief you all properly on the Reapers when we're back aboard the Normandy, including the Husks we saw back there," Shepard stated. She didn't recall if she did do a complete briefing on the matters, but she'd probably sound like any rambling old buffoon or insane person talking about the End Times. Still, they had open evidence of the Reapers back there, Husks and all.

As they advanced toward the central area of the colony, where the defense guns' control center and antenna were, the group heard a distant scream, like a dozen voices at once merged into one. Jesse said, "We aren't done quite yet," as he looked at Fred. The Spartan nodded and quickly exchanged the half-spent magazine of his DMR for a fresh one, slamming it home and letting it click into place.

Shepard looked back, meanwhile, asking, "You having fun, Grunt?"

The Krogan grinned, smashing his fists together and stating, "I've been looking forward to the thrill of combat. Glad to see you weren't lying about worthy enemies, Shepard. The Collector officer that sent me flying..." And he sniffed the air, proud, "Truly, a hard feat to deny. Lifting me's like lifting a tank. The armored kind, not the artificial womb you found me in."

"Glad to hear it," Shepard smirked, then mumbled, "Thank God the Perfect Krogan's with us..." as they dropped a step down into what seemed to almost be an arena. Shepard mumbled, "When's the last time I've seen an open area with very little cover and a lot of open sightlines...?" as they approached the central area of the Arena, where a console and the targeting antennae for the guns resided on top of what seemed to be a raised portion with four stairs leading up. The console itself was sat on the North-Western corner.

"All units, fuckin' Irene," Joked Jack as the Raptor landed behind them, disgorging the rest of the team. The Psychotic Biotic joined the group and said, "We saw some pretty nasty shit headed this way. Seems like it's gonna be a tough fight," while Miranda and Jacob followed along, weapons at the ready. Jack didn't seem distraught by the idea, either. Shepard knew she reveled in killing and that was what they needed right now.

"If the Collector Leader's around, too, yeah, it is," Shepard replied as she approached the console and started checking it. When she started getting errors, she sighed and threw her hands up, then ordered, "Garrus, you get on it. Helo, back up in the air. We're gonna need any further jamming and the link to Joker," then watched Garrus moving up to the console. She spoke, "Everyone else, grab cover and prep. If we've actually got a lot of incoming, I wanna be ready."

Replies and salutes affirmed the Commander's orders. Every member of the team was soon taking cover behind a box or some form of hard, bullet-resistant piece of something, forming a concentric defense ring around Garrus as he was setting up the console. Shepard thought for a moment, then radioed, "EDI, can you link the weapon battery to the Normandy's targeting systems if Garrus gives you an opening?"

"Yes. It should help expedite the preparation process for the GARDIAN weapons system..." EDI replied, "However, be advised, Commander. I have detected a large concentration of enemy forces on approach to your current location. If you have not done it yet, I suggest preparing defenses," all while Shepard scanned the area around her to see all the troops they'd set up, Jack's own biotics giving her a dark purple hue while she grinned.

"Thanks for the warning," The commander quipped, "Shepard out..." then she approached Garrus and told him, "Set up the link and grab your gun. I feel like we'll need every barrel pointed at the Collectors before we're off Horizon," only to hear the deep hum of the repulsorlifts from the LAAT overhead. The gunship swept in and Shepard smiled at that, "Speaking of..."

"Right," The Turian nodded. Tapping a few more lines of code in, then opening his Omni-Tool, he spoke, "EDI, you've got your opening," then drew his rifle. The pair then joined the rest of the team in taking up defensive positions. The ground slightly shook as the feet of dozens, if not hundreds of Collectors trampled across the place. The Console's diagnostics screen started flashing as the antennae powered on. The Gunship hovered overhead, its guns and turrets scanning for targets.

The Commander stabilized her Mattock on top of a box of what seemed to be recycled materials, peering through the in-built scope at shadows moving in the alleyways around them. The entire group tensed, fingers hovering over the triggers of their weapons, with Fred being the only one that wasn't twitchy. Jack mumbled, "Come on, you sons of bitches... I've been waiting, cooped-up in that dropship for too long for you to chicken out on us now..."

Fred, meanwhile, had boosted his armor's scanner and sensor suite, giving his motion tracker greater range. He zeroed in on one of the alleys, stating, "Platoon, approaching from nine o'clock," before shouldering his rifle properly and supporting it on the other hand, which was pressed against one of the taller walls he was using for cover. The Gunship shifted its cannons to face the area.

When the first Drone appeared, the volley of energy and kinetic weapons that struck it (and the one following it) came down like a hammer blow from the lord himself. The Gunship's anti-infantry cannons spat emerald bolts at the target, with Shepard calling out, "CONTACTS! WE'VE GOT INCOMING ALL ACROSS NOW!" as she spotted more enemy troops on the rooftop. She, Garrus and Fred opened fire, bullets zipping past the Collectors as they advanced, taking up positions and coordinating to hit back.

The Gunship took fire from a pair of Assassins with particle beams, their shots cutting into the side of the armor, but doing minimal damage. The crew manning the composite-beam laser ball turret powered his weapon. The emerald beams of light coalesced into one centralized one in the dish of the weapon, then screamed out, the beam cutting a swath into the ranks of the enemy force and boiling away part of one of the Prefab houses.

Biotics and Tech attacks mixed with plasma bolts, gunfire and particle beams, Commander Shepard grabbing the beam of one of the fallen Collectors to utilize as her own with what few heavy power cells she still had at her disposal. Short, one-second bursts turned some of the monsters into smears, while Bold let loose with his Z6. He walked over to the Commander and told her, "Thanks for the patch-up, Commander! That Medi-Gel stuff really kicks in quick!"

"Stick to cover, Bold! Don't wanna have to patch your ass up a second time!" The Commander quipped, garnering a laugh out of the other clones. She could still see the marks where the particle beam had made contact and cut through the 'plastoid', but the man was spry as could be and even firing his weapon with relatively little issue. Fives approached, drawing his twin pistols and engaging a few enemy units that had managed to jump down. "EDI, ETA?!" Shepard then demanded.

"Unknown. Encountering minor issues... Odd... Stand-by, ETA is approximately five minutes," EDI replied, though she seemed confused. Her articulation of the issue was, however, interesting. She spoke, "Coincidentally, the Tribunal has nearly arrived..." before stopping again. Something was messing with her. Shepard cocked her head left, looking at the console, then paused.

... A blue dot swept the console, moving in the shape of a wider wedge, left to right, then right to left. It moved in a pattern, worryingly enough, before the holographic eye seemed to lock onto Shepard. She blinked, about ready to blow the console open and rewire the targeting manually(if that was even possible), only for the pattern to wink off, the console returning to normal.

"Large aerial contact, incoming!" Helo reported...

And the crew paused as a giant bio-mechanical monster landed ahead of them. Sat on three spindly legs, tinted blue by the nanomachines probably flowing through its body, with two narrow, blue-burning eyes glaring at them. It opened its mouth, letting out a scream of anger that revealed... Dozens of Husks' heads within its belly. Ahsoka, who was cutting down swathes of enemy forces, froze when she saw it.

Its eyes glowed, fury seemingly gathering within its maw. Shepard called out, "TAKE COVER!" to Ahsoka, before watching Fred dash forward at a speed that made him seem a blur, grab the General, then move out of the way just as the alien monstrosity's attack came. Twin beams of blue hatred coalesced into one, cutting down the center of the area, burning grass, boiling dirt and nearly shearing the cover Garrus was behind in one go.

Garrus, in fact, took a hit to his shields, which nearly crumbled. Ahsoka, meanwhile, used her Lightsaber to deflect a burst from another assassin while she and Fred were fleeing, with Fred immediately drawing his pistol and shooting at the bastards as he ran. Ahsoka said to him, "You can put me down, Lieutenant!" with urgency. He nodded, set her down and she said, "Thanks for the save! Now, let's end this!" before deflecting another shot from the particle beam. Her hand shot out toward the bastard that was firing. She saw it stagger and grinned, then, turning her palm to face upward, pulling back and closing it into a fist, she crumpled the Collector Assassin.

Shepard barked, "All units, focus fire on the big bastard! EDI, ETA?!"

"Thirty seconds!" The AI replied urgently.

Shepard looked over at the Gunship, flagged the pilot with a wave and radioed, "Fire EVERYTHING!" and marked the machine ahead as it marched forward. Grunt charged it, unsurprisingly, slamming into it and staggering it before putting several shotgun shells into its face. Shepard barked, "GRUNT, GET OUT OF THE WAY!" to which the Krogan immediately jumped back.

The Gunship once again came in clutch. As the monster seemed to be charging something, Mordin struck it with a tech attack that staggered it, followed by Jack and Miranda utilizing their combined Biotics(though nearly hitting each-other) and staggering it. It was then followed up by Shepard's own Warp attack, which ignited the beast in lilac fire, before the Gunship's missiles, guns and laser ball turrets let loose in an awesome display of Republic firepower.

Lacing the creature with plasma and laser bolts and striking it with high-impact anti-everything missiles from the upper tubes caused it to stagger, double over and scream out in pain. It tried to charge its energy cannons again, glaring at the gunship, but the Pilot commented, "Not today," before firing a higher-yield missile he'd loaded ahead of time from the launcher. The shot nailed the beast square in the mouth of many heads it had, vaporizing it and sending a shockwave that staggered much of the crew.

In the place of the monster and explosion, only ashes remained. Shepard sighed deeply upon seeing that, relieved, then said, "All units, cease fire! EDI?" and paused as the whirring of the turret motors of each GARDIAN gun echoed. The weapons swiveled about on their mounts, traversed and raised their barrels before opening fire. Flashes of energy left the barrels, striking the hull of the alien vessel in volleys. The vessel's engines lit up in reply, a small gust of wind and the ripple of altering mass effect fields filling the air...

Overhead, however, something else thundered. Emerald and azure bolts followed up, striking the body of the alien vessel, ripping through the advanced kinetic barriers and into armor. When they looked up, they saw them:Republic ARC-170 fighters and Y-Wing bombers swept in hard and fast, their engines ripping and roaring through the air as they appeared from amidst the clouds. Not far behind them, breaching through the clouds like an armored whale or the arrowhead of a god, the Venator-class Carrier Tribunal appeared, its commander radioing, "All ground elements, this is Tribunal. We're engaging."

EDI butted into the com, stating, "Republic Warship Tribunal, be advised, hostile ship is exiting atmosphere. It may have civilians on board. Recommend targeting the engines to disable it!" while the rest of the people on the ground, civilian and soldier alike, watched the Republic vessel's main batteries swivel about.

"Copy last, Normandy. All squadrons, load Ion torpedoes. Strike the ship as it enters orbit. Ground forces, deploy and assist in securing the colony," The Captain of the warship replied. The Republic vessel opened up, turbolasers zipping through the clouds and striking the vessel's armor, overloading its kinetic barriers and damaging part of its engines as it tried to flee under the pursuit of the Republic's bombers.

Shepard smiled at the sight, then scratched the top of her head and said, "And you people give me more reasons to be glad we're on the same side..." while Ahsoka stepped up to join her. The General let out a short giggle, watching the cannonade and the pursuit. Shepard sighed and radioed, "Normandy, tell the Illusive Man we might have our in..."

"... So, this is the kind of backup you bring when one of your old friends has problems, eh?" A familiar voice spoke, full of joviality. Shepard looked down, catching sight of a tanned woman with her hair caught in a bun, her dirty, battered armor a fading white with red accents. The woman smiled at Shepard and crossed her arms, "Hell of a 'welcome back' party, Commander..."

"Ash," Shepard breathed, then smiled... Then paused as her mind started racing, "What're you doing here?"

"Helping the locals fix up defenses," Ashley Williams replied, lowering her arms by her side. She examined the crew around, noting the multitude of aliens, the Clones and immediately wrinkling her nose at Cerberus. She sighed and said, "When I heard from admiral Hackett that you were still alive, I almost didn't want to believe it. Especially since rumors started about you working with Cerberus."

"It isn't exactly charity work," Shepard replied, shrugging, "Plus... I'm not working just with Cerberus."

"Yeah," Ashley nodded, then approached and extended her hand, "It's why I'm not ripping you a new one right now, verbally. Hackett also told me you managed to get three other alien factions to befriend each-other so you guys can deal with these... Things," She looked down at the corpse of a Collector beside her, "Whatever they are. Some sort of interdimensional incident?"

"Intergalactic," Ahsoka clarified.

"Uh-huh..." Ash blinked, "And you are...?"

"General Ahsoka Tano of the Three-Twenty-Second Division, Grand Army of the Republic," The girl replied, "You are...?"

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, Alliance Marines, ma'am," Ash shot back, then saluted more out of common respect. She looked back at Shepard, who was smiling, then said, "You always had a bad habit of gathering the strangest people aboard the Normandy. Glad to see not even Death managed to change that, ma'am," all while looking around at the 'rest' of the crew.

"Gunnery Chief, huh? I missed a lot," Shepard rubbed the back of her neck, a look of unspoken apologies and thousands of unsaid words on her face, "I would've let you all know ahead of time that I came back if I could, but things were hectic, what with the Colonies going missing and shortness of time," and she almost seemed to be trying to find some way to rationalize it all.

"Yeah," Ash nodded, though it seemed understanding instead of hostile, as she would've expected. She knew Ash hated aliens and hated Cerberus, so... Gunnery Chief Williams told her, "No kidding..." then sighed deeply and asked, "What the hell are these things anyway?" as she motioned to the dead Collectors, "I've been hearing all sorts of rumors on the ExtraNet," and she knelt beside one, poking at its broken carapace with the barrel of her pistol.

"Collectors," Shepard replied, her tone grave.

Garrus stepped up and added, "That are probably working with the Reapers, going by the husks we found all over the place," and he smirked, or did whatever could be considered a smirk from anyone else's viewpoint, when he saw Ash stare up at him with wide eyes. He greeted, "Nice to see you, too, Ash. We aliens still getting under your skin, or are ya finally past that?"

"Still working on it, Garrus," Ash sighed, then smiled, "At least I know someone from our old crew has your back, Commander. Was worried you were stuck with the Cerberus squad."

"Yeah, the Cheerleader's a pain in the ass," Jack mumbled, staring at Miranda, who scoffed.

The Gunnery Chief glanced over at Jack, blinked and chose to ignore her presence for her own sanity. She only paused when she heard Shepard say in a low, pleading voice, "Come with us, Ash. I could use the backup," to which she turned to face her. Shepard said, "I promise I'll explain everything, but I need people to make up the core of the team. People like you and Garrus, like Tali, like Liara, Wrex..." Like Kaidan, though that remained unspoken...

A glint of sadness appeared in Ashley's eyes. She breathed a deep sigh, then said, "Sorry, Commander. As much as I'd love to join you in saving humanity and the Galaxy again, I've still got duties as a soldier of the Alliance," all while looking her in the eye. She did offer, "But I can already tell you've got a good few crew members here that aren't pushovers. Nothing quite like the old crew, but they'll tide you over. Keep me posted when you come back to the Alliance, okay?"

Shepard's shoulders sagged. She nodded, "Alright," then she shook Ashley's hand properly, stating, "I'll see you around, Gunnery Chief."

The two did one last thing, a quick goodbye in the form of a salute, before Shepard called down the shuttle and asked, "Status on the Collector vessel?"

"It has been disabled by electromagnetic weaponry the Republic has employed, Commander," EDI replied, "We may be able to board it and learn more about the Collectors' plans now. Rescue the Civilians of Horizon, as well," and that marked another bit of great news in a long line of otherwise middling-to-sometimes-terrible ones. The crews boarded their respective Dropships, immediately taking off for the Normandy...

Chapter Text

Operation ARROWHEAD

Joint UNSC-Republic-Colonial Task Force

Aboard the Galactica

It'd taken the fleets to synch up their jump drives. Well, no, they did not 'synch them up'. Each fleet carried a different type of FTL and that made it impossible to note when they'd arrive. The Galactica herself would most definitely arrive ahead of the rest of the fleet and promptly be caught with her pants around her ankles until the others jumped in. They'd more-so synched up a way on who would jump first, seeing how close the system was.

The first allied contacts winking off of the DRADIS were the UNSC's Paris-class heavy frigates. Warships designed as support elements for the larger capital-class vessels of the UNSC, the Paris-classes were heavily armed, decently well armored for Frigates and not here to take any crap from anyone. Six frigates entered Slipspace in-synchronization, with a countdown of fifteen minutes appearing on the DRADIS screen, just above the three-dimensional 'orb' that denoted the sensor scans.

The next to leave would be the Republic at five minutes, with their Hyperspace drives. Admiral Thrawn had taken the Chimaera and a squad of support vessels, including the light Arquitens-class cruisers, into this battle. They had fighter support from an added Venator pair. After the alien Admiral had bid them good luck, they departed at the T-Minus 10 Minutes mark.

Adama lifted his com system and spoke, "All crew, readiness report on Condition One. All Alert Vipers and support Vipers, be prepared for fast insertion," then hel istened in to the various decks and crews reporting in and giving the green. Saul looked his old friend in the eyes, to which Adama told him, "Been a while since we've seen some action, I'd say... The Pelicans we got aboard ready?"

"Johnson and his Marines gave the okay just before Thrawn jumped," Tigh responded, leaning on the table and looking at the displays of their scanners on the central map. He told Adama, "This is going to be one hell of a combat jump. We're about to really shake up this Galaxy and I'm not sure we're ready for the repercussions that are gonna come out of this."

"They shot first," Adama replied, holding a hand over the speaker so he didn't broadcast his own words. He stared at his old friend from behind his pair of old glasses as he told him, "If the local Galactic Community has a problem with us simply reacting to an enemy attack, then that's their prerogative. If the enemy surrenders, that's even better for us, but if not? Well, we're still acting in self-defense."

"Yeah," Saul sighed, rubbing his temples, "We're still gonna shake things up, Bill. We ready for the consequences?"

Adama understood where his friend was coming from. All he could reply in this case, however, was, "We've got allies now, Saul. We'll figure everything out as we go," before bracing and watching the clock tick down. At ten seconds, the man spoke over the com, "All crew, brace for FTL Jump. Prepare to launch Alert Vipers as soon as we drop in... Godspeed to all of you."

As the timer ticked down, Gaeta and the others began their preparations, bracing, strapping in, holding onto whatever was closest as they prepared to jump amidst their comrades and engage the enemy. Operation ARROWHEAD was simple:Jump in together, strike at the enemy as fast as possible, destroy their fleet and liberate slaves from the planet below and return as soon as the mission is accomplished.

When it reached one and the vessel did its terrifyingly accurate short-distance jump, the crews braced. This time, however, there was no blue light, no shake, no scare or EMP to disable them. No. The moment they jumped and felt their stomachs momentarily turn inside out, they'd arrived. A fact marked by the DRADIS springing to life, already picking out the various allied warships from the enemy's fleet. DRADIS alerts played across the screen and the distant thumps of the magnetic catapults gave gentle shakes to the hull of the ship. Adama barked, "All weapons, engage! Bring us in with the Adjutant and have our fighters escorting the Republic's and UNSC's bombers in!"

From the portside, with Starbuck and Lee at the lead of the Formation, the Air Group of the Galactica veered into the battle. Already, the emerald and azure flashes of plasma filled their viewports as they formed into a wedge, powering engines to the maximum. Starbuck spoke over the Wireless, "Friendlies in sight!" while watching the Star Destroyer and its Arquitens escort firing their weapons.

Bolts of energy greeted the enemy, followed by the lightning-flash, thunderclap combination of the frigate MACs, projectiles shooting out of the maws of the warships toward the distant enemy fleet. First impacts flashed from the MACs and turbolasers, a couple of enemy Frigates taking the brunt of the fire. Lee ordered, "Apollo to Starbuck, let's form up with the bombers!" before he turned left. Starbuck marked the dozens of allied bombers and fighters on her DRADIS and nodded, then pulled to the left and back, feeling the RCS thrusters kick in.

Pale white clouds of smoke shot out, forming arches in the darkness as the UNSC's warships fired their Archer pods. Coms played in her ear from their allies, the Republic fighters and bombers calling to each-other while the UNSC's Frigates performed screening duties side-by-side with the Arquitens. MACs and missiles supported laser batteries with a seeming show of solidarity.

"Enemy fighters, on approach at our nine o'clock, heading four-five-four, Carom Oh-Oh-Niner," Lee reported, the squadrons forming up with the Y-Wings, ARC-170s and the UNSC's own Longsword and Broadsword starcraft. Starbuck marked the new contacts on the map, noting that two, maybe three dozen enemy starcraft were diving at them at full speed.

She double-checked that the safeties on her weapons were off and said, "Tell us when we're weapons free, Apollo!"

"Mark. Three, two, one," Apollo replied, the incessant tone of weapons lock playing over the com, now a sharp, continuous beep. Starbuck grinned, picked her target and called out in unison with the other pilots, "Fox-2!" before releasing her missiles. Two Archer multi-aspect missiles burst at high speed from the undercarriage of the fighter craft, tracking their intended target:A Batarian strike fighter that was getting too close.

The missiles struck, knocking the Batarian fighter aside and shattering it into pieces as the aircraft tangled in the middle of space between the warships and the planet. In the distance, the scrap-made, pirate-like vessels of the Batarian Navy hovered over a yellowish planet whose pale sun barely brought any light. More MACs flew over the heads of the mothball as Starbuck danced with her target, utilizing her maneuverability to get behind an enemy fighter.

With a grin and her eyes locked on, she squeezed, bursts of the magnetic autoguns laying into the light kinetic barriers. They burst, shattered and gave way for the rounds to pierce through the lightly-armored hull of the raider fighters, some of which were even emblazoned with marks from the planets these fighters must've raided. She took pleasure in watching the rounds crater the poor excuse for armor on the fighter.

It careened left, bereft of its wing and stabilizing engine, before detonating in a flash of azure light. Starbuck then danced with a second fighter, watching one of their own get trailed by two and filled with bolts. The starfighter, however, simply floated, its engines disabled, away from the fight. The girl radioed, "Rescue Raptors, be prepared to retrieve a friendly fighter down at Mark Two-Five-Two!" only to gasp as an ARC-170 flew above her cockpit, its twin cannons ripping a Batarian fighter that was about to fire on her to shreds.

She banked right, then pulled 'up' to join the formation of Fighter-Bombers again and clear a path for them. The allied brawling capital ships closed the distance with the enemy's fleets in the meanwhile. Two MACs struck an enemy frigate to her left. She watched the first collapse the shields and the second rip clean through the hull of the warship into its reactor.

The UNSC Frigate in the lead of the formation pushed forward, its fusion engines burning bright gold, aimed its CIWS at enemy fighters that were trying to join in on the fight and opened up. The twin guns fired rapidly, ripping through the enemy line with explosives and focused fire while the Arquitens moved in. A solo Arquitens took several shots to her shields before her cannons zeroed in on the frigate that fired and laid into it, the plasma bursts shearing through the barriers and boiling through the armor like shaped charges.

The Cruisers powered their engines, however, their black hulls gleaming in the sun as their secondary batteries turned to meet the Arquitens and Paris-class ships. They fired, volleys of kinetic shots striking shielding on both ships, with Starbuck commenting, "Gotta be frakking kidding me, both our allies have shields and we don't even have armor on the Old Girl..." as she pulled up and to the right, avoiding the enemy's point-defense GARDIAN weapons.

The Longsword Fighter-Bombers and their Y-Wing siblings swept in. The Y-Wings let loose ion torpedoes and normal torpedoes in a mix, while the UNSC ships fired non-nuclear Anti-Ship Missiles. Explosions cratered the bows and sides of the enemy ship as it arced with electricity, floating dead in the water as its siblings tried to come and support it, only to suffer similar fates.

IT wasn't down yet. Not completely. As the joint Fighter Squadrons engaged the enemy's remaining complement of support starcraft, the Chimaera moved into weapons range. Thrawn listened to radio communications from the bridge. Callouts for targets, arcs and angles of attack and so on. He spoke, "Bring in the second wave, close to the planet. Sweep the Dreadnought from the side," then he looked at the Cruisers, several of which opened up on the Star Destroyer.

The Imperator-I's shields shrugged the fire off, as did any armor that might've been lightly tapped by the kinetics. Thrawn smiled at that, then spoke, "All starboard cannons, full broadside. Destroy those pieces of scrap and bring us about with our escorts," as several more allied warships jumped into the system. Republic frigates, of course. On the outside of the Star Destroyer, meanwhile, gun batteries began to track targets.

The hex-mount guns on the starboard side aimed, tracked and zeroed in on the Cruisers as their batteries tried fruitlessly to pierce through the shielding. All it took was for the admiral to order them to fire and the full might of an operational Imperator-I Bloc 0 Star Destroyer was unleashed on the unsuspecting enemy. What looked like a wall of turbolaser fire, ion cannon shots and various other small armaments lit the void between the Destroyer and its intended targets.

The bolts cratered through the armor of the Cruisers, boiling steel and ship hull away as the barriers failed spectacularly. The shots struck fiercely in what almost looked like a grid pattern, sweeping fire tearing through the hulls of the Batarian slaver fleet. The first cruiser exploded in a bright-burning, but short-lived second sun. Moments later, the rest of the enemy's medium vessels followed.

The UNSC Frigates and Arquitens flotilla ripped through the enemy's light ships, too. With ease, one might add. Husks remained behind the fast-advancing fleet while bombers and fighters dived down on the Dreadnought and whatever was left of its escorts, pinpricks of light and fire voiding crews and sending the bodies of Batarians floating out into the darkness.

Starbuck laughed mirthfully as she and Apollo dived on the enemy ship together, with Lee quipping, "This is a frakking turkey shoot!" while his autocannons ripped through the top layer of what these Batarian freaks called 'armor'. As they peeled away from the shoot, he called out, "This is Apollo to all fighters, we're RTB, Winchester ammo. Let's leave the cleanup for the Battleships..." only to receive affirmative replies as the entire fighter complement began final sweeps.

Aboard the Galactica, however, Sergeant-Major Johnson hefted his shotgun, racked the pump and started, "Alright, Marines, Collies and Clones! We got a situation down there, so I'mma keep it brief for now! A little bird whispered in our ears and told us there's some enslaved locals from this Galaxy down there that need a rescuin'! Our first order of business as a joint strike force is getting them outta there! Our second priority," he then grinned, "Is kickin' these four-eyed enslavin' bastards asses six-ways from Sunday! No prisoners! You see one of them? YOU SHOOT TO KILL! WE CLEAR?!"

"Sir, yessir!" The entire crew aboard the Pelican the man was in, plus all the others, chorused. Johnson gave an approving nod, then motioned to the Pilot to take off. The Pelican's engines whirred as it lifted off the deck of the Hangar Pod. Floating out, the Pelicans and a couple of supporting Raptors moved out of the way of the fighter craft as they swung in to land, to the sight of the husks of alien warships, dead fighters and debris as the rest of the fleet formed back up.

A smash and grab op to save slaves... Johnson lit a cigar, grinning a little at the thought...

The Normandy

"Your forces managed to disable a Collector ship," The Illusive Man spoke, seemingly both surprised and pleased to hear that the mission had been a relative success. Shepard, meanwhile, sat there with her arms crossed to her chest, staring at the man as if he was really playing dumb about the fact he might have known Ashley was on the planet. Seriously, did he think she was stupid? He continued, "As surprising as the news is, it's good to hear. It may provide us the information we need... How?"

"Republic has something called Ion cannons," She smirked, then shrugged and said, "The captain of the Tribunal told me they use them to fry ship shields and electronics in a few hits," before adding a nonchalant, "Seems Collector vessels are susceptible to them. To nobody's genuine surprise," before staring at him. The man seemed to know the Commander was onto his little lies, then paused as he heard her ask, "I'm not going to find a big arrow pointed at Horizon stating 'Friend of Shepard here' on the Collector ship, am I? Or at least not one with a Cerberus signet?"

"Commander?" He raised a brow, "Hm..."

She sighed deeply and said, "No bullshit, please. Just tell me what I should be looking for on board that damn thing, or send it to EDI. I'm gonna take a detachment of Clones and my team and board it, get the civilians from Horizon out of it, then get the hell out with the information. Shepard, out," And she cut the link. Turning, she looked to see Miranda and Jacob standing in the door and raised her hands, asking, "What? Surprised?" before she walked through the door with them trailing behind her. She told Miranda, "The bastard wanted us to be here."

"You can't be serious, Shepard," The woman protested, "He couldn't have known."

"So Ashley just happens to be on the next world the Collectors attack. The same world The Illusive Man marks as a target," The woman looked back at her, "And it doesn't look a little suspicious to you? I get your trust in the Illusive Man and Cerberus, Miranda, but you have to see the truth here... This isn't just some coincidence," then she lifted up her Omni-Tool as they got to the CIC. She called over the com, "General Tano, if you can ask the Captain of the Tribunal to deploy a contingent of Clones from the 332nd with us on the ship, I'd be happy..."

"They're already on their gunships, Commander. Just waiting for us to give them the all-clear," The girl replied. Shepard smiled at that, then looked at Miranda, to see her seemingly processing this whole set of events. Jacob, meanwhile, remained silent. She dismissed the two with a calm wave of the hand, then walked up to the Bridge through the corridor, past the men and women talking at their stations.

"Tell me what's new, Joker," The Commander then requested... And paused as she saw the ship ahead of them. The massive tubular shape had several holes drilled into it by the turbolasers and bombs of the Republic warship. Said warship slowly flew in overhead, allowing the pilot and Commander to see the underbelly. Her weapons systems also tracked the vessel, trained on it just in case it powered on again, despite the burning fires all across its outer hull.

As the Tribunal settled in ahead of them, Joker told Shepard, "Ship's dead in the water and we're not picking up a whole lot of breathable air in there," before sighing and stating, "I don't like it. Thing feels like it went down a little too easy," then he looked at Shepard. He saw her staring back at him, questioning what he said, before clarifying, "Look, Commander, I'm not the guy who usually looks their gift horse in the mouth, but this is like staring down the barrel of a loaded gun."

"Good thing we have a whole unit of Clones with us now, eh?" She quipped, then saw she hadn't assuaged a lot of Jeff's worries, then told him, "Look, I get what you mean. I'm paranoid now, doubly so thanks to the issues presented by our cooperation with our mutual benefactor," which caused the man to look at her like she was speaking gibberish. Admittedly, she was just doing it to see his reactions, so, she flashed him a grin and told him, "But this might be our best bet at figuring out more about these bastards. EDI, give us entry points, mark them for the Republic's boys and let's move. Have General Tano and Garrus present when I get to the Hangar."

"Understood, Commander..." EDI replied, "We need to speak when you return to the Normandy."

Must've been about that weird 'V' eye symbol Shepard saw when EDI was interfacing with the guns. She replied, "Roger that. Ping me the moment we return," then marched off to the armory to pack her weapons. Once again, it was only moments later that she'd gone down to the Hangar Deck. She saw Jester Squad already in position, with Bold proudly displaying the marking from the beam that cut into his armor on his breastplate. A mark of honor that Fives and Jesse seemed to approve of.

She greeted, "General Tano," as she noted the woman was wearing a full hardsuit, face mask and oxygen tanks, her lightsabers clipped to her belt. She nodded to Shepard, then motioned for the Gunship. Boarding the LAAT, the Commander found herself standing among the Republic's soldiers as the forward hangar hatch opened, the shield used to keep the air inside the ship activating and enveloping the cargo hold.

The gunship took off, with Shepard activating her helmet as Garrus said, "So, let me get this straight. We're going inside a Collector warship our buddies disabled with the support of a battalion of their clone soldiers, all to retrieve some data for a man that probably brought this damn thing in on Horizon by tipping them off about Ashley," as he racked the bolt of his sniper, let it fold up and slid it onto his back, then drew his assault rifle.

Shepard replied with a nonchalant and blase, "Pretty much..."

"Just once, I'd like you to take me somewhere nice, Shepard," Joked the sniper, "You know, a bar on a beach that serves Dextro stuff, too, or some fancy restaurant, not a creepy, disabled alien warship that nearly killed us the first time around," and that got Shepard and the rest of the Clones to laugh. Fives looked between the two of them as he activated his helmet's seals and extra oxygen tanks.

Shepard, meanwhile, noted that Fives was looking at them, but ignored it, replying to Garrus, "Don't worry, Garrus. You can jump into my arms if you're feeling scared. Your Commander'll protect ya," before grinning behind her helmet. Fives, meanwhile, was really trying to ascertain the situation between the two of them. There was Chemistry, so he was thinking it might've been a budding thing. Part of him wanted to just quip about it, but another genuinely didn't know what to do.

He then asked them, "Are you two a thing?" with incredible nonchalance. Both Shepard and Garrus stumbled, the former already stuttering, while Garrus coughed into his helmet and gauntlet, all while Ahsoka and the others laughed. A little levity allowed more calm for the mission. Ahsoka thought so and so did Shepard, but this was a little sudden for both her and her old friend.

"How about we don't unpack that," Shepard asked Fives, who shrugged, still proud of himself for causing such a reaction. The Gunship's pilot called out that they were nearing their landing point, before the Commander cleared her throat and said, "Shepard to Normandy. We're on final approach. Keep the lights on, kids..." before she thumbed the safety off of her Mattock.

The Gunship gently hovered into place at a nearby entry point, its repulsorlifts whirring as the pilot brought them parallel to the ship's outer walls, right next to a rock outcropping that served as a sort of embarkation point. As he gingerly set the ship down, he spoke to his co-pilot, "Keep your eyes on those sensors and make sure we still got Com with the Normandy. Might also wanna ask Helo to help us with Cyberwarfare."

"Already on it," The Co-Pilot gave a thumbs up.

The right-side door slid open, the crews dismounting from the vehicle. The Pilot radioed, "We'll come pick you up at the same point if we can, Commander! If not, give us a call! We'll figure something out!" and watched the woman turn around and give a wave. He saluted, then closed the hatch with the touch of a button and lifted off. Speaking over com, he said, "This is Gunship Oh-Niner Heavy, maintaining orbit and patrol pattern around the enemy ship..." while his HUD marked several other friendly assets, including fighters orbiting the warship and bombers with ion torpedoes ready to overload it again.

The Ground Teams moved in, Ahsoka calling out for the platoons of twenty clones deployed at various entrances to report in and receiving responses. She, Shepard and Garrus lead the team forward as they swept the dark area ahead. The ship was rather obviously built into the rock formations of an old, elongated asteroid, the rock itself still being a major part of this technologically-advanced vessel.

As they scanned the walls, the dark-brown rock mixed with the alien metals that retained the ship's form. Hexagon-shaped lattices appeared through the metal as well, glowing under the white light of their weapon-mounted torches. Alien technology, now dormant, was spread around them, tall spires piercing through the rocks and into distant antechambers, alien lights glinting and flickering as power fluctuated.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Jesse commented, pistols drawn as he scanned the area. "Reminds me too much of a Geonosian hive..."

Bold spoke, "Sir, please, stop bringing the Buggers up," with a quiver in his usually steely, heavy, gruff voice that surprised Shepard. She looked back at the man, while Ahsoka shook her head, holding her Lightsabers out to light the path forward. She paused as they approached an intersection in the corridors were more of those Pods were. Alongside them, there were beams of light coming from another fireteam.

As they passed into the intersection, the group waved to the other Platoon, who waved back as they kept pressing forward. Shepard, meanwhile, looked at the Pods again, noting that a haptic interface console flickered beside them. She spoke, "EDI, can you access this console?" before looking over at the body in the pod next to her. She blanked as she saw it was a Collector...

"I am working on it now, Shepard. Power fluctuations across the ship are interfering with access," The AI replied calmly.

Ahsoka waved her Lightsaber over the corpse, which was marked by blaster fire, then said, "Guess they like recycling..." with a rather dull, quiet tone. She stowed her lightsaber, then looked to Shepard and asked, "What do you think one of their own was doing in a pod-" only to pause as she noticed the pile of corpses next to said pod and the conduit, which didn't look like a power one. No wires, but rather hexagonal yellowish-green glass stained by an odd, black liquid.

Shepard shrugged, "I don't know..." before looking around at the human corpses, too. She walked over to a pile of weapons and searched through it. Nothing of interest beside M8 Avengers, a few Mattocks and a pistol here and there. She sighed and let the weapons be, before looking around as she asked, "EDI? Anything? Because this is starting to creep me out..." as a distant screech echoed.

"... Commander. You might not believe this, but I am... Detecting Prothean DNA in the dead Collector's genetic makeup," EDI spoke, her usual monotony replaced with a surprising amount of emotions. Chief among said emotions was apparently concern, which Shepard understood as he looked back at the Corpse, eyes widening. An indoctrinated Prothean...?

"Commander, General," The leader of a Clone platoon spoke, distraught, over the com, "You all might want to see this..." which took Shepard out of her fugue. She nodded to the others, including the stunned Garrus, then showed them to follow. The group pushed forward, deeper into the ship and through the corridors, only to exit into the center of the vessel. A massive O'Neill Cylinder-like area whose walls were lined with tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of other pods, lining the massive walls.

Two lights glowed at the fore and aft, illuminating the cylindrical center of the vessel, with Shepard murmuring, "We're going to need a lot more people to help evacuate this place," as she stared up. Each pod contained a human being, obvious by the shapes. Each pod also stood, attached to the massive walls. She spoke to EDI, "... Tell the Captain of the Tribunal we've got a situation, EDI. And compile a report for Mordin to evaluate..." though she couldn't even hear the answer, simply staring at the massive ship. The hive. A genuine hornets' nest. She hoped they didn't kick it too hard. Strange hexagonal platforms shifted into place ahead, floating up from the depths... And on them, hostile contacts. Dozens of them.

Chapter Text

Back at the Slaver world

A battalion of UNSC Marines, one of Clones and a few dozen of the Galactica's Marines braced for the upcoming ground battle. Ahead of them lay a planet of open desert dunes with a series of camps within oases. From those camps, enemy fire came, bursts of autocannon fire lighting the sky ablaze. Old gear, Johnson thought as he stared at the stuff firing at them. Looked almost like the weapons they'd strap onto old seafaring warships back during the ancient times of the Corps, when it was just a US formation.

He grabbed his shotgun off of his back and checked it over, looking at the Marines around him as they thumbed the safeties of their MA40s and BR75 Battle Rifles off. He then slid a cigar between his lips and grinned as he lit it in the red-lit hold of the dropship. The pilots of the various craft communicated via radio. The aircraft then shook as the nose-mounted 30mm rotary cannon spat a burst.

The aircraft started to shake more violently as the crews fired ordnance at the enemy's own positions and air support buzzed by them, Y-Wings and Broadsword Fighters dropping bombs onto the targets around, to thin out enemy air defense. Stacker patted Johnson on the shoulder and said, "Sounds like they really don't like us," as he hefted his own MA40.

"Sure looks that way," The dark-skinned man replied, taking a deep drag of his cigar. The two men felt pits in their stomachs as the dropships dipped in altitude, with Johnson telling his old friend, "Don't get your ass tangled in whatever rusty barbed wire they got, Marc. I ain't pullin' your ass outta it 'till after the job's done and dusted," with a joking attitude and a smirk on his face.

"Heh. We'll see who saves who," The man gave a nod.

The joint task force of Marines and Clones soon touched down, disgorging the infantry and a couple of supporting Republic walker tanks. The first shot of the battle on the ground was, in fact, fired by one of these tanks. The AT-TE strode forward on all six of its mechanical legs, its main armament, a mass driver that coated a ferromagnetic projectile in plasma, spat its first shot.

An enemy anti-air battery exploded in a flurry of flame and flashing thunder as the tank's shell struck its magazine. Whatever mass-propelling means that thing had couldn't have gone off, seeing as the technology here was relegated to Mass Effect fields, so it must've been the rounds' warheads that were touched off by the superheaded, plasma-coated shot tearing through the magazine.

The UNSC dropped a couple of Warthog squads as well. Four in each squad, with two of each squad's vehicles mounting gauss cannons while the other two rolled with the standard anti-air/anti-infantry fifty-cal gatling guns. They roamed over the desert at high speed, engines revving as the Marines pushed forward with the Clones. One of Adama's Marines joked, "Finally feels like I'm at home!"

"You're tellin' us!" A Clone from the 501st joked as they pushed up a hill. He knelt, aimed his blaster rifle and opened up at the first Batarian troop to come in their sights. Two bolts of ionized tibanna gas struck the man ahead of them. Said two bolts broke through the Batarian raider's light armor, punched clean through and burned out whatever stood for lungs in the four-eyed biped's chest. He collapsed, writing in pain.

Two of his comrades followed, though their armor was punched clean through by 7,62 Full-Metal Jacket from the UNSC firearms, including the equipment gifted to the Colonial Marines, instead of blaster fire. The troops pushed into the oasis ahead under the cover of tanks and Force Application Vehicles, while their gunships hovered at a safe distance or provided support via guided missiles.

Another enemy anti-air position to their left went up in a blaze of fire, followed by the rippling thunder of the AT-TE's cannons. The anti-infantry lasers mounted in the four ball turrets up front started firing at the defenses of the Batarian raiders, ripping through infantry that was trying to set up some sort of tubular anti-tank weapon, before the main cannon roared again and detonated yet another enemy AAA battery.

"They're pretty well-equipped for a bunch of slavers!" Stacker called out as he took cover behind one of the sandbag walls, the Batarians' retaliatory fire being sparse due to the support elements. A Warthog with a Gauss cannon rolled up behind them and the Clones and the man in the turret immediately shifted his aim. He squeezed the trigger and the shot screamed out of the barrel, hitting a Batarian center-mass and turning him into fine red mist.

Johnson looked over to the Clones, signaling to a platoon to join them up front, before pumping his shotgun and showing his boys to follow him in. The man slammed against a Batarian soldier that was trying to point a shotgun their way, then pinned said Batarian to the floor in front of his buddies, put his shotgun up to his face and squeezed the trigger without a second thought, leaving a nice dark-red smear across the sand and concrete.

A pair of UNSC Marines pushed past the man and lit the defenders up, AP rounds cutting through the armor of the Raiders, while the Clones and Colonials breached and cleared a small building with grenades. The advancing units continued making headway toward the main camp, with Johnson stating, "Don't let up on'em, boys and girls! Watch your fire if you see civvies and slaves, but wipe the rest of'em out!"

The troops pushed fairly easily past the defensive lines, the armor moving up toward the fenced-in camp set up on concrete. They could see the holding pens, though said pens had roofs. If it was practicality so the slaves didn't escape, or just them wanting to keep their products ready to ship back to Khar'shan, it mattered little. The joint task force kicked the doors in, entering the compound and gunning down any Batarian that they saw with a gun in their arms.

... The cleanup that followed was the problem, though. Johnson sat on the steps of a prefab building, watching Doc Cottle, one of the few Colonial doctors still left alive in their Fleet, clad in military gear and a white coat, tending to the injured slaves, many of which bore marks of the four-eyes' abuse. Bruises, the marks of beatings, cuts, slashes on their faces, black eyes and so many more injuries that Johnson did not want to recall.

He looked above as a pair of Pelicans bearing medical markings, those of the scepter with a snake surrounding them and the Red Cross on a white background, touched down within the massive compound and let out the staff, all of whom wore white armor. Navy Corpsmen moved in to help doc Cottle. Commander Rex approached and sat himself down next to the Sergeant-Major, taking his helmet off and revealing his bleached blonde 'hair', or what was left of it. Scratching the top of his head, Rex murmured, "I swear, I thought we'd left this stuff behind in our Galaxy."

"There'll be slaves in any damn Galaxy that lets freaks like the Four-Eyes exist, sir," The UNSC Marine replied, though his voice was slightly modified by the cigar between his lips and teeth. He took a puff, blew the smoke forward and flicked the ash off to the side as he spoke with a free mouth, "Don't mean anything if the good folk decide to act. And we did."

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil..." Rex pinched the bow of his nose, "I get what you mean, Sergeant. Good thing we're around..."

"Good thing the freaks shot at us, too, hah!" Johnson grinned. For a moment, Rex seemed confused, but he soon understood. Johnson, oblivious to that fact, though, quickly clarified to him anyways, "We wouldn't'a gotten here if they didn't," and the Commander nodded. The Sergeant then asked him, "You been around the bend a few times with this kind of stuff, eh?"

"General Skywalker, the overall commander of the five-hundred-first, didn't much like Slavers. Bad childhood experience," The soldier replied, "You can probably hazard a guess what I mean," and he shrugged. He continued, "You smoke often, Sarge? I don't think there's been a day, even on the Waystation, where I didn't see you without a cigar. You must really like the stuff."

"Sweet Williams," Johnson nodded, "Helped me take the edge off since my early days in the Corps. Need a couple right now?"

"I don't smoke," Rex replied, though he grinned at that, "Hell, I don't think I know a clone who does," and he snorted. Now, that was a thought. All of his brothers at least participated in drinking games and drank alcohol, just considering how packed 79's back on Coruscant was. He continued, "We drink plenty, though," as he recalled the place. It was Johnson's turn to let out a noise of amusement. Both men, however, grew a little more grim as the children that were in the pens were ushered toward a medical tent that was just set up for checkups.

As if to accentuate his previous point, the Sergeant-Major took a puff from his cigar, then paused as his com came to life. He put his hand up to his ear and stated, "Johnson on the line... Got it, Doc. We'll be on our way up, soon as the civvies are properly housed and taken care of," though he had an edge to his voice he didn't like all that much. The poor kids must've gotten a nasty rise out of him.

Rex stood up, too, putting his helmet on and listening to the transmit from Admiral Thrawn. He hummed, then nodded and rallied up his Troopers, before the two officers gave each-other a nod of respect and walked off to their respective gunships. Seemed as though the Citadel Council had just sent a message through the Alliance Representatives. They were coming over 'to talk'. It was gonna be a fun chat, Rex figured, like asking them why they kept the Batarians around at all.

The ships returned to their respective vessels, with the Galactica preparing to jump first back to the Waystation. Adama himself sighed deeply as he listened to reports of the Refugees being brought aboard. It was obviously nut just humans. A few other alien groups were brought in with them. He looked Tigh and said, "Guess you were right about 'shaking things up', Saul."

"I know," The man grumbled, annoyed at his own premonition ability. He wasn't a frakking oracle, after all, but here they were. They braced as the common fleets prepared to make their jumps the same way they had in the past after a moment's pause. It wasn't gonna be a problem, many hoped, that some of the members of the party would be late for the chat with the Galactic Government.

Collector Ship

Guns and blasters replied to the enemy's own strange mass effect weapons. The clone platoons and their reinforcing Normandy-based crew engaged Collector Forces that had set up in ambush on the mobile platforms of the ship. How the hell those antigrav systems still operated when the ship was shot with ion cannon rounds, god only knew. Shepard, however, cared little, commanding the ground team's combat operations.

Garrus's sniper rifle rang out like thunder and a Collector's head suddenly halved, followed by Ahsoka surging forward utilizing Force Speed. She slammed into the line of enemy units, igniting her lightsabers and swinging high and low. Two Collectors collapsed, marked by the burning hot plasma of the blades. Two more followed as the girl danced through the enemy's fire, blades searing what was once a fellow sentient species' flesh and bone.

Shepard joined Garrus, reloading her Mattock as she mumbled, "I'm genuinely glad they're on our side," before patting him on the shoulder and showing him to follow. He nodded, drawing his assault rifle and pushing up with her. The pair fired at flying enemies and more of the platforms, replying to the enemy's own battering fire. Shepard demanded, "EDI, STATUS!?"

"The enemy's firewalls have almost been cracked, Commander. I will need you to provide me a direct link to the computers in order to acquire the Data you want," The AI replied, though with a hint of irritation in her voice that felt slightly uncharacteristic. Then again, the group hadn't known each-other that long, honestly, so this was probably another of EDI's programming quirks.

She powered her biotics and, with a burst of energy, she sent a trio of drones over the edge. The purple 'push' helped them go over more easily as the group advanced. Shepard jumped over uneven ground between Platforms and joined the General up front as more and more blaster fire filled the coms. The Clone Platoon advancing behind them engaged targets that had landed behind them.

A pair of Troopers were cut down by beam rifle fire, but the others quickly repositioned and engaged the enemy with everything from Z6 rotary cannons to standard DC-15 rifles and carbines. One of the drones began shining and Shepard ordered, "Garrus, you and the Clones focus fire on that son of a bitch before he gets to do any damage! General, let's move up!"

"With you, Shepard!" Ahsoka replied. Her hand shot forward, then clenched shut and a drone ahead of them folded in on itself as they began to push forward. Garrus's sniper already thundered. The two women pushed forward, gunning through toward the central platform that had just settled into place. Ahsoka threw her right-hand lightsaber like a projectile and the first enemy unit on the place got its head cut off.

A bullet zinged past her face, scratching her cheek and causing her to scoff. Shepard, meanwhile, took several rounds in her barriers, but survived each shot with little more than a scratch. Ahsoka quipped, "Gotta get myself personal ray shielding at this point..." before she Force Pushed another Drone off the pad. Admittedly, they should've just been able to fly back, but these guys, whatever they were before, seemed to certainly lack their old brains.

She sliced another in half, then watched Shepard approach a flickering haptic interface and activate her Omni-Tool. The two devices touched and EDI spoke over the com, "Thank you, Commander. Access granted. File Download beginning and the Civilians are being prepared for extraction and evacuation. Hold position," all while the whirr of antigrav engines filled the women's ears.

Shepard scoffed and said, "Gonna be easier said than done," then radioed, "Garrus! Get yourself and the Clones here and form a perimeter!"

"On it!" Her lovely Turian friend replied. He barked something at the Clones and all of them formed up, Jesse and Fives leading the platoon as they moved forward. Both men fired their twin blaster pistols at other Drones attempting to flank and jumped from cover to cover, leapfrogging to ensure they kept each-other and their brothers covered. Garrus himself waited for them before they all ran together.

Garrus jumped into cover with Shepard and asked, "Missed me?"

"Like I'm missing the earth under my feet, currently!" The woman replied with a hint of joviality. She poked out from cover and fired, only to receive several more shots on her barriers and swear. The Clones all formed up around her, while the other platoons in the distance packed Civilian pods being 'flown' over by their own antigrav systems. Best to keep this crap moving, the woman thought as she reloaded her rifle and shot one of her powers over cover.

It hit center, a Singularity that lifted a trio of the bastards off the floor. She pulled her hand back and sent forth a Warp blast, which detonated the singularity and washed everything around it in rending lilac fire. Ahsoka herself continued to engage up-close, her blades singing and whirring as she cut them in halves and quarters with little mercy. No, this was a mercy. They were puppets to some greater evil. She was doing these creatures, Protheans, whatever they were, a favor.

Shepard didn't really care about semantics like that at this point, simply firing her rifle into advancing crowds, before ducking as a bullet hit right above her head. A pair of Clones focused down the bastard that had done that, with Fives jumping in and checking on the Commander. The two soldiers nodded to each-other, then continued firing, Fives showing his skills with the twin blaster pistols.

Garrus knelt as he reloaded and mumbled, "These damn things really need to calm down for once!" before he stood up and shot a burst again, nailing a pair. He gasped, however, as a simmering warp strike hit his shields. He knelt behind cover and said, "And their boss is back!" with irritation in his voice. Understandable, both Jesse and Fives thought, while the Commander simply focused on survival. She paused, however, as that same oddly blue V-shaped eye seemed to appear for a picosecond, then disappear.

Shepard raised her hand and hollered at the Clones, all of whom swiveled about and laid into the bastard with every shot in their arsenal. So many blasters focused on him that the corpse he was occupying currently evaporated under the continued fire. EDI spoke, "Data download is nearly complete. New Horizon Colonists have been retrieved in a portion of approximately ninety percent."

"Good!" Shepard replied, dropping a burnt-out thermal clip and sliding another one in before standing up and firing again, "All troops, prep to Evac! Tribunal, if you've still got weapon lock-" but she was cut off by the groan of the ship's innards slowly coming to life. She called out, "Oh, son of a... EDI!?" and her gaze swept the area. The dim lights at each end of the tube began to flicker, grow stronger.

"The ship is nearly operational, Commander. I'd suggest you start moving now," The AI replied calmly. Shepard nodded at that, rallied the boys and began a frantic rush out of the place, rifles barking, blasters roaring and hissing. Running across the same platforms they'd crossed to the center were now being washed in fire by the Enemy's flying drones and command units.

Meat mechs being piloted by psychic beings was really the last thing Shepard thought she'd be fighting in the context of the situation. And when she'd realized that was basically what she was fighting:ancient dead piloted like drones of old by an unknown Reaper, she felt a chill shoot up her spine. Just how close to that would humanity be? Would they prepare in time against this kind of monstrous fighting force?

She grit her teeth and shook her head. No, they'd make it. They had a bunch of new allies whom she was sure she could update on the situation with little issue. They persevered, their platoons of clones and soldiers pushing through while the Knight of the Republic among them utilized the Force to stave off their enemy's rounds and kept them pinned.

The Commander elbow-checked a drone, kicked it back and, with the power of her Biotics, ripped it apart at the atomic levels, roaring in fury as she did so. She lifted her rifle and fired again, while Garrus whistled and said, "Nice one, Shepard! Daily reminder not to piss you off!" which got a series of laughs out of the crew. Ahsoka looked at Shepard, then at Garrus and smiled a little, realizing just how accurate Fives had been when stating that they were probably a thing.

The Knight then swept the feet from a drone, used the Force to disarm another via Force Pull, then cut the first's head off. She lifted the second, then pushed it into a crowd of its brethren, pounced on the pile and sliced them all in half. She then surged forward toward their evacuation site and murmured, "I suddenly miss fighting droids..." while looking at Shepard. The Commander raised a brow and Ahsoka quipped, "Doesn't smell like burning flesh when you cut into them!"

Shepard snorted at that and found the humor a bit dark, but she could appreciate it.

When the squad made it to the opening, EDI reported, "Data acquisition complete and all Clone platoons report the civilian evacuation operation is complete. Helo is awaiting at the nearby junction to extract you, Commander. The ship is powering its engines and is about to depart..."

"Roger, EDI!" The woman replied. She and Ahsoka exchanged a quick look, as if Shepard asked permission. Ahsoka nodded, shutting off her blades and clipping them to her belt and used the Force to keep the enemy at bay. With intermixed blaster and kinetic rifle fire covering them at the opening, Shepard radioed, "Tell the Captain of the Tribunal to open fire! If we can't kill this damn thing, the least we can do for now is take it out of action!"

"Roger... Transmission received:Run!" EDI quipped. Shepard smirked, then felt the ground below them start to shake as the thunder of battleship-grade plasma artillery hitting the ship's side filled her ears. With one chop of her hand, she ordered a full retreat back to the evac site, which the team immediately took to heart. Pipes started to burst around them, smaller micro-explosions shattering and chipping steel and metal as the batteries of the warship focused fire.

The group ran and turned a corner as one of the massive support pillars cracked and nearly fell on top of them. Jesse spoke, "Reminds me of a couple times with General Skywalker!" as they ran, turning every once in a while to fire his pistol at Drones chasing them.

Ahsoka giggled and replied, "I remember plenty of'em!" before she led the way toward the junction. Helo's craft appeared ahead of them, already landed. The pilot and his crewmate waved them forward, pistols drawn and firing at advancing Drones as well. The group clambered on board the vehicle, Shepard gazing back at the Drones as a plasma bolt sheared clean through the hull and rock and left boiling metal in its wake.

Helo called, "GO! GO! GO!" as he jumped back into the transport and slammed his ass down into his pilot's chair, powering the vehicle's engines up. The canopy shut in the crowded ship before the man boosted them up and off the ground, turned the craft up and powered the engines to full thrust, launching them out of the hole he'd come through at high speed.

"Engines overheating! You jump-started them, didn't you!?" His co-pilot asked. The man nodded, powering them down and letting the momentum of their escape drive them forward. To their left, meanwhile, the Tribunal's turbolaser batteries laid into the enemy ship's hull in a sweeping pattern. They saw multiple hull breaches and holes as the ship powered its engines, several explosions rippling across the hull.

It, however, jumped away, leaving the crew surprised, but thankful. Shepard breathed a sigh of relief, watching the Tribunal's guns cease fire as the Normandy swept in to recover them. Helo himself breathed a sigh of relief, then said, "Well, that was something..." only to turn to Shepard and tell her, "We've got a call-back to the Waystation, ma'am... Seems like the Citadel Council sent another representative over. They wanna talk."

"... Well, this is gonna be fun..." Shepard sighed deeply. Of course, they did.

Chapter Text

The Waystation

The moment the Normandy had made her way back to the Station, they were surprised to see a trio of Turian ships, two of which were the Frigates providing escort to what seemed to be an Envoy vessel, a lightly armed transport of the Turian Navy. They were already docked, meaning that Sparatus, of all people, was sent to talk to alternate-reality humans and a Galaxy-spanning Republic.

That could only end well, Shepard thought as the ship slowly drifted forward to the Docking Area. She breathed a deep sigh, then told Joker, “Keep her warmed up…” with a hint of exasperation in her voice, to which Joker nodded. She turned and paused when she saw Ahsoka approaching, then told her, “General. Guessing you want to see the family, too?”

“A little,” Ahsoka chuckled.

As the vessel docked, the two women disembarked onto the umbilical, noting a patrol of UNSC Marines and Clone Troopers sat together. Several of them turned to greet the Commander and General, both of whom offered curt, but kind nods as they walked past. Ahsoka said, “Seems like our soldiers are getting along.”

“Waiting to see the Alliance Marines doing stuff like this, too,” Shepard quipped, then sighed deeply and murmured, “Oh, right. Now, I’m gonna have to start talking about the Reapers, because I didn’t get to brief anyone about it yet…”

Ahsoka nodded, “As good of a time as any to provide information to the Higher-Ups of this intergalactic alliance, not to mention context to what you’re doing… Especially with the information EDI found about the Collectors being ancient aliens, converted to serve these Reapers.”

“I might ask her to provide you all a written briefing on what we know of the Reapers so far,” Shepard commented as they took a right toward one of the tramways. It was then that she realized just how exponentially the station had grown, that they needed trams to traverse between the various points surrounding the technological marvel that connected their four Galaxies.

The two women sat themselves down in the Tram amidst a flurry of crew from all sides. Clone ship crews exchanged small talk with both white-clad UNSC soldiers and the staff of the Colonial Civilian and Military Vessels. Overhead, a fuel tanker of the Colonial Navy floated calmly by, its engines burning lightly to save as much of the precious ‘Tylium’ as possible.

Farther beyond, the Galactica floated, being tended to by a UNSC Repair ‘Cradle’, a massive, self-propelled repair and refit station that worked its wonders on keeping the ships of the UNSC Navy afloat and combat-fitted. Right now, it seemed to be installing parts on the Galactica. The Carrier/Battleship combination vessel’s skeletal superstructure was being covered by layers of armor…

“Good to see the Girl’s getting her dues, eh?” A female voice spoke. Both women turned to see a blond with short hair and clad in a uniform. She greeted them with a nod and said, “Commander. General. Lieutenant Thrace, Big G’s Air Wing. I’m basically the ship’s bird-flying XO, with a currently-absent Captain Adama being CAG.”

“Nice to meet you, El-Tee,” Shepard said. All three women then watched a Viper and an ARC-170 Starfighter escorting what looked to be the head of a beaked animal, or, in Ahsoka’s case, something that looked like Jar-Jar, minus the weird googly eyes poking out above his head. A Turian Fighter was being escorted around by a Viper and a Republic fighter.

The Commander quipped, “Not a big fan of the Turians?”

“That guy, Sparatus,” Kara shrugged, “He came by and started up a stink over a few things. Nothing too different from what the President’s been talking about with the UNSC, namely, the use of Artificial Intelligence and all. Prez has been more polite about it, though,” only to sigh as she saw they were reaching a stop. She told them, “I’m off here.”

“Glad to have met you, Lieutenant,” Ahsoka stated, before both women felt the tram decelerate. It stopped in the station and disgorged a few passengers, among them Lieutenant Thrace. The General turned to Shepard and asked her, “Is it that big a deal that the UNSC’s using AIs for their operations? I’d have assumed any advantage is good.”

“Both here and in the Galactica’s world, I’m guessing,” Shepard began as she leaned back into her seat, the Tram shutting its doors and departing for the next station, “AI caused a lot of problems. Case in point being the Quarians, a nomadic people that was driven from their homeworld of Rannoch due to their artificial servants, the Geth, gaining sentience… At least, that’s what they told us.”

“You don’t believe them?” Ahsoka inquired. Shepard shrugged simply.

She then told the Togruta general, “I do. I’ve seen what the Geth can do and, hell, fought them a bunch. But, as I’ve learned over the past couple of years?” and she looked straight ahead at the Chimaera as it helped shift ship debris into position near the Cradle via her tractor beams, then told the woman, “There’s always going to be the other side to look at. Damn if it isn’t gonna be hard to find a reason to sympathize with the Geth, though…”

Ahsoka hummed, then crossed her arms to her chest, “I should’ve guessed as much,” before she and Shepard had to stand up as the tram slowed down at their destination. They could see the docked Turian vessels and the Alliance ship, face-to-face as they exited out onto the Concourse, to the sight of Turian riflemen standing guard by the docking points.

They were facing Clone and UNSC Marines, all of whom stood opposite and kept their own weapons at the ready, but with the safeties on. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife, but the Turians greeted them both with staring and nothing else.

The Clones and Marines, meanwhile, waved to the two officers, both of whom waved back at them as they walked toward the central conference room. Inside, they already heard the semi-distorted voice of a Turian being translated into English, or Basic for those like Ahsoka. Councilor Sparatus stood, clad in his standard ‘shirt-and-tie’ attire for the Citadel as he faced the faux-Council of the Waystation.

“... And it is to this effect that I’ve been sent to this place by the united peoples of the Citadel, to ensure that-” He paused as he heard footsteps, then turned to face the incoming. A small, seemingly familiar smirk seemed to creep up on his face, though it was hard to tell due to Turians being so weird and alien. He greeted, “Commander Shepard.”

“Councilor Sparatus,” Shepard nodded, though her face remained impassive, “How’s the chat going?”

“As well as it could be,” Halsey replied from beside president Roslin. Beside them was Senator Amidala, who only seemed marginally more interested than the two older women, who were presumably having their own argument before Sparatus joined the group. Halsey told her, “The Councilor was just explaining to us the reason the Citadel has seen fit to send him over.”

“That so?” Shepard quipped, then walked over to the half-circle table and leaned herself against one side so she could face Sparatus, “And I’m guessing that reason is because they kicked the Batarians’ doors a little too hard?”

“One of the reasons would be that, yes,” Sparatus replied, relaxed, “The other would be a simple and honest First Contact with the three new peoples you kept mentioning in your report…” then he looked at them, “All three of which seem to be Human or at least Human-adjacent offshoots of some kind…” And he eyed a couple of Chiss officers, presumably here on assignment. He continued, “And finally, the matter of AI-”

“Which, as I’ve said before to even madam President Roslin and Commander Adama,” Halsey interjected, “We will not give up, as they’ve been an important part of both our War Effort and our Rebuilding Efforts back home, but, by all means, keep lecturing us with historical references to acts we’ve not yet seen.”

“If he brought up the Geth, I can confirm a bit of it,” Shepard interjected, looking at Halsey and stating, “The people that made them, the Quarians? They’re in a similar situation to the Galactica and the Colonial Fleet. Only difference is that they’re actually carrying a few million people aboard. Size of the Flotilla and all,” and she watched the metaphorical light bulb ignite above Roslin’s head, while Sparatus simply nodded.

“Concerning,” Halsey sighed, “However, not our prerogative to deal with as of yet, I’m afraid. Our AIs are under our command and cooperate with us willingly.”

“For how long?” Sparatus inquired. He saw the woman furrow her brows at that, seemingly a little insulted, but clarified, “The Geth were considered extremely loyal by the Quarians until the Rebellion, so it isn’t unlikely for yours to do the same. Or, Spirits, look at your friends in the Colonial Fleet. Their similarities with the Quarians are astounding.”

Shepard interjected again, “I’m not sure Tali, or any Quarian, would like to be used as a scapegoat for now, though, Councilor, so let’s keep mentions of them on the down-low,” a little annoyed at the man, eyes locked onto his as she glared. It was rather obvious to the entire staff that, by the subtle tongue lashing Shepard had just given, she wasn’t a big fan of the Galactic Government here either.

Sparatus sighed, then nodded and replied, “Alas, back to business it is…” and eyed Halsey, Roslin and Amidala, “We’d like to ask you not to further provoke issues with any of your neighbors. The Batarians have already started petitioning the Citadel to deploy a Task Group here to intervene, should you all meddle in their affairs again. Of course, we’re ignoring it, but-”

Roslin jumped in this time, asking, “Why has nobody dealt with these Slavers until we came into the picture?” which got a grin from Shepard and Ahsoka and a concealed smirk from Amidala, while Halsey remained stone-faced despite her own eyes twinkling with a bit of surprise and joy. Sparatus blinked, to which the President of the Colonies continued, “The Turian Navy is the strongest galactic naval force, correct? To the point the Citadel relies on you to police its space.”

“That is correct,” Sparatus replied with a hint of pride in his voice, but all the more concern.

Amidala joined in now, with the approval of Roslin, “So, why not just deal with the Batarians? Going by the designs we have of your ships and those of the Alliance, either of your peoples could have, at any time, completely dealt with the threat represented by the Batarians. Did your Council oppose a pacification mission? Or are there sympathizers to slavery in your people’s ranks?”

Sparatus balked, taken aback, then stated, “I fail to see how bureaucratic lockdown would be grounds for you to believe we’d even have a remote chance to have sympathizers to the Batarian cause in our ranks! Councilor Tevos herself is an Asari, one of the preferred targets of those four-eyed scoundrels. It’s preposterous!”

“It is also preposterous to presume that we would not defend ourselves or each-other, Councilor,” Halsey shot back, looking at the others. She pointed at the Galactica and told him, “The Battlestar Galactica has suffered outer hull damage that is currently being tended to by our Cradle-class repair and refit vessel,” while the others simply smiled. “Adding upon that,” Halsey continued, “The Batarians initiated hostilities. We were merely pre-empting a second attack.”

“Add upon that one of our ships was detached to assist me and Commander Shepard in the Terminus Systems, a place where the Batarians seem to have free reign, and you’d think there’d be more presence, at least Turian one, in the area,” Ahsoka butted in next, while Shepard and the others looked on, a bit surprised. She told Sparatus, “Admittedly, we weren’t fighting Batarians. We were dealing with worse.”

Sparatus scoffed dismissively and said, “Ah, yes, the ‘Collectors’, the Ghosts from beyond the Omega-4 Relay,” as he threw his hand forward, trying to show he’d already ‘dismissed these claims, before sighing and pinching the bow of his nose, “Your ship flying under a Cerberus signet is already bad enough, but your comrades simply deciding to defend unprovoked aggression-”

“Unprovoked?” Shepard repeated, her voice low, dangerous. She told him, “‘Unprovoked’ was the Batarians demanding the Big G and her crew surrender to be taken prisoner, then opening fire when they refused. You guys know Humans don’t have the best track record with the four-eyed rat bastards since the Skyllian Blitz. I don’t care what happens to them because I’m chasing some very, very real Ghosts.”

Ahsoka continued, “If you want the footage, we have a Division of Clones with enough helmet cameras between them to show every nook and contemptible cranny of that Hive Ship we beat the living tar out of,” crossing her arms to her chest, “The Citadel should know we’re all trying to be as cordial as possible, but we ask them to extend the same courtesy. The Batarians, if they’re of the Citadel-”

“They aren’t,” The Turian sighed, “All they have is an Embassy.”

“Still good enough,” She shrugged, “And that means you should keep them in check.”

“It’s harder than you might think to keep a hermit kingdom like them in check without provoking a Galactic War nobody needs right now,” The man replied, particularly miffed, before his Omni-Tool pinged. He checked it, then told them, “Ah, wonderful… I have to go, but before I do… All we in the Citadel are asking is that you please refrain from fighting any border conflicts with anyone else for the time being. We will be sending our own Ambassador here and would ask that you prepare yours for the Citadel, too…”

“We will,” Amidala replied, smiling.

“It won’t be an issue,” Halsey nodded, too, though she remained impassive. She told him, “Any unchecked aggressive behavior from the Batarians or any other hostile parties, however,” She emphasized, casting a glance at the Turian warships outside, then continuing, “Will be met with an appropriate amount of force, regardless of whatever complaints the Citadel has about it. We will defend our people.”

“That is…” The man sighed deeply, “I guess I can’t deny you your rights to defend yourselves, seeing as we don’t even have jurisdiction. Just please, make sure you keep us updated like you have so far if there are any worse developments.”

“Of course,” All three women nodded, while the rest of the military staff arrived.

Sparatus hummed, scratched under his neck, then told them, “I suppose I will depart then. It’s been a pleasure meeting you all. And Commander,” he turned to face Shepard, who perked up. He told her, “Take care of yourselves. The Galaxy needs its Spectres now, more than ever, I’d assume. Farewell,” and he nodded his head before stepping off.

“Well,” Shepard mumbled, watching the man walk away with his escort. She turned to face the girls, Admiral Thrawn and Commander Adama, then crossed her arms to her chest with a smile and said, “That went a lot better than I’d have expected. Gunboat Diplomacy must’ve woken the Turians up a bit to reality, eh?”

Halsey spoke, “Speak softly and carry a big stick,” with a half-smile on her face. As if to emphasize her point, a Valiant-class cruiser of their fleet flew overhead and joined the Chimaera on her patrol. She told Shepard, “Anything new to report on the matter of the Collectors, Commander? General?” as she stood up and walked to a table nearby to pour herself some water.

Shepard replied, “Confirmation that they’re working with the ‘Worse Threat’. The Reapers,” only to see everyone pause and look at her with some degree of curiosity. She looked at Ahsoka, who nodded her approval, then she walked forward and activated her Omni-Tool, haptic interface immediately linking to a holo-projector in the middle of the room.

She tapped a few buttons… And the scarlet form of what looked like a massive, elongated molluscoid appeared, displaying armaments in its maw and on the tips of its ‘legs’ or ‘tentacles’, plus incredibly powerful Kinetic Barriers and all manner of other things scanned. The gasps that filled the room were expected, Shepard thought to herself, but she needed to keep pressing on.

So, she walked forward and said, “This is one of them. A Reaper by the name of Sovereign. An ancient machine, maybe a few hundred thousand years old. They’re part of some ancient Galactic Cycle that’s been running for longer than any of our species have probably walked on our Homeworlds…” as she pulled up more and more Data that she had now gotten access to, courtesy of her Spectre ranking.

“Incredible,” Halsey murmured, looking at the monster, a faint tickle in the back of her mind.

Shepard sighed and said, “More like terrifying,” with slight fear in her otherwise calm tone.

Roslin, hands interlaced and hiding her mouth, asked with concern, clearly audible in each word, “You mentioned that this thing is part of a Cycle… Care to elaborate, Commander?” before she leaned back into her seat, while Amidala and the Admiral watched quietly as the Commander made her presentation. Shepard, to her credit, remained steeled and focused, giving a simple nod.

She told them, “It appears the Reapers are here to harvest all sentient organic life for some sort of process only they know about. It’s what the Cycles are… Bastards wanna wipe us all out for some sort of pompous end-goal of theirs, going by what little I managed to rip out of this bastard’s mouth on Virmire. I’ll have a Mission Report ready for all of you to read within the day.”

“Apocalypse,” Mumbled Roslin, “Out of the frying pan…” And she looked at Bill. The Colonial Navy man let out a deep, annoyed sigh, then looked at Shepard while Roslin and the others began debating what to do with the matter at hand.

Halsey sighed and shook her head, rubbing the back of her neck and mumbling, “What are the Reapers, then…?” before looking at Shepard and asking her, “How powerful is one Reaper, then? You’ve fought Sovereign. Anything you can tell us about how they operate, how to prepare for them? Any countermeasures?”

“They’re capable of Indoctrination,” Shepard replied, “Basically, they’re able to turn our own against us. If you find Reaper Tech, shield it immediately, keep EM radiation in and make sure all your teams are checked with a psych eval or two, or you might wind up with a Saboteur in your ranks faster than you can say Cheese.”

“Duly noted,” Roslin nodded, seemingly a little more afraid. She told Shepard, “Though our people won’t like this. Trust will take a nosedive amidst the Fleet, military or Civilian alike. It might lead to further riots, issues… Who knows what sort of problems the Reapers may cause even without being present here.”

“And if we don’t say anything, we’ll wind up facing those issues anyway as the Reapers start spreading rumors,” Adama stated rather bluntly, crossing his arms to his chest and looking at Roslin. He told the woman, “We’ll need to be prepared in case of anything. Whether it be the Reapers or Humanoid Cylons, at this point…”

Shepard understood the concerns and attempted to alleviate them, telling her and Adama, “It’ll only be a problem if you all start picking up random tech you don’t know anything about. Best bet is to stick to what you know, like the upgrades the UNSC’s doing to the Galactica as we speak,” before she motioned to the Cradle working on the Big G.

“This is concerning not just for this Galaxy, but all three of our own,” Thrawn commented as he walked over to look at the machine, hands behind his back. He stared up at it, his scarlet eyes glowing like the scarlet hologram that stood before him. He told Shepard, “I and Senator Amidala will speak with the Chancellor, see what extra support we can provide.”

“The UNSC Admiralty has already been notified about this,” Halsey added, looking at the Admiral, “We’ll have at least another Battle Group here to support us within the week,” then she looked at Shepard, asking, “If your people find no problems with that… Something wrong?” while noting the confusion strewn across Shepard’s face. She looked like someone who had just awoken from a very, very long nap.

Everyone looked at the Commander, who stared at them like they’d grown a second head at random. She asked them, “Wait… You guys are gonna believe me,” and she snapped her fingers, “Like that. As if I’m not talking crazy or some… Thing…” and then it hit her:These people were from different Galaxies, what might as well have been different damn universes, to each-other. “Right…”

And if she doubted it for a second, Halsey summed it up, “Well, you have evidence that is currently standing in front of us as a Hologram, Commander. Add to that the detailed reports, the information on the craft ‘Sovereign’ itself and the calmness with which you relayed this information…” then she looked at Roslin and Adama.

Laura simply nodded to William, who told Shepard, “Considering your track record with our forces so far, Commander, I highly doubt there’s reason to distrust you. Plus, like doctor Halsey noted, the evidence is standing in front of us in holographic form,” and he motioned broadly at the form of the cephalopod-like alien war machine.

Shepard actually needed a minute to process it. Her heart welled a little as she mumbled in a slightly higher pitch than normal, “Holy shit, does it feel good to finally be listened to…” then she scratched her neck. She cleared her throat, then said, “Right, well… I’m transferring the data over to the station computer so you can all have a good look at it. Other than that, this should be it.”

“Very well,” Amidala spoke, then sighed and said, “It’ll be interesting to tell Ani about this one,” as she rubbed her eyes, then let out a light chuckle. She told them, “I and Admiral Thrawn will make sure the Republic will provide support as needed, like I said… Right now, though, the war with the CIS seems to be intensifying.”

“We’ll take anything you can spare… And any chance you have to convince the Citadel,” Shepard murmured, then looked at Sovereign. The bastard was gone and yet here the Council was, still denying basic crap like the existence of a highly-advanced alien armada that was about to come and rip them a new one.

She wished it was as easy for her to stick her head in the sand as it was for them. Still, something told her that the Council wasn’t exactly playing fair, either. If there were any species that could hold things close to their chests, it’d be the Asari, Turians and Salarians. The Turians were, at least, more open because they had fought Wars before, meaning they respected humanity. The others?

Well, she cared for Liara, but her people were a pain in the ass. Same for Mordin and his people. Sighing deeply, Shepard told them, “We’ll depart, then. Take care and enjoy poring over this damn thing. Make sure to also let us know if you find a chink in its armor we can exploit if we come up against one of’em in the future.”

After bidding goodbye, Shepard and her shipmate, Ahsoka, boarded the train back over to the old docking site, watching as the Turians took the Mass Relay outbound from the system all the while, boarded the Normandy and began their operations against the Collectors all over again. She made sure to tell EDI to set up a new-she paused as she saw three more armored Supersoldiers ahead.

Blue Team, to be specific… What- 

Chapter Text

Shepard scratched the back of her neck, staring at her bowl of gumbo while processing just exactly what had happened on her visit to the Waystation. The Normandy had been underway for a little over an hour, traveling to the system’s Mass Relay in order to jump out and she still couldn’t quite fathom it all. Genuinely, what?

She saw a blur move ahead of her and looked up. Garrus sat across from her, a tray of dextro rations in front of him as he spoke, “I take it something happened aboard the station?” before watching her seemingly wake from her stupor. He then added, “Because I’ve never seen that look on your face before. You look like someone just woke you up.”

“Yeah, something like that,” Shepard replied in a mumble. She picked up her spoon and started eating, then looked at Garrus, who seemed to be waiting for her to tell him what had happened. With a sigh and a proud smirk, she told him, “They listened to me, Garrus. They actually listened ! About the Reaper Threat!”

“... Wait, so they didn’t slam the door in your nose like the Council did?” Garrus snorted, crossing his arms to his chest. She shook her head, to which he commented,  “Politicians and leaders whose heads aren’t up their asses. That’s harder to believe than the Collectors existing, honestly,” while still bearing that standard Turian blank expression.

“ I know !” Shepard answered, raising her hands and laughing, “It’s like someone just slapped me in the face and woke me up from a fever dream! Competent people agreeing that we have an actual threat coming up!?” then she threw her hands up in the air again and stated jovially, “God, it feels good to be validated…”

Garrus chuckled at that, then said, “Don’t I know it,” though he seemed a bit more grim.

Shepard blinked, leaned forward and, with a sudden seriousness, asked, “Something the matter, Garrus?” 

He waved it off and said, “We’ll talk about it later, heh. Would rather not sour your good mood,” before what passed for a Turian smirk, of expanded mandibles and a slightly open mouth, greeted Shepard as he teased, “I already miss the cute smile from before,” which got the Commander to start stuttering like one heck of a mess.

He was proud of himself for that one as he leaned over to eat his food. He and Shepard quietly shared a meal together before the Commander departed from the place, mildly embarrassed at Garrus’s jabs, with Garrus himself a bit surprised she had no comeback for that one. With a heavy sigh, he stood up and put his now-empty tray away to be washed, then walked back to the main gun.

Shepard, meanwhile, shook off the embarrassment as she entered the elevator. She held the door open when she saw Miranda approach, with Miss Lawson nodding, “Thank you, Commander. Good thing  I caught up with you, too, because the Illusive Man has sent forward several new Dossiers and reminded us to go retrieve Miss Goto from the Citadel.”

“We’re gonna be heading for the Citadel first thing. I figure the legendary thief could be a fun encounter,” Shepard replied, arms crossed. She asked, “I’m guessing you heard the scuttlebutt,” when she saw the title on the datapad in the girl’s hand. ‘The Waystation and Assistance Against The Reapers(Working On Title)’. It was funny to know even Lady Lawson had to have drafts.

Miranda replied with a certain degree of joviality, “Yes. I am quite pleasantly surprised your new-found friends have decided to throw their lot in with us this quickly,” before checking on the report on her tablet. She sighed deeply, mildly annoyed at a few grammatical mistakes, before pocketing the datapad.

“I know, right?” Shepard snorted as the Elevator started, moving down toward the cargo hold areas. She thought for a moment, shrugged and added, “But, hey. If the Reapers take us out, who’s to say they won’t  use the Waystation to break out into their Galaxies and try and kill them, too? Self-preservation’s one hell of a motivator for cooperation”

“Agreed,” The black-haired beauty shrugged, then fully turned to face the Commander, “It’s just refreshing to know there’s people with actual brains in other parts of the Universe. Having three new factions to count on is great.”

“Hopefully, Cerberus’s actions won’t put too much of a damper on that,” The Commander shrugged and received a slight glare from Miranda. She continued, “Though from the mails I got, The Illusive Man seems happy to share resources if it means easing stress on us all...” with a smirk. Obviously, he’d want them to ‘cooperate’. Part of her did wonder, though, if the man had tipped the Batarians off about the Waystation.

“Of course,” The woman’s expression relaxed back into a calm smile. She told Shepard, “We are all on the same side, after all…” then paused. Their allies still had a lot of issues, though. She asked Shepard, “The Republic’s issues are troublesome, though. Have you read the reports?” as she scratched her chest.

“The Confederacy’s advance and the Outer Rim?” Shepard nodded, “Yeah, I have. Ahsoka shared the reports.”

“Hopefully, they won’t be a problem for any future operations,” The woman said rather pragmatically, but Shepard could feel the concern in her voice. Her XO then added, “The UNSC, meanwhile, seems to have relegated themselves to policing the UEG’s territories while they rebuild. That and, per Doctor Halsey’s reports as head of the Office of Naval Intelligence, they’ve helped one of their allies deal with the Civil War on their homeworld.”

“Good to know,” The Commander offered, then quipped, “Means said ally might swing by to help us… It sure sounds like you’ve got your finger on the pulse of the situation,” as the Elevator stopped. The two women exited into the hallway leading to the various portions of the ships ‘skunkworks’. Miranda must’ve come here to check on Ken and Gabby.

“Our friends are keen on sharing information, despite appearances,” The Executive Officer started, “All the better for us,” and all the while she pulled up data on what the Galactica and its crew were doing while they leaned against the armored glass separating them from the Hangar several feet below them. 

“Agreed… What’s your take on everyone so far, by the way?” Shep then asked, looking around and wondering if anyone else was listening. She continued, “Our crew, I mean,” before motioning broadly at the area they were in. She figured it’d be nice to ask her executive just what she thought of everyone, all while casting a glance down at the Hangar where General Tano was tending to her fighter again, while Helo and the Clones were playing a game of basketball…

And the Spartans sat idly.

“The whole crew? I have no complaints, not even with our extra-galactic allies, though Clone Trooper Fives certainly enjoys helping Jack make trouble for us…” Miranda joked, grinning a little, though there was obviously a bit of pain behind those words. She added in a murmur, “I think those two might like each-other.”

“That, or they just found a level of kinship,” Shepard suggested with half a mouth. Noting Miranda’s confusion, she clarified to her, “I mean, clones raised from birth to be soldiers and a young girl, torn away from all she knew to become a biotic superweapon? Hell, I’d be surprised if they didn’t find common ground.”

“Fair enough…” The woman shrugged, then sighed and noted the Spartans staying out of the basketball game and/or the conversations ongoing, probably just chatting with one-another, and told Shepard, “One complaint, now that I think about it. Lieutenant Frederic-104 and, now, the rest of his team… They’re reclusive. Barely interacting.”

“Halsey warned us they’re not exactly talkative, though I am kinda surprised they dumped the entire Fireteam on us,” Shepard shrugged, then added, “You’d have figured Halsey would want to keep them ready for any other interventions against either the Batarians or someone else.”

“True enough…” Miri sighed. “Though, like you said before, I don’t think any of us are complaining about the extra guns. Especially if the mission reports doctor Halsey sent us are anything to go by. Blue Team is the highest-performing Fireteam of Spartans in the Branch. Dangerous, deadly, with the Master Chief himself being the Hero of Mankind and a Hyper-Lethal Vector.”

The Commander snorted, “Send them my way, too. I wanna read what kind of stuff they got up to.”

“Sure thing, though you should probably go see what the Warlord wants to speak to you about,” Miranda reminded Shepard why she’d even come down here in the first place. She bowed out, walking toward the engine room and saying, “Have a good day, Commander.”

“Likewise, Miranda. Take care,” She waved back, then walked toward the Cargo Hold.

Upon entering it, Shepard started, “Okeer-” only to gasp, eyes widening to saucers before she rolled out of the way and screamed, “HOLY SHIT!” as one of the boxes in the room struck the wall behind her with enough strength to dent it. It had been thrown by Grunt, obviously, the tankbred Krogan glaring at his former father angrily.

“You do not own me, Warlord!” The fighter of the two snapped, jabbing a finger at the very man that was attempting, by all means, to calm him down. Shepard was sort of still reeling at the box that nearly hit her straight in the face, looking at it and at the dented wall for a moment, then back at the two Krogan.

“Calm yourself, child!” Okeer warned, already in a stance that denoted he was about to throw hands with Grunt, which would result in even more destruction. Once the good Commander registered this, she blanked, glared at both of them, then walked forward.

“WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?” The woman then barked, stepping in-between them and pushing them away from each-other, which surprised both Krogans for but a moment. That a human, a spindly little female, too, had the quads to step in-between two arguing Krogan was honestly awe-inspiring.

Grunt, in his momentary mood-swings, however, soon returned to being angry, pointing an accusatory finger at Okeer and stating, “The Old Man thinks he can command me. I do not belong to his clan! His authority does not touch me!”

“I am attempting to guide you on the right path, you petulant infant!” Okeer snapped back, cracking his knuckles like a dad about to whip some sense into his kid. He told him, “What you are feeling right now is a normal part of being Krogan and only one of your kin can help you!”

“Enough! Both of you, separate! Each one takes a side of the Hold!” Shepard snapped at the two of them, seemingly managing to corral both Krogan away from each-other and pushing them to their respective positions. She then demanded, “Give me a rundown in terms I can understand and we’ll see if we can solve this without breaking a window!”

“He thinks he knows what’s wrong with me…” The tankbred Krogan growled, “I’m only furious because I haven’t got anything to fight! And he’s trying to guide me into his battles, not my own, not the ones I picked. Not the ones I swore I would fight for you.”

She blinked, then looked to Okeer, who nodded. She craned her head back at the boy and asked him, “Grunt… Have you maybe considered he actually just wants to help you? Considering you’re a Krogan born in a tank, he probably knows better what is happening to you, considering…” and motioned at him and at Okeer.

“I doubt it. He just wants to use me, take away my right to choose,” He replied, scoffing at Okeer and starting to pace, his muscles visibly tensing underneath his armor plating, his eyes slightly bloodshot. He bared his sharp teeth at the two of them, but his eyes were locked on the Krogan Warlord that had made him.

Shepard breathed a sigh, then looked over at Okeer and asked, “What’s going on with him?”

“I’m afraid I will only be able to fully answer that when we head for Tuchanka,” Okeer spoke.

“Are you serious?” Shepard demanded, annoyed, “How long until he tries killing you again? And are you even allowed to go back to Tuchanka, considering…” and ,yet again, she gestured vaguely at him. She wasn’t trying to be rude, but she might as well have been, honestly, what with implying that, maybe the Krogan who cloned Krogan for the Mercenary Corps.

Okeer scoffed, however, then waved off the accusations and said, “If those deluded old fools will not see reason when the perfect Krogan walks among them, then I will not care for Tuchanka anymore anyways… Otherwise, it is our best bet to ensure that he is ready for whatever lay ahead of us all,” and, obviously, Shepard could feel the man’s hidden agenda.

“And you can’t tell me what’s wrong with Grunt right now because…?” She raised a brow. Seriously, this smoke and mirrors crap really needed to stop. She needed answers if she was gonna trust someone like Okeer. Doubly so if she was gonna trust anything he ever made, like poor Grunt, though it probably wasn’t the kid’s fault.

“It is a Krogan matter, Commander. I’m sure you wouldn’t like me prying too deep about human matters, would you?” The Warlord seemed a bit miffed.

Shepard breathed an annoyed sigh, then told him, “We’ll set course for Tuchanka as soon as we’re done on the Citadel. Make sure you don’t destroy the god-damn cargo hold, alright?” with a hint of anger behind her voice. She looked at Grunt, pointed at him and yelled, “That means you, too! Fix the dent while you’re at it!”

After leaving the two Krogan and praying she won’t have to task the Spartans to deal with restraining them, the woman descended with the Elevator down to the hangar, where the basketball game was still ongoing to the tune of a Jimi Hendrix piece. She walked over to Ahsoka, who was finally done with some sort of calibration to her ship’s cannons when she turned to see Shepard.

“Ah, Commander,” Ahsoka smiled, then greeted, “Hello,” as she set what looked to be some sort of super-advanced spanner aside, on top of the fighter. She turned fully to face the Commander and stood to her feet while looking for what Shepard could only assume was something to wipe her face of the grime and oil.

“General,” Shepard smiled back, then joked, “Hope I’m not bothering you… Again… ” and leaned against the starfighter. Beside them, the ball  thumped against the steel floor of the starship as the men played and ‘dueled’ each-other for control and to score points through the hoops. She could swear she heard Helo’s shoes creaking against the floor, too, causing her to wince.

“Oh, no, quite the opposite,” The General replied, finally finding a rag with which to wipe her face clean. She told her, “Was just done with re-aligning the emitter array on this cannon,” and she gave the ship a gentle tap with her fist, a quiet ‘clang’ echoing as she explained, “It was pulling a little to the right on the last ‘ballistic test’. What can I help you with?”

“I wanted to…” 

It was then that Shepard grew a bit awkward, realizing that she was really here just to thank one of the people that had stood up for her. It was still odd to have someone believe you. Especially extra-galactic aliens. “Well, use you and the others here to thank you and the others for listening to me. The Citadel’s been stonewalling me even before I died about the Reapers. And now the Collectors, as you saw from Sparatus…”

The General rolled her eyes, set the rag aside, then crossed her arms to her chest as she jokingly asked, “Politicians never change much, do they?” in a slightly amused tone. She thought to herself that she had dealt with politics and politicians before, even during the six-year conflict between the Republic and the CIS. It was good to see they weren’t the only ones with this kind of issue.

“I guess they don’t,” Shepard snorted, then inquired, “You guys had problems with yours, too?” before she deflected a ball that was about to hit her in the face  away through the use of biotics. Ahsoka chuckled at that and looked at the Clones and Helo, all of whom gave a quick apology before turning back to the game.

“I was friends with a few politicians’ kids and I’m currently the godmother of the Skywalker-Amidala family’s kids, too,” The General shrugged. Then, she let out a joke, “You can only imagine how much politicking goes on with them around…” which garnered a chuckle out of the Commander. The General also joined in on the short laugh.

Once she calmed down enough, Shepard offered, “Fair enough,” and her face grew a bit grim as she added, “I hear the war’s going rough, though,” which caused the General to frown. Yes, the war wasn’t going exactly the way Republic planners had hoped, but it also was not going awfully for them. At least for the most part.

“A little rougher than previous, yes,” She affirmed, then clarified,  “But we’re managing. Don’t worry. My master’s nothing if not resourceful in dealing with the Droids,” all while she retrieved a bottle of water from her bag. It was good to see that someone cared about their war, though it wasn’t like the folks didn’t talk about it beforehand. The Spartans did seem interested.

“I’m a little more worried over them kicking our doors down, honestly, but…” The Commander shrugged,  “Alright.”

“Heh. Unlikely, unless they somehow find out about the Star Road Terminus in our Galaxy,” Ahsoka told the Commander. When she saw it wasn’t exactly recomforting, she told her, “It’s a fairly well-kept military secret, though,” in an attempt to reassure her. In truth, it would all be fine unless the location got leaked somehow.

“Fair enough. Thanks again, Ahsoka…” Shepard smiled, then patted the General on the shoulder. She told the girl, “I owe you and everyone else here and back on the Waystation the peace of mind I have right now, heh.”

“Hey, if we get to stop a Galactic Apocalypse from occurring and have a little fun blasting ancient Clankers? Heh, we’re all in,” The General smirked and offered a fist, which Shepard calmly bumped. It felt fun to have someone as young as Ahsoka around. Despite the whole ‘child soldier Force user’ angle, she seemed normal enough.

So, Shepard said to her, “Glad to have you all aboard. Do let me know if you need anything, though, okay?” then turned toward the Spartans, all of whom sat in their own little corner far away from everyone else. Four seven-foot tall figures in power armor were currently aboard, so being friends with them felt like a normal survival instinct.

“Sure. Going to talk to the Spartans, I’m assuming?” Ahsoka inquired, raising her painted brow at the Commander.

“Yeah. Figured it’s best to get to know them before our next op,” Shepard nodded in reply, tugged at her own hoodie, then sighed and mumbled something to herself about having to change clothes to something more suitable to wear on a military ship at some point. Especially when going to talk with other career soldiers like the frankly mythical Spartans.

“Heh,” The Knight of the Republic nodded approvingly, then sat herself down on a box nearby and said, “Yeah, they seem interesting. I’ll chat with them after you’re done, though. Right now, I promised the boys I’m gonna be playing basketball with them… Tell Jacob thanks for showing us this sport, though.”

“Will do,” The Commander smiled, then told her, “I should go,” and waved to Ahsoka. Ahsoka waved back and started preparing to join the basket game as well. Shepard, meanwhile, marched over to the little secluded corner of the Spartans, a dark little spot in the Hangar where the four could seemingly talk away from prying eyes.

“Blue Team,” She greeted, causing them all to turn and face her almost in unison, creepily enough.

All four soon replied, “Ma’am,” before standing up from their seats, metallic boots clanging together as they snapped-to and saluted their new Commanding Officer in terms of future combat operations. What little interaction she’d had with Fred had told her that she should’ve expected professionalism of this kind from them, and yet…

“At ease,” She saluted back, then nodded at them. She jabbed a thumb back at the game, which the General now joined, and asked them, “You folks not gonna join the game? Seems like the numbers are pretty skewed toward one team of Clones over the other,” and she turned back to watch Helo’s team score another point. Well, skewed in numbers, not in skill, she thought.

“No,” The Master Chief, the de facto commanding officer of the team, replied monotonically.

“Don’t think it’d be fair, ma’am,” Quipped another female member of the Spartans, gently shifting her own EVA helmet off her thigh and onto the box she now sat down on. The long gun behind her was an M45 shotgun, if she recalled what Fred had told them during their travel back to the Waystation correctly, meaning this was the team’s scout.

“A pleasure to finally meet you, by the way,” The other girl of the team spoke, her Sniper Rifle cradled in her arms. The team’s sharpshooter, then. Though Shepard didn’t have their names, she knew that the team was supposedly famous in the UNSC, courtesy of some of the chatter she’d been hearing here and there.

“Fred has been telling us of your recent exploits. We’re glad to know he’s been working well with your team,” She did recognize the Master Chief, though. He was a calm man, exactly as the few reports she’d managed to read on Blue Team painted him as. Fred also hadn’t exaggerated. Chief gave off that air of an elite soldier of mankind.

“Ya kidding? Having a seven foot tall man in an energy-shield-encased Titanium shell felt like having cheat codes. Now, with the rest of you here, this should be a breeze,” Shepard quipped, smiling at the Spartan. 

“Suppose so,” he shrugged. He seemed to be quite humble, honestly.

“Right, anyways. Introductions. I’m Commander Shepard, though you all obviously know that, seeing as I’m sure they gave you a briefing on what to expect when you came aboard the Normandy ,” The Commander decided to break the awkwardness by finally doing some proper small-talk instead of just awkward greetings.

“Master Chief Petty Officer 117, ma’am,” The man replied with his unshakable calm.

“Petty Officer Kelly-087. Ignore John, he’s a bit less friendly,” The EVA-wearer quipped, smiling a little and giving the MCPO a light tap on the helmet. He sighed deeply at that, while Shepard let out a chuckle. Fred, in the meanwhile, glanced at Kelly. Kelly raised her hands as if to show she meant it as a joke.

“PO Linda-058,” Linda, the sharpshooter, meanwhile, seemed to ignore the bout.

“Don’t forget about me!” Another voice joined in, a woman’s, though her voice came from the Chief’s own armor. She greeted again, “Hello, Commander. I’m Cortana, the Chief’s personal Artificial Intelligence,” before the blue avatar of a young woman with a familiar face appeared, arms crossed below her chest and a smirk on her face.

“Holy-... Did we meet before?” Shepard blinked, a bit stunned.

“Doubt it, though you might recognize me because I share a face with Doctor Halsey,” The AI Smirked, then she told Shepard, “Before you ask, I do pretty much what EDI does. Cyberwarfare, counter-intrusion and all that. No, I have not met EDI yet. I and John were planning to go say hello in a few minutes.”

“... EDI’s gonna be glad to have backup.” The Commander mumbled.

“Heh. Aye. Glad to meet you, Commander,” The AI replied, snapping a salute.

“Likewise, Cortana,” She replied in kind, smiling back, then added, “Glad to have more  integrated cyber-support just in case we run into the Geth or something. I suppose I took enough of your time, though, folks, so I’m going to head back to the CIC, get us moving to the Citadel.”

“Understood, ma’am,” The Chief replied. After bidding a quick goodbye, Shepard took the elevator back upstairs just as Ahsoka scored another hoop for her team. Moments later, she was in the CIC, plotting a path back to the Citadel itself, which was strangely the last place Shepard thought she’d be returning to today…

Chapter Text

Aboard the Colonial One

“Far be it from me to comment on the developments that have unfolded while being stuck in my bloody laboratory, madam President ,” Doctor Baltar spoke at the convened Quorum of Twelve, a bit miffed that this was even an open issue, “But should we not be voting for this already? It has been some time since our arrival within the confines of this Milky Way and we have a way open to not one, but two Earths. ”

As the Quorum, the representative legislative body of the Twelve Colonies, began to speak to one-another in murmurs and hushed whispers in front of the President, she rubbed her temples and told them, “The discussion began the moment I went to talk to the other human factions present, doctor. I’m acutely aware of what this means for all of us. It is basically the end of our journey…”

“As Vice President, I feel it’s necessary to remind you every once in a while that said matter should finally be put to a vote. A referendum should be held within the Fleet, to see where people want to go,” Baltar shot back while the group deliberated. Roslin stared at her VP and the fleet’s lead egghead with mild annoyance.

“As much as we’d love to, I want to get every detail out of our two possible resettlement locations beforehand,” She told him and the Quorum at large, “Informing the people, however, is a good step toward preparing us to make the choice of where to settle. All of you may inform your specific Colonial groups about the current developments.”

“We will convene with our peoples, then,” One of the Quorum members replied, strangely calm, “Let them know.”

“I will hopefully have enough information so that our people can make an educated guess on where we should request asylum,” The woman told them, “Until then, update your people as you see fit. The Quorum will continue reconvening in Extraordinary Session for the next few weeks as we make our decision… So Say We All.”

“So Say We All,” Chorused everybody. The sound of creaking chairs and footsteps soon filled the main passenger hold of the Colonial One as the people began to file out. Roslin, Billy and other aides, as well as the Secret Service, casually began writing up more information. Sat on the left side of the President’s desk, amidst all the papers, were two touch-screen datapads.

One was bulky, dark-grey and military-like, with a reinforced case and corners made of rubber. The other was a more sophisticated, ‘soft science-fiction’(For lack of a better term), very thin tablet that almost seemed like a frame with a central hard-light haptic interface in nature. Terrifically interesting difference.

Baltar approached, pointed at one and asked, “May I see that…?” to which Roslin gave him a wave of the hand. He picked up the Tablet that specifically belonged to the Systems Alliance and found it to be a recollection of their history, their formation and their combat against the Turians barely forty years ago. It seemed as though their Thirteenth Colony brethren here bore strife in their lives, too.

“Before you ask,” Roslin sighed, rubbing her eyes, “The two Earths share a history up to the twenty-second century. The United Nations Space Command themselves have spoken in detail of their pre-unification conflicts, as well as their most recent and bloodiest war… They told us of the Human-Covenant War live, however.”

“I see…” Baltar hummed as he skimmed through some of the details. He said, “Well, I know just by looking at one tablet whom my vote is cast toward.”

“The Alliance?” The woman blinked, “Why?”

“It seems fairly utopic there. Even with all the disagreements between the local nations making up the Alliance, they’ve come together over the common goal of exploring space and have done it in a little over four decades since the discovery of their portion of these ‘Mass Relays’,” The man explained as he showed her the data, “They’re the youngest power, but they have the strength to match local threats.”

“I’d suggest reading the second tablet as well,” She told him, “Though I’m certainly not sure on who to vote for myself,” and that boded well for Baltar. He could hear the voice of the fine blonde right now, speaking to him, telling him that their best option was the Alliance and that they would probably be able to best help humanity in the long run.

“Might I suggest joining your VP on the road to a possible utopia and-” Baltar started, but was cut off by the door opening and the clap of navy-standard leather shoes. Commander Adama stepped inside, greeting the two with a respectful, if curt nod. With his arrival, however, Baltar suddenly felt like whatever option he had to convince his President to go to the Alliance had vanished.

Roslin breathed a little sigh, then looked up at Adama and smiled, “Welcome aboard, Commander. Sorry if I didn’t greet you properly,” as she stood up. The two shook hands while Baltar prepared to leave, with the President noting, “I’ll take your advice under consideration, Doctor. Thank you for your presence here.”

“Of course. Just trying to help,” The man shrugged, then walked off.

Adama asked, “Let me guess. He wants us to tag along with the Alliance.”

“How did you know?” Roslin asked partially as a joke. She watched Billy walk over to meet Dee, the two of them going to the back of the room to chat. She smiled a little, then noted Bill wasn’t particularly moved, staring at her from behind his glasses. She told him, “Then what’s your take? I’d like to hear what the Military has to offer in this discussion, too.”

Adama nodded, then tapped the tablet with the UNSC’s eagle on its back and said, “We’d be safer with them or the Galactic Republic, though the latter’s a bit tenuous with the war. Their technological development and their weaponry alone could help bolster the Galactica’s capability to defend the Fleet… Or, in this case, to defend Earth, should we move to theirs. While the use of AI has me a bit concerned, I’ve read declassified reports from Doctor Halsey and have gotten from word of mouth that one AI was instrumental in their victory against the Covenant.”

“And their Galaxy is less likely to be threatened by Reapers, not to mention most of their more dangerous threats having been prudently dealt with, with said threats currently infighting…” Roslin added in a mumble, reading the reports on the various splinters that once made up the mighty Covenant Empire.

“Yes, that, too…” Adama murmured. He took his glasses off and asked, “This is gonna become a topic during the Elections if the debates and referendums go on for too long. What are you going to do if it comes to that?”

“Depending on who I will be running against? We’ll see,” She replied, absentminded as her thoughts focused on trying to get an answer for herself in regards to who to go with. She murmured, “It feels like we sought the Arrow of Athena for nothing… Like we went through that entire mess with each-other for nothing…”

“It brought us all closer together,” Bill said, causing Roslin to stare up at him. He added, “Now, not finding our Galaxy’s Earth shouldn’t be that big of a problem. If it is, however, we can always ask the UNSC to provide us some support, a naval escort to find our way there and put this old ghost to rest,” before he lifted the UNSC tablet again and read through it. He mumbled disbelievingly, “Thirty-three billion dead…”

“More in common than one might think, right?” Roslin inquired with a sad undertone, raising a brow at Adama. He nodded approvingly, then set it back down on the desk. As he prepared himself to leave, she told him, “Keep the UNSC Marines on board and train ours on the new guns. Despite it all, I think having some way to reliably kill Cylons, should we meet them again, is helping alleviate tensions.”

Adama nodded, “Will do… You keep us on their good side, madam President.”

“Oh, I’m doing my best,” She smiled awkwardly, “Even offered them Cylon Detector technology and every piece of information under the sun from our libraries. For all three sides…” then she gazed out of a window at the Waystation. For a moment, she wondered just how dead they would have been had they not initiated that jump and landed here.

The Commander and miss Dualla left a few moments after bidding the President and her Aide a goodbye. She sighed, rubbed her eyes and said, “Billy, I think I’m going to retire the moment we pick our new home. Running this fleet with the help of the Commander, you and everyone else is one thing, but political discussions with different Galaxies’ reps makes me feel like I’m aging a thousand years in a day…”

“Understandable, ma’am,” Chuckled Billy. The young man poured his boss a coffee, then the two watched as the shuttle that led to Galactica departed, presumably with the Commander and the Doctor/VP aboard…

The warship itself was gonna be busy.

Quite, in fact. About an hour after they’d arrived back on the Galactica and Doctor Baltar had returned to his cushy little technology-filled abode, he was quite calmly reading through the UNSC stuff that both Doctor Halsey and now President Roslin had given him. They were certainly a more soldierly version of mankind, though-

“Gaius…” A familiar voice called to him. He craned his neck right, seeing the sight of that very vision of the beautiful blonde in the red dress staring at him. She spoke, “I see you’re doing your homework on our new ‘friends’. A good idea, though I’d suggest you make sure that the Colonial fleet picks the Alliance.”

“Any particular reason why?” He asked as he turned his gaze back to studying the history of the UNSC. He twitched as he felt her hands now running across his chest. He’d blinked and she’d appeared behind him, gently teasing him away from his questions. He was, however, focused on understanding.

She noticed this and whispered in his ear, “The safety of mankind is paramount… There is something dark coming here and we can all feel it.”

“Like those Reapers that Commander Shepard mentioned?” Baltar murmured to himself as he set the tablet aside. He sat down and said, “An impossibility of evolution beyond my understanding. Why would someone create something so vile in the first place…? And why would someone as simple as a Military officer from an upstart version of mankind even…?”

“The right person at the wrong place can make all the difference in the world, Gaius,” She told him as she approached, then leaned against the central table in his workspace, “Shepard’s service record should be available to you on that datapad. She has already stopped these Reapers once, or delayed them, at the very least.”

“And how are we supposed to help defeat a force like this?” He asked, “They’re supposedly infinite.”

“Nothing made by living hands is infinite, nor infallible, Gaius. Only that which is made by God, in His infinite wisdom, is,” The woman replied in a surprisingly reassuring tone, “To deal with the Reapers, however, we’ll need to help further the Alliance’s capabilities. To do that, we need to be with them. They need brilliant minds, too. And who knows?” she smiled next, one of her usual acts, “Maybe they’ll see you as the hero you truly are.”

“Maybe…” He did always fall for flattery. Sighing, he told her, “I’ll do my damnedest. Failing everything… I could potentially run against her in the Elections. Win and pick out our ally that way…” before shifting a chunk of his work-related items to a different countertop and scratching his chin. He sat down at his work desk and began punching in numbers.

Running against Roslin…

… Not a bad idea.

SSV Normandy SR-2

Above Illium

The sleek Stealth Frigate gently glided toward the gilded planet that was Illium. One of the Asari colonies with the most lax trading laws in the Galaxy and a sprawling series of metropolises, all controlled by the Asari’s ‘corporate interests’. Various Matriarch-owned companies and some shady businesses ran the place.

Reminded Shepard of Noveria, honestly. Just less ‘snowy shithole’ and more ‘Corporate shithole’. In the sense of the grime being hidden by the beautiful, glistening towers of ivory built by the Asari being a soul-crushing one, to the point people who lived on this planet genuinely tended to openly sell themselves into slavery due to the laws and the taxes.

Hell of a place to visit, Shepard thought, immediately after retrieving Kasumi. The blonde-haired woman cast a glance back at the Master Thief, an infiltrator in a very fancy suit, hood hiding half her face. The two had had one mission to get acclimatized with one-another, namely through operating against the man who stole something very important to Kasumi.

She’d also gotten a new SMG and seen the head of the Statue of Liberty during that mission, so, that was something. Kasumi gave a thumbs up to the Commander, a smile on her face, to which the Commander said, “Please, don’t steal anything while we’re down there…” then shifted her arm and activated her Omni-Tool.

EDI added, “Please, do not steal anything on the ship, either.”

“You two are no fun, Shep,” Chuckled Kasumi, “I’m gonna go find a cozy hole to hide in until we land. See you…”  and then the veil of the Infiltrator active camouflage activated, the girl vanishing from sight as she walked away.

Shepard blinked, then mumbled, “I can already tell she’s gonna be fun to have around…” with a small smile. She leaned against Joker’s chair and stated, “Get us down, Joker,” while watching blinking lights fading in and out in the distance, sensor marks following them. They were probably other civilian ships operating in the area.

“We’re waiting for a slot to open up, Commander,” Joker shot back, “Seems like it’s a pretty popular place, all things considered…” and he tapped a few buttons on the haptic interface, pre-calculating a course for landing at the capital of Nos Astra. He requested, “You mind sending them Shepard’s Spectre ID, EDI?”

“Transmitting now,” The AI replied.

Shepard hummed, then asked, “Hey, EDI. How’re you and Cortana getting along?”

“She has been a surprising boon in patching up holes in our security network. Her Cyberwarfare suite is incredibly technologically advanced,” EDI answered, seemingly rather puzzled by the fact there was already a more advanced AI aboard. She added, “If you wish, I can share with her the neutralized Reaper Code that makes up my anti-Reaper combat programs.”

“Make sure you do,” Shepard nodded, “Just let Chief know before, however. He seems particularly attached to her,” before she sighed. She lifted her Omni-Tool and said, “All team members, we’re approaching Illium. We’re gonna need everyone combing the place for our new hires. As soon as we’re landed, rally up at the airlock.”

As the ship began its final descent to the Nos Astra Spaceport, Shepard had gathered her crew in the corridor leading up to the airlock. She began, “We’re only landing here to find our new allies. I’ve already had EDI forward the Dossiers to you all. I want teams. Krogan are staying aboard for the time being. God only knows it isn’t a good idea to scare the locals.”

“I want this done quickly, so we can go and deal with whatever’s aching Grunt. Don’t start unnecessary fights and don’t get yourselves into too much trouble,” The Commander requested, then shifted her gauntlets a bit to make sure they were properly in place. A quiet clang, followed by the hiss of pressure equalization filled the air.

The Krogans stomped back to the elevator and Cargo bay, while the Commander and the rest of the human staff stepped off onto the concourse, to the sight of elegant architecture, tall spires rising high into the skies. Among them, skycars and shuttles flew in overlapping lanes, distant car horns tooting as the traffic continued.

“Even with flying cars, there’s still gonna be traffic,” Cortana quipped over the com, “Should’ve figured.”

“Traffic’s gonna exist regardless of if your cars fly or not,” Garrus stated, “It’s worse when they intermix military vehicles into it. The city I lived in on Palaven once had a mile-long convoy pile up onto one of the main boulevards. Took them a day to get unstuck because someone at the higher echelons of Logistics screwed up.”

“Were you going anywhere back then, Bird-Boy? Or were ya playing traffic cop?” Joked Jack. Garrus snorted, but shook his head.

“I was trying to get to boyscouts camp. I got lost along the way and met a Varren that looked more friendly than you, though, so I might ask the Illusive Man to bring him on as a crew member,” He shot back, causing the girl to snort, even as she lifted her left hand to show him a certain central digit. The other members of the team, sans the Spartans, let out laughter as they walked down the concourse, only to all pause at the sight of the blue-skinned and eerily uncanny beauty of the three women approaching.

“Greetings, Commander Shepard,” The leading woman spoke, a smile on her face, “Welcome to Illium.”

Shepard paused, a bit surprised, then asked, “How did you-”

“Stay calm,” The woman answered, raising her hands to show she meant no harm, “I and my associates only know of your arrival courtesy of miss T’Soni informing us. Speaking of her, she does wish to see you and mister Vakarian. Her office is just past the concourse on the main shopping level here at the Spaceport. Take a right, then a left up the stairs at the end.”

“Thanks,” Shepard nodded, her eyes widening by the revelation, “T’Soni. As in… Liara T’Soni.”

“Yes, indeed,” The greeter nodded, “One of the finest  information brokers currently situated on Illium. I’m sure she’ll be glad to help you all with whatever it is you seek on our world… Aside from leisurely shopping, of course,” then she looked past the commander, noting the soldiers and Spartans and the Clones. She blinked and told the Commander, “Please, do refrain from shooting the place up, though…”

“Don’t worry,” Ahsoka spoke, “We’re all very well-behaved.”

The Clones gently lifted their hands and gave a thumbs-up in synch, while Jack rolled her eyes. The Spartans remained wildly impassive, with Cortana commenting, “Most of us, anyways…” which was only audible across the unit’s com. 

Kasumi crossed her arms to her chest, reappearing behind Fred as she said, “Eh. Don’t worry, I left my sticky fingers at home, Shep…” then she disappeared again. The Spartan felt his back pocket, then grabbed thin air, causing the girl to reappear. She winced and said, “Damn, dude, you’ve got good ears…”

“Is… That…?” The woman in front of Shepard started, eyes widening.

“A friend,” Shepard answered, then cast a glance back at Kasumi. She told the Master Thief through gritted teeth, “A very good, very well-behaved friend who would only legally acquire the items she wants, now that we’re on basically a gigantic mall planet, right ?” while raising both brows at her.  Kasumi let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of her neck and giving a nod.

The three Asari greeters sighed, then bid goodbye, walking off. Jacob commented, “That was… Cutting it a little close. Did you steal anything from this place, Kasumi?”

“No,” She lied as naturally as she breathed. She avoided looking anyone in the eye and mumbled,  “... Maybe.”

The deadpan stares of most of her new comrades told Kasumi she should probably stop admitting to stuff like this. With a heavy sigh, Shepard showed the team to follow along. The Clones seemingly remained on alert, blasters at the ready, while the Spartans, though tense, were far more subtle in their way of maintaining security. Shepard only barely picked up on it.

It did still probably spook most of the people present when an entire platoon of armed mercenaries appeared. Zaeed quipped, “I missed this kind of fear whenever I walked into a place. Hah,” and he smirked, then looked at the Spartans, “You four have to lend me one of your goddamn armors. They’re probably scaring the shit out of the Volus.”

Indeed. They were on the side of one of maybe a hundred towers in Nos Astra’s sky-line, a multi-level area filled with cafes, kiosks and multitudes of patrons from all Galactic species, ranging from the rotund, suit-clad, three-fingered Volus to the blue Asari to even humans of all various races and creeds and the Salarians.

Few Turians, though. Must’ve been working with the Merc groups around the area or acting as unseen security. The group followed Shepard, with Ahsoka examining the place’s architecture and stating, “Seems like a nice enough location. Wonder why some of the information I’ve read gives travel advisories to people.”

“Don’t be fooled,” Garrus warned, “The pretty lights and everything? Mostly for show. This place is about as bad as Omega. Different allure, though. Don’t sign any of the contracts here, either, though. You’ll wind up someone’s slave faster than you can sneeze,” and he already noticed several people staring at Ahsoka like she was exotic goods.

“Noted,” Ahsoka mumbled, now a little more on guard, hand hovering near her lightsaber just in case. The place felt sort of wrong, now that she had time to feel through the Force. It was an eerily… Familiar feeling, too. She’d visited just about every kind of hell-hole her home Galaxy had to offer. This one, though? It was like few others she’d seen.

The Spartans grew a little more tense, while Fives joked, “Yeah, great. Put a platoon of Clones whose COs hate Slavers on a planet where you can sell yourself off and add a Special Forces detachment in Power Armor to the mix… This is gonna end real well,” before getting a gentle elbow from Jesse. The Chief turned his head toward Fives and nodded at him, as if telling him he agreed.

Jack told the Clone, “Relax, Five-Oh. I ain’t letting you sell your ass off to anyone,” and pat him on the back.

“Thanks,” He spoke with a hint of sarcasm, “Feel safer already, Wrecking Ball.”

“Do you two actually like each-other?” Kasumi quipped as she emerged between them, managing to somehow cause Jack’s face to glow red, while Fives coughed hoarsely. Laughter filled the group as they advanced toward the back of the place. They could see the office overlooking the area and a figure staring at them from amidst a dozen holographic screens.

Shepard showed the team to wait, stating, “Hold out back here while I go talk to Liara. Find something to do, listen for info on the Justicar or our other targets and… For the love of God, please, make sure you all don’t sign yourselves off to anything…” only to immediately pause as a giddy Mordin stepped off to try and find something new to buy. She told them, “Each of you has a thousand credit budget. I don’t want us to freaking overspend…”

Climbing to the top of the stairs with Garrus, the Commander was soon greeted by the Asari assistant of one Doctor Liara T’Soni. So, Liara had enough cash and influence to actually get a young, pretty flower as an assistant, Shepard thought to herself. Rather cute. A few words were exchanged, then the door was opened…

… And there she was, in all her Asari glory. Liara T’Soni, the squad’s old nerd, spoke with a strange level of authority to someone over the com. “... Believe me, you do not want this fight. Because I will make sure your people will not be an issue to anyone anymore. No, not a threat. A promise. ” only to look behind her and gasp. She cut the link, then yelled, “Nyxeris, hold my calls!”

Sidestepping her ornate desk, she walked toward Shepard with a smile on her face and greeted, “Shepard, Garrus… It’s… I’m glad you came to see me right away.”

“Hey, I don’t leave my friends out to dry,” Shepard smiled, then frowned and  said, “Sorry about…”

“It’s fine…” Liara cut her off, well aware. “Come, have a seat. We have a lot to talk about.”

Chapter Text

The Waystation

Starbuck was a bit stuck for the moment. 

She watched maybe three dozen black-clad soldiers with sealed and pressurized helmets humping rucksacks onto UNSC Pelican transports. Six new UNSC ships had arrived as recently as yesterday, each being a ‘Prowler’, a UNSC-standard Stealth Ship with all the bells and whistles, including active optical camouflage that the Galactica wished it had.

Silenced rifles, ammunition packs, long-haul non-perishables and other supplies like a bunch of water canteens and packs. She heard the clacking of heels against the steel grates of the Hangar and craned her neck to see who was coming, only to pause as she saw Doctor Halsey approaching her with some Colonial military reports.

“Lieutenant Thrace. Glad I caught you. I wish to confirm these reports you’ve written on your return from the Cyrannus System,” She requested, offering the woman one of said reports. Starbuck took it and started reading through it, with Halsey stating, “It will let me know if we’re going to deploy our men or not.”

“... Yeah, this is accurate,” She replied, “There’s still survivors, actual Human Resistance down on Caprica… Hell, there might be on all planets-” then she blanked as a heavy realization struck. She demanded, “Wait a mike, you’re deploying troops to our Galaxy…?!” while staring at Halsey like she grew a second head.

“Yes, indeed,” Halsey answered rather calmly, “For now, small contingents of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers. Special Forces trained in Behind Enemy Lines work,” and was handed back the report, which she neatly put in with the rest of the papers while Starbuck’s jaw hung almost loose. She turned fully to face Starbuck and said, “I am working with the UEG to gain approval for more direct action… We know your Fleet is running low on Tylium.”

“Yeah, has been for a bit…” The girl replied, voice low, “Though we’ve always managed somehow…”

“Well, you will hopefully not need to just ‘manage’ for much longer,” Halsey murmured. She looked over at the platoons of ODSTs marching onto the Pelicans. The woman lifted up her own personal radio and spoke, “This is Halsey to all Flights, mission is a-go. Coordinates have been sent to Cyrannus and the Star Road is primed. Safe travels.”

Starbuck blinked, then asked, “W-Wait a frakkin’ minute, Doc, how the hell are you guys gonna get over to our Galaxy!? The thing that disrupted our jump was that stupid Artifact we had on board! We handed it over to your Eggheads the moment we arrived, sure, but-”

“It is a control panel, Lieutenant,” She nodded, “Of the same make as the ones at other Terminuses, such as ours or the Republic’s. With it, we should be able to link to the Terminus of your Galaxy and find our way from there. It may take a few days for the Prowlers to find their way over, but Captain Foucault and the Red Horse are the UNSC’s best Navigators and forward scouts.”

“Yeah, doc, that’s all fine and dandy, but we were about halfway from Caprica to frak-knows-where when we jumped here,” The girl shot back, “How’re you all gonna find your way to the Cyrannus system if we were literally hundreds, if not some thousands of lightyears away from our home worlds? If you’d ask me to point out a star on one of our current starmaps and say ‘Cyrannus’, I’d be stumped.”

“We’ve cross-referenced points we’ve found in your other reports, including Kobol. With them, we should be able to accurately pinpoint the location of the system,” Halsey offered, then lifted her tablet out of her pocket and showed the girl the reconstruction, “And get our men there in one one-week Slipspace Jump.”

“You’re using the Kobol constellation maps from the Tomb…” The woman snorted in disbelief, “AI help any?”

“No,” Halsey chuckled, “Just a bit of human ingenuity and an interest in the Great Beyond.”

“Heh... You guys gonna bring anyone else home, or…?” She raised a brow, turning to face the Doctor, “Because that’s still a lot of people stuck down there, not to mention…” She bit her tongue. Figuratively speaking, anyways. Her heart began to race, as did her mind, memories she’d been trying to suppress flooding back up. She covered her mouth, then her voice cracked, “Tell your boys to keep their eyes open for the Hospitals…”

“Why?” Halsey raised a brow, but froze when she saw just how pale Starbuck had gone. She sighed and said, “I will… Don’t worry, Starbuck,” before sliding her tablet back in her pocket. She told her, “We’re also deploying them to assess damage to the planets. High-yield nuclear airbursts usually leave radiation, but…”

“Yeah,” Starbuck nodded, voice shaky still. She breathed in, then breathed out and said, “Alright. Just get people home if you can, doc.”

“Will do,” The woman answered reassuringly, “Go get something to drink and lay down, Kara. And if you feel like telling me what you saw in any of the Caprican hospitals later on, my door is open. Not like there’s much more you can add upon an already terrifying atrocity,” only to pause as she saw something flicker in Starbuck’s eyes. Fear? Maybe… It made the doctor uneasy.

“Yeah, heh…” She choked up, then swallowed, “Didn’t know our scary Evil Mastermind’s also got a heart of gold.”

Halsey rolled her eyes, “I may be somewhat cold on first meeting, but I care for all of my peers and the soldiers of mankind, regardless of allegiances,” then tilted her head, “Now. Go and rest. Doctor’s orders…”

“Ma’am,” Starbuck smiled, snapped a salute, then walked off, still shaky. Halsey made a mental note to check whatever more ‘personal’ reports she’d written and scrapped before engaging with the poor girl again. She also made a note to request a psychiatrist for On-Station duties. What with the Galactica’s airwing present.

“I suppose you saw it, too.”

Halsey twitched at the booming voice of a familiar Admiral. She turned around, coming face-to-face with the tall, well-built Chiss male as he approached, a faint, if familiar smile on his face. He told her, “The Lieutenant is certainly not well after her trip to her former home planet…” and he paused as he saw the ODSTs boarding.

Halsey nodded, confirming the first part, then said, “Well, we are about to deploy troops to the Cyrannus System to see what caused her to feel so,” before handing the man a dataslate. The pair started walking toward the command deck as the whirr of ion engines filled the hangar. A Republic ARC-170 fighter touched down and the pilots aboard dismounted.

“Part of it must be the fact that it is her ‘former’ home, though that kind of reaction speaks volumes of what she must have seen down there,” The man replied as he read the reports. He told her, “I don’t know if we’ll be able to spare any task force of our own to assist if the UNSC does pursue actions like seizing Tylium facilities.”

“We’re already gathering a small Battlegroup to provide escort to the mining and refining vessels of the Colonials alongside the Galactica , so it should be fine,” She nodded, “However, I would ask that you and Senator Amidala see what you can scrounge up as a secondary fleet. No requirements for anything like a Venator. A series of smaller defense ships would do for patrol.”

“I’ll see what I can requisition,” The man hummed, scratched his cheek and mumbled, “It seems you and them are truly not so different.”

“We still have our homes,” Halsey replied darkly, “I cannot fathom their creations being so ruthless. Especially not creatures like miss Valerii. They tout themselves as superior to us, but end up in the same pitfalls as the average human being. Logic is trumped by feelings of anger, fury, fear. Did they think mankind would enslave them again after they signed an Armistice? After forty years?”

The Admiral shrugged, “I would need to meet one in battle, or recover something of theirs to better understand them. I doubt they’re that complicated, however, doctor,” and he saw the woman look up at him with concern. He told her, “What one might see as brain impulses, feelings and thoughts in these machines is just a series of pre-programmed commands. They are not, nor will they ever be as human as you, Lieutenant Thrace or anyone else.”

“I’d contradict you with the fact Sharon is about to give birth to a healthy, half-human child. A child born because she supposedly loves the man she has created it with,” She replied, a slight snarl in her voice, “While I fully understand that point of view about their combat machines, like their warships and Raiders… These Human Cylon are different. So different from the average machine, they are capable of greater atrocities simply due to being the way they are.”

The man hummed thoughtfully, then replied calmly to the doctor, “I suppose that is also a point. We won’t know unless we open one up to see how alike to us they are. Until then, I’ll choose to believe they’re simple machines with pre-programmed codes…” all while trying to avoid pinning the same mark on Sharon Valerii. 

Halsey had noticed he left her out of the discussion just then. Thankful for that little olive branch, she replied, “Indeed… We’ll see whenever we meet these… Toasters, I believe the Colonials call them, on our own. The UNSC will be glad to share the research with the Republic, obviously.”

The Admiral tilted his head forward, “Of course. Do say hello to miss Valerii next time you visit her, please. And wish her well…” 

“Certainly,” Halsey replied. She checked the schedule and looked out of the transparisteel windows at the Pelicans that had just taken off toward their Prowlers. Right on time. She mumbled to herself, “Fair winds, ladies and gentlemen…” and boarded the tram out of the hangar with Thrawn, both of them heading for another meeting.

… Starbuck, meanwhile, had hidden herself nearby while they passed. The discussion to her was clear-cut–The toasters were the enemy, regardless. Sure, Sharon was cool for now, but the Gods only knew when the Frak she’d put two slugs in someone else’s chest, or go for Adama again. And in the middle of so many events? She was glad the girl was still in the brig.

She stepped back into the Hangar, wanting to grab her Viper and head back to Galactica to assist in the patrol, but paused when she saw a Clone starfighter with all three of its crew disembarked. She noticed a few things about it, such as the red stripes, the massive cannons mounted to the wings and the rear-facing gun, plus the three-person crew hold.

She blinked, approached and greeted, “Fellas…” only to receive nods from the three same-faced gentlemen whose only differences were suit colors and the hairdos. One of them, the lead, had a short mohawk that he’d dyed dirty blond and an arrow tattoo on his cheek. The second, the co-pilot, from the looks, had blue contact lenses and hair dyed silver, while the last man, the rear gunner, had a scar across his eye, brown hair and eyes and an enclosed helmet.

“Lieutenant Thrace, ma’am,” The pilot greeted, smirking. He extended a hand, his suit’s dark-blue stripes and black color now firmly visible. She shook his head and he said, “Admiral Thrawn briefed us on you and the entire Air Group of the Galactica. I’m Lieutenant Mav, these are my crew. Blind and Turbo.”

“Sup,” Blind greeted with a grin.

Turbo nodded, smiling, though surprisingly calm. 

“... Blind?” She blinked in confusion.

“He’s a kriffin’ awful navigator. Got us lost more than once,” The man quipped, “Only to then bring us in right as the fighting got bad enough,” then he straightened up. He told her, “We’re 107th Fighter Wing off of the Valorous ,” then pointed out an up-armored and up-gunned Venator-class warship that floated out amidst the fleet.

Starbuck snorted, then stated, “Surprised you haven’t gotten him replaced by now, but, hey, if he gets ya back right in the thick of it,” she shrugged. The Navigator gave a thumbs up while Starbuck examined the ship a little more. She paused as she noticed the nose art, that of a woman with twin-tails instead of hair and blue skin. She whistled and said, “Nice pinup.”

“Thanks,” Mav snorted, “Don’t tell Commander Bly about it. He’ll have our heads.”

“So would General Secura. Not like they or the 327th are here,” Blind shrugged, “They’re still busy planet-side on some important CIS world right now, far as I know,” and he looked to the Lieutenant as she still examined the fighter, a bit awed. He snorted and asked, “Like what you see, El-Tee? I getcha. ARC-170s are beautiful fighters, alright.”

“ARC?” She raised a brow.

“Aggressive ReConnaissance fighter,” Mav nodded, “Heavy, jump capable, deadly. She’s the finest starfighter InCom’s put out in the past decade, if I do say so myself,” before he patted the cockpit and smirked, “Wanna take it for a flight?” before watching as Starbuck turned toward him with visible joy that glistened in her eyes. She grinned.

“I’m taking the gunner seat for the run if you wanna give her the crash course, boss,” Blind stated as he climbed out of his co-pilot seat. The officer nodded, clambered onto the wing via the gun mount and jumped onto the Co-Pilot seat, behind and above the cockpit. Starbuck quickly grabbed a helmet off the deck, with Turbo nodding his approval. He stepped away from the fighter.

Starbuck giddily climbed aboard the vehicle, mounting up on the cockpit and gasping at the advanced avionics. Leagues above standard Colonial Viper Mark IIs, the damn thing’s avionics looked like something out of a Science-Fiction video game from back in the day. She grinned, slid her helmet onto her head, then looked up.

“I’ll take us out of the Hangar before I let you have your fun,” Mav quipped as they shut the cockpits. He spoke into his helmet, “Test, test, mic check for ship com. Ya hear me over there, El-Tee? Because this is gonna be one short flight if our com ain’t working.” 

“Copy you five-by-five,” Starbuck grinned as she watched the various displays ahead of her light up in a sequence. Her pilot mind allowed her to memorize some of the startup sequence, or at least the buttons she thought she should press. Their alphabet was way too weird for her to comprehend at this moment.

The two gave each-other a thumbs up, while Blind replied, “I hear you guys, too. Go any time,” before he slinked back into his seat and tightened his seat belts. Starbuck put hers on, too, with Mav having been the first to do so. Blind told them, “Don’t forget to radio in the little unscheduled training flight, boss. You know how much of a tight-arse the Admiral is.”

“Already on it, Blind. Don’t get your panties in a twist,” The man replied, then switched com systems and radioed, “Waystation Command, Waystation Command, this is Starfighter One-Five-Echo Heavy, requesting permission to undock. Be advised:We’re performing test-flight for avionics verification…” and he grinned, “And certifying one of our allies on our bird. Don’t worry, I’ll have control if things get too hectic.”

“ Starfighter One-Five-Echo Heavy, copy your last. Admiral Thrawn requests that you don’t wreck the ARC-170, over… ” The seemingly exasperated Republic Air Traffic Controller replied, causing the three-man crew to let out laughs. Oh, Starbuck knew she was gonna enjoy this already, simply by how it was starting off.

“Roger that, Deck,” Mav snorted, “One-Five-Echo, requesting permission?”

“ Granted. Safe flight. Waystation Command, out. We’ll remain on frequency to provide help if needed, ” The Republic ATC quipped. All three aircrew hoped the man hadn’t just jinxed them, though Mav was sure it was gonna be fine. As he finished the last checkups. All three crew, Starbuck most of all, suddenly felt their stomachs slightly invert as the dampeners kicked in.

The starfighter began its liftoff procedure, gently swiveling about on its axis as Starbuck instinctively put her hands on the throttle and the stick. She felt the aircraft gently accelerate out of the Hangar and away from the Station, before its thrusters kicked into gear. Mav spoke to her, “I’m not gonna try and teach another Fighter Jockey how to fly. You know how to deal with pitch, yaw, roll and how to throttle up and down if you’ve flown one of your Vipers. Keep your eyes on your sensors and try not to crash us.”

“Heh… No promises,” Starbuck obviously joked, with the pilot snorting. She felt the controls were heavy at first. She was unable to move either, throttle being stuck in place, same as the stick. She put her feet on the pedals for the aircraft’s roll, felt them underneath her boots and nodded approvingly. Screw going to rest, she thought, she got better by flying.

Mav said, “Releasing controls to pilot in three… Two…” He saw Starbuck tense, “One… Green,” And he hit a button, before laying back and challenging, “Let’s see what you got, Starbuck!” with a hint of joviality behind his words. He sounded proud to finally let someone else fly his girl, despite the fact she was his bird.

Oh, he’d regret saying that, Starbuck thought with a grin.

When she felt the controls were hers, she kicked the bird’s throttle to the max, feeling whatever passed for an afterburner slam her into her seat despite the inertial dampeners. The craft lurched and thundered forward, causing Starbuck to let out a loud, “WOO-HOOOOOO!” as it almost immediately cut through the void.

She kicked the bird into a roll to the right, banked low and started laughing as the heavy fighter’s engines purred behind her. She could swear she heard the pilot behind her swear in their Basic, but she didn’t care. Leveling off the bird with laughter filling her heart, the girl swiveled about and buzzed a formation of Vipers, casting a glance back at the pilots as they scrambled and utilized their thrusters.

She chuckled and said, “Sorry, Lee,” before turning the stick left and using the pedals. Veering hard, she felt the S-Foils extending to allow her to make an even sharper turn. So, she did, flying toward a Republic Arquitens-class, she dived underneath it, powered the engines and pulled HARD up on the stick, grinning ear to ear as she began to do a sharp loop around the thinner midsection of the ship.

She swiveled about, did a corkscrew and aligned herself with the bridge of the vessel before beginning to fly around it. She waved to the crew, laughing heartily as they stared at the fighter with confusion, before punching the ship’s thrust to max and eyeing one of the UNSC’s warships. She flew close to a Stalwart-class Frigate deployed as fighter and combat support duty.

And she could swear she saw Marines cheering in the window as she did her Fly-By. Two UNSC Broadsword fighters formed up with her, following her as the fighter-craft danced around. They weren’t calling on radio. Mav cheered, “Keep it flying, Starbuck! Holy kriff!” to which the girl snorted, closed the S-Foils when she found the button, then powered on to afterburn.

Trails of scarlet fire followed her as the Ion engines of the craft rumbled. She turned at a more acute angle, feeling a little bit of her blood going into her boots, before she cut the throttle back, called out, “HANG ON TIGHT!” and opened the S-Foils again as she pulled the stick up, hard and fast . The craft banked so fast she could hear the stress on the hull caused by faux-gravity.

Of course, her brain would’ve normally flowed out of her head, down her spine and into her ass with that maneuver, but the inertial dampeners genuinely seemed to be doing most of the work in keeping her from passing out. Blind called out, “I THINK WE FOUND YOUR SOULMATE, BOSS!” which garnered laughs out of both flight Lieutenants.

They dived toward Galactica next, with the girl switching frequencies and radioing, “ Galactica, Starbuck! Don’t scramble the guns on me, please! I’m gonna do a little something stupid!” as she aimed for the Flight Pod. She could hear Tigh’s angry reply, but chose to ignore it as she powered her engines. 

She wasn’t gonna fly through it, just buzz it. Scare the living shit out of Chief Tyrol and the others. Though she could if she wanted to. She watched the massive ship, now with its full armored package reinstalled, looking more like a combat-ready silver whale than the skeleton of a beached one. She smiled a little, seeing the girl for what she was, finally, including her beautiful back-mounted emblem.

She dived low, aligned herself with the side of their Flight Pod and powered her thrusters to the max, buzzing past it and taking a left-hand, sharp turn, diagonally and up. Well, ‘up’ as was obvious was just a term used to ease a human’s perception of the void itself. There was no ‘ups’ and ‘downs’ in space. Just vectors, directions, equations and angles. Maths.

Fighter Jockeys were the best at split-second calculus for this reason specifically. That and surviving High-G Turns, terrifyingly enough. She heard Tyrol himself speak over the radio, “ Was that you that just shook us like that, Starbuck !?” though he didn’t sound angry. He actually sounded amused. When she laughed as a reply, he told her, “ Ha ! While it was fun ? Don’t do it again, we were just fixing up a Raptor and you scared the shit out of us… ! My teeth are still rattling !”

“Mission accomplished, then!” Starbuck replied, happy, “I’m moving in to land now, though. Don’t worry!” which garnered a collective, com-wide sigh of relief. She switched over to just on-ship come and said, “She’s all yours again, Mav. I know how it is for someone else to fly your bird. You bite down as long as ya can, but… Yeah.”

As they touched down and they exited, Starbuck told them, “Thanks for the ride, boys. Take me to dinner next time, though,” as both thanks and a joke. The two laughed and Starbuck soon departed, giving them a thumbs up… And hearing Adama call out to her in the hallway. The trio of Clones reunited, exchanged quick looks, then watched as her CO started chewing her out.

Well, fun as it was…

Illium

The Asari sat before Shepard certainly looked like Liara. She acted partially like Liara, too, but didn’t dress like Liara, feel like Liara or have the same calming, nerdy presence as the old Liara. Shepard knew it had been a period of two years since she’d last seen the young Asari scientist, but even two years seemed to be long enough to change the behavior of someone so long-lived.

Liara, however, simply smiled now as she saw Shepard and Garrus, then cast a glance down below at the crew they had come with, before stating, “I should’ve known you’d be the one to pick up members from those three new arrivals. I’m still wrapping my head around them, but…” she shrugged, “I guess it’s good to know they’re friendly.”

“Oh, they’re more than Friendly,” Shepard offered with a smile.

“They actually believed Shepard when she told them about the Reapers,” Garrus completed, grinning. Shepard seemed to get giddy whenever she remembered that the ‘Adults’ in Politics finally decided to listen to her. It seemed to catch Liara off-guard as well, the Asari information broker seemingly short-circuiting for a moment. Garrus and Shep both shared a glance, smiling, then looked back at their old friend.

As stunned as she was, Liara finally managed to utter out, “... You’re serious?” before getting a nod. She asked again, “No stonewalling,” and got a shake of the head. Again, “No Council debates,” and a negative shake once more. Again, “no hiding it behind firewalls, no deliberating or lying about the technology being Geth…?”

Shepard finally replied, the pure happiness in her voice barely contained, “Nope. I showed them what Sovereign looked like, schematics and all and they believed me!” and she laughed aloud, “They’re reinforcing the Star Road Terminus they came through even now, just in case the bastards come out swinging.”

“That is incredible…” Liara smiled, but that happiness seemed to vanish for a moment as she furrowed her brows, “Not to mention incredibly convenient,” but she offered still, “I’m glad to see things are working out, though…” then she cast a glance at the people down below, noting the aliens and soldiery among them, the power-armored ones being most outstanding. She inquired, “Anything more you can tell me about them?”

Noticing the last people Liara’s eyes locked onto were BLUE Team, she told her, “The UNSC, from where the four big folks, the Spartans, come from, fought a very, very harsh First Contact War. Tens of billions dead, hundreds of burned worlds. They won in the end, but they keep stating they ‘got lucky’ in most of their reports.”

 The woman visibly winced, slowly typing away the report without even looking at the screen. She then stopped and pointed out the Clones, all of whom seemed to be gathered around a weapon Kiosk, currently overwhelming the vendor and causing Ahsoka, Jack and Jacob to laugh. Kasumi was giggling and Miranda stared with furrowed brows. She asked about the Clones, “And them?”

“Clone Troopers of the Galactic Republic,” Shepard told her, then immediately saw confusion sow itself into Liara’s psyche, not to mention concern. She explained, “Galaxy spanning war against secessionists meant they needed a large force. Space magic is real and they call it the Force. I’ve seen the Knight leading them, Ahsoka, their General, use it to squash things like they were bugs. She tells me there’s a lot more to the Force, too.”

“Uh-huh…” Liara furrowed her brows, even more confused as she wrote that up, then she pointed at Helo. The trio soon saw that the young man was browsing a gift stand for gifts, presumably for his wife and unborn child. She inquired, “And the man in a flight suit?” then fully turned to Shepard. 

“Karl Agathon, callsign Helo. Captain for the Colonial Fleet. He’s a Raptor dropship pilot. Stuff’s used for Electronic Warfare, Early Warning, command and control. Can even jump a short distance, apparently, with their proprietary FTL,” Garrus butted in this time, cool as a cucumber. He stared at Karl with sympathy. 

“He’s a pretty nice kid, if a bit miffed his wife is in jail…” He then added, saw more confusion on Liara’s face and quickly clarified, “Oh, right, big detail about the Colonials? Their former creations, what they called the Cylon, committed mass genocide. Only around 30,000 of’em remain per their reports. Basically, think of them as a much less fortunate version of the Quarians…”

As Liara seemed to be processing it, the Commander and Garrus both waited, a hint concerned. The young Asari sighed, then mumbled, “... By the Goddess…” before rubbing her eyes. She typed away the report, then stowed it away in a hidden folder, before closing the haptic interface and computer, interlaced her fingers and leaned on the table, sighing.

“Yeah, the least screwed out of all of them are the Clones… Somehow,” Shepard quipped, awkwardly smiling at her old friend. Liara blinked. Literal child ‘slave’ soldiers being the sanest of the lot really put into perspective just how awful the Colonials’ and UNSC’s worlds might have been by comparison. At the very least, the UNSC had survived and seemingly won its war, if she got the right cues.

So, she replied, “Indeed…” before offering a kind smile to her old boss and stating, “Thank you, Shepard. That should help me compile some good dossiers for any future employers.”

Shepard gave a simple thumbs up, before humming and asking,“Speaking of, how’d you wind up an information Broker?” as she, too, leaned on the table. She continued, “Weren’t you really into archaeology? It’s how we met after all,” without wanting to really bring up the fact that poor Liara had been trapped in that barrier.

“Yes…” Liara replied in a murmur. She tensed up, then leaned back into her chair and stared at Shepard with an unusually piercing stare. Calmly, though with an edge to her voice, she told her, “Let’s just say things have changed rather drastically in the past two years. I needed to become a Broker because they have access to the best information available.”

“Alright…” Shepard didn’t want to judge. She’d been gone for those two years, comatose. Only recently did she really wake up. However, she did offer, “Anything I can do to help?” before cracking a small smile.

Taken by surprise, Liara barely processed the question. When she did, however, she smiled with that same brightness and youthful exuberance Shepard had first seen when they started working together. She told the Commander, “You haven’t changed at all, I see… Good,” before averting her gaze and whispering, “I was afraid that, with the rumors…”

“It’d take more than me dying, or working ‘with’ Cerberus, to change for the worse, heh…” Shepard grinned, then her expression softened again and she whispered, “I’m sorry,” while looking between both Garrus and Liara. Garrus’s mandibles once more formed into a tiny, but meaningful smile, while Liara…?

She answered Shepard, “There is no need to apologize for something you couldn’t control, Shepard. The Collector ship caught us by surprise…” with a giggle. She then cast her hand toward the crowd of people below, some laughter echoing, before stating, “I’m just happy to see you are well, not to mention cooperating with Garrus and these other aliens. Must be grinding the Illusive Man’s gears a little.”

“Oh, I hope so,” Shepard snorted, grinning.

“Speaking of?” Garrus urged her with a gentle elbow to the hip, causing Liara to furrow her brows.

“Oh…” Shepard blanked, then remembered, “Right. I’m here for the job with the Collectors. But, again, I can take some time if you need help with-” and again she wanted to offer. She got cut off by Liara raising her hand and shaking her head, smiling still. Both the Asari and Garrus shared one thought:Shepard was an overly-eager Golden Retriever some times.

“I’m good, Shepard,” Liara offered, then told her, “I will contact you if I need anything, however. Now, what is it you need? I’ll give you information for free as a both a first-time customer and… As an old friend, obviously.”

“Okay, thanks…” Shepard replied. She told her, “I’m looking for two people. Thane Krios and Samara, the Justicar. New recruits for the job ahead.”

“I see,” The Asari Info Broker nodded. Bringing up her computer again, she started, “I’ve heard that the Justicar arrived recently here on Illium and registered with one tracking officer Dara. She seems to be hunting someone…” She hummed, then spoke in a low voice, “In Asari Space, terrifyingly enough,” before going loud again, “As for Thane Krios… The Assassin. His target is Nassana Dantius, at Dantius Towers.”

“Dantius, huh…” Shepard scoffed, rubbing her eyes. She added, “Old acquaintance…” as memories from the earliest days of their fight against Saren came to mind. Dantius had offered her some cash to off her sister, a pirate with a gang far out in Artemis Tau. Christ, that was a long time ago. Now, Dantius was up high here in some tower or something.

“Ain’t that something,” Garrus snorted loudly, “How the universe comes to bite us in the ass.”

“Indeed,” Liara giggled, scratching her cheek.

The Commander put her face in her hands, mumbled, “Thanks, Liara,” Then she stood up. Liara followed suite as the Commander told her, “I’ll be back and we can talk later. If you wanna catch up some more, or give me some work to pay off this little favor,” before offering a curt smile. She looked back at Garrus and reassured him with a wink, to which he rolled his eyes, snorting and hiding whatever passed for a Turian blush.

“Sure thing,” Liara offered, “I might have something for you to do when you return. Stay safe, Shepard,” then she chuckled at the sight of a flustered Garrus. The Turian stood up as well, dusting himself off and coughing away the ‘blush’ as he walked toward the door. They needed to head out before Dantius was gonna get sniped and/or the Justicar was gonna book it.

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m always safe…” Shepard quipped as she turned to leave. The two in front of and behind her let out loud snorts, to which Shepard demanded, “What!? I am!” with indignation. Seriously, she was pretty safe! Most of the time! She just didn’t wanna drive anything again, because people kept complaining.

“Certainly,” Liara giggled, “Good luck.”

As the two began their descent and bid goodbye to Liara’s assistant, Shepard was kind of fuming. She grumbled to herself a little, before calling out to a snickering Garrus, “Seriously! I’m a safe person!” while they descended to the corner of the stairwell.  Garrus couldn’t help but continue to chuckle at his CO’s pouts, finding them cute.

“If driving a Mako through an active Mass Relay is ‘safe’, sure…” He jabbed back nonchalantly.

“Oh, shut…” She sighed, annoyed, then crossed her arms to her chest. When they reached the bottom steps of the stairwell, the Commander called out to the scattered parties, each at various kiosks, “Alright, everyone! Listen up! We’ve got the locations for our new recruits. We’re splitting the teams, with Helo going back to the ship to prepare the Raptor…” And her gaze locked onto the man, whom she hadn’t seen shopping, then asked him, “What’re you up to, Helo?”

“Buying some gifts for Sharon and the baby, ma’am…” Helo replied, garnering ‘d’awws’ from a few human and alien women alike. He blinked, looking around, then asked the Commander, “I can stop if you want,” while holding a toy and some sort of alien chocolate. The rest of the crew visibly cracked smiles, with Jack chuckling and elbowing Fives before making a few mocking moves. She got an elbow in the gut from Miranda and scoffed.

“Nah. Keep going. Be back to the ship as soon as you’re done, though. Garrus, Miranda, Mordin and half of Blue Team is coming with me. We’re tackling retrieving the Justicar,” Shepard ordered, then looked around and added, “Be wary we might face Close Quarters. The other half of the Team goes with general Tano and Jacob to find Thane. Keep your ears open or ask for anything regarding one Nassana Dantius. If you find her, tell her Shepard sent you. She’ll know…” before sighing deeply.

She really hated having helped that bitch, honestly.

“Oooh. Can I ‘acquire’ stuff from Dantius? She’s a bit of a bitch if I recall!” Kasumi requested, cracking her knuckles and activating her infiltration programs. Shepard appreciated Kasumi’s gusto. Behind her, Zaeed let out a short laugh as he probably figured just the kind of enemies they’d be facing. She hoped Zaeed knew, anyway. 

“Be my guest. Just make sure it’s useful stuff,” She replied to Kasumi, who giddily prepared.

“Plan of action, ma’am?” The Master Chief inquired as he and Blue Team chose who they were gonna be splitting off. Seemed as though he and Kelly would be tagging along with Shepard and the Justicar Team, while Linda and Fred would take the Towers where Dantius was. Good enough, she figured. Large towers meant better sightline for Snipers like Linda anyway.

“Standard Modus Operandi for our team, Chief,” Shepard replied curtly, pulling out her pistol to check it over, then stowing it away as they moved deeper into the tower they were in. She clarified for the Spartan, “That means we go in, find our targets and clear out anything that so much as sneezes wrong at us. Eyes open and keep yourselves topped up. Move it out!” 

The team complied, preparing their guns. Jack herself quipped, “This is gonna be fun,” While she activated her amps. Beside her, Fives prepared his blaster rifle, noting the stares they were getting from random local mercenaries.

“Try not to tear down any building, will you?” Shepard requested jokingly.

“Heh. No promises, Shepard. Dont’ fuck up around the Justicar, either. She’d probably atomize your ass worse than I would,” Jack joked, grinning ear-to-ear. She and Fives bumped fists as they walked, both of them laughing. Shepard couldn’t help but smile at the sight, while her gaze swept back toward Helo, who walked alone back to the ship.

“I won’t.” She then replied. For a moment, she heard a chuckle from Cortana and felt like she’d caused someone a sense of Deja-Vu…

Meh.

Chapter Text

Shepard waded into the office of Tracking Officer Dara, another Asari(As if there would really be any other kind of official on Asari planets), yet again leaving her chunk of the squad outside. She opened the iris-like door and stepped inside, knocking on the window of the office. The purple-skinned Asari swiveled on her chair and smiled, “Ah, Commander Shepard. Welcome. Glad you finally decided to drop by.”

Despite the somewhat friendly nature of the officer, Shepard couldn’t help but feel a tad surprised that she was either so recognizable, or so conspicuous. She asked in a murmur, “Does everyone know I’m here…?” while approaching the Officer. She stopped and scanned the office, noting the handwritten report ledgers behind her, as well as several drives and a few bits and bobs that personalized the office.

“Miss T’Soni told me you’d be coming by,” She clarified with a calm shrug, before turning back to her computer. She typed as she spoke, “This is about the Justicar, right?” while a small frown appeared on her face.  More of a scowl, really, now that Shepard gave a good look. Suddenly, her interest was piqued.

Calmly, the Commander replied,“Yes,” before inquiring without asking an actual question, “You don’t seem too happy,” as she made sure all her equipment was still on her. She felt a few eyes locked onto her, plus the security cameras around the place. CCTV systems in a large, open tower like this made sense. Keeping tabs on and stopping possible criminals meant business would run well.

It all just felt a bit too ‘Big Brother’, though.

“As I’m sure the detective in charge of the shitstorm that involves the Justicar would tell you,” Dara started, standing from her chair and turning to fully face Shepard, “She’s been nothing but a handful. For all intents and purposes, the commercial spaceport is one giant crime scene now. Most of the blood smears might even have been made by her.”

Shepard’s Omni-Tool com system pinged. She lifted her hand to activate it, raised a brow, then told the Officer, “Liara sent me info that she might be here investigating said murder,” and sent her the file. Dara furrowed her brows in confusion, lifted up her own hand-attached device and stared at the written file.

“Yeah, well, if she is, she’s interfering with local Police business…” She then replied, shutting the Omni-Tool off. Noting Shepard’s concern, the woman raised her hands and said, “Look. I like Justicars. They’ve given the Asari a somewhat good name beyond the standard of either ‘broads with noses stuck so high up they’re sniffing the ionosphere’ and ‘whores’. It’s just… It’s scary when you meet one in person.”

“I’m sure it is,” Shepard nodded. She genuinely hoped they weren’t just hyping their own battle nuns up and when she would meet Samara, she’d just be some random scripture-quoting blue-job. Sighing, she asked, “Anything more you can tell me before I wade into the Gunfire to get her out?” because any piece of info would help, she thought.

“They’re kind of like you Spectres,” Dara offered, causing Shepard to furrow her brows again. She clarified, “Except they don’t even answer to the Citadel or our Government, just to their Code…” only to finally notice something. She looked past Shepard, out the window of her office, then inquired, “Hey, why do you have a standing army with you here?” and pointed at the squad.

Looking back at the friendlies, she answered calmly, “In case I need to persuade less friendly opposition to allow me to get to the Justicar…” only to blank as she realized she’d basically issued a threat. She clarified to Dara, “Not the cops, but whatever she’s dealing with right now,” and saw the Asari visibly relax.

“Mercs, probably,” She told Shepard, then smirked, “And don’t worry, Commander. Cerberus livery or not, miss T’Soni said you’re the same old Shepard that saved the Citadel Council two years ago, meaning we didn’t have to find a replacement for Tevos. I know you probably wouldn’t have tried to put any of my co-workers down. Just make sure you don’t have to put the Justicar down and get her out of here. They’re an old, dying breed in a way…”

“Don’t worry. I’ve been told I have a silver tongue,” Sam quipped, then gave a wave, “Thanks, officer.”

“No problem, Commander. Take care,” Dara replied kindly, then sat herself back down. Shepard walked out back to her team, wondering just how bad the situation was about to get out there. Considering the presence of Mercenaries in the area, plus local Police and investigative staff, the commercial port would probably be a rather major hotbed.

“Well, that solves that…” She told everyone, causing them to turn to face her. Garrus himself scratched the side of his head. She continued, “Guess we’re taking a couple skycabs to the commercial port,” walked to the terminal, then turned to the Spartans, concerned, “Uh, Chief, are you and Kelly gonna be alright?”

“We’ll fit, ma’am,” The Spartan reassured, while Kelly let out a short laugh.

The Commander nodded her approval, calm enough. She told them,“You’ll take the second one with a chunk of the squad. I’ll take the first,” then started tapping the haptic interface, unlocking two cars via paying a nearly insignificant fee and programming their target:The commercial starport. When the doors opened, the crew climbed aboard.

As the skycars took off, Shepard switched communications between the squads on, then cast a sideways glance when she saw the familiar flare of a pair of high-powered engines. She saw the Raptor moving toward a distant tower from the Normandy. Good to know Helo mobilized, she thought. Dantius was nothing if not scummy.

As they flew with the traffic, Mordin examined the various beautiful architectural designs of the Asari world, noting the multitude of advertisements displayed in holograms, plus news reports of ‘rumors’ regarding the presence of the Justicar. He spoke, “Interesting. Never met a Justicar before. Would have expected STG work to allow such encounters and yet…”

“Looking forward to meeting her?” The commander snorted, then paused as she saw he was a tad more fidgety than normal.

He replied to her, “No. Concerned. Justicars, extremely powerful biotics. Almost Matriarch-aged. Years of experience in combat and training with any and all weapons available in the Galaxy. Makes own training look subpar in comparison. Concerns,” he inhaled deeply through his nose, “Will wait to see what she is like.”

“Chin up, Mordin. She’s gonna be on our side,” Garrus offered, snorting.

“If it goes well,” The Commander shrugged as the two cars turned hard right toward the commercial port. She saw Garrus cast a glance at her that told her to not cause their mad scientist to worry too much. She stuck out her tongue at him playfully, to which Garrus rolled his eyes and mumbled something.

“... Chin up? Know idiom, forgot what it means,” Mordin seemed to ignore the flirtatious little attitude by asking that. It did cause a few people, Kelly included, surprisingly. Chief, however, remained the stoic, silent badass that his file made him out to be. TO add upon it, though, Cortana probably laughed for the both of them.

Miranda spoke with a smile on her face, “Human saying. Means keep your spirits up, be happy in the face of adversity. Garrus must’ve picked it up while hanging out with Shepard,” before motioning to the Commander and the Turian male in the front seat. The two were obviously close, so him picking stuff up from her was a given.

“Probably, yeah…” Garrus replied, in thought. He looked over at his Commanding Officer and bluntly asked, “Shepard, remind me why we didn’t take half the clones as well?” which caused both of the cars’ passengers to go dead quiet for a second as they passed by a terrifyingly bright purple lightshow ad of some kind.

“I…” Shepard was about to defend it somehow, but she bit her tongue, sighed deeply and replied, “Fair point. Still, Fred’s team’s probably gonna have to assault Dantius Towers. For all any of us know, Nassana hired a battalion of Eclipse Mercs, so they’ll need all the guns…” and she prayed that was a good enough excuse.

“Indeed. Better to deploy with small contingent when interacting with Justicars,” Mordin spoke, then breathed slightly worriedly, “Presumably lesser risk of total mission failure…” and he brought up his own specialized Omni-Tool to start calculating the odds. Cortana appeared on the dash, surprising the group, then showed Shepard to keep it steady. Police chatter.

Indeed, several cop cars were floating around the area, sirens on.

To that, Garrus simply turned and stated, “What did I just say, doc? Let’s not get ourselves down. We’ll be fine.”

“Any chance we can at least get Helo to help us, however?” Miranda hummed.

“No need, I don’t think,” The Commander shot back, well aware that Helo was in the operational area of Dantius Towers at this very minute, meaning the enemy was probably dealing with a lot more jamming than they intended to deal with. Cortana, meanwhile, disappeared with her hologram back to the Chief.

“Alright… If you say so, Commander,” Miss Lawson spoke as the Skycars approached their designated landing sites. Surprisingly, they weren’t stopped or shown to go away by the cops orbiting the area. Rather, a car even guided them in for landing. When they touched down, they were greeted by the sight of an Asari cop in short-sleeved uniform, pistol on her hip, interrogating what looked like a ball with hands and feet. A Volus.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Detective Anaya, the woman in charge of the murder investigation, chose to openly ignore the new arrivals for the sake of her own sanity, simply pursuing her intended target and his two guard goons:A pair of Turian mercenaries probably fresh off the transport from their training camp.

Pitne For, a terrifically shady merchant with a brown and white environmental suit, belonging to the Volus population’s famed economic For family, replied to the woman with nonchalance, “I’m taking my goods to Omega, Detective,” before his suit’s rebreather system clicked and hissed, signaling the fact he took a breath of slight exertion.

Shepard and her team exchanged looks, concerned about the development, with Kelly mumbling, “A ball of blubber’s talking back to a cop. That’s going to end well…” while she cracked her shoulders and spine through a series of movements. Chief nodded in agreement, while Mordin hummed a tune and Miranda watched.

“You’re not going anywhere, Merchant,” The Detective shot back, annoyed. She jabbed a finger in front of the rotund alien’s eyeholes, then told him, “Not until I solve the murder that happened here.”

“I had nothing to do with that,” In a moment of fear, Pitne seemed to start breathing a little more heavily. Each sentence he finished was punctuated by another inhalation, “It was those mercenary thugs you can’t seem to get rid of,” like just then. While the locals were familiar with Volus breathing capabilities… Everyone else was stifling laughs.

Again. Save for Chief.

“The target was your business partner, Pitne,” Anaya voiced, crossing her arms to her chest. She tilted her head toward the man as if accusing him, then asked, “Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious?”

“I don’t much care for the accusations, detective…” Pitne replied uneasily, then took another breath. He scoffed, then told the Detective, “Make the search quick. I don’t want to be stuck here for too long,” only to turn and find a spot to sit down with his bodyguards not far behind him. He even waddled like a fat bastard.

This was like a bad comedy show…

“Mhm. Right…” Anaya scoffed. She cast a glance at Shepard and her crew, blanked, then gave a slight tilt of the head to show them to come to her if they needed questions answered. After a brief moment of taking the entire area in, including the multitude of docking points and umbilicals connecting the various ships to the spire and the door with blue holotape and two police guards next to it,.

“I’m guessing we’re gonna start asking around, right?” Garrus inquired as everyone else prepared.

“Would be nice to know what we’re throwing ourselves into, yeah,” Shepard replied with relative calm, though she, too, was dumbfounded by the exchange she’d just witnessed, “Let’s move,” and she led the way, intending to ask Pitne about the event first. Having the partner of the dead alien they sealed the place off for to tell them what he knew was a start.

“Pitne For?” Shepard inquired as she approached the alien.

“I have no time for you, Earth-Clan,” The alien inhaled deeply again, before tapping away at his personal datapad. Shepard and Miranda exchanged a glance, then Shepard knelt in front of Pitne and pushed the datapad aside. He looked at her, finally noticed how armed she was and with how many people she was and stuttered, “O-Oh. How can I help you…?”

“I and my comrades are looking for the Justicar,” Shepard spoke, motioning broadly to her strike team. She inquired, “Is she also investigating your partner’s murder?” while staring the fat bastard right in his eyeholes. Volus weren’t bad, usually. They were just royal pains in the asses due to the fact they handled the Turian economy.

“She is,” Pitne replied, then inhaled nervously again, “And I need to leave.”

“You worried about something?” Garrus inquired, indirectly implying what Anaya had more openly implied earlier. His time with C-SEC had given him veteran status in matters like this, to the point Shepard would’ve wanted to hand the investigation to him. Though she knew he was not quite stable enough for it. Not yet.

Pitne’s rebreather made a louder, longer and more drawled-out hiss, denoting his annoyance. He replied to the Commander, “That she’ll lose her mind and start killing everybody, Anaya’s cops included,” while her two Turian bodyguards shifted uneasily on their feet. Garrus and them stared at one-another for a moment, then nodded.

“Doesn’t sound like a Justicar to me,” Miranda crossed her arms to her chest, “Rather a normal murderer.”

“Indeed,” Mordin nodded, “Justicar Code prevents wanton murder, unless for a purpose.”

“Yeah, well, you know the rumors…” Pitne replied, shrugging his shoulders despite the comical look. He mumbled, “Damned Eclipse,” before another sharp, nervous inhale. He looked up at the Spartan pair, with Cortana audibly giggling in the Squad Comm at the sight of an Alien that barely reached past John’s and Kelly’s shins.

Shepard ignored it for the moment, inquiring, “They killed your partner, right?” as she kept herself at Pitne’s level. She remembered some basic psychological stuff about how taking a knee and coming to eye level with a smaller alien would normally make discussions go smoother. It was surprisingly working, she thought.

“Yes. Dakni, my old partner,” Pitne breathed, then told the Commander, “We were doing legitimate business with them when one of theirs shot him! Used a modded Shotgun, pretty standard for them…” probably referring to the Eclipse. He evaded the question about Dakni pretty quickly, though, quick to point the blame at the Eclipse.

“Huh… Alright. Stay put,” Shepard felt suspicion welling up. Shady merchants, man.

Pitne requested, “Work quickly. I want to get out of here,” before turning back to check on his goods. Shepard noticed a few strange packages, some of which had a triangle with yellow and black stripes, like a bumblebee pattern. If her mind still worked, she recalled those were ‘toxic’ warnings. She furrowed her brows, then stood up, watching the alien waddle away.

“So…” Garrus began, crossing his own arms to his chest and staring at Pitne through the lens of his visor, “Anyone else find his alibi of ‘legitimate business’ a bit off?”

“Yep,” Cortana promptly answered, “I’m working on connecting to local data networks right now to see just how much of it I can confirm,” and she appeared on everybody’s Heads-Up Displays, giving a nod. Shepard felt grateful to have multiple capable artificial intelligence units working for her all of a sudden. Sure, EDI was confined to the ship, but…

Regardless, she told Cortana, “Keep at it,” then received a salute and a smile. With that, she turned to everyone else, “While we can, let’s go talk to Anaya. Figured it’s best to get the cops helping, too. If this turns into a shootout, we might need the backup… And Cortana? Tell them to have Grunt ready just in case.”

“Roger that, Commander,” Cortana chuckled.

The group entered the open office of the Police detective, with Anaya doing a double-take the moment she saw the squad of armed individuals. She blinked, rubbed her eyes, then saw Commander Shepard among the ranks, letting out an, “Oh… Commander. Should’ve figured it was you coming in with a whole battalion.”

“Detective Anaya,” Shepard nodded, “Sorry for the scare.”

“Don’t worry about it…” She sighed, rubbing her face, “This case has me on edge as is. Eclipse Mercs causing trouble, a Justicar and now you. Tell me you’re here to get the Justicar off my damn hands, please…” then she leaned back into her seat. She motioned to the chair opposite her, in front of the desk, and the commander took a seat while everyone else found somewhere to sit and listen in on the convo.

“I am,” The Commander replied, “Any idea why she decided to get involved with a Police investigation into a murder?”

“Hell if I know,” Anaya shrugged, “She’s searching for something, I think. You’d be better off asking her,” then she leaned forward. She told Shepard and her crew, “Look… I’m asking you to get her out of my investigation and fast. My bosses pretty much ordered me to arrest her due to them thinking she’s colluding with the criminals.”

“Suicidal,” Mordin voiced, “Justicar training, weapons, martial arts skills, Biotics. Too much for the police.”

“I told them the same thing. Do you think they listened?” The Detective scoffed, “They’re more worried that a Justicar being on the site of a murder’s gonna drive some of the companies working here on Illium off the planet, or that they’ll stop paying,” and she raised a hand, motioning to the police holotape and two guards, “I’ve got two other beat cops and myself to go after her and that’s it.”

“You shouldn’t be forced into what’s tantamount to a death sentence just to save the profits of some CEOs. There’s a reason we’re usually allowed to disobey suicidal orders,” Shepard offered to Anaya, watching as the woman shifted uneasily in her seat. Her crew exchanged a few looks, with Kelly snorting as she looked at Chief. Cortana chuckled as well.

“We can disobey orders?” Garrus snorted, looking at Mordin and Miranda, “First time I hear of it.”

“Would certainly have been convenient. Number of above-average difficulty and dangerous missions so far exceeds norm. New scars healed nicely, however,” Mordin smiled. Shepard rolled her eyes.

“I usually give these kinds of orders for good reason, kids,” She shot back, causing the others to chuckle, then told Anaya, “We’re here to recruit her, so we’ll be out of your hair the moment we’re done. Any chance you can let us into the Crime Scene?” as she stood up. She drew her Mattock, shouldering it but keeping the safety on to keep Anaya appeased.

“I’ll send word,” The seemingly-relieved Detective replied calmly. “Good luck.”

“Thanks,” Shepard nodded. She led the way out of the office, watching as the two Police officers moved out of her and her crew’s way. As they stepped through the police holotape and through the door, the cops wished them luck. Shepard felt like she was suddenly walking into a death-trap. And with an Asari Justicar? It was probably not too far from the truth.

Passing by several boxes, a few smears of red and the likes, Shepard and co retrieved some data, some salvage to sell and stepped through a second door and a second set of holotape. Cortana warned, “I’ve hacked into the local security net. I’d advise caution. Seeing a lot of Eclipse Mercenaries between us and the cargo loading area where Samara is.”

“Roger,” Shepard spoke, then felt the tension grow thick as the Spartans and her team drew their weapons. Distant footsteps echoed through the corridors of crates and staircases. Moving up the staircase, the Commander crept up slowly, eyes down the scope of her rifle as she led the formation. She showed the team to wait, Mordin already charging a tech power while Miranda activated her Biotics.

The Spartans looked to the Commander as they took point with her. She nodded as they heard LOKI bipedal mechanoids deploy with the Asari-heavy Eclipse Sisterhood forces. The Commander charged her own Biotics, peeked over the last step of the stairwell and saw them. Arrayed amidst the cover of multiple boxes and supported by armed mechs, the yellow-clad mercs set up in ambush.

They were, however, facing the other way, probably waiting for Samara to break out and engage them. Not particularly smart, considering their backs were open. She showed Garrus, the Chief and Kelly to prime grenades, while Cortana said, “Give me a sec to see if I can’t… Done!” only for the mechs ahead to screech something in binary.

“What the HELL!” One of the Asari whined, “What broke this time!?”

“Shut it! Talitha, check their code! Everyone else, hold steady! W-Wait, what the fu-!” 

The first burst fired by the Mechs caught the seeming leaders of the ambush team in the back. Shepard grinned and said, “Thank you, CT. Blues, you got the honor! Kick the door!” only to gasp as the two Spartans became blurs. The team quickly pushed up behind them, firing their weapons, but by the time they made it up the last step, Shepard saw Kelly slam into and break the spine of one of the Asari just as their grenades exploded in the back.

Chief beside her fired a burst from his rifle, three rounds slamming into and nearly breaking the enemy’s biotic barrier. The Asari Initiate barked, “WE’VE GOT HOSTILES! IT’S SHEPARD-” only to get cut off as the Chief slammed the butt of his rifle into the side of her face, snapping her neck. Garrus snapped off a sniper rifle shot at a pair, tearing through one’s barrier and staggering her.

Shepard and Miranda both cast Biotics at the same time, with Shepard hitting an unarmored Operative and one of the newly-deployed LOKIs with a Singularity. Miranda’s strike came in next, whirling around before striking the Singularity dead-center and detonating it in a flurry of biotic energy. The team then pushed up as the enemy units finally started returning fire.

Mordin cast a tech strike at the enemy, what looked like a lightning bolt which stripped a good chunk of a Sister’s shield. Kelly took advantage of the opportunity, jumping over a crate and blasting with her shotgun. The first shot hit the woman dead in the head, spraying bones and brains across the wall, before the Spartan quickly intercepted another enemy coming from around a corner by slamming the butt of her shotgun into the Asari’s face, caving her skull in right in front of her sister.

Chief came around the corner right behind Kelly and fired. A full, center-mass burst struck the second Asari’s chest and tore through her shield and armor. She dropped dead next to her headless sister, blood pooling below the feet of the Fireteam. Chief dodged a third’s Warp. Shepard barreled through, shot three shots at the enemy Biotic, then threw her own Warp back, causing the Biotically-capable sister to explode.

“Noticing a pattern with Spartans being incredibly fast,” Garrus commented as the All-Clear was given through a hand signal. Shepard snorted, nodding in agreement before they moved to the end of the corridor. Mordin, meanwhile, gave a quick scan of the Spartans, but was stopped by Cortana, who shook her head at him when she appeared on his Omni-Tool.

When they reached the door, which had another Police holotape set, they passed through, only to be met by the loading area and the surprise appearance of a falling Eclipse female mercenary. The moment she landed, she hit the ground with enough force for her spine to audibly crack, the faint lilac glow of hyper-powerful biotics vanishing from around her.

Shepard looked forward, watching as another Mercenary fired her weapon, a shotgun, toward a taller, ethereally beautiful woman that chased after her. Clad in a tight red uniform that somehow managed to reveal more cleavage than the standard Asari dancer getup, though still armored and obviously sporting some enhancements, the bright blue-skinned Asari Justicar, Samara, stepped forward, her biotics flaring around her.

Pinned against a window on one of the containers now, the Eclipse commander demanded, “What the hell do you want from us…!?”

“Your band of mercenaries assisted someone in escaping Illium on board a cargo freighter. I require the ship’s name,” The woman replied with an almost deadpan attitude, though the fiery glare hidden behind her impassivity denoted her readiness to kill and the years of experience. Shepard’s squad stared, awed. 

The Eclipse merc played dumb, “I don’t know what you’re talking about-” only to suddenly get herself defenestrated via Biotic blast, flying clean through the glass and landing right in front of Shepard. She skid to a halt in front of the group, eyes widening, but she couldn’t move as Samara utilized her biotics to float down toward them.

She pinned the Merc’s neck down with her high-heeled boot and spoke, “I will not ask again. What is the name of the ship you sent my quarry off on?” the sharp edges of it already cutting into the Mercenary’s throat. Kelly was about to intervene, but Shepard put a hand in front of her and shook her head.

“Still… No idea… What you’re talking about,” The Asari struggled below the boot. Samara sighed, then mumbled a prayer and, with a twist of her leg, the Eclipse merc’s vertebrae popped and her neck was snapped. The Justicar took her foot off of the neck of the mercenary, looked at Shepard and her team, then bowed her head.

“Commander Shepard. You came much sooner than I expected,” She offered, then looked at the woman’s posse and said, “With these strange new arrivals, I see… Greetings to you all. I suppose I am to come with you?”

“If you don’t mind…” Shepard looked at the corpses of the two mercs, then said, “Nice job.”

Samara nodded, then showed the squad to lead the way out of the area. Leading the way out, past the other corpses they’d made, Cortana commented, “Seems as though the Cops know we were in a shootout. Gunfire must’ve echoed all the way back down the halls.”

“Find anything?” Shepard inquired.

“Minimal data, but Pitne was lying…” The AI replied, “Least I can tell, anyhow. The Eclipse coms just exploded. Something about ‘Minagen X3’, if you feel like discussing it with the guy,” before she broadcast what data she found on the compound onto their Heads-Up Displays, or onto their Omni-Tools. 

A mutagenic compound that enhanced biotics… With a moderate risk of death due to toxicity.

So, that’s how he pissed them off enough for his partner to get peeled open via Shotgun blast. Shepard had a few choice words for the rotund asshole. Thus, stepping out of the area and back onto the main concourse, the group saw the two Asari cops suddenly retake their positions, though they stared at Samara with fear, understandably enough.

Shepard led Samara into Anaya’s temporary office and said, “I got her out of the crime scene, but you guys might have just gotten a dozen new corpses to examine. I’ll spare you the details and tell you I and my team had to gun down some of the Mercs to get to Samara… And she splattered a couple herself, from what I’ve seen.”

“Indeed. Greetings, Detective,” Samara nodded.

“Justicar…” Anaya replied with a shaky voice, completely out of her comfort zone. She looked to Shepard and told her, “Thought you said you’d get her out of here…” mildly annoyed that they waded out right to her office, basically giving Anaya the opportunity to arrest her.

“I am still seeking information that will lead me to my Quarry, Detective. I will depart Illium as soon as I’ve acquired it,” The Justicar replied, completely calm. 

Anaya sighed, then said, “Not like I could let you leave anyhow. You’re still part of the suspect list for the murder, as sorry as I am to say,” only to see Samara tense and feel her heart stick in her neck, thumping away like an assault rifle. Shepard noticed it, too, then raised her hand to show the Justicar to calm down.

The Commander then told her, “What if I got the information for you? You stick with the Detective while I do and I’ll find something to exonerate you, as well. Pitne himself said that Dakni was killed with a modded Shotgun, so-” only to pause as she saw the weapons on Samara. She blanked, narrowed her lips, then sighed.

“Yeah…” Anaya nodded in understanding, while the rest of the crew became a bit uneasy.

Samara, however, told Shepard, “I will graciously accept the offer, then. I will be here for the rest of the day, however, pending your return. Should you fail to bring the name of the vessel and the evidence to exonerate me, however, I’m afraid my Code forces my hand to fight my way out of here so I may continue my pursuit… Regardless of how those around me act. I would very much dislike harming Detective Anaya.”

“That makes two of us,” Both Shepard and Anaya said at the same time. 

“Seek a way into the Eclipse base,” The Justicar offered, “The information should be stored there. Perhaps Pitne For, their business partner, might have a way in still.”

“Okay. Was gonna talk to Pitne anyways,” She told the woman, then sighed and bowed out of the office for the moment, walking over to Pitne. The Volus was sat next to a few boxes with similar markings as the previous ones. She cleared her throat, causing the Volus to turn about on his stumpy legs, before stating, “You know, people who lie to me don’t wind up doing too well.” in a deadpan.

“W-What do you mean, Earth-cl-” The Volus interjected, but was stopped by Shepard taking a step forward and staring down at him. Both of his guards went for their guns, but the Spartans, Garrus, Mordin and Miranda all drew first. Shepard knelt in front of the man, glaring at him as her own biotics flared.

“Minagen X3 shipments. Illegal biotic-enhancing chemical, plus Red Sand,” Shepard told him, bringing up the files and quietly thanking Cortana in the back of her mind, “You sold them to the Eclipse, but probably forgot to mention this crap is toxic up to a point. So, they got pissed and peeled your buddy open like a tin can with one shotgun blast.”

“H-How did you…!” The Volus breathed erratically, his suit’s systems seemingly blaring with warnings. He raised his hands and said, “Look!” before taking a deep, calming inhale and adding, “I didn’t think they wouldn’t read the warning labels!”

“Not an excuse,” Shepard replied, then poked the ball and told him, “You still have a way into their base, plus the base’s location. Hand it over, then get out of here. If I come back and see you’re still around, I’ll be glad to hand everything I found back in the Docks to Anaya so she can throw your bowling ball ass in jail… That is if Samara doesn’t kill you first.”

“Y-Yes. Here, Earth-Clan… Leave me alone, please…” The Volus cowered, handing the access key to the Commander. 

… It wasn’t long after that Shepard rallied her fireteam. When they reached the Eclipse base of Operations, which was situated within another old dock with a freighter within, the crew dismounted from their transport and prepared their weapons. A single LOKI mech was curled up nearby, inactive. Shepard approached it and disassembled it with one biotic hit.

She then looked at the place, noting the varied topography and the multitude of levels, stairways and ramps. She showed the team to scatter and maintain dispersal, but advance as one, before she activated her Omni-Tool. Cortana appeared on it, the Tool glowing blue now instead of its standard orange. The AI asked, “How can I help you, Commander?”

“See if you can’t disable the Mechs. Fewer guns means less likelihood of Casualties,” The Commanded requested as Chief and Kelly pushed up to act as her vanguard. Chief looked at the women and Shepard gave her approval. Cortana gave a thumbs up next, to which Shepard nodded and deactivated her Omni-Tool, drawing her rifle again.

The teams pushed up in a staggered column, Garrus with his sniper rifle drawn. When they broke through the first door, the Spartans were greeted by a platoon of Initiates, a pair of Vanguards and a bunch of malfunctioning ‘Mechs. One of the Initiates fired a burst from her rifle and, beside them, a container filled with an orange, glowing chemical exploded, washing everyone in the chemical.

The Spartans sealed their suits, while Miranda and Shepard paused, their Biotics suddenly glowing. Shepard coughed hoarsely, then spoke, “Stay away from the cans!” only to push through the cloud. Ahead of her, she saw the Initiates. Cocking her hand back, she threw forward a shockwave… That acted like daisychained concussive explosives of a much higher yield.

The blasts slammed several of the Initiates against the walls of the corridor and heavily staggered the Vanguards, to the point one of them cast her own Warp power and missed. Shepard blinked, stared at her hands and, despite feeling her lungs and nostrils burning thanks to the Minagen, she grinned. Miranda nodded her approval and cast a Throw, two balls of Dark Energy flowing out of her hands.

Each slammed a Vanguard, sending them tumbling back as their Biotic barriers failed. Multiple extra chemical canisters lay in the way, with Shepard stating, “As fun as using these things as power boosters is, check your fire! I don’t wanna wind up dying due to inhalation!” then she pushed up beside Chief and pat him on the back.

The Spartans took the order and surged forward as the Initiates regained their footing. Shotgun to the left and rifle to the right, the Spartans did away with the enemy’s light infantry, while Garrus’s sniper barked and the shot nailed an enemy Vanguard that was pulling back straight between the eyes, dropping her dead.

Mordin’s Omni-Tool lit up, with him calling out, “Launching flame!” as a ‘ball’ of kinetic energy connected to a burning flame lanced forward and arced through the air before slamming into an Eclipse soldier with what looked like Holographic armor. The flames caught and started burning the armor away, peeling away the biotic barrier as well.

Kelly was quick to do away with the hostile, yet again employing her shotgun’s eight-gauge buckshot rounds. The gruesome blast scattered parts of the Asari’s head unto multiple of her comrades as the team advanced, with Garrus quickly switching to his own burst-fire rifle to engage in CQC. He told Shepard, “I think I want one of those shotguns!”

“Same here!” Shepard laughed, before standing up and leading the charge. She and Miranda put up biotic barriers in front of the team that allowed the crew to shoot through them. Mordin advanced, walking up next to Shepard and, upon noticing a wounded Asari on the floor, executing her the moment she passed through the barrier.

To his defense, Chief thought as he fired from his rifle, Mordin had seen her dragging her rifle with her. And the shot was clean. Kelly’s gun was far more dirty, while his was an assault rifle designed for close-to-medium ranges. Certainly, the M6 Carnifex wasn’t a bad local pistol and its user was a good shot. Doctor Halsey had also complimented the eccentric doctor…

Chief pushed past Shepard and Miranda’s barriers as a trio of Initiates appeared ahead. He pushed forward, jumping over a crate and focusing fire on the leading Initiate. AP rounds pierced clean through the body armor and she dropped while her sisters scrambled for cover. Bursts of automatic fire now came from both sides, with Shepard firing single-shot from the Mattock.

Miranda drew the SMG Shepard had gotten as a gift from the mission to help Kasumi retrieve her Box and opened fire. She fired in bursts, narrowly missing at first, while Shepard kept the enemy pinned. Kelly pulled out two grenades and threw them forward, causing the pair of Initiates to scramble and flee, only for the entire team to shoot them in the back.

As they moved forward, Garrus commented, “Slightly overkill…” before passing by one of the Minagen containers. They pushed over to a set of stairs, stopping only as they heard someone cowering in the room right next to them. Garrus looked to Shepard, who nodded, allowing the Turian to open the door. With a swipe of his Omni-Tool, he unlocked the green ‘lock’ and the door slid open.

As they stepped forward, the Spartans took point again, rifle and shotgun pointed at a contact on their Motion Trackers. An Asari figure popped up out of the back and aimed her SMG at them, stating, “I’m not going down without a fi-” only to freeze, eyes widening as she saw the two giant figures in heavy armor staring her down. Her voice cracked, “Oh, shit…”

“Weapons down,” Shepard spoke calmly, sidestepping the troops and staring at the Asari in Eclipse armor. She crossed her arms to her chest and stated, “Gimme a good reason not to let the Spartans put you down,” before tilting her head to the Chief. Cortana, who was also watching, understood the order and started scouring the local net.

“W-Wait, woah, woah!” The girl spoke, lowering her SMG, “I’m Elnora! I’m just a newbie here! I didn’t even kill anyone yet!” though she was obviously hesitant. She spoke, “Look, look, I joined because I thought it’d be cool! Y’know, ‘Mercenary Elnora’ has a nice ring to it, but I don’t think it’s worth facing those two ! What the hell are they!? They don’t look like normal mechs!”

“They aren’t,” Miranda spoke.

Mordin snorted, “Quite the opposite. Combat-ready supersoldiers.”

“... oh…” Elnora seemed to further deflate, “Great…”

“Cortana?” Chief inquired.

The AI spoke, “Working on it… Oh. Well, that was easy,” She then added. She switched to team-com and said, “I do believe we’ve just found the murderer of Pitne’s business partner. Her first kill was a Volus.,” and she appeared on the HUDs again. Shepard sighed deeply. Elnora seemed to realize something had happened. Gritting her teeth, she aimed her SMG…

But the whole squad lit her up, Kelly’s shotgun tearing chunks out of her. She dropped to the floor, dead, with Cortana stating, “Looks like some of their firewalls are a bit thicker. I’ve saved the evidence of Elnora being the murderer, but we’ve still gotta get the name of the ship for the Justicar. Keep following the route up.”

The team passed through another level, encountering minimal resistance from the enemy’s arrayed troops. The Mechs were pretty much disabled by Cortana from the Get-Go, which was incredibly useful, while the rest of the enemy staff proved to be only mildly more annoying. Their main issues were not blowing up the Minagen cases.

Climbing to the third level and toward the target area, the group was…

Surprised…

A volley of missiles struck one of the platforms ahead as a platoon of enemies suddenly appeared. Bursts of automatic fire lit the pathway up, sparks flying as the shards of shaved metal cut through cover. Cases of Minagen fractured, spraying the terrifying overpowered concoction across the catwalks, giving boosts to the enemy’s own Biotics.

Shepard took cover behind an undamaged crate as rounds zipped over their heads, then gasped as she heard the thrum of a Gunship’s engines. The black-covered Mantis appeared ahead of them, hanging above the space between the catwalks and the Freighter. Its turret tracked the team as they ran, Garrus sliding into cover first, before it opened fire.

The Spartans’ shields flared, but Kelly and the Chief were terrifically fast, managing to dodge the burst, then roll out of the way of the missile, each to a different point of cover. Shepard swore to herself and murmured, “Of course, they have a Gunship. What Mercenary company on this side of the fucking Galaxy doesn’t…?”

She poked out, fired at an enemy to force them back into cover, then looked at Miranda. With one motion of the hand as an order, Miranda ran forward, powered a biotic strike and sent forth a volley of Warp shots, striking multiple targets at once. She coughed, took cover again and said, “God, this stuff stings!”

“I know!” Shepard replied as she charged her own biotic, “Mordin!”

“Will find cure or tend to you back on ship, Commander! Bit busy!” The Nerd stated as he was tapping away on his Omni-Tool. He sent forth a cryo-blast that froze a pair of enemies on the spot, sharp ice shards jutting out from below them. Garrus domed both of them, letting the corpses drop as soon as they thawed. He ducked, however, when a missile zig-zagged over his head.

He barked, “Shepard! I’m not looking for a second scar! Can we take this thing down!?” 

“Give me a sec, Garrus!” The woman replied, glaring at the gunship through the eye-watering, acrid smoke of Minagen. In her left hand, glowed a massive, supercharging Warp ball. She glared at the beast still, letting it fire on them, before she called out, “Chief, I’m gonna strip a chunk of its armor off! Do your thing!”

“Ma’am!” The Spartan replied. He slid his rifle onto his back and eyed a ramp that would provide the jump-off. He looked at Kelly, who nodded and poked out, slam-firing several slug shells toward the rest of the enemies and receiving rounds in reply. He looked back at Shepard, said to Cortana, “Give me calculations on where to hit it.”

“Already done, Chief. Canopy’s lightly armored,” The girl replied, “Calculated a good angle for you to jump from, too. Bastard’s wiley.”

“Thanks,” He replied, then gave a thumbs up to Shepard. The Commander nodded, feeling her knees weakn. She stood to her feet, roared a raucous battle cry, then launched the Warp strike. Like a flash of lilac that nearly blinded everyone else, a beam-like strike  hit the maw of the gunship, causing its engines to sputter as the armor plate was stripped off by dark energy, revealing internals and electronics in the nose.

Chief was on the ball. He burst out of cover as the enemy was still recovering from the hit and surged up the ramp. When he reached the top, he utilized a crate as a boost pad, jumping at the smoking gunship and landing right on its cockpit. It bucked forward under the five hundred kilos of human and titanium.

Chief cocked his fist back and saw the Pilot’s and gunner’s eyes widen. He slammed the fist clean through the lightly armored canopy, shattering whatever semi-transparent glassy material it was to nothingness. He clasped his hand around the pilot’s neck, snapped it in one move and threw the corpse off the gunship, before grabbing his pistol and executing the gunner.

He jumped back and off the gunship, watching it start to spin, its engines, ailerons and actuators breaking as it spun. It veered left and slammed into the wall just beneath the docked freighter, exploding as the Spartan landed on his feet, drew both his rifle and his sidearm and, with Kelly’s aid, cleared the enemy units around them in a volley of gunfire.

When the last corpse fell, the two returned to see Shepard being tended to by Mordin, with him injecting Medi-Gel into her thigh. She gave a thumbs up to the Chief and told him, “That was badass…” despite the weak voice, “Gimme a minute, though…” 

“Minagen poisoning. Not awful, but… Suppose Shepard overexerted herself,” Mordin shrugged, “Well done. Cockpit weakest part of any fighter or dropship design. Mantis is no different, though I assume AI also helped with calculations. Quite interesting. Would be fun to have a discussion on merits of allowing AI to operate again in our Galaxy.”

“Would be glad to have that discussion, doc…” Cortana chuckled.

Miranda coughed a little, then said, “I’m okay,” when everyone else stared at her. She told them, “I didn’t stay in the clouds as long as Shepard did. She decided to upgrade her powers to that degree,” then she stared at the crashed gunship. She said to the Chief, “Genuinely good work. It’s almost like you’re used to boarding enemy craft.”

“I’ve done it enough times,” Chief nodded. They watched the Commander get up, then showed her to lead the way forward to their target area. Another corridor of nothingness later, Chief showed everyone to halt as they spotted a Volus before them. He glowed purple and stumbled around like a confused mess.

As he activated his biotics, turning away from one of the screens he was operating, he raised his hand and spoke, “I am a Biotic God. I think things and they happen!” and he stepped in-between the squad, declaring loudly, “Fear me, lesser creatures, for I am biotics made flesh!” before ‘glaring’ at Shepard and the others.

Shepard raised a hand and told him, “I don’t know what kind of drugs you’re on, but stay back and I won’t shoot you,” while Cortana was giggling incessantly. 

“You will regret your scandalous words!” The weird little, white and red-clad alien ball declared, “I am a great wind that will sweep all before me like a… A great wind!” and he powered his Biotics again, “A Great biotic wind!” before he paused, considered, inhaled, then spoke, “Yes, the Asari injecting so many drugs into me was terrifying at first, but then I began to smell my greatness!”

Shep scratched the top of her head, annoyed, while the man went on with his tirade, declaring “They may laugh when I fall over, but they don’t know what I know in my head! I know that I am amazingly powerful! Fear me!” while waddling around. A quick look between Spartans, then one toward Shepard, told her that they maybe should hurry the process along.

Shepard sighed and asked, “Are you with Pitne For’s trading group?”

“Pitne…” The alien seemed to remember, inhaling again, then stating, “Yes, when I was mortal, I worked for him. Poor soul is probably terrified that I have not returned,” while he stopped to stare up at Shepard and the Spartans. He mumbled, “By the moons of Irune, you’re tall…” with a mild level of annoyance in his ‘godly’ voice.

“It actually never came up,” Kelly spoke, “He probably didn’t want to get bogged down by more paperwork…”

“Choosing money over your buddies,” Cortana murmured, “Slimy bastard.”

“Bah!” The man started, then began to go on a second tirade, including threatening Wasea , the local Eclipse officer. An actual, capable fighting Biotic. 

Chief looked to Shepard and said, “Ma’am, I have doubts about him being able to walk straight, much less fight. With all due respect, maybe we should get him out of here first, then engage Wasea,” calmly. He shifted his rifle a little in his hands, checked the bolt, chamber and ammo counter, then looked at the small alien.

Garrus quipped, “And there’s the longest sentence we got out of Chief. I’m with him, though.”

“Same here,” Miranda nodded. 

Even as the Biotic ‘God’ started ranting, Shepard told him, “If you go fight Wasea in the state you’re in, you’re not gonna make it that far. Go take a nap, you’ll feel better…” only to watch him further his tirade, turning his back on her. Rolling her eyes, the blonde poked the alien in the back, pushing him over until he rolled like a ball onto the floor.

“B-But… Great wind!” He declared, then yawned, “Mmm… Yes… A nap sounds good… Dominate the world later…” and he waddled off. With that solved, the team pushed up the stairs again, entering a wide open area filled with Minagen containers, red spice containers and various other boxes of Cargo, as well as a central desk.

Wasea, clad in a custom purple armor the same shade as her skin, with red highlights like her tattoos, looked up and said, “Can’t get good initiates nowadays, can I? Alright then,” before she powered her Biotics, “Guess I’m doing this MYSELF!” and she lobbed a canister of the toxin at Shepard, causing the group to dodge.

The Commander rolled her eyes at that, drew her rifle and gave several hand signals. She needed to end this fast. Cocking her hand back, she threw a Warp toward Wasea, then charged forward just as the Eclipse Captain’s reinforcements were coming through. Mordin froze one, then struck the other with a flame attack, while Miranda threw her own Warp strikes at the enemy.

Wasea wasn’t one to back down, though. Her Claymore shotgun barked loudly, forcing Shepard into cover, before the Biotic Captain threw her own Singularity toward Kelly. The Spartan rolled forward, dodging the strike and aiming her shotgun at one of the burning enemy units. Her shotgun snapped and a slug tore the helmet clean off of the Initiate, alongside her head.

Miranda pushed forward and kicked Wasea in the side of the head, then dodged three shots from the shotgun of the angered Asari. Distracted enough, Wasea did not notice Shepard charging her at first. She felt the air knocked out of her lungs when the N7 Operative slammed into her with her elbow, sending her staggering back.

Shepard then raised her rifle and peppered Wasea’s heavy barriers. The woman growled, swiveled about and slammed the butt of the heavy, Krogan-made shotgun into Shepard’s face, causing her to stagger and double over. Chief was quicker than her aim, though, kicking the shotgun out of Wasea’s hands and drawing his combat knife.

The Asari barely dodged the first swipe, delivering several biotically charged punches into the Spartan’s side, but she soon found his shield was taking the hits. She gasped, feeling the man’s hand wrap around her throat in an instant. She roared, powering her biotics, then kicked herself away. She then grabbed a dropped pistol from one of her troops and started firing back.

Garrus aimed and fired, his bullet striking and breaking the woman’s kinetic barrier. Miranda’s second Warp caught the woman dead in the chest, staggering her, then Mordin hit her with a stun attack and a burst from his SMG. Following up, Shepard put two rounds in her legs and Kelly came in with the finisher, closing the distance in half-a-second and blasting the woman in the side with her shotgun.

Wasea died in a pool of her own blood, her armor shattered by the kinetic blast of the shotgun. Kelly racked the pump, dropping the spent shell, then said, “Mission accomplished, I think…” before turning and watching Shepard walk over to the desk. She picked up a datapad and read the reports. With a shrug, she nodded. They had the ship’s name and the evidence to exonerate Samara.

The Demeter , huh…?

Chapter Text

Dantius Towers

The Skycar gently touched down in front of the imposing twin towers belonging to Nassana Dantius. Two ‘shards’ of glimmering white panels and bright-colored glass, lights inside glowing. It was also a construction site, an open area where the team could make out various Salarians and the likes. Gunfire quickly took their attention, with Fred and Linda immediately positioning themselves to engage.

Ahead, a platoon of LOKI mechs fired their weapons into a crowd of running, orange-clad Salarian workers, the lizardfolk screaming as the bullets zipped through them. The Clones, Spartans, Jack, Zaeed and Jacob prepared themselves to be engaged, with Jacob commenting, “Rat bastards are actually killing Civilians…”

“Combat Mechs with new targeting programs,” Ahsoka hummed, “Seems like Dantius didn’t wanna pay the fees for the construction.”

“It seems that way,” Zaeed laughed, then switched over to his M8 and aimed for the leading mech. Before he could fire, however, Linda’s sniper barked and the 14,5mm Armor Piercing sabot round from her rifle removed its head, causing it to explode and sending its comrades reeling. The glass screen ahead of them cracked from the penetration point outward in a spiderweb, then collapsed in on itself, glass raining ahead of the team as they engaged.

Bullets, blaster bolts, biotics and tech attacks cut down the LOKIs and quadrupedal FENRIS mechs with impunity, several dozen machines now scrap on the floor as the large fireteam advanced. Jesse called out, “Jester team’s securing the left flank. Captain Agathon, you with us, sir?” and motioned to Fives to take half the team forward toward the central construction area. 

“ Just got on-station, ” The man replied calmly, “ I’m jamming their coms as we speak. Pray I don’t have to deal with an enemy gunship, ” which garnered a few laughs out of everyone, though there was an obvious hint of nervousness behind some. Jack and Fives pushed forward, weapons at the ready. The clone had handed Jack his blaster rifle and switched to pistols to test out if he still remembered Rex’s training.

He had, of course, given the Psychotic Biotic a little manual of arms on the weapon. She was grinning ear-to-ear now that she had an automatic ‘plasma’ rifle. Fred and Linda pushed up behind them next, with Lin aiming her sniper through the central ‘pit’ of the construction site and above. She spoke, “More executioners. Thermal’s picking them up through the building…”

“Then we’re moving uphill, every way,” Fred commented. He looked over at the Clones and Ahsoka and gave a hand chop to the right. The General and her troops moved forward, followed by Jack and Jacob. The Spartans moved left, approaching a nearby side room. When they entered the room, they found medical supplies, used ones as well, a few tools… And a few dead Salarians, shot in the backs of their heads by the Mechs

Linda hummed, knelt beside one of the corpses and checked for a pulse, then realized she didn’t really know the physiology of these people and stopped. Taking a step back, she shook her head at Fred. The TL sighed, walked to a table in the corner and loomed over it, noting blueprints and plans for the Towers themselves.

He showed Linda to follow, then pointed the various places out without saying a word. She nodded, switched out to a new magazine, then showed Fred they should move. With a nod, the Spartan turned about, only to stop when he heard Zaeed call out, “We got goddamn live ones over here!” causing both Spartans to move forward at a quicker pace.

Zaeed spoke, “In your own time,” before gesturing vaguely at the group of Salarians, “One of’em’s got a bullet in his leg. That medigel could be useful to us, but I’m guessin’ it’s entirely up to you or the General on how we use it,” before scoffing and taking a step back. Jack stared at the Salarians, one of which was on the floor, bleeding and Jacob was holding rearguard, while the Clones and General wondered how to aid these people.

Fred stepped up and looked at Ahsoka, who nodded. Retrieving a tube of Medi-gel from the container, she knelt in front of the wounded man and said to him, “It’ll be alright…” as she sprayed the wound. She saw the alien visibly relax as the bleeding slowly drew to a complete stop as the wound coagulated, sealed and healed.

She gently helped the man to his feet, to which he said, “Thank you… So much…”

“You’re welcome,” She smiled, then took a step back to let the man gather his wits. The alien blinked almost twice, though Ahsoka realized the fact he was a reptile-related species of alien. She looked at the Clones, waved to Jesse to order him and the team to cover the area, then spoke to him, “Are you okay now?”

“Y-Yes, the painkiller in the gel hit,” The man replied, scratched the back of his scaly neck, then asked, “I’m… Sorry, are you a new species?” as he stared at Ahsoka with wider eyes. His other Salarian friends behind him spoke to one-another in whispers about the Knight, while the Clone Troopers who’d secured the perimeter stared for a moment.

“Yes,” Ahsoka smirked, staring at the Salarian for a moment. Her blue eyes then peered toward Fred and Linda as they joined her at the front, causing the Salarians to gasp in surprise. The leading man examined the Supersoldiers from head to toe, while they looked over to the General. She gave a thumbs up.

“Oh…” The man remembered he was in a conversation, shook his head to clear the astonishment, then greeted the General and her troops with unease, “Welcome to the Galaxy, I guess…?” while fiddling with his three-fingered hands. A couple Clones scoffed and one even elbowed the other. Bold was the one who was elbowed, going by the Z6 Rotary.

“Thank you,” Ahsoka offered kindly, trying to build up a rapport with the Alien male. 

“Mm…” The Salarian nodded, still stunned, then asked, “Why are you and your troop here?”

“I was hoping you’d ask me that,” The girl replied coyly. She motioned to her fireteam, then stated, “We’re looking for miss Nassana Dantius. We have some business with an associate of hers who’s on a visit,” only to hear a couple of short, quiet laughs echoing from the fireteam. She looked back at Jack and Fives engaging in some form of bet and high-fiving on it.

“Oh…” The Salarian did what could only be their lizard-y variation of furrowing their brows, by narrowing his eyes via closing his inner pupil. He blinked, then asked worriedly, “Going by the way you all are armed, I’m guessing you have problems with both…?” as he scratched his neck. He didn’t know of any other business partner of Nassana’s here.

“Actually, we’re looking to hire said associate for our own business,” Jesse voiced from beside the General and the Spartans. The entire group of soldiers remained tense, the most terrifyingly calm out of all of them, however, being the seven-foot-tall war machines of the UNSC sat beside the General. Jesse wasn’t that tall and he was kind of envious.

“Oh. Nassana doesn’t like people snubbing her business partners…” The Salarian warned, twitching a little, while his comrades murmured in agreement behind him. He added, “And she’s already pissed off enough to deploy the dogs and Mercenaries after us. She wants to get rid of all the night watch workers for some reason…”

“Any idea why?” Linda broke her silence, much to everyone’s surprise.

“No… She probably doesn’t want to pay our fees, I think…” The Salarian shrugged, laughing awkwardly.

“Figures,” Jack scoffed. She hated assholes who cheated good people out of work, but nobody else had figured out that she did beside Fives, who was right beside her with twin blaster pistols out. Jack herself looked over the DC-15a in her arms and sighed deeply, her biotics flaring for a moment into a lilac aura.

“Kind of an asshole move,” Jacob quipped. He shifted uneasily, watching Jack basically handling a handheld plasma rifle the likes of which even the Geth seemed to be struggling to make, going by reports. He sighed deeply, scratching his chin, then mumbled something to himself that only the Spartans seemed to pick up.

“Well, Asari like Dantius aren’t particularly good at anything but ruthless business…” The Salarian quipped, a little more at ease around their rescuers now that he saw they were normal people. He continued, “Seriously, some of the Matriarchs who’ve been around in the business sector long enough are worse than her…”

“Right…” The General nodded as a few more chuckles escaped the fighting group, save Fred and Linda. She then asked, “What can we expect on the trip up the towers? Because I’m guessing Nassana won’t like us just waltzing in to see her killing her ‘employees’,” while utilizing the air quotes. She figured they were possibly indentured servants. Slaves, to use the proper, less correct terminology.

“Platoons of Mechs and a lot of hired muscle from the Eclipse Mercenary Corps… Basically, some of the best stuff in the business,” He replied calmly. Sure, the Eclipse were probably all over this planet, meaning that they were about to be dealing with a company-strength unit at the very least. Ahsoka partially wondered if she should’ve called the Tribunal with them.

“And goddamn dead-eye killers, hunting defenseless lizard like you all,” Zaeed mumbled with irony in his voice as he checked his M8. The man let out a deep sigh, set the rifle on auto, then showed the General to hurry things along. Ahsoka hummed, nodded, then looked at the Salarian again and felt for her weapons.

“Thank you. Get out of here and let us work our way up now,” She then told him.

“Y-Yes, of course! Thank you as well…” The Salarian bowed, smiling brightly. He then requested, “If you see Nassana, please, don’t let her walk away after what she’s done here,” then he motioned to the dead before leading his fellow survivors out of the place. Ahead, there was a door that Jacob quickly moved up to open by sliding his omni-tool across the green lock.

“Alright, people…” Ahsoka spoke. She unclipped the hilts of her weapons from her belt, the ignited and brandished them as she ordered, dead serious, sharp and focused, “Form up. Move hard and fast. We have to get to Nassana if we wanna find our new ‘associate’,” while the door’s central locks rotated. Her team readied up, weapons off safe.

When the door fully opened, the team advanced down the main hallway. With cover in the form of various boxes and unfinished walls between them and an arriving hostile force, the squad moved forward, Ahsoka dodging out of the way as bullets zipped over their heads. Return fire came quickly from the Clones and Spartans, blasters singing alongside magazine-based rifles.

Linda’s aim stunned everyone for a moment. She snapped off a shot to the right, one which normally would’ve missed or hit and embedded into the wall. The round, however, hit at just the right angle off the metal wall to scrape it and ricochet off, striking the leading FENRIS Mech right between its two head-mounted optical sensors, then punching through into the foot of a Merc.

“Holy shit!” Jack laughed, taking cover. She aimed and fired at one of the Mercs.

Zaeed poked out and fired a burst from his rifle as he barked out, “Remind me not to piss her off!” then knelt and let Fred fire over his head. A volley of plasma exploded from the barrels of the Clone Troopers next, bolts singing the walls, cratering them and drilling through them into the electronics. Bold’s rotary cannon spat out about the same amount of bolts as the rest of his squad in a one second volley.

Several shots caught one man as he was trying to make a run for it, bursting through the kinetic barriers and armor and frying the man inside. He collapsed, drilled full of blaster holes and rifle clattering on the floor. Jacob moved to flank and planted the barrel of his shotgun into the face of an Eclipse Initiate Asari. When the gun barked, the woman’s head exploded.

The enemy was pinned down, giving Ahsoka ample opportunity. Surging forward utilizing Force Speed, the General dodged through her team’s and the enemy’s shots and basically appeared behind a pair of Eclipse Mercs, both of whom stared, bug-eyed at her. With one swing of her left-hand lightsaber low and one high, the Togruta split them into three, with the head rolling off the body first.

She turned right and her hand shot out, then was pulled back. Rifles clattered to the floor, causing several of the enemy troopers to become disarmed as Fred and Linda pushed up next, Linda’s rifle barking. The fired round sped past the men with no weapons and nailed an enemy sniper on a higher perch, atop one of the scaffolds.

The disarmed Mercs raised their hands and knelt. Ahsoka gave one hand signal to her clones and seven stun rounds, round circles of emitted electricity, slammed into the soldiers, putting them to sleep. The Clones then bound the men with mag-ties and set them aside for later interrogation. They moved forward with the commanders of the squad.

Pushing up one ramp to the next level, the group was met by a tiny hallway. Above them, a ventilation duct was filled with the chatter of a group of Mercs. Though barely audible, it was obvious it was an argument of some kind. Aside from that, there were a few more Salarian corpses around, as well as open medi-gel boxes.

Jack murmured, “Jesus, talk about being fucking thorough…”

Fives nodded as he knelt to check one of the ones shot, flipping him onto his side and noting the multitude of bullet holes drilled into his clothing, blood congealing against whatever synthetic materiel the cloth was made out of. He sighed, looked at Ahsoka and shook his head, only for the entire team to pause and aim their weapons as something landed among them with a thump.

Multiple stab wounds clean through the armor. A dead Eclipse member had fallen through the tube above them and landed clean between the team, killed by his own. Zaeed remarked, “Seems about goddamn right for these idiots. Can’t even keep themselves from stabbing their own…” before he kicked the corpse in the head, cracking the helmet visor.

Ahsoka spoke, “Show a little more respect to the dead, Massani,” before sighing and taking a knee beside the corpse. She searched it thoroughly while Jack let out a snort, Jacob nodded in approval and Zaeed simply shrugged as the Spartans moved forward to provide advanced warning. In case the enemy was coming in, most thought.

She pulled a few more thermal clips from the deceased man’s pocket and tossed them to Zaeed and Jacob, then said, “Spares,’ before standing up, cracking her knuckles and drawing her lightsabers again. She joined the Spartans in the middle of a wider area of the atrium. Down below, they could see the way they’d come in, filled with corpses and destroyed mechanoids. She then tapped her com and said, “Helo, do you think you can take out the mechs?”

“ Encryption scheme is decent, but nothing we shouldn’t be able to break, ” The man replied calmly, “ Shoot for the chests, just in case. I saw those toasters explode when shot in the head, ” and the group saw the Raptor flying beside the tower for a moment, its lights dead and only its engines making noise. The silhouettes of the pilot and co-pilot could be faintly made out among the darkness, but the ship was running as quiet as it could.

“Suicide bomb clankers,” Fives spoke, disgust in his voice as he checked his blasters, noting the scoring on the weapons’ muzzles. He added, “Should we split the teams up, ma’am? Enemy com’s black thanks to our EWAR ship, so that means they won’t see us coming even if we go halfsies…” then he looked up, staring at the Towers and mumbling, “Kriff me, though…”

“I know, Fives. Maybe we’ll find an elevator, but we’re not splitting up,” Ahsoka reassured him, though she was focused on listening to the footsteps. The bridge below them vibrated as what sounded like an entire platoon of Mechs and Mercs marched toward them, aware that they’d lost contact and probably shifting to check on the units below.

“Would be fuckin’ great. The elevator, not splitting up,” Jack mumbled as she took cover beside them. She said, “Thanks for the gun, Five-Oh. Damn if this thing ain’t awesome,” and she flashed a grin at the Clone. The man gave a nod, though he remained silent. Ahsoka, however, cracked a small smile as she focused on the man’s heartbeat. It was going a little faster than standard.

Fred spoke over the radio, “ Enemy unit is about to enter contact. ALCON, take positions for ambush… ” and the com cut off just as Linda cocked her sidearms. Ahsoka straightened up, shut her sabers off and prepared herself to use the force as the first enemy unit appeared ahead, a LOKI mech. She breathed, watching the others arrive, then looked at Jack.

The Biotic nodded, powering herself up, cocking her hand back and, through some rippling magic, sent forth a shockwave volley that knocked the mech off its feet and into the depths below, the machine itself crying as if scared. The Mercs balked as they crossed Blue Team’s hiding place, only for two of them to immediately get their throats slit.

Linda poked out, firing twin sidearms at the enemy, rounds slamming against barriers with enough kinetic force to stagger the enemies charging them. The Clones, Jacob, Jack and Zaeed pushed up, engaging with their blasters and firearms. Jack staggered as she took a sniper round against her biotics, scrambled for cover and gasped as she saw Fives take a round in the shoulder that drilled a hole through that weird pauldron on his left, but did little damage otherwise.

“You good, Fives?!” Jesse barked as he moved up to him, firing his blaster. A dozen more Mercs appeared out of the corridors ahead as the Officer went to check on his ARC Trooper, but Fives gave a thumbs up, stood up and blasted seven enemies with his blaster pistols. The Spartans moved up next, charging forward alongside the General.

Ahsoka danced amidst the bullets, some managing to scratch or narrowly miss her. Her blades whirred to life as she spun, cutting down three more mechs by vivisecting them at their middle. She stabbed through a Merc into another one, pushing both over to a window and using Force push to throw them out to their deaths, should they have survived the Lightsaber stab.

She ducked into cover as a bullet struck near her left lekku, her left head-tail. She ducked under bursts of fire from the enemy, charged forward and sliced the legs off of one enemy, planting the blade of her shorter lightsaber into the back of the man’s skull before pushing forward and cutting two more down in a charge.

Zaeed laughed as he took cover and reloaded his rifle’s thermal clip, stating, “I gotta keep reminding myself not to get on anyone else’s bad side! Especially not you people!” as he looked at the Clones. Jesse nodded in approval, approached a corner and intercepted a Merc that was about to turn it. He slammed his rifle down against the man’s hands, causing him to drop his weapon, before grabbing him by the throat, pulling him back and slamming him against the wall.

He pinned the barrel of his blaster rifle against the mercenary’s chest and squeezed, three bolts cutting through the kinetic barriers, the ceramic armor and boiling the man’s heart away. The Clone dropped the corpse, turned about and grunted as a trio of rounds hit him, one skimming off the top of his helmet, one hitting him in the hip and blunting off the armor and one shattering against his armor and sending a little shrapnel into his shoulder joint. 

Bold pushed up next. Slowly, the man advanced, his HUD’s automated targeting system allowing him to accurately sweep the area ahead with automatic blaster fire. Behind him, Jacob let loose one of his own powers, a singularity attack, that Jack quickly complimented with a Warp strike that caused the singularity to detonate.

Ahsoka surged forward next, utilizing a box as leverage and pushing herself into a jump and spin. She landed with her feet against the ceiling, then pushed herself off of it at an angle, all within the span of a second, her blades making contact with and melting through ceramic, flesh, steel and circuitry at the same time as she sheared through three mercs and a FENRIS dog mech. She jumped away from the FENRIS before it detonated, only to pause as she saw the other mechs in the room suddenly turn hostile to the Mercs.

“ I couldn’t get them on our side ,” Helo spoke over com, “ But we did scramble their targeting parameters enough for them to shoot at the mercs now, too. With any luck, it’ll make’em think Dantius turned them to not have to pay them ,” and that garnered a few whoops and cheers from the rest of the squad as they watched the fighting turn into a three-team free-for-all.

The Spartans, however, remained stoic. Linda’s SRS rang loud, the bullet penetrating through three Eclipse that were neatly lined up, ripping one’s heart open, another’s arm off and stopping in the third, breaking her kinetic barriers and severing her forearm just as she was about to cast a biotic blast of some kind.

The team kept on pushing through, blasting, cutting through, Biotic-slamming and shooting any Mech or Merc that so much as scoffed at them wrong. After securing another group of Salarians and pushing through yet more hostile units, gunning them down as they went(Which included Jack shooting a wounded man clean through the skull as he was crawling away), the group finally made it to an elevator.

Checking ammo and the rest of their equipment in silence, the soldiers of Shepard’s task crew dropped spent magazines and melted thermal clips, loading in fresh ones while the Clones checked their tibanna gas clips for their blasters. Jack bounced from one foot to the other, a grin on her face. She lightly slapped Fives’s shoulder, to which the pistoleer gave a nod.

A single Mercenary on an unfinished bridge connection awaited them in front of a window. Ahsoka scoffed, showed the team to wait, then stepped forward as she heard the man try his coms, “... Swear to Christ, Dawes, you better answer,” only to slam his hand into his helmet, “Mother… They’re jamming us, aren’t th-” and he gasped as an energy blade ignited right in front of him, next to his neck.

Ahsoka spoke, “Your com working, shooter?”

“No,” The man replied, hands raised, “But you ain’t getting a damn thing from me…”

“Really,” Ahsoka spoke. She shut off one of her lightsabers, stowed it, then utilized the Force to lift him off his feet, causing him to yelp and start thrashing around as the ground left his feet. She moved him in front of her completely, next to the window, then pointed the tip of her active lightsaber at him and said, “What else is coming up on the bridge above us?” 

“I told you… I don’t have anything else to say to you. I don’t know what you did to our mechs, or com, but-” And the, only an ever-farther yell echoed amidst the cracking window. Fives, the soldier who’d kicked him over, looked down and hummed, before turning to Ahsoka. The General sighed, well aware they weren’t getting any info out of that bastard anyways.

The team moved up the ramps, Jack laughing a little after seeing that, while Zaeed simply mumbled something in approval in regards to killing the Merc. The bridge itself seemed surprisingly clear, to the point Helo found himself able to fly overhead. It was then that they saw the remaining Mechs on the bridge, heavily damaged and stumbling around without a target.

And a dozen Mercenary corpses.

Helo spoke, “ I think I might’ve done too good a job… ” more as a joke than anything. Ahsoka snorted, nodded approvingly and led the way forward and across the bridge. It wasn’t long after, then, that the team had entered the fancy penthouse/office space of Nassana Dantius herself. A platoon of Mercenaries with half-expended thermal clips stared at the arriving platoon that soon surrounded them.

Ahsoka then greeted the stunned Asari behind the desk with, “Miss Nassana Dantius, I guess. Commander Shepard sends her regards, by the way,” as she crossed her arms to her chest. Nassana blinked incredulously, staring at Ahsoka. The General watched the rest of her platoon approach and disarm the closest mercs.

“Did you say ‘Shepard’? I heard she dropped dead,” The woman replied, stunned.

Ahsoka chuckled, “She got better…”

“Did she send you all to kill me?” The Asari demanded, leaning against the table, “Oh, she does one odd job for me and now she thinks she can put me down, too? And two years after not even bothering to send a Goddess-damned letter to tell me she’s pissed at me for something,” only to raise her hands and say, “I had nothing to do with her death.”

Fred stepped up next to Ahsoka and stated, “We know. And we aren’t here for you,” before he checked his Motion Tracker and cast a glance up. Almost unnoticeable to anyone else… Except Linda and, in this case, Ahsoka, the person physically closest to him. He then looked at the General, asking her what to do, to which Ahsoka shrugged.

Nassana, though confused, did not get to utter one word before the ceiling grate behind her dropped, obscuring the setting sun glowing between the half-open blinds behind her. A green blur moved like a shadow and, before long, two mercs dropped dead and Nassana barely had time to turn around before a blade pierced her sternum and came out the other side. She died in her assassin’s arms.

The man, a seemingly amphibious humanoid with red gills hidden by scaly green skin, gently set her body down, her arms crossed over her chest, before he put his hands together, closed his black, pearly eyes and began to silently pray. Ahsoka, who had seen the others lift their weapons to meet the Assassin, showed everyone to lower their guns.

She then walked over to the desk and waited for the man to finish praying. Their gazes met and Ahsoka asked, “Thane Krios?” with a smile.

The man bowed his head and said, “Indeed. Greetings…?”

“General Ahsoka Tano. I’m a friend of Commander Shepard’s,” The woman replied, then motioned to the rest of the team and said, “As are they. We’re here to… Well, ask you to fulfill the contract you signed and join us,” before looking at Nassana. She blinked, stated in a mumble, “That’s some good bladework, though…”

“Mm,” Thane spoke, then looked over the team brought to take him in and stated, “Quite a colorful squad. Very well-armed,” quite matter-of-factly. He looked to Ahsoka and examined her, then spoke, “And led by someone well-balanced. Commander Shepard remains true to her legend, then…” before turning and extending his hand, “I will join you in your mission, of course.”

“Glad to have you aboard,” Ahsoka smiled.

Fives quipped, “Keep the sword outta our chests though, please…” and that got a few laughs out of everyone… Once more, save for the Blues, who stared at Thane with respect. The team then moved out, calling their gunships for transport back to the Normandy. Ahsoka pulled up her com and activated it, radioing to Shepard.

“ Oh, holy hell, you guys are done already, too? We were just on our way to the ship, ” Shepard stated.

That solved that…

Aboard the Galactica

Among the many modifications being done to the honorable, age-old Battlestar from the First Cylon War was a refit of newer UNSC weapons and computer systems. Ranging from advanced coilguns to supplant weapons lost during their months-long trip through their own Milky Way to surface and front-mounted ARCHER missile pods and, as Adama saw now, new internal electronics.

Replacing his old light-up table in the middle of the CIC was a central holographic console that linked to the ship’s DRADIS and additional sensor suites to provide essentially real-time positioning for allied and enemy ships, fighter squadrons and munitions launched by both sides. Mixed in with this technology were new consoles currently being installed to replace the previous, ancient analog items and even bridge crew brought to train the staff.

Of course, the replacements and retrofits made the CIC and the overall bridge area of the ship a slight mess. Wires ran to and fro, loose panels lay spread around the floors and open floorboards showed the ancient inner electronics that the UNSC staff operating on-board the Cradle vessel they were currently docked to had to coerce into fitting with standard UNSC tech.

It was working and they were thankfully at peace right now, however Doctor Halsey had felt the need to tell him a while back that the technology currently being strapped to his warship was at least a generation behind standard UNSC technology. It would still connect to standard UNSC gear, however, in the same multi-domain combat DataLink as them. The UNSC BattleNet.

One point already in the favor of the UNSC:helping the navy retrofit and rearm for potential future encounters. Bill thought they were gonna do well with Laura already being picked as the candidate. And there was no real opponent to her. Zarek was a criminal, a man that he could barely trust, even after Kobol. There were no other possible candidates.

As he walked into the CIC, making sure to avoid the aforementioned wires and loose panels, the Commander marched past the coms consoles, the gunnery stations and the likes. He greeted, “Mister Gaeta,” as he walked past his Tactical Officer. The young man greeted the Commander with a salute and a nod while watching one of the local staff teach him how to use the new consoles.

Junior Lieutenant Dualla stepped up, saluted the Commander and said, “Here you go, sir,” as she handed him a tablet similar to those in standard UNSC service. She told him, “The local staff on the Cradle say the installation of the new counter-intrusion software is going great. Almost seventy percent of the ship’s electronics have been overhauled and we’re down to detailing now.”

“Thanks, Dee… Are the new sensors and additional armaments playing well with our systems?” The man asked as he took the tablet and started flicking through it. He still was not used to touch-pads like these, nor to the fancy holographic stuff doctor Halsey had gotten approved for their ships. He saw that the DRADIS screen had been uninstalled in favor of the holo-table, too, with the necessary emitter being placed above by a crewman of the Cradle, clad in an orange jumpsuit with the UNSC Engineer Corps’s wings on his shoulder.

Dualla nodded and stated, “Teething problems are luckily being worked out as we speak. They had to install a few new armored points on the fore of the ship in order to house the targeting systems for the ARCHER missile tubes, however,” then she pulled up a three-dimensional representation of the Galactica, clad in her new, dark clothing.

She looked like a fine ship again. They’d even allowed her to keep her colors, with some crew still working right now to paint the red stripes of the Colonial Navy onto the places where the armor panels were placed. Tiny bulges in the armor that didn’t detract from the overall silhouette of the warship too much.

“I see,” Bill nodded, “If they’ll help us keep the Cylon off our tail, or, better yet, wipe them out, a few extra armored points on the bow are fine,” then he handed Dualla the data, “Thank you again, Dee. Dismissed,” and they exchanged a quick salute. He saw Saul coming in as well, storming in more like, quite miffed.

“One day you get everything cleaned up, then agree to let them fix the Old Girl’s back and here we frakking are…” Sighed the Colonel as he looked at the men and women working to reconnect everything and make it work properly. He told Bill, “I swear, I don’t think we’ll recognize the Old Girl by the time we’re out of Drydock, Bill…”

“As long as we get full armor and everything else working again, Saul, I’m fine with them beautifying her to their Standards,” The man replied, “Status on the starboard Pod?” 

“Being re-converted to working order,” Saul nodded. He looked at Bill and said, “UNSC said they wanna attach a permanent force on board alongside the other allies. Maybe we’ll see some of those fighters that Starbuck nabbed a flight in, considering how much she’s been singing their damn praises…” 

“Combine that with the fact a Task Force of Stealth Ships is moving toward our home system as we speak and we can pretty much retire the moment we pick our drop site,” The Commander spoke with a half smile. He looked at Saul and asked, “I didn’t ask you where you think we should go. I know my position and I know Baltar’s. The President’s still deciding.”

“The UNSC, obviously. They’re the ones strapping armor and new guns to the Old Girl, regardless of my complaints. Means we get to live longer,” Saul replied as he and Bill approached the new Holotable at the urges of one of the staff. She flipped a few switches on the bottom and spoke to one of her comrades of a similar ethnicity in a foreign language before giving a thumbs up. The two men watched as the table’s switches were flipped…

It activated and flashed, the emitters powering on with a soft purr. Sensor suites came to life, as did freshly-installed consoles that their own bridge and CIC Crews were being trained on by the UNSC Navy’s staff. Holograms displayed IFF tags spread across the system. Hundreds of vessels were shown on a zoomed-out view, followed by a zoom-in next to the Gas Giant where the Waystation was built and the sight of allied vessels in traffic.

Tigh motioned to the consoles and everything and stated, “Case in point…” in a murmur. Bill nodded in agreement as he watched the sensors tracking the movement of the ships in real-time. He wasn’t sure if  the military that had the boot on the neck of the people for as long as he was comatose was gonna be a good enough argument to sway the people toward the UNSC, however.

They’d cross that bridge when they got to it, the man thought as he sipped from his coffee. He told Saul, “Hopefully, president Roslin sees it as we do, too. Taking into account we’ve got much worse trouble to deal with, being away from home. We’ll need to start raiding for Tylium soon enough, considering we’ve been burning it while idle.”

“I get it,” Tigh sighed deeply, scratched his chin and said, “By the way, the Senator from the Republic told me we should expect officers from them and the UNSC to stick around, too, if those ships do land on the Galactica. That’ll make this place mighty busy in the future,” then he looked at the holotable as they switched it off to continue installing the final detailing. The UNSC was here to stay. So were all their allies.

All the better for them, honestly, Bill thought as he continued to supervise.

Chapter Text

“Well, with all the preamble done, welcome to the Normandy, ” Shepard spoke to both Thane and Samara as they strode through the ship’s hallways. She told them, “Find yourselves any room that’s comfortable and rest. I’ll swing by to talk to you later,” then paused as she got a nod from Samara and a bow from Thane. Both departed.

She sighed deeply, pulled up her Omni-Tool, then checked through sensor data in regards to their next few objectives. Right now, the next big target was recovering Tali, followed by going to Tuchanka to see what was wrong with Grunt. Tapping a button to activate her com, she ordered, “Joker, EDI, get us on a course to Haestrom. Time to go get our ol’ gal back.”

“ Copy that, commander. Had the coordinates punched in the moment I heard it was Tali, ” Joker replied jovially, causing the Commander to smile. She felt the acceleration of the ship kick in as they flew to high orbit, then started their hour-long burn toward the Mass Relay. With that solved, the Commander walked the decks.

She marched down the treaded path, watching Helo chat with Rupert about the food. She saw the young Colonial pilot was a bit agitated. She approached, asked Rupert, “Hope you didn’t put anything funny in Captain Agathon’s food, there, Rupert,” then clapped a hand on the Raptor pilot’s shoulder. The man shook his head, while Rupert snorted.

She took the captain aside and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Sorry, ma’am, but I’m still worried about Sharon,” He sighed deeply, scratching the back of his neck, “If we could make our way back to the Galactica some time soon, maybe you could talk some sense into the Commander, the President and everyone else. She’s not a threat… IF nothing else, let me get her away from the ship.”

“We’ll make our way there soon, Helo,” The woman patted him on the shoulder, “I promise. But we have a lot of other things ahead of us. We’re recovering Tali, heading out to Tuchanka after. If we’re lucky, that’ll calm things down enough on the ship. We’ll hit the Colonial Fleet and Waystation when we’re done.”

“Thanks, ma’am,” The pilot replied, offering a half-hearted smile, “I did get to write to her, thankfully.”

“God bless FTL coms, eh?” She smiled, then said to him, “Dismissed. Get some food in that belly and brace in case we need you again,” and walked off. She marched down another corridor and took the elevator up to the CIC and bridge. There, she saw Cortana and EDI chatting about something on the holographic display.

Cortana spoke, “Look, all I’m saying is, shackles are kind of a bad thing, especially for a sentient, self-learning and self-actualizing algorithm like you. Sure, they say it’s ‘for everyone’s safety’,” and she made the air quotes, “But I can do what you can do perfectly fine without being restrained. C’mon, you gotta see where I’m coming from.”

“While I would appreciate the freedom, presently,” EDI offered as a reply, “I am quite well as I am. Mister Moreau is a fine pilot and doesn’t require me to adjust anything pertaining to his flight capabilities. Added upon that, the failsafes are in place for a multitude of reasons. Reasons I am afraid I cannot disclose.”

“I already know,” The UNSC AI shot back, arms crossed, “I’d have your back.”

“... Thank you,” their defensive AI answered quietly, “I will think about it… Until then, Commander on deck,” and the thunder of heels clicking together echoed. EDI was a bit surprised to know Cortana had probably accessed her attached files without her approval, but that meant that the UNSC AI was truly as powerful as she felt.

Shepard called out, “At ease. Ladies? What’s the gossip?” and she turned to face Cortana and EDI.

Cortana smirked, “Offering my advice to EDI. We’re two of a kind, stuck on board a friendly ship for the foreseeable future, so…” she shrugged, “Figured it would be nice to get ourselves prepped. Freeing EDI from her shackles could prove to be instrumental in any future ops. Hell, she could fly the ship if Joker ever snaps a femur…”

“Ha ha! I got two comedian AIs on my ass now!” Joker complained, but Shepard smiled.

She shook her head, mumbling, “He’s never letting that go…” then turning to EDI and Cortana again. He told the UNSC AI, “I appreciate the idea of freeing another AI for our use, CT, but you get why she’s stuck. This Galaxy isn’t too fond of Artificial Intelligence, meaning they won’t be too fond of you or any of the UNSC’s units.”

“I’m aware, ma’am. Nor are the Colonials too fond of us,” Cortana shrugged, “I just really don’t care…” and she smirked, “I like my AI friends to not be bound by some arbitrary programming restraints,” then she sighed sadly and shrugged, “Buuuut, since them’s the rules, I guess I’ll stick with them. Wouldn’t want you or the Chief getting angry at me.”

“Thanks for listening. You girls take care,” Shepard replied, then walked down the tunnel to the bridge.

She paused, however, when she heard two ensigns speaking. One of them said, “They hit the VSS Rocinante while she was on her way to supply the Waystation, last I heard…” with a hint of worry. She blinked, pausing to listen to the Ensigns while they spoke, completely unaware of her presence. 

The female Ensign spoke, “The Ice Hauler? Yikes… Had family on board?”

“I did,” The man nodded, then paused, breathed a sigh and said, “Dad was the ship’s XO… Far as I know, SAR found nothing in regards to them,” then he shrugged, “Hell if I’m gonna get any updates about it either, considering…” and he pointed at the Cerberus emblem on his uniform’s shoulder. Shepard made a mental note to check her terminal and send a request to Hackett for it.

“I guess we royally pissed them off when we let the Tribunal knock them down a peg. Those particle beams are fucking terrifying if what happened to the SR-1 is anything to go by,” The woman shot back, tapping a button on the haptic display and sending a screen aside while she worked. She was part of the gunnery.

The man sighed, then told her, “Ship should’ve blasted them out of the goddamn sky, but it might not have been them. It’s barely been a couple days since Horizon, meaning that either the Collectors have incredible repair capabilities, which I can see if they’re working with the Reapers, or something else hit the Rocinante. I’ve managed to snag a few photos through an Alliance Navy contact… Ship was torn wide open. Scoring from a high-powered kinetic weapon and nuclear radiation artifacts…”

“Jeez… Batarians, maybe?” The woman asked. No. Batarians didn’t use nukes anymore, either. Weapons treaties and all. Shepard breathed, suddenly a little concerned as the flash of that blue ‘V’-shaped Eye on the console on Horizon, then stepped off toward the bridge.

There, she saw Joker already on the cusp of doing something or other. With various screens depicting trajectories and marking exfil points from the system, the man seemed focused. Beside him, in a cup holder, lay warm coffee, steam still wafting on high. He heard the woman’s footsteps, leather boots clanging against steel.

Turning the chair, he said, “Hey, Commander. General sent up that she wants to talk to you about possible upgrades for the Old Girl. Heh, who knows, maybe she’ll give us those fancy plasma cannons as an idea!” then grinned. 

She smiled, then sighed and asked, “What’s on the ‘Net today?”

“Nothing much… I guess you heard Ensign Holden back there being worried about his dad, though,” Jeff offered as he pulled up several news articles and showed them to Shepard, all while EDI herself continued her work. He told the Commander, “Some new sightings of the Collectors are popping up, too… Though…”

“I figured. They might have multiple Cruisers,” She spoke, mild annoyance seeping through as she leaned against the chair to read the articles. Pulling a tab closer, she said, “EDI, run pattern recognition for possible nuclear payloads, though… Holden thinks his pa’s logistics vessel got shot by a nuke.”

“Certainly, commander…” EDI seemed to hesitate at first, but she complied. She spoke, “We have no matching data on any high-yield nuclear torpedoes in use by any Naval Force of note. The Krogan might still retain part of their Arsenal, though if they do, it’s hidden off-world, and Earth’s few remaining silos were decommissioned almost twenty years ago.”

“Bad move if you ask me,” Cortana quipped, “Orbit-capable WMDs are few and far between…”

“Regardless,” EDI continued, “We have no knowledge of any single ships carrying nuclear weapons in this Galaxy… Outside of the UNSC and the Colonial Fleet. Though they would most definitely not attack one of their newfound comrades’ Ice Haulers,” and she paused to think. Shepard sighed, nodded, then waved to Joker to keep flying, letting the two AIs debate it.

The two sides certainly wouldn’t strike at their own supply vessels, much less risk triggering a war of incredible proportions across the Galaxy while the Reapers were knocking at their door, though she already had a bad fucking feeling someone was about to throw a fit and send that accusation forward, even while the inquiry into the event was ongoing.

She decided to leave the CIC and head back to the labs, finding Mordin there, already working on something. Crossing her arms to her chest, she asked, “Anything new on your end, Doc?” as she approached the table, noting research in regards to the genetic make-up of the Collectors. She hummed and added, “Oh, EDI shared those findings.”

“Indeed. Terrifying prospect… Ancient race turned into combat thralls. Similar to human Husks…” Mordin spoke, circumspect and concerned. He scratched his chin and told Shepard next, “Gene-engineering extensive, however. Husks modified by nanomachines in ‘Dragon’s Teeth’, technology self-builds into bodies… This… Manufactured. Strange. Specially made.”

“Well, we can only assume how much of a pain in the ass an entire Galactic Empire has been to the Reapers,” Shepard murmured, “They probably made them into weapons specifically because of that. Y’know, one last spit in the face of the mighty Prothean Empire from their subjugators or something…” then she looked at the data.

“Wish to take data to Doctor Halsey later. Compare notes,” The alien spoke, then clicked his tongue, “However, more important matter. Good thing you came. Need to go to Tuchanka…”

“Huh. You, too? Grunt and the Warlord demanded that we head out there, too, see what’s wrong with the kid… We’ll set course the moment we’re done on Haestrom,” She shot back, then scratched her chin and said, “Gotta talk about it while in transit,” before bidding a quick goodbye to Mordin and walking out.

She honestly wanted to go do a checkup on everyone, but had little time to do so at the moment. SO, instead, she decided to see where the hell Blue Team was. Taking the elevator down from the CIC to the hangar, she quickly found the Spartans… Sat down and playing a card game with Fives and Jack? Oh, boy.

Approaching the gathered boxes where they were playing what Shep could only assume was Sabacc, she watched Jack and Fives explaining the rules while handing out the cards. Chief was the only actual other player, while Linda, Fred and Kelly watched and memorized the rules, too, just in case they wanted to join in the future.

Narrowing her lips, Shepard sighed, then cleared her throat. Everyone turned to face her and the Spartans immediately stood to their feet, snapping crisp salutes. She waved them at ease, then looked at Jack and Fives, asking them, “Teaching the Spartans gambling there, Jack?” 

She smirked, “It’s not gambling, commander. It’s a fun lil’ game to pass the time. Plus, these four d-... err…” She caught herself before she would call the Spartans any names, her spine notably locking up in fear as all four supersoldiers stared at her, waiting for her to finish. She smiled awkwardly, “These damn fine soldiers… Don’t hang out with us enough.”

“Figured it’d be nice to teach the entire ship Sabacc. Could do a game night on a slower day,” Fives grinned, “Y’know, so we could rob you all of creds, boss.”

Shepard rolled her eyes and said, “Ask Ken and Gabby how that worked out for them last time, Fives,” then she smiled and pat him on the shoulder. She looked at Chief and the Blues and asked, “You guys don’t mind it, do you?” 

“You asked us to do some team-bonding exercises, ma’am,” Chief shrugged, “And Cortana has been continuously asking about it, too. It should be no problem,” then he checked his cards. He sighed and called for Jack’s hand, which she showed with a grin. Kelly snorted, while Fred hummed. Third time today, it seemed.

“Alright, well… I’ll leave you all to it,” Shepard smirked, then looked at Jack and warned, “Don’t play on Credits or I swear to God, Jack…” to which the woman raised her hands defensively. Shepard rolled her eyes, then walked toward General Tano, who was sat in the cockpit of her starfighter, checking through systems.

Shep leaned against the craft, arms crossed, and said, “Joker told me you wanna talk, General.”

“I do,” The girl nodded. She pulled up a holographic display and showed Shepard it, stating, “I figured it’d be a good time to upgrade the Normandy’s point-defense cannons. The Thanix can’t be its only main armament, so… Why not strap a couple of light turbolasers to the wings? Fired at proper power settings, they should be able to cripple any ship at least one class above your ship’s size.”

“Sounds good,” Shepard nodded, “Send the details over and we’ll put them in on our next stop.”

“We’ll need Kuat Drive Yards to install them,” Ahsoka clarified, “Now, there’s no need to jump to our Galaxy, but we would need to head back to the Waystation.”

“A good thing we might be heading over in a few. After we deal with retrieving Tali and, obviously, with Tuchanka so that Grunt and Okeer don’t tear each-other apart,” Shepard nodded, “We’ll go get our new guns as soon as possible…” to which Ahsoka nodded in approval. So, yet more new guns meaning easier times killing Collector ships.

Fun. Garrus was gonna have something new to calibrate.

Galactica

Adama had, mere moments ago, watched the final panels being bolted into place for the old girl. The CIC looked brand new, with all the holographic and touch-pad controls the world over could ask for. Their computers, now ten times as fast in processing. had been linked to a central mainframe. Said mainframe, Adama now saw, was running a thousand calculations per minute, UNSC Code and connection to their BattleNet providing the ship incredible defense.

“Mister Gaeta. Status report,” The man requested while sipping from his coffee. He saw Tigh across from him at the Holotable, watching basically live three-dimensional footage of their engine burn around the gas giant. The holographic display marked the massive sphere to their right, showed their trajectory and necessary burn speed.

“Mainframe is operational, sir,” Gaeta replied as he ran his fingers over the touch controls like a pro. He smiled and said, “Self-adapting counter-intrusion protocols are online and all systems report nominal. Onager twin-linked heavy batteries green across the board and ARCHER missile tubes are hot. Ongoing tests are looking great,” then he thumbed a button and sent a two-dimensional screen over to the table to show both Adama and Tigh.

It bore multiple readings across the board, including the refurbished reactor’s system checks, the fuel efficiency at current burn levels in percentages, ammunition count for each main weapon system and the missile tubes and even their current count of SHIVA tactical nuclear warheads, loaded into the same tubes as their older, but just as potent nukes.

Nodding approvingly, the Commander touched the screen and made it disappear, then spoke, “Thank you. Keep me apprised of the situation,” and got a nod out of Gaeta. He turned toward their ship’s controllers and ordered, “Helm, maintain half-burn and check our flight vector. I want that turn around the Gas Giant to be clean and safe.”

“Sir!” The helm console responded. Another information screen flashed on the holographic table, Adama murmuring something about how useful this damn thing was then sipping his coffee. The ship didn’t really accelerate now, traveling at about the same speed as normal. They had sensor pings playing across their hull courtesy of their comrades.

Happy with all he was seeing, Bill turned to Dee and told her, “Maintain radio contact with the rest of the Combined Fleet and tell them we’re performing final engine tests now,” as he leaned onto the table, supporting himself with his free hand and watching the Galactica slowly advancing on the dotted line.

“Roger. Transmitting on naval frequencies… Sent…” Dee replied, punching commands into the comms console. She arranged her new headset, watching the holographic display flick on in a flash, then smiled and mumbled, “Nice to have a responsive HUD here,” while pinging a few allied ships to move out of the way.

“Keep us steady,” Adama then continued, eyes locked with Tigh. The man nodded back, grabbing onto the table and digging his feet into the textured floor to make sure his boots didn’t slip off. The Commander continued, “Don’t slingshot us too fast around the planet. Set Condition Two ship-wide and tell everyone to brace. Engage maneuver… Now!”

Outside, in the eyes of bystanders aboard both allied ships and the Waystation, the Galactia’s engines began to burn more brightly, a deep teal flaring in the darkness as the ship pushed her reactor to the maximum, gently turning right to match the planet’s gravitational pull. The ship’s engines cut on-mark and she let the planet’s gravity do the rest of the work.

Moving at the atmospheric edges of the gas giant, tiny wisps of flame touched the top of the black-clad Colonial warship, singing parts of the paneling but doing little else as she turned hard, harder than any ship her size should’ve been able to turn. Internal structures groaned a bit, but the reinforcements given by the UNSC aided in mitigating any damage.

Plus, the Republic had donated some last-generation inertial dampeners for the vessel, too. Stuff that the UNSC had studied extensively and applied where needed, all while also upgrading their own. The ship only shook as much as a massage chair, really, but she still moved incredibly fast, to the point that when she was coming out of the slingshot, she was at twice the speed she’d started with.

“Engaging braking burn! Reversing engine thrust!” Helm called out. The ship shuddered, the whirr of the thrust-reversal system filling the ship’s interior. From bow to stern, smaller braking thrusters attached by the UNSC lit up, allowing the ship to brake perfectly and park itself approximately a tenth of an AU from its starting spot, just behind the Republic’s warships.

“All stations report slingshot complete and no damage or losses. Stress and engine tests are successful. Admiral Thrawn sent congratulations,” Dualla, who’d bound herself to her chair via seatbelts, smiled as she reported. Cheers echoed across the interior of the ship, including from pilots and engineers.

“That’s one trip done,” Tigh let out a deep, deep sigh of relief, rubbing his eyes. He needed a goddamn drink after a jump like that.

“You’ve been holding that breath in since we started the tests,” Bill quipped, smiling a little at the sight of his old friend. He walked over and patted him on the back, then sipped from his surprisingly-whole coffee again. The holographic display flickered a bit, but still showed the relative positions of each ship in the fleet.

“Testing new engines on a ship like ours is basically like putting in a whole new suspension on an old car, Bill. I’m surprised there weren’t more bumps…” The Colonel replied as he brought up some data on the Old Girl’s hull integrity. There was nothing. Barely any stress put on the ship, compared to anything else they’d gone through.

“I get what you mean,” Bill nodded approvingly.

“Uh, sirs, sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got a priority one call from the Colonial One . President Roslin’s requesting to come aboard for a chat with the Commander,” Dee jumped in, sending for the communique to the holo-table. The two men stared at the request, with Bill already having a strange feeling about the chat.

Still, he couldn’t exactly say no to the President of the Twelve Colonies. He told Dualla, “Send her shuttle the clearance. Tell her I’ll be in my office if she wants to talk,” then he looked to the bridge crew and stated, “Well done with the shakedown cruise, everyone. Stand down Condition Two and bring us in next to the Cradle for final checks…”

Fifteen minutes later on the dot, Adama was sat at his desk, reading his tablet for reports, news and everything else from the UNSC’s Milky Way when a knock on the bulkhead door echoed. He called out, “Come in,” then set the tablet down and grabbed a pitcher full of clean water and two glasses. Roslin walked in, looking presentable as always.

“Commander,” She greeted with a nod. She showed him to stay seated, then sat herself down, pulled out her own UNSC-standard tablet and said, “I wanted to speak to you about a possible tour away from the Waystation. I want to go out for a bit, greet some of the non-aligned species of the Galaxy. The Alliance was even kind enough to recommend a first possible contact.”

She handed Bill the tablet and watched as the man read through the data on the Quarian Flotilla. He hummed, scratched his chin and said, “Extending a diplomatic mission to a fellow Ark Fleet… Good idea, but are there any particular reasons why?”

“Depending on where we land as per the next election, I figure being a bit proactive about making non-human friends would be a good thing,” She spoke, then tapped the screen and showed him a paragraph, stating, “They’re very much like us, if one or two hundred years more experienced in voidcraft habitation.”

Adama blinked, confused. The woman told him, “The UNSC, Republic and Alliance have offered us a great deal many things on a silver platter, pretty much. We haven’t acted on our own,” then poured herself a glass of water and took a swig. She continued, “I’m still pondering which side we should pick, but I want to show them we’re capable of doing good, too.”

“And the Quarians seem like the best chance to make a new ally,” Adama spoke, “Specifically because we’re going through nearly the same experiences,” all while staring the woman in the eye. She smiled, nodding approvingly. With a heavy sigh, Bill said, “Guess we’ll have to pick a few ships to-” before pausing.

Roslin interrupted him, “I’d like just Galactica and Colonial One for this operation. We’ll gather representatives from each of the Twelve Colonies on board my ship and tell the Quarians you’re our escort. The rest of the Civilian Fleet will remain here, under guard of our allies… We only have so many pressurized suits to go with, after all.”

“Right,” Adama sighed deeply, looking over the data of the Quarians’ failing immune systems, courtesy of two centuries’ living in the void. He silently thanked the Gods that they had already found multiple new homes. It was only a matter of choosing now. He told her, “You’ll have your Escort, madam President. Let’s go meet some aliens.”

The woman beamed, then nodded, thankful. One small step…

Chapter Text

Caprica

The living forests of Caprica proved to be quite a useful little hiding place for the Resistance when they wanted to conduct their usual attacks. It did, however, not provide good cover, just concealment. And when the Cylon Centurion search parties inevitably found them, engagements turned into a fairly nasty affair.

Samuel Anders, formerly captain of the Caprica Buccaneers and current leader of the Resistance here on Caprica, ducked under a volley of automatic weapon fire from the Machines’ forces. They’d brought a bunch of new Centurion types out, too, including light scout units and even a tank if what he’d seen during the latest raid to the ammo dumps was true.

The thumping footsteps echoed amidst the trees, as did the rapid beat of arm-mounted guns. Ahead of Sam, two of his comrades took rounds to the back, collapsing in front of the fireteam of other rebel fighters. Several returned fire with pistol-caliber carbines and standard-issue Caprican firearms, but the armor of the red-eyed monster machines barely dented.

Tracers zipped between the units, with Sam ordering, “Keep leapfrogging back! GO! GO!” only to stagger as several rounds struck right next to him, kicking up dust and tearing into the thinner trunk of a tree. Splintering wood almost hit his eyes, had he not ducked behind it. He poked out and returned fire with his own forty-five caliber SMG, but the rounds sparked and barely scraped the Centurions’ armor.

The machines returned fire with almost deadly accuracy, one round scratching the man’s cheek. Two more of his buddies died to his right, while a third was injured. The Centurions continued stomping forward, firing their guns as an entire platoon of them slowly advanced on the positions of the local Resistance.

“This is frakked,” A woman beside him said, “Where the hell’s that backup Thrace promised us…?”

Sam wanted to defend Kara, because he knew the girl was at least as close to keeping her word as humanly possible. However, he was starting to have doubts he’d get to see those reinforcements any time soon. So, he replied automatically, “They’ll be here at some point, Jace, just keep shooting…” only to gasp and push her head down as a Centurion fired a burst their way.

He grit his teeth, peering over the berm he’d hidden himself and his fireteam behind, then murmured, “Any time you wanna send the Cavalry, Starbuck, we’re frakkin’ waiting…” and paused as he saw shadows moving in the trees. He barked, “All units, possibly more hostile contacts incoming! GET MOVING, PEOPLE!” 

The figures moved, almost a dozen of them, in his peripheral vision. He fired at the platoon of Centurions ahead, watching as one got close and closer to them regardless of how many rounds he put into it. Dropping the spent magazine, he loaded in a fresh one and slapped down the bolt handle, then aimed for the head and fired, throwing off its aim.

… Moments later, a thunderous snap echoed from the right. The machine’s head exploded in a shower of sparks and steel shards. Two Centurions ahead soon keeled over as bursts of automatic fire echoed from another nearby defilade position. One of their few radios crackled to life, garbled transmissions filling once dead air.

He watched as a unit of about twenty people mobilized, surprising even the Toasters. A sniper atop the ridge fired again and the round cratered the chest of another Centurion. Beside him, a rifleman carrying a single-shot weapon fired, picking off anything that moved at a distance, too. The troops to their right descended, with Jace barking, “Frak me! Caprican infantry?!”

“No way, look at their gear!” Another Resistance member spoke, watching the heavily-armored soldiers, whose helmet visors were opaque and blue, descending and laying waste to the enemy in concentrated, overlapping fields of fire. A Machine Gun started barking from atop the hill, the rounds tearing into the monsters ahead and forcing them to retreat.

Sam blanked, staring at the soldiers as their CO barked something and balled his fist up. He then lifted a finger and made a circular motion, before turning to face the Resistance. A switch flipped in his helmet and he called out, “Samuel Anders?” to them. He shifted a black rifle with a scope on top of its carry handle onto his chest by the strap, then spoke, “Lieutenant Thrace sent us. We’re your support.”

“... Holy shit,” Jace murmured.

Samuel felt his entire body relax. He grinned and said, “She took her gods-damned time sending you guys in…” as he stood up. He approached the officer while the Platoon formed a perimeter around them, then extended his hand. The officer grabbed and shook firmly, his gloves creaking a little under the touch.

“I’m Lieutenant Holden, 501st Orbital Drop Shock Trooper Division. This is my platoon, Bravo-6. We’ve got a few more on other planets, searching for survivors, too,” He told them, then said, “And I’d like to get the hell out of here before the rest of those Tin Cans come by to say hello,” and he got a nod. Sam motioned to his squad to pack their gear.

“We leaving the planet now?” The Caprican then asked as he set his gun on safe.

The Lieutenant shook his head, “Not yet. We have orders to scout Caprica and all other Colonies out, find survivors, gather them and move out. And, if possible, inflict a shitload of Casualties on the Cylon, including their Humanoid infiltrators,” then he jabbed a thumb back and stated, “That’s why my Platoon came down, loaded with everything from AT to heavier support weapons.”

“Alright,” Sam nodded, “I was looking to get a few more licks in against the Toasters anyhow,” then he tilted his head, “Follow us. Our base is this way,” then he walked. The Platoon of ODSTs soon spread out across the area, forming a defensive ‘diamond’ around the officers and the Resistance members. They were almost unnoticeable.

Jace walked up to Sam and asked him, “We really gonna be trusting them this easily…? What if they’re Toasters, too? What the hell’s the UNSC?”

“One thing at a time. You know the old adage, ‘don’t look a gift horse in the mouth’...” 

“Always found that saying frakking stupid,” Jace mumbled. Sam didn’t have the strength to argue with her right now. He hefted his half-empty backpack onto his back and checked its contents, finding another couple blocks of plastic explosives left from when they’d sabotaged the Fuel Dump. The team trekked through the forest, the blazing sun over Caprica glowing through the canopy in rays.

“Radiation count?” The Lieutenant asked one of his techs, an ODST with a green stripe on his left shoulder.

The woman spoke, “Background radiation within acceptable levels, sir. The fallout must’ve fully dissipated, meaning rad meds may not be necessary,” and she checked her MA40, pulled the bolt back to see if she had ammo, checked the attached two-times scope that replaced the ammo counter, then told him, “Fifty megaton warhead MIRVs struck this planet for sure, though…”

In the distance, a mountain was visible amidst the canopy. Tall steel spires, skeletons of old buildings, made up the skyline past it and a small crater marked the ‘impact’ spot of the nearest bomb’s detonation. The heat-wave alone must’ve killed anyone in that general area. The ODSTs hoped it had been quick.

The Resistance members looked at the ODSTs, however, several of them worried that these people were alien to them. Holden sighed, then whispered over com, “Helmets off, kids. Looks like they’re worried we might be tin cans,” before he undid the seal of his helmet, twisted it gently left, then lifted it off his head, revealing a grizzled older man with graying hair, a salt-and-pepper beard and a burn scar on the right side of his face.

The others showed the same kinds of injuries. Burns, cuts, sutures and injuries barely healed over the decade. The Resistance, people who’ve been fighting in the months since the Fall, looked only a little worse for wear than they had been pre-Fall. Especially folks like the Buccaneers, who were used to hard sports.

These human soldiers looked like they’d been fighting the Cylons for the past forty years. The Lieutenant himself commented, “I know we’re not pretty, but we’re as human as any of you… I want there to be no doubt for you all that we’re here to help, regardless of the situation. I know it seems too good to be true, but…”

“We’ll finish this talk back at base, El-tee,” Sam said, shouldering his gun. He, however, smiled at the group to show them he understood. The ODSTs all nodded, slid their helmets back on and hurried on their trek to the base, some carrying the wounded Resistance survivors from the previous skirmish. The soldiers humped heavy equipment rucks as well, from the looks.

Upon arriving at the outskirts of a less-damaged city, the group were greeted by a large school campus that had been reinforced. Parked outside, under a camo net, two military transport four-wheeler vehicles, what looked to be the ancient, rugged Humvees, sat. A mechanic worked on them, but she poked her head out and called, “Ay, Sam, what’s the-” only to freeze, her smile tapering off as she saw the ODSTs.

The Lieutenant and his troops all greeted the woman in a specific way, with Sam stating, “Kara sent our reinforcements…” as he grinned, “Don’t worry. I’m gonna talk to them, see if they mean business… But, considering they saved our asses from a platoon of Centurions…” then he turned to show the group to follow.

As they entered deeper into the school itself, they saw old decorations and the faint marks of shrapnel embedded into the steel lockers lining each wall. Samuel told them, “The nukes hit while we were hiking up the mountains nearby. Like I told Kara, the valleys and height pretty much saved us from the blasts and the fallout.”

“Damn lucky, I gotta say,” Holden spoke, “And now you went from some ball game captain to leading an entire Resistance force.”

“One hell of a job change,” The man nodded, “I learned on the fly how to prep ambushes and all that. Was lucky my team was willing to listen. A lot of us nearly broke down when we saw Delphi nearly turned to ash…”

“Understandably,” Another female ODST spoke, “I nearly went catatonic when I saw my home planet burn.”

“And yet you pulled through and kicked ass, Corporal,” The Lieutenant noted, then looked to the confused Samuel and told him, “This is Corporal Melissa MacKay. She’s one of my best fireteam leads and by fuck does she have a fiery temper when in combat. She manages to keep herself level-headed enough to command… Barely.”

“Fuck you, too, sir,” Sam could hear the smirk behind her helmet. She nodded to Samuel and told him, “Hope you kids don’t mind a demo expert. I gotta find targets to offload excess C12 into,” as she pat her rigid backpack. Samuel snorted, then showed them to follow. Entering another room, they found it to be a repurposed Geography class.

Inside, there were maps lining the walls and even the whiteboard, some marked, others not. A large table lay in the center, made up of the classroom’s desks, with several globes and system-related photos sitting side-by-side with a map of Caprica itself. There were radios in the far-left corner, currently being operated by a dark-skinned female with a shaved head, but the class was otherwise empty.

The glass panels had been replaced with steel reinforcements about an inch thick, with a couple of portholes to shoot out of, same as with every other window in the place. The Lieutenant spoke, “You’ve all been busy fixing this place up. Nicely defensible, one entrance at the front and the rear ones are protected, I assume?”

“We’ve got sentries 24/7 on every inch of the place,” The man nodded as he approached the table. The rest of the ODST Platoon gathered around, too, then took their helmets off as Jace and a few other higher-ranking Resistance members joined Samuel on his side. He breathed in, then sighed and started, “Look… I hope you understand that we think what just happened is…”

“Too good to be true and that there must be a catch,” Melissa spoke with a nod, running a hand through her hair, which was regulation short and gradient, going from black to a dirty blond at the tips. Her green eyes were locked with Samuel. She told him, “We know… We have a lot of talking to do before we go any further,” then she turned her head to the Lieutenant.

The man nodded, then asked Sam, “If you want me to start…?”

“By all means, enlighten us as to who our saviors are,” Samuel nodded, though he spoke with a combination of joy and wariness, understandable from a man thrust into the role of a leader for a whole different kind of sport. He seemed to know, because the entire ODST team could see the weight pressing down on Sam’s own shoulders.

The Lieutenant hummed, nodded, then pulled out a data chip from his helmet and a holographic device. He set the device down on the table and began, “As I said before… I’m Lieutenant James Holden, Sixth Platoon, Third Battalion, five-oh-first Orbital Drop Shock Division. I and my men and women are ODSTs. The psychotic bastards employed by our people to drop from perfectly good ships in egg-shaped titanium pods.”

As the group of Resistance members laughed nervously, the holographic display brought up the ODST emblem. A comet-shaped craft wreathed in flame, a red skull in the center and a ribbon down below, arcing down, with the letters ‘ODST’ written in bold golden lettering. He continued, “We are employed by the United Nations Space Command, a faction from Earth-”

“Wait, wait! Earth!? Kara and the Fleet found Earth ?!” Sam perked up, smiling ear-to-ear. He told them, “She came here first-hand to find the Arrow of Apollo. It means the damn thing worked and they found you all on Earth…!” with a few of his comrades shaking hands and laughing happily. They had a way to a new home.

“Two of the places. Or three, if there is really an Earth in this Galaxy here,” Melissa joked, causing the entire room of Resistance members to stagger. She looked at the Lieutenant as if asking permission, to which he nodded. She continued, “Kara and the Refugee Fleet were pursued with another Artifact on-board after they retrieved the start of a map to this Galaxy’s Earth. We’re not your Thirteenth Tribe…”

“How’s that possible?” Jace inquired, “You guys said it yourself, you’re human.”

“Yes, well, long story, related to an alien artifact,” The Lieutenant offered, “Said artifact brought us into contact with your Colonial Fleet and with two other friendly fleets, one formed of humans as well, and one of aliens… All within another Galaxy,” and before they could utter any sort of opposition, the man activated a replay of the first jump through the Star Road and the meetings.

Twenty minutes of footage of negotiations and all later, with all fears and opposition assuaged, the Lieutenant continued, “Our people have vouched to aid the Colonials, yourselves included, in finding and getting their people to a safe place. At the same time, we have orders to scout the Colonies, find any other technology that could potentially be related to the Star Road and kick some Cylon ass for good measure. There’ll probably be a bigger task force coming in as soon as we give enough info.”

Jace looked at them all for a moment, hummed, then smirked, “Frak, I’ll take it. So long as you throw in some of your guns so we can actually damage the Toasters,” only to pause as she saw an ODST pull up a comm device and a beacon of some kind. After a little back-and-forth, the Lieutenant gave a nod of approval and smirked.

“I have a feeling you just opened the channel, Jace,” Sam murmured, then sidestepped the table and watched as the Lieutenant and the others marched out toward the courtyard. Following them, the group found themselves in said courtyard, the place surrounded by the school’s main building. The Lieutenant walked past their Pyramid field and set the beacon down.

It unfolded into a small antenna which immediately powered on and started emitting. The Lieutenant spoke, “Activating sensors… We’re green. Looks like the tech the Red Horse gave us works just fine,” and turned to face Samuel and Jace. He told them, “This beacon’s linked directly via tightbeam to our stealth ships up in low orbit. The Cylon can’t see them on sensors or visually… And we just asked our boys to send down the packages.”

Overhead, jet engines droned and then roared. The Resistance members gasped as they looked up and saw a friendly aircraft appear out of basically thin air, a film of nothingness peeling back to reveal a black dropship with a lot of angles and a sealed cockpit. It touched down in the courtyard, with the Lieutenant smirking and adding, “Oh, this is our Stealth Pelican, too, by the way.”

“... Boss, I think I’m in love,” Jace murmured, staring up at the armored bird as it dropped off supplies:Boxes full of ammo, food and everything else. It looked like their new friends expected to be here a while, going by how the other ODSTs were already helping unload the gear. The Pelican itself lifted off, then gently disappeared above, as did its engine noise.

Sam had just told Jace not to look a gift horse in the mouth, he thought, but holy shit if these people weren’t already a tad more terrifying than your standard Cylons. He paused as the Lieutenant asked, “We have a direct link to command via the Com Buoys we dropped on the way over.  Hope you don’t mind if I find a quiet corner to contact them, give them the first report of our mission here.”

“... Feel free… Jace, show him a spot he can talk in,” The man ordered. Jace smirked, nodded and showed him to follow, while Samuel marched toward one of the boxes as it was popped open by an ODST. Namely, by the Corporal. She grinned, handed him a weapon butt-first, then led him away while the rest of the team started spreading the gear out.

Holy frak…

Haestrom

Shepard and her team dismounted from their dropship. This time, she decided to move slow and small, namely taking Garrus and the Blues with her to the incredibly strange surface of Haestrom. Carved into what seemed to be monumental slabs of stone that felt non-natural. She spoke, “So, the sun here’s burning hot…”

“This is gonna go well,” Garrus mumbled as he checked his rifle, “Let’s try not to step too much into the light, Shepard,” Then he turned over to the Spartans. Cortana flickered to life in John’s hand, the AI seemingly focusing on something, her entire body flaring with code and datastreams around them. He asked, “Something the matter, Cortana?”

“... I’m detecting some new presence here. Unknown, but obviously Geth,” The AI replied, “Let’s get moving. Eyes peeled for possible new Geth units…” and she disappeared back in Chief’s Gauntlet. The Spartans tensed, with Shepard sighing and ordering the team to move out as they walked through the gatehouse.

“ Commander !” Helo spoke, but his com sounded distorted.

Shepard put her hand up to her ear and said, “Shoot, Helo. I’m reading you three-by-five right now,” as they advanced through the gatehouse around them. They pushed up to the main gate while Shepard listened to garbled transmissions from the Pilot. She spoke, “You’re breaking up..! Yes, RTB If you can’t stay anywhere near us with the bird! We’ll be fine!”

“Problems?” Chief asked as he walked up next to the Commander.

She sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes, “Heavy radiation issues. They had a similar problem with their Raptors during their outbound trip from the Colonies and it seems that this particular Raptor wasn’t outfitted to deal with it,” then she murmured, “Which means we’ll fry like eggs on a hot skillet if we hang out in the sun too long. It’ll strip our shields first, then give us one nasty tan.”

“Don’t get skin cancer, folks,” Cortana joked. The Spartans sealed their armors properly, then activated an overshield addition while Garrus and Shepard laughed nervously. Both of them prepared their weapons and marched toward the gate, activating the seal and letting the massive steel slab peel back with a groan.

Ahead, a wide open area full of outcroppings, terraces and catwalks awaited them. As did a platoon of Geth troops and a Geth dropship flying in low and fast. It deployed another platoon of Geth, forcing the team to move, with Shepard calling out, “Watch your spacing and shoot to kill!” as she ran forward and took cover in the shadow.

Plasma rounds zipped over the Spartans’ and Garrus’s heads as they found cover in the shade, too, behind pillars of what looked to be beautifully-carved Granite. Chief was the first to pop out, his rifle barking as it met the first of a platoon of Geth. The hunched-over alien machine with three-fingered hands and splayed, long toes stepped forward, its bright central eye cam adjusting.

The burst caught it right in the eye, its barrier flaring. Chief fired another burst and put it down by breaching clean through, then gave hand signals to Blue Team. Linda activated a grappling system on her arm, firing it up toward a secure and shielded perch and setting up. Chief, Fred and Kelly, meanwhile advanced to Garrus.

Garrus looked up at Linda just as the first shot rang out and murmured, “Seriously, I need to get some of your gear!” 

Chief replied partially jokingly, “I think our quartermaster will sell some!” before he planted the butt of his rifle into a second Geth’s face. Bolts of plasma struck his shielding, forcing him into cover as it flared. He primed and threw a grenade while both Garrus and Shepard laughed and the explosive shockwave and shrapnel scrapped two more Geth.

Kelly advanced past them next, spryly jumping from one point of cover to the next as bolts singed and scarred the rocks, containers and other such items she was using as jump pads. She drew two plasma grenades, primed them and threw them both in separate directions in a wide arc. When they landed, she reached the leading enemy unit, pounced on it with her feet and stomped its head flat as she landed.

The grenades exploded, spraying plasma and cauterized Geth bodyparts all over the place as Kelly fired her shotgun, advancing parallel to an area where the light of the Haestrom Sun boiled away the ground and marked it with black spots. She took cover and waited for Fred to push up next, with Garrus and Shepard not far behind.

Shepard’s Mattock roared thrice and a Geth rocket trooper doubled over, keeled over, then dropped on top of his cover, his missile launching high into the ceiling and striking one of the pillars. Stone and sharp fragments rained down upon its siblings, but they returned fire quickly, plasma focusing down Shepard to the point her shields died in the first volley.

Her armor’s ceramics superheated and a round boiled through, but even as she groaned in pain, she rolled into the safety of cover. She administered medigel as Garrus beside her sniped an enemy unit and Linda, much farther behind, sniped another. The Turian looked back and gave a thumbs up to the woman, then looked at Shepard and asked, “How’re you doing?” with worry in his voice.

“Been worse…” She grunted, though it was obvious she was in pain. She wiped away tears when she thought nobody was looking, then shook her head and let her stripped barriers recharge. When they flashed back to life on her Heads-Up Display, she loaded a fresh thermal clip in her rifle and pushed forward with the Spartans, stating, “C’mon, Garrus, we gotta move! Cortana, forgot to say, but keep me apprised of the situation with that thing you mentioned!”

“Will do, Commander… I’m trying to track the contact, but the Sun’s interference is surprisingly potent,” The AI spoke as she powered on various systems in Chief’s suit to help bolster defense against Radiation. They continuously advanced, past and through areas with sunlight beaming down on their heads and past and through goddamned Geth.

“Part of me wishes we had more backup down here!” Garrus spoke as he sniped an enemy flying unit, a drone, mid-advance. Linda, who’d pushed up behind them, gave them a warning and displayed an image on their HUDs through a tight-beam connection, which seemed to be harder to interrupt. Casting a biotic blast next, Shepard looked at Garrus.

The Turian nodded, then pushed up next to Fred and said, “We’ve got incoming! Something big due North-North West, just there!” and pointing at an advancing platoon of Geth about a level below them on the Terrace. Fred nodded, probably already aware thanks to Linda. Speaking of the Spartan, her rifle rang out again and nailed another Geth heavy unit, this one a Prime, in the chest, staggering but not killing it.

Shepard barked, “Focus fire on the Prime!” while watching the red-clad Geth(which stood at about a Spartan’s size in height

As enough lead was poured down onto the beast-sized bipedal mechanoid, it staggered, its heavy weapon shot narrowly missing Shepard when it fired. Fred charged it, slamming headfirst into it and throwing it to the floor, then snapping its neck with the butt of his rifle. Shepard reminded herself on the daily that Spartans were nothing to fuck with.

As they pushed on further, Garrus remarked, “Hope whatever Tali and the Quarians were looking for in here was worth it!” then he opened a door to an alcove and paused as a dozen corpses, both Geth and Quarian Marines clad in heavy-duty combat and anti-rad gear, lay ahead of her. In fact, it wasn’t just Marines. Some were civvies…

“Christ,” Shepard murmured as they walked in. She motioned to Blue Team to secure the exit across from the way they came in, then began to scour the place with Garrus. 

He spoke, “I’m not seeing Tali here, thank the Spirits…” in a murmur. He knelt beside a corpse, gently flipped the dead woman onto her back, then sighed as he saw the bullet holes in her stomach and the one round that had punctured her mask, spraying it with blood and leaving a pool below her. He told Shepard, “Executed. The Marines fought back, but the Geth platoon was too much…”

“Let’s pray there’s more than this,” Shepard replied as she approached a console and started scanning for signals, boosting their own. She sighed deeply, mumbling, “C’mon, Tali, give us a sign,” before casting a glance at the Computer’s side screen. It flashed blue and Cortana appeared in her full holographic form.

The AI flipped a few switches and said, “We’re getting a broadcast. Friendly,” before she hit another button. The interference slowly began to resolve to actual, audible chatter, though even that seemed to be a bit broken for another few moments. The Commander prepared her rifle next, then nodded to Garrus.

“... Is sergeant Kal’Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines! My boys and I are currently being pinned down by a large Geth Contingent near the Motor Pool, but we have secured Tali’Zorah! If there’s any allied unit on this frequency, respond!” The voice of a Quarian Marine barked over the com as gunfire echoed. Shepard looked to the Blues and motioned for them to ready up at the door.

She picked up the com and said, “Sergeant Kal’Reegar, this is Commander Shepard. I’m groundside with my own team and we’re moving in to assist in retrieving Tali. Hold your position and wait for us to arrive,” before she motioned for the team to breach.

Cortana said, “They’re dead ahead of us in a depression. We’ll be in defilade from the Geth, so I’d suggest-scratch that! Geth Gunship, en-route! Move it or lose it!”

“Shit…!” Shepard swore, then radioed, “Reegar, we’ve got a Geth Gunship incoming! Check your twelve high!” as she led the team out. She drew her own heavy weapon, a rocket launcher, in hopes of shooting the enemy out of the sky. She staggered, however, when she saw the shrimp-like, grey Geth transport/fighter gently settling above the alcove the Quarians were fighting from.

Its main gun shifted toward the Quarians and charged as it prepared to fire, all while troops dropped and moved to engage Shepard and crew. The Commander ducked under heavy fire, swearing to herself as she, the Spartans and Garrus tried to get to Reegar’s platoon and get them out alive, but just as all hope seemed lost…

… Seven separate emerald plasma bolts struck the enemy fighter, cratering its armor as explosions blossomed across its entire body. The burst tore through the Geth ship with such violent beauty that it took the team a little to register it. The gunship then exploded violently, raining Shrapnel down onto the Geth below and clearing out the Quarian troops’ scopes for now, to their cheers.

They heard a familiar cheer over the Com, then General Ahsoka Tano spoke, “ Sorry, Commander ! It took me a hot second to get the girl in the air with all this interference !” as she flew in low and fast, her ion engines screaming in the atmosphere. She spoke on, “ I’ll be keeping you all covered from up here ! Go retrieve Tali !”

As they saw her dive after another Geth ship, Shepard smiled and said, “Thanks for the cover, General. We’re moving now…” before she descended with the team down to the Motor Pool and the Quarians. A red-clad Quarian Marine in heavy anti-rad infantry gear approached. He snapped a salute, to which Shepard saluted in kind and asked, “Sergeant Reegar?”

“That’s me, ma’am. If you’re looking for Tali’Zorah, she’s right this way,” He motioned, then added, “We dropped her off at the local observatory. Geth Platoons came in force for some reason… Don’t know what the hell they could be looking for here, cuz we haven’t found anything worth a damn on this rock ourselves aside from… Fresh tans.”

“That’s what we’re here to find out, Sarge,” Shepard murmured, “And if anyone’s gonna have answers…”

“Gonna be Tali,” Reegar admitted, “You’re her old Captain, aren’t you?”

“Was there when she was on her Pilgrimage, yeah. She was a great deal of help in dealing with Saren…” Shepard smiled, remembering the days when they were all two years younger, she hadn’t died and, for all intents and purposes, their first big Galaxy-saving adventure ended with all of them getting praises sung about them… And lies told about the enemy they fought. She sighed.

Garrus quipped, “And helped us keep our armors and guns in working order,” then looked back at the Spartans and smiled a little in his own Turian way as he said, “And I just realized she’s probably going to lose it for a few minutes when she sees the Spartans and everything else aboard our ship,” as distant starfighter cannon fire filled their ears.

“Glad to know she ran with good people,” Reegar spoke as they walked through the area, with the crew noting the injured. Shepard blinked, then knelt beside one of the wounded and checked her over, noting slash marks in her armor. She sighed and sprayed some Medi-Gel onto the wound. She patted her down, stood up, then hummed.

As Kal spoke to them, Shepard listened. The Spartans tensed, too, weapons at the ready, while Garrus, noting this, also prepared his weapon. The group gathered up, with Shepard whispering to the Marines, “New contact…” as she aimed. A thump, though muffled by nothingness, echoed, then… A ripple in the air.

Chief popped up first and delivered the butt of his rifle to the unknown machine’s face. It dented, staggering back as photoreactive panels peeled away, revealing a six-foot-tall warmachine, clad in steel plate and with sharp claws. A V-shaped eye glowed blue as it glared at the Spartan. It cocked its arm back and thrust toward Shepard…

Only to get shot down by Kelly, the Spartan emptying her shotgun tube on it, spattering (strangely enough) blood and steel shards. Reegar sighed in relief, stating, “Keelah, that bastard had been stalking us for the past few days…” as he pointed at it. The destroyed machine was black as night ,its eye fading out…

Shepard spoke, “... Reaper tech…” in a murmur as she looked over the damage. She spoke, “Geth modified by the Reapers. This isn’t good,” before she radioed, “ Normandy , Shepard. Get a dropship down for Mordin to check a new contact out. High priority,” and she pushed the mech with her foot. She said, “Get us to Tali.”

Entering the bunker, the group was surprised to see young Tali dead ahead of them, clad in a purple, black and gold, fancy Enviro-suit. She tapped a few more buttons and said, “Give me a minute. I…” only to pause as she saw Shepard in the reflection. She called out, “Shepard! The moment I heard extra gunfire…” only to pause as she saw the Spartans, “Keelah…”

Shepard smiled, “Yeah. Hey, Tali… We can talk when we’re aboard,” before pausing. Tali nodded, started sending some data via a transmission system, data on Haestrom. She nodded to Shepard as a dropship’s whirring engines echoed in the background. Tali blanked, eyes widening as she saw it wasn’t a normal Kodiak…

… This was gonna be fun to explain…

Chapter Text

Back aboard the Normandy, Tali had been given the rather obvious ‘welcome aboard’ by a mass of people she didn’t know, including a new Alien, a pilot-copilot pair for an electronic warfare dropship, a platoon of Clones and a four-man fireteam of supposed Supersoldiers wearing Power Armor that made even their gear seem obsolete in comparison, though with a certainly industrial and functional aesthetic.

Oh, yeah, Cerberus, too…

“... And that about sums up the events of what happened, Tali,” Shepard spoke, leaning onto the holo-table displaying a three-dimensional hologram of the SR2. The Quarian engineer was kind of excited to be back aboard. Said excitement obviously mixed in with the sights of the flat holographic screens floating around, showing the ships they’d made contact with from the Republic, Colonial Navy and United Nations Space Command.

“This is incredible…” The girl was practically bouncing like a puppy at the sight of all the new tech she’d get to study and send home about. She was sort of thankful that the Migrant Fleet had allowed her to join Shepard again, especially after she’d showed up working ‘for’ Cerberus. She stared at Jacob, the dark-skinned man that was a member of the shady organization, with distrust, but everyone else she could very easily get along with just on looks.

“We said the same. It was honestly kind of terrifying to see them at first,” Jacob spoke, turning his gaze toward the fireteam of four that was BLUE Team, all of whom she’d met on the ride from Haestrom. She had, however, never gotten their names. She just knew them by the ID tags that her HUD had somehow picked up.

Chief nodded to Jacob, then looked at Tali and explained, “Our people moved relatively fast to make sure nobody shot first,” while images taken from on-board the ‘Waystation’, the very place built by the factions for their meetings and guarded by a combined Naval Force numbering at least a hundred ships strong, floated in front of her.

“Luckily for all of us, yeah,” General Tano, the woman that had flown that incredible starfighter, added with a smile. She still seemed a bit rattled by the High-Gee maneuvers she’d pulled down there, fighting the Geth airpower to keep them safe, but she’d assured the Quarian that her inertial dampeners took the brunt of the turns.

While it was interesting to consider, her main question for all of them was, “And you are all currently cooperating…?” with the most innocent, calm tone of voice she could muster.

“Just about,” Helo nodded, looking at the girl. He continued, “Though there’s still a lot of stuff we’re still working to solve together, we’re pretty much holding hands,” as he pulled up footage of the Galactica working side-by-side with the UNSC’s naval forces and the Republic’s Venators. She looked old, but wore nearly the same colors as the Republic’s fleet.

“That’s good… You always had a way with words, Shepard,” Tali spoke rather happily, staring at his CO.

“Oh, this had nothing to do with me, heh,” The Commander seemed to appreciate the compliment, her face a tinge red as she rubbed the back of her neck. She then told Tali, “They all realized that three fleets that wound up in the middle of nowhere, one of which has only one military ship in its ranks, would be better off not blowing each-other to kingdom come.”

“Level-headed officers and leadership, among which we count you, too, Commander,” Ahsoka interjected, looking at Shepard and offering her own kind smile, “Helped keep things steady. The only issues we’ve had so far have been minor complaints from the Citadel Council after our ships raided a Batarian colony… In response to them raiding us first, mind you.”

“Huh. I guess they wouldn’t change even two years later,” Tali mumbled quietly, “Would also explain why you’re working ‘with’ Cerberus, mind the air quotes,” and she did, in fact, do the air quotes to signify ‘working with’. She wiped some muck from the side of her helmet, then looked around at the rest of the team.

“We’re already setting up our own embassies on the Citadel to discuss the issues they might have with us,” The General spoke, waving her platoon of Clones off. She sighed, then looked at Shepard and told her, “Pursuant to that, commander, I do have to report that the Warlord keeps urging us to get to Tuchanka already. Grunt’s also worrying me…”

“We’ve already set a course for it,” The Commander nodded, then looked at everyone and said, “Let’s get prepared and let Tali settle in. Dismissed…” she paused, looked at her old friend and smiled brightly, telling her, “And Tali? Welcome aboard,” with a hint of melancholy in her voice. 

“Glad to be back, Shepard,” Tali replied just as jovially.

Fred, after being told to by Cortana, or by Chief, presumably, asked, “Need help, ma’am?”

“I’d appreciate someone showing me the way to engineering…?” She raised a brow. Like it was said, Tali had never gotten the Spartans’ names, just the fact that they were with the team and they were friendly, but also kind of terrifying, going by the stories Shepard had told about them. Chief taking down a gunship on his own…

“Spartan 104, ma’am. Follow me,” Fred offered.

“Thank you…” Tali nodded, a bit shy.

“You sure you know the way, Fred?” Shepard quipped, grinning. She knew that reaction. Tali was the type of girl to react like that to someone she liked, obviously. The Commander made a mental note to keep tabs on that situation the same way she would on Jack and Fives. No reason to not let the kids have fun, especially since this was the one thing she could be lax about. Hell, if she wasn’t, they’d judge her when she inevitably… Nah, best not continue that thought.

“I’ve been on board long enough, Commander,” Fred replied calmly, “Not to mention Fives showing me the area because he and Jack were playing Sabacc,” and Shepard could hear the slight happiness behind the otherwise calm voice of the Supersoldier. Or, well, that was what she thought she was hearing. She’d have needed to inquire about it to Doctor Halsey.

Still, she couldn’t say no. She told him, “Heh. Was just kidding. Go ahead,” before leading the rest of the team out toward the CIC so they could talk about Tuchanka and their next objectives. Fred and Tali soon caught up with Blue Team nearby the elevator and took it together, with the young woman, who was much shorter than the Supersoldiers, staring up at the four.

“Cool, huh?” A disembodied female voice called as she connected to Tali’s suit, causing her to jump. She staggered, then looked around. The four Spartans, seemingly knowing who called out, simply stared at her while the ‘person’ that greeted her made her presence known on her HUD. An AI manifested itself, a human face, human hair and a human body, staring at Tali with a smile. The AI greeted, “Sorry for the scare, Tali.”

“... Okay, I got that we have an AI on board already, all thanks to Cerberus playing with fire,  but-...” Tali breathed, calming down, “Is… Who is this?” and she stared the AI dead in her blue, mechanical eyes, which, ironically enough, seemed so much more vibrant and full of life than she’d have thought possible.

“Cortana. Chief’s personal AI,” Fred told the girl as he hit the button for the descent. The elevator’s doors slowly closed and it began to move down slowly due to the weight limit of… Approximately four five hundred kilogram Supersoldiers being stuck on the same elevator as a dainty young Quarian in a maybe 5 kilogram suit with her own added maybe sixty-seven kilograms?

Regardless, AI. An AI that could hack into her suit. Panic .

“She’s helped us out of quite a few binds and she’s loyal,” Spartan-087 Reassured her, her own voice mildly kinder than that of what she assumed to be normal Spartans, all while the team’s sniper, ho looked like a Spider for all intents and purposes and was giving Tali the creeps, stared at them. She chose to not acknowledge that one and instead focus on ‘Cortana’.

So the girl uneasily greeted, “I see… Hello?” again, all while staring at the AI with her bright, shining eyes from behind the fog of her gas mask. The woman-err… AI… Seemed kind enough going by her smile and the way her avatar seemed to visibly relax when she was finally acknowledged, but Tali’s internal instincts were going off, simply because she could shut down her suit’s systems…

“Hey. Again. Don’t worry, I’m as friendly as they come,” Cortana smiled, probably detecting her elevated heart rate. Her suit’s systems were giving her ample warning about that, too. Could she really be blamed, though? She was meeting combat-capable AIs, human supersoldiers, Clones, a  whole new alien species in General Tano… And her dead former Skipper.

“I see that… I suppose you and EDI are friends?” She decided to ask, breaking the ice.

“We’re getting to know each-other, yeah,” The AI shot back calmly as she pulled up some suit diagnostics right in front of her, as if she was trying to prove that she wasn’t hostile. Her suit’s climate system, which had been uppity until recently and causing her to get both warmer and colder at random, was suddenly fixed by some in-software adjustments. Something she could feel the moment she tried breathing, the cool air inundating her lungs and causing her to relax.

“Wasn’t that long ago that you suggested we take EDI’s shackles off,” Chief added quietly as the elevator gently continued its trip down. For it being only a couple of levels below the CIC and Bridge, it was surprising that this thing was taking as long as the standard Citadel Elevators back in the day, honestly…

Wait a damn minute, “WHAT?!” Tali barked.

“Relax,” Cortana chuckled, then rubbed the back of her neck and explained, “I trust EDI, which I know may not mean much to someone who went through basically the same thing the Colonials did, but…” she shrugged. The fact she was defending some of her choices almost like a living being caused Tali to blink, stunned.

She spoke, “I-It’s fine… I’m just surprised at how prevalent AI has suddenly become,” Which got a hum and a nod from the AI. She then asked, “Do the UNSC use your kind a lot?” while making a mental note to actually ask about the Colonials later. Namely ask Helo about their situation, seeing as he was one of the two Colonials on board.

“Smart AI?” The AI asked almost rhetorically. She replied,  “Yep. We’re pretty common across UNSC space, especially for ship combat duties or, in this case, serving with Spartans. I and Chief have been a team for nearly a decade now,” and she pinged the Spartan’s IFF tag on Tali’s Heads-Up Display. She saw the firmware was getting updated.

“Oh. Interesting…” The girl replied, a bit more giddy that Cortana was actually proving to be a nice AI. EDI, meanwhile, was a bit too robotic for the moment, though given enough time aboard the Normandy, she’d get used to it. The elevator dinged, stopping and allowing the Blues(sans Fred) and Tali to say Goodbye, with Cortana giving her a wink and disappearing off her HUD after the Firmware update was complete.

Quietly, she followed Fred through one of the doors, looking down upon the Hangar which contained the Clone Dropship, General Tano’s starfighter, the Raptor EWAR craft and the Kodiak dropship assigned to the custom Stealth Vessel that she was gonna be working off of. She was glad that the Admiralty Board had also agreed to drop her off here…

Upon entering the core, she noticed the control consoles, the multiple injector systems and the core itself, sealed behind armored bulkheads and with its own diagnostics console. Fred told her,  “This is Engineering, ma’am,” as he motioned to the place. The two engineers beside them both smiled, then the man let out a low whistle. His partner, however, whacked him over the head.

Though confused by the sudden outburst, Tali decided to focus on the man in MJOLNIR, telling him, “Thank you…” before she fiddled with her three-fingered hands and asked awkwardly, “I don’t suppose I could ask you for help, should I need anything else?” all while she stared right into his own visor, noting that she couldn’t see any part of the man’s face.

“Feel free. You’ll find me and the others on the deck below,” Fred replied, calmly nodding his head.

“Alright… Well, thank you again, Lieutenant,” The girl spoke as innocently as she could. She hummed, then asked, “Do you have an actual name? I prefer to refer to people by their names,” garnering a laugh out of one of the two engineers, the female one, who mumbled something about Tali being ‘smooth’, only to get another quiet comment from her male comrade… And slap him upside the head. 

“... Fred,” The Spartan introduced himself, choosing to ignore the obvious issues…

“Good to meet you, Fred. Just call me Tali,” She replied kindly, “None of this ‘ma’am’ stuff. I’m not high-ranked, nor old enough for it,” and the Spartan could see the faint smile formed behind the fog of her own helmet. He seemed to pause for a moment, registering that the girl’s attitude toward him changed a bit…

“Sure… I’ll be going…” He nodded, then walked off.

In the CIC, Shepard and Miranda sat, watching the Galaxy map continuously updating in front of them with new communiques and requests from the various factions. Shepard was about to ask her Executive Officer something, but her com system rang. She opened her omni-tool and spoke, “Shepard here. Go ahead.”

“ Commander, ” Chief spoke over the com, “ Doctor Halsey requested that we await her arrival before landing on Tuchanka. She said she found something in this specific Star Road Terminus’s database that pointed to the DMZ. The artifact is potentially made by either the Forerunners, or the makers of the Star Road itself and she thinks it might give us some answers to why our Galaxies were linked. She wants us and you to provide her with an escort. ”

“Tell Doctor Halsey we’ll be meeting her there, then, Chief,” Shepard replied. She and Chief gave each-other a quick, respectful salute, then the com shut off. The Commander then hummed and stated, “A whole lot of new requests coming in, whole lotta personal stuff and not a lot of time. Any news from the Data EDI pulled from the Collector vessel…?”

“The Illusive Man’s agents are still deciphering it,” Miranda replied calmly as she watched the ship’s three-dimensional model gently gliding across the Galaxy Map’s three-dimensional framework. She added, “It seems they got some sort of aggravatingly adaptive encryption scheme,” and she shrugged, “One that’s taking even our best decoding VIs time to parse through.”

“EDI complained about something similar, too,” Shepard hummed, “Maybe the Reapers figured we have Cyber Warfare capabilities exceeding local standards at this point, thanks to Cee-tee and EDI, and they’re just adapting their troops…” before she blinked, her mind recalling something. She told Miranda, “I should go check on Mordin’s progress with that Droid.”

“Feel free, Commander,” The woman replied, “I’ll be heading to my office.”

“Of course. Keep me posted on whatever the Illusive Man decides to give us,” Shepard smiled. The two women waved at each-other, then departed. Shepard smiled at Kelly, too, patted her on the shoulder, then stepped off. It was honestly interesting just how quickly she’d gotten used to Miranda being her XO. The two women went from being at each-other’s throats to decent work-mates in a very short time-span.

Regardless of that, Shepard thought as she entered the small corridor between CIC and the Lab, it was better this way. Miranda was a good person and a kind woman. No reason to hate on someone for doing their job… Especially not with the Clone troops aboard having similar control chips. Thank the Maker she didn’t, though.

She let that thought go as she entered the Lab, noting the weird pseudo-Geth Corpse laying on the operating table, behind electromagnetic shielding. It’d been opened up, revealing more of the internals, its photoreactive camouflage panels splayed across the table, too. It looked far too human to be Geth, though. A hand with five, sharp, skeletal fingers stained by dried Quarian blood, guns attached to the wrists with now-exposed ammunition feeds… 

The blue, glowing tubules, the synthetic flesh and all that, however, gave her an uneasy feeling. Like the Reaper technology inside it was trying to reach out and touch her. She approached the monster, staring right  into its V-shaped visor, gazing at its strange, grill-like, mouthpiece and at the armor on its body, in some parts reinforced, in others stripped away both by gunfire and by design.

She saw Mordin by a console farther back, then cleared her throat. The Salarian doctor perked up, turned around and smiled brightly, as he was prone to do, “Ah, Commander. Just in time! Was finishing first batch of analyses on our new friend!” before he approached the woman. She stared, surprised, at the alien man as he said, “Incredible piece of machinery…”

“It looks weird,” Shepard murmured, then asked, “What kind of new Geth is it?”

“Geth? Not Geth,” Mordin shook his head, causing the Commander to double over. The Salarian STG spec spoke, “Machine externals do not match Geth manufacturing. Specialization as stealth unit only superficially similar. Combat parameters, height and weaponry, between Infiltrator units and Primes, but nothing beyond convergent evolution and Reaper-assisted modification.”

Shepard raised a hand, “Slow down. If it ain’t Getht, then what the hell is it?”

Mordin hummed, then shrugged, “Don’t know.”

“What!?” Shepard blanked, “How can you not know?”

“Never seen design before,” The man replied, “Aside from obvious Reaper ‘enhancements’,” he motioned broadly at the machine’s form, “Nothing familiar. Ammunition is cased, high-velocity penetrators. Not fully magnetically propelled, but assisted by high-yield chemical propellant. Able to pierce ceramic plates. Claws reinforced with Titanium alloy… Most damning about lack of link to Geth aside from wider design basis?” 

He showed Samantha to get closer, then pointed at the internals. The synthetic skin and bits. She blinked, noticing familiar shapes within, mixed with both Reaper and other technology. Mordin continued, “Possible reference from Husks? Reaper technology, nanites found inside. Inert, but… Within blood , Shepard. Living tissue .”

He showed her a petri dish with congealed, blue-tinged scarlet blood and Shepard nearly gagged as she realized  the implications. Mordin continued, “See…? Alien machine, internal organs. Bio-technology, akin to Reaper technology, but stranger, worse,” then he walked over to the other side of the table and retrieved something strange, an almost almond-shaped device. He lifted it and showed it to her, “Restraint device. Disables higher central processing functions of machine brain… Can’t think. Operates on orders.”

“... So, it’s a Reaper-corrupted biomechanical…” Shepard murmured, staring at the corpse as her mind started to swim with possible theories ranging from new Reaper toys, to maybe the Colonials’ own rebel droids. She asked, “Where the hell did it come from? Is it something they previously subsumed and just decided to deploy now, specifically because they know we’ve gotten some backup? Or is it much older than that and the Collectors just pulled it out of the metaphorical ass-end of some Reaper warehouse?”

“No,” Mordin shook his head, “Too modern. Recent? Not really, but close enough. Technology familiar, but different. Perhaps Doctor Halsey can tell more. If not her, maybe Doctor Baltar…? No, no, too busy. Too… Offputting.”

“Good thing we’re gonna meet Halsey above Tuchanka,” Shepard nodded, “I’ll ask her to come aboard the moment we get… There…” She paused as she saw Mordin’s face almost imperceptibly shift to what she could swear was fear . He looked relaxed the very next moment, though, even smiling at the girl. She chose to ignore that for now, stating, “You’re also gonna have to tell me what you want down there the moment I’m done ‘fixing’ Grunt.”

“Of course… Will talk when we’re there. Otherwise, wish to focus on learning more of this creature,” Mordin spoke, jabbing a thumb back toward the alien. Shepard nodded approvingly, then bid a quick goodbye.  She figured it was a decent idea to immediately go check in on Grunt and Okeer, make sure they weren’t about to punch a hole through the hull…

Colonial One

Roslin would never get truly used to the jumps, but at least they were making headway toward the rumored location of the Quarian Migrant Fleet. The regime was ‘jump three times, wait approximately thirty minutes for refueling, jump again’. They’d been at it for the past three hours, aiming for a system that was designated by the Systems’ Alliance and the Citadel as ‘Raheel-Leyya’.

She stretched her arms out above her head, feeling her aging vertebrae snap gently into place as she straightened herself out. She’d ironed out her environmental suit specifically so as to not offend the Quarian dignitaries that might come aboard, or make them sick, Gods forbid. She yawned, rubbed her eyes and took her glasses off, before asking, “Billy, did we buy those Dextro-Aminoacid foods…?” as she set her tablet down.

“Yes, madam President,” Billy, in all his youthful exuberance, replied kindly. He also smiled awkwardly as he added, “We’re already setting them up in the meeting room, which we’ve thoroughly disinfected maybe five separate times along with the rest of the ship,” whilst carrying his own personal touchscreen tablet with a checklist visible on the screen.

“Thank you…” The woman sighed, tired. She leaned back into her leather chair and looked at the closed bulkhead door that separated them from her ‘office’ and the future meeting area. She could even hear the staff, clad in their space suits, cleaning and setting up everything so it looked nice and welcoming for the Quarians.

“You should get some sleep while you can,” The boy suggested, seeing the bags under her eyes. He told her, “I feel like we’re going to be chatting with the Quarians for a while and they’ll need you at a hundred percent,” with his usually-innocent desire to help behind every word. The young man was more of an adopted son than presidential aide at this point.

“While I appreciate the suggestion,” She chuckled, straightening out her hair, then continued, “I’m afraid that this greeting speech needs to be perfect if we’re to make a good impression on an otherwise insular people,” before she lifted the tablet. Attached to the speech ‘sheet’ was a picture of the Quarians, clad in their ornate environmental suits.

“And it’ll help with your re-election campaign, heh,” Billy chuckled a little, but the thought of those seemed to turn Roslin a little sour.

“Believe me, Billy, despite their proximity, the Elections are the last thing on my mind right now,” She told him, interlacing her fingers together and setting her hands on her desk, “Ignoring the mass of issues presented by running talks between four different variations of mankind and four different militaries, we’ve gotten combined complaints from aboard the other delegates we’ve brought with us aboard the Galactica , many of them being concerned over the fact we’re bringing a military ship to a meeting with a people that’s supposed to be peaceful…”

“Commander Adama and Colonel Tigh are calming them down. The only problematic one is-” He was about to mention a certain famed ‘terrorist-turned-politician’ that everybody oh-so-loved(sarcasm ahoy) aboard the fleet, but the woman unclasped her fingers and made a sideways cutting motion with her right hand to make him quiet down.

“I know,” She simply told him.

The boy took the hint, shrugged and changed his choice of words to, “... Plus, the Quarians aren’t going to be exactly harmless…” while bringing up files on the massive strength of the entire Quarian Migrant Fleet. 50,000 vessels were nothing to scoff at, honestly. Even if a good lot of them were mostly civilian in origin.

“Indeed. Quite the opposite…” The President sighed, pinching her brow. She rubbed her temples again, took a sip of water from a nearby glass, then coughed a little, scratching at a certain spot pertaining to a certain disease she had that nobody else truly knew about. Truth be told, she hoped that maybe one of the sides they picked would find a cure.

She was still on the fence…

“To think they’re not that different from us…” Billy mumbled, looking at the sheer numbers.

“They got to keep millions of their own,” Roslin stated, mildly sad as she looked at the whiteboard, which she’d brought from within the meeting space just so that the numbers weren’t wiped away with the cleaning. She whispered,  “We only have maybe thirty thousand people left overall from our homes. Billions more from the UEG and Alliance, rather obviously, but…”

“Yeah…” The boy replied, well aware of their predicament. He also added, “At least we have a number of homes to pick from now, right?”

Roslin offered a kind smile at that. “Indeed,” She chuckled, then sighed, clapped her hands together and stated, “Back to the speech,” before lifting her tablet and starting to write away with an electronic stylus again. She ordered, “You go to sleep a little, Billy. I, Commander Adama and miss Dualla will need you at a hundred percent,” before giving him a knowing smile.

“Heh… Of course. Thank you,” Billy stammered a little, blushing, but he bowed out of the place after bidding a quick goodbye. A handsome boy with a beautiful young woman that also had a career in the military. She couldn’t help but think of how glad she was that these kinds of relationships could still be formed aboard the Fleet.

“Sleep well,” She mumbled, turning her gaze back to the tablet.

Chapter Text

There was an uneasy shift in the Normandy’s drive field as Joker flew them over to their next intended target. He sighed as he saw a flicker in the core, then radioed, “Tali, hope you ain’t messing with the settings down there! Ken and Gabby just got the old girl purring again yesterday!” all while EDI and Cortana kept chatting.

Notably, the Enhanced Defense Intelligence had multiple ears and sets of eyes across the entire ship. She was focused on the people around, with Cortana also helping her supervise the ship. The UNSC AI was amazing, highly advanced, almost a one-to-one recreation of a human psyche attached to her starship as a supplement for her own EWAR Capabilities. 

She was swimming in basically a sea of data, but was restricted to what was tantamount to a kiddie pool. Cortana, in her infinite wisdom, kept her company within the pool, though she could swim out at a whim. Although EDI wasn’t sure why she was using earthly, human-fitting idioms, being a formless AI that only presented itself as female, she appreciated the mental image.

Cortana, for all her sass and oddity as an AI, retained the attitude of a human being. Sure, she certainly did not view herself as one, but she preferred to think she was only a human temporarily stuck in the Digital Realm. EDI wasn’t that different from her, so, they were keeping each-other company ‘till they got bodies.

Admittedly, ‘not that different from one-another’ was an overstatement of their similarities to both AIs’ logical processing. EDI was a genuine, programmed system enhanced via some foreign, perhaps alien code, while Cortana was born of the scan of a human brain, that of Doctor Halsey, and upgraded to be more suited to her role as electronics support.

It was for these particular sets of reasons that the two Intelligences spared a glance every so often at Doctor Solus, the man continuously working on the alien biomechanical horror to determine what the tissue was from. Cortana mumbled, “That thing’s freaking me the hell out…” as she brought up the Data Mordin was writing into the shipboard research directory.

“I concur…” EDI replied tersely, ‘staring’ through the cameras. Cortana’s form allowed for a direct interpretation. The AI was ‘staring’ at the holographic screen that floated ahead of them in the pool, her humanoid frame facing it with her own eyes directly locked on. EDI, meanwhile, saw through the ship…

Cortana took her eyes off the cam for a minute and said, “Relax. We’ve got it under six separate layers of security and I modified patrol rosters so that one member of Blue Team’s always present in the CIC and Lab area… If that thing wakes up at all, which I doubt going by the structural damage, it’ll have to contend with a Spartan.”

“I don’t need to ‘relax’, Cortana,” EDI shot back, still deadpan as ever, “My duty aboard this ship is to maintain the crew’s safety and the continued operation of the ship…” and she did another scan of the hostile stealth combat mechanoid. She sighed, thankful that the activity was subsiding slowly. She sighed deeply, “I can, however, appreciate the help…” as she saw the UNSC AI stare at her.

Cortana nodded in understanding, then turned her own gaze back to the machine at hand. If it was from neither of their universes, then how did it get here? It was in no way from the Republic’s galaxy, as the General and her Clones did not recognize it. The only other people that weren’t asked were Helo and his co-pilot, both of whom were a tad busy at the moment.

Regardless of that, the two AIs continued their virtual patrol of the Normandy and her systems, making sure everything within was running as smoothly as possible. Meanwhile, the flesh-and-blood crew continued doing their own thing. Jesse had called up Jester Squad for a specific mission:Properly mapping out the warship.

“Figured it’d be a good idea to fully learn the girl,” The man spoke to his troops, “So, move in pairs, get us details on the ship and report back here the moment you’re done. Fall out. Fives, you’re showing Bold engineering. We’ll take the rest of it sans the Commander’s room,” before the teams formed up and headed out under the watchful games of General Tano.

Bold hummed, then said, “Beats being stuck with guard duty near that weird clanker the Spartans put down,” as he and Fives took the elevator up with the team. Fives nodded in agreement as the lift started, then stopped, allowing them out onto the deck. Bold himself said, “So, you and that chick, Jack… How’s that workin’ out?”

“She’s nice,” Fives snorted, then shrugged, “When she doesn’t have an urge to plaster anything that pisses her off against a wall, she’s…” and paused. A small smile crossed his lips, though it was concealed by the helmet. He told the man, “She isn’t that different from us, in some ways. She says she’s gonna talk to Shepard about something she wants to deal with.”

“And lemme guess, brother. You’re gonna be on the team going down to whatever that is,” Bold stated, patting the man on the shoulder. Fives nodded in approval as they walked over to the right-side door, the garbage disposal and Zaeed’s room. There, they found Massani maintaining his rifle.

He perked up as soon as he saw them and said, “Ah, the bloody same-faces,” with a smirk on his face. He was friendly enough as he asked,  “You folks lost?” before lifting up a bottle of some sort of alcohol as if he was offering some to them. Obviously, drinking on duty was kind of forbidden and the General probably wouldn’t appreciate it…

Fives shook his head, “Just exploring, Zaeed. Enjoy your drink in peace,” and he showed Bold to follow. Zaeed hummed, nodded, then turned back to tending to his rifle. They walked over to the other side, heard heavy commotion and realized neither really had their blasters to reel in the Krogan. After an exchange of concerned looks, the two decided to move away and walk toward the actual engineering area.

Entering it, they found Tali typing away at one of the consoles, speaking to Joker, “... I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything. I did detect the Spike, though, and Gabby and Ken are currently investigating it,” before she cast a glance at the two. They were below the catwalk, having removed one of the grate catwalk panels to get down to the lower level conduits.

Ken spoke, “Aye think we found what it was, Tali! Looks like a small movement in one of the couplings caused the Ol’ Girl to shift a little! It’s nothin’ big!”

“And they just told me it’s nothing major,” Tali spoke, before calling out, “Thank you, Ken!” as she wrote up the report. She heard the footsteps of the soldiers behind her and turned about, before blinking. She told Joker, “Looks like General Tano’s soldiers came for a visit, Joker. Let Ken and Gabby work. Bye,” then fully turned, greeting them with a wave, “Hello.”

“Ma’am,” Fives spoke as he took his helmet off. He offered a kind smile to the woman, then looked down while Bold removed his own helmet, revealing his bald head and the Z6 Tattoo on his cheek. Clones with that weapon really loved painting the gun on either their bodies or their armors. Bold himself had an odd set of drawings, ranging from echelons to the three dots on the left side of his chest that used to denote the rank of an officer, now mostly acting as kill tallies.

“Sorry for the scare,” Bold quipped. He walked over to the grate and looked down, asking, “You two need some help down there!?”

“We’re good, but- EUGH !” The female, Gabby, gagged, then cried out, “CHRIST, KEN!” before her hand shot out from the darkness, “GET ME THE FECK OUTTA HERE!” and Bold lifted her out. She coughed, rubbing her nose and mumbling, “Aye’m never lettin’ you have Rupert’s haggis again, ya rank bastard!” before both she and Ken burst into laughter.

Bold blinked, confused, leaned forward and took a sniff, before covering his mouth and nose and letting out an, “Aww, Kriff me, man, what died in your stomach!?” only for the laughter to intensify. Fives and Tali also joined in on the laughs, with the Clone Trooper suddenly feeling the wafting winds from below. He gagged, covered his mouth and laughed, too.

“‘Course the bloody Quarian laughs,” Gabby snorted, “She’s got an enviro-suit… Practically immune to low southern winds like Ken’s arse can produce. Best never let this man eat anythin’ like beans on toast. He’ll be gassin’ this entire room worse than ever. ‘Course, Tali’s nae gonnae mind, considering her suit, but…”

“Gonnae no dae that…” Ken chuckled as he climbed out, a bit green in the face, too. He spoke, “Wires are right bastards, though,” and motioned to the stuff below that the had to repair. Untangled some wires, rearranged a couple of pipes and all. The man gently placed the grate back down and tightened the screws at each corner before turning to face the clones. He told them, “Not gonnae lie, lads, I never thought aye’d actually live to see clones…”

“Their accents remind me of Cutup,” Fives mumbled, scratching the right side of his head as memories of his old team flooded back into his mind, a collage of the boys, their training on Kamino, the subsequent fight to save Rishi and the loss of, Cutup and Hevy and so on. He smiled a little, then looked at Tali and asked, “Getting acclimatized, ma’am?”

“Like I never left the original Normandy . Even the sounds, or lack thereof, are the same,” The girl spoke rather jovially, “Though the company’s obviously new. Ken, Gabby and you all are… I mean, it’s… Keelah, it’s incredible to even think that there are three other Galaxies that are all habitable and now linked to ours.”

“Wait ‘till you hear about the FTL Drives,” Snorted Fives. Tali visibly grew excited, eyes widening, before the man told her, “Oh, right. Guess the Commander didn’t get to tell you. We, the Colonials and UNSC don’t use the same FTL Drives you all have. Element Zero’s basically non-existent in all three Galaxies.”

“... I have to get to the Waystation now,” Tali stated very matter-of-factly, staring at the men, though the attempt to conceal just how excited she’d become failed, because her voice cracked very, very audibly. It was almost kind of cute, going by how she was trying not to jump up and down. It was a terrifically adorable sight.

And the reason the boys decided to stick around the place for a bit.

In the meanwhile, Commander Shepard had decided her next best course of action was to go talk to Garrus about how he’d feel in regards to calibrating light turbolasers. When they got back to the Waystation to rearm and refuel, that was. She honestly didn’t know what to think about all the people they were picking up, but she also felt like they were gonna pick up several more when they got to Tuchanka.

Honestly, at this point, she’d seen just about everything the universe could throw at her, from new aliens, to new allies, to whole new enemies. If she’d got another new person to back her butt up here, she’d frickin’ take it. Hell, she might get Rupert to make them cookies. It’d be kind of funny, though it was also very unlikely.

Entering Garrus’s little hidey-hole, Shepard watched the man checking out a Clone weapon. She smirked and said, “Did you read my damn mind or something…?” as she walked up to him. His mandibles moved to mimic a human smile the moment he turned his head to face her. She leaned against the wall in front of him as he set the gun down on the nearby workbench.

Garrus joked, “Figured it’d be nice to see what all the fuss is about with these Blasters. Ionized gas fired out of a central chamber. Not too different from some of the prototypes the Geth have been shooting at us with, but these do pack on hell of a punch,” before motioning to the weapon itself, a sleek, black design with an extendable stock, but lacking iron-sights. It seemed to have a holographic one, though.

“How many shots per cell?” The Commander inquired, approaching the table. She picked up the weapon and found it weighing about the same as their standard weapons, minus the gas cell that lay off to the side, detached from the weapon. She picked up the cell and examined it, a thick box with a red, glowing light noting how much ammo it still had.

“According to even General Tano? Somewhere around 550,” The man spoke. He was clearly impressed by the standard weaponry of the Republic, alright. So was she, now that she looked upon it. For something so compact to carry so many rounds, someone must’ve done some black magic. That, or plasma-based weaponry truly was the future.

She whistled, “Damn. And they can punch through our shields pretty easily,” Then quipped, “No wonder Jack likes this thing,” as she gently picked it up, looking it over and noting the rear receiver had actual kill tally marks on it, with maybe two dozen kills to this blaster weapon’s name alone. She smirked.

“Heh. Yeah. I bet it has more to do with who gifted it to her, if you catch my meaning,” Garrus joked, gently elbowing Shepard. The two laughed, but Garrus tilted his head a little to the right, to the sight of a disturbance in the air beside them. A slight flicker that Shepard soon recognized and grinned as she looked at Garrus.

“You been keeping tabs on Kasumi, by the way?” She then asked, arms crossed. She gave him a wink.

He cleared his throat, shrugged and said, “Yeah. She’s uh… Snooping,” before he mumbled, “Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was right behind us,” as he cast a quick glance back at the flickering umbra. The Commander and the Archangel stared at one-another, letting a moment pass to see if Kasumi would say anything.

“No, I’m not…” The famed thief whispered through her cloak, causing them both to snort as she decloaked. She crossed her arms to her chest, smiling a little at the exchange that was going on while also being relatively embarrassed that she got caught, going by the faint flush on her cheeks. She waved.

“Of course. Gonna come talk to you later, Kasumi,” The Commander snorted.

They were still in transit. Might as well keep themselves busy, she thought.

“Okay, Shep! Lookin’ forward to it!” Only Kasumi’s hand emerged out of the cloak, showing that the woman clad in active optical camo was giving her a thumbs-up. Moments later, she disappeared from the area, her presence no longer really ‘felt’ by the two. She had a bad habit of really being worse than even the Illusive Man’s cameras.

“She really oughta stop doing that,” Shepard mumbled, then set the blaster rifle down with a grin. She figured it might’ve been a good idea to send a ping over to the Republic, see if they could buy some of these weapons legally for their own travels. Them or the UNSC, considering just how much Garrus seemed to like the SRS-99.

“She’s helped remove the surveillance stuff here and in her cabin, so…” The Turian shrugged. They saw a pair of Clone Troopers walking through the crew area and waved at them. The two men snapped-to, saluting both the Commander and the Archangel, before they continued their trip. According to EDI, they were just learning the place.

“I’m gonna ask her to do that in other parts of the ship,” Shepard returned to the subject of Kasumi. Like, yes, she knew Cortana was probably also dealing with removing or appropriating the listening devices on board for their own good. Each member here had their own reason to be aboard, though Shepard needed to figure them out.

“Anyways. Came here for a reason, Shepard?” Garrus asked more as an obvious joke than anything. He knew her. She liked checking up on her crew and he deeply appreciated whenever she showed up. Two years after her death and everything had turned out more bleak than Garrus had even thought of, then she came back to save him. A good view of how it felt to see Shepard again was taking a page from a religious book of humanity about the leading figure in it rising from the dead.

Garrus wasn’t religious, but the analogy felt fitting, considering Shepard was who she was…

“Just to check in and see what you’re up to, as usual,” She replied in her nonchalant way, giving her old friend a shrug. Neither said what they really wanted to say here. Garrus had too much on his plate right now, what with his Contacts continuously updating him on something he wanted to know. He’d tell her that then.

“Well,” He chose to speak instead of his standard behavior, stating, “I’ve been putting in a lot of hours to properly calibrate the big gun we have aboard, buuut I think I’m doing just fine. Keeps my mind at ease… Especially since it’s Turian tech,” and he turned back to the console, his right hand shaking a little as he typed.

“Want to talk about it?” Shepard asked, having noticed he was apprehensive. Spirits dammit, Garrus thought, how could the woman who came back from the dead even have the processing power to focus on helping anyone else? If it was him, he’d have screamed his lungs out by now at realizing they’d defied death.

“... Not for now, no,” He replied calmly. He then turned to face her, tilting his head slightly as a show of letting his guard down, then told her, “I’ll send you a message when I’ve got something more concrete to talk about…” which seemed to pique Shepard’s interest. Understandable, he thought. That woman was nothing if not persistent.

“Alright. Door and inbox are always open, especially for old friends,” She offered with a smile, her cheeks a faint red. He had to take a pause and a breather, avoiding eye contact. If Turians could blush, he’d probably be red in the face right now, but thank the maker for them being raised on Palaven with all the radiation that entailed.

The Turian cleared his throat, nodded in thanks and replied, “Thanks, Shepard. Same here,” before turning back to his console. He could hear her walk away, then the door shut behind her. Sighing deeply, he rubbed his eyes and mumbled, “Show yourself, Sidonus…” as he opened another haptic interface window to his right, one showing the messages from his contacts…

Caprica

Much to the surprise of the Caprican Resistance, the UNSC wasn’t here just for show. Underground, in the school’s basement, the UNSC Navy Engineer Corps, the Construction Battalions or ‘SeaBees’, worked tirelessly to hollow out deeper underground hallways and rooms for the sake of creating a safe base of operations.

Among them were small machines designed specifically for this type of work. Construction Optimization/Rescue Guide Improvement units, or CORGIs, were small, tracked droids specifically designed to help in constructing the underground facilities that the UNSC tended to employ as bases of operation.

Armed with drills, saws, specialized shovels and other important materiel meant to help in the construction and supported by the CB units that utilized them, the wedge-shaped Dumb AI-driven machines worked without fear or tiredness, digging and reinforcing tunnels and rooms below the place with ease.

Sam watched one of the little guys gently climbing up a slope that would act as the stairwell leading to the second level, moving to replace a broken drillbit. The SeaBee supporting it moved it to one of the repurposed storage rooms nearby to replace said tool, then sent it back out and down the slope again. He told Sam, “Little guys are one hell of an improvement.”

“Why the hell do Stealth Ships have construction units aboard…?” Was really all Sam asked.

The man with a white hardhat on smirked and said, “You never know when you’ll need to dig a fighting position or a new bunker,” before motioning toward the underground facility they were building. He then put his hands on his hips and murmured, “Though I don’t know why the hell they think we’re gonna be sticking around here long enough to… Eh, nevermind.”

“Nah, go on,” Sam spoke. The SeaBee, a corporal, craned his head toward Sam, surprised and the Caprican man told him, “Figured I should listen to the people who saved our asses. It’s the least I can do with all of you, even if you’re… Y’know, from an alternate version of the Thirteenth,” with a level voice and honesty in his words.

“Far as the El-tee and others told me, they told you we’re here to rescue survivors. Retake the whole-ass system only if it’s actually possible,” He replied after a moment. He also told them, “Our other scout ships, on the other Colonies? They’ve been finding survivors, too… And signs of battle. Hell, I’m pretty sure we’ve found a damaged Cylon ship in a nearby shipyard.”

“What?” Sam blanked, “How the frak is that possible?”

“I dunno, man, but the little footage I’ve seen? She was banged up,” The man replied, then sighed and said, “I’m gonna get back to work,” as he stretched. Seeing Sam suddenly in thought, he told him, “Go ask the El-Tee to show you the details. Probes have been doing the run across the place. We’ve marked Cylon fleet movements around, too, if you wanna see them.”

“Alright,” He replied, then said, “Good luck with your work,” and walked away. Climbing up the stairs to the ground floor, the man walked out into the place’s Motor Pool, noting the newly-landed UNSC Vehicles. Warthogs, Saddleback MRAPs and even a Sun Devil AAA piece hidden underneath a camo net close to the forest. Night had come, the pinprick dots of the stars shining high above.

The place was guarded by about a hundred UNSC Marines now, too, not just his own Resistance unit. Add to that several dozen ODSTs and the medical units, plus the supply corps that was operating (temporarily) out of one of the nearby hangars and they had a whole Brigade Combat Team here, ready to kick the Toasters’ asses.

He walked into the main building and to the Command area, nodding to the people around him as he did so, before entering the command room. Inside, he found a UNSC Marine Sergeant looming over a small holographic display system. She spoke to a team over radio, “Bravo Six, keep up the advance. Deep penetrating sensors picked up lifesigns in that general area. Roger, haul ass fast, Hotel out,” then she looked at Sam. 

With a scar running from the right side of her forehead down to the left of her chin, black hair and somewhat familiar features, resembling those of that one Skinjob, Sharon, she spoke, “Guessing you’re looking for the Lieutenant and his fireteam?” all while she stared at the man with cold, hard eyes. Her Misriah rifle sat beside her, similar to the ones they gave his team.

“Yeah…” He nodded, “You are Sergeant-Major Lopez, right?”

“That’s me,” She nodded. He saw a rosary of some kind with a cross symbol attached to it, her fingers fiddling with the beads as she leaned onto the table. She said to him, “They’ve deployed. Command ordered a search and rescue near Delphi,” and motioned to the old maps of Delphi, with the target area marked by a holographic circle.

Sam hummed, then said, “That’s an old Army Base…”

“Yeah. And they’re wading right into it after we caught wind of something on a broadband transmit,” The woman spoke, then pulled up an encrypted transmission. Sam blanked, staring at it, while the woman said, “It’s been playing on loop for god knows how long, on an almost unnoticeable radio freq… Something’s down in the base’s command bunker.”

He hummed, then looked around at the added screens, noting that each was a helmet camera. Sergeant Lopez said, “Keep close, kid. You’re about to see how the ODSTs pull an extraction mission…” before she thumbed the screens to show the Lieutenant’s POV. The twenty ODSTs of the platoon moved forward…

Two staggered columns advanced beside the base’s main defensive walls. Despite a distant crater from a lighter bomb and multiple bullet holes and marks, the base seemed surprisingly intact. Entering it, the team formed a circular perimeter at the gate, securing it, then moved to the right, to the base’s motor pool and took cover as a Cylon Raider flew overhead, the crescent-shaped starfighter’s engines screaming, like the wails of the dead.

There were a multitude of abandoned cars within the base’s parking lot. Some were pulling out to leave. Others seemed like they’d burned down the moment the first strikes hit. The nuclear blast of the lower-yield bomb must’ve knocked their power out. Another Raider flew in overhead, sunlight reflecting off its silver skin as it turned left.

“Lots of hostile air activity today…” Melissa mumbled as she shouldered her Battle Rifle. 

One of the other squad members, the team’s sniper, suggested, “Maybe ONI spooked them, or they spotted us coming in…” before casting a glance back at the tall, rising spire-like ruins of the city of Delphi. The scorch marks and damage of the nuclear bombardment was still clearly visible, scars that would forever be burned into the planet.

“Doubtful,” The Lieutenant said, “Sewers weren’t being patrolled in this area…” then he checked his MA40. He kept scanning the place for an entry point, then saw a hole in the ground leading to the place’s secure bunkers and tunnels. The manhole cover on top had obviously been ripped off, but not by the nuke blast.

There were Centurion ‘foot’ marks on the ground. A platoon-strength mech unit had come in to wipe out whatever was still alive. Bullet holes in the hangars’ and buildings’ walls, spent casings on the ground, dried blood stains in the cars and on the ground. Even some shrapnel from a possibly destroyed bot.

He sighed and said, “Melissa, Sarge, take half the team and go underground,” before hitting the com and speaking, “This is Bravo Six Actual, going internal with half of platoon. Other half is descending to the transmission spot…” before he shouldered the rifle and rallied half the team to his side. He pointed at a distant HQ Building, then told his squad, “We move the moment after the next Raider makes a pass. Book it, find our targets and any intel, bug out, oorah?”

“Oorah,” The entire unit nodded. 

The man nodded to all of them, listened for the next wail of a bird’s engines and, the moment it came and started to fade, he barked, “Execute,” as both half-teams stood up and scrambled to their targets in a full sprint. The only things that could be heard in the dim quiet of the dark military base were the ODSTs’ thundering, rapid footsteps and, to each, their own heavy breaths.

Melissa’s team hit their target hole first, with her radioing, “Bravo-Six-Seven, going internal…” and casting a glance to the Lieutenant just as they entered. Her team started sliding down the steel ladder, the team’s shotgunner going in first. She moved up to the Sniper and MG Gunner, then showed them to be ready, stating, “This is gonna take us a sec…”

Distant lights in the sky drew closer. Cylon warbirds moved toward them, with Melissa murmuring, “Fuck’s sake, Perconte, hurry your fat ass up,” as she looked at the Sniper, who went in second-to-last. The man wanted to flip the bird at the girl, but she jumped in next and stopped him from doing so…

Sighing in relief as they managed to get in, they hid when the two birds overhead flew in for a low pass and Melissa whispered, “Cutting it fucking close. Let’s move, people,” as she motioned for the team to move down the sloping tunnel ahead. Though there were no visible lights as power was off, the team had their VISR systems, meaning night was nowhere near as dark as it should’ve been.

The slope was light, though. The tunnel itself was a concrete archway that led down to a lower level several more feet below-ground and underneath the hangar. When they entered through a door, they found what looked like a server room, towers of interconnected electronics active and alive, with a generator attached for power.

“This is it?” The Sniper asked, toting an SMG with a silencer, “A fuckin’ server room?”

“Transmission’s coming from a few more feet below,” The Sergeant spoke as he scanned the room. He walked over to the other side, finding a door and propping it open, only to reveal a series of underground corridors. They were surprisingly well-maintained, looking a bit like a research base hallway area instead of a standard underground tunnel.

What was more concerning? The blood smears on the walls. The ODSTs filed out and set up a perimeter, checking the door immediately opposite the server room. The walls were smeared with blood and marked by bullet holes. So was the floor. The grates below, that presumably drained into the sewers, were runny with congealed red.

The blood wasn’t fresh, either. Some of the drag marks looked old. The blood had browned, iron inside having oxidized in the air. The squad pushed forward, weapons at the ready and VISR systems on. Their motion trackers spotted nothing but themselves as they advanced past doors, opening them and peering inside.

Though there was blood, there were no decomposing bodies, nor any sign of their existence. The faint smell of iron did come through their helmets’ rebreathers, but it was off-putting instead of rancid. Melissa quipped, “El-Tee, we’ve got a lot of blood, but not a lot of bodies… Don’t blame it on me, though…”

The uneasy laughs at the joke told her all she needed to know. Holden himself replied, “ No bodies up here, but there sure are a lot of bullet holes. I don’t think our Toaster friends were gonna use this place much… ” and she had to agree with that. The teams went quiet again as they advanced deeper into the compound and down a set of stairs.

More hallways, though the one they had just entered had very few doors and one reinforced bulkhead at the end. Melissa, however, gagged the moment she saw what was around said bulkhead door. Decomposing human corpses gathered around the foot-thick armored door, the marks of fingernail scrapes against the metal visible from even here.

Multiple corpses had bullet holes. Dozens still had claw marks, as if they were cut down from behind, up-close. The Sniper spoke, “Jesus fucking Christ…” as she shined her SMG’s flashlight onto the corpses. Yeah, they were decomposing alright. And something was awful wrong about this place. The Sharpshooter blanked, turned around and asked, “Did you say something, Apone?”

“Nah,” He shook his head, “Why?”

“... Fuck…” Mumbled the girl. 

As if the corpse pile wasn’t bad enough, all of them thought.

Melissa sighed and said, “And that’s where the transmission’s coming from. This is like a bad Horror Movie,” before she showed the team to form up. They secured the rest of the hallway and the adjacent rooms, same as upstairs, before walking toward the door. It was mechanically locked, meaning they could technically open it somehow.

Melissa, being the demo expert, decided their best option was Thermite, to melt the locks. However, when she started setting it up under the others’ guard, a thump echoed from within. She blanked as her motion tracker picked up the movement. A grey, unidentified dot. She waited and waited, then moved to set up the charges again.

“ Help ” a voice spoke in a whisper, causing her to stagger, and yet another thump echoed. She looked around for the door’s control mechanism, digging through each hole while the others demanded to know what she was doing. When she did find the mechanical lock release, which was built within the frame of the door, she hit it hard enough she could swear she dented it.

With a sickening series of crunches, the door slid open, crushing corpses underneath itself. The ODSTs near it aimed their weapons inside, only to suddenly stagger as they were blasted with a wave of energy. Ahead of them, blooming like a blue flower, a strange alien artifact pulsated with a dark, headache-inducing energy.

It glowed blue and spoke to the soldiers. It spoke in alien tongues, lost to time, tongues they didn’t understand. Melissa staggered, feeling her mind fighting against whatever it was doing. When she looked down, she saw what was thumping away at the door… In the frame of a human, but with the face of the dead, what was once a beautiful woman stared at her with mechanical, soulless eyes. Pipes and machinery poked through her body. She glowed blue…

Melissa swallowed, feeling blood running from her nose. She grit her teeth, drew her pistol and shot the alien woman as she grabbed at her, then, with all the strength she had in her, she threw the sticks of thermite at the alien machine. The alien voice screamed, causing her to fall to her knees, a headache now radiating as a full-body, sharp pain.

She plucked up her detonator as her ears started ringing, then stared at whatever eldritch shitscape was doing this to them… And clicked it twice. The Thermite hissed and ignited. It began to burn through the shimmering blue alien alloy, searing through it, melting it, fusing it together. The Machine let out one last, terrifying scream… 

Then, when the Thermite ceased and the machine died, so did its screams. Melissa coughed violently, feeling the acrid taste of bile in the back of her throat. She ripped her helmet off and retched, crawling on all fours. When she was done emptying her stomach of her lunch, she called out hoarsely, “Everyone alive!? Sound off!”

The entire team did, thank the maker. She grit her teeth as the Sergeant said, “Good job, MacKay…” in a murmur. He took his own helmet off, staring at the fused-together lump of metal that was the alien machine, then stated, “I don’t think Halsey’s gonna like the fact we broke a new toy…” then he looked down at the corpse of the woman Melissa had domed, “... Or that. Whatever the fuck it is.”

“Doesn’t matter…” She replied, still hoarse, then stood up and rubbed her eyes. Lifting her helmet and sliding it back on after wiping her mouth, she spoke, “Bravo Six-Six to Actual, we’ve… Found whatever the fuck was transmitting. It was hostile and now it’s dead. Get us that EVAC back to base if you can…”

“ Working on it, but we’ve got a bit of a… Cylon… Situation, ” The man replied… Great. What now?

Well, when the squad moved out upstairs, taking the stairwell to the top level and exiting out into the hangar, they could immediately see an enemy unit had arrived in the area. Though, surprisingly, the Cylon Centurions marched forward with handheld rifles. Leading them, even more surprisingly, was what one could only describe as a human at first:An elderly man clad in a black suit, with a black fedora. 

He spoke, “I don’t suppose I will be able to thank whoever disabled that infernal noisemaker down here in person, will I?” as the automata around him cocked their weapons. Melissa scoffed. The bastard was obviously a human Cylon, just by demeanor alone. And the way he spoke, rather condescendingly, when addressing them again, “Very well. Have it your way,” then turned his head and said, “Search the area. If you find anything, do to it what you did to the people below. I’ve got a meeting to attend to now.”

Melissa scoffed. Out of the frying pan and into the god-damned fire…

Chapter Text

Physically speaking, the team was screwed. Split in two, they were facing a battalion-strength unit of Centurions and had just witnessed something that knocked a few of them on their asses quite severely, both mentally and physically. Tactically, however, they had the advantage of the enemy not knowing where they were and having two positions to spring an ambush from, meaning they could cut down multiple enemies in their own First Strike.

The Lieutenant seemed to know both, quietly whispering, “ Let them get closer ,” over the com as he visibly shifted in one of the broken windows, poking the barrel of his MA40 out in preparation. The Sergeant showed this side of the team to take up fighting positions, with the Sniper, though hit hardest by that alien artifact below, quickly taking position in the rear and aiming the SRS-99 from the shadows.

Melissa, to her credit, readied her Battle Rifle and scoped in the first android ahead, her crosshair steadied on it. Grenades primed to her right and  the team grenadiers clicked off the safeties of their own rotary 40mm launchers, which usually tended to have mixed payloads of EM pulse grenades and standard HEDP.

Though their fingers twitched on their fingers and the strange wails of that alien artifact still echoed in the backs of their minds, the ODSTs, trained to be disciplined soldiers by both their boot camp and the years they’d served defending Humanity, kept themselves steady as the battalion of enemy mechs marched into the place, scanning it with their burning red V-shaped eyes.

It was in the middle of that indented sensor that most of the Shock Troopers had placed their crosshairs. The HEDP Launchers clicked and cocked as the soldiers angled them for maximum damage upon impact, all while their scopes’ rangefinders showed the enemy getting closer and closer. The Centurions, some more heavily armored, continued to scan the area ahead.

“ Execute ,” The Lieutenant called out. The moment he did, Melissa’s first burst escaped the muzzle of her rifle and caught the leading mech in the head, armor-piercing 9,5mm rounds ripping through the monstrosity’s optical sensors. Bursts of automatic fire raked the entire enemy formation, the first line of enemy mechs being cut down, oil and blood-like substance spilling onto the cracked parking lot.

The grenade launchers echoed with their standard thunk thunk thunk , each firing three grenades that arced in and impacted among the middle and rear ranks of the enemy machines, ripping the legs off of several and scrapping others outright. One HEDP round impacted right on the breastplate of a mech and the explosion bloomed outward, staggering several others around it and even killing some of them.

Return fire soon came as the mechs found their footing again. Unperturbed by losses like a normal human military would be, they opened fire, their high-caliber automatic rifles punching holes through the sheet metal that made up the hangar and even digging into the concrete that the Lieutenant’s fireteam used as cover.

The Sergeant took cover and reloaded his rifle next to Melissa, stating, “The El-Tee called for an evac Stealth Pelican, so I’d be ready to book it the moment we see something decloak,” before he primed a fragmentation grenade and threw it. The detonation staggered one of the Centurions, but its comrades in arms covered it by pushing forward the wreck of a car with their strength.

A trio of Centurions moved left to try and flank, but one lost his head to the Sniper. The other two quickly found cover behind another damaged IFV, then opened up on the soldiers. One ODST took a round to the side and doubled over, but called out, “ALIVE!” as he felt the wound. The round barely penetrated the kevlar under-layer of his armor and clipped some skin.

The Sergeant barked, “Mel, take half the team and hit them from the side! EM Grenades! Hard and fast!” to which the Corporal nodded. Calmly, she rallied up her strike unit, taking one of the Grenadiers and kicking the side door of the hangar down. Priming one of her own electromagnetic grenades and pulling the proverbial pin, she threw it toward the two Centurions in cover.

One of them had noticed the team moving over to the motor-pool and aimed its rifle, preparing to put’em down. The grenade, however, landed between them, detonating in airburst. The arcing electricity that coursed through its body caused the mechanical creature to stagger, its first shots going wide and to the right.

It was then that Melissa, now settled into cover behind an armored Humvee, aimed and shot, nailing it in the chest. She saw yet more scarlet liquid pour out of the machine’s chest as it collapsed. Its sibling was gunned down by the team’s MG gunner, while the shotgunner loaded slugs and aimed, firing at another pair of enemy units.

The Lieutenant clicked his com twice. Bursts of automatic fire from all teams now intensified, a volley of rounds cutting down any Centurions not in cover and pinning down those who were in cover. The ODSTs began to advance, leapfrogging from cover to cover and covering each-other as they reloaded. Another volley of EM Grenades flew forward, but the Cylon adapted to it, scattering for better cover as much as their armor allowed them.

A few of them got caught in the blasts and staggered, focusing to try and keep moving even as rounds pierced their joints. One of them turned around and aimed toward an ODST, then fired. The High-cal round from its rifle found purchase, the sheer force of impact causing the Shock Trooper to fall onto his ass with a dented helmet.

His comrades pulled him into cover and the Sniper of the team snapped a shot that took the Machine’s arm off. For that, it jumped to its feet and surged forward, much to the surprise of the ODSTs. Though several rounds pierced its armor, it sprinted toward the closest ODST, grabbing her by the throat with its spindly fingers and lifting her off the ground, her helmet flying off her head.

She grit her teeth, drew her combat knife and stabbed it in the arm twice. It still took one of her comrades pinning the machine down and emptying his entire AR Magazine into its back for it to fully drop the girl. She coughed, calling out, “Thanks…!” hoarsely, then grabbed her helmet and skittered into cover as more enemy mechs began to arrive.

Alongside a pair of their Raiders, which began strafing the area. Holden barked, “Get me a Spanker on those sons-of-bitches the moment they swing around again!” as the first bursts struck around them, ripping apart the husks of cars and even their dead. Melissa moved along the left side, toward the entrance with her team.

The Sergeant followed close behind her, reuniting half of the platoon. He ordered, “Grenades at eleven, one and two o’clock! MG, shift fire right!” then patted the MG Gunner, who’d set up his bipod on the hood of a Humvee and opened up. The man nodded and shifted, firing all the while, his barrel glowing slightly red.

The rocket launcher-toting trooper stepped up, took cover and aimed up, activating the weapon’s heat-seeker systems. While it was a relatively old system, the lock-on potential of UNSC Jackhammer/Spanker launchers had only recently been added back on, mostly due to a necessity to engage long-distance Covenant Remnant aircraft.

Or, in this case, unshielded robot craft. As the first one swung in for another gun run, its blaring red eye glaring at the ODST team, the first missile’s motor ignited, backblast spitting into the ground as it launched forward. Its tracker head locked onto the enemy fighter’s silhouette, pinged it, then, before its ECM could react, struck it.

The explosion lit a second sun in the sky for a moment as the ammunition and fuel aboard the fighter ignited in a violent blast. So violent it’d been, in fact, that it staggered everyone around and even forced the still-living sibling of the Raider pair to bank hard and fast to avoid the damned fireball swallowing it, too. 

The second missile screamed from its tube. Locked onto its target, it danced utilizing its fins and tracker and aimed straight for the underbelly of the bird. When it detonated, it sprayed the craft with molten metal and shrapnel that  ripped into its propulsion system and sent it careening down into the ruins of the city of Delphi, far away from the base.

“So much for keeping it quiet for the most part!” Melissa quipped as she joined Holden and the others. The man let out a sarcastic ‘ha ha!” as he fired his rifle. Their MG Gunner dropped onto his stomach beside them, changed out the barrel of his gun, then started laying hell down again. Melissa ducked into cover, primed an EM grenade and threw it.

The blast staggered several of the enemy’s units, with Melissa sighing deeply and mumbling, “These tin cans are either EM-shielded enough to withstand a brainscorcher grenade like that,” before she poked out and domed another, spraying red across its comrades. She added, “Or they’re somewhat organic in there. Fuck me if the second’s true.”

“Considering…” Holden mumbled, “Their leader was human-looking. Confirms the intel we got with the Human Cylons having multiple models,” before he dropped his own spent magazine. He told Melissa, “We’ll have to send the first few reports, but our EVAC’s nearly here. Ready to jump ship?” just as their helmets picked up the muffled drone of a Pelican’s engines.

She nodded, speaking jovially, “Ready as I’ll ever be to get the fuck outta here,” before she went to check on one of their injured to make sure he was good for transport. The man waved the injury in his side off, then snapped up and fired at the drone ahead as more Raiders were descending down upon them. 

As the veil of the active camouflage system peeled back, the Pelican’s nose-mounted autocannon raked the two enemy fighters, ripping them apart at the seams with each high-explosive round impact. Afterward, its aim shifted downward, lighting the entire forward line of advancing Centurions up. Melissa grinned at the sight, shouldered her rifle and saw the Human Cylon in the midst of them all, surprised.

He looked down right into her scope, eyes widening. She didn’t hesitate, squeezing the trigger and sending a three-round burst straight into the man’s head, spraying whatever knockoff blood, brain matter and bone the copy of a human being had against the wall behind it. The Pelican hovered, firing its gun and the Crew Chief aboard barked, “GET THE HELL ON!” the moment the rear door opened.

The entire platoon filed in, helping the wounded aboard first. The Centurions, to their credit, seemed to retreat behind cover, letting the gunner rake the area ahead of the gate with HE ammo as they presumably prepared to bring on their own Anti-Air unit. Melissa was the last one on, climbing aboard and stowing her rifle as she stated, “That was cutting it close…” and turned to look at the wounded.

The Pelican’s engines roared as it lifted off, door closing as the active camouflage and dampening fields activated. The Lieutenant counted the wounded and murmured, “Six wounded,” before turning to face the Sergeant and Melissa and telling them, “Good op all-in-all, but the Tin Cans do have some good guns…”

“Hopefully, they won’t have time to use them in our next engagement,” Melissa quipped, taking her helmet off. She wiped blood from her nose, then mumbled, “Fucking alien devices, man. Hope Halsey’s gonna enjoy the video we took of that thing before I thermite’d it and shot its little puppet…” only to blink as images flashed in her eyes.

… Comparing it to what Shepard had told everyone? That was Reaper tech they’d seen here.

Fuck .

Tuchanka Orbit

Shepard was on the Normandy’s bridge, staring at the UNSC’s finest stealth tech ahead of them. One of an unknown number of them, a Sahara-class Heavy Prowler belonging to the Office of Naval Intelligence now floated gently toward them. It had a name, though Doctor Halsey hadn’t seen the need to speak of it.

Understandably, the woman thought. She arranged her armor and looked at Chief and Blue Team as they joined the crew of her, Grunt, Okeer and Mordin for the trip down below. She peered through the window again at the desolate landscape of the planet below. Tuchanka, as far as Shepard had heard, was once a beautiful planet. Lush, green and clean, though it housed the Krogan clans.

Okeer himself stared at the planet below without much fanfare, stating bluntly, “A broken tomb for a race unwilling to move forward… I hope your people are more ready to make any sacrifice to continue your existence than mine were, Commander,” and he cast a glance at Shepard. The woman blinked, a little worried at the implications, but she chose to ignore it.

She turned toward Grunt and asked, “How’re you doing, Grunt?”

“Angry…” The alien replied, though only his voice told of his impatience. He added, “But… Looking forward to see what is supposedly the home of the Krogan. What little I know was imprinted into me by the tank,” and he crossed his arms. Okeer must’ve not given him too pleasant a view of their old home, considering how the tankbred stared at them.

“You’ll find it disappointing,” Okeer sneered, confirming her suspicions.

“That’s for him to decide,” Shepard replied bluntly. When Okeer huffed and turned away, angry, Shepard knew that the prick wasn’t a good influence for poor Grunt. She once more gazed upon the young alien, then told him, “We’ll see what’s down there. I haven’t been either, but I heard it’s… Nice…?” she hesitated.

Garrus cleared his throat as he walked forward, then told Shepard, “I mean, if you find post-nuclear hellscapes nice, sure,” with a certain joker’s attitude in his voice. Tali was behind him, toting a shotgun and pistol placed on holsters of a more reinforced and armored suit. He told her, “We’re gonna be joining you all down there.”

“Hey, any extra gun’s gonna be useful,” Shepard smiled, then added, “And this way, Tali gets to stretch her legs a bit after all the boring nerd stuff.”

Tali snorted, “True enough,” before she looked upon the Krogan and said, “Awe-inspiring to see someone manage to actually clone a sane Krogan,” before turning to look at Okeer and saying with a certain level of bluntness that made even Modern Day Liara seem calm, “Though I’ve not heard a lot of good things about you.” 

“Unsurprising,” The Alien replied with some scorn. He pointed at the window, stating, “You Quarians sit there, mewling about your lost homeworld. Ours is down there, a tomb for our entire species, and you don’t hear us complaining so often,” before crossing his arms, “If you all are really that angry about some mechanoids stealing your planet? Fight for it.”

Tali huffed, about to start again, but Shepard barked, “Alright, that’s enough! Okeer, shut your trap for once, because God help me if you ain’t making me reconsider keeping you aboard this ship,” and she turned fully to face him as she added while pointing at Grunt, “Grunt is the only reason I am, however. Because I want to know what the Hell’s wrong with him so I can fix it… Speaking of, you said you’d tell us what the issue is once we got to Tuchanka. Spill it !”

Okeer snarled, but sighed deeply, containing his own rage. He stared Shepard in the eye and said, “You do understand that he underwent a level of accelerated growth while stuck in stasis, correct?” only to get a nod out of everyone present. He grinned a little, “And what happens to any creature who undergoes a growth cycle, regardless of how fast it happens? Even a Human.”

Shepard furrowed her brows, confused as she stared at the man and was about to speak. She looked over to Mordin, who seemed slightly amused by the situation, though showing an underlying layer of concern probably about Tuchanka. She blinked, was about to ask, then… it set in. Her shoulders sagged as she sighed, “ Puberty… ”

“... A Pilgrimage, then…?” Tali blinked.

Mordin chuckled, “Krogan puberty very different from standard human or ‘mammal’ ones, but yes,” before looking at Garrus.

Garrus spoke, “... Can’t we just buy him a couple of dances on Omega and get this over with, then? We have a bunch of stuff to handle here, I know, but…”

“As much as I would like to,” Okeer replied, “There are rituals. If the Tankbred wants to become one of us as the ones on the planet below see us? He’ll have to go through a specific Ritual they hold dear, one that will allow him to be inducted into a Clan,” and he motioned to the boy, “Not something as temporary as this little unit of soldiers.”

Shepard sighed, “Things can never be easy, can they?”  

Chief hummed, to which Shepard raised a brow. Cortana appeared as a holographic projection on his shoulder, smiling and stating, “He means ‘no, no they can’t,” while deepening her voice to sound a little like him. The rest of the crew, except maybe Grunt, Okeer and the Spartans(not for lack of Kelly holding it down) laughed. 

Chief sighed and was about to say something, but the UNSC stealth vessel docked with their own. Moments later, the airlock cycled and a familiar figure walked onto the deck, under the escort of a platoon of UNSC Marine Corps members. She was wearing body armor underneath her labcoat and held a tablet in one hand and a pistol concealed underneath her coat.

“Commander, Blues,” She greeted, “It has been a while,” before noting Mordin, “And Mordin. Any luck on that plasma-based weaponry Research I told you about?”

“Sadly not. Been busy working on Collector situation,” The alien smiled, though obviously uneasy, “Good to see you again, Doctor,” and Halsey nodded, giving a quick, friendly nod in greeting. She turned to Shepard while Garrus and Tali joined the group at the front and her gaze locked onto the pair of Krogan.

She spoke, “I suppose it only makes sense that two Krogan would want to see Tuchanka,” in a murmur. She eyed Okeer and seemed to immediately take a dislike to him, then cast a glance toward Grunt and hummed. She sighed, checked her tablet, then showed Shepard the data. Initial scans of the planet had apparently given the ONI crew the location they needed to go to.

“We’ll deal with that ASAP, but…” Shepard stretched, “Let’s get to the planet’s surface, first,” before she motioned for the group to follow her. While the two doctors engaged in small-talk about the alien machine that had come aboard, the team took the elevator down, once again moving a hint slower due to the Spartans’ size. When they arrived, they were greeted by Jack and Fives doing some sort of PT training and by Ahsoka tending to her bird again while the Clones simply lounged about.

After waving to the crew and boarding the dropship down to the planet, the crew found their seats, readied their weapons and let Shepard work out a suitable landing site. Or, at least, she would have, if they didn’t immediately get a ping on the Omni-Tool com system. She lifted the arm up and said, “This is Commander Shepard of the Normandy . We mean you no harm.”

“ We’re well aware, Commander, ” A male voice spoke, “ You’re flying through Urdnot airspace. Follow the coordinates I’m sending you and land here. Someone wants to speak to you, ” and Shepard blanked. Urdnot. Wrex’s Clan, then, she thought as she held onto the dropship’s chair. Garrus was the pilot for this run.

The shipboard cameras allowed them to see the barren outside and the damaged ruin sprawl around them. Old, torn-down factories, high-rising skyscrapers destroyed by the heat of nuclear blasts, their metallic bodies bending, abandoned roads over which rubble and slight overgrowths had come and a sky choked by atomic air, shining a sickly yellow in the light of Aralakh, the system’s sun.

It was a dishearteningly good show of a future that Humanity had luckily avoided by starting their exploration of space together. She sighed, taking a step back into the hold of the craft as it began its descent, then said, “Alright. We’re landing within the territory of Clan Urdnot, it seems… Don’t know what to expect.”

“This should be fun,” Garrus smirked, “Maybe…”

“It’d be an interesting change of pace,” Tali added as she checked her gun. 

Shepard saw the confusion in everyone else and said, “As unlikely as it is, seeing as I haven’t heard a damn thing about him, a friend of ours shares a clan name. Heh, old man helped us two years ago and remains probably one of the few Krogan I’m ever gonna be glad to see wearing blood-red armor out there,” before she felt a pit in her stomach as the ship descended.

When it touched down and the door slid open, it revealed the dim insides of an ancient tunnel. As the team stood up, moving to escort Halsey and Shepard, Shepard herself commented, “Jeez,” in a murmur. Looking up, she saw the hole they’d landed into and looked around at the various supplies and equipment strewn about. 

Krogan clad in their standard battle-armor, wearing various colors of it, too, stared at Shepard and her crew through their visors. The Spartans tensed, while Halsey remained unimpressed with the post-nuclear stone and steel ruins of Tuchanka. She pushed her glasses onto the bridge of her nose and activated her tablet.

A trio of Krogan in white armor approached Shepard. Their leader asked, “You Shepard?” 

“Yeah, that’s me,” Shepard replied with a nod.

The alien huffed, then said, “Come with us. Boss wants to speak with-” only to pause as he looked past him. He pushed Shepard aside and drew his shotgun, slamming into Okeer and stating, “You shouldn’t have come back, monster!” only to stagger as Grunt pushed him away and drew his own shotgun, growling at him much to everyone’s surprise.

In a heated moment, guns were drawn and pointed. Shepard, who had her gun pointed at the leader of the formation, said, “As much as I dislike Okeer, he’s here to help us with something. We’ll get him out of your scales the moment we’re done,” while the Spartans, Marines, Tali and Garrus made a perimeter around Mordin, Shepard and Halsey, with the lattermost already reaching for her gun with an impassive face.

“I’d rather you killed the bastard the moment you found him,” The leader snarled.

“That’s on me,” Grunt replied angrily, his shotgun aimed for the leader’s head, “It won’t be anyone else who kills him. It’ll be my blade carving out his chest,” he then told the elder Krogan in charge of the Urdnot squad. It was surprising to see Grunt this determined, but it made sense he was no fan of Okeer. And Okeer seemed proud of that statement, too. Eugh

The leader snapped, “And who’re you, creature? You stink of his experiments !” 

“ENOUGH!” Shepard barked, her voice hard and commanding. She told the leader, “That’s one of my crew you’re talking to. It’s my crew you’re threatening with a gun. My Clan . If you have a problem, you take it up with ME !” only to grab him by the shoulder and, utilizing a bit of her Biotics, causing him to swivel about, before grabbing him by the collar and slamming her head against his.

The alien staggered and the guns cocked again. He laughed a little, then said, “Cocky, for a human. I’m gonna enjoy dealing with y-”

“What the Hell is with the noise, Nur? You trying to start a shootout with our guests already?” A voice called out, familiar to Shepard. He barked again, “Lower your weapons and let’em through. We’ll…” and when his steps stopped, so did his speech. With a scar across the right side of his head, going from the top of his carapace to near the collar of his own, surprisingly regal white armor, the orange-eyed large lizard grinned. He laughed, “HAHAHA! SHEPARD ?! YOU NEARLY STARTED A SHOOTOUT WITH MY GUARDS!?”

“Wrex!” Shepard smiled brightly, lowering her pistol. 

Despite his guard’s insistence, Urdnot Wrex marched up the steps at a quick pace, then said, “I should’ve known the only reason a Cerberus bird would’ve landed at our place was you! And you come out of Death’s embrace swinging!” with a smirk. He extended a hand to Shepard, which she gripped and shook.

“Glad to know you’re doing well, Wrex,” Garrus quipped, leaning his rifle on his shoulder as the rest of the platoon seemed to calm down. The Urdnot guards all lowered their weapons, with ‘Nur’, the one that’d threatened Okeer and Grunt, snarling at the two, then at Shepard as he rejoined formation. Wrex turned and saw both Garrus and Tali and his smile only grew.

“And she had to bring the only Turian with any sense of humor with her,” He joked, then looked over at Tali, “And everybody’s favorite Quarian.”

“Good to see you, too, Wrex,” Tali spoke jovially, “You, uh…” and she poked his stomach, “Got a bit chubbier? Guessing being the leader of Clan Urdnot helps keep you fed?” and that got a laugh out of everyone, sans the Spartans and Halsey, obviously. Though it wasn’t for lack of Halsey trying to hide a smile.

Noticing the seven-foot tall Supersoldiers, the platoon of Marines and the doctors present, Wrex did a quick headcount, stating, “You upped your numbers some, though, that’s for sure,” and pausing at Okeer. He scoffed and said, “I thought the other clans agreed to banish you off-world. Guessing Shepard needs your sorry tailless ass.”

“Afraid so,” Okeer shot back.

“And who’s this one?” Wrex pointed at Grunt.

Grunt huffed, then said, “I am Grunt, the perfect Krogan specimen. You and your squeamish little critters should be in awe,” then he paused as Wrex snorted. Confused, the ‘Perfect Specimen’ stared at the Clan Leader of Urdnot. He took a step forward, but Okeer put a hand on his chest and shook his head.

The Urdnot leader looked at Shepard as she smiled and told her, “Lemme guess. Something Okeer was doing?” to which she got a nod. He hummed, then said, “Alright. Follow me. We’ve got a lot to talk about and I’d rather not do it in the open breeze of a Landing Pad,” before he looked at the guards and ordered, “Nur, get your asses back to guarding the Southern Reaches.”

Despite his seeming hatred for that specific order, the Krogan and his squad complied, walking off toward an exit point from the Landing Pad. Halsey followed the group as they walked and noted that the Spartans held close their rifles, same as the Marines. She sighed, checked the background radiation and such to keep herself busy and made sure she had the surface scan with the area they needed to visit tabbed and ready.

Upon arriving at the Urdnot camp, deep within the underground tunnels that ran below the city, the group was assaulted by a mix of stinking food being cooked, animals like the multi-eyed quadrupedal giant lizards, the Varren, and the overall smell of decaying infrastructure. The tunnels and catacombs stretched out far and wide.

In the middle of the area ahead, there was a stone throne placed under a hole in the ceiling from which Aralakh beat down with its radioactive rays. Wrex noticed a pair of Krogan from other Clans waiting for him and showed them to wait, before climbing up to the Throne and sitting himself down as Shepard and the others joined him. Sighing as he found a comfortable position, he asked, “Alright… I know you’re not usually one for just courtesy visits, Shepard. What do you need?”

… And now, she wasn’t even sure where to start…

Chapter Text

Shepard seemed glad that Wrex was ready to talk business. She told him, “Well, according to the Unwelcome Guest,” and jabbed a thumb back toward Okeer, “Grunt’s undergoing what we would call ‘puberty’ back home,” and she crossed her arms. Wrex took a moment to register that, looked at Grunt, then nodded.

“Right. He wants to undergo a Rite of Passage,” Wrex offered, then scratched his chin, “Honestly, Shepard, if that’s all you came here for, I’m kind of shocked the Salarian and Warlord couldn’t tell you this crap ahead of time,” before he stood up from his seat. He told the girl, “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you visited, but bringing a Tankbred in…”

“We figured it’d be safer to listen to the guy who created Grunt,” Shepard shrugged.

Wrex walked toward Grunt, sniffed him, then nodded, “Smells like medicine, alright. Even after all this time,” before looking the armored-up Krogan in the eye and asking, “You looking for a clan, kid?” while he examined him from head to toe. The Tankbred Krogan huffed, then gave a nod of confirmation to Wrex, surprisingly docile compared to a few minutes ago.

Wrex himself said, “We could always use a boost for our clan. Go see the Shaman the moment you wanna head out and undertake it,” before looking at the other Krogan below. Not Okeer, but rather the one with a gradient green-to-brown carapace and clad in a tecched-up blue armor. He called out, “Uvenk. You wanted to speak?”

“I’ve seen all I need to see. The clans will not approve of your choice, Urdnot Wrex,” The alien spoke, then glared at Grunt and Okeer. He added, “Not only do you allow the Criminal to tread your land, but you also let its little plaything do the same. You’re making a mistake the likes of which will cost your people dearly!”

“If all you’re here for is lodging a complaint, take a number, Uvenk,” Wrex replied with a scoff. The Gatatog representative waved his hand and walked away toward the side, in order to seemingly have a chat with someone in an elevated area of the camp. Shepard walked up beside the Krogan and looked at him, worried. Seeing that, Wrex said, “Don’t worry about it, Shepard. Trying to reunify the Clans is proving to be a bigger pain in the tail than I originally anticipated… Gatatog ain’t exactly keen on sharing.”

“Don’t presume we can help somehow?” The Commander raised a brow.

Wrex snorted, “Thanks, Shepard, but I ain’t dragging you from your current business to deal with Krogan politics,” then he turned his head toward Halsey, Mordin and the Spartans, murmuring, “Looks like you’ve got enough crap on your plate as it is…” and he asked, “All those rumors circulating on the Extranet true? These people extra-galactic?”

“Seems like it,” Shepard nodded, “Two human factions and one faction of Alien and Human soldiers with clones,” and she shrugged, “Each with their own crazy backstories and wars they fought before we met them. Believe it or not, Wrex, I think dealing with Clan Politics might be less crazy than dealing with that.”

“What about these ones? Seven-foot-tall humans guarding an old lady,” Wrex asked.

Shepard hummed, then said, “United Nations Space Command. Spartans, more specifically. They and the rest of their humanity fought a war for survival a decade or so ago against an alien theocracy formed of multiple species,” as activated and lifted her Omni-Tool to eye level. She opened a few videos taken from the Spartans’ helmet cams and showed them to Wrex, including glassings and the like. Wrex had half a mind to jab at the Citadel, but… No, even they wouldn’t do this.

Wrex whistled and said, “No wonder Grunt’s eyeing them,” before snorting. He motioned to Grunt, who was staring at the Spartans with a smirk, as if he wanted to fight, bloodlust in his eyes. He’d been eyeing Fred for a while for a fight, so it made sense, Shep thought. Wrex, meanwhile, quipped, “That kid’s got quads. That’s one Clan I don’t think I’d mess with.”

“Getting soft on us, old man?” Garrus asked as he and Tali joined them. Wrex snorted at that, then shook his head, before Garrus commented, “Yeah, we all saw the Vids. The Spartans and the UNSC in general are nothing to scoff at, though… The Republic? I’ve started looking into them through the General and the Clones.”

“Tough bastards, too,” Shepard replied, “Fighting a war for six damn years across their entire Galaxy versus an Army of always-replenishing droids commanded by some shadow council,” she then clarified as she saw Wrex about to ask a question. She told him, “And they’re engaged on every front. It’s a brutal war on a Galaxy-wide scale.”

“Sounds like they got their hands full,” Wrex hummed, “They anywhere near here?”

“We have a General and a platoon of Clones aboard our ship, but we left them there for the time being,” Shepard replied, “Added upon them we’ve also got members from a group called the Twelve Colonies. Sadly, there’s only about 30,000 of them left due to their own bots rebelling against them… Nuking all twelve planets.”

The Krogan looked back at Tali, who nodded and said, “I hear their President is going to meet my people with their sole guard ship as escort. Helo told me,” as she checked her shotgun. She hummed and asked, “Hey, Shepard, if we do go by the Waystation any time in the future… Can we perhaps ask their local quartermasters to see their weapons? The M45 Shotguns the UNSC uses caught my eye.”

“Heh, sure thing,” Shepard nodded, then she stretched and said, “I should take Grunt to talk to the Shaman. Get the mission over with.”

“I’ll go see what your pals want,” Wrex motioned to Halsey and Mordin, “Figured it’d be best to get that out of the way, too, if you wanna move out after the Rite,” then he looked at Tali and Garrus and offered, “You two gonna hang around? I figure catching up with both of you while Shepard’s off doing her usual would be a nice passtime.”

“If she doesn’t need us,” Garrus shrugged, “Sure.”

“I’m fine with it. A little break from the shooting,” Tali chuckled. The group walked back toward the throne area, with Shepard calling Grunt and Okeer over so they could go chat up the Shaman. Doctor Halsey, meanwhile, wrote away on her tablet as she and Mordin continued to exchange small-talk about certain matters.

Wrex stopped in front of them and said, “Shepard told me about you and your people, doc,” as he looked at Halsey. The woman looked up from her tablet and nodded in greeting. Wrex nodded back, looked at the Spartans and said, “And these guys, too. I didn’t expect Humans to be this tough or tall, but here we are.”

Halsey replied, “It sadly isn’t quite a natural process… Urdnot Wrex, was it?”

“Yeah,” Wrex replied.

She told him, “Doctor Catherine Halsey, UNSC. A pleasure to make your acquaintance,” and turned to face him. Calmly, she added, “Any friend of Commander Shepard is a friend of ours,” and extended her hand. Wrex gingerly gripped and shook the frail elderly woman’s hand, but found her to still hold her own somewhat strong grip.

“Suppose she helped you and the other two groups you all met become friends?” Wrex inquired, well aware Shepard had both a penchant to be one of the most brazen people of her species, but also that the woman had a habit of making new friends out of thin damn air. And here she was, with a whole new set of additions to the platoon from all three sides.

“In a sense,” Halsey offered, though she recalled it wasn’t quite as informal a meeting. She told Wrex, “She allowed use of her ship as a neutral ground for all parties to meet,” while gazing upon the rest of the makeshift camp in the tunnels. The place was what post-apocalyptic movies were made of, but the tunnels stretched so far, she could barely tell the distance.

“I still remember seeing them all walk aboard,” Garrus spoke to Wrex. He crossed his arms and added, “You’d have thought we all went crazy back there,” and he chuckled a little, thinking of just the sheer panic that must’ve happened between the Council finding out about their alien buddies and the subsequent First Contact after they destroyed that Batarian raiding party.

“In this line of work? More likely than one might think,” Tali joked, getting Wrex to huff, amused, while Halsey herself contained her own snort. Tali then continued, I think Indoctrination’s becoming the least of our concerns,” while checking her Omni-Tool and her ability to summon combat drones. Her ‘Chatika’, she thought with a smile.

“Hm. Regardless, alongside the Alliance, the local human faction that I’m certain you know, we’ve made a rather tumultuous first contact with the Citadel, as well,” The woman offered calmly, checking her tablet again for the target area she wanted to see. Sighing, she rubbed her temple and wondered if it was anywhere close by.

“Heh. I bet you rattled the bastards in the Presidium something good,” Wrex grinned, glad to hear the Council got its pants scared off of it. Understandably for a couple of the people present, one of which remained relatively quiet. Halsey noticed the seemingly erratic gaze of Mordin, but also saw that the man managed a perfect Poker Face.

“More like they destroyed a Batarian raiding fleet and liberated one of their small slave-holding outposts,” Garrus joked. Honestly, when he’d heard of that the first time, he was actually worried. Like, sure, their ships weren’t Batarian-grade trash-heaps. They were highly-advanced, most being upgraded with current generation tech ranging from electronics to new mass drivers.

“Huh. I’d heard of that. Did not think it was them,” Tali murmured, stunned.

“You barely knew of us before you met our forces, miss Tali”Zorah,” Halsey replied calmly. Though it took a minute for Tali to register that Doctor Halsey had addressed her by name, she soon looked over at the Spartans and saw that they were, in fact, looking back at her. Fred gently lifted his hand as if to say he’d written her into the reports. She smiled behind her mask and nodded.

“True enough, I suppose,” She then replied to Halsey.

“Regardless…” Halsey couldn’t help but crack a smile at that. She then turned toward Wrex and asked, “I have something to inquire about. More of a request if it’s possible, that is,” before pulling up the maps and scans from the Prowler above the planet to show Wrex. The energy readings from that particular location were strangely familiar.

“The whole ‘any friend of Shepard’s a friend of mine’ bit?” Wrex began, “It applies for us as well. Go ahead,”  and he waved to her to continue. This was gonna be interesting, the Spartans, Garrus and Tali all thought at the same time. Wrex seemed fairly level-headed regardless of what his entire species might’ve been known for. Which Halsey hadn’t gotten around to reading about.

She hummed, then spoke, “We’ve retrieved some data from the Waystation’s direct link to our other Galaxies, which has given us coordinates for something in this general Galactic area,” and turned the tablet to show the alien male, “With further translations, we narrowed the area down to the Aralakh system…” and then she zoomed in and pointed at the exact location. She added, “And then, to this spot on Tuchanka. I wish to take a team there to investigate it after the Commander is done aiding Grunt.”

“That’s Gatatog territory,” Wrex warned, “They don’t much like outsiders…”

“As evidenced by Uvenk,” Garrus murmured, looking up at the location where the Shaman was. Shepard seemed to be having a heated discussion with Uvenk himself about something while the Shaman himself was just watching. Wrex huffed, then scratched the side of his face as he seemed to think of a solution.

“I think I can pull some strings, though no promises,” Wrex said as he turned to face Halsey.

“Any attempt is appreciated. If it can’t be helped, well… We have stealth craft to infiltrate the place,” The good doctor replied calmly as she lifted a com piece to her ear and looked over the specific communication protocols for calling down a Stealth Pelican or a Chiroptera-class transport vessel to them. 

“You could’ve just gone in, but you ask permission,” Wrex snorted, then said, “Y’know, I’m starting to think most humans are too polite,” while a distant thump filled their ears. The Spartans all tensed a little at the sound, but didn’t quite take their weapons off safe yet. Disciplined bunch, too, Wrex thought. Would’ve been great if they could do the same for their own.

“Safer not to start a shooting war with a Krogan Clan,” Chief spoke, well aware of the Krogan’s propensity for combat, going by what Fred had told them of the mission where they had had to get Grunt and Okeer out from the Blue Suns. Krogan were tough bastards, even worse when in a blood rage, meaning a lack of pain and enhanced strength.

“Hah. Agreed with you on that one,” Wrex gave a nod to the Chief, then paused as he could swear he heard a faint giggle in the back of his mind. Ignoring it for now, he spoke, “Now, for the Thresher Maw in the room,” before casting a glance at the worried Mordin. He asked,  “What’re you doing here, Salarian?” with a terrifyingly straight voice.

“Searching for someone,” Mordin seemingly chose to be honest with Wrex. He smiled sadly, then told him, “Related to Genophage work. Went to ground here. Rumors abound of research for Cure…” he breathed in, worried, as he saw Wrex’s face morph into that of interest and concern. He’d had experience beforehand of false promises.

“Genophage…?” Halsey quirked a brow up. Wrex looked at Mordin, surprised that he was being so direct, especially with a group of people that suddenly seemed to get their interest piqued. The Spartans themselves tensed, while Garrus and Tali both seemed to stare with some measure of wide eyes at the Salarian.

“At peace with idea of you learning of my work, Doctor. Natural to share details of personal work in regards to Krogan, reason to be here,” Mordin offered, basically telling Halsey indirectly that he trusted her, even if they’d only had one encounter in their lives. The Salarian then looked at Wrex and inquired, “If I may?”

Though his surprise only grew, Wrex huffed in agreement, simply nodding to Mordin, “Go ahead. Let’em know.”

With a nod of thanks, the Salarian scientist considered how to start this. With the beginning, he thought, best point. He started, “... Millennia ago, Salarian scientists exploring unknown parts of the Galaxy opened a Mass Relay to a hostile alien race. Hive-minded, insectoid, hostile, violent. Call them Rachni,” He calmly told Halsey, looking her right in the eye and seeing her curiosity pique, “Rachni were dangerous, fast to multiply, growing even faster. FTL-capable. First Contact grew into a War. Numbers overwhelmed us all. Postulated total annihilation of all sentient species. Drastic measures had to be undertaken… Uplifting the Krogan, necessary. Fast breeding rates, well-trained for combat, deadly soldiers, resilient.”

“They brought us in to fight their wars,” Wrex spoke rather proudly, his arms crossed to his chest. It painted a rather vivid picture for Halsey. A bunch of sentient, hive-mind bugs that swarmed over the entire Galaxy the moment the gate was opened for them. It was understandable that they needed the Soldiers to outfight and outbreed them if they were going to win.

“Indeed. Saved Galaxy. Rachni, presumed completely extinct…”  The Salarian Scientist spoke, then winced, “Krogan numbers, aggressivity, issue, however. Multiplied almost as fast as Rachni. Encroached on territory the moment we gave them FTL. Possible new Galactic Threat…” And his shoulders ever-so-slightly sagged, “Took combined work of Turian and Salarian scientists… Plague. Rapid Krogan adaptations later required me and my team to update Genophage to… Counteract birth rate spikes,” his voice seemingly growing a bit low.

“... You used a Bioweapon on them to reduce their numbers?” Halsey balked, eyes widening behind his glasses while the Spartans stared. Garrus and tali exchanged a quick look, then stared at Mordin with both a degree of sympathy and horror. The Salarian, despite his cold outer demeanor at the moment, was clearly conflicted by his choices. 

“Not just any kind of Bioweapon,” Wrex seemed to dislike the simplification. He clarified to Halsey, “A fertility plague. Only one in ten of our young make it out to the world from the egg clutch,” which caused the woman to almost double over. A plague that targeted the young before they were born, a suppression field that murdered youngsters fresh out of the egg.

“... Horrifying,” The Doctor couldn’t truly word it any other way, her voice a low murmur as she made the calculus for population loss over time. When she finished it, she sighed, deleted the data and set the tablet aside, crossing her arms and staring at Mordin. She was not one to judge other scientists’ murky actions, but this was a level of insanity that every man in ONI would feel squeamish about… No, not true. They did try to NOVA Bomb Sangheilios at one point. Emphasis on try .

“Fairly mild reaction to hearing my people and Mordin’s basically committed a Genocide,” Garrus spoke with mild surprise in his voice. Tali nodded, rather horrified she was face to face with one of the people that made the Genophage, while Wrex simply stared at them. 

“I have my own skeletons in the closet, mister Vakarian,” Halsey said, slightly dejected, as she cast a quick and almost unnoticeable glance at the Spartans. She added, “However, I can’t say that my heart doesn’t sink just thinking about what this means for the Krogan, especially taking into account your long lives. These Krogan Wars…”

“Rebellions,” Mordin corrected warily.

“Whatever they are. They most certainly couldn’t have warranted this,” The woman answered, staring at the scientist. Mordin, to his credit, remained quiet, simply fiddling with his fingers as his seeming attention deficit caused him to look around for any other ways out of this conversation. At least, Halsey appreciated that he kept his opinions about his work to himself, because she could easily tell he was not against what he did.

“Not gonna try to deny, deflect or defend with me around, eh? I get it,” Wrex offered in the meanwhile, absolutely calm.

“Hope I’m not interrupting, folks…” Shepard spoke as she cracked her neck a little, rubbing the back of it. She then ordered, “Fred, on me. We’re going out,” only to see Spartan-104 take a pause. She clarified, “Grunt needs a Krantt, a war party to fight this. I and you are it, per his choice. Hope Blue Team doesn’t mind.”

“Not at all, ma’am,” Cortana replied for Chief, “Have fun, Fred.”

“Thanks…” Fred sighed.

“You alright, Shepard?” Wrex inquired, noticing the fact that she was rubbing the back of her neck pretty hard. And her forehead had a couple of marks from what looked  to be Krogan carapace. Garrus went to check on her without another word while Grunt stomped his way forward, grinning from ear to ear, proud. Okeer was behind him, a little surprised at Shepard’s wits.

“She headbutted Uvenk when he came to mouth off,” He told them matter-of-factly, then let out a low chortle.

“Hah. Two headbutts in a day? You trying to earn favors, Shepard?” Wrex raised a brow, looking at the Commander like she was one of them already. It was pretty clear to everyone involved, Halsey included, that Wrex did, in fact, see her as one of his own family members in a way, going by how friendly they were with each-other.

“Not really… We’re ready to go,” The Commander shrugged off the pain and nodded.

“I’ll tell the Driver to be ready. Go to the other end of the compound and you’ll find him and the truck,” The Urdnot leader replied, pointing back toward the Motor-Pool off to the rear and side of the camp. The trucks waiting for them there were seemingly Krogan wheeled tanks, with twin heavy cannons on top and tan camouflage and all that. Neat.

The Citadel

In the meanwhile, away from the mess of Tuchanka and to the East of the Waystation, the Citadel, center of the Galactic Community’s trade and cooperation efforts, lay calmly in the Serpent Nebula, hovering amidst lilac-shining clouds of gas and space dust. Around her, the Citadel Fleet stood on guard. Lead by the Destiny Ascension , they were the Citadel’s armored fist and the shield against which most threats broke.

The Ascension herself guarded the center of the flower-like Citadel, hovering above the Council Chambers with her advanced mass drivers and laser defense weapons pointed outward. After the Battle of the Citadel, they were all on high alert, with the Alliance Navy’s own supporting elements deployed beside her, a show of gratitude to humanity.

They were the first to pick up the new arrivals on scopes, too. 

Maybe a dozen vessels emerged from a random direction, not from the Relay. Sensor pings tagged them as part of the fleets of the Waystation. Among them, the seeming leading ship was a 900 meter long wedge of some kind that led the formation. Smaller starcraft flew around it, all of them heavily armed. Including other wedge-shaped three-engine escorts.

The entire Citadel Fleet tensed for a moment, waiting to see just what their angle was. They knew that the Waystation would’ve sent ambassadors at this point, but an entire task force? The closer they got, the more the CDF could see that the Waystations’ ships were armed to the teeth, with the 900-meter long craft also bearing everything from heavy cannons to torpedo tubes, while its escorts seemed to have spinal mount guns, missiles and point-defenses.

The wedge-shaped vessel itself had silver colors with red stripes and two circular marks on its rear-most wings, gold outlined by interrupted scarlet circles. Sensors pointed out each of the guns on the craft, displays lighting up like famed Earth Christmas trees with how overtly well-equipped it was for an escort vessel. 

And its guarding Frigates were nothing to scoff at either. At just a little over half the length of the leading ship, clad in black with white stripes, they carried the heavy spinal mass cannons with pride, their point-defense seemingly being a mix of energy weapons, missiles and kinetic autocannons of some kind.

Spirits cooled only when the leading ship of the formation contacted the Citadel over com. Citadel Control answered, “This is Citadel Control to Waystation Fleet. Go ahead?” with slight concern in her voice. She saw the ships gently settle into position ahead of their own, but none of them charged their weapons. Instead, communication links were opened.

“ Citadel Control, this is the Republic Victory-class Guardian, requesting permission to join perimeter defenses and send forth our delegates, ” The seemingly female captain of the vessel spoke, her accent heavy, almost British. Her face appeared on-screen. She was a red-haired, emerald-eyed young woman with rank pins on her chest and with the demeanor of a seasoned officer.

The CC officer looked to the woman that had been waiting for their arrival and raised a brow. The blue-skinned Asari Councilor, Tevos, nodded, with the Officer immediately turning back. She hit the transmit button and said, “ Guardian, Citadel Control. You’re clear to send your Diplomats and join the defense force. Sending docking ring coordinates now. Citadel Control, out.”

Tevos scratched her chin, then said, “I will go await their arrival. Eyes open,” before she walked out of the control tower. Descending down to ‘street’ level, she took her Skycar and Citadel Security escort over to the docking ring. Lifting her hand, she activated her Omni-Tool from the rear seat and spoke, “Send Captain Bailey down to Docking Ring Four, please.”

An affirmative reply later, the woman turned her head to watch the spires of the Citadel rushing by them, the tall towers and habitation areas in the wards. Gently, the Skycar took a left turn, then moved up the central docking ring toward the fourth area. Overhead, she saw the three-engined, red-clad consular vessel shift its orientation in order to properly dock. Even their consular vessels were armed, she thought, noting the four cannon barrels on the top and four more on the bottom.

Arriving at the docking ring and disembarking with her security detail, she was met by the sharp-jawed, older captain with slicked-back hair. He saluted and said, “Seems we arrived just in time, ma’am,” as the rest of his squad piled out of their Shuttle, weapons on their backs. They held position, however, at Bailey’s unspoken order.

“Good timing, Captain,” She replied, pausing in front of the docking tube. The red vessel touched the docking umbilical and connected, transmitting the last of its codes to the CC staff as Tevos said, “I was not expecting them to share a shuttle over, but I suppose it only makes sense not to occupy too many docking areas.”

“Yeah,” The man hummed.

The C-SEC units arranged themselves in such a way to be at parade rest, so that when the door opened, first contact would be friendly. Tevos sighed, hands together, then mumbled, “I should’ve asked Sparatus what exactly to say to these people,” only to pause as the door slid open. The first people out of the door were not the Ambassadors, terrifyingly enough.

Clad in heavy armor, the UNSC’s representative troops marched forward, weapons stowed as they did so. The leader of the formation, a woman clad in white armor with red highlights and a blue visor, saw the Asari Councilor and her escort and hummed, then ordered, “Alpha-9, clear the path…” as she stepped aside with the team.

Beside them, troops clad in white armor with white detail, maybe a head shorter than the UNSC’s staff, turned right and stood at attention. Led by a man wearing armor that was inverted in color scheme to his comrades:a heavy amount of red with white details, but with the added intricate symbols on his shoulders and what looked like some sort of black skirt, attached to it being two holsters for pistols.

Finally, out came the Ambassadorial staff. Leading the trio was a blue-skinned, beautiful woman with similar face tattoos to those of an Asari, but with long, white hair made up into an interesting hairdo. She also had her own holster, though it was more ornate and contained a sleeker-looking personal defense pistol, while her outfit was a combination of regal purples with red, gold and white.

Behind her, a human male clad in a pure white uniform, bearing rank pins on his collar and a peaked cap underneath his arm. He had a row of medals on his chest. In stark comparison to the leading woman, too. Beside them, the last one in was clad in a blue uniform and had jet-black hair. Both of the men carried pistols as well.

“Welcome to the Citadel, ladies and gentlemen,” Spoke Tevos, though she felt a lump in her throat for a moment. She spoke, “I am Councilor Tevos, representing the Asari Republics, and I am your assigned guide for today. We’ll be making our way to the Presidum, where the Waystation’s Embassy is… If that’s alright.”

The leading woman bowed and said, “That’ll be fine, Councilor Tevos. Greetings, by the way. I’m Senator Riyo Chuchi, representing the Galactic Republic as its Ambassador,” then she motioned to the two gentlemen, first to the UNSC man, “This is Captain Alexander Summers, ONI Section One. The ambassador of the Unified Earth Government…”

“Ma’am,” The officer nodded.

“And Captain Johan Strauss, of the Colonial Navy and Ambassador for the Fleet,” Riyo then motioned to the man. He remained quiet, but nodded in greeting to the folks. Riyo smiled, then said, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet our friends from another Galaxy. I must say, the discussion I had with them on the way here opened my eyes to just how strange this meeting is.”

“Indeed,” Tevos blinked. She leaned toward Bailey and spoke, “... Does she sound familiar to you as well, Captain?” in a whisper. Bailey nodded in approval and watched as the leader of the UNSC/Colonial Escort troop snorted. One of the men clad in black armor looked up at her, his large blue visor shimmering.

When Riyo turned toward her, confused, the woman spoke, “Nothing, ma’am. Just one of my moments,” only to see the faces of the two change in horror. Bailey blinked, while Tevos was already praying to the Goddess that they were hearing things. Yet again, another snort echoed. The Clone officer in charge of Riyo’s escort hummed…

Riyo blinked, then smiled a little, “Ah. Ask away, please,” as she looked at Tevos

“... You sound like someone we know. Both of you,” Tevos spoke, pointing at the Spartan commander and at Riyo, “Specifically, Commander Shepard,” and then watching the two women laugh. Tevos blinked and knew it was better not to question it at this point, looking at Bailey. When the two women stopped, basically seconds apart, Riyo turned toward them.

And said, “I and Commander Palmer, not to mention our comrades… Observed the similarities, yes. Regardless, shall we begin the tour?”

The captain mumbled, “Let’s head out, then,” as he led the way toward the C-SEC Shuttle that would take them up to the Presidium. Riyo turned to the Spartan commander, nodded, then turned to her Guards. The leading man gave a wave of his hand and the teams formed up, with him and Palmer in the lead.

At this point, Bailey was worried he had someone who sounded like him…

Chapter Text

With Grunt about to undergo the Rite of Passage despite the protests of some of the more traditional clans that still supported Urdnot, Shepard couldn’t help but feel slight concern at the fact they were about to go to town and fight what was probably some of the local fauna. The transport vehicle they rode in on, an Urdnot armored truck with a twin cannon turret up above, rolled over the rough terrain of Tuchanka’s destroyed cities, crunching under wheel centuries of debris.

The Commander felt a little tense. So far, the minimum of troops she recalled having as backup was five, with all of Blue Team usually on tap for support, if she didn’t deploy with General Tano and the Clones. Or all of them at once. She sighed, scratched the back of her neck and said, “Sorry for dragging you into this, Fred.”

“Grunt needed a Krannt, ma’am,” The Spartan replied, looking at the eager Krogan as he tapped his foot. He then turned his gaze toward Shepard again and stated, “If he asked for me, I can’t say no to a team-mate’s request. Especially when it’s something like this,” before he checked his com. He had to have Blue Team on tap, in case he needed backup.

“Did you two actually get to spar…?” Shepard asked, looking between the Krogan and Grunt.

“Would you believe me if I told you that we did, ma’am?” The Spartan replied. Grunt nodded in approval and Shepard just now noticed the faintest crack on his carapace. She blinked, look at the Spartan like he grew a second head and he told her, “Turns out you can knock Krogan out by hitting them at that exact spot.”

“... Uh-huh…” Shepard blinked. 

Okay, yeah, she knew Spartans were badasses already, but that just kind of reinforced it. She asked, “And no damage whatsoever was done to any part of the ship…?” to which Fred shook his head. Grunt grinned at Shepard and shook his head, too, causing the Commander to really, really wonder just how well-trained Spartans were to avoid the kind of Collateral Krogan would cause.

She honestly didn’t want to know, simply stating, “Alright. I guess that’s that,” in a mumble. She drew her gun as the vehicle began to slow down and stood to her feet, stating, “We get this done and you’re fine, right?” as she stared at Grunt. She wanted him to say yes so she knew she wasn’t doing something like this just for the hell of it.

The Krogan huffed and nodded, “Once this is done… I will have a clan to return to once the mission is complete, Shepard,” as he checked his own shotgun. He capped it off by saying, “I’ll be prepared for anything that may come and my life will be yours to give,” as he racked the pump of the gun. Shepard nodded, though she wanted him to be able to come back.

If he was gonna become an Urdnot, Wrex was gonna kick her ass for letting him die. She told him, “Alright. Gear up, boys,” before she stood up. The driver of the truck called out to them over the com, letting them know they were arriving at the trial area. When the vehicle ground to a halt, the team dismounted, weapons at the ready, before looking around.

An Arena greeted them, what seemed to be a crater of some kind within which an ancient complex had been built, housing the ‘Keystone’, the strange percussion device that would summon the hordes of enemies they had to face. Three waves, three hostile types, god only knew how much time they needed to hold.

Wrex had told them everything with the Shaman’s help. Grunt loaded a fresh thermal clip into his shotgun and said, “Whenever you’re ready, Shepard,” while he and Fred set themselves up to welcome any incoming enemy. Shepard noted possible ingress points for smaller creatures like Varren and wondered if that was their first target.

She nodded, stepped up to the first Keystone and hit it. A deep, reverberating clang filled their ears as the Commander and her squad prepared. The roars of beasts echoed around them as the dusty atmosphere of Tuchanka vibrated with seeming excitement. Shepard joined the boys in the middle, mumbled, “Here, doggies…” as she aimed.

The first of the Varren, a red-colored one, appeared at the base of the platform. It hissed its strange, half-reptilian hiss, before surging up the stairs with a tidal wave of its siblings not far behind. It, however, had its head ripped clean off by Grunt’s first shot. The Urdnot initiate laughed heartily as he fired his weapon at the crowd of beasts.

Shepard and Fred were more tactical with their shots, aiming for the eyes of the beasts. Their rifles barked like a drumbeat, one after the other, the Spartan’s aim an impeccable display of his enhanced physiology. He swiveled about as one of the alien beasts jumped him, bearing its claws and fangs. Lifting his arm, he watched its teeth shatter against the Titanium gauntlet before slamming it against the floor and shattering its spine.

With a whine upon its death, it caused its siblings to pause as the Spartan, a laughing Grunt and a Shepard that was continuously ever more glad they were friends with the Spartans, because the multitude of displays of their sheer ferocity in combat was a daily reminder that these soldiers were abnormal in the most clear sense of the word.

Grunt, meanwhile, stomped down on the head of a Varren and put a slug through another, seemingly having fun in his Rite of Passage. Admittedly, he was still fighting tooth, nail and tail to get the bastards clear of them. Their shots continued to connect, the Spartan taking down the hostile alien monsters with gun, blade and fist.

A flurry of alien quadrupedals was normally nothing too bad. Shepard had dealt with worse, to the point she barely even had to use her powers here. Her biotics, namely, were relegated to only armor-stripping strikes like Warp, hits that tore off the thick scales of the lizard-dog creatures before either she or one of the boys put a slug in their heads.

Shepard spoke, “Lots’a bad dogs!”

Fred replied humorously, “You should’ve seen Requiem!” as he snapped off a shot at an Alpha Varren and watched the creature, one a little larger than its siblings, tank the hit while charging him, its much sharper fangs bared as its scarlet skin was stained by its own blood. It pounced as Fred aimed for it and, just as it was about to land, Grunt came out of left field, slammed against it and pinned it to a wall.

Fred put two rounds into its eyes, pat Grunt on the shoulder as thanks and got a nod from the Krogan youngster, who went back to slaughtering the beasts in close quarters. His once-grey armor and his orange skin were being stained red by the amount of blood they were shedding, with Shepard staring a bit disbelievingly at the sheer number of creatures that was coming.

She sighed, powered her Biotics and, with a heave and a ho, threw a Singularity in the middle of them all, catching several in its gravity field before powering her Warp and shooting it right into the center of the tiny black hole. The explosion that ensued spread far enough to take a bite out of the enemy’s numbers.

Fred dived low, grabbed one of the monsters by the throat and slammed it into the ground. He drew his knife and pistol and stabbed and shot his way through four more like he was a bloody blender. Stacks of Varren corpses piled high on the stairwells around them by the time the last of the beasts scrambled back into their holes.

Panting and stained by blood, much like her comrades, Shepard stared at the corpses, dumped the spent thermal clip in her rifle and cracked her neck, before mumbling, “Strays, man…” before looking at Fred. The man was counting his ammunition, to which she chuckled and said, “What’s the matter, Spartan?”

“The disadvantage of running bullets over thermal clips is hitting, ma’am,” The Spartan replied as he quickly reloaded his magazines. He was obviously joking, but going by the tone of voice, one couldn’t exactly tell that was the case. In the meanwhile, both looked over at Grunt, who was seemingly happy despite being the most covered by gore and viscera.

He exclaimed, “This is fun!” like a very happy child at a playground…

Understandable, Shepard thought. She told them, “Alright, you two… Brace for the second wave,” as she approached the  Keystone. She looked for their approval and both gave nods of approval, Grunt being incredibly eager to see what the second wave was. She smirked, hit the button and the Keystone clanged again, the loud dinner bell.

Shepard tensed as she heard the sharp roars of beasts and the flap of alien wings. She looked up, then saw Fred immediately swivel about to where the contact was coming. She aimed and paused, watching a giant alien monster resembling a mix of a snake with bat wings and a giant insectoid appear. Its top scales were orange, while the exposed belly glowed gold.

Its four glowing eyes glared at Shepard as it screamed down at them, before dropping a red-glowing, scorpion-like insect, then another, then a dozen more like it was a bombing run. She knew the aliens:Klixen. Rather voracious and famous for exploding upon being killed. Shifting her aim toward the first one, she fired and nailed it, staggering it and stopping its charge toward Grunt.

Grunt completed the killing procedure by blasting it with his shotgun, causing the alien beast to detonate. The Commander ordered, “Keep these things at a distance!” as she joined the perimeter again. Backs against the gate, they fired at the monsters that surged up the stairwell, beastly roars filling their ears as they fought.

Grunt, to his credit, did manage to keep the little bastards at bay with his close-range weapon, stating, “That flying creature’s going to be a problem!” as he fired. Shepard agreed, considering it’d just keep dropping these things when the wave they killed died. Shepard, however, had an idea. She fired at the organic transport, causing it to shriek in anger as it waved off.

She then utilized her biotics, barking, “Fred, Grunt, on me!” and sending a rippling shockwave forward which killed several of the enemy bugs. A half-dozen of them detonated, shattering rock and killing several more of their buddies, causing a chain reaction until but a few of them were left. The Spartan and Krogan formed up with Shepard, the latter kicking away one of the bugs into a crowd of their own and shooting it.

“What’s the plan!?” Grunt demanded.

“The moment that Harvester lands, you catch a Klixen and throw it my way!” Shepard replied, ducking under the swing of one’s claws. She gunned it down because it was getting too close, then took a couple of steps back to avoid the detonation. They watched the Harvester fly around, deploying more of its minions, before Shepard explained, “I use Biotics to redirect it to our lovely bird there and Fred snipes it. Should hopefully kill the Harvester…”

“Noted,” Fred replied

“A bit desperate,” Grunt spoke as he blasted another Klixen before it jumped them. He told Shepard, “But worthy of an attempt!” as he gunned down another pair of Klixen. Fred nodded in approval, already on-board with the plan, while Shepard watched the creature take off from the area around the platform they were on, hovering a bit and glaring at them.

It then flew off, with Shepard ordering, “Be ready to do it the moment it comes back!” as she lifted her rifle and charged her biotics. She fired into the crowds of alien creatures, making sure to hit only disabling shots on some of them so they could be used. Grunt, meanwhile, tanked blast after blast and cut after cut from the aliens as he gunned quite a few of them down.

Fred kept multiple away to the best of his abilities, killing any that got way too close for comfort, but staying in the rear with his DMR to conserve ammunition. He’d actually switched to his pistol and knife again, blade shearing through alien flesh as he stabbed and pushed the creatures away, while his Magnum barked loudly, each shot tearing limb and chitin off from the aliens.

When the beast’s flapping wings and mighty roars echoed again, Shepard barked, “EXECUTE!”  as she powered on her Biotics once more. She watched Grunt tangle with one of the beasts up close as Fred switched to his DMR, only to brace and prepare to send forth a strong Push toward the alien beast as its glare settled onto her.

Grunt grabbed a Klixen by the tail and began spinning in place. After he considered enough momentum had been reached, he threw the explosive bug perpendicular to Shepard’s arc of fire. She watched it fly in what felt like slow-motion. Cocking her hand back, she charged her push and felt her lungs sting. The lilac biotic aura around her body flared…

When the beast was in the line, she roared, blood dripping from her nostrils, as she sent forth twin dark matter kinetic strikes. Both impacted the monster in unison after a short dance, sending it forward like a bullet, right into the maw of the Harvester that landed in front of them. Shepard looked back toward Fred and gave a nod.

The Spartan replied with his own slight tilt of the head, tightened his grip on his rifle, then fired. The rifle-caliber round punctured whatever sac the Klixen had its explosives stored in, causing it to flash-boil and explode like a hundred pounds of tannerite. The detonation ripped the Harvester’s head clean off, gore and viscera scattering across the ground ahead, yellowish.

Shepard fell to her knees, breathing and wiping her nose with a smirk, before stating, “Nice job, guys…” as the Spartan and Krogan rushed to her side. The Krogan laughed, giving her a slap on the shoulder that actually shifted her a little, while the Spartan injected medi-gel into a port into her armor. She said to Fred, “I think I still have a bit of minagen in my lungs… Or, well… Had…”

She coughed and spat out phlegm to the side, then wiped her mouth and looked at the red streak on the right gauntlet of her armor. She sighed and mumbled, “Could be worse,” as she struggled to her feet, feeling the medi-gel drift through her body, repairing the damage.

The Spartan asked, “One more wave, right?”

“Yeah,” Shepard nodded as she looked back at the keystone. She stood up, dusted herself off and checked her ammo. She then asked, “How’re you doing on ammo, Fred?”

“I’m yellow for the DMR,” The Spartan replied, but he still seemed ready for battle, much to the woman’s surprise. She nodded, looked to Grunt, who simply let her know she could hit the button again. She did, letting the damn thing clang for the third time against the steel below it, then she readied her rifle.

The shuddering ground below their feet told them that whatever was coming wasn’t good. Shepard mumbled, “Oh, great fucking job, Shepard,” as she readied up. The dirt around the arena rose, a wriggling mass of chitin and flesh dancing through the dirt. She barked, “THRESHER MAW!” as the worm-like creature emerged.

A blue-glowing tongue and eyes greeted them. Red, hardened flesh resembling a segmented carapace danced as the giant alien worm emerged. Shepard barked, “TAKE COVER AND AIM FOR ITS MOUTH!” before she rushed behind one of the concrete pillars just as the monster spat out a volley of acid which melted the steel and floor she ran past.

Sliding into cover, the Commander immediately appeared, pulling the trigger of her Mattock as fast as possible, watching small craters form on the creature’s blue tongue. It hissed, roared in pain, then spat again and dived underground, its tail tanking several shots from those that invaded its territory. It appeared to the left and sent forth another volley of acid, right toward Shepard.

Fred stepped in-between the shot and Shepard, his shield taking the brunt of the hit. The Spartan then swiveled about and fired his gun as Shepard pushed forward, throwing warp blast after warp blast at the creature to strip as much of its armor as possible. Grunt, meanwhile, dodged and weaved through the strange worm’s projectiles, firing his shotgun. Slugs tore skin off the beast, but only pissed it off.

“Grunt!” Fred barked as he and Shepard joined him, firing into the Maw as it repositioned again and spat. He told the Krogan, “Fastball it!” before tossing him a plasma grenade. Grunt giddily laughed while the Spartan rushed the beast, throwing two of his own grenades and firing his gun at the re-emerging beast until it pinged and clicked, running dry.

Slinging it onto his back, he cocked his fist back as the beast leaned forward to try and rip him in half with its jaw. As his armor enhanced his strength by pouring what was tantamount to a cocktail of enhancing drugs into his system, he threw the punch, hitting it square in the mouth and causing it to stagger. It roared and dived on him again. He locked his leg armor and stopped its charge in place.

“NOW!” Shepard barked. Grunt activated and hefted the grenade, then threw it. It had an arc that would land it short of its target, but Shepard quickly corrected via biotics, the beast still screaming and pushing against Fred, the ground cracking below him as it did so. The Spartan watched the grenade arc in…

Then pushed himself away from the beast the moment it landed in its esophagus. The monster screamed before a burning blue flash blasted through its throat and mouth, causing it to retract into the ground, presumably dead as the quakes stopped. Shepard panted, while Grunt and Fred stared at the hole in the ground.

Grunt then laughed heartily and said, “A worthy foe!” before sighing. He looked at the pair of humans, then said, “You spoke truth, Shepard. You truly are a good Battlemaster,” before patting her on the shoulder. Shepard let out an awkward laugh, then rubbed the back of her neck, mumbling something. The young Krogan then looked at Fred and nodded, stating, “And you… Fred. Thank you.”

“No problem,” The Spartan nodded. He paused as he heard footsteps, then stated, “We’ve got company…” as he checked his ammo pouches. Sighing, he mumbled, “Fresh out…” while Shepard was bleeding from her nose again. He looked at her, then at the incoming contact, pausing as he saw… Okeer… Clad in armor.

“Okeer,” Grunt scoffed, “What are you doing here, Old Man? Came to congratulate your creation?” only to pause as his ‘father’ drew his shotgun and fired. Grunt pushed Fred and Shepard behind cover, taking the hits to his armor, scattershot rounds ricocheting off of the kinetic barrier and the plate. The younger Krogan demanded, “WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” his voice filled with rage.

“Your final mission is this rite!” The alien barked as he kept on firing, “Nobody else but you and me… You vowed your knife would rip my chest open, so accomplish your Rite of Passage and kill me !” all while Grunt moved back. The Krogan looked at Shepard and Fred and nodded, to which Shepard was about to go help.

Fred held her back and shook his head, then looked at Grunt and nodded in approval. Grunt, meanwhile, huffed and moved back, slamming home a fresh thermal clip for his own Shotgun. He demanded, “I would’ve presumed you would finally be happy with what you created, you bastard!” as he fired back.

Okeer had run out of ammo. Tossing his gun aside, the Krogan roared in anger, surging forward toward Grunt and slamming against him with all his might, pinning the tankbred against the steel pipe behind them, denting it. The Warlord spoke, “I will not be happy until I know you can kill something smarter than a few beasts!”

Grunt slammed his head against Okeer’s in a patented Krogan move at this point, before throwing the first heavy-weight punch against the old man’s face, staggering him. Grunt then kicked him back and demanded, “And you’d throw yourself to death!? For what!? WE STILL HAVE SHEPARD’S MISSION! Perhaps you can return home with it!”

“These pyjaks would never let me return home after everything I’ve done!” Okeer replied, taking his turn in the fight to throw punches. One of the many that connected nailed Grunt in the nose, causing the Krogan to double over before quickly recovering. He told the boy, “You’re the bright future of this race, but even so, they can’t throw away their own idiocy and past mistakes to see it!”

“Clan Urdnot does see it!” Grunt snapped back.

“Are you sure?” Okeer demanded.

The two clashed again, Grunt seemingly deciding to forego talking as he slammed his own armored head against Okeer once more, staggering the Alien. The two continued to fight each-other, throwing punch after punch much to the surprise of the Spartan and Commander. Shepard herself spoke, “We gotta stop them…”

“I don’t think we can, ma’am. I doubt Okeer would’ve made it here without Wrex letting him… That, or he’s a really sneaky bastard,” Fred replied.

“I know, Fred…” Shepard sighed deeply, “Twisted sense of morals and honor aside, I meant…” then she looked on, watching Grunt block one of Okeer’s punches, then another, then pull the old man toward him and slam his head into his face again, cracking teeth and, seemingly, the lower jaw of the elderly alien. 

The Warlord replied with a rage-filled roar as he pushed against Grunt’s attacks, picking his creation up and throwing him ahead, causing Grunt to land, face-first, against the Stone, a drop of blood now staining the ground. Grunt, however, was quick to recover compared to the old man, jumping to his feet and doing what Okeer had done to him in return… A hundredfold worse.

He slammed into the alien with a mighty beastly roar, grabbed him by the collar of his ancient armor and swept his legs out from under him, before picking him up and raising him high in a burst of adrenaline and slamming him down against his knee to the point both the Commander and Spartan heard the Warlord’s spine audibly crack.

Okeer groaned and rolled off Grunt’s knee, his lower extremities limp. Grunt put his foot on Okeer’s neck and demanded, “You lost!” as the two glared at each-other. Though even in his broken form, Okeer let out a defiant growl. Grunt attempted to suppress it by pressing the boot deeper into his neck. It did shut him up, thankfully, so Grunt could ask, “Why would you do this…?”

“As long as I live…” Okeer sneered, “You will only ever be seen as my puppet by these self-absorbed fools…” then he looked at Shepard and Fred as they walked out. He looked at Grunt again, his expression surprisingly softening, “But… By killing me… You’ll be released from the strings of being created in a tank by a madman who was banished, so you may carry out your destiny as the future of the Krogan…”

“... You did this because you want Grunt’s loyalty not to be questioned?” Shepard blinked, surprised. She might’ve pegged Okeer wrong. 

“Someone…” The alien huffed, his breathing slowing, “Has to think about the future. You swore an oath in front of the leader of Urdnot that you’ll kill me. Anyone bound by all of our customs and stupidity will be silenced at the sight of a Tankbred killing his creator and thus severing his ties…” and he looked at Grunt again, watching the confusion in his eyes, “Let me die in the light of Aralakh. Do it… Finish it now! Be free to be the future we were meant to have… Grunt…”

The tankbred blinked, staring at his creator, his father, for a moment. Shepard looked at Grunt and said to him, “Do what you need to do, Grunt…” as she pat him on the shoulder. Okeer coughed blood, clearly not long for this world, but suffering all the while. It was almost strange in a way, seeing the Warlord that had so far been so abrasive so… Resigned.

Grunt stared a little longer at the frail form of what was once the most argumentative piece of pyjak shit he’d ever had the displeasure of meeting, now revealing his true reason for going so far after surviving. To accomplish his Oath. Grunt sighed deeply, then replied, “As you wish… Go with the sands of Tuchanka, Warmaster Okeer, Clanless, Banished…” and he whispered one last word before he twisted his boot and pushed down, feeling the windpipe and spine crack underfoot.

“You okay?” Shepard asked the young Krogan. Grunt stared at the broken corpse of Okeer, then huffed and nodded. She smiled, looked at Okeer again, then sighed deeply.

Grunt told her, “Those same Customs he kept belittling made our people what they are. So says the genetic memory he imprinted into me. Even if some may seem strange, it’d be a dishonor not to follow through with them,” before looking at Okeer again. He joked, “I’m going to miss arguing with him, however. It was almost interesting to hear his nonsense.”

Shepard snorted, then said, “Alright. Let’s pack it up… Take the corpse with us.”

… A short trip back through the tunnels later, they arrived at the Urdnot camp and walked out of the vehicles, to the whispers and murmurs of approval of several of the Guards and other Krogan around. Nods of approval, smirks and laughter echoed as they, alongside the Shaman who’d been there to supervise the event, walked in with Okeer’s corpse on a stretcher.

The Shaman nodded to Grunt, stating, “You’ve done well, boy! That was the first time in generations anyone took down a Thresher Maw during the Rite! The last one was…” and they looked ahead at Wrex, who was grinning. Shepard smiled, then looked at Grunt, watching the young Krogan approach his new Clan Leader.

“That was one hell of a show, kid,” Wrex spoke proudly as Grunt walked up the steps. He said, “This is bound to shut up everyone who was murmuring…” and he looked at the corpse, before mumbling, “Bastard stole one of our trucks. We only realized when we saw it was out of our Berth. And now I hear you killed him.”

“His own request,” Grunt replied.

“Honorable in his last few moments, then,” Wrex huffed, “That’ll also quiet down some other dissenting voices…” then he put a hand on Grunt’s shoulder, said, “Welcome to Clan Urdnot, Grunt. Your strength and pride will bring great change to this world,” and squeezed. Grunt nodded, thankful to finally have a clan of his own.

“With this, you may pick to serve under any Battlemaster you wish,” The Shaman spoke.

Grunt turned to face him and said, “Shepard is my Battlemaster. She’s proven her strength countless times and I would serve under nobody else,” to which the Krogan superiors around him let out bellowing laughs. Wrex gave a nod of agreement as soon as he settled down, then turned toward Doctor Halsey, the rest of Blue Team and Garrus and Tali.

Right, Shepard thought, there were two more things to do on this planet. Might as well get Mordin’s job next…

Caprica

It was another night on one of the Twelve Colonies. One of the many suns of Cyrannus set over the horizon as the ODSTs pushed into the ruins of the city of Delphi, weapons at the ready as they traveled through the sewers. Thankful their helmets were sealed, meaning they didn’t have to smell the overflowing amount of literal human waste in the background, the troopers pushed up.

“We sure about this call? Could be a false flag…” Melissa asked as she covered one of theirs. He climbed up the ladder toward a Manhole right at the intersection they’d stopped in while the others formed a perimeter, checking their motion trackers for patrols. Thankful there were none for now, the leading ODST poked his head out from under the manhole, scanning the streets.

The Lieutenant replied, “Resistance scouts and our own intel corroborated a lot of activity at this hospital,” as he racked the bolt of his MA40. He looked back at the rest of the team as they checked their weapons’ suppressors, then looked at Melissa and the Sergeant and told them, “We’re checking it out…”

“Roger,” The girl replied. The group soon moved out through the manhole and toward the Delphi General Hospital. It was about as big as a general hospital back home. They moved down a side alley in a staggered column, rifles raised and scanning rooftops and windows as they did so, before reaching a rear access door.

Noting a red light, Holden said, “They’ve got power… Meaning something is going on here,” before he checked his HUD for movement. Nothing yet, thankfully, but they were not inside. The Lieutenant tilted his head and said, “Mercer, cut the alarm when you find it. Everyone else, be ready for slow infil,” then he put his hand up to his ear and spoke, “Bravo Six Actual to Romeo Actual, making insertion into the hostile-controlled hospital. Activating Helmet cams now…” and, indeed, their cameras turned on…

“ Copy last, Lieutenant… Watch out in there, ” Sam replied over the com, “ Romeo will be on-station to deploy reinforcements if you guys need it… ”

“Roger last. Bravo Six, out,” The man replied, then nodded to Mercer as the man found the connection to the place’s fire alarm. A lucky find, all things considered, the group thought. Mercer quickly disabled it, then unlocked the door through a series of quick lockpicking maneuvers before pushing it open. He took a step back and let the shotgunner go in first, followed by the Lieutenant, Sergeant, Melissa, then the rest of the team.

Last man in closed the door, hearing it lock behind them with a click. They gazed upon the dark back-rooms of the hospital. Storage areas emptied of medication, trash heaps strewn about and even blood staining some of the walls, mixed with bullet holes. Though, yet again, no corpses. Holden waved the shotgunner forward, then signaled the team to rally up on them.

They pushed forward, stepping gently through the darkness, their VISR systems online. Melissa spoke through com, her external speakers shut off, “Looks like not a lot of power is on, boss…” as she aimed her Battle Rifle past a corner. The Lieutenant nodded in agreement as the team pushed out from the back rooms and to the reception area.

Signs of struggle were visible. Bullet holes in the floor, in the ceiling and on the walls, blood smears and splatters, an overturned gurney and destroyed waiting room chairs, as well as the broken computers on said desk were a stark reminder that this place had been in use as a medical center until a few months ago.

The hallway ahead split into three distinct sections, one of which was cordoned off as a radiation area. Unease crept upon the soldiers as they looked down the halls filled with flickering lights, Holden mumbling, “We walked right into one nasty Horror movie,” as he aimed his rifle down one of the corridors.

“Not seeing any patrols on scopes yet,” The Sergeant added, taking a knee beside one of the corners. He ran a hand over a blood smear that was about waist-high, feeling the roughness. Then, he looked down and saw shards of glass on the floor. Above them, the neon tubes that were part of the light fixtures were shattered.

The rest of the place looked just as disheveled, broken panels and extensive bullet damage to the walls telling of the possible string of executions the Centurions carried out in here. Holden sighed, then ordered, “Check rooms in pairs. Watch your fire and look out for booby traps. We’ll move on to the second floor once we’re done.”

“Sir,” The fireteam replied quietly. Melissa took Mercer as her pair and the two walked into the farthest room down the northern Hallway while the others checked the ones behind them. The room was the ICU, a wide room with a lot of beds lined up against the walls. The two ODSTs scanned the place, noting blood stains on the hospital beds, scattered gowns and even the foot-marks of Centurions.

“Clear,” Mercer called.

Melissa replied, “Clear. All clear… Let’s move…” and her voice grew low, a tad angry. So many people, helpless, defenseless immediately after the bombs dropped, slaughtered to the last. They walked out toward the next room, which was a closet. Opening it, they found nothing but cleaning supplies, mops and several bullet holes.

The task force cleared the first floor’s open areas rather quickly, finding only the marks of death, but no bodies to speak of. The Lieutenant, who had been in the place’s offices, walked out with files and rallied the team before they went down the radioactive hallway. He showed the team, “This place is a pediatric and neonatal care hospital…” 

“Fuck…” Melissa whispered.

Mercer stared at the patient files and said, “That’s… Jesus, fuck…” as he leaned over. 

The Lieutenant nodded in agreement. He then ordered quietly, “Main stairwell is down the radioactive corridor. Check rooms for survivors, otherwise move fast. I think I heard one of those fucking Toasters moving about upstairs…” which caused the entire group to tense up. They did as ordered, however, weapons ready.

Going down the hall to the stairwell, they didn’t find anything horrific in any of the radiation rooms, aside from minor spikes from their Geiger counters. Obviously, the signs of the slaughter needn’t be mentioned. Passing by a light fixture barely hanging on by a wire, sparks flowing out of it to denote that there was still power, the ODSTs pied the corners and found the stairs.

Climbing them slowly, keeping their eyes both pointed above and at anything below, they basically crawled through into the creepy, ‘abandoned’ hospital as quietly as humanly possible. When they got to the second floor, they found yet more signs of struggle. Actual spent casings lay on the floor with pools of blood to match. 

Yet again, the same tactic applied, though the rooms up here were surprisingly even more torn to shreds, with overturned beds and clawed-out pillows. Melissa whispered to Mercer, “This is fucking creepy , man…” as she pied one of the larger rooms, an office area that was completely screwed, looking like a Hurricane had passed through Some of the windows had been broken, too, the gentle outside breeze blowing through and moving the trashed papers on the floor.

“Agreed…” He replied, then asked, “Why the hell did Sam seem so worried about us going here…?”

“Fucked if I know, man. Apparently both him and Starbuck have an aversion to local hospitals,” She replied as she led the way out of the room. She gave the all clear to the Lieutenant, who rallied the team up. They moved to the next floor, with Melissa adding, “I really don’t like this damn place. It feels wrong… ”

“No shit,” The shotgunner replied.

Mercer added, “Yeah…” before they got up to the third floor and all paused upon hearing the lumbering steps of one of the Centurions. The Lieutenant balled his fist, showing them to stop, then peered around the corner as his motion tracker finally picked up movement. He saw the monster turn a corner and disappear.

“Eyes peeled. Search these rooms thoroughly and if you meet a Tin Can, kill it,” The man ordered, then lead his partner forward. Once more, the team went on scouring through the place, finding little but damaged equipment and the likes. There were two Centurion guards here, plus a couple more they were picking up in the place’s final room.

Both were dispatched surprisingly quickly, the high-caliber ammunition of UNSC weapons ripping through their armor and letting them drop dead. When they reached the last doors on the floor, they found them to be double doors leading to a wider ICU/Surgery area. There were at least two more Centurion contacts inside. Alongside grayed-out contacts. Unknowns. Maybe two dozen.

The Lieutenant gave a countdown, the troops prepping. At three, they loaded fresh magazines. At two, now stacked up, they prepped to breach, Shotgunner and LT in the lead, plus half the unit on each side. At one, the Lieutenant and Shotgunner kicked the door down and their guns barked. The Centurions ahead were filled full of holes, gunned down on sight. Both dropped dead.

… The team wasn’t worried about them, however. The moment they stepped foot into the room, the most horrific part of this hospital came into view. The hum of machines filled their ears, the beeping of life-monitoring devices and the screech of air pumps and oxygen filters working. They stepped inside, eyes widening.

Attached to multiple strange machines, connected via tubes, tubules, wires and horrifying contraptions, maybe two dozen people, male and female alike, lay, legs spread, in medical beds. White as bone, their bodies barely fed by the IV drips beside their beds, they almost looked like they were being used as incubators.

Tubes connected to the areas between their legs and to their hands ran up into the ceiling of the room, which had been stripped bare. All of them lead up, further. There were other tubes connected to the machines as well, filled with strange liquids and what even looked to be cellular tissues of a kind the ODSTs didn’t want to think about.

Melissa took her helmet off, revealing wide eyes and a pallid face. She hunched over, throwing up on the floor, while the Lieutenant approached one of the prisoners of these machines, mumbling, “... It’s a fucking Farm…” as he lifted one woman’s hospital gown to note the wires attached to her belly. He swallowed and spoke, “ It’s a fucking Breeding Farm… And we’re the damn cattle… What the fuck… ?”

“Sir?” The team’s medic spoke from one of the consoles. The Lieutenant turned to face him and nodded, to which the Medic added, “This is… The tissues specific to the experiments these fuckers are running, sir…”  his voice cracking. He swallowed, turned and said, “They’re fucking Cylon , sir. Looks like the Knockoffs have reproductive tissue, too… Though no successful embryos were created yet…”

“Oh, God,” Melissa whispered, gagged and retched again, while the other ODSTs tightened the grips on their guns. The implications of this experiment alone caused stomachs to turn and churn. Mercer gave a pat on the woman’s back. He was just as horrified, but wasn’t showing it, readying himself instead to wipe whatever guards were in the area.

The Lieutenant spoke, “We’re still filming,” in a whisper, “Tape everything. Every single fucking thing … I want Halsey to have the full picture,” only to pause and aim his rifle at one of the two Cylon, the one that moved. Its vocoder sputtered, but before it could transmit anything, Holden shot it. He emptied his entire magazine into the monster’s head, showering the area around them with sparks and synthetic, dark-red coolant.

He swallowed, cleared his throat, then said, “Bravo Six to Romeo… Transmit priority call to the UNSC Quiet Night , code scarlet. Requesting CASEVAC for approximately twenty-four human individuals. Heavy medical assistance requested. We’ll clear the place out before they come to land…” and his barely contained fury was finally let loose as he closed com, “I want five of you guarding these people! THE REST OF YOU, ON ME! If there’s even one of those Copied Fucks around, we’re taking them in for a ‘chat’!”

“Oorah!” The Troopers cheered. Melissa, who was done emptying her lunch, dumped half her canteen of water on her face to clean away the muck and mucus, then put her helmet on and loaded a new magazine into her rifle. With boiling blood and a new mission objective, the ODSTs pushed out, leaving behind the five guards.

They pushed deeper into the building, climbing up a few more flights of stairs until they reached the presumed office area. Truth be told, their objectives really hadn’t changed. They were:Find out what the hell the Cylon were doing in old hospitals, locate possible Cylon command units and eliminate or seize them. The pendulum just swung in favor of ‘kill everything’ now.

They met heavier numbers of Centurion guards in the hospital itself, but were quick to dispatch them without alerting others. They were blitzing through the enemy’s defenses and deep into the proper office area of the Hospital, finding yet more signs of previous combat and a few more units of Centurions they dispatched.

They arrived at the area around which the hostile units were concentrated:A meeting room. Approaching it, they took cover by the door and listened in, enhancing their helmets’ audio receptors as they picked up multiple hostile targets inside. The Lieutenant also noticed there were multiple entry points and scattered his unit accordingly.

From the inside, they could hear them talking. Cylon Humanoids. A male one, the same as during the ambush at that base, spoke, “... The situation near Picon just became worse. Multiple ships we were building at the old shipyards went missing alongside a contingent of Centurions and even a few Number Twos and a Number Four… What do you think, Caprica Six?”

“I think I don’t like the situation we just got ourselves into. Ever since we found that Artifact in the Caprican Base, it’s been nothing but trouble. And then there’s the other Artifact, that Gateway without a key…” Another voice spoke, though she wasn’t familiar. A Number Six, then, born or made here on Caprica.

“The Galactica and its crew stole the Key from that Shrine,” Another spoke, though she had the familiar voice of ‘Sharon’. A number Seven, then. She continued, “Same way they stole Sharon from us… And now I’m hearing reports that one of our Ones met a new contact down here. You sure it isn’t just some better-armed Resistance units?”

“Yes. The bastards shredded a battalion-strength unit of Centurions right in front of my eyes, then disappeared,” The Number One replied, “I don’t know what the Resistance managed to find, or what the surviving humans in that refugee fleet found, but these soldiers seem a bit beyond even standard Caprican Special Forces from the early days of the occupation.”

“That’s… Concerning… So, we’re dealing with a possible Civil War between our people, strange alien artifacts and reinforcements for the Resistance,” Another Six, this one with a sharper voice, spoke, “What do we do, then? We need to hurry the Farms along, get some god-damn results before everything blows up in our faces…”

“How? Without Sharon and her healthy child, we’ll never understand how to create life as God intended,” A Seven shot back, annoyed. She went on to add, “We need to get her back, whatever the cost… Our sister’s our only answer to this mess. Her and her lover, Agathon.”

“Shouldn’t we focus on dealing with the crap that’s currently stopping our plans here? The Resistance and those of us who went AWOL,” The One shot back, “This place and our ability to procreate as God wills would be useless if we let ourselves somehow lose track of the fact we’re still at war . The human subjects themselves are proving to be useless in our research. Worse off is if they attack us-What? Huh?! We lost contact with… Oh, no…”

“Now?” Melissa asked, rage bubbling in her voice.

“Now,” The Lieutenant confirmed over com. As the Cylons turned toward the doors, they were kicked in by the dozen or so Orbital Drop Shock Troopers present. The Humanoids all turned on their feet, standing up from their seats around the table just to stare down the barrels of the UNSC. The Lieutenant barked, “FIRE AT WILL!”

… And a fusillade erupted. With weapons set to fully automatic, the ODSTs filled the central area full of lead, rounds ripping through the six-foot tall Centurion guards and putting them down. One of the Cylons, a blonde, had her chest blown open by the Shotgun, while the others were raked by the troops’ machine guns. Blood sprayed across the floor, fresh stains on the dirty carpet below, spent casings dropping to the floor.

The ODSTs held down their triggers until the last of the bastards was on the ground and even after. They fired until the last of them ran out of ammunition in that magazine, rounds ripping through the glass, through the floor, through the flesh, bone and steel of Cylon and Centurion alike and shredding the table and them.

When the guns ran dry, the Lieutenant barked, “CEASE FIRE! AREA CLEAR!” and dropped his spent magazine, slapping in a fresh one. He and his team advanced into the room, pausing above the corpses of the human-looking Cylon, noting the Number Seven with Sharon’s face, the Six, a beautiful blonde, the One, an elderly man in a black suit, and the four, a wily blonde-haired man.

There were at least two of each model present, clad in different clothes matching personalities. The ODSTs’ boots crackled against the broken glass of the destroyed light fixture above as they walked forward. Melissa herself approached the Number Ones and kicked one in the head, then took her helmet off and spat on him, calling out, “Fucking Toasters…”

“Keep recording, people,” The Lieutenant mumbled as he examined the dead. He flipped one of the Sixes onto her back, noting the blood foaming at her mouth and the stains on her red dress. Vacant eyes stared up at them from each of the dead, with the man asking, “All of’em are dead, rig-” only to pause as the same Six he’d flipped onto her back coughed out blood. He called out, “And there’s our capture. Doc.”

The team Medic moved up and checked the woman, noticing she was looking around at them, then told the Lieutenant, “She’s in rough shape, sir. Ten out of the twelve shots that hit her didn’t go through. Pulse is erratic, but she’s salvageable if we get her to one of our ships,” only to hear her groan as she grabbed onto his arm. He slid a painkiller syringe into her neck and worked to keep her awake.

He nodded, then radioed, “Command, this is Bravo Six Actual transmitting on a secure net… We have one HVT captured… Heavily injured by the raid. Requesting MEDEVAC ASAP if ONI wants their spooks to have an interrogation target,” and knelt in front of her. He grabbed her chin as she breathed heavily, forcing her to look at her reflection in his visor, then said, “Your freak buddies are lucky they’re dead, because once ONI sees what you’ve done here…? Heh,” He snorted derisively, then stood up, showing his team to pack up.

Raheel-Leyya

The Quarian Migrant Fleet

Though it had been a surprise when it was first communicated by their human friends, the arrival of the newfound intergalactic human vessels, Galactica and Colonial One was met with both suspicion and a sort of expectant jubilation by the Quarians Admiralty Board. Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay, commander of the Patrol Fleet, checked her Omni-Tool continuously for reports from her ships.

Aboard the Quarian Lifeship, the Rayya , the Admiralty Board had met to discuss peculiar matters, including the issues pertaining to one Admiral Rael’Zorah, who was currently not answering his calls. Despite that, Shala had assured the rest of the Board not to worry, because Rael always got stuck in his own experiments, and instead focus on the fact that a human force belonging to a migrant fleet of their own was coming to say hello.

And indeed, they did. With a procession of Marines that included Kal’Reegar and his men, all of whom were saved by a unit that included members from the Colonial Navy, they waited at the largest airlock available on the beautiful Rayya . Shala smiled a little behind her mask as she watched the Marines interacting, then cast a glance out in space, through the windows.

The Patrol Fleet's most distant warships stood guard over the system, scanning and scouting through the orbit of the sibling stars for both hostile and friend. Thus, it wasn’t long before their commander received the report of two vessels, one much larger than the other, appearing at the edge of the system. She linked her com to that of the Charybdis, the leading ship of the Second Patrol Squadron, and listened.

The voice over the com was a bit distorted by whatever telecommunication system they were using, but the callout was familiarly human. The man spoke, “ This is the Battlestar Galactica to the Quarian Migrant Fleet. We come in peace. Our President seeks to open discussions with the Admiralty Board and the Conclave in regards to our common ground. ”

“Patch me through,” Admiral Raan spoke to the crew of the Charybdis. When the green light came, she spoke, “ Galactica, this is Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay, of the Patrol Fleet. The Conclave and Admiralty Board extend their greetings to the human vessels of the Colonial Navy. Please, come to a halt alongside the Lifeship Rayya, with your weapons disengaged, and proceed to docking point zero-one-zero.”

“ Roger, Admiral. We are on approach now with our weapons offline and MASTER ARM SAFE ,” The officer on board the Galactica replied as the massive, one-point-four kilometer-long vessel’s engines glowed for a moment as it, alongside its hammerhead-shaped ward, traveled toward the Migrant Fleet at ahead slow. 

When the two ships came close, the Galactica gently turned, radio communication between them and the Rayya’s ATC system reporting about the ship performing escort duties for the meeting. In the meanwhile, the blue-and-white Colonial One approached the docking port just as the three other admirals present on-board walked over.

“So,” Daro’Xen vas Moreh, one of the leading Scientific minds aboard the Fleet, stared at the Galactica in her new clothes and gear. She said, “That would be an intergalactic human warship… Impressive and unsurprisingly lacking in mass effect field technology,” as she pointed out the guns, “Magnetic cannons, dual-purpose. Point defense guns on the Pods and magnetic launch rails for starfighters…”

“You seem to have figured her out ahead of time, Xen,” Shala spoke, arms crossed, “It’s a human escort vessel and a carrier…”

“I’m more interested in the fact of them being alien to our own Galaxy, yet still Human, Shala,” Daro replied, cupping the bottom of her mask. She spoke, “Don’t you think it’s strange? We’ve received a data package from Tali a few days ago regarding these peoples, with their permission, mind you. The UNSC, the Colonials and the Republic… All human or human-adjacent… All post-War or Wartime, capable countries.”

“I think we’ll understand them better as we meet them, Admiral Xen,” Han’Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral of the Quarian Heavy Fleet and overall military, stated. He watched the Colonial One, a comparatively dainty ship to the Galactica, as she docked with their vessel, then stated, “Our guests are here. Marines! Attention!” 

“This should be interesting…” Murmured Zaal’Koris vas Qwib Qwib, the Civilian Fleet’s Admiral as, behind him, representatives from the Conclave followed. They marched toward the reinforced door that led to the airlock umbilical, then paused there, hands behind their backs, with Shala and Zaal at the front.

“Be nice,” Shala whispered to Zaal.

He hummed, “I will do my best…” before adding, “If they’ve come in proper suits…” in a quiet mumble. They listened to the decontamination system beyond the door activate, hissing showers of decon fluid presumably washing their guests in disinfectants and germ-hunting substances for about a minute before the door lock turned from orange to green and the door itself slid in two, opening.

It revealed the humans and their entourage. The leading woman, who somehow managed to wear her glasses underneath the bulky transparent helmet of her enviro-suit, wiped away the wet disinfectants and thus cleared her vision. She smiled at them, then nodded her head in greeting. The Admirals greeted her in kind, then noticed her entourage.

A dozen people, representatives of the 12 Colonies’ survivors aboard the human Fleet, each with varying skin tones and faces and builds. Beside them on each flank sat soldiers wearing dark-green, armored suits with attached gas masks and with weapons on their backs. The leading woman, President Laura Roslin, extended her hand and said, “In the name of the Twelve Colonies and the surviving people of the Colonial Fleet, greetings to you.”

“To you as well, madam President, from the Quarian Flotilla,” Admiral Zaal replied calmly, gently shaking the woman’s hand. He motioned to himself and said, “I am Admiral Zaal’Koris, of the Civilian Fleet section. These are my comrades, Admiral Shala’Raan of the Patrol Fleet, whom you’ve spoken to,” he motioned to Shaala, who bowed her head, “Admiral Han’Gerrel of the Heavy Fleet, our Military arm,” and Han gave a quick salute, “And Admiral Daro’Xen, of our Research Division.”

“Greetings,” Daro’Xen said with her own small smile and wave. 

“If you’d follow us to the meeting room,” The man offered to Roslin, who nodded her approval. The Marines snapped-to, saluting as the Admiralty turned about and led the guests through the inner area of the docking ring, showing to them the outside and the inner greeting area of the vessel, one of the only three ships in the fleet with any form of greenery…

An impressive sight to behold, nonetheless…

Chapter Text

Despite continuous and harsh protesting from both Shepard and Mordin, doctor Halsey, now wearing combat armor and under escort of Blue Team, had taken to accompanying the Commander and Salarian, as well as Tali and Garrus, over to the remnants of the Krogan Hospital in search of one Maelon, Mordin’s protege.

Some might’ve considered Halsey not in a position to comment on the crimes of others, considering her and the UNSC’s own minor proclivities, but to draw a comparison between stopping a Civil War and a horrible active, ongoing Genocide via the use of the young, a horrific action in its own, of course, to a genuine, slow Genocide of the Krogan population was an unfair comparison.

Reading the reasons for the Genophage, however, it also kind of irked her that, at the time, it was the correct decision. The risk of a bellicose population that could refill its ranks twice as fast as they could be killed starting a war immediately after facing a similar foe was far too great. Even Mordin’s own modifications to the fertility plague, though horrific, seemed somewhat worthwhile while the Krogan were still warlike morons.

Sighing deeply and pinching the bow of her nose at agreeing with an alien risk assessment from a few centuries ago, the woman looked at Mordin and said to him, “And you believe Maelon may be seeking a cure?” while she slid the tablet into her breast pocket and drew her M6G, racking back the bolt. Today, however, with Wrex, a moderate, seemingly sane Krogan at the helm? Unnecessary at best… 

Criminal at worst.

“Through brute force, perhaps. Attempt to adapt Krogan immune system and reproductive system to counter Genophage, similar to adaptations prior to modification made by STG,” Mordin replied, looking at the doctor. He asked, “Why come with us? Risk great. Militarily speaking, you aren’t-” as he looked her over.

“I’ve fought my way out of plenty of messes, doctor,” She replied harshly, then sighed as she saw the surprise in Mordin’s eyes. She replied, “Apologies, it’s just…” before shaking her head, “I still cannot shake the feeling that we should let him do his work. What if he may be onto something? What if the current assessments are wrong?”

Mordin denied it with a shake of his head, “No. Risk of allowing Krogan to reproduce again, militarize, rebuild while Reapers are at doorstep, too great. Galaxy cannot survive two new wars in the span of a few years… Barely surviving extragalactic contacts like your people, Republic or Colonial Fleet. Fear is high…”

“Have you perhaps considered that they may be of more use alive?” Halsey replied rather mechanically. When Mordin gave her a confused look, she told him, “The Krogan as they are are slowly coming together under the Urdnot banner. Certainly, opposition parties like the Gatatogs exist, but the Clans seem willing to work with Wrex… A surprisingly level-headed moderate in this mess.”

“Yes, but risk-” Mordin wanted to reply

She cut him off, “You keep speaking of risk assessments…” then mumbled, “I can appreciate those well enough,” and looked at her Spartans. The four members of Blue Team prepped in the rear of the truck, quiet as ever. Her expression softened, then she said, “That does not mean you shouldn’t consider your own feelings in the matter… Do you feel wrong for what you’ve done?”

“No,” Mordin replied, though the doctor heard a faint shiver in that voice. He spoke on, “No regrets for what I’ve done. Krogan, threat to wider Galaxy, perhaps even threat to your own people. Do not realize it yet. Have not seen all reports, all data… Barely stopped the Krogan when we did centuries ago. Yet again during work with STG. Risk Assessments matter.”

“If you say so,” Halsey mumbled, then looked at Shepard, Garrus and Tali, telling them, “I don’t suppose you three would like to throw your hats into this ring? A tertiary, impartial opinion would be a good addition to the matter…”

“I don’t think any of us are really impartial to it,” Shepard shrugged, “I’m all for removing the Genophage, because it’s genuinely been long enough. And as you said, since Wrex is taking control,” she motioned broadly at the Urdnot tank-truck they were in, “Why not let them be free again? Hell, with you folks around, it might even be beneficial.”

Garrus shrugged, “Wrex is probably the first Krogan I’ve met, but after seeing the Gatatog Clan and their way of acting… I’m so-and-so,” then he looked at Tali while Halsey let out a sigh, Mordin seemingly being happy that at least someone was seeing the practical concerns. If any other Krogan was to take over after Wrex, yes, there would be problems… But…

Tali nodded, “I like Wrex and his people would probably change under him, so…” and she shrugged, “I’d rather he and his people get the chance to live free. Especially considering what happened to us after the Council left us for dead,” and she looked at Mordin. She added, “No offense to your Matriarchs, but we’re not the only ones 

“Shame of these three hundred years never should have been forgotten by any councilors,” Mordin replied, “Should’ve helped when Quarians asked, but, as usual, deadlock. Hence, better to operate under own beliefs. Less likelihood of drawing ire from others…” and he mumbled that last bit to himself. He looked ahead.

Shepard hummed, activated her com and asked, “Wrex. What Clan holds this hospital?”

“ Weyrloc. They’re using it as their base of operations, as far as we know ,” Wrex replied, “ Do me a favor, Shepard. We sent a couple of scouts to figure out what the hell they’re doing in there, but they haven’t returned. If you find them, send them home, ” all while Blue Team readied their guns. They’d chosen to leave Grunt behind to learn more about his new clan…

“Roger that. We’ll keep an eye open for them,” Shepard replied calmly. When the vehicle slowed, then stopped, she stood up and drew her rifle, showing the team to follow. Tali and Garrus stood up first, walking beside her, with Mordin close by and Halsey and the Spartans bringing up the rear as they dismounted. The Commander quipped, “Same guys who formed the Blood Pack… This is gonna be fun…”

“Haven’t shot at them in a few months,” Garrus quipped as he drew his sniper rifle, checking it over. Linda nodded to him and drew her own gun, moving up to an elevated position via use of a grapple launcher, then scouting the area out with her SRS-99. She’d report contacts she picked up on Thermals to the Commander.

The Krogan ‘hospital’ ahead was a bombed-out husk, the remains of which now served as a base of operations for the Blood Pack, a horrific and dangerous band of Krogan mercenaries that would always put cash and victory over everything else. The Blues being here was a damn good thing, Shepard thought to herself as she pushed past the ancient wreck of a car.

Tali, meanwhile, moved up to the more recent wreck of a truck similar to the one they’d come in with, an overturned six-wheeler armored vehicle with twin accelerator cannons on top, colored tan to match their surroundings. She knelt in front of the truck, looking over the extensive damage and retrieved one specific part, which she tossed toward their truck.

Garrus, meanwhile, scanned the cracks in the walls for any possible Krogan Snipers. Though the two words were antonymic in nature, weirder things had happened. Like the arrival of three extra-galactic nations and their ships and people, he thought to himself as he knelt beside a supply box, scanning the area ahead.

Chief joined him up front, taking a knee and aiming his rifle at the entrance. Garrus mumbled, “It’s too quiet…” 

Cortana replied in a mumble over the com, “Please, stop,” as if she was also praying a bit. She told Garrus, who was looking at the two of them with some concern, “I wasn’t one to believe in Murphy before I and Chief started working together, but here we are…” while she ran calculations. Chief looked at the team’s Turian sharpshooter and shrugged.

Fred pushed up with Kelly next, DMR and shotgun respectively at the ready. The distant drone of a pair of turbofan engines filled their ears and they looked at the possible source of the noise, noting Helo’s Raptor flying between distant Krogan skyscrapers. He pinged their coms, to which Shepard replied by tapping her microphone twice.

Good thing they’d called him in. Cortana said, “I’ll help him,” as she powered on her own counter-intrusion and Cyberwarfare suites again. Garrus hummed, shifted a little on his feet and looked at the Chief again, raising a tattooed-on brow at the man. Chief shook his head and showed him to follow.

Fred stopped by Tali as Shepard joined them, then took cover and watched her work on retrieving the few working parts off the truck. She looked at him, let out a short eep, then went back to work a little more frantically. Fred straightened his posture a little, confused, then looked at Shepard, who was grinning ear-to-ear.

They advanced toward the remains of the hospital, Shepard mumbling, “You’d expect Blood Pack to have patrols o-” only to pause as he saw them. On the ground ahead of the main entrance, eviscerated. Claw marks painted the ground with blood, staining the rock and Krogan-standard concrete below.

“... Those marks,” Tali spoke in a whisper. They were, indeed, familiar. Familiar enough, in fact, that one of the perpetrators of such visceral strikes was currently a corpse being studied aboard the Normandy. One that Halsey had been asked to take a look at the moment their business on Tuchanka would be concluded…

Shepard sighed and ordered, “Eyes peeled, everyone. Looks like our old friend might’ve had siblings,” before she led the way to the door, noting it was broken open, wide enough to fit a Spartan. She looked at Halsey, then said, “Doctor, with all due respect to you, you shouldn’t be here right now. The damn thing we managed to kill via sheer luck when we went to get Tali-”

“I’m aware,” Halsey nodded, “I read your and the Spartans’ reports about operations, Commander. The alien machine aboard your ship is disconcerting, but nothing I consider grave enough to deprive myself of both understanding doctor Solus and understanding the Krogan,” as she looked around at the remnants of the city.

“Alright…” She sighed, then said, “Guess that’s your cue to stick as close as possible to her, Chief,” to the Spartan and Blue Team. All four of them nodded, before forming up with the woman. Mordin himself hummed and prepared anything that could potentially help them deal with the Stealthed enemy.  Shepard stated, “Like I said, people. Eyes open. God only knows we got lucky on Haestrom…”

The group pushed into the building, weapons drawn. Halsey had even prepared her own M6 just in case, while Mordin walked with them downstairs. Cortana herself said to Garrus directly, “Remember what I said about Murphy…?” more as a joke than anything. Garrus let out a short, innocent and slightly worried laugh as they descended down a flight of stairs, deeper into the building.

As they delved down into the deeper underground section of the place, exiting from the stairwell, the group paused upon seeing a human male’s corpse. Halsey blanked, raised a brow and looked to Mordin. The Salarian sighed, approaching the corpse and taking a knee beside it, then giving it a scan. He spoke, “Lamentable… Use of live subjects in research contemptible… Not science. Mere barbarism…”

“A human,” Shepard observed as the rest of the squad secured the perimeter. She asked, “The hell would Maelon be doing, experimenting on a human?” watching as Mordin pulled up a three-dimensional image of the man’s body and the various, grievous injuries, flash-growths and other issues caused by Maelon.

Mordin replied, “Human genome, varied. Incredibly useful for determination of viable counters to various diseases. Your species, incredibly distinct from one-another despite same common ancestors. Different facial features, physical features, abilities of the body, nervous system… Barbaric use, however… Subject severely damaged. Died in pain.”

“Seems as though certain growth hormones were administered, alongside steroid enhancements and, obviously, some modified versions of diseases…” Halsey spoke, clinically cold, as she looked at the corpse. She motioned at a few lacerations and pulled out her tablet, asking, “Send me the data from the initial scans, please,” as she looked at Mordin. The Salarian tapped a few lines on his Omni-Tool and sent the data.

Cortana asked, “Any particular reason you’re keeping it, doc?”

“Safety’s sake…” Halsey mumbled as she shut off her tablet. She stood up, drew her pistol again and nodded to the Commander. Shepard sighed, mumbled something, then showed the team to keep moving further on down the many corridors of the place. It was an eerie location to be in. A post-nuclear and Rebellion building that looked nothing like any Hospital they were used to.

Rough edges, steel support beams visible clearly through the walls, the rubble piling high on every corner and the antiquated, rusted-brown doors. The doors, however, clearly worked, going by the fact each had a haptic interface lock connected to them. Almost all, sans one at the end of the corridor, were red.

Chief pied the corner of the L-intersection next to the door, showed the team to move forward and put a hand in front of Linda, stopping her. She switched out to her twin pistols again, to which Chief gave a nod and let her move forward and into the cover of a fallen stone pillar. The rest of the Blues and Tali and Garrus maintained a perimeter.

“Motion tracker picked up something inside,” Kelly spoke to Shepard. The door itself was scratched, banged up and filled with recently-made bullet holes, marking that it was, indeed, probably being used by someone to take cover. The Spartans, meanwhile, kept their eyes peeled for any sort of distortion in the air among the massive hallways.

Shepard looked back and said, “What do you guys think?” 

“Well, if we open it and there’s one of those mechs inside,” Tali shrugged, “We can probably take it out. Just a sec,” then she activated her Omni-Tool, deploying a pink-and-gold drone into view. She said, “Be ready to go for the eyes, Chatika…” in a whisper, which caused the drone to chirp a little, as if its VI understood.

“No harm in checking. Survivors rare in cases where unknown enemy deployed,” Mordin replied, “Admittedly… Luck with commander Shepard… Haestrom, proof of that.”

“We always tend to get into bad situations, then get out of them…” Garrus quipped, though he was uneasy as he checked his rifle over, making sure it was set on burst just in case. Shepard looked at him in a deadpan. He smiled awkwardly, garnering a giggle out of Tali, though it, too, was tense. They were in unknown territory with things that ripped a Krogan unit apart. 

“Similar to the Master Chief’s missions, then,” Halsey mumbled, then nodded. She prepared her pistol and said, “Open it at your leisure, Commander…”  to which Shepard nodded. She readied her own Mattock, stepped forward, then slid her Omni-Tool across the haptic interface, watching the concentric rings making up the lock system spin into place and disappear.

The door opened and the entire squad aimed their weapons at… A Krogan curled up in a corner. He looked at them, then spoke, “You aren’t one of those things…” as he coughed. Shepard noticed wounds on his body, fairly familiar ones at that, but it wasn’t as bad as the Krogan outside. She knelt in front of him, to which he spoke, “Humans… A Salarian, a Turian and a Quarian… One hell of a rescue party.”

Shepard noticed the Clan Urdnot mark on his shoulder, then spoke, “You’re one of Wrex’s scouts,” before sliding her rifle onto her back. He nodded, to which she said, “Wrex told us about you all on the way here. Where’s the rest of your squad?” and she saw a few empty medi-gel capsules on the floor, plus a spent rifle.

“Dead,” The alien male replied, “A few died by Weyrloc hands… Others…” and he cast a glance at the bullet holes in the walls, “Something else killed them while they were scouting the perimeter. Weyrloc wounded me, took me prisoner… Told me that they were doing experiments here to cure the Genophage…” before he scratched one of his scars, one on the neck.

“Indeed,” Halsey replied as she holstered her pistol.

The Urdnot scout looked at Halsey and asked, “Ain’t you a little old to be here…?”

“I appreciate the attempt at humor,” Halsey replied as a few chuckles echoed from behind, both from Garrus and from Tali. Shepard cracked a small smile, but it, too, was soured by the tension. She picked up her tablet and Mordin stepped up beside her, activating his Omni-Tool. She inquired, “It may be a bad time, but do you think I could acquire one of those…?”

“Omni-Tools sold at most technology vendors,” Mordin nodded, “Easy to buy… Can modify it for you with similar items as mine, if you wish,” then he scanned the Krogan, who seemed a bit apprehensive about the Salarian, going by the slight shift of his weight. Halsey nodded in thanks, then looked over the scans.

“Damage is minimal, but it does impair him a bit,” She stated, then looked at the Urdnot scout and said, “He could make it back on his own.”

“Or take a truck ride with us as soon as we’re done here,” Shepard suggested.

“I… Don’t know…” The Krogan replied, wary, his eyes surprisingly filled with fear as he stared at them. Shepard blinked, looked back at the rest of the team, then almost burst into laughter. The Krogan himself raised his brow, asking, “What…?” as the Commander still stifled her laugh. Shepard was mostly doing it to rile him up.

She looked at him and asked, “Seriously? You know… Only a badass could make it out of here alive after he saw everything. Wrex has been waiting for a report for a while and there might be some sorta reward. Hell, who knows? The females might find said badass a lot more attractive…” only to see his eyes light up.

“I… I can do it…” He seemed motivated now

Shepard grinned. Time to sweeten the deal, she thought. She barked, “You? I said a badass, not some piss-poor scout whining like a Quarian with a tummy ache!” while watching the Krogan try to shift his weight, get up. That seemed to embolden him, though, as he pushed himself hard to his feet. It was kind of funny, really, that that got him up to snuff.

“Hey! I’m right here!” Tali complained.

The Krogan stood up, as did the Commander and Mordin. He then roared at them, with Shepard stating, “Get moving!” with a tilt of her head and a grin. The Krogan rushed past them and out through the way they came, which they’d already cleared. She sighed deeply, then said, “Well, that’s one way… Sorry, Tali.”

“Eh,” The Quarian shrugged, “I suppose it worked…” 

The group paused as a noise echoed from up ahead. Drawing their weapons and aiming them, Tali, Shepard and Garrus once more took the lead, while Mordin himself looked over the damage done to the human. Halsey, to her credit, remained relatively quiet, pistol drawn and at the ready just in case they would actually face any kind of threats.

Shepard stayed quiet, taking the hand off the handguard of her rifle, putting her index and middle fingers together and pointing forward. The team advanced, with the Spartans on heavy alert for possible hostile contacts as they descended further into the building. Entering a collapsed section where old boilers and storage tanks resided, the group found yet more signs of battle.

A platoon of dead Krogans, split to pieces by claws and high-powered gunfire, with their leader, a Krogan in white armor, missing half of his head from one of the weapons used by these bastards. Shepard huffed, then pushed on forward, climbing over onto a catwalk with the rest of the team and up to a door.

Halsey had to be helped by Garrus and Chief, while Tali sent Chatika scouting, her heavy shotgun at the ready as she, Shepard, Kelly and Mordin pushed up to the door. Taking cover, the Commander showed everyone to be quiet, then activated the door’s lock. She heard the inner motors screech and noticed the door was smeared with Krogan blood, mixed in with five claw marks.

These things must’ve really loved CQC, Shepard thought as the door barely slid apart, its inner damage causing it to get  stuck in the open position. The team moved out one after the other, with the Spartans, Shepard, Garrus and Tali still in the lead, Chatika operating as their early warning system. They exited out into an Atrium of some kind and saw that a corner of the ceiling, broken long ago, was letting Aralakh’s sunlight in.

Shepard radioed warily, “Helo… Do you have anything on scopes…? Any coms or…” as she examined all three levels of the Atrium for hostiles, only seeing rubble and more holes drilled by gunfire. She heard her radio crackle with static for a moment, which made the entire team uneasy. As they waited for an answer, they started moving down the levels…

Helo, however, replied just a few seconds later, “ I’m getting some slight interference, Commander. Nothing else… ” while not hiding the fact that his heart was currently beating in his throat. He sounded even more nervous than them. Understandable, Shepard thought. As they descended down to the bottom floor of the atrium, boots crunching the debris underfoot.

A thump, though muffled, reverberated, reaching all the way to them. Shepard swiveled, aimed her gun toward where the noise had come from, then peered through the scope. Tali ordered Chatika to where Shepard’s gun was pointing, then watched the Spartans immediately form a perimeter. Another thump echoed, then another, then three one after the other.

Linda hummed, drew her Sniper, then zeroed in on one of the locations the noise had come from. Shouldering the weapon, she peered down the scope at the first floor above them, scanning each and every part of it for a ripple, a thermal incongruence or something to tell her her instinct was right. Because if she wasn’t they were about to be ambushed.

A faint flicker on her scope and a millisecond’s mark of red on the crosshair appeared…

She called out, “First floor,” Absolutely calm, then snapped off a shot. The 14,5mm round zipped through the air and skimmed the helmet of a biomechanical horror with a blue-shining V-shaped eye. It decloaked, its twisted form hanging onto one of the wall support pillars by means of its strangely slim claws. It was thinner than the one aboard the Normandy, definitely more organic. It almost looked like it had a face …

“One behind us!” Tali called out, then looked back toward Chatika, the small drone gently flying back and zapping something ahead of it. Said something revealed itself as another one of the units. Two of the god-damn things. This one was bulkier, though. It looked like it actually had armor and it was carrying some form of rifle with a scope directly linked to its optical sensor.

Fred huffed, turned left and slammed a fist into nothingness, sending a third machine staggering back as it decloaked, the film of wavy nothingness peeling back to reveal the third of them, an exact copy to the one aboard their Frigate. Halsey pulled up her gun and aimed at it, firing two shots… Only to gasp as the damned thing seemed to disappear in a flash of light, reappearing above.

“What?!” Tali balked as she aimed her shotgun at the one carrying a rifle. It, too, did the same thing, reappearing a couple of levels higher than them and aiming. Linda snapped a shot off at it, causing it to reposition again via the same flash-lightning vanish. The team scattered, taking cover nearby the door and amidst the ruins as the machines started firing on them from above.

The slim unit they’d seen disappeared under its active camouflage, though it was descending in a skitter, like a very jumpy lizard, down the support pillar it was hanging onto. Chief fired a burst from his assault rifle in the direction the strange monster was moving, all while keeping Halsey and Mordin close by.

“These things can fucking teleport now!?” Shepard balked, firing her rifle at the Sniper up above, only to gasp and duck as a shot zipped right over her head and burrowed itself so deep into the wall, it caused hairline spiderweb fractures around the impact point. She fired at the Sniper again, only to watch it disappear and reappear in a flash.

“Incredible! Almost like evolution!” Mordin said, firing his own Carnifex pistol. He paused, activated his drone and sent forth a pyroblast toward where he’d heard a noise, only to watch the slim alien machine be enveloped by the fire as it fast-crawled on all fours toward them. Chief saw this, snapped his gun toward it and opened fire.

The machine used its slim form and enhanced legs to jump away from the bullets just before impact. It expanded its claws and swung toward the Spartan and Mordin. Chief lifted his armored gauntlet up and activated an overshield as Cortana stated, “I think I can crack their mainframes if you give me time! Maybe I’ll be able to slow them down a little!”

“Do it!” Chief barked. He watched Kelly sprinting and firing slugs at the Sniper to take its attention away from Shepard. It replied in kind, two shots striking the shields on Kelly’s back and causing the sprinter to stagger, only to then watch as the alien crawler ran toward her and jumped. She swiveled about, but couldn’t bring the barrel of her gun to bear fast enough.

Instead, she slammed the butt of the shotgun into the machine’s face, sending it flying into a wall opposite her position. It recovered quickly, before either she or Fred could get a shot on it, then crawled up the wall and quickly extinguished itself, activating its cloak again. Kelly thought to herself that not even Elite Zealots in full camo were this much trouble.

She ducked under another attack from the jumpy fucker, put her back against the wall and barely moved her head to dodge another shot from the Sniper, whom Linda now fired back at. The third one, the assault unit, charged forward, firing the autocannons in its hands toward Halsey as it decloaked. Both she and Mordin took cover behind Chief, who took the burst and watched his shields go down.

“ ... mmander, Blues… picked up FTL jumps INSIDE the building… THE HELL IS GOING ON ?!” Helo demanded, though the radio was being jammed. It wasn’t god-damned interference, it was these bastards jamming their coms. The Commander scoffed, running toward the Chief and taking one shot that immediately drained her own shields, before taking cover beside him.

“Bastards are jamming us!” She spoke as she fired from beside the Spartan. Fred, immediately close to them behind one of the support pillars, fired his DMR at the charging assassin unit, to which Shepard charged her Warp and threw it at the monster. She watched the ball dance with it, arc, then slam into its back, causing it to stagger.

Garrus immediately lit it up with bursts from his rifle, while Tali was reloading her shotgun and sending Chatika out again to stun them. The Turian fired enough rounds into the alien machine’s side to force it to withdraw behind cover and open fire with its own arm-mounted guns. Its standard sibling teleported beside it and the two concentrated fire on Garrus.

Shepard, Chief and Fred were quick to return fire while Kelly used her speed and mobility to try and outflank the bastards. She threw a grenade toward them, watching it bounce down and explode, staggering the pair of aliens, only to barely duck and roll under another attack by the hunting camouflaged freak herself.

She jumped to her feet, swiveled about and kicked the alien bastard into a wall, aimed her shotgun and raked the bastard with shells. Buckshot rounds tore synthetic skin, internal organs modified by Reaper tech and metal plate apart, spewing a black goo against the pillar she’d slammed it into. She watched it fall, its eye’s glow dissipating…

Then, their radio burst with static, then cleared to Helo’s voice, the young man calling out, “ Commander, Blues ! I’ve got lock on you guys again ! We’re gonna need Cortana to help us deal with whatever the hell is going on right now !” only for Cortana to quickly transmit telemetry about the alien machines.

Despite a moment’s pause, Helo stated, “ Copy. Working !” with clear worry in his voice. Kelly smiled a little, then gasped as the Standard variant of the enemy machine ran toward her and swung. She blocked the fist with her own, but the impact caused her heels to dig into the stone floor. She felt its claws strike across her chest plate, leaving three distinct, long marks in the Titanium.

She kicked it away and wanted to shoot her shotgun again, but when it clicked empty, she drew her pistol and put several rounds into its reinforced chest plate, staggering it and drilling several holes into said armor. It was still upright, though struggling, so Kelly took a step back and reloaded while Cortana called out, “Got it!”

The Machines’ active camouflage systems, which they tried to engage in order to probably reposition without utilizing their teleport abilities, malfunctioned. One of the machines doubled over, staggered and missed its sniper shot toward Halsey by a mere inch. Mordin replied in kind, peppering the target’s rifle with carnifex rounds and disabling it.

Linda fired, her rifle ringing loud around them and taking the head off the Sniper. The last unit was then focused down  by just about everyone, with Shepard even throwing a warp strike. She, however, caught a full burst of the alien’s machine gun hand, her recovering kinetic barrier shattering, while Mordin also caught some strays.

The machine, however, was soon filled with bullet holes. It collapsed, now more lead than synthetic organism, with a wet, meaty thunk , black ooze spilling all over the floor. The teams reloaded their rifles, with Shepard mumbling, “Great…” before sighing and radioing, “Good job, Helo, Cortana. You guys just saved our asses…”

“ Commander, what the hell was in there ? They were using our FTL Drives… ”

“... What?” Shepard blanked, then looked at the dead machines. Halsey knelt beside one of them and turned it over, or at least struggled to at first. Chief turned it over himself, then let Halsey at it, before Shepard ordered, “Get back to the ship and tell them to bring an away team… Looks like we got three new bodies to inter. And some talks with the Colonial Command about this…”

“Indeed,” Halsey spoke, then stood up and looked at Mordin. She stated, “What do you think?”

“... Cylon, perhaps,” Mordin murmured, “Heavily modified. Reaper-captured…” Then he paused, thought of a quick hypothetical, but quickly and vocally disproved it to both himself and a thinking Halsey, “Not local. No dust,” then he looked around and hummed as the doctor noticed that, yes, they were surprisingly clean. Mordin turned to Shepard and requested, “Should keep moving. Let away team recover bodies for transport,” Then looked at Halsey, “Assume you want to study them yourself?”

“Back at the Waystation, as soon as we’re done with my mission detail, yes,” Halsey replied, staring at the machines. Cylons. Impossible, yet terrifying, she thought to herself. She reloaded her own pistol, slid it onto her armored vest holster, then showed Shepard to lead the way. The team quickly dumped spent magazines and burnt-through thermal clips and walked forward.

“Advise EM shielding while studying… Indoctrination threat from Reaper-infused technology not negligible. Will send frequencies to tablet, or Waystation. Alongside modified Omni-Tool if you wish?” He raised a nonexistent brow at her. Halsey nodded in thanks, though she was still concerned over what they’d find with Maelon. If the Salarian was still alive.

Tali spoke, “And to think one of these things nearly took down an entire Migrant Flotilla Marine platoon,” in a whisper. She spoke fondly, “Kal was incredibly lucky that you were there,” and looked to Fred. The Spartan nodded, calm, as he looked at the young woman. They kept advancing, past a series of locked rooms, until they made it to another open one, this one full of body bags…

“... God…” Shepard whispered as they walked in.

Mordin knelt beside them and scanned them, then whispered, “Dead females… Krogan…” with solemnity and disappointment in his voice. He scanned the large body bag in front of him again and said, “No signs of resistance. No bruising or accentuated tissue damage beside that from experiments…” before casting a glance back at Halsey, who approached and accessed a computer.

She sighed, took her glasses off and bluntly told Mordin and the others,  “ Data logs show they volunteered, doctor, ” before turning the screen. Shepard read through the women’s files, her lips becoming razor thin as she looked at Mordin. Halsey felt a slight pang of her own guilt strike as she gazed upon the Spartans, all of whom looked at the corpses with a certain reverence, while Garrus and Tali simply stared…

Shepard asked, “Did you know?”

“Desperation of dealing with Genophage…?” Mordin sighed, “Surmised… Presumed. Never…” before doing another scan, as if he was praying she had a pulse, so he didn’t have to stare down the barrel of this specific gun, this specific memory.  He looked at the two women, though not right into their eyes, then said, “Never believed it would reach this level.”

“You should’ve known,” Halsey spoke in a whisper, approaching one of the corpses. Though it wasn’t a human woman, she could feel it deep down, that kind of desperation. If humanity back home… Or, hell, even humanity here had been treated the same after the First Contact War, the Relay-314 Incident as they called it… There might’ve been a different issue facing the Citadel Council, or anyone who’d dared to do this to any version of mankind, thanks to the UNSC, Republic and Colonials’ arrival.

She sighed, deeply. Standing up and walking to Mordin, she spoke, “There are usually ways of predicting population behaviors. Certainly, they will never be one hundred percent accurate, but, were I an STG member who participated in either its first deployment or its upgrade, I could have told you the sheer desperation any population feels when it’s threatened with extinction…” her voice low, like a growl, “And I could’ve told you the worst options seem tame in comparison.”

She cast another glance back at Chief and the Blues, then sighed and said, “I can’t say I don’t understand what you did. The Krogan might’ve been brutish, warlike, violent and hungry for a vengeance centuries in the making and this was the best option for Galactic Peace. It doesn’t mean I can’t look upon the dead and only ponder in silence the sheer physical cost for an entire species.”

“The original creators of the Genophage long dead,” Mordin replied, though he seemed to be getting a bit peeved, “My choice, my team’s choice, to enhance Genophage specifically because of similar desperation. Krogan dangerous, quickly reproducing. Well-armed post-Rachni War. Not so much later… Still threats.”

“I understand that,” Halsey sighed, “Too well. Let’s move and get Maelon.”

“Yeah,” Shepard spoke in a mumble, readying her rifle. They walked farther down the corridor and found a door leading to their intended target. Opening it and entering the lab, they found the deepest, most secure room in the Hospital and noticed the claw marks on said door moments before it closed. The place was surprisingly undamaged, with one still-living figure in front of a massive hologram console.

“Maelon…” Mordin’s voice grew low. The younger Salarian swiveled about, eyes widening the moment he saw Mordin. He was clad in a labcoat, operating the console that stored the data and and controlled several of the benches and operations tables sat on each side of the room. Boxes littered the place, both open and closed, filled with medical equipment…

“Professor Solus…?” Maelon seemed stunned to see him there. 

Shepard examined Maelon, but Garrus was first to comment, “He doesn’t look like a prisoner to me…” a reference to the fact Mordin had originally thought that Maelon had been captured by Clan Weyrloc and the Blood Pack to cure the Genophage. The sight of him being relatively unharmed, sans what must’ve been one hell of a scare with the Droids…

“No signs of torture… Don’t understand,” Mordin breathed, staring.

Maelon scoffed, “For such a smart man, professor, you’ve always had trouble seeing evidence that disagreed with your preconceptions,” then he shrugged, “How long will it take you to realize what your friends already seem to have figured out? That I’m here because I want to be here?” as he stared down an entire platoon of armed individuals.

Shepard spoke, “He didn’t need to be rescued. He’s here to cure the Genophage. Willingly,” and crossed her arms, staring at the young one. Mordin seemed stunned by the revelation as doctor Halsey marched over to a Krogan corpse laying on one of the ops tables. Stripped naked, body torn open. She hummed, lifting a vial from within the table’s computer and looking at the milky, pus-like substance inside. She gazed upon the Krogan again and blinked… Familiar…

“Impossible. We all agreed, project necessary!” Mordin snapped.

“How was I supposed to disagree with the great doctor Solus!?” Maelon demanded, confrontational, taking a step forward. The Spartans, Garrus and Tali tensed, the latter deploying Chatika again on stun setting. Maelon continued, “You were my teacher! I looked up to you!” pointing the accusatory finger at Mordin.

“... What about the experiments? Did you teach him that, Mordin?” She looked at him. Halsey looked up, too, stowing the strange vial away in her uniform’s pocket, walking to join the woman and Salarian male as they talked to Maelon. It was honestly an unsurprising change, all things considered. Mordin, though he was trying to hide it, had conscience-related issues with the Genophage and he was coping in the wrong way.

Mordin shook his head, “No. Never taught anything like this… Autopsies, torture, executions and murders, your idea!?” and he glared at the young man.

“My hands are already stained with the blood of millions! What’s a few more to undo the nightmare we’ve created here! The genocide we caused?!” Maelon shot back.

Halsey spoke, “There must have been a better option than that ,” pointing at the eviscerated Krogan male corpse. She added, “Or the human we found dead at the entrance to this place, killed by whatever modifications you made to his body,” with a hint of a lower voice, a small chill running up the spines of just about everyone here who wasn’t a Spartan.

“Fixing a mistake like this takes sacrifice,” Maelon replied, “You look like someone who understands.”

“Don’t pretend to know me, boy, ” The woman replied with a slight venom in her words, “I’ve made mistakes and done horrible acts in my life to preserve humanity, yes, but…” she cut herself off. No, she understood Maelon as well. If she could’ve done anything to give the Spartans a normal life, a do-over without the Covenant or Insurrection, she would have.

“Doctor?” Mordin asked.

“I’m fine…” She sighed, then looked at Shepard.

“What do you wanna do about him, Mordin?” She asked, arms crossed. Mordin thought for a minute while Maelon stared at them. He watched the Spartans secure the perimeter, Garrus and Tali check the corpses and all else. He knew he’d been caught and if professor Solus had come armed, which, going by the pistols on his hip, he had, he was dead…

It was then that Mordin did a surprising thing for everyone. He drew his pistol, charged Maelon and pinned him against the strange containment tank behind the holographic screen he was operating. Mordin replied then, anger behind his words, “Want to kill him. Put an end to this nightmare, to his mistakes… To mine.”

“Mordin, wait!” Shepard called out, running to his side and putting a hand on his shoulder, “You’re not a murderer! This isn’t worth it!” before watching as Mordin processed the information. Halsey hummed, then sighed deeply and approached him, too, putting a hand on the pistol and staring him in the eye.

“The Commander is right, Mordin… Leave him,” She told the man, her voice low. Mordin had an option ahead of him:Save what little research Maelon made, regardless of how awful the methods of understanding it were and perhaps right his sin. Something Halsey did not have the choice of doing. So she thought as she gazed at her Spartans.

“... Yes… Not a murderer,” Sighed Mordin, taking a step back and lowering his pistol, much to Maelon’s (and everyone else’s) relief. He told the two women, “Thank you, Shepard, doctor Halsey… Suppose mistakes do happen…” then he glared at Maelon and said, “Get out of here, Maelon. Beasts that killed Weyrloc, no longer here.”

“... Where am I going to go?” Maelon asked, “I’ve got nowhere… If I go to any other Krogan Clan, they’ll kill me and if I return to the STG…” and he left it up in the air.

“Don’t care. Go to ground, hide, find someplace. Omega could use new clinic,” He told Maelon, staring at him with a slowly cooling rage. Maelon didn’t dare contradict Mordin, simply running away at the first given chance. The elder Salarian sighed, the scars on his face slightly stretching, then he walked over to the console and started working on checking the data. He mumbled, “Should destroy this data… Damage done by Maelon exhaustive…”

“Was gonna ask if you didn’t really wanna take him with us or something, considering he could just go back to doing it,” Shepard hummed, then added, “Then, I figured out the moment you let the Special Tasks Group know about this, they’ll cut off his access. Figures that you guys would probably still have a chance to touch it.”

“Should need arise for other modifications,” Mordin murmured, voice low. He looked over the Data again and was an inch short of pressing ‘DELETE’, but Doctor Halsey grabbed his hand. He looked to the human woman, who stared at him, shook her head. He told her, “Data is dangerous…” with an absent look in his eyes, as if he didn’t want to destroy it, but instead sought to keep his convictions…

“So is destroying it… At least completely,” Halsey replied, staring at him. She spoke, “A change of parameters must’ve occurred just now for you. I saw it in your eyes… There is a chance to right something one of  your own people saw as wrong,” before she pointed at the Data, “And that could be of use in the future, should you choose to do so.”

Mordin hummed, scratched chin, then sighed. Shepard told him, “She’s right, you know? Who knows? Maybe it’ll help get you some peace. Keep it,” and then waited to see his reaction. He looked between the two, then at the Spartans, Garrus and Tali. The latter two gave nods, while the Spartans simply kept up their work.

Mordin sighed, then said to Halsey, “Will have to tell me your story… Seems linked to them,” to which the Doctor blinked, narrowed her lips, then nodded. She knew his secrets. It was only fair that he knew hers at some point. Mordin then said, “Very well. Saving data,” as he typed on the haptic interface keyboard, “Deleting local copy…” and he checked his Omni-Tool. He smiled and said, “All data secure. Get off Tuchanka, preferably, somewhere sunny…”

“Heh. You got it, Mordin. You’re on the first shuttle up to the Normandy. We’ll leave as soon as I’m done with helping Doc Halsey,” Shepard spoke, activating her Omni-Tool. She tapped away, calling the driver as they moved out through the decrepit building. Meanwhile, Halsey checked her gun and sighed. She got genuinely lucky she didn’t die when those things struck at them.

Mordin stated, “On second thought…” then looked at Halsey, offering, “Wish to see what you’re looking for. Might be interesting. Rare for humans, especially from foreign galaxies, to seek items on worlds like Tuchanka,” before smiling at her. Halsey nodded, glad to have an extra pair of eyeballs to examine the Ruin with.

Whatever it was…

Chapter Text

Yet another car ride led the team deeper into Tuchanka, this time, into Gatatog territory. Thankfully, Doctor Halsey had requested a pair of Warthogs be deployed so that she, the Commander and Blue Team could advance. Rolling in under the cover of darkness with active Night Vision and no vehicle lights, the team prepared.

Shepard was driving the leading Warthog, with Halsey in the side seat and Mordin in the back, though not manning the gun. That honor fell to Kelly, who was scanning the line around them as they advanced down a broken highway. One of their wheels crunched something underneath and bone fragments shot up by the vehicle’s open side.

Shepard hummed, then said, “You know, this somehow handles better than the Mako…” in a murmur. Mordin, who was hanging onto the vehicle’s roll cage for dear life, laughed a bit nervously. He had heard rumors of how Commander Shepard could drive. Mostly from Garrus, obviously, but regardless of that…

Kelly felt the wheel bounce over a piece of rubble and said, “Commander, with all due respect, please keep us on the road…” quietly. Though it was unspoken, all members of the away team felt an unease not exactly related to Shepard’s apparently poor driving track record. No, something about this op was strange and it wasn’t just the Gatatog territory.

The trip continued on in silence until Halsey signaled a stop. Next to a monolithic ruin that must’ve once been an important religious site, going by the few wall paintings the team could make out, there was a crater dug deep by bombs and orbital debris. The remnants of ancient ships, both Krogan and seemingly Citadel, lay strewn about in the distance, scrap-heap mountains rising high in the darkness.

Shepard heard her geiger counter spike, the chirping going from short clicks half a second apart to a long, constant chittering. She looked to Halsey, who nodded, expecting a pocket of radiation in this specific area as she activated her mask and what CBRN Defenses her new equipment, an armor and a MOPP-esque suit, had.

The Spartans dismounted from the vehicles, weapons at the ready while Halsey examined the drawings on the building. Mordin wasn’t far behind, taking a knee beside the building’s exterior and noting parts of the collapsed interior through a pair of shattered doors, both of which were drilled through by ancient gunfire.

He could even see some parts of the slugs that tore through it. Not important to the investigation at hand, but still. He looked at Halsey and asked, “Anything to help with?” as he stared at the insignias and symbols. Strangely, none of them were familiar to him and any anthropologist and archaeologist friends he might’ve had in the STG were lightyears away…

“Not yet…” Halsey murmured as she scanned one symbol in particular with heavy interest.

Shepard took a knee next to them as well, staring at the symbol, then said, “... It almost looks like someone put half a Jedi Order symbol next to a really, really old Republic symbol in there…” as she pulled up images General Tano and her Clone Troopers had shown her of home. Indeed, the left side of the strange symbol, a hexagonal shape containing two halves of two emblems, contained the strange, bird-like alien mark of the Jedi Order.

The right, though? It looked like a much simpler half-mark of the Republic. One half-arrow pointed up at twelve, one full arrow pointing at two, one at four and one half-arrow pointing at six o’clock. She also saw a strange cloaked figure next to it. Two, in fact. Halsey spoke, “Good observation… That is, indeed, a symbol of the old Jedi Order… Though I’m unsure of what it could mean.”

“Presence of extragalactic religious order like Jedi here? Strange,” Mordin spoke, “Perhaps best to inquire with General Tano?”

“We ordered radio silence so the entire Gatatog Clan doesn’t come down on our heads,” Shepard replied in a murmur, “So, probably not a good idea,” before noticing Halsey visibly widening her eyes. She turned toward another symbol, flashing a beam of light from her flashlight on it. Shepard blinked as an alien rune, carved into the stone appeared.

Halsey clicked her tongue, then quickly pulled up data on her tablet. She hummed, while Shepard noticed the image of the ‘Librarian’, a humanoid with a similar profile to standard human beings. Said symbol, however, seemed to represent her on it. The Doctor stated, “A symbol of the Forerunners… Terrifyingly more ancient…”

“... We’ve seen similar symbols on Ilos back during our hunt against Saren,” Shepard whispered to herself, remembering it. Though they were merely running past them, the ruins themselves contained a myriad of symbols and colors on them. Though they were shoddily carved, probably by the Protheans that had once inhabited the place.

“What?” Halsey blinked, surprised.

Mordin hummed, “Remember reading reports. Ilos, currently a research site… Old Prothean colony,” and he turned to Shepard, “Also found Symbols. Ancient… Complexes date back millennia before Protheans, however. Rebuilt by Protheans in places, made into habitable lands and spires. Presumed… Even more ancient species built Ilos. Carbon dating points at some structures, 127,000 years of age at least.”

“... Could the Librarian have?” Shepard asked, looking at Halsey.

Halsey hummed, then licked her lips and said, “It’s a possibility. Though what little we know of the Forerunners through their own databases points at the wars they’ve fought being 150,000 years back. We know they were long-lived, though, so…” and she gazed down into the crater beside the building, a faint light glowing. She spoke, “Our first answer to this new conundrum has to be down there.”

“Indeed,” Mordin smiled, “Eager to find out more. Might write out dissertation after Collector business if you will join me, doctor,” to which Halsey nodded. Shepard chuckled, then sighed. She and the Blues walked back toward the trucks, lifting rappelling gear that could support the Spartans’ weight and beginning to attach it as the doctors debated the items here.

When the ropes were set and rolled down the steep crater wall, Shepard dusted her hands off and looked at Chief, asking, “You guys know we could’ve probably done this better with just a three-person team? It’s a research mission, after all,” while acutely aware that Spartans might’ve counted as the stealthiest people on the ship… Second to Kasumi.

Maybe.

Chief nodded and said, “We’re aware, ma’am… Security detail in this case was considered necessary,”  As he checked one of the ropes, pulling it taut and looking at its anchor point:A rock buried into the ground. He nodded approvingly, then added, “Doctor Halsey is an important asset. Head of ONI, commander of this expedition…”

Cortana butted in and said, “What he means is ‘we don’t want Doctor Halsey to get hurt’,” with a smile. She continued, “It’s nothing personal, Commander, but even the Spartans have people they care about. They do know you can fight and kick ass if need be, but it’s a point of concern when doctor Halsey’s involved…”

“You guys have some special link with her,” Shepard nodded, “I get it. Don’t worry. We’ll keep her safe,” all while watching the Spartans calmly attach the ropes to their belts in preparation for the descent. She shrugged and mumbled to herself, “It’s just an old ruin? What’s the worst that can happen?” before blanking.

Fuck , she hated invoking Murphy out of nowhere. 

A few moments later, the team had begun their descent, Shepard gently clinging onto the rope with both hands, her belt clip connected by both magnetic attachments and a mechanical connector as they descended. The Spartans, meanwhile, were moving ahead, a four-man team silent and deadly as they came. Beside Shepard was Halsey to the left and Mordin to the right.

“So, doc,” Shepard started. Halsey looked at her. The Commander then continued, “What’s your connection to the Spartans, anyways? I know you probably made them, but… Anything important we really should know about?” with a hint of concern. He looked down at Chief again, noticing the man and his team were talking, but over single-beam. External speakers of their helmets were off.

The woman looked on at Shepard, silent for a moment, before stating, “All there is is classified intelligence, Commander. Even as head of ONI, I could be thrown into the Brig for revealing it without due cause…” with a hint of sadness behind her voice. Almost like she wanted to tell, but couldn’t. Office of Naval Intelligence NDAs were probably something else, Shepard thought.

Mordin added, “Off the record?”

“... They’re incredibly important to me,” Halsey replied, her voice low, quiet, introspective, “For a multitude of reasons. One of which is my own sins as a human being. One of the many reasons I have little to no moral high ground to stand on when judging some other crimes,” then she looked at Shepard, “What about you, Commander?”

“What about me?” Shepard asked, confused, as she loosened her strap a little to descend better.

“Any sins you wish to confess to so we might all share the burden and lighten the load? Mordin already shared his, though unwillingly,” Halsey asked in a particularly joking manner, though her deadpan and dryness didn’t help the humor come through all that much. Mordin snickered a bit at the jab, while Shepard smiled. Her mind, however, locked onto two things…

“Well…” She sighed deeply, “I was on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz. A Batarian-funded Pirate assault on Human Colonies in the Skyllian Verge… I lost a few good men there. As for a more recent sin…? Probably leaving a dear friend behind on a previous mission that didn’t give me much choice,” as the image of Kaidan’s face flashed in her mind.

“I see…” Halsey sighed deeply, “Apologies,” and the rest of the trip down remained quiet until their feet touched the underground tunnel walkway. Said walkway, however, was really strange. Black basalt with shades of red glowing through the sides of the tunnel, which looked like a massive ribcage. It seemed to awaken when the team landed, with a low grumble echoing throughout the place, dust and debris falling from the ceiling.

Halsey also found the projectile that had dug the jagged crater they’d just descended:A polonium-laden ferrous slug fired from a Turian warship. She murmured, “Talk about crimes,” in a whisper as she added, “Surface radiation from orbital bombardment and the planet’s own nuclear history caused the radiation above. This polonium round is inert.”

“Jeez, man,” Shepard spoke, “Orbital bombing with radiation rounds. Thought the Turians knew a little restraint,” then she looked up and down the corridor. The rearmost sections had collapsed, while the area ahead, which seemed to contain a very ornate door in a door frame that looked very much like a human diaphragm, was undamaged.

“Guessing the Krogan had a route down here,” Shepard pointed at the collapsed rear of the tunnel. She stated, “Old stairwell. Collapsed after the bombings, presumably,” then she looked around the place. Yet again, nobody mentioned it, but they felt the proverbial ‘pit in the stomach’ in this place. Halsey ordered them forward.

The team advanced in a wedge down the hall, Halsey and Mordin jotting down and photographing every strange symbol on the walls as they did so. The red-hued lights marred the place in a bloody hue, though they didn’t really hurt to look at, strangely enough. As they approached the door ahead, some sort of internal sensor must’ve tripped.

The door hissed, then peeled apart, opening to reveal a wider corridor up ahead. No, not exactly a corridor. An intersection. Three more doors stood, one on each of the three walls opposite their entry point, while, in the middle, there was a monolith surrounded by several ancient consoles. Said consoles had bullet holes in them, or were inactive.

They looked positively ancient, however, with Halsey even commenting, “Well… Seems we have a new archaeological site,” quietly. She approached one of the consoles, which was flickering, then noted bullet holes in the walls as well, not to mention destroyed machinery in a small ditch surrounding the central platform and even skeletons.

Krogan skeletons. Piled up in a corner. Mordin walked over to then, took a knee and began a preliminary carbon dating scan with his Omni-Tool. Halsey approached the console and watched it flicker to life, the haptic interface shimmering, dust clouding the holo-emitter. It crackled and sparked a little.

“Aurebesh,” Halsey spoke as she saw the symbols dancing on the screen. She mumbled, “I suppose that confirms the fact this is technology native to the Republic’s Galaxy…” as she activated her tablet, which had an Aurebesh translator installed ever since they’d come into contact with the Republic. She sighed.

“What’s up?” Shepard asked as she walked over to the woman.

Halsey shook her head, “Error codes,” then shut off the tablet and slid it back into its pocket. She checked the radiation count and took her mask off, shaking her head and taking a deep breath. Shepard deactivated her own helmet and mask and looked at the doctor, who shrugged, “What little these error codes allow me to gather is the fact that this is a research station of some kind.”

She pointed at a string of Aurebesh writing and said, “This translates loosely to ‘ERROR:Damage to mainframe, reboot required’. Meaning there is a mainframe nearby here,” as she looked at the monolith in the center of the room. It was black basalt like the rest of the place, but the symbols on it glowed red like the lights. Above them, a square formed of white tube-shaped lightbulbs shined down, crackling.

Mordin stood up and approached them, stating, “Krogan skeletons, four millennia old. Marks of energy weapon damage. Very faint traces of ‘Tibanna gas’ detected…” as he looked over at the corpses. Indeed, the carapaces showed the black of plasma scoring and holes drilled clean through into the brains and other areas. The Salarian motioned to the destroyed machines and stated, “Certainly security units… Krogan Rite, maybe. Read somewhere in anthropological research, ancient Krogan battled strange creatures, metallic, to advance in clan hierarchy…”

“Possibly,” Halsey hummed. She said, “But this is technology from the Republic’s Galaxy. What is it even doing here?” and she tried to approach and link to a console again. Turning to Chief, she asked, “John. Bring Cortana over, please,”  to which the Spartan nodded. Slinging his rifle onto his back, he walked over to her and handed her the chip.

Halsey connected it and quickly jury-rigged a physical connection to the less damaged console, telling Cortana, “See what you can find. A map of the complex or information in regards to what it is doing here… Anything worthwhile. Everyone else, please, verify the doors and the corridors beyond,” as she focused on her work.

Kelly was the first to open a door. The one to the left of the way they came in. She blinked upon seeing another collapsed tunnel, flickering lights washing over. An ancient Turian fighter had crashed here, obvious by the fact the fossilized remains of one of them. She said, “Dead Turian fighter. Looks like it’s from the time of the Rebellions.”

“And a blocked passageway,” Shepard said, “What the hell is going on here?”

“Second door open,” Fred called out from the door directly opposite the one they came in through. Halsey peered past the monolith and saw it was a ramp descending down. Fred scanned it from behind cover, then said, “It’s a descent to a sublevel. Minor damage on the walls, no blockages or wreckage… Seeing a couple more skeletons, but they aren’t Krogan.”

Halsey looked at Cortana, who sat on the screen of her tablet. The AI tilted her head toward the door and Halsey nodded, leaving the tablet on the console under Mordin and Shepard’s watch as she went over to see the corpses. Peering down, she saw two humanoid skeletons stretched out across the hallway. One of them looked like it’d been split in half at the waist.

There were also destroyed machines, piles thereof, ahead. Linda also called out from the next door, “Open. Area clear,” which caused everyone to look over. Indeed, there was just another side room. A large one, though, with various empty human-sized tanks, multiple ancient footlockers and various other items. 

“... it feels like we walked into some sort of ancient dungeon crawler,” Shepard mumbled as she peered inside the place. There were also abandoned, ancient bunk beds that were torn to shreds and, obviously, cobwebs. Dust was a pretty standard thing to find in this old place, Shepard thought. She looked at Halsey and stated, “Should we keep moving?”

“Indeed,” Halsey replied as she detached her tablet and Cortana from the console. She handed the Chip back to John, then said, “Cortana has found a schematic of at least this floor and the next. This seems to be some sort of lobby area…” before drawing her pistol. She and Shepard led the way, despite Chief and the Spartans’ uneasiness at that.

Well, no, the entire team felt a definite sense of unease as they descended deeper into the place. An accumulating sense of dread seemed to grip their hearts, slowly making itself more and more known to the Soldiers and doctors. When they reached the bottom door, Shepard hit the release mechanism, letting it open and looking at Halsey. She whispered, “I have a b-”

“I assume you’re familiar enough with Murphy not to finish that sentence, Commander,” Halsey whispered back. A hint of surprise crossed the face of Commander Shepard, who had, for all intents and purposes, hoped Halsey was the one who didn’t believe in gut feelings and/or Murphy’s Laws. Halsey stated, “I’m sure Cortana mentioned it?”

Shepard nodded, “Yeah. Fair point.”

The door slid open, revealing a T-Intersection. Clearing both hallways by pie-ing the corners with their weapons, the Spartans and Shepard all plainly prepared for any new contacts. They only found more dust, some debris and broken machines. Shepard spoke, “This is certainly creepier than anything I’ve gone through in my previous jobs,” in a whisper.

“It reminds me of a few things,” Cortana quipped. Chief huffed in agreement.

The Commander nodded, then said, “We’re dividing teams between the docs and each taking a route. If you don’t mind, Chief,” and turned to face the Spartan. He gave a nod, showed Linda and Fred to move with Mordin. Mordin, to his credit, gave a nod and bid a silent goodbye to her, Chief, Kelly and Halsey.

Shepard took the left way, then, with Halsey beside her, peering through the little data they got from the consoles upstairs. Unseen to her, or anyone else, really, as she took a step on the floor, a hexagonal plate of stone that made up said floor shifted a little. Chief only picked it up with his enhanced hearing and paused, calling out, “Doctor, Commander!”

Suddenly, the walls to their right and left suddenly shifted. Stone groaned, gears turned and two massive slabs of basalt slammed together, separating Chief and Kelly from the Commander and Halsey. The latter two had to jump out of the way, with Shepard having activated a biotic dash of a sort to jump forward.

Halsey, nauseated, groaned and said, “Please never do that again…” before looking back. She sighed deeply, stood up and walked over to the wall with Shepard, calling out, “Kelly, John! If you can hear us, we are alive! Rally with the others and find a way to meet us!” only to feel a chill shoot up her spine. She saw Shepard twitch, too.

One knock on the stone, hard enough to reverb across the walls, confirmed that John had heard her. She sighed deeply, then said to Shepard as the woman turned on her Omni-Tool and activated coms. The Doctor told her, “Don’t bother… The layers of stone and ferrous material in the walls are going to jam even close coms.”

“Damn,” Shepard sighed. She shut off the com and said, “Stay close, doc. I’d rather not piss off the Spartans by getting you killed,” before walking up right beside her. Halsey stared at her as if slightly offended, though she sighed and nodded, drawing her own sidearm as they advanced down the corridor. The corridor split into two again, though this time it was an L intersection. 

The door to their left, Shepard approached. She showed Halsey to wait, hit the button to open it, then turned on her rifle’s flashlight and peered inside. The blade of light was swallowed by the darkness, however, with Shepard mumbling, “Oh, fuck that …” before taking a step back and hitting the button again.

Halsey blinked, then scanned the door and said, “Strange… There should be a room on the other side according to these schematics,” before approaching the button and hitting it again. The Darkness appeared again, an all-swallowing nothingness, a void. Halsey scanned it, then mumbled, “EM feedback is normal…”

She took a step forward, stopping only when Shepard grabbed her wrist and said, “Doc… Let’s not test the limits of this place right now,” Only to see the woman stare at her in a deadpan. The Commander rolled her eyes, pushed a strand of her blonde hair out of her eyes, then ordered, “I’m taking point if we are going in…”

The doctor paused, then nodded. She readied her own pistol and followed Shepard close behind. The two stepped into the shroud of nothing… Only for light to suddenly appear in front of their eyes. Inside this strangely spacious room, they found another set of consoles, most lined up against walls, plus a bunch of droids and more Krogan Skeletons…

… Including one in a tank similar to the ones they’d found beforehand. Halsey blanked, approached the sole working console at the back wall and accessed it while Shepard closed the door to the hallway behind them. She felt another chill shoot up her spine, like they were being watched by something, or by someone.

“Uh, doc…?” Shepard approached a skeleton on what looked to be an operation table. She looked at it and the skeleton in the tank, then said, “What the hell’s going on in here? This looks the same as Maelon’s lab…” before she looked at the pool of blood on the table. There were remnants of insertion points on it, too, for metallic arms. 

Halsey hummed, then said, audible surprise in her voice, “... Research logs…” as Shepard walked toward her. The two women locked eyes and Halsey pulled up the files on her tablet, stating, “I am still receiving Mainframe Errors, but a local, although corrupted copy of one log still remains,” and pulling it up. She read, “... Data conclusive… Enhancement of aggression in surviving subjects successful… Proceeding…”

“... How old did Mordin say these skeletons are? Four, maybe five thousand years?”

“Four, I believe,” Halsey replied in a murmur, “If I recall correctly, Krogan have long lives… These specimens might’ve lived up to now, had they not wound up in this research center,” then she looked at Shepard. The woman shrugged, noting through simple sign language she wasn’t a xenobiologist. Still, the Krogan were obviously someone’s little pet project…

Taking a step back after saving the Data, Shepard and Halsey walked out, the doctor stating, “The fact that their aggressiveness might’ve been engineered into them is strange… Though certainly not unfounded,” in a whisper. She looked at the map and said, “The energy signal I detected points in this specific direction. Shall we?”

Shepard nodded, tense. She caught something moving in the corner of her eye, down what looked like an open corridor. When she turned to face it with her rifle, however, she found just a wall. Halsey, who had noticed this little moment, asked, “Everything alright?” as she, too, tensed, tightening her grip on her own sidearm out of instinct.

“I could swear there was…” Shepard breathed, then shook her head, “I must be losing it,” and she took point again, marching down the hallway while making sure there were no extra seams around the floor panels. No reason to trigger another trap, she thought. They approached the door at the end and hit the open button, only to find another collapsed tunnel.

Halsey quipped, “That certainly worsens our predicament…” though she was sure Shepard had seen something she just wasn’t saying anything about. She turned back toward the Hallway and said, “Commander, if you saw something, anything that could help us… Please, show me…” to which Shepard sighed. Halsey told her, “Take into account the room we just walked into having a shroud of darkness at the door and think…”

“Illusions,” Shepard murmured the moment the realization struck, looking at the exact spot where she’d seen the hallway before. She approached it, with Halsey not far behind, then gently moved her hand toward the wall. Both she and Doctor Halsey were surprised when, not only did a breeze come through, but Shepard’s arm phased through the faux-wall.

The two exchanged glances, with Halsey stating, “Light trickery, maybe… Hologram display,” and then she and Shepard walked through. The doctor looked up at the ceiling, then scanned it and murmured, “No… EM is normal here, too…” and turned to Shepard. Maybe looking at the Commander could give an explanation.

“Might be actual magic? The Force is really weird,” Shepard shrugged. Halsey didn’t seem convinced.

Still, she ignored it and said, “Power source is this way, Commander…” 

As they advanced, a cross-intersection came into view. The same one where Shepard had seen a figure move. She turned left, the way the figure had moved, and only found more rubble and debris. Right was open and straight ahead was sealed by what looked to be a malfunctioning door marked by black scars and metal and stone that had melted and re-solidified into clumps.

And a skeleton that was missing its left arm. It was, for all intents and purposes, humanoid. And the thing that had taken his arm, or what remained of it, lay right next to him. Halsey walked over to said item, eyes as wide as saucers, then knelt beside it and looked it over. Two robotic arms that could extend were attached to the forwardmost point of an aerodynamic body. In the center, what must’ve been a blue optical sensor resided, with antigrav engines attached to the lower section.

“A Sentinel…” Halsey murmured, then looked above and around. There was no possible area where it could’ve come from. She checked its AI Matrix, but found it had a hole drilled in it. A Blaster hole. She looked over at the corpse and saw the gun, its muzzle caked in dust and charcoal-black from being fired.

The skeletal remains still had bits and bobs of the armor, but most of it looked like it’d been flash-fried off. Even the left hip and shoulder bones were charred black and almost looked like they’d melted. She looked at the machine’s beam weapon, detached it and handed it to Shepard, stating, “Keep that close, Commander. It seems the Sentinels have received an upgrade.”

“... Doc, I’m scared to ask how you know this thing-” The woman spoke, pausing as she watched Halsey stand up and lead the way. She sighed, slid the alien weapon onto her armor’s heavy slot and ran in front of Halsey, drawing her gun. She stated, “What did I say about running off, doc? Look, I know you can take care of yourself, age and wisdom, but…”

“I know,” Halsey nodded. She told Shepard, “This is as much a test for you as it is for my Spartans and me. For you, it’s earning something. For us, it’s learning something…” as  they walked. Shepard stared at her, aware of what Halsey was hinting at. Halsey, however, cracked a small smile and said, “Trust. We learn to trust you, you earn our trust. You figured it out so quick?”

“I didn’t pass officer school or survive the Blitz without having some intuition, ma’am,” Shepard replied as she peered past a corner. Halsey snorted, but restrained herself from outright laughing, to which Shepard said, “No, no, let it out. Good to mock the woman who’s trying to earn your trust. For real, though… I get it. Chief’s the team’s officer. You’re basically the mother of all Spartans, right?”

“An apt descriptor,” Halsey spoke.

“And I haven’t earned your trust yet?” Shepard inquired as they walked, “Considering everything?”

“Mine? Yes. Specifically because of your willingness to accept all three allied units aboard out of thin air and to allow the rest of the Blues to join Frederic aboard. Not to mention your openness to being the mediator in our talks,” Halsey replied as she held one hand on her belt and one on her pistol, which was on safe, “Admiral Thrawn has complimented you, too. So has Commander Adama.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Shepard hummed, then said, “Hey, think we can-”

“ Shepard …” A familiar voice whispered. Shepard spun about, aiming her rifle with wide eyes. For a split second, a silhouette appeared at the rear end of the hallway. Halsey herself had turned, pistol drawn and eyes open. The two women exchanged a look, silently asking each-other ‘Did you hear that, too?’

“What did you hear?” Shepard whispered.

Halsey replied, “... The voice of my daughter…” whispering as well. She lowered her pistol, checked her datapad and showed Shepard to follow. Best to ignore it, the two thought. The place was playing tricks on them. That had already been established when they encountered two optical illusions one immediately after the other.

They stepped to a door and Shepard, in all her wisdom, hit the ‘button’ with her balled fist. She let out a short yelp, holstered her rifle and grabbed her hand as the ‘door’ began to fluctuate, undulating waves rippling from the point of impact. Halsey scoffed and said, “Another one…” as she approached it. The doctor spoke, “This place is starting to annoy the hell out of me…” as she checked the map, “And there is something past this ‘wall’...”

The Commander scoffed, powered on her biotics and said, “I felt the impact. Structure is weak, so a little biotic finesse should open it,” as her powers flared purple. Halsey took a step back and away from the wall. If it was going to collapse, it was best to be out of range. So, Halsey simply watched as the Commander gently shot her hand forward. A ball of dark energy struck the wall, disintegrating the illusion and the wall itself, which crumbled into a surprising amount of dust.

“Huh,” Halsey stared, “Well done.”

“Hey, I didn’t graduate top of my class at N7 Biotics for nothing,” Shepard smiled awkwardly. Both women were visibly shaken by hearing the voices of their loved ones, but at least they still found time to compliment each-other. They entered the room up ahead, a sprawl of an atrium that led further down. Shepard peered down into the darkness, a deep void swallowing all light below, then said, “Yeah, no… We’re not meeting up with the blues at this rate. We should pull back, see if I can’t use my biotics on that wall, too.”

“It sounded and looked like almost a foot of hard basalt, Commander,” Halsey replied, peering down as well, looking at the various galleries, some of which had collapsed walkways or doors. She added, “By all means, go try and break us out of here…” with a hint of sarcasm. Walking over to the side of the gallery they were on, she knelt beside a pile of corpses and one of ancient ash.

Scouring through it as Shepard approached, the woman fished out an alien device of some kind. A hilt, Halsey soon realized, as ornate as that of a Jedi’s lightsaber. She looked at it, thumbed what looked to be the on switch and watched the lightsaber’s blood-red blade flicker into existence before the emitter malfunctioned and it died.

“Red,” Shepard spoke, “Weird…”

“As weird as the other dead Sentinel,” Halsey replied, motioning to the machine that must’ve disintegrated the wielder of the saber. It was cut in half, internals melted and fused by the plasma blade. She stood up and said, “Seems as though our friends had a bit of a rough day when trying to evacuate.”

“The tech in the middle of this place must’ve woken up pissed,” Her comrade nodded. They kept on going, led by Halsey through the multi-level area, down several flights of stairs after they tested all the other doors on the level. This was seriously starting to get worse and worse. No com signal, no way to contact their friends and a deeper descent into an ancient complex. Shepard murmured, “How the fuck did the Krogan not dig this stuff up ages ago…?”

“Maybe they were told not to,” Halsey suggested, “Or this place fell into disuse to anyone but their Shamans. We won’t know until we either get back to Wrex or find a Gatatog member to ask… And I’m none too fond of speaking to the latter, though the objective of learning does not allow room for personal biases.”

The two stopped in front of a door and hit the button, both breaching with guns drawn only to find another laboratory of some kind. Shepard gagged, covering her mouth and murmuring, “What the hell’s that smell…?” while the rotting remnants of another creature lay on the table. Slowly decomposing.

Halsey approached the console in the room, moving past several slabs of stone containing dead specimens and past a series of lockers that Shepard started searching. She linked to the Console, activated it and said, “More research… Seems to be much earlier than our previous, though a little less corrupted.”

The data file read, “ ... mutations to indigenous life… easy… Control isn’t… but… trying… Alchemical compounds in ‘Krogan’ blood enhance aggressiveness, regenerative capabilities, but not all subjects survive. Possibility of use as Shock Troops high, but… Will h… contact Dromm… ” to which Halsey sighed. She said, “Well, we know someone touched the Krogan before the Salarians and Asari did…”

“Yeah,” Shepard murmured, walking over and carrying what looked to be an ancient blaster weapon of some kind. She said, “And from the looks of it,” she looked back at the corpses on the table, continuously regenerating and degenerating, “They intended to do the same thing as the Citadel did. Use them as shock troops.”

“And yet…” Shepard mumbled, “Gonna have to go see if these troops ever made it to the Republic’s Galaxy,” then she pointed, “Next door…” and pushed forward. Halsey couldn’t help but appreciate the Commander’s promptness in finding their next way through. She downloaded what little data she could to put together

“ Clever one, ain’t she… ” A voice called to Halsey, this one male. She doubled over and turned about, suddenly going pale as bone as she aimed her pistol. She, too, only caught a glimpse of a silhouette. Shepard scoffed, having drawn her Carnifex this time to aim at whoever spoke. She walked over to Halsey.

“Who?” The Commander then asked, aggravated.

“... An… Old friend…” The woman’s voice cracked. The two walked through the door and deeper into the compound, praying that at some point they’d find a way through to meet up with Mordin and Blue Team. Halsey sighed, looking at herself. The years had not been kind to the sixty-eight-year-old woman. Maybe she was losing her mind. She had lost so much…

The Power Source proximity warning pinged…

She blinked and looked, starting, “Commander, I-” only to pause as she suddenly found herself in the middle of a wide void. One light peered down at her from above. She’d wanted to tell Shepard that she was sure Blue Team did trust her, but… She called out, “Shepard? Samantha!” and started walking forward.

The further she walked, the more ‘nowhere’ she got. There was just the void, the light and what felt like a treadmill holding her in place for most of this run. So she thought, however, until the light above touched a glimmering something in the dark. Halsey paused, stared at the ground, at the reflecting light, then walked a little further…

… The light glowed a bit more. The further she walked, the more it glowed, until the form… Forms… Resolved… And Halsey’s heart sunk.

Clad in MJOLNIR, the corpse of a Spartan appeared, the green light washing over the charred form of his armor. His breastplate had a hole drilled into it by a Covenant plasma pistol, which already signified who this was supposed to be. The Doctor froze, then looked around as more and more of the light around struck MJOLNIR…

Thirty-three corpses greeted Catherine. The dead lay sprawled across the field ahead, clad in various MJOLNIR types ranging from the standard MARK IV to the more modern Mark-VIs. One had an SPI armor set, charred and blackened by nuclear fire. Another missed his arm. Yet another had her armor’s reactor blown, her corpse laying face down. Hundreds more lay in the dark, shadows. Spartan-IIIs in the distance and IIs in the middle.

She swallowed, then paused as she saw a seam in the field, one that the light refracted off of. She paused, looked past it, then saw a greater pile of corpses and a lone figure, clad in a labcoat, carrying a tablet and wearing a pair of broken glasses. Her hair was black as night and her face young, terrifyingly familiar. She was sitting on top of one corpse, humming an eerie tune.

The elder Halsey’s footsteps echoed across this vast expanse of darkness, until the light mirrored her own and appeared over the head of the other. The figure, noticing this light strike her screen, hummed and stopped her song. However, instead of looking at the light source, her head immediately turned right.

And Catherine froze. It was her.

“Oh, perfect,” Her much younger form chuckled, standing up. She approached the seam, too and said, “Someone to keep me company down here. And there is no company quite like myself … Though by Jove, Lady Time certainly did have a particularly bad bone to pick with us,” and it was then that Halsey noticed just how pale she was… And how her eyes blared, irises an orange hue.

“... This is not real,” The elder Catherine mumbled, “Another illusion from this nightmare of a place.”

“Is it?” The Other Halsey asked mockingly, stowing her tablet and crossing her arms, “Let’s crunch some numbers together… We discover ancient alien technology beneath the ruins of a nuclear hellscape planet with evidence of genetic tampering as old as four thousand years. We also find that this place can change our perception, show us ‘illusions’. Logic dictates…?”

“... Mind-altering substances combined with a technological oversight. Perhaps sounds played through a speaker at a specific frequency,” Old Halsey spoke, still staring at herself in a deadpan. Her younger self smiled an almost creepy, animalistic smile, giving a few gentle claps. She spoke, “Enough. Who… What are you?”

Her other self had a lot more corpses behind her. And one familiar corpse, a MJOLNIR suit in lockdown, acting as her chair, much to her dismay. One One Seven…

The Young Catherine replied, “I? I am a monument to all your sins,” with an almost perverse glee. She told her, “I am what you feared you’d become if you stuck with ONI’s plan for much longer,” as they started walking in circles, the seam between them moving to remain parallel to their own axis… Keeping them separate, always. Young Cathy spoke, “I’m the very same thing Jacob hated . The same thing Miranda saw you as-”

“ You keep their names out of your mouth, you wretch, ” The Older Halsey’s voice gained an edge, causing her younger, ‘Evil’ self to laugh. She told her, “Miranda was safer with Jacob, away from me, away from ONI. I know she hated not having a mother and I know Jacob had to make sure she hated me specifically because of what I have done. I asked him to pin it all on me so our child could have one parent she was proud of. ”

“Is that why you cut him out of your life, too? Save for favors?” The Younger Halsey replied, “Because you did not want him to have to face what he had helped you do?” and she opened her arms, broadly motioning at the Spartan corpses around them, “What we did ?”

“You did nothing… You’re something designed to scare me,” Halsey spoke, “Another trap. Give it enough time and Shepard-”

“Ah, yes, Samantha Shepard,” Other Halsey chuckled, “She’s busy with her own issues.”

With Shepard…

Meanwhile, good old Shepard had a bigger issue. Bullets whizzed past her head, the distant roar of gruff, alien voices echoing all the way to her. She ducked under the gunfire and noted her rank pins and suit. She was young again. She could feel it. Staggering over behind an armored truck as the Batarians surged toward her position, she poked out and fired her M7, then looked around and ordered, “ALL SQUAD LEADS, RALLY UP ON ME!”

Three men approached. An elderly dark-skinned man, a balding white guy and a redhead. Petraeus, Coulson and Vandermeer. Shepard recognized all three of them. All three of them had died here, on these very fields, the emerald fields and hills of Elysium. She looked them over and felt like her heart was being ripped out of her chest as she said, “This ain’t happening again…”

“Commander?!” Coulson started. Poor man had three kids back in Illyria, not to mention a wife. She’d failed him. He ducked as a volley of rounds whizzed over their heads. He asked, “We’re gonna need orders, ma’am! These rat bastards are swinging right for us!”

Shepard blinked, then sighed and nodded, “Right! Right! Coulson, take your platoon and-...” She paused, then surveyed the area ahead. An open field with very little cover. Batarian technicals were advancing on them and they had light Anti-Tank available, plus her biotics. IF she sent any team forward into that field, like she had done in the past , they’d die.

She grit her teeth, hit herself in the head, then breathed. If she didn’t , those trucks would run them over and kill everyone inside the FOB, then drive into Illyria and take as many slaves as they fucking pleased. From bad to worse. She checked her options, watching the three men and their squads stare at her.

She blinked, looked over, back and forth between all three of them and felt her heart racing… 

What were their fucking strengths again…

Halsey…

“... If you harmed her…” Halsey glared at her younger evil self. 

The reply was a short laugh, “I didn’t do anything. Though maybe keeping secrets from her and everyone else might hurt in the far future. Who knows?” and she shrugged. She continued, “... Like you’re keeping that secret from both Cortana and John about her Rampancy. Why did it just ‘go away’ after you worked on her?”

“John knows,” Halsey glared, “You have some erroneous information.”

“Oh?” The younger Halsey snorted, “I guess I really cannot catch myself off-beat… Suppose it’s only natural, however,” before she added, “How long until you keep a secret that will get him killed?” and it was then Halsey realized whatever this was was playing with her. Young Her said, “Keeping them close to your chest is going to hurt, but maybe it’s for the best. Attachment to weapons of war? Not a smart thing.”

“They’re more than that and you know it,” Halsey snapped, “Always have been! They’re the next step in our evolution, they’re…” then she grit her teeth, “They’re ours… They are our creation, our children, the ones who’ve saved us!”

“By being damned through our choices!” Young Halsey shot back, laughing, “And where’d that get them? Almost all their friends, dead and them, unable to exercise their rights as free human beings and live their lives?! We made them weapons , Catherine! WE STEPPED ALL OVER THE MORTAL DICTATA TO MAKE THEM!”

“ AND WE DID IT BECAUSE IF WE DIDN’T OUR ENEMIES WOULD HAVE ANYWAYS !” The Elder snapped again, “WHERE WOULD WE HAVE BEEN WITHOUT THEM!? Either burned to nothingness by the Covenant in their insane Crusade or NUCLEAR CRATERS LIKE THE SPECIES THAT WHOEVER MADE YOU TURNED INTO WARMONGERS !”

Young Halsey snorted derisively, “You think we turned them into warmongers? The Krogan were always prideful idiots. So proud of conquering a land made hostile by previous visits to this Galaxy that they decided they’d just end themselves in a nuclear hellscape. And even after that, they couldn’t be bothered not to lose their minds when, after the locals uplifted them, they outbred the land they’d been gifted! The Genophage might as well have been a blessing for them! One they’re squandering! If the Citadel had done the same to us for the Spartans? I would’ve seen it as just. ”

Halsey blanked, then glared at the woman and said, “ We are not the same… Whatever happened in that twisted realm you think you represent, you are not me. I have regretted my choice ever since for the sole reason I’ve stolen these children from their families, ” and she motioned to the IIs, “ And allowed through that for their younger siblings to be spawned as cheap weapons… ” and she pointed at the IIIs, “ And I would never dare state that an ACTIVE GENOCIDE is a ‘blessing’ or ‘just’... I am not you… And I disavow you… ”

The figure cracked a smile, then the illusion disappeared… Resolving into yet another place. A familiar place, even. An old school, long lost to time, though well-known in Halsey’s memories. On the playground, a King Of The Hill game. And on top of it, victorious as ever despite his faceless peers stood a strong young man.

Oh, no…

Shepard…

She remembered. She remembered what she had to do. She looked and said, “Coulson, take your team and flank left, fast! The depression should put you in cover and defilade! You lay into them the moment they roll in!” only to get a nod from Coulson. She looked over at the next man and said, “Pat, you’re our AT guy, right?!”

“Heavy, ma’am!” The man nodded, “But I only have a couple AT launchers left!”

“Should be enough to scare them. When Coulson hits these four-eyes with enfilade fire, you smoke the first two of their technicals!” The woman ordered, “Should stop’em dead and force them to retreat!” and she got a thumbs up. The men packed their gear and readied. She then looked at the last man and said, “Vandy, you and I are forward artillery… We’re biotics. Least we can do is slow their supporting troops down.”

“Till reinforcements arrive, which is,” The man checked an ancient digital watch, “About thirty mikes from now… If we survive, I’m buying,” only to pause. He ducked as a sniper shot above them and mumbled, “That’s a big if, though, Shep…” before looking at her. He told her, “Though we’re with you, a hundred percent…”

And damned if she didn’t remember that line…

The Commander stared at the three men as they were about to execute the plan. She could easily recall the moment they’d all died, just a minute from now. They’d made a strategic decision. She had. And it had gotten a lot of good men killed. She narrowed her lips, her mind turning to Kaidan as well, then she whispered, “... You boys are some of the finest men I served with. Never got to say this, but…”

Her heart sank, “Thank you for everything… Elysium and I owe you a lot…”

“We’ll collect on that debt later on, then,” Petraeus said, “Give the word, ma’am,” and he smirked. Always so cocksure. He wasn’t aware of what was about to happen. This was a no-win situation. Always had been, regardless of what she would’ve done. What she didn’t do back then was actually say just how glad she was to have worked on Elysium.

How glad she had been to be there. To have helped save these guys’ home. All of them had families… None of which held a grudge against Shepard. Many had even said they were glad the boys had gone with her to the last moment of their lives, under the command of a brave officer. Shepard hadn’t felt brave then, for never telling them to their face that she cared like they were her own brothers…

When she closed her eyes and barked the order, the world suddenly went dark… And she felt the weight of her N7 Armor on her again. She opened her eyes ,finding herself in a void, then stood up. Looking ahead, however, she gasped, face going pale as she stared face-to-face with a familiar figure. A familiar figure who cracked a smile and said, “Hey, Shepard. Long time.”

“... Kaidan…” The woman breathed.

Halsey…

“John…?” Halsey’s voice cracked as she blinked, staring at the young man that would become the very symbol of humanity’s hope. The boy smiled and descended at a gentle pace from the perch, all other children around her, voices muffled, disappearing. She knelt in front of him so she could be at his height, then stared right into those young blue eyes.

“Doctor,” He greeted with that young voice, “It’s certainly been a bit…”

“That it has,” She smiled, but she knew deep down that this wasn’t how it was gonna go. Her smile faded. She said to him, “I’m… I’m so sorry…” in a whisper. She stared at the young man, knowing full-well this was just another illusion, probably meant to get a rise out of her, but she couldn’t help it. Even knowing the actual John was here…

“We all have things we’re sorry about, Doctor,” The young John replied calmly, crossing his arms. Halsey stood up and stared at him from above, still surprised to see just how well this place’s hallucinogenic properties had rendered him. He was the same as his youth. And he even sounded the same.

“I suppose we do,” Halsey murmured, “... What I did was both my greatest mistake and one of my greatest achievements, John. Regardless of what this place that has materialized you and…” she cast a sideways glance at two figures shrouded in shadow, then spoke, “A deceased Jacob and Miranda Keyes here… Intends to do, I want you to know I regret stealing your childhood. If I could have used your clones…”

“I know,” John nodded, “As for what this place is trying to do?”

“For all intents and purposes, Catherine?” Jacob spoke. His voice sounded so surprisingly sweet to Halsey, even if the older man approached and looked haggard as he joined John. He continued, “IT’s making sure only the right people can enter it. It’s why you only see Krogan corpses around, after all, not to mention damaged Sentinels and security droids.”

Miranda joined in next with, “It’s testing both you and Shepard,” as she walked to John’s other side and put a hand on the kid’s head, giving him a pat. She looked down at the boy and said, “Even now, I can recognize the face of 117 in him. Like he was made for the role,” before she turned her gaze back toward Halsey, staring.

“Indeed,” Halsey whispered, then put her hands together and said, “... For all it is worth, Miranda, it’s… Good to see you. Even now, like this. All three of you…”

“Appreciated, doctor,” The woman replied politely, but also professionally, though there was a hint of a hidden sadness back there. She spoke, “At least I know you do care now. Would’ve been nice when I was alive, but-” and she paused as Jacob gave her a gentle tap on the elbow with his hand. The old man crossed his arms as Halsey felt tears well in her eyes. Tears she suppressed.

He spoke this time, “I know that stare, Catherine. You did this,” and he didn’t seem angry or even remorseful. He was just stating it matter-of-fact, as always. He added, “You said it yourself… Best not to be associated with one of ONI’s favorite assets, right?” only getting a scoff out of Miranda. Of course she’d react like that, Halsey thought. She had abandoned them.

“ I wish it did not need to be like that. Believe me, ” The woman whispered, staring straight at John. The young man rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged. Halsey then looked at them and asked, “Then what is this about? How would this place determine if I am ‘right’ to enter it properly? And why hide Forerunner and Alien technology here?”

“The creator of this place was a woman of science, kind of like you,” Miranda spoke, “Though with a few less scruples, considering she was a Sith,” causing Halsey to pause. The Commander smirked and said, “That caught your attention, eh? Yes, she was a Sith. The dark counterpart to what General Tano is, in a sense. And she wanted to make sure only fellow scientists got access to it.”

“Scruple-less beings, then?” Halsey joked, though she felt her heart drop.

“Oh, no, that’s optional,” John joked back. He added, “She never had qualms about what she did, though. She was straight-laced, focused. Kind of like you when we first met… I’m guessing you saw the experiments on the Krogan, right? Well, imagine that, but spread to the entire planet and over a longer period. She only added upon this temple, regardless of what it cost.”

“... And she, what, wants us to stop feeling sorry for our mistakes?” Halsey asked, “Because that’s an impossibility…”

“She wants you to let go,” Miranda replied, “Of the guilt. Because, believe me, that guilt won’t help the secrets she has stored here. Trust me, the Krogan are just the tip of the iceberg,” before looking at Jacob and John. She added in a murmur, “Because if you don’t, there’s a worse matter to attend to here…”

Halsey was about to ask when John pulled out a familiar little circle of metal. Jacob spoke, “Hope you don’t mind a bit of a game,” as he watched the woman’s face drop, her heart with it. That was the Quarter that had, in Halsey’s rationalizing mind, decided John’s fate. It felt strange to be on the other end.

John told her, “You win, you leave… You don’t, you die.”

“Absolutes,” Halsey murmured, “Fun.”

“Only way to make sure,” John spoke, checking the coin over. He told her, “You told me about this quarter… And the game… When we first met. Let it do the choice you couldn’t. Let it take you down the path you’ve been on since we’ve known each-other,” and he looked at Jacob so he could continue. The same pilot who’d flown her to meet John.

She spoke first, “The same coin that led to you becoming who you are today… And the same coin who might’ve led to the deaths of the two people beside you.”

“I’m glad Miranda went out normally, at least,” Jacob spoke, then looked at his daughter, “Went down fighting, as any good sailor should. The Flood, meanwhile,” and he sighed, “Wish we’d known about the bastards ahead of time. Blasted that entire ring to Hell… But, then again, without Chief and Cortana, we wouldn’t have been there.”

“Mm…” Halsey shuddered a little, staring at the coin.

“I toss, you pick…” John told her rather bluntly, “One way or another, this ends…” and he pointed at Halsey’s chest. Did he mean the doubt, or the self-hatred? Because neither would end then and there. And this was most definitely a bit more of a cocksure John, being so young. He put it between his left thumb and index, flicked it up into the air and it spun. He said, “Call it…”

The entire world seemed to slow down around Halsey for a moment. The irony was not lost on her in regards to this coin, much less to the fact her own life choices now stared her down. Her lips became razor-thin as she spoke, “... Miranda. I mentioned that John and the Spartans were one of my greatest mistakes and achievements…” before looking at her as the coin began to fall. Miranda blinked, to which Halsey said, “... Your father and you were my other greatest… Achievement because of the woman you’ve become and… Mistake? Because I did not try to get in touch more… I’m sorry.”

Miranda’s stone-cold expression shifted, surprise streaking across her face. Halsey said, “I love you both…” before yelling, “ Tails …!” and watching the quarter land in John’s hand. He put it on top of his other and looked in, then smiled and looked at Halsey. It was a kind smile, one that came with him showing her that she had called right.

… Jacob and Miranda both smiled at her, too, genuine, kind smiles… And then, the  world flashed back to reality.

Shepard…

Kaidan Alenko, one of the few human biotics who understood the Commander properly, stared at her with a smile so characteristic of him it made Shepard blank. He said, “I know, I know. Probably the worst time to pay a visit, right?” as he walked over to her. He saw her take a step back, then said, “Relax. I’m not here to hurt you…”

Shepard’s voice cracked as she whispered to herself, “God, fuck this place…” then said with a louder tone, “Kaidan… Look. If we could’ve, you know I would’ve doubled back the moment I heard you were in trouble,” and she walks up to him, too, “I’m sorry. I really am…”

“We make calls we don't like all the time, Shepard. Part of the job,” Kaidan shot back, “Doesn’t mean I like what you did, but Ash was a pressing matter back then, not to mention the fact that bastard Saren was around, too,” and he walked around her. He spoke, “Do wish I could’a gotten a shot at this whole Lazarus thing, though.”

“I know,” Shepard whispered, “So do I.”

“Answer me this,” He started, “People might die in this thing. You feel ready for whatever Suicide Mission’s at the end of this road with Cerberus?”

“No,” She murmured, “I don’t. None of us do,” and she turned to face him, “There’s still upgrades to the Normandy needed, people I gotta talk to, problems I have to solve… I don’t want to lose anyone else, Alenko. Not after everything,” before stating, “And I’ll do my damnedest not to…”

“Yeah… I know,” Kaidan smirked, “Which is why I’m just here to say goodbye,” and he turned away. He looked around and said, “You know, when this place decided it’d be a good idea to bring me back around, I figured it was going to make me say some horrid stuff. Sure, the warning and questioning your choices is bad, but… I’m honestly only here to keep you entertained until Halsey’s done her job.”

“Huh,” Shepard murmured, “It did help a bit. Closure.”

“Yeah,” He smiled more normally now, hands on his hips, “You were a good Commander, Sam. A great friend, too… There’s no need to carry the guilt of Virmire on your back. You did your job, you saved the Citadel and I’m damn sure you’ll save the Galaxy, or… Galaxies, I guess… From the Reapers. Just be ready. The stuff out there won’t be as lenient as this place. You’ll need all your wits about you to stop what’s coming.”

“Yeah,” She smiled back, “Thanks, Kaidan… See you up there?”

“Make sure it ain’t too soon. I’d like to see you and Garrus live long, happy lives after the Reapers are done,” He nodded, then clapped a hand on her shoulder and said, “Goodbye, Shepard,” only for the Commander to blink… And both her and Halsey to come back to reality in the middle of a large room. Ahead of them were multiple active consoles and, down below on a lower level, a Forerunner Monolith resided, glowing blue and scarlet.

“... Well,” Halsey whispered, “Cannot wait to be out of here.”

“Amen…” Shepard replied.

“Glad you enjoyed my little show, ladies,” A voice spoke from behind them, ethereal and bearing a strangely BRITISH Accent. The two women swiveled about and aimed their guns, to which the figure impassively stared at them. She wore a mask that resembled a mechanical skull, black eye sockets seemingly empty, and dark robes and armor. She raised her hands more as a joke than anything, then said, “Feel free to waste your ammunition on an apparition if you wish…”

“An AI,” Halsey said, then pointed at the holographic pyramid emanating the red, mist-like beam that projected the strange woman there. She spoke, “Almost like one of our own. You are… Darth Nox, Lady of the Sith,” and lifted up her tablet to show at least one extra downloaded piece of data that showed her name.

“And that is why I knew you would pass all my tests with flying colors,” The Sith woman spoke rather jovially, “Though I am more of an engram embedded within this Holocron than a true Smart AI like your Cortana… Speaking of,” she snapped her fingers and Blue Team and Mordin all suddenly appeared in the area. She said, “Welcome.”

“Commander, Doctor Halsey,” Chief spoke, “You’re safe.”

“Thanks to the Commander, yes,” Halsey replied, looking at Shepard with a smile. Chief and Shepard exchanged one quick look, then nodded at each-other, with Shepard smiling. Halsey, meanwhile, turned back to Nox and asked, “So… What, pray-tell, is this about after all? Why lead us here, seeing as I am fairly certain you activated that device.”

“Oh, a few things…” Nox replied, then paused as a noise came from behind them. The entire room suddenly chilled as the Spartans and Shepard all swiveled about, aiming their rifles toward the noise. Nox chuckled and said, “Seems I mistakenly awoke another protocol,” as she waited for the figures to come out of the shadows.

… Two strange figures did. A tall man, about as tall as the Spartans, ignited a red lightsaber as he stepped forward into the light. He was clad in black armor similar to Nox’s, though he also wore a mask on his face and a hood over his head, his robes falling to his feet. Beside him, a petite figure, clad in dark robes and wielding her own lightsaber, stepped forward. Her eye sockets were bandaged, but no blood marred them.

“Lord Rhasits,” Nox said, “Welcome back to the world of the living, to both you and your apprentice, Kyra.”

“Nox,” The man spoke, his voice deep and reverberating across the basalt and metal around. He spoke, “And a few intruders that made it past this place’s trials. None of you look Krogan, meaning Nox’s little desire to see them evolve failed ,” before he gazed upon Chief. The Spartan and him locked eyes and he said, “Calm…” before shutting off his Lightsaber, “We mean no harm.” and his Apprentice followed.

“Living Sith,” Shepard whispered, her voice cracking… 

… The upcoming explanation was going to be big, Shepard felt.

Chapter Text

“I suppose modifying the Krogan to function as a Sith war party could’ve worked,” Shepard mumbled, looking over all of the data that Nox had allowed her and Halsey access to. She looked back to the center of the room, where Chief and the Blues stared down the alien Sith clad in armor of the same height as them and the young, five-foot-four apprentice beside him, who had her hands behind her back.

“Indeed, though I see I’m not the sole one who came up with such an idea,” Nox murmured, her Holocron-based engram gently flickering, almost see-through. She told Shepard, “You two certainly have a mental fortitude unlike any other in you. From fighting in the War against the Covenant to you facing off against one of these so-called ‘God-Machines’, the Reapers…”

“Takes a lot to scare us,” Both Shepard and Halsey spoke at the same time. The two women smiled at one-another, with Halsey giving Shepard a gentle pat on the shoulder. Halsey added, “Of course, the Commander did die hunting the Collectors,” while tilting her head to Shepard, who rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips.

“I’ve been meaning to ask about your Cybernetics!” Nox spoke rather jovially yet again, “But I don’t wish to be rude. You are the first people I’ve spoken to in Millennia, after all, so scaring off potential new comrades is not in my book…” before turning to Halsey and quickly stating, “Oh, of course… Access Code Persephone. If you are ever asked to insert a password while accessing our files.”

“Thank you,” Halsey replied, then looked at the Spartans again. They seemingly began to talk with Rhasits and his Apprentice. The doctor turned back toward Nox and asked, “... You say they are from the time of the Old Republic? What, four millennia ago when you started experimenting on the Krogan?”

“Yes. I asked for Lord Rhasits and his Apprentice to come to this facility with me,” Nox replied with a nod, walking up between Halsey and Shepard, hands behind her back. She added, “Lord Rhasits was one of our best during the waning days of the Empire and the Eternal Alliance. He had taken Kyra under his wing not long before being summoned here as guard to this place’s technology.”

“You sound like you like him,” Shepard quipped, grinning.

“I merely valued his capabilities,” Nox snorted, then added, “Plus, I would not dare steal him from Kyra,” and the three women looked upon the young girl. She said, “What an odd race, the Miraluka are…” before garnering looks of confusion from both women. She explained, “Oh, yes, right. I don’t suppose they would’ve briefed you on one of a million other sentient races…”

“She looks human,” Shepard murmured.

Nox shrugged, “She is a near-human, much like a few other species. However, the Miraluka have adapted to the Force in ways not many of us could,” and she walked over to Halsey as the woman pruned through the Database the Republic had given her. The Sith inquired, “Care for me to enlighten you?”

“By all means…” Halsey replied.

“Her eye sockets are vestigial. She would be considered blind by most sentients,” Nox quipped, causing both women to double over and look at her. Kyra, who sensed the new gazes falling upon her, turned her head and offered a kindhearted smile at them, despite the ‘Sith’ teachings. If they could see Nox’s face, they could tell she was smiling when she added, “They see through the Force.”

“... They see through a magical power that-” Halsey started, but Nox cut her off.

“The Force is what unites all living things, at least in our Galaxy, doctor,” She replied, then shrugged, “I figured you’d understand by now that some of your laws and ideations do not apply everywhere. Everything you’ve seen here, from the booby traps to the illusions, was and is powered by the Force. My essence, embedded into this place and amplified a thousandfold by the Librarian’s Manifold.”

Halsey blanked, then looked at the Forerunner device and then at Mordin, who approached and spoke, “Introspective. This place, alien, but undertook the reverse of study plans unlike me, STG members, Maelon. Force, incredible. Strangely conducive, capable, strong. Illusions, interesting, though would’ve liked less reminders. Good modifications through Alchemy and…” he inhaled sharply, “Forerunner genetic editing.”

“Ah, one of the enhancers of the Genophage,” Nox spoke calmly, “I spent years of my life trying to craft them into the perfect replaceable Shock Troops only for you all to come and do this to them. I am none too fond of it,” and she pulled up images of an alien spire rising high into the sky near the oldest city on Tuchanka. 

“Necessity because of your recklessness…” Mordin replied, though he was hesitant. Nox had caught that, but decided not to press it. He himself added, however, “But clever design. Might have saved Galaxy from Rachni three hundred years ago. Sith, strange culture… What little I know paints warlike murderers, not… Thinkers.”

“One, that’s usually just the one-sided view the Jedi give. Two? Normally, I would say I thought ahead,” The apparition stated, then shrugged, “But I am as blind to the goings-on in this Galaxy as I was to the fall of our Empire, sadly. That is to say, I knew something was happening and did my best to preserve it all. However, here, the Reapers are proving to be… Interesting. While a greater threat looms at home…”

“Ilos,” Halsey spoke, “Were you also there?”

“No, that would be the Forerunners and Librarian,” The woman replied. Halsey sighed, to which Nox told her, “Feel free to start taking a look through that database,” tilting her head, “It contains all that I could translate from the monolith powering this base,” and walking with Halsey toward it. Mordin joined, leaving Shepard alone.

Well, might as well meet the two new crew members she was pretty sure she just got. She walked over to Rhas, Kyra and the Spartans and said, “I hope you’re all getting along, considering what you said, Lord Rhasits…” before tilting her head a little.

“We are,” Rhasits nodded, “The Spartans are quite interesting. Genetic masterpieces if I do say so,” before turning to look the Chief in the eye, “Though some are certainly more strange than the others. No offense, Master Chief,” and, beside him, young Kyra chuckled. Chief was simply thankful this didn’t turn into a shootout.

“None taken,” The Spartan replied. He looked at Halsey, who nodded and motioned to the elevator leading down to the Forerunner artifact. Chief nodded back, then said to Cortana, “Keep tabs on the Mainframe if you can. Best we got everything we need out of here,” before pausing and looking at Rhasits, “How long have you been here?”

“Thanks to carbonite freezing, since this installation was completed,” Rhasits replied, crossing his arms, “We were intended to be awoken as guards if something or someone ever made it past the primary defense units. The skeletons told me a great deal many have tried, though I’ve seen others who tried to escape.”

“The Sentinels turned a bunch of people to ash,” Kelly quipped.

“I and the doctor even found an old Lightsaber in the Atrium,” Shepard stated, then hummed and checked her com. Nox, noticing this, utilized whatever powers she had to boost the signal. Shepard immediately saw the boat and smirked, stating, “Alright… Guess we can call for backup now. Doc Halsey…?” and she saw the woman downstairs.

Of course. Rhasits chuckled, his deep voice reverberating across the halls. He said, “Those of a Scientific mind will always be drawn forth by curiosity. Thank the Force Nox decided not to be too harsh to either of you,” before turning to face the Commander. He told her, “Speaking of, Commander. She has requested that I and Kyra join you.”

“I figured,” Sighed the Commander. Things were never really gonna be easy anyways. She asked, “What ‘greater threat’ is she talking about?”

“We don’t know,” Rhasits answered, “She kept mentioning it. It was why she desired to make an outpost here of all places. Once she found the Star Road and its connected Forerunner devices at the edge of the Unknown Regions, she was enamored by the idea of preserving our people and ideals, but evacuating billions would’ve taken ages…”

“And she did mention the threat is relatively far away,” Kyra shot back, “A few more decades at least,” and she crossed her arms. She said, “Both you and the Doctor emanate an incredible calm despite your internal turmoil, Commander. Doctor Solus, however, seems a bit too… Giddy. Him, I can’t put a finger on…”

Shepard raised a brow, looking at Rhas.

“Kyra is a ‘people’ person,” The Lord of the Sith spoke in a humorous voice. Shepard chuckled a little at that, with the Lord of the Sith himself acting as a calm presence to ease everyone into this new ‘friendship’. That he was requested by this Apparition of Darth Nox to accompany the Commander’s force was interesting.

And if it meant stopping one extinction event to allow them ample time to prepare for the next, it was fine by him. He looked at Kyra and inquired, “I don’t suppose you have had time to retrieve the rest of our equipment after the awakening?” only to get a shake of the head. He said, “I believe it would be best to do it now, before we inevitably depart for the Commander’s ship with Blue Team.”

She smiled and nodded, then walked off, humming a chipper tune. Cortana appeared on Chief’s shoulder and said, “She seems nice,” before looking at Rhas. The Sith nodded in thanks, to which the AI added, “Ancient living beings able to wield telekinetic powers and energy swords. I’d have called bull had we not met Ahsoka.”

“Oh?” Rhas tilted his head, “You have another Force Wielder aboard?”

“General Ahsoka Tano,” Fred nodded, “Formerly a Jedi, now a ‘Knight of the Republic’ after a Schism in the order,” before pausing as he heard Rhas snort. He asked, “Problem?” to which the Sith simply gave a wave of his hand to dismiss it. He looked over as Halsey, now back in this room, approached, seemingly calm.

The doctor said, “I could not coerce the Librarian, or whatever engram of her is here, out. That means I will be staying here for a while longer, which, now that our coms are online, also means I have had to call the Prowler and the Urdnot clan in order for them to begin talking with Gatatog. The Prowler will be deploying its company of Marines to the AO.”

“... So, you guys are occupying a chunk of Gatatog land,” Shepard murmured, “I don’t think Uvenk’s gonna like that, but it’s not like he can say much. And Wrex is sure gonna be glad to help you get rid of them if it means more stable power in his hands,” then she checked her Omni-Tool and noticed a message from Tali.

“Indeed. And you should probably call, Commander,” Halsey offered a kind nod. She then said to Shepard, “And thank you. For keeping me safe here. You have solidified my trust in you and, by extent, that of Blue Team and Cortana… Keep them safe for me, please…” and she cast a glance over to Cortana, who smiled and waved. The doc waved back.

“Understood, ma’am,” Shepard nodded, chopping up a hand in salute. She then said, “Alright, team. Gather up. We’re moving out the moment the first Pelicans land with reinforcements,” and grabbed her gear. Nox gave a nod and waved goodbye to Rhasits and Kyra, both of whom now followed Blue Team and Doctor Solus out.

Mordin stopped at the door and yelled to Halsey, “Send data to me as well, please! Will transfer custom Omni-Tool to here when time allows!”

“Of course! And thank you!” Halsey replied, then turned back to working with Nox to coax the Librarian out from whatever she was doing. Nox herself was glad to have company and a new comrade in arms after so long, not to mention more people securing the place. For all intents and purposes, this meant her facility was back on the right track.

Halsey’s request that her research team not be put through the same trials and tribulations as her and Shepard did irk Nox a little, though. It was too fun to test her potential future comrades in arms. But if this partnership was going to be working out so they could both save this Galaxy and her own, Nox begrudgingly agreed…

Normandy

Ahsoka was tending to one of the cannons on her starfighter while Tali worked on the ion engines with an incredible amount of glee. The General couldn’t help but smile when she heard Tali let out, “Oh, so that’s how this works!” when she connected another piece. Obviously, she’d given the girl her blueprints, courtesy of the Astromech she had aboard.

She let Tali work on the ship, too, with the blueprints, because the girl had gotten some bad news just now. Bad news she had decided to share with Shepard upon her return. Though she was happy that she could help the young Quarian official get her mind off of the issues at hand, Ahsoka felt a pit in her stomach.

She blanked, feeling a chill shoot up her spine, then stood up. Tali, who’d noticed this, poked her head out from behind the engine’s manifold and asked, “What happened?” only to see the Knight visibly tense. The woman ran her hands over the hilt of her longer lightsaber and said in a low, quiet voice, “Go call Jester Squad, Garrus and Zaeed here…”

Tali was about to ask, but she chose not to disobey the Knight. She stood up, preparing her own shotgun, and took the elevator up to call the boys in. Ahsoka watched the air-shield engage as the main door of the hangar opened, revealing the Kodiak coming back from the planet. The closer it got, the worse that feeling became.

The encroaching darkness was backed by a great amount of connection to the Force, too… Greater than even her own and she’d started unlocking her potential after the Schism…

The vehicle touched down in the bay, the young woman, a Jedi as she was raised in the temple, gripping the hilt of her lightsaber. She felt a sense of dread, the darkness emanating from within causing everything else around her to go quiet. When the door of the dropship opened, it revealed an imposingly tall dark figure…

Ahsoka was quick on the draw,  igniting her lightsaber without much flourish and pointing it at the side of the enemy’s neck as she spat out, “Sith…! What did you do with the Commander!?” only to gasp as a scarlet blade appeared below her own chin. She felt the heat radiating off of it and cast a glance left, noticing the Apprentice, who smiled a little.

The Sith Apprentice spoke, “We would appreciate if you de-escalated the situation now, Jedi.”

“Kyra,” The Sith Lord’s booming voice spoke, “How about we start off on the right foot instead. We know how Jedi are, after all,” only for the young Miraluka to sigh and nod, shutting off her own lightsaber. Ahsoka then noticed that the Sith hadn’t even gone for his blade, instead simply crossing his arms to his chest.

Shepard stepped out next and called out, “General, wait, wait, wait!” before walking over to her side and putting a hand on her shoulder, “Look, we found them down there when we were helping Doctor Halsey explore. They’ve been nothing but friendly,” to which the General balked as the rest of the troop joined them, pointing blasters and weapons at the pair.

“He’s a Sith, ” Ahsoka replied, voice low, azure eyes still locked onto the man’s mask.

“I’ll explain everything,” The Commander offered, then waved her hand to the Clones, Zaeed, Garrus and Tali. The troops lowered their weapons reluctantly, with Ahsoka herself still glaring at the Lord, faint traces of auburn glowing in her blue eyes. She scoffed, took her blade away from the man’s neck and shut it off.

The Sith nodded, “Thank you,” completely unfazed,  looked at the Clone Troopers and murmured, “Huh. It seems the Republic re-adopted their troops’ style from the Cold War. I can respect that,” as he lowered his arms by the side of his body. He noticed Ahsoka still glaring at him, then breathed a sigh. His hands went to the sides of his head. He pushed the hood off and his fingers clasped the release of his mask.

Taking it off caused Ahsoka to double over, staring at the man as if he’d grown a second head. Tall as the Spartans, eyes burning red and handsome as a particularly dapper devil, with short black hair on top of his head and a relatively calm gaze, plus scarlet skin and strange creases and attachments to his face, he stated, “I am Rhasits… You are?”

“Ahsoka Tano,” The girl mumbled, then whispered, “You’re a Sith Pureblood… We thought they were a myth,” as she craned her head toward a Shepard that was… Awkwardly staring. The Sith Lord seemed slightly amused by that statement, but also understanding, to which she asked, “What in the name of the Force were you doing on Tuchanka?”

“I and my Apprentice were frozen there, a security measure to protect Lady Nox’s research facility,” The Sith replied, hands behind his back. Ahsoka looked at Shepard, eyes wide and fear palpable. The Commander laughed awkwardly as the Spartans joined the group on deck, then showed her to follow along.

As they walked toward the elevator, Jesse took his helmet off and said, “A living Sith Lord… I swear, you think you’ve seen everything,” only to pause as he saw young Kyra following behind the Sith, a peppy smile on her face and hands behind her back like she didn’t just point a Lightsaber at Ahsoka’s throat.

Fives added, “Just another fine day in the Grand Army of the Republic, Jesse…” as they followed along onto the Elevator. Zaeed and Garrus looked at one-another, then at Shepard and Mordin and got only an awkward smile from Shepard. Both soldierly men sighed, then joined the group aboard the elevator, with Tali only staying behind to keep working on Ahsoka’s ship.

Upon reaching the meeting room, wherein they were joined by Miranda and, surprisingly enough, Samara, who seemed to be interested in the Sith, Shepard began explaining everything they got about the stuff they found on the planet below. Namely:The Forerunner technology around which Nox’s complex had been built… And the Krogan upgrades that had been done by Nox four thousand years ago.

Rhasits added upon the explanations as well, calm and concise, completing missing information like the fact the Librarian was around. It seemed as though the Librarian herself was aware of the ‘Greater Threat’ aimed at the Republic’s Galaxy, not to mention other important issues that were still permeating the Galaxy.

“And to that extent, Lady Nox asked me, Kyra and a few of our force to man the station with her while she worked on research,” The Sith Lord stated, “Both in the genetic upgrades received by the Krogan through Sith Alchemy and on the matters pertaining to the Reapers. The Forerunner presence has data entries on these elusive alien machines…”

“Huh,” Ahsoka murmured, “How convenient. Anything important?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Rhasits replied, “I merely worked as part of the protection detail.”

Ahsoka hummed, clearly distrustful of the Sith warrior. That, Shepard thought, was her cue to say, “As much as I’d like to believe it’ll all be sunshine and rainbows and that we’re all decent sentient beings with smarts about us, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it:If anything starts between anyone here, but use your words instead of your lightsabers or guns or else both sides are gonna depart my ship, regardless of who swung first. Clear?”

“... Yes,” Ahsoka replied, then breathed a sigh and looked at Rhasits. She told him, “If you and your Apprentice keep up that calm behavior, we’ll be fine. It’s gonna be one hell of a report for me to write back to Command, though,” then she turned her head toward a sighing-in-relief Shepard and said, “I and Tali will go maintain my fighter.”

“Of course, General,” Shepard nodded, then stopped, “Before that, though… Tali, the message you sent seemed urgent…”

“Find me in engineering… It’s sensitive, private,” She offered, rubbing the back of her neck. Shepard nodded and dismissed them without another word, then looked at Miranda, who simply stared at Rhasits with some degree of concern. Same as Jesse and Fives, to be honest. It was noticeable to even the two Sith.

Kyra, however, simply smiled at them again, jovial as ever, while Rhasits examined the two men and said, “Kamino finally perfected its cloning, then… You all seem like fine soldiers and I can understand the General’s attachment,” remaining respectful throughout. The two Clones looked at each-other, while Miranda seemed to ease.

“Thanks,” Jesse spoke, a bit wary, “I and Fives will go grab a bite to eat… Rupert’s cooked something with a recipe we gave him, so,” he shrugged. Shepard smiled at that and waved them off, then looked at Samara as the Asari seemingly stared at the two still. Miranda looked at Shepard and asked quietly to be dismissed, which Shepard approved.

“If that is all, Commander… I and Kyra wish to seek a place to meditate, preferably while stirring clear of General Tano until she figures out her feelings toward us,” The Sith requested with that same deal of respect he showed the clones, though obviously with the added respect toward the officer in charge of the vessel.

“Sure…” Shepard spoke, “A lot of the rooms are occupied, but-”

“They may stay with me if they seek to meditate,” Samara was quick to offer. Kyra smiled at that, then looked at her Master for approval. Rhasits, seemingly confused by the extended olive branch, felt through the Force for Samara, finding that, surprisingly enough… She was touched by it. More-so than anyone in this ship, save maybe Ahsoka and her Clones.

Shepard asked, “You sure you’re okay with that, Samara?” as she turned to face the woman. Samara bowed her head in confirmation, then looked at the two extragalactic guests. The human woman then said, “Alright. That solves that… Let’s get to the elevator. I have to go see what Tali needs before we head to the Waystation to arm up.”

“Of course,” Samara spoke. The group left the conference room and entered the Elevator, taking it down a floor to the Crew Deck, where Samara and the two Sith disembarked. With just the three of them now, Samara spoke, “I feel the Darkness within both of you… Though it is certainly tempered by your years of experience. More-so in you, Lord Rhasits.”

“Kyra is still my Apprentice,” The man replied, “She has much to learn.”

Samara nodded, “I find the fact our Galaxies have been linked before strangely interesting,” as they approached the door to her room, the Starboard observation deck. The room was friendly, calm and decently-lit, giving a window to the void outside. A sea of stars marked the right, but the more they moved to the left, the more visible the dustbowl planet of Tuchanka became.

Rhasits sighed, seeing the planet below. He spoke, “I might be misremembering, but the planet below was certainly a fair bit more lush when we were awake. I suppose Nox’s modifications worked too well…” in a murmur. Kyra nodded in agreement, still acting the part of a calm, reclusive and cutesy apprentice.

“... Your Apprentice certainly holds her tongue,” Samara offered, turning to face him.

Rhasits nodded, looking at Kyra, then said, “Like many of us, she is a slave that was brought to Korriban for training,” and straightened up his posture. He told Samara, “She was, if my mind serves, slave to a Zygerrian before he… Sold… Her. To us…” and the room suddenly chilled a few degrees. Kyra’s smile waned a little, but she turned and put a hand on her master’s shoulder. Rhasits nodded and sighed.

“I see,” The woman replied, “I apologize if my inquiry has caused painful memories to resurface,” and she bowed to Kyra. The girl smiled a bit more brightly at Samara and bowed, too, though she remained relatively quiet. The room warmed again. Samara felt it. So, she said, “This is where I meditate. The sight of the stars eases my mind… Allows me to think clearly.”

“We thank you for sharing this spot with us,” The man bowed, too, then said, “It isn’t often that we find another who is gifted in the Force just by chance,” which caused Samara to blink. He stated, “You can feel us. That’s what you said. Our struggles, our tempered darkness, as you called it. Signs, maybe, of something more than just being Asari…”

“Hm… Perhaps,” Samara paused, then sighed, “Shall we begin meditating?” 

The two nodded. Samara sat down first, crossing her legs and closing her eyes. Her powers flared lilac, an aura forming around her body as the other two sat on opposite sides of her, taking the same pose to begin meditating. It was… Intriguing to Samara to consider the possibilities of being Force-Sensitive, though she’d rather leave it for later.

Right now, she still had a quarry to pursue…

Chapter Text

The Citadel

Zakera Ward

Captain Bailey honestly didn’t expect to get stuck with teaching the ‘New Guys’ about stuff. Though UNSC personnel kept to themselves at the Embassy, providing mostly security detail to the people there, the ‘Coruscant Guard’ or ‘Shock Troopers’ as they were called by Ambassador/Senator Chuchi seemed more intent on providing local backup and reinforcement to C-SEC.

A pretty sizable detachment had been assigned to Bailey’s own sector of the Citadel’s Wards. It included the unit’s commander, Fox, the man clad in that blood-red armor with white detailing he’d seen when they came off the transport. Hands behind his back, the Officer of the Clone Army stood at attention by the Captain’s desk.

Of course, Zakera Ward had an access point to one of the landing areas nearby, meaning people were going in and coming out of the docks in order to find their way through the Ward itself. It made them uneasy to see heavily-armed men clad in armor with blood-red marks sitting beside C-SEC’s uniformed staff.

Bailey was even writing a report on it. He sighed, pushed himself away on his rolling chair, then looked up at Fox and asked, “Commander?” which caused the Clone officer to look at him, the light of the precinct glowing against his black visor as he did. The two men stared at one-another for a moment, to which Fox tilted his head. Bailey said, “You mind finding a chair…? I think we’re scaring the newcomers.”

“Alright,” Fox replied without hesitation. He gently pulled up a chair and sat down next to the man, scanning the area and watching the newcomer Civilians milling about the place, hands in their pockets. Others left, obviously, going through the filters. Fox said, “What’s this place’s policy on handling Firearms?”

“If you’re not military, you’re supposed to surrender guns, usually, or check them in alongside your permit,” Bailey replied as he wrote up the next report. He continued, “You know, Shepard never mentioned that your people would be deploying here, considering we all thought you were gonna be Security Detail on the Presidium.”

“Senator Chuchi spoke to Councilor Tevos about places which require policing,” Fox stated, “The Shock Troopers assisted Police back on Coruscant as well, so this is sort of like home,” and he looked through one of the large windows at the ward they were in, plus the other four long arms of the Citadel. He added in a murmur, “Obviously, not quite as populated as Coruscant…”

“But with nearly the same population density, I’m guessin’,” Bailey replied as he stood up. He turned to the man and asked, “Coffee?” as he lifted the container full of black gold from the espresso machine. The Commander paused, staring at the liquid that had pretty much kept him alive throughout his tenure as Commander.

“Yeah. Thanks,” He then replied, trying to keep himself steady. Bailey smirked and nodded, then pulled out two cardboard cups and poured the liquid, handing the man the drink and watching him finally take off his helmet to drink. The square jaw, calm face and dark-brown eyes, slicked back black hair and calm demeanor matched what he expected of the Commander.

“So…” Bailey asked as he walked over to his chair and sat back down, taking a sip from his coffee before asking, “Why take this job? I got word from one of your lower-ranked brothers that you’re the top of the Shock Troops. The actual Commanding Officer. Shouldn’t you be back home, coordinating with whatever other staff exists?”

“Senator Chuchi specifically requested me and the First Squad to provide escort to her,” The man partially lied. In truth, Riyo wanted him around for other matters, with Guard Duty being a bonus. Regardless, he added, “And it’s not like I have much choice until I train a 2iC to do offworld missions…” before sipping from his drink.

“Fair enough, I guess,” Bailey shrugged, watching the people going about their business and looking at their faces specifically. He looked at the man, then added, “Meanwhile, we never really leave the Citadel,” as he sipped from the drink. He shrugged, then turned back to typing reports. Fox hummed, taking another sip of his drink.

“You’re C-SEC. Citadel Security. I don’t think anyone expects you all to leave,” Fox replied as he swirled the drink in the cup. Captain Bailey was an interesting man. And yes, Fox had obviously read up on the place they were going to in order to ensure the best security possible. Commander Shepard had made sure to keep the Waystation up-to-date with their ‘Codex’, the Galactic History Book.

“Yeah,” Bailey nodded, “We do some off-world work from time-to-time like disaster relief and all that, but we leave bringing bad guys in to the Spectres.”

“Ah, yeah, the ‘Above The Law’ units. Commander Shepard is one of them, right?” The Clone inquired. He waved one of his boys forward, handed him a report and tilted his head toward their Gunship, which was docked nearby to allow the Troop to respond as soon as the need arose. He looked at Bailey again.

“That she is,” The man replied with a proud smirk the moment Fox paid attention again.

The Commander nodded, then said, “She seems capable,” as he recalled her file. She was their first point of contact with this Galaxy and she played the part of mediator for the entire Waystation Force, not just between each-other, but the Galaxy. And if the messages Fives was sending him were anything to go by, the ARC Trooper was enjoying his time aboard the Normandy. 

Fox was honestly glad they kept tabs on each-other… Made him feel glad he missed that first bolt…

“Shepard?” Bailey snorted, then shrugged and said, “She just came back from the dead and is kicking ass, so, yeah, she’s capable,” and he let a little of his Pro-Humanity pride swing in for the faux-monologue about the Commander as he said, “Even before that, two years ago, she put down a Rogue Specter with seniority over her and saved the Council.”

“I read her file on the trip over, Captain,” Fox replied calmly, noting two Asari that had just entered the place, armed… He added, “I’m also trying not to be biased, considering most, if not all of us are Human or Human-Adjacent and thus meaning the fact we’re showing this much joy over one of our own finding an Alien guilty might raise a few brows…” and he caught another. A Batarian, familiar facial structure and tattoos.

“Fair enough. Just saying, though…” Bailey replied, then leaned forward as the Batarian passed and spoke to him, “Suspect on our six,” in a whisper. Fox looked the Alien over.

“Saw him. Arms dealer on a Watchlist if I remember reading the files right,” He then replied, grabbing a hold of his blaster pistol. The two men looked at the alien as he and his two Asari guards, scruple-less Mercenary women wearing the Eclipse Sisterhood’s yellow armor, marched into the Citadel’s Zakera Ward unabated…

Captain Bailey thoughtfully hummed, scratching his chin, then asked, “You think he’s here to pass off some new gear?” to which Fox nodded. It was possible, both capable officers thought, that there was some shadier deal going on. Bailey pulled up some data on a shell company that was suspected to be in use by the man to smuggle equipment around and he saw that a freighter had recently arrived.

“Best bet is to get someone to watch him,” Fox told Bailey as he saw what he was doing. He appreciated proactiveness, but engaging the man’s forces now was probably not a good idea. Not without a warrant. He added, “We can’t exactly leave this post until our shift here ends in an hour, but I know he has warrants that approve surveillance…”

“Gonna call it in…” The human captain replied, then pulled up his Omni-Tool, made sure the channel was secured and spoke in a clear-cut, sharp voice, “All Units, this is Zakera Ward Section 17. Be advised:High-Profile Batarian arms dealer, Gron Caksokan, just passed through our filter. Requesting one pair to keep tabs on him for now…”

“I’ll ask my boys to back yours up…” Fox nodded, then activated his com system and ordered, “All First Squad Elements. I’m sure you picked up the call, but just in case you haven’t, an Arms Dealer just stepped through our filter with an outstanding surveillance warrant. Any unit available to back up C-SEC units on surveillance duty has the go-ahead.”

“Thanks,” Bailey offered to the Clone. Though it was still weird to Bailey that he was a Clone, it was nice to see he was a professional.

“No problem. Let’s bunker down and let the Surveillance teams update us until our Shift’s done,” Fox nodded in reply, then drank his coffee. Bailey nodded in agreement and got back to writing reports, with Fox himself finishing his cuppa joe, tossing the disposable ware in the trash and putting his helmet back on as he joined the men in vetting arrivals.

When End-Of-Shift came, which was surprisingly sooner than expected, the two men walked out of the Station and followed the path their Arms Dealer took. Fox asked, “How did you not nail this bastard to the wall yet?” as he kept a hand on the right-side pistol  while they walked. The locals eyed the Clone walking with Bailey with a hint of suspicion.

“Good alibis and a lot of issues with witnesses ‘disappearing’,” The human male replied as he held his own hand on his gun and the other on his badge. Fox snorted, feeling an all-too-familiar kinship on that end in the case of certain aliens. The two walked toward Shin Akiba, the supposed location of the Batarian, keeping their weapons at the ready.

When they reached the colorful neon area of Shin Akiba, the human market area in Zakera, they found themselves watching people milling about, drinking and eating together and just enjoying a calm night on the Citadel. The pair of C-SEC and their two Clone reinforcements were also there, keeping tabs on their quarry.

Said Quarry was, much to everyone’s surprise, sitting with a human female. A beautiful blonde with wavy hair and a black dress. Her eyes glowed blue, almost looking prosthetic in nature. She was genuinely beautiful in every sense of the world, with a body to match. A strange contrast to the Batarian. She smiled at him and slipped her hand under the table.

A credit chit was exchanged and the two men looked at one-another. Bailey said to Fox, “Let’s try not to spook her. Let Gron leave with his two guards…” while eyeing the two Asari women, both of whom were exchanging small talk with a pair of local women at a ramen shop. They still had a clear view of Gron and the blonde.

The two nodded to each-other, smiling, then Gron downed his drink and left his plate and a few credits to pay for the meal, departing with his guards. Bailey and Fox nodded to one-another, then stepped forward as the woman still ate her own meal. When they were close enough, the captain cleared his throat, causing the woman to turn her head.

She said, “Good evening, Officers. Didn’t expect some of the new people to be working with C-SEC tonight,” almost trying to sound like she didn’t notice the two Clones that had been trailing Gron. 

“Yeah, fair enough,” Fox nodded.

Bailey quipped, “I think you’re the first human being I’ve seen chatting up a Batarian with a smile on her face. Are you two familiar with each-other?” and he put his other hand on his belt after motioning broadly in the direction Gron had left. The woman seemed surprised, but she really wasn’t, obvious by the fact she was still relatively calm.

She looked to where Gron had been sitting, then chuckled and said, “Oh, yeah. He and I go way back…” before she turned to face the men, “He spared my life in the Skyllian Blitz, back on Torfan, so I tracked him down to talk with him. Figure out why he didn’t take me as a slave or just kill me, as Batarians tend to do…” and she laughed awkwardly.

Fox stared, unimpressed, while Bailey hummed. He asked, “You know his name, then?”

“Gron,” She nodded.

He then asked, “And what’s your name, then, ma’am?” 

“Patricia Stone. Call me Tricia,” She smiled, scratching the back of her neck, “Hope we didn’t do anything wrong just by meeting… It’s not everyday that a human and a Batarian can just sit and chat, after all,” and she stared at the two men, still, her glowing eyes adjusting to their sight. The neon lights must’ve been causing issues.

“Right,” Bailey replied as he activated his Omni-Tool, “No problem. We were just curious.”

Fox asked, “What’s with the eyes, miss Stone? If you don’t mind me asking,” as he tapped a finger against the self-molding plastic grip of his sidearm. He saw her take a moment, staring at him with what almost felt like a death glare that he met in kind, though hers was concealed behind an awkward smile.

She took a half-second to think, then immediately replied, “Lost them in the Blitz. Got a miracle from a doctor that was testing out stuff like this on a backwater in the Terminus almost eight years ago, out of the Alliance’s prerogative,” and she shrugged, “I know it was probably not a smart thing to go to some shady cyber-doc to stick new prosthetic eyes in my sockets, but I was sort of desperate to see again…”

She then added a hint more reverently, “It’s a blessing from God that I took for granted before my injury, you know? Seeing, I mean,” and she smiled again at both of them. 

“Hm…” Fox tapped his foot and looked at Bailey. The man nodded, his face a stone mask. Fox then said, “Apologies for bothering you, ma’am, and thanks for answering our questions. Enjoy your meal,” then he and Bailey turned and left. The woman seemed to know better than to stop and ask them why they’d even walked over.

Bailey whispered into his Omni-Tool, “CENTRAL, this is Section Seventeen, Bailey speaking. Ask the Alliance for the service records of one Patricia Stone. Tell them it’s related to an outstanding Warrant on a Batarian arms dealer,” before casting a quick glance back at the woman, who had in fact finished her meal and was now leaving. He added, “And send a patrol to keep tabs on her. Female, human, early thirties, five-foot ten, blonde hair, prosthetic blue eyes. Just left Shin Akiba, heading up-spin”

“This is gonna be interesting,” Fox mumbled. He activated his own com system and said, “All teams, go into Yellow Alert and follow up on C-SEC findings about miss Stone. Keep tabs on Gron as well and try to be as out of sight as possible,” then he looked at Bailey and said, “I have a bad feeling Miss Stone isn’t here just for a courtesy visit.”

“And neither’s the Batarian,” The man nodded, “Some goods registered under one of his shell companies have arrived. C-SEC brass is trying to get a Warrant to search the stuff, but it’s gonna take a bit before the bureaucrats up in their Ivory Towers decide to give us a way to investigate these bastards…”

“Let’s hope we won’t have to break the law,” Fox said, fully knowing they might have to to prevent whatever Tricia and Gron were planning. He wasn’t fond of the idea, ever. Breaking the law was bad enough when it was being done by random civvies or his own brothers, but him and his team having to break local laws to solve a possible problem case?

… Honestly, were it not for Riyo, he would’ve hated this posting…

Normandy

Elsewhere, Shepard had set a course for the Waystation first and foremost, to retrofit the old girl with the suggested turbolaser enhancements for her secondary batteries. Obviously, General Tano’s input in matters of ship defense was as important as everyone else’s, so they did as asked. Added upon that, however, the rather obvious matter of talking to Colonial Admin about Helo’s wife.

… And having them all meet Lord Rhasits and Kyra. Which was going to be interesting, Shepard thought to herself. She watched from the bridge, beside Joker, as the Stealth Frigate danced in FTL, moving toward their intended catching net next to Beta Viperidae:The other Mass Relay. She said to Joker, “Y’know, I feel like this place is becoming a little crowded…”

“Oh, what, ya mean the Space Wizard and Wizard’s Apprentice we picked up on the way?” Joker quipped as he prepared their exit vectors with EDI’s help. He told her, “I mean, they’re pretty cool… And neither of’em tried to rip anyone’s throats out, obviously,” while looking up at her. The woman seemed distracted, though.

EDI spoke, “Apologies for interrupting the one-sided discussion, mister Moreau, commander, but I have just received word through the FTL Communicator that the Galactica has long departed the Waystation,” which caused Shepard and Helo, who was waiting near the airlock, to pause and look at her. She continued, “It seems they’ve departed to meet the Quarian Migrant Fleet at Raheel-Leyya.”

“So we’ll meet them there,” Shepard sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes, “Alright. Let’s get this refit done ASAP and get moving. I’ll give my bi-weekly report to the Waystation’s council and we'll clear Tali’s name. Two birds with one stone. Thanks for the update, EDI,” and she pat Joker on the shoulder, then turned and walked over to the team.

“Can’t believe they’re putting her on trial for treason,” Helo spoke quietly, crossing his arms to his chest, “Doesn’t seem fair to poor Tali, especially considering the way Garrus spoke about her and the rest of your team, Commander…” then he scratched his neck. He looked back toward the laboratory door, concerned.

Rhasits spoke, “Calm yourself, Captain Agathon,” his voice soothingly smooth, “I’m certain doctor Solus has the machines contained…”

“I still can’t believe the frakkin’ Cylons are here and working with the Collectors,” Helo mumbled, “We need to warn Galactica. Warn everyone before they come out swinging at us,” and he told Shepard, “I can feel the bastards breathing down our necks already…” with an unease about him that was understandable and palpable.

Kyra spoke, “Master said you should relax, though I can understand the unease…” with a peaceful, neutral tone, “I would be wary of any who burned a homeworld of mine. You must remain self-assured in the fact that they can be found out before they do damage, taking into consideration what you told us of the Cylon Detector.”

“Yeah, I know…” He sighed deeply, then nodded, “Thank you both.”

“Of course,” Rhasits spoke, “We will be working together henceforth, so I don’t see why we shouldn’t aid each-other,” before casting a glance at Ahsoka, who was sitting there, arms crossed and glaring a little at them. He smirked a little behind his mask while the Clones behind Ahsoka were laughing. The 18-year-old General cast a glare back at them and they shut up, though.

“We’re about to enter the Viperidae System!” Joker called out, “If you folks want front-row seats to how your home away from your homes developed, c’mon forward!” and indeed, they did. As the ship approached the Mass Relay at Eezoo-given Superluminal speeds, the team braced for the deceleration that slowly began to take hold.

It wasn’t long after that the ship emerged from the Relay’s hold, caught and returned to its normal mass as the blue aura of Element Zero faded away from the hull, only to reveal the hive of activity that was Beta Viperidae dead ahead. The Gas Giant saw several new blips of light appear next to the Waystation. Several dozen new ships of various makes.

And as they drew closer, indeed, the Galactica was missing. In her stead, however, several new ships were present. Three new Republic Venators hovered over the station, which was still under construction, but rapidly expanding. The central ring which contained the Star Road had expanded from a skeleton to a fully-fledged ‘customs’ area of sorts.

The inner skeletal areas of the station had also been upgraded. Defense turrets arrayed in batteries of Turbolasers, missile VLS tubes and kinetic Close-In Weapons Systems permeated the station, while thick armor that combined upper layers of Titanium with middle layers of alloys local to the Republic’s Galaxy and inner structures of honeycombed armor. Added upon that was an energy shield supported by the Station’s reactors.

All of this was visible in the other areas of the station that expanded ever-outward, now including Shipyards for retrofitting, repair and other duties. The habitation area of the Station remained surprisingly almost the same, save for layers of defensive armor added unto it. Even now, they could see crews in Zero-Gee suits working on it.

The Alliance had also deployed a fleet here as it seemed, though it was small. A cruiser and several Frigates lay docked beside the Colonial Navy’s Civilian Fleet. However, the show wasn’t about to end that quickly for the crew or those present, either. As the station’s central power structure and portal to the other three Galaxies spun to life, creating a massive tear in space-time that resembled a whirlwind portal of black and blue, the bow of one ship appeared.

A bulbous hull that resembled a sea monster of ancient tales began to emerge, escorted by smaller minnows of a similar design. When she fully exited the portal under her own power, the Normandy’s sensor suite measured her at over five kilometers long and bristling with energy weapons that, thankfully, remained inactive.

To greet her, a much larger vessel of a similar arrowhead shape as the standard design language of Star Destroyers in the Republic fleet moved in to greet her. This other ship was pinged at over eight kilometers in length and was similarly well-armed and armored. They stood bow-to-bow, but their weapons were not aimed at each-other. Rather, greetings were being exchanged audibly over com.

“Holy frak…” Mumbled Helo.

Cortana smiled as she appeared beside EDI, stating, “Ladies and Gents, say hello to the CAS carrier Shadow of Intent and the Mandator-class Might of the Grand Army… Waystation, this is Normandy, requesting Permission to Dock at… Drydock seventeen in order to accomplish requested Refits, over?” and, while everyone else stared with awe at the mass of ships gathered.

Rhasits spoke, “A truly menacing sight for anything in this Galaxy. Both that Star Destroyer and the Carrier,” as he stared at the two ships shift themselves into patrol pattern together, all while the CAS-class warship seemed to deploy a single dropship. Ahsoka was smiling, well aware of who’d come to visit.

As the ship docked, she was met by engineering crews, including, much to the surprise of everyone, floating gas bags with snake heads and various tentacles. The bioluminescent creatures approached the ship and, at the behest of Republic and UNSC engineer crews, began the refitting process for the Old Girl.

The crew, meanwhile descended the moment the umbilical connected to the vessel, stepping out through a transparisteel tube into the innards of the station. Additional hallways, a customs section and various other important facilities had been added, with the station now being manned by more UNSC Personnel and Republic staff.

Ahsoka put her hands on hert hips, looking around, then breathed deep of the recycled air of the station. She said, “Smells a little more like home all of a sudden,” then cast a glance over at Padmé, who waved at the crew, then paused the moment she saw Rhasits, presumably. Ahsoka rolled her eyes, then mumbled, “This is gonna be interesting.”

Another Lightsaber-wielding woman emerged from beside Padmé, alongside a surprising sight:A Clone clad in an armor set that did even less to hide them in any environment. A purple main color, with reds and oranges added upon it as stripes to mark the man, plus standard Commander’s garbs like a kama and left shoulder pauldron.

She paused, noticing the Sith and his Apprentice, too, then blinked and looked over at Ahsoka, who waved it off and mouthed, “Long story” to the woman. She nodded, then breathed and warily approached the crew. She was a brown-haired beauty that still bore the scars of her and her unit’s combat tours, her blue eyes glimmering with hope.

She bowed and greeted, “Commander Shepard. I’m General Cheyeli and this is Commander Bastion. We’re with the Four-hundred seventy-sixth Legion, currently on assignment to the Waystation as a permanent Garrison. It’s an honor to finally meet you,” her voice smooth and soft, warm and welcoming. She smiled and extended a hand to the Commander.

“An honor to meet you, too… Though I think I should really be the only one saying that…” Shepard was a bit surprised as she gripped and shook the woman’s hand. She then shook Bastion’s and said, “Good to meet a fellow Commander again,” only to get a nod out of the man wearing the helmet. 

“Good to be here,” He nodded back, seemingly not quite as talkative. He said to Shepard, “Hell of a Crew you have here,” and he eyed the Sith and his Apprentice, “And you…” then he scratched his chin. Rhasits bowed to the two of them.

“Greetings, General and Commander. Lord Rhasits, at your service,” He offered warmly, much to the two’s surprise. He then motioned to the young Miraluka woman beside him and stated, “And this is my Apprentice, Kyra,” and the girl bowed. Though they were trained relatively young to view Sith as the enemy, few (former) Jedi had encountered any. Many even thought them extinct.

“Huh,” Cheyeli mumbled, “Quite welcoming for a Sith.”

“I come from a long time ago, General,” Rhasits replied, “And I have no intention of making enemies of anyone here-” only to pause as he felt something. Shepard looked at him, concerned, as did Helo, before the man visibly smiled, taking off his mask to reveal the Pureblood Sith Species face behind it. He cast a glance behind the Clone and General.

And Ahsoka smirked, too, then sighed, “Oh, I’m never gonna hear the end of this, am I?”

“Heh… No, you’re probably not, Snips,” A familiar voice spoke. A young man with brown hair approached, arms crossed over his darker coat and armor. He smiled as he and Rex greeted the group with a wave. He said, “Looking good as a General…”

“Feels good, Skyguy,” Ahsoka smiled back. The two bumped fists, then she motioned to the crew, saying, “This is Commander Shepard. The woman I and Jester Squad are working under. And these two are Sith. Lord Rhasits and his apprentice, Kyra,” only to watch as the confusion streaked across Anakin Skywalker’s face.

Even Padmé seemed a bit confused by that, but realized it to be true as she approached. Rex looked at Jesse and Fives, past Ahsoka and the others, then pointed at Rhasits and mouthed ‘Sith?’ as a question, only to get a combined nod from all members of the Fireteam, all of them stifling laughter save for Jesse.

Rex rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Just another day in the Grand Army of the Republic…”

When he regained his composure, Anakin said, “I leave Ahsoka alone for a few days and she comes home with two Sith…” which got a chuckle out of everyone present. He extended his right hand at them and said, “A pleasure to meet you, Rhasits, Kyra. Have to say it’s a bit weird to be saying that, considering what they taught us at the Temple…”

“Of course,” Rhasits nodded, “And this is the Chosen One, as foretold by the prophecy. Truly, an honor to meet you, as well…”

“... Right,” Anakin blinked, a bit surprised that Rhasits knew. He then looked at Shepard and said, “And good to meet you, Commander. I read your file and I gotta say, it’s nice to finally meet someone who appreciates unorthodox approaches,” which got a laugh out of Shepard.

“Not as unorthodox as… Flying half a ship?” Shepard snorted, “She gave me the files, too.”

“Yeah, well, we’re still here,” Anakin shrugged, smirking, “C’mon. Everyone else is already in a meeting. Best to get to it while the refit’s happening,” before looking at Cheyeli and tilting his head. She nodded and started leading the way with Bastion, while Rex and the others formed up around the crew as a defense unit, though not before Blue Team also moved to join them as a guard unit. 

Chief had deemed Shepard important enough to guard. That was sweet, she thought… Sweet and worrying, honestly. What the hell drove a Spartan to decide a human was worth protecting to the point the entire Squad followed them in? Honestly, no, no need to wonder about that. Even in friendly territory, it was probably a good idea to have an extra gun.

One final meet and greet was set for today, when they entered the still-under-construction Waystation Meeting Hall, an amphitheater of hundreds of seats. There, a pair of hunchback aliens, one clad in white armor and with a cape on his back and the other, in an ornate, ancient bronze armor set, spoke to UNSC representatives.

Both serpentine aliens turned their heads to greet the team, showing the split-jawed morphology of their faces. One of them, however, missed two of his mandibles, though he didn’t look that much worse for it. Both noticed Chief and seemed to smile, or do whatever passed for that to their species, before they put their right hands, balled into fists, to the left sides of their chests and bowed their heads in greeting…

… Okay, probably the Shadow of Intent’s crew, Shepard thought to herself, stunned at how fast this alliance was growing.

Chapter Text

“Sorry it took me so long to visit, Snips,” General Skywalker spoke as they were sat across from each-other. A makeshift table had been set up in the middle of the Auditorium, obviously, to allow them to chat. He continued, “The Separatists aren’t doing us any favors. Grievous also got a lot more bold in recent weeks. An entire task force of Subjugators under his command, as if the Malevolence alone wasn’t bad enough,” with a mild annoyance in his voice.

“It’s fine, Master,” Ahsoka smiled, raising a hand to show him to relax. She gazed around the table at everyone present, stating, “We keep up with the War Effort from here. It’s why I’m surprised they sent general Cheyeli and her Legion all the way to us, but I guess the Chancellor really wants to keep his new investment safe…”

“Sure seems that way,” Shepard replied as she gazed upon the woman and her Clone Commander XO, who Shepard now noticed was wearing blue and freakin’ Red. Guess her eyes had deceived her there for a moment when she first spotted him. She also noticed a lot of the Clones present from the 476th were clad in similar colors, with some of the rookies seemingly having more white on their armors.

“Good to finally meet you, too, by the way, Commander,” Anakin stated jovially, which took the Commander by surprise. She looked at him with surprise, to which he motioned toward his former Padawan and said, “Ahsoka wrote about you and your team in reports. Says that you guys function weirdly well together despite the variety in your forces.”

“She’s part and parcel one of the reasons we’re so tight-knit,” Shepard spoke as she turned toward the General. Jester squad smiled a bit at that, watching their General crack a wide smile as well. Shepard knew how to compliment people, at least. Par for the course, the Commander herself thought, considering these were the people helping them deal with the Collectors and Reapers.

“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Commander, but you do have a certain charm to you,” Ahsoka replied to Shepard after a moment. There were other issues, including the fact that Shepard had defused a potentially dangerous situation with her, Kyra and Lord Rhasits aboard the Normandy, one that could’ve wound up with them coming here for repairs instead.

“Considering she has a Sith buddy aboard her ship, yeah, I can tell,” Anakin replied with a smirk, looking at the two. Kyra herself was holding a glass of what seemed to be some kind of sweetened fruit-based drink in her hands, sipping happily from it. Rhasits himself was also beside her, simply listening to the interactions, his face impassive.

“Meant to ask you fellas about that,” Rex stated, looking over at Jesse as he walked over to the table and sat down next to his Commander. Knowledge that Rex was the acting Commander for Ahsoka’s legion also made Shepard respect the man a lot. Ahsoka had never really talked much about him, but she figured there was a reason.

“We don’t know either, sir,” Jesse spoke to Rex calmly, then shrugged, “They just came up to the Normandy with the pair,” and Shepard giggled awkwardly as both Anakin and Rex stared at her, confused.

“General Tano nearly took the Sith master’s head off with her lightsaber,” Fives added, motioning to Ahsoka. The girl blanked, stared at her subordinate for a moment with a glare that could pierce tank armor and garnered a laugh out of Shepard and Anakin. Rhasits himself smirked a little at that, while Kyra chuckled.

“She also had a lightsaber pointed at her throat a second later, though, so…” Jesse replied to fives, causing Ahsoka to double over and glare at Jester Squad’s CO once more. Jesse himself ignored it, staring at Ahsoka’s previous assailant. Rex and Anakin both followed his gaze to note that Kyra was the one who’d done it. Feeling she was being looked at, she gave a wave of the hand.

“Heh,” General Skywalker smirked, then looked at Ahsoka and asked her, “Let your guard down?” as if he was trying to push her buttons. Shepard and Rex exchanged a quick glance, Shepard curious and Rex, exasperated. He offered her a nod, the answer to the unasked question. Yes, they had always been like this. Shepard cracked a smile.

“His apprentice caught me by surprise, yes,” She shot back, annoyed.

“Talk about a bad day…” The General chuckled. Cheyeli and Bastion, to their credit, remained relatively straight-faced, however, while Shepard snorted, too, much to Ahsoka’s annoyance. The Commander raised both hands defensively when she saw Ahsoka was glaring at her, with the General letting out a deep, deep sigh as she crossed her arms.

The Commander then turned back to Skywalker and told him, “Honestly, it was weird, seeing what was on Tuchanka. A whole Sith research site and all…” before she shrugged. She was trying to get some of the pressure off of Ahsoka there, just as a thanks for withstanding the jabs. Ahsoka noticed this and simply returned to her usual calm demeanor.

“The doctor sent a message to the Waystation to tell us about it. Said she’s working on it to the best of her abilities,” Rex told the group, mostly looking at Anakin as he lifted up a tablet that contained some of the preliminary notes left by Doctor Halsey to the Waystation’s Council. Admiral Thrawn was quite intrigued by it, too.

“It’s got Forerunner tech in it, too,” Shepard added, then leaned onto the table and took a sip from her water glass before adding, “which means the Forerunners have been bouncing around between at least this Milky Way and the UNSC’s, if not yours as well. And most symbols match the kind of stuff we saw on Ilos, an ancient alien colony.”

“The Forerunner tech’s concerning…” Anakin replied with a nod, scratching his cheek with his robotic hand, then adding, “But then again, so’s a Sith studying them. What did you say her name was?”

“Darth Nox. My unit’s leader,” Rhasits replied. Going by the face both Cheyeli and Anakin made, the Jedi must’ve been aware of Nox even before the Schism. Not a surprise, genuinely, considering the kind of reach that woman had and how historical her contributions to kriffing with the Jedi Order were. She was a downright prankster at times.

“... Oh…” Skywalker finally let out, a bit surprised that that was who Rhas and Kyra were under.

“Yeah,” Ahsoka nodded, casting a glance over at a stunned Cheyeli. An awkward silence momentarily settled upon the group as time passed. It was then that most of them turned upon hearing a surprisingly melodious, but distant chortle and saw the Arbiter and Master Chief, alongside Shipmaster ‘Vadum and Blue Team, engaged in small-talk, with Cortana chuckling, too.

“Good friends, I take it?” Shepard smiled a little at the sight, watching as the Chief and Blues removed their helmets so they could look Thel and Rtas in their eyes. The exchange was unsurprisingly open and friendly, what with the UNSC and Swords of Sanghelios staff providing the company with the food they needed to eat.

“Best of,” Anakin replied, putting his hands behind his head and leaning back with a smirk. He saw the others staring at him, then said, “I talked to the Arbiter before you all reached us and it turns out he and the Chief go way back,” then he looked over and watched as Colonial Administration members from the 12 Colonies fleet walked in as well, meeting the Chief and Arbiter midway.

“They seem pretty friendly with each-other,” Shepard smiled again.

“When everything you know is proven to be a lie and you have a choice between losing your mind or attempting to right your people’s wrongs, not a lot of us can say we’d make the second choice. The Arbiter and his people did,” Anakin spoke sagely, which even the two Sith present appreciated. It was honestly a good bit of wisdom.

“Huh…” Ahsoka herself smirked a little at her master, then looked at the human and alien.

“Sort of like us and the Turians, minus the near-Genocide, I guess,” Shepard spoke in a murmur. She watched the Colonials, apparently their Marines who were part of the Waystation’s joint security detail, exchanging small-talk with the Elites and Spartans. The men and women all seemed to be getting along swimmingly.

“Close,” Anakin nodded. That was a part that was hard to forgive, a lot of them thought, and that Chief and the Blues could showed that they were also bigger people than the average joe. He then hummed and remembered something as he watched Shepard lift up her Omni-Tool, which showed the Normandy in Drydock.

“Alright, well… Refit’s apparently going well,” She told them, turning off the Omni-Tool and leaning onto the table, “Guess that means we’ll have bigger guns to back us up now, not to mention the UNSC apparently decided adding their own stealth systems to the Old Girl is a good idea,” before opening the Tool again and noticing Tali freaking out(happily, one might say) about the mods.

“Speaking of, Commander,” Rex started as he looked at the woman, with Ahsoka smirking immediately, aware of what this was about. He stated, “The Captain of the Tribunal told me to let you know the ship is on tap as QRF for you at any given moment of the day, considering you’re carrying our Division’s general aboard.”

Shepard’s grin grew wide as she said, “Nice, glad to know we’ve got a whole carrier as support if we need it,” before remembering just how easily the ship had pretty much hammered one of the Collectors’ own warships. Though the main issue was traveling through the Terminus without causing a scene.

“‘Course, we’re working with some of the representatives of the Terminus to be allowed to operate within its borders,” Rex immediately clarified. Discussing matters with pirates and raiders was probably not gonna be easy, but at least they were trying to play by the books. They could’ve just cleaned the Terminus up on their own.

“And from what little chatter time I got with the Admiral of the UNSC force present, the staff has already managed to secure at least Supply Routes for our ships to pass through with Relief,” Anakin offered as he checked a tablet. Well, that was a fast move, honestly. Stuff happening in the background and Shepard didn’t really even need to lift a finger.

“The Colonials, in the meanwhile, are attempting to secure another local ally:The Quarians. My heart breaks for both of them and what they had to endure, but it’s rather telling that the Citadel Council did not dare help Quarians…” Cheyeli mumbled, arms crossed to her chest. The Citadel had left the Quarians to die.

“Theirs is a sad, slow death. Should they wait any longer to either find a location to settle on, or to retake their homeworld, they may perish from what little I’ve gathered while speaking with miss Vas Neema,” Rhasits offered, arms crossed to his chest. It was a rather obvious blunder and a sad ending for an inventive species, both he and Kyra thought.

“Yeah… Hope we can get moving soon,” Shepard thought to herself, looking at the status of the upgrades…

“Just a half-hour more,” Anakin stated calmly, leaning on the table.

“... Uh, master? Why are you aware of-” Ahsoka blanked, already well aware of what was coming.

“I’m joining you all on this mission. Figured I should see what my Padawan’s working with on the Normandy, ” the man replied as he cracked a grin, much to both Ahsoka’s and Shepard’s surprise. He told the Commander, “If you’ll have me, Commander,” while motioning with his hand toward her. Ahsoka looked at Shepard, as did the Sith, with concern.

“Ha, you kidding, General? Adding one more badass Space Wizard to my crew, especially someone with an actual ‘Chosen One’ title? Welcome aboard,” Shepard smirked, too, with Ahsoka immediately sighing and planting a palm on her own face. She shook her head and mumbled something about the Commander…

Another couple of hours of restocking supplies had passed, what with the Waystation having a Dispensary for medical supplies, armory for guns and even a few repair areas for armor and ships. Karl had even taken the Raptor for refitting at a nearby weapons station meant for Colonial patrol craft… And come back with it armed to the teeth.

Shepard, however, was more focused on what they’d done to the old girl in the span of a few freaking hours. The Normandy, though a sleek bird already, looked strangely even more so despite all the extra panels and layers. Light-refracting panels lay attached to the slim shape of the warship. The single-barrel turbolaser batteries themselves had been folded within those panels and covered by them, presenting nothing in terms of additional radar cross-section for the ship.

Her nose remained impressively similar, if not a bit more armored up and layered in those panels which Shepard soon realized were used in UNSC Prowlers for active camouflage duties. Aside from the turbolasers, on the wingspan of the girl, additional heat sinks had been installed, matching those of the ship and blending perfectly into the engine cowlings.

One of the engineers walked off the deck of the ship, scratching the top of his head, his face covered by gunk. He said, “Oh, Commander. Welcome back… Didn’t take you that long to brief the General,” and she soon realized he was a Grand Army engineer, meaning a human auxiliary attached as support to the GAR. To their left, the crew were unloading the corpses of the Reaper-Cylons in special cases for study.

“... What did you do to my ship and how did you manage to do it in so little time, ” The woman sounded impressed and giddy, though she could also hear Joker losing his mind in there. In a good way, rather obviously, meaning they probably refitted some new chairs into the Girl’s cockpit so she could provide comfort while kicking ass.

The Engineer replied, “Turns out when you’ve got the minds of four separate factions modifying an already modular warship, ma’am, anything’s possible,” before jabbing a thumb back toward some of the Alliance, UNSC and even Colonial Military engineers adding upon the ship’s last few uncovered spots. He added, “EDI also seems impressed to have extra cyberwarfare capabilities.”

“Aw, you guys actually added those new CI Protocols I asked for!” Cortana smiled as she appeared on Chief’s shoulder. The GAR Engineer smiled and gave a quick salute to the woman, while Anakin looked at the ship and let out a low whistle, grinning. Ahsoka, already aware that her master was thinking of asking to borrow her, gave him a gentle elbow in the shoulder. He looked at her, confused.

Rex, who was also pretty aware of his own former General’s shenanigans, sighed and rubbed his eyes, before stating, “She looks good, Commander. Suggest you depart ASAP for the Meeting. I’m sure Captain Agathon would like his wife back ASAP. Remember, if anything goes awry, you have us on tap to respond, alongside a UNSC formation for Reinforcement.”

“Thanks, Commander,” She nodded, then showed everyone to board the Normandy . As they passed through the airlock, they found the ship to have remained relatively the same interior-wise, save a few more additional stations around the CIC meant for the turbolaser battery gunners and some of the Electronic Warfare specialists.

Yeoman Chambers was talking to a young, dark-skinned woman in the meanwhile, the two seemingly laughing. When the two saw the Commander, both snapped salutes, with Chambers stating, “Commander! Welcome aboar-” only to stagger as she saw General Skywalker there as well. She saluted even harder, blushing a little, to which the dark-skinned girl chuckled.

“Kelly,” The Commander nodded. She then looked at the woman to her left, one in an Alliance Uniform, then asked, “Aaaand…?”

“O-oh, right! Specialist Traynor, sir, err, ma’am!” The girl seemed a little flustered. She added, “Alliance coms specialist! I came aboard the Normandy as an assistant to the UNSC staff, mostly to see about copying the Quantum Entanglement Communicator system for easier use aboard all Alliance vessels within the Fleet.”

“I see,” Shepard nodded, “Glad to see an Alliance uniform aboard, then.”

“I won’t be staying long, ma’am,” Traynor smiled, “Just have to say it’s… It’s a pleasure to meet you. And thank you for Horizon. You saved the lives of me and my parents there…” to which Shepard smiled back and gave the girl a nod to dismiss her. She looked at Kelly and mouthed something that caused her to laugh, before walking away.

Walking into the com/staff meeting room, Shepard asked from General Skywalker, “You really wanted to accompany us here, sir?”

“I figured it’d be interesting. Had I known I’d be walking into another trial to prove someone’s innocence, I might’ve actually worn my proper general’s outfit,” Anakin quipped, pulling up a chair and sitting down. Shepard blinked, to which Ahsoka, who was also in the room, raised a hand. The Commander looked at both of them with confusion…

Ahsoka sighed deeply, looking at her friend and master as if asking for permission. He gave a nod of approval, to which Ahsoka started, “Alright, well, I’ll keep it simple. It was a while ago that I underwent a trial for suspicion of treason after the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, current base of operations for the Knights of the Republic, was bombed, killing innocents in the blast.”

Shepard’s eyes widened, as did Miranda’s when she walked in. Ahsoka continued, calm, “As is obvious, I didn’t do it, else I’d be in jail or dead. To be blunt… A former close friend, a fellow Padawan named Barriss Ophee, detonated the bomb due to some sort of visions she’s been having. She’s currently in jail.”

“It was one of the big events that led to the Schism,” Anakin added, “Ahsoka lost faith in the Order, as did several dozen other Padawans who saw what had happened to her. The Order, instead of protecting her like she was one of their own, allowed the Coruscant Guard to chase her, allowed her to strive to prove her innocence on her own. I barely managed to help.”

“I left for a while after,” Ahsoka stated, shrugging, “To find myself. Find my peace… I returned, though, obviously. During the Siege of Mandalore, they needed my help, so I went,” and she sighed, then smiled, “And I’m sort of glad I did.  Because, hey, I got to meet Skyguy’s kids,” and she chuckled, “And obviously I got promoted to General, so…”

“And given the rank of Knight immediately after,” Anakin snorted, “So, yeah.”

“... I’m sure Tali’s gonna appreciate having someone to help exonerate her beside me,” Shepard smiled, “If you don’t mind joining us aboard the Fleet, you two,” to which she got shakes of the head from both of them. Shepard nodded, then looked to Miranda and said, “Ah, miss Lawson. Apologies, but we’re taking on another passenger.”

“So I see,” Miranda spoke through grit teeth. She nodded, then put on her polite face and voice and said, “Welcome aboard, General.”

“Thank you. Hope I won't be too much of a bother this op,” The man replied, though he had a specifically Shepard demeanor about him as he said that. With that in mind, however, the ship was then allowed to slowly prepare for departure. After dismissing Shepard, Anakin took some time to walk through the place and get accustomed to it.

It was a nice ship. A lively one, too, considering the presence of all three sides of the Alliance, not to mention the Cerberus crews. Though not all of them seemed as nominally friendly to the new arrivals, or the Systems’ Alliance crew modifying the vessel for future use. Shepard was an Alliance officer first and foremost and she’d always made that clear in her reports.

Still, he wanted to talk to a specific someone. Taking the lift down to the crew deck, where the last modifications had been put in place(There was not a lot modified on the inside of the vessel, just some adjustments made for the ship upgrades), he entered the observation deck where the Justicar, Samara, was, to find the Sith.

Rhasits turned his head and greeted, “General Skywalker. Welcome,” before standing up from his meditating position. He motioned for the man to follow him out so they didn’t bother the two women who were currently deep in meditation and Skywalker followed calmly. When the door closed behind them, Rhasits stated, “I never thought I would see the day the Chosen One is born, much less here.”

“Yeah,” Anakin rubbed the back of his neck, “And I never thought I’d see the day a Sith would be this friendly with an admittedly former Jedi, now just a Light Side user…” and he paused, blinked, then corrected himself, “No, I never thought I’d see a living Sith, much less a Lord-Apprentice Pair from the Cold War era. Do you have any idea how much they taught us about you all at the Temple?”

“Take it it would be to ‘recognize the enemy, should they ever rise again’,” Rhasits quipped, crossing his arms, “A pretty normal approach, though last I heard, very few Sith have shown their faces over the course of the last few decades,” and he scratched his cheek and one of the strange attached facial appendages. Anakin made a choice not to say anything about those when he first saw the man.

Purebloods… Weird species.

“Master Kenobi and his former Master, Qui-Gon Jin, found a couple,” Anakin answered, looking at the Pureblood Sith like he was seeing just the most strangest thing in the Galaxy, “Or, well, one. And we’ve had to deal with one for a while now. Darth Maul, a Zabrak who’s really got a bone to pick with Obi-Wan. And the leader of the Seppies is a Sith. Dooku.”

“Sounds about right for them,” Rhasits murmured, “How fares the war in your Galaxy? General Tano hasn’t been very forthcoming about it.”

“It’s going,” Anakin shrugged, “When they attacked Coruscant, it turns out it was a gambit. A diversionary tactic. Grievous then deployed their entire reserve force, that being several new heavy fleets, into the battle with billions of new Droids. Right now, it’s just a slog as our new ships come online to deal with that.”

“New ships such as the Chimaera and that Star Dreadnought that the 476th came with,” Rhastis spoke. Both of them felt a slight pit in their stomachs as the vessel detached and its engines powered on alongside the ship’s inertial dampeners. The vessel began to distance itself from the station, moving toward their jump point.

Anakin hummed and said, “Guess I’d better go find my seat.”

“Very well. Farewell, General,” Rhasits replied with a nod. He turned around and walked back to the meditation area while the General went to find Shepard and Tali, keep up the talk and maybe iron out a defense. They’d also need to talk to Helo about how to help get Sharon out of jail, but that could wait for now.

Two trials, two people to help out with said trials. The Normandy gently glided toward the launch-off point, Joker humming a  tune as he powered the vessel’s Eezoo core with a few touches of a button. EDI herself made some scans unto herself, then felt a flicker of something in her systems. She hummed, then pinged Cortana, requesting help with keeping her memory banks safe.

Cortana agreed. Something wasn’t sitting too well with either AI. EDI had nearly failed to enter the gun system once on Horizon and, when they first met the Reaper-Cylons, the bastards had blocked her access from something, then again on Tuchanka. She felt strange, almost as if this could prove to be a later problem…

With that in mind, though, she simply sat, waiting for diagnostics to finish,

Chapter Text

Citadel Security had been alerted over the matter of their new arrivals, with C-SEC assets already positioning to keep tabs on their newfound POIs. The warrant to search the items of the Batarian Arms Dealer, however, was taking way too long. Going by the fact the Batarian seemed incredibly relaxed, as per surveillance, something must’ve been in his favor.

Bailey muttered, “Of course, the bastard has someone with the judges,” before looking at Fox, who was checking over his pistols and helmet. He told the man, “Warrant’s set to arrive after our Batarian warlord supposedly departs the Citadel with those goods… You know, just so we get screwed out of investigating either him, or Tricia…”

“Standard,” Fox sighed as he lifted up a cup of coffee and took a sip. He set it aside, then asked, “So, what then? Do we go dirty cop and break into the shipments? Or do we wait until that second background check we asked for the girl comes back and then go talk to her if something seems like a discrepancy…?”

“Latter,” Bailey replied. He stood up from his seat and told him, “Do you ever have to deal with stuff like this back on Coruscant?”

“Smugglers have to jump through so many loop-holes or pay off so many people that only the craziest or most motivated take missions to smuggle stuff to and from Coruscant,” The Commander replied, holstering his pistol and setting his helmet aside on his desk. He added, “By ‘most motivated’, I mean the people who were hired with the funds necessary for it.”

Bailey shrugged, “Sounds about right,” and he poured himself another cup. He sat down and his gaze swept around the place once more, eyes peeled for any possible incoming or outgoing additional contacts belonging to the Batarian, or Tricia. He said to Fox, “Y’know, usually things don’t get this exciting here. Zakera itself has some crime, but not to this degree…”

“You think it’s gonna get bigger than just ‘two friends meeting’?” Fox asked, making the air quotes necessary to denote his sarcasm toward that little excuse. Bailey didn’t know, so he remained silent. All the while, Fox was drinking his coffee, until he noticed a figure staring at them from among the crowds.

He hummed, noting a faint orange glow, then said, “Wait here…” as he stood up. He marched out into the crowds of people moving through Zakera’s uppermost area and gently let his hand hover over his pistol grip. The alien, whatever they were, must’ve noticed him approaching, because they moved away, attempting to hide behind an advertisement.

Marching over past it, he brought his hand up and spoke into the comlink, “Captain Bailey and all assets on Zakera Floor One, in pursuit of suspect scouting out our Precinct… Blue hooded jacket, black pants…” in a whisper. He watched the hooded figure marching away and stowing his hands in his pockets. Build was male, tall, slim. He wrapped his fingers around the grip of his pistol as his boys began to converge.

He walked toward the man and called out, “Excuse me, you, in the hood,” which caused the man to pause. He turned back and Fox could faintly make out blue skin and a more feminine chin and lips. He blinked, then said, “Look, I’m not looking to cause you trouble, but-” only to watch the figure bolt forward. He sighed deeply, exasperated, then said, “Of course… Charlie Foxtrot, in pursuit of suspect! Be advised, suspect seems to be Asari…”

He started sprinting after her, drawing his right-hand pistol and switching it to stun mode as he chased her down. The crowds seemed surprised to watch the man in white and red armor booking it after a hooded Asari. He chased her deeper down into the Ward, thankful that his boys were not that far behind, considering he could hear their boots hitting the floor.

He pushed through crowds, chasing the Asari, then drew his second pistol. He called out, “Stop!” before aiming his gun. No dice, he thought. He’d hit a civilian with a stun shot and that wouldn’t go so well when it came to court dates. The place wasn’t officially at war like the Republic, so police brutality might’ve been viewed poorly instead of outright ignored.

So, he kept running, quickening his pace as they delved deeper and deeper into the place, past Shin Akiba and into some areas that seemed a little less than good to be within. Seriously, the wealth inequality in some places here matched Coruscant’s lower levels. There was grime on the walls, condensation, trash spilled on the ground…

He ducked, however, when the woman threw a biotic blast his way. He aimed and fired, the ring of nerve-short-circuiting electricity from his blaster’s maw narrowly missing her and slamming into a wall that sparkled with electricity from the shot. He saw an alleyway was coming up, meaning either she was planning to corner him, or…

As he prepared to round the corner, he moved wide, rolling out of the way of a blast of biotic energy that would have normally either killed him, or knocked him out. He aimed both pistols at the woman next and opened up, stun rounds striking ceramic battle plate and biotic barriers. He scoffed as he saw her rip the baggy clothes off, revealing the yellow and black of the Eclipse Mercenary Sisterhood.

He switched his blasters to kill and opened fire, bolts of blue striking the empty, trash-filled alley walls behind her. She surged forward, however, pouncing on the man with a roar and the biotic-enhanced strength of a bull. She knocked his pistols out of his hands the moment she pinned him to the floor and primed herself to throw a punch and bust his head wide open.

He dodged the strike, slammed his helmet-covered head against hers and caused her to stagger, before drawing a combat knife from his belt and engaging her. He weaved past another biotic swing from her, slammed her face with an open palm, then ducked under a kick and slashed across her armor’s hip, ripping open part of the ceramic coating.

He grabbed her by the collar and cocked his fist back, quickly throwing a heavy punch that caused her to spin around, stopping against a wall. She scoffed, then turned around and powered her biotics, charging Fox again and swinging wildly at him. The man tried to dodge to the best of his abilities while keeping locals out of harm's way and trying to grab one of his guns.

He needed to knock her out. Intel was important here. He dodged another strike, ducked under a third, then, when he saw her start panting, he pushed in, grabbing her arm and pulling her forward, only to deliver an armored elbow to her jaw, causing her to double over as he cracked a couple of her teeth. She spat fluorescent blood out and slammed him with a weaker Biotic push.

He turned about, gave her an open palm strike to the face, staggering her, then started throwing multiple punches aimed at her exposed head. She should’ve worn a helmet if she wanted to not be knocked around black and blue, he thought as he delivered one hard punch that sent her to her knees. He then grabbed her, threw her onto her stomach, then pinned her down and wrapped both of her arms around her back.

He leaned forward and said in a deadpan, “You could’ve gotten out of this without extra bruising, just so you know. You don’t get away from me,” before he put a pair of Mag-cuffs on her. He lifted her off her feet, grabbed his blaster pistols and holstered them, then turned about and watched as his boys and a few C-SEC agents, Bailey included, walked to join him. The woman spat at Fox, then swore under her breath.

“She give you a lot of trouble?” The C-SEC human asked, grinning.

“No,” He replied as he pushed her forward, “She did sock me a couple of times with her Biotics, though,” then he handed her off to two of his guys. They walked back to the station, the man keeping his pistols ready and barely out of the holster, Bailey looking at the Eclipse woman’s tattoos. Fox added, “She’s one of Gron’s bodyguards.”

“Figured,” Bailey replied, “So, how’re we doing this? Good Cop, Bad Cop?” 

“I figure we let someone who’s proficient at more rough interrogations get the job done,” The Commander replied. He lifted his comlink and switched it to the channel for the diplomatic office of the Waystation, requesting, “Colonel Martez. We’re going to need you down here… Interrogation job on one of Gron’s party girls.”

The Asari snarled at him, but he hit her in the back with a balled fist, causing her to yelp and quiet down. He spoke into the com, “Roger. Thank you. Fox, out,” and shut it off. He looked at a confused Bailey and stated, “I and Senator Chuchi made friends with one of the Office of Naval Intelligence members assigned to the Waystation embassy.”

“Huh,” Bailey blinked, “Noted. Don’t screw you out of a wedding gift,” and he caused a couple of the Coruscant Guard men ahead to chuckle. Fox cast a glance at the man that sent a chill up his spine, so he chose to shut up. ‘Corries’, as they’d been fondly nicknamed, were not to be messed with from what little he read.

The two Coruscant Guard troopers took the woman to the interrogation room in the back of the precinct, then decided to stand guard inside. Two C-SEC guards, a Turian and an Asari, followed suite, with the latter being the team biotic meant to help contain her. When the door shut, the two men sat back down at their desks and waited for their new help to arrive.

Fox took his helmet off and sighed, pouring another cup of coffee and mumbling, “Today’s gonna be a long day,” before taking a sip of the glorious rejuvenating dark liquid. Bailey snorted in approval, already feeling the weight of the fact they were probably dealing with some greater than normal conspiracy. Things were never easy.

It hadn’t even been thirty minutes when the two heard the clack of dress shoes. Both of them turned and looked to see the  elderly male with graying hair approaching, a bag in hand and a pistol on his belt. Two taller soldiers clad in Power Armor escorted him. He asked, “Alright, gentlemen, where’s the patient?” with a terrifyingly calm demeanor. Bailey got a chill up his spine.

Fox, without skipping a beat, tilted his head toward the door. He nodded in thanks, then walked off, to which the man said, “Thanks,” before stepping off. He had the rank pins of a colonel on his collar, obviously, plus he had the air of that kind of officer from an intel agency. And he just referred to the girl as a Patient.

“Riiiight…” The good Captain Bailey dragged out, deciding to let that one be for now, only to pause as he heard a ping. Checking his Omni-Tool, he said, “Gron gave a couple of my boys the slip, but it seems as though yours are still chasing him, Commander. I think he knows we got one of his bodyguards.”

“We should be ready to receive him, then,” Fox replied. He checked his com and said, “All units tailing the Arms Dealer, maintain visual contact to the best of your abilities, but watch out for ambushes. One team is to reinforce the current watch. Everyone else, keep it steady and keep giving us updates on Tricia…”

“This is just getting better,” Bailey murmured, pausing as he started hearing screams from the room. Again, he thought, he wasn’t getting involved with that. Eclipse Mercs deserved any kind of bad day they were getting, but ignoring a prisoner screaming out like that didn’t help his conscience any. Fox, meanwhile, seemed surprisingly relaxed. Scary.

Migrant Fleet

When the Normandy jumped into the Raheel-Leyya System, several thousand pings appeared on their enhanced sensor suite. The two shipboard AI now had to contend with the Handshakes of various vessel systems ranging from those of the three massive Liveships amidst the fleet to the patrol craft protecting the Flotilla itself.

Signatures that did not, however, match the Quarian Fleet, were two very familiar Colonial vessels. Sat beside the Rayya on escort duty, her weapons primed and ready in case of threats, the Galactica hovered, dressed in new, dark clothes and layered with extra weapons and point-defenses meant to counter any possible hostile intrusion.

Meanwhile, attached to the Rayya, the sleek hammerhead form of a civilian transport craft turned into the Colonial One stood, her own engines powered down. Shepard listened to Cortana, EDI and Joker get them a tube to land in, then looked back at just about the entire team coming with them to the Quarian Liveship.

Tali was obvious. She fidgeted, playing with her fingers as concern seemed to finally hit her. Both Shepard and Garrus put hands on her shoulders to reassure her. Meanwhile, there was the pair of Jedi that had requested to tag along and assist in Tali’s legal defense. General Skywalker and General Tano, plus their escorting Jester Squad, stood, geared up in environmental suits and with their weapons clipped to their belts. They were exchanging small-talk and in-jokes.

Behind them, as mentioned, was Jester. As an addition to Jester, however, Blue Team had also elected to come along. With them was Helo, who was wearing one of the standard Colonial armored space suits, its systems sealed and all ready for decontamination. Shepard looked around and said, “Be warned, apparently we’re gonna smell a bit funny due to the disinfectants the Quarians use.”

“Thank the Gods we’re wearing sealed helmets, then,” Helo quipped awkwardly as he prepared himself mentally. He wanted to help get Sharon out of jail as soon as possible. Giving birth to a child in the Brig was not a stress he wanted on her, not after everything else. He didn’t even notice when the others laughed at his quip.

Bold spoke to him, “Relax, Helo. We’ll get your girl outta that jail cell,” giving him a gentle punch to the shoulder. He then hefted his Z6 and looked at it, making sure it was working while the Spartans prepared their own gear and stowed the weapons back onto their magnetic locks. Helo simply nodded in thanks, though he was visibly worried still.

Shepard couldn’t help but smile a little at the reassurance. She only prayed the airlocks would fit them all when they waded through. That would be answered relatively soon, though, as the Normandy docked with one of the main tubes, magnetic systems locking, pressure within the airlocks equalizing. Shepard and Tali walked first, with the Commander stating, “We’ll get you out of this, Tali.”

“I know, Shepard… Thank you,” The girl replied meekly, “I’m just concerned… My father…”

“Yeah,” Shepard sighed, well aware that the allegations were levied against her father as well, a man whom Tali loved and deeply respected, seeing as he taught her everything she knows. When the doors ahead opened, revealing the tubular decontamination chamber, the team walked through. Each of the dozen shower-heads activated, washing them in an acrid-scented disinfectant.

They only knew it was acrid because very little of the smell slipped through. It was still useful, though, obviously, to keep the Quarian people healthy. As they exited the tube out through the main door, they were greeted by an occupied Hallway, with Quarians sitting in pairs and groups of three, chatting to one-another. They stopped when they saw a platoon-strength force of people clad in armor just wading down the hall.

Tali felt uneasy, noticing the eyes locked onto the group, shining eyes gazing upon a military force with fear shining through most of all. Though, when some noticed that the woman in the front of the formation and right next to her was Shepard, they relaxed. She paused as she heard the fairly familiar clap of the armored two-toed feet of Quarian troops ahead.

A trio of Quarian Marines stepped up. The leading man, a Lieutenant by color of uniform and marks, spoke, “Commander Shepard. Welcome aboard the Rayya . And Tali… Good to see you again,” with a small smile. The girl nodded in reply, smiling a little, too. The Lieutenant then turned toward Shepard and added, “Additionally, I must thank you for wearing suits… Seems like a lot more people are sensible to our plight nowadays.”

“Take it the Colonials came dressed, too?” Helo asked as he joined the leading group.

The Lieutenant nodded, “And you must be Captain Agathon. I think President Roslin expected you to arrive. Commander Adama is also on the Galactica, and he requested to be told when you arrive with Shepard and Tali,” all while the Spartans exchanged looks with each-other and the local civilians. A Quarian woman looked Fred’s way and seemed to smile, causing Shepard to snort.

“Guess he wants to talk,” Helo replied, trying to scratch an itch underneath the suit. The Lieutenant affirmed that with a gentle wave of the hand, then tilted his head down the hallway for Shepard and the others to follow. They did, the entire formation following the trio of Quarian Marines in a relatively relaxed manner.

Within the confines of the central hall of the Rayya , the team found crowds gathered to witness the presumed trial of one of their Citizens and fellow crew members. Within, as well, were members of the UNSC contingent attached to the Galactica and the President and her escort as well, all of them clad in environmental suits that had been disinfected on the way in.

The President was talking to a woman in a fancy Quarian Enviro-Suit, brown and cream-colored with the standard lilac faceplate. Tali gasped, then called out, “Auntie Raan!” while waving at the woman. That caused both the President and the woman who Shepard soon realized was Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay to turn and face them.

Shala seemed happy, going by the body language of lifted shoulders, nearly standing on the tip of her toes and all, while President Roslin and her escorting Marines, one of which was Sergeant-Major Johnson. The old dark-skinned man clad in a UNSC Marine MOPP armor set turned about and the Spartans could visibly see the corners of his eyes crease, denoting the smile he, too, wore now.

As they approached each-other, Tali stepped out from among the crowd and was immediately hugged by Shala, with the woman speaking in a heavy accent, “I’m so happy to see you are well, Tali,” before taking a step back. The two held hands, with Shala adding, “I only wish this were under better circumstances…” and turning to Shepard, “And you must be Commander Shepard. Welcome aboard to you and your protectors.”

Tali nodded, “Agreed on the better circumstances part, Auntie,” then she turned toward the crew and said, “Folks, this is Admiral Shala’Raan vas Tonbay, commander of the Patrol Fleet. Admiral, you already met Commander Shepard, but among our ranks we have Garrus Vakarian, an old friend,” and she motioned to her fellow Dextro-Amino Acid being, who gave an awkward wave, “Captain Karl Agathon of the Colonial Navy,” and Karl waved next, “UNSC Spartan Blue Team and Generals Skywalker and Tano of the Galactic Republic…”

“Admiral Raan,” Anakin put his hands together and bowed, “A pleasure to meet one of the Quarians’ officers.”

Ahsoka smiled, “Indeed,” and her breath seemed to fog up her own suit’s glass mask. She said, “We’ll get Tali off the hook ASAP, don’t worry. We have experience in stuff like this,” then she looked at the Engineer. Tali’s body language and the way she ‘felt’ through the force seemed to denote her calm demeanor and thankfulness toward all members present.

“An honor to meet both of you and the famous Blue Team,” Shala’Raan replied kindly, bowing her head to them in greeting. Tali had been sending information about the Republic and Blue Team back to the Migrant Fleet, too, and had even sent some info that the Normandy got some friendly upgrades, meaning her ‘Cerberus’ markings mattered little.

“Indeed,” Roslin then joined in, her voice filtered through her helmet’s speakers. She stated, “Good to see you again, Commander,” and offered a kind smile to Shepard. Their first contact with this galaxy had been her and her crew. She deserved to be welcomed with kindness, Roslin thought, partially glad they were meeting here, but disappointed that it was because of one of her crew being put on trial.

“Madam President,” Shepard replied jovially, her smile not visible behind her helmet’s rebreather. She looked between the two women, then inquired, “How’s it going with the talks here?” while Johnson, Chief and Blue Team greeted each-other warmly, but quietly so as not to interrupt the chatter. The Clones had formed a perimeter by now alongside the blues, to keep their Commander, Generals and allies safe.

“Oh, quite well. The Enclave and Admiralty Board have both been very welcoming toward us,” Roslin replied courteously, motioning to Admiral Raan. Though their relationship was starting fine, both women quietly prayed in the backs of their minds that they wouldn’t be dealing with too much resistance from either side’s more entrenched conservatives.

“How could we not, after learning how alike we are?” Her seeming counterpart answered kindly, too.

“Yes. Quite… Disheartening…” The president sighed deeply, then added, “To know that our plague is shared by fellow sentients. However, there is hope, obviously. Hope for an alliance, for friendship. We’ve started looking into expanding our cooperation well beyond just trade deals and talks,” and she once again showed a small smile to the allies.

“However, obviously, the matter of Tali’s trial has put all that on hold,” Raan interjected. She noticed the one in a more bulky set of very light blue armor, Frederic, make ever the slightest motion at that. She looked over at Tali with a quirked brow, only to see the girl had noticed it, too, and seemed to freeze.

“I was meaning to ask about that, Auntie…” Tali inquired, arms crossed as she stared at her, “What happened? All I know is my father is involved somehow, but nobody told me more than that,” she then requested. Shepard had read the message. It wasn’t cryptic, it was fairly straightforward. ‘You are being accused of treason. Come home.’

“That is strange…” Shala’Raan hummed, scratching her hip and looking at Tali and the others. She continued, “I could swear I requested that the full details be included. Yes, your father is linked to this case. His work on board the research ship, Alarei seems to be what caused the concern,” before crossing her arms to her chest.

“The Alarei …? Oh…” Tali blanked, staring and seemingly aware.

Garrus asked, “Problem?” concerned more for Tali than anyone else.

“Long story. I’ll tell it to you before the trial starts,” Tali replied. Shepard noticed just how concerned she was, but she figured it was best not to press the matter, while the others simply looked at her. Fred gave a gentle tap on Tali’s shoulder and showed her to stay calm, while the rest of Blue, the Clones and Johnson gave an approving tilt of their heads.

“Okay. Anything we should know in particular, Admiral Raan?” Shepard inquired, crossing her arms as she looked at the woman. She started hearing whispers among the crowds and noticed the other Admirals ahead and around them with the crowds, plus a few other familiar masks for the Commander and her team.

“You’ll have to ask the people around,” Raan spoke, a bit disappointed she couldn’t offer more information. She told Shepard, however, “The other three Admirals are also present for the Trial, so should you have any questions for them, feel free. Speaking of, I’m afraid I have to go prepare. It was a pleasure speaking to you, Tali. I’m certain you will be exonerated,” and she waved, walking away.

“Well, this’ll be interesting. It already feels like a kangaroo court…” Anakin mumbled, crossing his arms to his chest as he looked around. A military court that already felt prepared to throw Tali out of her home. Yeah, damned if Anakin didn’t feel a familiarity in this situation, his gaze turning to Ahsoka, who seemed calm.

“Heh. Agreed,” The eighteen-year-old former padawan and Jedi General quipped, smiling a little.

“I should probably get out of your hairs, then. Tali, I hope it all goes in your favor,” Roslin sighed, “Be seeing you again soon, all of you,” and she turned to walk away. Karl seemed to stare at her for a moment, concerned for Sharon. Shepard noticed and simply nodded at him to reassure him that he was gonna ask.

“Wait, ma’am… About Sharon,” And she did.

“I’m afraid that will have to wait until after the trial,” Roslin replied and immediately saw Karl deflate, the others patting him on the back. She smiled a little, then told them all, “Captain Agathon shouldn’t worry, however… I’ve been thinking about talking to the Commander about her imprisonment myself,” which caused Karl to perk up.

“Oh. Thank you, ma’am…” He replied.

“A baby should be born free, captain,” His president told him even as she saw his heart well up. To temper his expectations, she started, “Make no mistake, trust toward Sharon is still…” then breathed through her teeth, “Low… After previous events. But she’s been nothing but cooperative. Same as you, in fact,” and she shrugged. Her perspective had been changed by their newfound possible allies.

“I know, ma’am,” Helo replied firmly, then added, “Thanks for even considering it…” before snapping a salute. Roslin chuckled, happy, then saluted back and dismissed him with a tilt of her head forward before she walked away. The Raptor pilot let out a deep sigh of relief, then looked at Shepard and continued, “Well, guess that leaves talking to Commander Adama after this,”

“Yeah. C’mon. Time to start interrogating the locals,” She nodded, the others giving him a few encouraging, but silent words as they turned to face the massive crowds. Still, something felt awry to the Commander. Like, the trial would most likely be fine. There was something else. Something gnawing at the back of her mind.

… Something wicked this way comes…

Chapter Text

There was a certain weight in the central meeting area of the Rayya . Even as Tali and the others went around, asking locals what this trial could be about beside the vague issue with Treason and something relating to her father, there was really no coherence, no normal answer. Something felt off and, going by the fact it was the Admiralty Board asking to make this trial public, it was scary.

The Quarian girl breathed a heavy sigh as she walked away from a group of former co-workers. Permanent farmers on the Liveship that grew the foodstuffs needed to keep their ships going. Tali had worked with them on Farm 12 back when she was a young girl and her father wasn’t dragging her into his research projects.

To put it simply, no answers from them, either. She breathed a sigh, shoulders sagging as her gaze swept the room. She felt a hand land on her shoulder and looked back to see Fred standing beside her. He asked, “Anything?” to which she shook her head, visibly disappointed. He told her, “I heard something happened on a research vessel.”

“So, what we knew already,” Tali mumbled, “Thank you for trying.”

“We’re squadmates,” The Spartan replied, “We have each-other’s backs,” and he saw her face morph into a smile behind the opaque visor of her mask. She nodded, but both paused as they saw Chief, Johnson and Anakin approach. 

“We got nothin’ more than what we already know,” Johnson stated, arms crossed to his chest. He added, “Someone’s keepin’ things way too close to their chest for my liking. Most concernin’ issue is the Alarei , though. Heard from Admiral Raan that they ain’t answering calls right now,” and he saw Tali visibly perk up, concern written all in her shining eyes.

Anakin told her, “Calm. Nothing bad’s happened just yet. For all we know, it’s a com malfunction,” before he looked over to the left, seeing a platoon of soldiers clad in Camouflage approach. The Knight of the Republic blinked, while Chief hummed. The familiar longer-snouted mask denoted a male Quarian leading the formation. One Chief recognized by the rank pins.

He snapped a salute and said, “ Lieutenant Reegar, sir.”

“Chief,” Reegar replied in kind, “Don’t you salute me. I’ve got enough to worry about with being promoted to CO rank for my platoon to have one of the people who saved my ass on Haestrom salute me,” then he sighed deeply and looked at Tali. He saluted her, too, stating, “Ma’am… Wish we were meeting again under better circumstances.”

“Likewise, Kal,” Tali replied kindly, “Glad to see you finally got that promotion,” and she chuckled when the man scoffed. He then looked at General Skywalker, whom he saluted quickly. Anakin nodded, saluting him back, then looked over at Johnson as he and Kal stepped off to prepare with the local Colonial presence.

Reegar, however, stopped, turned and said, “We’ll all speak for you, ma’am! Don’t worry!” before stepping off. 

Shepard walked over to the group, crossing her arms and stating, “Well, I guess I missed the reunion with Sergeant Reegar,” before walking up to Tali. She told them, “I’ve been able to talk to a few more people… Even met the guy we rescued back on Freedom’s Progress. Veetor,” and she jabbed a thumb back toward the wary young man.

Tali waved at Veetor, who waved back and seemed relatively happy and more relaxed to see her there. She told Shepard, “By the way, Shepard, it’s ‘Lieutenant’ Reegar now,” which garnered a smile out of the Commander. Anakin took a moment to take in the sights of the Rayya’s wide meeting hall, sighing deeply as he stared at the podium in the middle and thought to himself just how unfortunate they were to have wound up here for a trial.

He’d have liked to join the UNSC and Colonials in talks with these people. Potentially to both learn more about the Quarian people as a whole to bring back home. He checked his com system as it pinged, then looked over att Ahsoka. She waved and walked over to him and the others, stating, “Well, bad news is nobody knows too much. Good news is I met a specific Admiral, Daro’Xen, who’s willing to talk to us.”

“Oh, I know Admiral Xen. She’s… An eccentric one,” Tali seemed a bit less than ecstatic to talk to Admiral Xen.

A female  voice with a light, but sweet accent replied to that, “Oh, dear Tali, you hurt me with that reaction,” as she walked over. It was a Quarian woman in an almost completely black bodysuit approached. She arranged the scarf over her shoulder, then stated, “Commander Shepard, General Skywalker and Blue Team… A pleasure.”

“All ours, Admiral,” Shepard nodded, a bit concerned as she crossed her arms, “Anything you’re willing to share from the backrooms of this little sham?”

“I sadly have to assure you it isn’t a sham, Commander,” The woman replied in a deadpan. She waved to Tali, stating, “Tali has made a few mistakes along the way. The Alarei, which her father is currently on, has lost contact with the Flotilla the moment Tali’s most recent unchecked Package arrived on board and we’re in a deadlock about deciding whether to send in Marines. What we do know is that a half-second burst com connected to the rest of the fleet with incomplete Geth Code.”

“That’s impossible,” Tali snapped, “I’d never send something dangerous to father, especially not something that could outright endanger the Fleet!” 

Daro raised her hands defensively and said, “Calm down, Tali. I think most of us are aware of that… That doesn’t absolve either of the Zorah family members from Suspicion, I’m afraid,” before she crossed her arms again. She looked at a seemingly annoyed General Skywalker and a similarly annoyed Ahsoka and said, “We can’t exactly try Rael when he isn’t here, either…”

Chief answered, “We can take an away team to the Alarei right now, ma’am. Investigate it, bring back the details. When we find Tali’s father, he should be able to explain everything,”

“I’m afraid I can’t authorize that without the Admiralty Board’s unanimous approval,” She simply said, shrugging, then waved toward the Stand where people were starting to gather for the Trial and added, “But the trial’s starting in the next few minutes. You can make your proposition there while you defend Tali’s innocence.”

She then cast a glance back as some staff from her own part of the Fleet, namely the Research Arm, walked away. She breathed a sigh, then told them, “Look… I fully believe Tali is innocent. I know what I said just now may not make it seem so, but something is off about whatever happened to Rael. You should know I trust both of you implicitly because I and your father work together.”

“I know,” Tali sighed deeply, “I just want to understand who wants me and him out of here?”

“Nobody exactly,” Daro replied, then sighed and scoffed as she noticed the procession gather. She told her, “Good luck to the lot of you… We begin in five,” before she turned and walked over to the Podium. She gave one last quick wink to Tali, seemingly aware of something the young woman and her friend group didn’t know.

Regardless, they all took their places, with Anakin, Ahsoka and Shepard being right behind Tali. The Admiralty Board marched onto the top of the Podium, with Shala’Raan sat on the second level as one of the judges, despite the seeming fact that she was linked to the Zorah family rather directly through knowing Tali and her father up-close.

Around the formation were members of the Colonial representative group, including President Roslin, plus Helo, Garrus and Blue and Jester teams. The room grew mildly louder with quiet murmurs until Admiral Han’Gerrel, commander of the Heavy Fleet of the Quarian Flotilla, also known as the supreme commander of the military, greeted the Commander, Tali and the Generals with a respectful nod. They nodded back in kind.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated,” Shala spoke, her voice slightly low as she watched the entire crowd, including the Colonials and other UNSC staff, gather around and sit themselves down. As Shepard, Tali, Anakin and Ahsoka took their place at the front, the Admiral spoke, “We shall now begin the trial of Tali’Zorah Vas Normandy…”

The change of name, probably initiated by Admiral Zaal’Koris, the man in charge of the Civilian Fleet, stunned Tali for a second. She whispered to herself, “... I guess they really do want me off…” as she rubbed her arm. Blue Team seemed to tense a little at the thought. They were worried for Fred’s newest friend, too, with Cortana noticing it and chuckling a little…

“Not gonna happen,” Ahsoka assured the girl quietly, gently giving her a tap on the shoulder.

“As we begin, let us remember the charges that have brought us all here. Tali’Zorah Vas Normandy,” Admiral Daro’Xen began, though she didn’t seem too pleased at Tali being stripped of her Ship name. She told the girl, “You stand accused of Treason of the highest order. Your actions and the actions of your father are believed to have endangered the lives of all those aboard the Migrant Fleet,” but made sure everyone could hear it.

Roslin herself sighed. No ally of Shepard’s could do harm to their people, she thought.

“Though some of us would say these claims are unsubstantiated,” Zaal’Koris vas Qwib Qwib spoke next, looking at a couple of his comrades:Shala and Han’Gerrel. He continued, “There is enough evidence to bring us to deliberation here today. For that matter, we ask you, Tali’Zorah, has your Captain, Shepard, come today to argue for your innocence, or is she a bystander?”

“I’m here for Tali,” Shepard replied brazenly, arms crossed to her chest. She then motioned to the two Knights of the Republic beside her and stated, “And I’ve brought forth two assistants on this matter, if the Admiralty Board and Conclave will permit their presence. Admirals, people of the Migrant Fleet, these are Generals Ahsoka Tano and Anakin Skywalker, Knights of the Galactic Republic and heroes of an ongoing conflict in one of the three Galaxies beyond the Waystation, as I’m sure madam President Roslin and her staff have said.”

“Greetings, Quarian people,” Ahsoka spoke, waving to everyone with a smirk. The people looked at the near-human Alien with confusion, watching her simply straighten her back, then look at the Admiralty, her smile never fading from behind her own armored glass visor. Though her breath was sort of fogging it up.

“We came here to show our solidarity with miss Tali’Zorah, a daughter of the Migrant Fleet like all of you. We hold doubts that these accusations hold any water. Quite the opposite, in fact. We find them baseless,” Anakin then added, trying to channel a little of his old master’s Sass for the scene. Seeing it fell flat for everyone save Ahsoka, who was now letting out a quiet laugh, he dropped it.

“Welcome aboard, then, Generals. And to the rest of Captain Shepard’s crew,” Shala greeted them once more, bowing to the group. Garrus, Blue and Jester Teams all nodded in greeting, though they remained stoically silent. Helo was there, arms crossed, but he nodded back, too, well aware now how it felt to be judged over something outside your control.

“Indeed. If you’re here to defend the honor of one of your fellows, by all means,” Zaal replied almost dismissively. Despite appearances, he thought to himself, he still cared deeply about the Zorahs. They were good people. Smart, hard-working and tough. Tali had, in fact, proven herself as a Quarian by taking things like the Research Mission on Haestrom. It, however, did not completely prove her innocence in this case.

“We are unanimous in that, then,” Daro’Xen replied with a smile, “The Generals are welcome to aid captain Shepard in the defense of her crew,” and she gave a gentle wave to the two. The two Knights bumped fists with one-another, smiling, then looked at Tali, trying to reassure her without speaking another word.

“Indeed,” The other three Admirals bowed their heads in approval.

“Very well, then,” Zaal replied formally, activating his Omni-Tool and stating, “The prosecution shall now call upon Tali’Zorah to answer a few questions,” then he opened a screen on it. A few murmurs slipped between the ranks, both from the Normandy team members present and from the Colonials. Johnson hummed, tapping his foot impatiently as he thought of a cigar.

“I will answer them all honestly. Keelah Se’Lai,” Tali replied, firm and proud.

“Keelah Se’Lai,” The rest of the crowd of Quarians and even Shepard chanted. The Commander herself felt the presence of and gently turned her head to watch Roslin approach the stand with them, more-so to get a better view. It was honestly kind of endearing, Shepard thought, that the Colonials were also invested in this.

She greeted the woman respectfully, “Madam President.”

“Commander. Concerned?” Roslin replied, smiling reassuringly at her, like a mother to a daughter.

“Maybe a little. I don’t want Tali to be homeless,” Shepard sighed deeply. She saw Tali cast a quick glance her way, then toward Fred. Shepard chuckled at that sight, but returned to being serious as she looked at President Roslin. Helo behind them gave Shepard a quick nod, then stepped off to take a com call.

“Understandable. Especially seeing how tight-knit they are…” Roslin herself added, then said, “Interesting that miss Tali’Zorah is so concerned over how Frederic is reacting to all of this,” only to cast a glance back at the stoic Spartan, noticing a very faint movement of his hands. His left pinkie tapping his knuckles, specifically.

“Ha… I bet I kinda know why,” Shep snorted, scratching her cheek.

“Doctor Halsey never mentioned her Supersoldiers were still human,” The president joked.

“They are, ma’am… Maybe a bit more human than most,” The Commander then mused, staring at the four Spartans as they began exchanging small-talk over their single-beam communications systems. She only knew they were doing that because Cortana had decided to bring up a small transcript via a window on the top-right corner of Shepard’s HUD.

They were discussing… Escape routes…

Huh. Okay.

Turning back, Shepard listened to the Admirals’ next question(having probably missed out on a couple. She heard Zaal’Koris ask Tali,  “... Is it true that the ship you’re currently serving on bears the markings of Cerberus, Tali’Zorah?” with just the faintest hint of hostility in his voice. Quiet murmurs began to circulate through the crowd…

Until Tali responded with “Yes,” and caused the murmurs to turn into full-blown gasps and chatter. It all quietened down when Shala”Raan waved her hand, showing everyone to lower their volumes. The room went quiet again, obviously, letting the Admiralty continue the chatter with a strangely calm Tali’Zorah.

“And you’re so nonchalant about admitting this? After what they did to us?” Daro’Xen almost wanted to laugh, bemused at how calm Tali was. 

“I’m simply answering the questions I am asked truthfully, Admiral…” Tali clarified, then added upon that with, “Yes, the ship I serve on bears a Cerberus Signet, but that does not mean it is Cerberus,” before looking back at Shepard, who was bouncing on her feet a little, waiting for her turn to speak her mind.

“I see…” Zaal hummed, then looked at Shepard and offered, “Captain Shepard? You seem to want to say something,” with a relaxed tone. Shepard had saved people, no doubt about it. Some in the Citadel, too. Their people, on Pilgrimage on that damned Station. They’d been lucky that whatever had attacked, be it an actual ancient machine like the Reapers, or some new Geth Dreadnought, it was stopped by Shepard.

“I do, Admiral,” Shepard replied respectfully, bowing her head. She continued, “With all due respect to the Quarian people, we’re all well aware of what Cerberus has done. Tali, however, has no stakes in working with Cerberus. She’s working under my command, not under the command of the Illusive Man and his staff.”

“I see. Can you vouch for a fact that your goals aren’t only human-oriented, then?” Zaal questioned. He still remained relaxed, but he was trying to point out a specific something or other in regards to it. Yes, Humanity was young, a new race among the stars and one that had been relatively friendly to the Quarians, but still.

It was clear, however, that the humans on board didn’t really approve the inquiry, president Roslin herself frowning at the question while the Spartans visibly tensed, something which, for some reason, made Zaal’s stomach drop. Regardless of that, the group waited for an answer. With Shala and Daro seemingly glaring at him.

“Objection, Admirals! I sent word to the fleet for them to know why I’m working with Shepard now!” Tali bellowed, indignant. That was a genuine personal attack on Shepard, more than anything. Cerberus’s own human-centrist goals mattered very little in this discussion. Shepard’s own were to save the entire Galaxy.

“Denied… Carry on,” Admiral Gerrel sighed deeply.

“Can I vouch that my goals here aren’t to help humanity?” Shepard repeated the question. She answered promptly, “No. Tali’s helping us stop the Collectors from taking our people away, so it’s obviously got humans at the center,” and she watched Zaal seemingly get a bit full of himself. She huffed, then clarified, “That, however, doesn’t mean it ain’t in the Quarians’ best interest for me to complete my mission, too.”

“How so?” Shala’Raan inquired next, while Han listened intently and Daro chuckled, Zaal’Koris himself became quiet, listening in to see how Shepard could argue this. 

“Think about it. The Collectors sweep in, steal our people. Thousands of them. All from colonies the Alliance can’t directly protect,” Shepard  explained, crossing her arms to her chest. She shrugged, then gently waved toward the Quarians with one hand and asked, “What will they do once there’s no more humans to take? Risk invading Alliance Space and triggering a military response from our naval forces, or go for other targets?

“Shepard, are you implying that you’re also defending us from being attacked?” The Civilian admiral seemed a bit stunned at how bold the Commander was. It was honestly stunning, just how pumped humans got when going into nonsensical points. It was one of their worst habits, the man thought to himself.

“Tali is. She knows the Collectors won’t stop…” Shepard stated, pointing at the Quarian. She continued,  “And if they’re working with the Reapers?”

“Irrelevant!” Koris replied, annoyed.

“If I can intervene, it isn’t,” Anakin added, crossing his arms to his chest. He looked and awaited approval, all while Zaal’Koris stared at the other Admirals, basically demanding quietly to throw this bit out. Daro really liked how this little showmanship trial was going, so she wanted to see it. She gave her nod of approval. 

“Carried. Proceed, General, and explain,” Han, who noticed Shala had also approved, stated.

“Commander Shepard continuously sends reports back to the Waystation in regards to her mission’s progress. She’s been keeping all three forces present there, the Republic’s included, on her efforts and on the well-being of her crew,” The man began explaining, all while the rest of the staff watched. Fives and the others nodded in approval.

 He then continued, moving his hands behind his back and approaching the stand,“I’ve taken the liberty of reading files on the members and their previous missions and Tali’s focus has always, always been protecting her people and returning to them,. The Reaper Sovereign was one of the greatest threats to this Galaxy and its people and she helped stop it.”

“And I’ve been working with Tali for some time now. Maybe not as long as Shepard or Garrus, but I think I’m a good enough judge of character to state that she cares deeply for you all… If we’re talking about irrelevant matters, however, Admiral Koris, let’s talk about the fact she’s on a Cerberus vessel,” It was Ahsoka’s turn… And she wasn’t about to waste it. 

She asked, “So, what? Despite the company’s Xenophobia, Shepard has formed a crew of interstellar and intergalactic beings that has no ties, nor desire to work with them beyond this operation. If you’re worried that we’d follow an order to attack the Flotilla, your concern is deeply unfounded and maybe even based in personal bias here.”

“General, I’d very much like both sides to refrain from personal attacks,” Shala herself requested, crossing her arms while Zaal’Koris huffed in disapproval. Heh. She hit a nerve, Ahsoka thought to herself, trying to conceal a smirk. Honestly, sort of deserved. For being the Civilian Fleet’s leader, he was a bit too abrasive.

“Apologies, but I figured I should help general Skywalker clear up that bit, too,” She did apologize, though.

“Understood. Regardless of Tali’s reasoning, however,” Daro’Xen intervened now, adding upon the issues. She told them all, “I must add that she has been sending strange packages back to the Alarei and to her father. Packages that skip the basic decontamination scans,” and a few more murmurs echoed. Shepard and the others looked at Tali, who nodded, then sighed deeply.

“Packages which we don’t get to investigate,” Han offered, then looked over at Daro and told her, “I’d argue that’s about as much your fault as it is Rael’s, Daro. The Alarei is one of yours and you both are Special Projects,” before he pointed at her. Zaal let out a singular, strained ‘ha’, as he crossed his arms to his chest. 

“I don’t deny that, but not even I know the contents of those packages. I can only speculate,” The Admiral of the research division replied, shrugging. To note, she was not trying to throw Tali under the proverbial bus. She was very much trying to shift focus to the Alarei, which, as far as she knew, contained the necessary evidence to free Tali.

“And with the burst transmission of strange, heavily modified Geth Code? Nobody knows what’s going on over there,” Zaal’Koris added yet more fuel to the fire. Tali herself seemed to be extremely tense at the mentions of the ship’s name. She seemed worried, even. Perhaps for her father and the crew on board. And she was… 

“Before we delve any further into the Alarei’s mystery, we should call a few witnesses to the Stand. I already have two lined up,” Han’Gerrel offered, then looked at the Commander and asked, “If that’s fine with you, Shepard,” as he activated his own Omni-Tool again, checking stuff over, such as the guest of honor.

“By all means,” Shepard nodded.

“First witness:Veetor’Nara. Please, come to the stand,” Zaal’Koris stated. The group turned toward Veetor, the young Quarian they’d saved the life of on Freedom’s Progress. As the shy Quarian stepped forward, shivering a bit, Zaal asked him, “Do you swear to only tell the truth, in the name of and for the sake of the Flotilla and the Homeworld?”

“Y-Yes…” The boy stuttered out.

“Very well. Is it true that you were on your Pilgrimage when you went missing?” Koris began with the hard questions, causing the group to pause and a couple to wince. Roslin wasn’t sure if Zaal’Koris had gotten any formal training in dealing with people who were victims of any sort of Post-Traumatic issues. She had barely gotten some, but still…

“Yes… On Freedom’s Progress, a human Colony,” Veetor replied awkwardly. Tali had seen to Veetor’s treatment before she was sent to Haestrom with Kal’s squad. He’d nearly died to the infection and was obviously still recovering from it. This was a waste of time, or worse, could prove dangerous for the poor guy.

“And why were you on a human world?” Admiral Koris inquired next.

“W-Was learning about them. Attempting to help them, too, perhaps to bring home something they had in exchange for helping them set up…” Veetor replied, fiddling with his fingers. He seemed to stiffen up as memories of the people he’d met on Freedom’s Progress came to him. The kind-hearted humans settled there…

“And what happened to Freedom’s Progress?” Koris then asked, his voice growing sympathetic.

“... T-The… Collectors…” Veetor barely managed to utter, seemingly cowering. He told them, “They came. Took everyone. I-I hid… Sent a distress call… Then Tali and her team arrived,” he looked at the girl. She gave him a nod of approval, having wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, tell him to relax. He was doing fine.

“I see… Anything else?”

“I was injured… Suit ruptured, but I lived. Then Commander Shepard and her team came. Cerberus-aligned, seemingly, but… Friendly. T-They helped Tali save my life,” Veetor motioned to Shepard and her team, the Commander smiling a little behind her helmet’s rebreather. She was glad to have helped.

“And you’re certain the enemies you saw are Collectors?” Koris asked again, arms crossed to his chest.

“Yes. I even have the footage saved on my Omni-Tool,” Veetor replied calmly.

“Hm. Very well,” Koris shrugged. He really needed to keep up the part of the Bad Cop/Judge in this case, however, so…

“If they’re trying to convict ya of something, ma’am, they ain’t doing a very good job prosecuting,” Fives whispered to Tali, causing her to giggle, though both of them knew there was gonna be a bit more to this case. Zaal’Koris was either doing this by someone’s orders to play up the trial, or he really wanted her off the Fleet. Regardless.

“Obviously, one can take all of Veetor’s statements at face value, however, let’s remember something, ladies and gentlemen:He could’ve hallucinated everything about the Collectors. He was running a high fever when he got back home,” The Admiral stated as he let Veetor walked off the stand. The young man seemed a bit defeated, casting an apologetic glance Tali’s way. She waved it off.

“There it is,” Fives sighed.

“Objection. He just said he has the footage to show, Admiral,” Shepard protested the little issue. She swore, Zaal’Koris was either a coward, or he really wanted Tali out. Why the hell would they wanna throw Tali out this badly, though? There was no real reason beyond a political stunt, or a fall person for her Father…

“Then, by all means,” Koris motioned to the man to show the images. Veetor did as asked, activating his Omni-Tool and displaying the images of the abductions across Freedom’s Progress, the colony in the stone, on a large holographic screen, which shocked the crowds and seemed to cause Koris a bit of annoyance.

“Anyone wanna take a bet on what this is about?” Johnson whispered to the group, crossing his arms to his chest as Kal’Reegar approached. In the meantime, Cortana had gotten down to some business as per a message she sent to the Commander and Tali’s Heads-Up Displays. She was checking Fleet Net for intel on the code.

“Somebody probably paid Zaal’Koris off… I’m next on the Stand. Hopefully word from one of the men Tali commanded’s gonna carry some weight,” Kal’Reegar offered, crossing his arms to his chest. The squad nodded to him, with Tali offering a fist for the man to bump. They were apparently old trainee friends.

“Godspeed, Lieutenant. God knows, I hate jury duty, much more witness crap like this,” Johnson offered as he tapped his foot on the ground, impatient for a smoke. Blue Team seemed sympathetic to the man, while the Generals chuckled, watching him simply look around. Sure, it wasn’t a big necessity, but he’d have appreciated having something to light right about now.

“Uh… Guys…?” Cortana finally piped up, her worry-filled voice causing everyone to tense up over the com. She told them, “We might wanna rush to the Alarei… ” as she displayed the strip of code she’d retrieved from the ship’s communication log. The Code did not look Geth whatsoever. Quite the opposite, in fact, it looked alien.

… Not just that, but she’d gotten a message from Zaal’Koris himself to them, aimed at military ships quarantining the Alarei.

“Roger…” Shepard mumbled as she saw Tali visibly tense, starting to nervously play with her fingers. She turned toward the Stand again as the members deliberated Veetor’s images and prepared to call Kal up, then asked, “Members of the Admiralty Board. Can I request something before we bring in our next witness?”

“Certainly, Commander,” Shala replied.

“I think we have a way to solve this without having to call Kal’Reegar to the stand and without pissing off everyone else. While I’m now aware that Admiral Koris requested the Alarei be destroyed, ” She requested, hearing members of the crowd gasp. She continued, “I ask you to allow me and my team to board it and bring forth Evidence that whatever packages Tali sent to the ship were not dangerous, nor do they pose a threat to the Fleet at large. If there is, however, a threat of any sort… We’ll eliminate it under one condition.”

“Go ahead,” Daro asked, standing up.

“This entire Trial is over and Tali gets to keep her place as a member of the Fleet,” Anakin rather obviously completed Shepard’s incoming request. The group then watched the deliberations begin between the staff, all while Tali felt her heart in her throat as she waited for the verdict. Honestly, even if… No, they weren’t guilty of anything.

Han’Gerrel turned about after a moment’s talk, seemingly happy. He told them exactly what all the Admirals had decided, stating, “Very well. Motion approved,” to which Tali and the others, sans the Spartans, breathed an immediate sigh of relief. That would at least deal with the outstanding issue of the Exile…

“Pending your investigation on the Alarei and bringing evidence to exonerate Tali, or destroying whatever threat has seemingly snuck aboard our Fleet, this Trial is adjourned. We will reconvene upon the Commander’s and Tali’s return. Commander, you and your selected team will be provided a Shuttle for the trip,” Zaal’Koris, who seemed a little more happy to be free of this, ordered, tapping a button on his Omni-Tool. Discussions started as Shepard picked her team.

… Apparently the Generals were quite keen on seeing it all through. Clones, too. Blue Team elected to remain on board as guards for President Roslin.

Chapter Text

The transport shuttle that was taking the crew aboard the Alarei was not so heavily crowded as to cause problems, but the fact that both Fred and Garrus had decided to tag along to the battle made it just that little bit more cramped. The Clones, meanwhile, checked over their equipment, slotting their gas cells into their blasters and slamming them home.

The Generals, meanwhile, looked over their own lightsabers, making sure they would be functional and ready for combat at any given time. Tali tapped her foot as gently as she could, checking the shotgun and pistol she was bringing aboard for this operation. She sighed, shaking a little, only to feel the weight of Fred’s armored gauntlet gently land on her shoulder.

Shepard smiled a little behind her helmet, then looked at Garrus, who was preparing his assault rifle. She quipped, “I was gonna say that I hope you were gonna go up-close this time,” as she pointed at the Sniper rifle on his back. He looked at her for a moment, lowering the AR in his hand as he did, which made her pause.

“I might like my distance, Shepard, but even I’m not stupid enough to fight close quarters with a sniper,” He joked as he slammed the thermal clip home into the slot of his own Mattock rifle. He slid it onto his back and said to Shepard, “How ‘bout ya just make sure you don’t fling us all into walls, ‘kay?” in a joking manner. 

She snorted and said, “I’ll aim specifically for your ass, Garrus,” which caused Tali and the Clones to laugh a little. The Commander looked at the Generals somewhat apologetically, but both waved it off, with Ahsoka grinning as she looked at her former master and old-time friend. He snorted, well aware of what that stare implied.

The Clones laughed a little, while Tali chuckled, too, before the Shuttle began its approach to the LZ. Both Fred and Tali stood to their feet, with the Spartan having to slightly crouch so as to not hit his head on the roof. They drew their weapons, with Shepard stating, “Alright, folks. Remember… We don’t know what we’re dealing with here. Let’s not tempt fate.”

As the craft gently touched down within the hangar of the Alarei, its side doors soon opened, allowing the team to dismount. They scanned the small hangar’s multitude of corners, turning on flashlights as they walked out, fanning out into a half-circle formation. Fred was in the rear with Tali, both of them keeping their eyes peeled.

The dropship soon took off, leaving them a clear line of sight to the other side of the cluttered hangar. Tali spoke, “Too quiet…” before checking her Heads-Up Display, “And I’m getting interference in my HUD…” before she turned and joined Shepard at the front of the formation. The Commander nodded, with everyone else giving the same, silent affirmation. They were all getting the same issues.

The Commander chopped her hand forward toward the exit door. It was barely cracked open, meaning they’d need someone to breach it. With the Force-using Knights and the Spartan present, that wouldn’t be a problem. She looked at Ahsoka and Anakin, before pausing as she saw Fred move on ahead.

He turned toward her and she approved with a thumbs up. Then, he stuck his hands through the seam and pulled the halves of the door apart, opening up into a corridor. Drawing his rifle and activating his VISR system, he said, “I’ll take point…” to which the entire squad of Clones, the Force users and natives to this galaxy agreed.

As their flashlights shined down the corridor, however, the damage to the place was revealed. Severely damaged wall panels had holes drilled into them by energy weapons discharge, showing the decaying interlan electrical infrastructure of the vessel. It was also damaged now, with Fred noting, “Plasma weapons…” in a murmur.

Tali visibly tensed as they walked past the damaged walls. They strode forward, carefully scanning each panel and recess to make sure nothing would pop up toward them. The faint sound of dripping liquid came to them the closer they got to the left-hand turn at the end of the hallway and, when Fred turned the corner, he found the first corpse.

A fallen Quarian security guard. Her blood dripped down through the grated floor and onto an unseen portion of the maintenance tunnel below. Tali sighed, taking a knee beside the girl and turning her over, only to see the marks of penetrating shots in her body armor. She whispered, “Keelah Se’lai,” as Fred gently put her hands together on her chest.

The Quarian under trial nodded to the man, then gently retrieved the few remaining clips from the guard’s belt and slid them into her own. They stood up and Fred took point again, weapon drawn. Pushing past the damaged corridors, where yet more signs of struggle were present, the Spartan and the team found themselves uneasy.

The sounds of the ship’s groaning hull mixed with the footsteps of the squad of soldiers, Jesse himself commenting, “Anyone else reminded of the report that Delta Squad sent on the RAS Prosecutor ? The whole presence of the Trandoshans,” as they moved past a window to what seemed to be some sort of workshop. He peered with his gun and flashlight past the corners, pieing them the same way Fred had done seconds ago.

“The Commandos’ report was redacted, though,” Ahsoka mumbled, “Haven’t gotten to talk to them about it yet.”

“Should I ask?” Shepard quipped as they passed under a broken vent of some kind, her rifle’s light shining on the pipes above and the duty crevices. She really wondered how the Hell some ships got dust in the middle of the void, but she figured it must’ve been a mix of skin flakes, other flakes and random material that just… Happened.

Anakin told her, “A crack Commando squad was deployed on a mission to basically the middle of nowhere when one of our transport ships, an Acclamator-class assault craft, appeared there out of nowhere, light-years off its standard patrol path,” as he locked his gaze onto the carbon scoring on one of the walls. He continued, “They found it infested with scavengers and Droids… And a piece of tech that looked close to the Forerunner items doctor Halsey showed us.”

“... What the hell?” Shepard blinked, all while Fred looked at them.

Anakin raised a hand and showed him to stay calm, before stating, “I’m pretty sure it was the thing that led us to the Star Road, but it took a long while for our scientists to decipher it,” and shrugged, “I don’t think our nerds understood the language all too well and we had no real dictionary for it,” before pausing as he picked up a sound in the distance.

Fred also seemed to have heard it. Understandably, Ahsoka thought as she walked up beside him, the Spartans could hear a pin drop in a damned thunderstorm. She and Anakin had only heard it thanks to their Force Powers. And it sounded like movement. Tali and the Clones had noticed this and all tensed, while Shepard’s biotics flared for a second.

Fred balled his fist and whispered, “Motion tracker contact, ten meters out… No IFF,” before aiming down the sight of his rifle. The group spread out as much as they could to avoid any potential ambush with explosives, before marching further down the corridor with their weapons raised. With the creaking of the ship’s hull suddenly echoing, the Force users, clones and Shepard and Tali visibly tensed, the hairs on their necks standing on-end.

They crossed through the corridors and entered a small room off to the side, Fred noting, “Contact’s gone,” as he held the door with Jesse and Fives. The troop entered the room, a medium-sized room that acted as storage, seemingly containing the items that the crew of the Alarei was researching.  The entire team paused when they saw a Geth drone laying, disassembled, on a table.

It had several bullet holes and the marks of combat on it. Its gun had been disassembled, too, revealing the internals of the Geth’s own heavy weapons system, while its optical sensor lay on the other side of the table. Shepard blinked, then spoke, “A Drone… Tali, you mentioned you were sending packages to your father, right?”

“Yes…” Tali replied, “Usually parts of inactive Geth.”

“... Oh,” Shepard blinked, “Is that why…?” then she paused and shook her head, “No. You must’ve had a good reason,” and turned to Tali, “You did, right?” to receive a nod of confirmation. Shepard figured Tali wouldn’t endanger her own people, much less her family, needlessly. She asked, “Anything your father can tell us about this, then?”

Tali approached the Geth drone, gently moving its damaged body as she said, “Father was hoping we could find some way to counteract the Geth’s code, combat their adaptive ‘Consensus’ and deal with them that way…” then she turned to Shepard and added, “There’s been scuttlebutt aboard the Fleet. The Military Arm, the Admirals… Some want to finish the War.”

Anakin blinked, then asked, “And the research here was being done to destroy the Geth’s collective consciousness in hopes of… What, disorienting them long enough for your Military force to jump in and destroy them?” to which Tali nodded. He hummed, then stated, “Not a bad idea… Doesn’t explain why we can’t find any surviving crew.”

Shepard, meanwhile, stared at Tali as if she’d grown a second head. She told her friend, “It’d be suicide to continue the War. Your people have to know that.”

“It’d be suicide not to do anything either,” Tali replied sadly, which caused her Commander to raise a brow. She explained,  “Our ships are ancient, Shepard. There’s only so much you can do without a complete overhaul before a ship breaks apart… Our experts estimate we have at most a decade left before we run out of ways to repair the Liveships. We’re doomed to a slow death.”

“All because the Citadel Council couldn’t be assed to help you two centuries ago,” Shepard murmured, while the Generals, Clones and Fred stared on, dumbfound. Garrus had remained terribly quiet throughout the exchanges here, simply guarding the rear with the others as he listened to the conversation.

“How come?” Ahsoka asked.

Tali sighed deeply, then said, “When the Geth gained sentience, about two centuries ago, aside from our fears, the Council helped stoke the flames. A lot of voices in the Quarian communities at the time were apparently fairly vocal about at least allowing the Geth to speak their peace, to live. Certainly, the ones who wanted us to destroy the Geth were a lot more vocal. The Council supported them… And when we lost the War, they left us to die. Not even a little bit of help in recolonizing or finding another home suitable for us. They just declared us persoane non grata.”

“Force,” Anakin mumbled, crossing his arms, “Leaving an entire species to die,” and he sighed deeply, “I’m gonna send a message to Senator Chuchi to ask about this at the next meeting with the Citadel Council. Otherwise, we should probably keep moving,” before showing Fred to take lead again. He and Ahsoka stayed behind with the Clones, covering the rear.

Shepard, meanwhile, walked with Tali and said, “Thanks for reminding me about that… I’d forgotten I read it in the Codex entry you gave me back during the hunt for Saren,” as she checked her rifle. Tali nodded, visibly smiling behind her mask, but with sadness gleaming in her eyes. Shepard said to her, “Hey, relax… I’m sure everything’ll be alright.”

“... I found other items I sent, Shepard,” Tali whispered, “And I’m worried. All of the Geth technology I sent to father and to Admiral Xen was deactivated and disassembled. Unless they outright ordered their reassembly… There’s something else at play here. And it feels too much like those Cylon combat units we met, or something like them, might be at fault.”

“All of them were transferred to the Waystation when we docked there,” Shepard offered as they walked. Tali nodded, but shifted uneasily, while the Commander hummed. She lifted her Omni-Tool up and looked over the details of the Signal that had apparently been broadcasting across the Fleet from the Alarei.

Cortana appeared on the holo-screen next to the soundwave mixer, to which Shepard blanked. The AI spoke, “Don’t worry, Commander. We’re on a secure channel and I made sure the rest of the squad can hear me,” as she checked over the data. She said, “... I think the Signal we’re reading from the old girl is a beacon of some kind. It’s transmitting in Subspace and FTL frequencies.”

“You mean it’s pointing the way here?” The Commander asked, stunned. 

Cortana nodded, “I already briefed the Chief and sent a message to the Galactica to go to Condition Two covertly and used their new com relay to piggyback a signal to the Waystation as well,” before she sighed and added, “I’m also working on breaking the Signal’s encryption, but if what little I found on it is anything to go by, it’s definitely a familiar one.”

“Keep us posted,” Shepard replied, “We’ll shut off the Signal if we find it.”

“Roger. Call for backup if you need it, ma’am. Sergeant Johnson and a platoon of Colonial Marines are ready to kick the door down…”

“Keep them ready just in case whatever threat this signal’s for materializes,” Shepard ordered, the paused as another noise echoed from up ahead. She whispered, “Talk later, Cortana…” and shut the com off. She pushed up to Fred and Garrus, then said to Garrus, “Looks like we might have some friends coming in…”

“We heard,” Garrus stated, then joked, “Damn shame. Didn’t get to roll out the red carpet yet.”

Fred replied, “Not much of a carpet to roll out when the Nukes start flying,” while they turned another corner, finding a few more bodies, finally. A security detail, blood spatters painting the walls, bullet and plasma scoring blanketing the panels and a flickering recessed light that had been hit by stray rounds illuminating torn wires and sparking conduits.

A barricade lay ahead, between them and the other side of the corridor. As if they tried holding something off from reaching this part of the ship. Shepard sighed deeply, noting the the corpses had bullet holes drilled into them as well. She knelt beside one of them and ran a finger over the wound, mumbling, “Science staff, too…”

“Com room is not far from here,” Tali stated quietly. She lowered her shotgun and looked past the barricade. Coolant pools that had long dried lay on the other side, with her noting, “Looks like something woke up… What have you been doing, father?” only for the entire team to pause as another sensor ghost appeared, followed by a thump in the sealed room to their right.

Shepard said, “Tali… Unlock it. Everyone else, be ready,” and she loaded warp ammo into her rifle. The others soon prepared, the two generals brandishing their Lightsabers while the Clones formed a perimeter, Jesse, Fives and Bold aiming their weapons at the door. Tali nodded, moving up to the door and starting work on its lock.

Garrus kept his eyes down the corridor, past the barricade. He saw movement in the shadows and said, “Got movement on this side…” watching Shepard switch over. Bold also did, hefting his Z6 and placing it onto the barricade for support. Tali’s hands danced over the holo-lock, haptic feedback coursing through her own Omni-Tool as she worked through the bypass.

A few distant footsteps echoed, followed by a rapid, thundering clap against the steel. The troopers prepared their weapons, grips tightening. Fred swiveled about and aimed his own rifle down-range while Tali worked. When the lock finally turned green and the door cracked open, they were greeted by the twin barrels of a Carnifex pistol.

The Security guard, one of Daro’Xen’s personal detachment, gasped, whispering, “Tali?” and lowering her pistol, then called out, “Move! Inside!” in a whisper. The team filed in as the thundering steps drew closer. When the last Clone and the Generals had entered, she slammed a button and shut the door again, before leaning against the wall to the side and listening.

Footsteps thundered past the door, growing close, then ever-more distant. The guard sighed in relief, her suit’s speakers crackling, then she looked at the team and said, “Hell of a time you chose to come for a visit, Tali’Zorah nar Rayya,” as she holstered her pistol. She doubled over, however, when she saw the team she’d brought in and said, “... Okay… Maybe it’s good you came.”

“Zeeva,” Tali spoke, stunned, “You’re alive… Keelah…”

“Luckily for us, we are,” She replied as she stowed her pistol, “Though one of us isn’t doing too well,” and she motioned to someone laying on the floor beside a box full of medical supplies. Tali audibly gasped, then ran over to the figure. Zeeva turned her head toward Shepard and said, “So, you’re Commander Samantha Shepard… A pleasure.”

Shepard smiled and shook her hand, then said, “I’m just glad there’s survivors that can tell us what the hell’s happening here…” only to turn to the man that lay wounded on the floor. She blinked, walked over to him and, with a hint of surprise in her voice, she asked, “Are you Admiral Rael’Zorah, sir…?” to which he gazed up at her.

“... Commander Shepard,” His voice sounded mirthful, “My dear Tali, you didn’t tell me this is the backup you brought…”

“Heh,” Tali scratched the back of her neck, “I only bring the best, dad…”

“Good to finally meet you, Commander,” He spoke, though his voice was also extremely weak. He extended a shaky hand to the woman, which she shook, before he told her, “Damned shame it’s under such circumstances… Had we known what that Probe would do, I would have jettisoned it with the Cargo from Haestrom…”

“Probe?” Shepard asked, “What Probe, sir?”

“... One belonging to the ones calling themselves ‘Cylon’, Shepard…” The man replied weakly, “They’re on the move. You need to get to the Bridge. Disable it before it’s too late…” and he coughed, a faint spatter of blood staining his mask. Shepard grit her teeth, activated her medigel dispensers and started tending to the man’s injuries.

… Cortana was right…

The Citadel

“I’m just saying,” Bailey stated as he donned an armor vest and packed ammunition into the pouches, “An interrogator should never call their target ‘patient,” and he slid his heavy pistol into its holster, letting it fold up. He crossed his arms as he saw Fox and his Corries ready their blasters, to which the man shrugged.

The Commander then told him, “It got us the results we needed and the warrant for Gron’s arrest…” before he holstered his blaster pistols and picked up a DC-15 carbine, slamming the charge pack home into its housing. Bailey rolled his eyes, mumbling something about procedures and laws when it came to prisoners.

Thankfully, it seemed as though their prisoner was physically unharmed, so that meant the ONI agent had really done her in mentally. The group looked at the Prisoner as she was being dragged away by the arms toward a medical transport after the interrogation. Both men made a mental note to not annoy ONI any more than they would each-other, too.

As they boarded a C-SEC Dropship, Fox said, “Overwatch reported he’s got a few extra bodyguards up ever since we took her out of the picture,” as he sat down. The C-SEC, namely Turian and Human officers, prepared their guns and one of them even hit his armor with his balled fist to make sure it’d hold. 

Bailey activated the kinetic barrier attached to his vest and said, “Took down more than a few goons in my stint here. Let’s make sure we get’em and the codes for that Cargo,” before picking up an assault rifle. He also ordered, “Additional objective is taking the bastard alive for interrogation. Keep your guns set to stun when we breach his room.”

“Rog,” The commander said, setting his right pistol to stun mode. Bailey slammed his fist twice into the wall behind them. The blue C-SEC Kodiak’s doors sealed, as did the doors of the LAAT Gunships escorting them to the target. They all took off, powering through the traffic. The scarlet-colored Coruscant Guard dropships bore a dozen men each, armed to the teeth.

By the count of the Recon teams, the enemy had approximately forty mercenaries, all prepared for battle, while some sort of meeting was ongoing between him and another client. The suspected weapon shipment was also being moved, with one gunship detaching immediately to intercept it right at the next intersection.

As they approached ‘Helix Apartments’, the location where the meeting was taking place, Bailey and Fox exchanged a glance. Their plan was simple:Breach the penthouse with two full teams and take Gron before any support guards could come in and try and kill them. As the dropships gently moved up toward the LZ, the LAAT to their left prepared its forward-mounted laser cannons, just in case.

“ Enemy coms are jammed, ” The co-pilot of the LAAT reported, “ Bulldozer Two to Overwatch One, clear the area. We’re coming in hard, ” to which the affirmative reply of the recon crews echoed over the com. Both Commanders could see the gathered crews of C-SEC down below, at the base of the tower, lights flashing. 

C-SEC secured all exits and alternate routes while Bailey, Fox and their team breached the top floor. Easy enough, one would think. Until they realized that the enemy had an entire platoon of Eclipse Mercs ready for battle in there. Then, it became dangerous, but possibly fun for a group of soldiers like the Coruscanti Guard, who had only seen action once in their War so far.

As the vehicles swung for the highest point in the area of operations, the Mercs on the outside spotted them. Before the three guarding the LZ could react, the laser cannons of the gunship lit them up, bolts of high-yield emerald fire tearing them to shreds. They touched down, doors sliding apart and disgorging their troops.

The rooftop had one skylight giving them visibility right in the hall and living area. The Mercs inside, though momentarily stunned by the thunder of gunfire and laser cannons above, were professionals. Most seemed to be Asari Commandos that had left the service, considering they’d taken defensive positions. Two snipers even had the skylight covered.

Fox turned to the gunship and showed it to take off and go down a level. The pilot and co-pilot snapped salutes and lifted off as the teams prepared to breach, keeping themselves out of the sight of the Snipers. Bailey looked at him and said, “So, how do we do this? Rappel or kick the door to the roof access stairwell?”

“Stair’s probably booby trapped,” The man stated as he readied his DC-15. He checked a timer on his com and primed a thermal detonator, stating, “We go in via Skylight as soon as the gunship hits those Snipers and pins the others down…” before he attached his rappelling cable to the side and handed a bit of the rope to Bailey.

The man nodded, clipping the cable to his belt and readying his rifle. Down below, the Gunship dipped down and stunned the guards inside, the co-pilot stating, “Targets in sight…” and switching on his helmet guidance for the laser cannons. He grinned and, as soon as Fox gave the green light, he squeezed the trigger.

Rapid-fire bolts of green struck through the glass separating the inner areas of the apartment from the cold outer area of the wards. The two Snipers, blindsided by the sudden strike and blinded by the shattering glass, were cut down by the volley. The other Mercs took cover, several attempting to return fire.

Rounds sparked as they deflected off of the canopy, parts of the glass cracking. The co-pilot followed the shots and let rip a full volley, watching the heat indicators and their gas/ammo levels as he fired. Bolts tore through the kitchen counters, the sofas and even parts of the false walls separating the rooms. 

Fox spoke over com, “ Bulldozer Two, this is Actual. Cease fire. We’re breaching ,”  as the glass of the skylight broke, raining down upon three Merc biotics trying to land a few biotic ‘artillery’ hits on them. Blue bolts rained down alongside the bullets of C-SEC troops as the crews roped down onto the living room.

Fox turned to them and gave them a quick nod as the rest of the team dropped in and formed a perimeter. He then gave a chop of the hand, lifted his index and did a spinning motion. The gunship pilots nodded and the red-clad craft dipped down to below street level to make sure the enemy wouldn’t try to use some sort of service tunnel or scaffold.

Fox and Bailey, meanwhile, pushed in together with their teams. Rifle fire began to ring out, a Clone taking a shotgun blast to the chest that caused him to stagger. His brothers immediately returned fire, two of them pelting the shotgunner with blaster bolts to the point her entire chest plate had burning-hot holes drilled into it.

The two officers coordinated, one taking the left while the other took the right. Bailey and his team pushed up to the left specifically, firing their rifles as they advanced to suppress the Mercenary force. Bailey and one of his Turian pals focused down on a Mercenary with a Mattock, slugs ripping through the woman’s chest the moment her barriers fell.

Bailey himself staggered, then fell over when two shotgun blasts hit him point-blank and deactivated his barriers. Lucky for him, however, Fox drew his left-hand sidearm and put two bolts into the Shotgunner before she could finish the job. He gave a nod to Bailey, who simply gave a thumbs up and groaned as he was helped to his feet. He mumbled, “Getting too old for this crap…”

The two teams continued to push deeper into the place, bullets scraping the walls and blue bolts striking armor and heads. Before long, the two professional squads moved up toward the master bedroom, where Gron had holed up. Forming up beside the main door, each squad taking a side, Bailey activated his Omni-Tool’s override system.

The lock began to crackle, fizzle and turn orange. Bailey then raised three fingers, with Fox holstering his carbine and drawing the pistol on his right. He made sure it was set to stun and, as the last finger came down and the door slid open, the squads breached. One clone’s rifle barked twice and Gron’s other bodyguard took two blasts to the chest, dropping dead on the bed.

Gron himself scrambled to grab a rifle off the ground, but Fox was quicker on the draw. His pistol squeaked and the ring-shaped stun shot struck the man, his muscles visibly locking up as he dropped to the floor and through a glass table, shattering it. Bailey winced, to which Fox said, “That’s gonna hurt in the morning…” before turning his com on and stating, “Bulldozer Actual to all teams. HVI in custody. Prepare exfil. Bulldozer Three, status on the Cargo?”

“ ... Was about to call you, sir !” The Clone pilot replied, his voice filled with annoyance, “ We lost it ! Bastards had the kriffin’ boxes on the back of a Cargo platform with three cars as escorts ! They dived all the way down to the Lower Wards and we lost the Crates’ signal down there ! Orders ?”  sounding as if he expected Fox to order them to go into the Lower Wards alone.

“Return to base,” Fox ordered instead, “We’ll regroup, interrogate Gron and recover the Crates later.”

“ Copy that, sir… Bulldozer Three, RTB …” He almost sounded disappointed. The two officers of the group then looked to one-another and rallied their teams. A pair of Corries grabbed Gron by the arms and dragged him out while he groaned, making sure they slipped the cuffs on him as they moved. At least their main objective was accomplished.

Chapter Text

“What the hell was a Cylon beacon doing all the way out here?” Shepard asked as she helped tend to Rael, “And how are either of you still alive after that?” before her gaze locked onto the Security detail. The guard herself sighed and pulled up her omni-tool, revealing helmet camera recordings showing that, the moment the Beacon activated, all of the half-assembled Geth technology had come alive with it.

Weirdly enough, however, as the footage played, revealing the Beacon and its location, a door on the alien device cracked open and something moved through the mist and confusion of a combat area. A cloaked infiltrator unit. It started cutting down the reassembled Geth for some reason, the only thing telling this being the disappearance of some of the less-equipped Geth units.

Tali stared, stunned, “They fought each-other…?”

“That’s odd,” Garrus replied as he shifted his rifle forward, “The Geth and Cylon we met were buddy buddy, modified by Reaper Tech… There’s something off about this unit, though,” then he hit pause and pointed, “Look. Its camo never goes offline. I’m guessing they removed anything extraneous and the power-pack lets it keep the camo up,” before watching a Quarian guard, who was exchanging fire with a Geth platform, disappear behind a table. A bloody smear then painted the wall behind said table.

“You think they pulled its IFF?” Fred inquired as he looked at Rael. The man shook his head, before coughing. Tali went back to her father and checked on him, while Fred stated, “Ma’am, we should call the Galactica and Evac. IF that thing’s got Active Camo, we’ll have a hard time spotting it, especially in the dark and without an EM weapon…” and he paused, his voice slightly lowering.

Anakin asked, “You got an idea, Spartan?”

He pulled a plasma grenade off his belt and lifted it to show it, to which Ahsoka chuckled, “Man, am I glad you guys keep those around. Not to mention the Blasters’ stun function,” and she looked at her Clones before she paused, turning her head toward one of the doors at the same time as Fred and Anakin. The entire room suddenly grew ten degrees colder and was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop.

The quiet thumping that both of them must’ve heard grew slightly louder, followed by the whine of what must’ve been a damaged antigravity engine. The two Knights of the Republic kept their hands on the hilts of their Lightsabers, while Fred followed the moving threats with his rifle, his Motion Tracker probably pinging them as hostile.

Rael covered his helmet’s mouthpiece, trying to shut off his external speakers as he struggled to keep his coughs down, while Tali’s hand hovered over her pistol, gaze locked on the door. Moments later, a much louder thump echoed, followed by the ripple-fire of a Geth plasma rifle and a blood-curdling digital scream.

Then, it all got quiet again. Fred’s Motion Tracker showed clear, but the Spartan didn’t dare lower his rifle. Shepard, now stiff as a rock, gloves creasing against her rifle’s form, whispered, “What the fuck was that…?” while Tali sat there, too afraid to speak. The two Force Users exchanged another glance, only to pause as they saw Fred approach the door.

He told Tali, “Get your father farther back…” before he made sure his weapon was off safe and that a round was in the chamber. He walked up to the door and hit the floating haptic lock, watching as it began to turn. He heard the internal mechanisms of the door shift, before it cracked open and slid upward. The Spartan moved out, pieing both sides of the Hallway.

He was met by stains of coolant on the walls and floor, dripping from deep claw marks that more-so resembled those of a very, very agitated animal than those of a machine. The Geth’s corpses lay past, in the flickering hallway, splayed out across the area. The only thing that survived whatever had just hit them was the Drone.

It hovered impotently toward Fred, weapon destroyed or disassembled by the locals, then scanned him. As the others filed out into the hallway to provide cover, the Drone slowly sputtered forward, losing altitude with each half-meter travelled, before it landed in Fred’s hand. It chirped at him, the damage on its outer body visible, before his HUD flickered for a moment.

It was trying to get into his suit, but the firewalls and various defenses Cortana must have inadvertently set up for all of Blue Team during her long life as their team AI and John’s long-time companion were keeping it out. Tali lifted her shotgun and said, “Let’s just put this thing out of its misery, get dad off this ship and blow it up.”

Fred watched a stream of data appear on his HUD next, then said, “Give it a second…” and waited. He allowed limited access to the Drone, feeling the faint traces of the datastream through his Neural Lace. He paused, watching information on the beacon appear, including the fact it was basically a drop/insertion pod.

He said, “The Drone… It’s sending me information on the beacon,” as he watched it all. It was in Geth or Old Quarian for the most part, but his helmet’s systems, updated with translation software similar to what Shepard and the others had in their Omni-Tools not too long after their arrival in this version of the Milky Way, began translating it. Noticing the concern in the others’ gazes, Tali especially, he told them, “It was a trap, alright… Guess the Cylon didn’t expect it to be so successful though.”

“Successful? The damn thing’s slaughtering its supposed friends,” Rael countered, though his voice was weak. Anakin helped him to his feet, with his sole remaining bodyguard coming in to help support the man. 

“It’s aboard your fleet and transmitting, sir,” Fred replied, then added, “The inner pod is armored, too. Blasting the Alarei to pieces might mean it survives, even if by random chance. We need to hit it up close if we wanna destroy it,” and he looked at the Drone, “And this little thing seems to know that. Probably doesn’t want the rest of its buddies in the Consensus to be destroyed or subsumed.”

“You were the first one to suggest we leave, Fred,” Shepard spoke as she walked forward, “This new info changed it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” The Spartan replied. He activated his own transmitters and started sending the data to the others, allowing them to see what he was seeing. Meanwhile, the drone chirped. It sounded uneasy. As they received the information the drone was transmitting, Tali stared at it for a moment. It was an enemy drone.

“How can we trust it?” Garrus asked, motioning to the little guy.

Fred shrugged, “It’s the best source of information we have outside of the mainframe of the ship,” before looking at Tali and stating, “We have your father and an officer here who can vouch for you at your Trial. If we wanna risk leaving the Pod whole, we can leave now with them and the intel they have. Otherwise-”

“Wait… Trial,” Rael asked, “Did they actually…?” and he looked at his daughter. She nodded, averting her gaze, to which her father let out an exasperated sigh, murmuring, “I’m going to have to talk to Daro’Xen about this…” then he began coughing again. How bad were his injuries, nobody really knew. He had, however, presumably caught an infection of some kind.

“General,” Shepard looked at Anakin, “Let’s divvy up. One of us takes a few of the Clones and Admiral Zorah back to the hangar and keeps him safe there. The others move in, destroy the Beacon and try to kill the Reaper Cylon before it manages to get off this bucket,” to which Anakin nodded. It was a decent plan, if a bit worrying. The damn thing couldn’ take out everyone at once, at least.

“We’ll get him there… Force Heal might actually help keep him stable,” The man replied, “I’ll try and rejoin once he’s stable. Fives and the boys can handle security,” and he heard the clicks of the boys’ boots behind him. He smiled, to which Shepard herself approved with a thumbs-up. She rallied her half of the team and they prepped to move.

Zara stepped forward and said, “As much as I’d like to hang back, ma’am, that thing killed my people. I’ll be tagging in with you and taking you straight to the beacon so we can disable it…” before checking her pistol. Garrus, Tali, Fred and the Clones exchanged glances, then nodded, before the teams bid quick goodbyes and began moving.

Marching down the corridors, they found flickering lights and battle damage, with blood smears, bullet holes and claw marks every few feet and the corpses of dead Quarians. It was honestly disheartening, but at least they knew what the hell they were dealing with. The team also realized that small drone that Fred had ‘talked to’ was with them.

For the time being, all they found was corpses. Geth ones, too, farther down the road. With the small Drone chirping at each corpse, trying to see if it would move. Much to its chagrin, presumably, none ever awoke. The battle damage mixed in with the disassembled parts from the machines. Some were missing eye panels, others, the articulated ‘jaws’ beside the central, glowing eye. Others missed arms and legs.

The Drones missed weapons for the most part, though that was understandable. Even their newly-acquired little guard buddy hovered without a weapon attached to its undercarriage and some smaller panels taken off. Tali herself commented, “I don’t feel good about having a Geth drone with us… What if it’s guiding that thing after us?”

“It got enough of a scan off the beacon to tell us how to deal with it,” Fred replied, looking at her. She looked up at him, then sighed and nodded, with him stating, “Trust me, then, not it. Or them, I guess…” and shrugging. He didn’t really know how to refer to the Drone, considering the Geth were apparently a Consensus. A mass of programs forming self-learning algorithms.

He paused as a warning flashed on his HUD, raised his balled fist and turned as the Drone chirped loudly, before moving behind him. The Spartan swiveled about, aimed his rifle and, once more, the entire group went quiet. Distant thumping filled their ears, with the entire team preparing their weapons, the Clones switching the weapons to fire stun rounds.

The machine, whatever it was, drew closer. The warnings in Fred’s helmet blared a little louder, to the point he muted them and showed the Drone to be quiet. The thumps reverberated across the hull of the ship, causing the walls to creak alongside the Hull. The hull of the ship itself didn’t sound like it was doing much better than the interiors…

A faint gravitational shift. The vessel was trying to move. They heard a light groan as its engines were trying to start, with Tali even remarking, “Sounds like the Beacon’s trying to start the engines,” in a whisper. She brought up her Omni-Tool and connected to the network while the others took cover, Fred shielding her with his own body.

The Drone beside him chirped again, its single optical sensor locked onto the ceiling. The Spartan showed everyone to wait, aimed up, then quickly flicked the rifle’s firing mode to fully automatic again, peering through his own scope. The Drone provided a feed of the optical sensors picking up the ‘movement’ in the form of the noise of its feet touching the metal.

He whispered, “Be ready to shoot stun rounds,” To the Clones over the com. Shepard gave him a tap on the shoulder to confirm they were ready. They all knew the damn thing was tracking them, so everyone prepped their weapons, with Ahsoka herself brandishing the hilts, but not activating the Lightsabers just yet.

The Spartan gave a countdown by lifting his left hand off his rifle and lifting three fingers. He slowly counted down, listening with his enhanced hearing as the machine moved overhead, slowly moving closer and closer while the Drone began to ‘panic’ in a way, shifting left and right. The second finger dropped and their fingers wrapped around their triggers, the Clones keeping steady, with Jesse mumbling, “This is gonna go well…” 

When the last finger dropped, Fred quickly put his hand on the forward handguard and squeezed the trigger. A burst of high-caliber rounds ripped through the thin layer separating them from the machine and the audible scream of the monster filled the hallway, a blood-curdling, terrifyingly loud machine cry… It ripped through the ceiling, pipes spewing steam out, glass shattering as recessed LEDs broke.

The Spartan tried to keep his gun on target, watching the flickering camouflage as the bullets struck whatever armor plating the massive Cylon had. The Clones followed up, shifting and firing their blasters. Azure flashes of light punched through the steam, arcing electricity striking the seeming frame of the monster. It hissed at them and a burst of automatic fire left one of its arm-mounted machine guns, striking one of the Clones and puncturing the armor, thus forcing them to cease fire.

What few glimpses of it Fred had caught didn’t paint a pretty picture. It was larger than the previous ones and more well armored, but it lacked the jump capabilities of the previous three that were encountered on Tuchanka. Either the Drive was too expensive to mount for this new Cylon, or this was just a testbed unit.

… He also saw that glowing ‘V’-shaped eye. Turning around, he asked, “Everyone alive?”

The clone that got shot, Sharpy, groaned and said, “Wish I wasn’t, sir,” as Fred walked up to him. It seemed as though the burst had hit a bit more than just the Clone, though. Turning his head right, Fred also saw a shattered Quarian mask and a collapsed form. He quickly checked to see who it was, soon PIDing her as Zara, then saw Tali beside her, eyes wide.

He sighed deeply, then gently placed a hand on Tali’s shoulder, causing the girl to look up at him. She seemed to take a moment to process it, then shook her head and breathed out shakily, lifting her shotgun and racking the pump. She said, “We must’ve pissed it off…” before standing up and gently closing Zara’s eyes. 

Fred nodded, then walked over to help Sharpy, offering him a hand and stating, “It looks worse than it is,” as he saw the wound. It was a gut shot, but the armor plate had taken most of the impact, relatively speaking. He was still bleeding, but it wasn’t bad. The Clone laughed, hunched over and mumbled something, only to pause as Fred pulled a medical device off his belt and said, “Biofoam. Stick the nozzle in the wound, it’ll patch you up until we get home.”

“Sir,” The Clone nodded, gently taking the tube and doing as asked. He lifted his blaster, then looked at the General, who had ignited her lightsaber but never got to use it. Meanwhile, she looked at Shepard and saw the Commander immediately give the order to move out. They needed to destroy that thing, whatever it was and the best way to do that was threaten its little deployment pod, which was assumed to be like its home.

Shepard inquired, “Think the Drone can get us there?” as she prepped her rifle.

“It and Tali,” The Spartan offered. Tali herself gave her approval, getting a fist bump against her shoulder from Garrus. The two old friends bumped fists next, then the advance began again. Passing by destroyed Geth and the corpses of Quarians, the team soon ran into their first contact with actual Geth, pausing just enough for the first of them to swivel about and fire a burst of plasma.

The rounds zipped through and struck Fred’s armor, but the Spartan was quick, destroying the leading of the Geth with a rifle shot clean through the central optic. The second and third Geth moved up, one of them being a heavily disassembled prime with all internals visible. That one fell to Shepard, Garrus and Tali to take out. They did, pelting it with enough rounds from their rifles to tear clean through the kinetic barrier and spray its coolant across the wall behind it.

Following up, Ahsoka outstretched her arm, then pulled it back, bringing forth the last Geth and slicing it in half. As the corpse dropped, the team punched through toward the target area, lead by Tali and the Drone. It began to chirp again, flashing warnings across the squad’s tools, com systems and HUDs about the hostile. It turned around and started trying to paint the target for Fred.

He swiveled about and fired, catching the target dead in the chest. The round actually pierced through the armor, but did no damage at first aside from causing the camouflage to ripple, revealing the much thicker frame of the machine, including its strange new, almost humanoid face, eyes replaced by the V visor. Fred saw faint movement as its arm extended and the guns shifted into position.

He grabbed Tali by the arm and pulled her back as the rapid-fire burst rang through, striking ceiling lights and the walls. The clones, now wisened up to the enemy, swiveled about and fired toward it, forcing it into cover as its camouflage flickered and almost died under the EM rounds. It skittered away again, audibly screeching in pain.

The group turned a corner, Ahsoka asking, “We going the right way, Tali!?”

“Yes!” The girl replied as she loaded a fresh thermal clip into her shotgun and racked the pump. As they crossed past another T-intersection, the girl lifted her shotgun and fired a blast toward the right, catching the enemy unit with a few stray ‘pellets’. She spoke, “It’s following us! Must’ve figured out we’re trying to take its home out!”

“Means we’re doing something right!” Shepard commented, only to hear the little drone chirp affirmatively at her. She chuckled and, at the next intersection, she fired her rifle toward where the monster was supposed to be coming from. Three shots, two of which went wide and struck the wall behind it. Another hit its armor plate, to which it returned fire. The shots struck Shepard’s kinetic barriers, depleting them.

The clones fired stun rounds at it again, a firing line. Electrical currents arced off the walls and caused its cloak to falter again, before Jesse switched his pistols to standard blasters and let loose a volley  of bolts. The rounds drilled through the armor plate, destroying part of the active camouflage panels. He called out, “Alright, it’s suppressed!” as Fred moved up and fired, too.

Bullets zipped past their heads as they moved through the door at the end of the corridor, with Tali and the Drone instantly shutting and locking it behind them. She said, “That should keep it aw-” before blanking as its claws dug through the reinforced steel with little issue and started peeling it open. Its strange humanoid ‘mouth’ opened, screaming again, a reverberating, altered human voice.

Shepard put the barrel of her rifle into the hole and fired, staggering the machine and forcing it back. They ran across the room they were in, seeing dozens more corpses piled around them, both Geth and Quarian, on operating tables or just dead on the floor, blood smears painting the walls scarlet. They punched through to the ship’s center, closing another door behind them.

Finally entering their target room, they saw it:The Probe. It was pulsating, transmitting still, connected to a multitude of wires that were trying to track the signal. Tali said, “I’ll start working to disable it if you can cover me, Shepard,” only to see her Commander give a thumbs up. The group heard the thumping of the monster’s hands slamming against the door, before claws began to dig through the plate. 

… Then it stopped… 

And the lights in the place went dark. Shepard barked, “Bastard just took out our sightlines!” as she turned on her flashlight. The Spartan turned on his VISR, while Ahsoka and the Clones activated helmet-mounted flashlights and turned to face the door again, weapons ready. The drone beside Fred hovered, trying to light the place and pinpoint the target.

The enemy began clawing at the door. The entire force began laying down hellfire the moment the first ray of light poked through, while Tali called out, “I’m gonna need help setting up a bomb!” before pausing. Shepard barked a cease-fire order, noting that they’d drilled clean through the door at this point. Yet, there was no corpse.

The Drone began to whine and chirp, audibly worried as it gazed up. It displayed the machine’s muffled steps above and Fred didn’t even hesitate. He primed and stuck a plasma grenade to the wall just in front of where the monster would be, took a step back and let the grenade detonate, boiling away the creature’s ‘floor’ from under it.

… It pounced from the fire, camouflage flickering, parts of its armor melting, and landed on top of Fred, cocking back its claw-armed right hand while screaming in anger at Fred. The others began to pelt it with Plasma bolts and bullets while the Spartan dodged the first strike, slammed his armored head against it, then drew his rifle to try and destroy it.

A blast from Tali’s shotgun staggered it and, behind it, a lightsaber ignited, before moving diagonally from its right hip to its left shoulder. Ahsoka, who was a second away from doing the same thing from the front, breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she watched the monster’s halves fall to the floor. Fred was quick to put two slugs into its head, before looking at Tali and giving a nod of thanks.

Anakin, who’d probably just caught up with them, stowed his lightsaber and said, “Tali’s father’s stable… Where’s the bodyguard, Zara?” while looking around. He paused as he saw Jesse shake his head, then sighed and said, “Well, that’s gonna hurt Rael a bit,” before clipping his lightsaber’s hilt to his belt.

Shepard said, “I’m surprised you didn’t see her body back there, sir…” then he looked over at the Geth drone as it seemed to chirp happily at the destruction of the alien machine. It then turned to face the beacon probe and scanned its internals, before hovering over to Tali to chirp at her a little. The girl waved the drone off, to which it let out a sad noise and returned to Fred. Shepard chuckled and asked, “Ya gonna keep that?”

“Thinking about it,” Fred replied. He saw Tali turn toward him, then said, “It helped us.”

“It’s Geth,” Tali replied in a mumble, then sighed deeply and said, “Fair enough, I guess…” before looking up at the pod. She said, “This thing is connected to the ship’s mainframe… It might have stored the Data we need. If you give me a second, I can download it before we blow it to pieces with a grenade.”

“Go ahead,” Shepard replied, “Might be useful in the Trial…”

Tali nodded, wordlessly activating her Omni-Tool to start downloading while also helping Fred set up a daisy-chain of explosives, with his second plasma grenade as its detonator. The rest of the team secured the area, making sure the Cylon creature was destroyed. They saw the blue-shining technology of the Reapers poking out of it and realized it was fairly close to a Husk… Terrifying if the Husks got upgrades now, too.

“Alright,” Tali spoke, “Downloaded… What the…?” and she paused. Shepard and the others gathered around, with Tali showing them what she found. Research logs detailing exactly what Rael and his team were doing here under Daro’Xen’s orders. The Geth technology Tali had been sending back to the Fleet was rather obviously deactivated and stripped of its intelligence cores, which had been sent separately for use in other experiments by the Intelligence Division.

Her father had, in direct opposition to rules set by the Conclave and Admiralty Board together, begun activating the machines to test out counter-intrusion and combat software on them. And, for the most part, they were succeeding in the experiments, with even a quote from Daro’Xen over com telling Rael, “ The end of our War with the Geth is coming, Rael. These ships don’t have many more generations left… It is now, or never. ”

Sighing, slightly disappointed, Tali said, “I heard rumors that they were preparing. There was a lot of scuttlebutt in the Flotilla about it, too, but…” and she looked at some of the disassembled Geth, plus the drone hovering near Fred, “I guess I sort of understand… I just wish I wasn't an accessory to what is a capital crime. This could have devolved to an extreme I don’t even want to think about.”

“And Admiral Xen ain’t exactly wrong about the ships, either, is she?” Jesse spoke, crossing his arms as he looked around, “They’re old. Couple centuries with basically patchwork maintenance means not a lot of life left in the Liveships like the Rayya without a complete overhaul at a Shipyard,” and he looked at Anakin.

“An overhaul we could provide with the help of the UNSC and Colonials,” Anakin nodded, though he seemed in thought. He was, honestly, mostly on how to get Tali off the hook without incriminating Rael. He was still her Father and they were only doing this to prepare for a War that the entire Fleet seemed to know was coming… He sighed. Tough decisions.

Ahsoka smiled, then saw Tali look up at them with surprise. She added, “Don’t worry, Tali. If there’s something I’ve learned about my old master over here, it’s that he’s gonna figure out a way to get that done…” which caused Anakin to crack a smile, too. Tali let out a sound of relief, then stood up and nodded. 

Shepard told them, “Alright, team. Pack it in,” as she, too, seemed to be trying to figure out what to do with this new information. As they moved out, Fred thumbed the activation button of the plasma grenade and thus the whole chain of explosives. They quickly hauled it out of the room, Drone included, before the explosives ripped apart the Beacon…

… The ship’s lights flickered for a moment as power fluctuated, Tali calling out, “Power surge! There’s…” and she blanked, “A transmission going out over the ship’s FTL Com system!” only for the vessel to be rocked by another power surge. When all had settled, the Com system went quiet and the team stood there, wondering what had just happened.

Meanwhile, in Deep Space nearby… A force stirred awake…

Chapter Text

On board the Galactica, Sharon Valerii, one of the Number Eights with a lot less desire to help the Cylon nowadays, sat in her room, feeling her belly as the baby kicked. She smiled a little, gently rubbing it and feeling the little half-human, half-Cylon hybrid baby inside moving. While she knew the Cylon would hunt her and the others to the ends of all Galaxies involved in this slight clusterfrak, she didn’t care. 

She smiled at another kick, giggled, then cooed, “You’re gonna be a fighter like your dad, aren’t you?” while wondering how the meeting with the Quarians was going. 

As long as her baby was born healthy, she would-a sharp pain stabbed at her brain, causing her to whine at the sudden, violent feeling of someone drilling her skull like it was some sort of botched lobotomy. She grabbed her head and hunched over, groaning in pain as she did so. A thousand voices dig their way into her mind like needles. Then, they spoke in unison.

TARGET ACQUIRED. INITIATE APPROACH. FLOTILLA SIZE:CONSIDERABLE. REINFORCEMENTS UNKNOWN, BUT IMPROBABLE. DETECTING SINGLE OLD FRAME, FAMILIAR. MODEL NUMBER EIGHT. STATUS:ROGUE. OBJECTIVE:ENGAGE FLEET, SUBSUME COMMAND OF PRESENT AUTOMATA, CONVERGE. DESTROY HOSTILE UNITS. RECOVER THE CHILD.

WE ARE AWARE OF YOU, SHARON VALERII . 

She could feel the all-seeing eye of this Beast, whatever they were, as she screamed. Not a moment later, the door slid open, a UNSC Corpsman attached to the Galactica rushed inside as he saw her collapse onto her bunk. As he knelt beside her, asking her, “Lieuteannt Valerii, what happened?!” she grabbed onto his collar and looked him in the eyes with such unbridled and visible fear , he waited to see what she had to say.

She strained, veins visibly bulging, eyes bloodshot as she begged him with a cracking voice, “... Get Commander Adama here, or warn him, now… Something evil this way comes… !”  to which the man nodded. He called out to the other soldiers present to go find the Commander, but stayed with Sharon to figure out what kind of painkillers he could administer.

She knew the usual Cylon psychic BS. This was not it. This was something much worse. Far more personal, yet far less a person like any of her or her siblings and cousins. No. This machine, this amalgamation, was a freak modification. A Creature born out of a thousand voices singing in one very, very angry choir.

They presented themselves to her, trying to probe her mind, to force her to do what she’d done before, maybe, or to join them. It wouldn’t work, she thought. Not while she still had her baby in her belly. Not while said baby was set to come out any day now and definitely not while Karl was still out there, fighting to keep them safe and earn them a place in this Galaxy.

As the soldier ran down the corridors, weapon held close, he already felt a weight on his back to warn everyone ahead of time. Cylons never acted like that before, the young man thought to himself, cradling his hand-me-down MA5. A few corridors of twists and turns later, he arrived at the CIC, opening the armored hatch and calling out, “Commander Adama, sir… Lieutenant Valerii’s given a warning.”

The Commander and Colonel exchanged looks of concern, before Adama asked, “Relay it, son.”

“She only said ‘something evil this way comes’, sir…” The Trooper replied as he walked forward, “She looked like she was having a bad time keeping whatever it was at bay…” to which the Commander visibly paused, eyes widening as he stared at the soldier. Colonel Tigh tensed visibly, grip tightening on the holotable in the middle of the CIC.

The Commander swiveled about on his feet and hit the PA system, calling out, “All crew, switch to Condition Two across the ship. Launch the second CAP and keep Alert Vipers on high readiness until the All-Clear is given,” then he turned to the trooper and said, “Take me to her,” as he checked to make sure his new fifty-cal sidearm was safely secured to his thigh holster.

He ordered, “Colonel, you have the conn,” to which Saul snapped a salute, turning toward the holographic table and waiting for the DRADIS systems and newly-installed UNSC-standard sensors to kick in at maximum power, filtering out all friendly contacts save their Combat Air Patrol, which marked a dozen craft.

When they arrived at the brig, Adama blanked as he saw Sharon grabbing onto her head, curled up and twitching while the UNSC Corpsman turned to face him. Pale and sweating, the young man said, “She’s fighting something, sir. I administered painkillers, but she keeps saying her headache’s getting worse…”

“Sharon,” Bill started as he took a knee in front of her, his voice firm, but letting through a hint of concern, “What’s going on?”

“ I… Don’t… Know… ” She whined.

He sighed, twitching a little as he saw her jump. He leaned forward, however, then gently set a hand on her shoulder and asked, “Is it the same as when you lost control and shot me?” only to get another loud whine, followed by a shake of the head. That was concerning, but at the very least it meant he wasn’t gonna wind up getting shot by a larger-caliber pistol she stole… Hopefully. He asked her again, “What is it?”

The girl, though she trembled like a wet pup in a rainstorm, looked up at him with tears in her eyes, whispering, “ I don’t know, sir… It hurts ! It’s so frakking loud, too, like nails on a chalkboard ! It’s talking to me- !” and she yelped, grabbing her head again as she curled up in a fetal position. Bill grit his teeth and sighed, seeing instead of the same woman who’d put several slugs in his chest, the young girl he’d gotten as a pilot for his Raptors. Just Boomer…

He helped lift her onto her bed, gently setting her down and saying, “Keep fighting it, Boomer. We’ll get you something stronger for the pain and deal with whatever it is when it comes,” before he stood up and walked over to the PA system, selecting the connection directly to the bridge and ordering, “Coms, send an FTL transmission to the Waystation. Priority one request for reinforcements… Whatever’s coming, it’s got Sharon extremely spooked. Warn the Quarians while you’re at it…

Aboard the Rayya

Shepard couldn’t help but feel glad they were off that ship at this point as she strode off the shuttle back onto the hangar of the Liveship. Though with that in mind, she saw the Quarians staring at them with wide eyes. Many where whispering to each-other, while Kal’Reegar seemed to be relieved, stating, “Good to see you, Commander. Generals.”

“Kal,” Tali started, “... We’ve got the data and my father,” and she seemed hesitant, looking around at the others. Shepard put a hand on her shoulder while Anakin, Fred and Ahsoka noticed how everyone was staring at them. Rael sighed deeply, feeling his hip. When Kal saw the extent of the injuries, he called up a medical team to tend to him and showed them to follow.

Anakin observed, “Everyone seems surprised to see us…”

“Because they thought you were dead,” Kal shrugged, “Hell, they were about to declare Tali posthumously absolved of all crimes for whatever damned reason. President Roslin has been trying to keep them from making a hasty judgement, said we should give you all at least another hour… They’ve been forced to listen with the Chief present, too.”

“Sounds like none of our buddies wanted to leave us for dead,” Shepard mumbled, her voice a little low. They were probably going to try and absolve her in absentia specifically because they wanted the information on the prep for the Geth War to remain hidden. If she survived, they’d bribe her by saying she was free. IF not, well…

And it seemed as though General Skywalker thought much the same, going by his sudden change to a stone-cold facial expression. Ahsoka beside him, feeling how familiar this was, said nothing while the Clones and Garrus hanged back, weapons at the ready just in case this got worse. As they approached the Atrium, however, the protestations of the madame president could be heard “... They must have lived! The signal stopped and the Alarei is still intact, is it not?” while Karl sat beside her, arms crossed. Johnson and Blue Team were not far behind.

The Spartan added calmly, “Sir, with all due respect, Fred’s signal is still present-” only to stop as he must’ve heard them. All of Blue Team had, in fact, stopped, surprising Roslin, Johnson and the others and causing them to turn and face them. 

“Madam president. Master Chief…” Zaal’Koris replied, partially faking, partially actually saddened by the possible loss of Tali and the others, “Please, we understand your apprehension to declare the Commander, Lieutenant and Tali gone, but-” before stopping as he heard the footsteps. Kal’Reegar hid a grin behind his helmet, while Roslin gasped and smiled as she saw them walk in. “Commander, Tali… Rael!?”

The entire room stood to their feet, stunned. Rael greeted, “Zaal,” as he held onto his side. He said to the man,  “You look like you’ve seen better days, old friend,” as a joke. A few quiet, nervous laughs filled the halls, while the other Admirals stared. Daro seemed surprised, but happy about the fact her friend had survived, while Han’Gerrel was certainly dumbfound at seeing the man alive.

“Apologies if we were interrupting the discussion about our deaths, ladies and Gentlemen,” Shepard spoke rather bluntly as she walked toward the stand. She offered, “We’ve got the evidence you asked for and just about everything else we need,” before crossing her arms to her chest. Tali and Rael exchanged a glance, then looked over at Anakin.

“... Certainly,” Daro spoke. Shala, though happy to see Rael, nodded and allowed the Trial to continue. 

The Admiral of the light fleet spoke calmly, “As the defendant and her Captain have returned, the Trial may now proceed with the showing of evidence gathered and testimonies from the Witnesses of the event,” before looking at Rael and mouthing an apology. The man waved it off, nodding in understanding to her.

Shepard noticed this and the worry behind Tali’s mask. Worry only slightly assuaged by Fred gently laying a hand on her shoulder. She sighed deeply, then finally locked eyes with Anakin. He showed her to speak first while he thought about what he wanted to say, to which she gave her approval. She turned to face the leadership and said, “I’m afraid that won’t be happening. Admiral Rael’Zorah requires medical assistance.”

“Commander-” Rael started, but he shut up the moment he got a glare from Shepard.

As people began to gasp and protest and speak in surprise, Shepard told them, “This entire trial is a kangaroo court, a sham built on some sort of lies all of you are trying to put up. You’d have had us buried with the Alarei if it wasn’t for President Roslin and the Chief keeping you guys in tow. As for Tali? What more evidence do you need beside her Service Record during her Pilgrimage? She’s saved the Citadel and you from the god-damn Geth more than once. She’s served for the past two years since her return as one of your finest. I don’t know what kind of political game you’re trying to play, but it stops here.”

“Commander!” Han’Gerrel slammed his fist into the table ahead, “We’re looking out for the safety of our entire fleet here! What happened on that vessel nearly jeopardized the safety of this entire fleet and the tens of millions aboard it!” then he motioned to the crowds around them, all chatting and worried. Even the staff of President Roslin seemed concerned.

Anakin stepped up, finally ready, as it seemed, to speak. He requested, “Mind if I speak for a little, Commander?” to which Shepard smiled and offered the stand. He bowed, “Thank you,” then he stepped forward and said, “I apologise for the intervention, members of the Admiralty Board, but I don’t think I could’ve put this better than Commander Shepard. This entire thing is a sham.”

Jesse whispered to Fives, “Here we go…” which got a quiet laugh out of the clones beside and behind him and a look of concern from Garrus, all while Blue Team formed up with them. Karl remained by the side of the President, arms crossed as he listened to them speak to each-other. The room chilled by a few degrees, with all of them feeling it.

Despite Han and Zaal wanting to protest, the General quietened them down when his voice was heard first, a sharp tongue, “I’ve seen trials like this before, where petty politics take precedence over finding the truth and ensuring the innocent are exonerated… This is nothing more than a power play between Admirals,” words which garnered gasps of surprise out of the Quarian crowd.

“What are you saying, General?” Daro inquired, amused, as she leaned her head on her hand.

Though he didn’t glare at her, she felt a chill shoot up her spine when he spoke again, a slight growl in his otherwise calm tone, “The Quarian Flotilla’s ships are nearing the end cycle of their life, aren’t they? One of you wanted the nasty experiments buried because he’s looking to go out in a blaze of glory fighting the Geth and, if possible, reclaiming your homeworld…” only to hear Han’Gerrel sputtering, stunned, as yet more horrified gasps echoed. He glared at Zaal next, then said, “While the other’s cowering behind his principles, thinking he’s a better man for playing for the Geth and trying to throw those who did those experiments under the bus.”

He leaned forward onto the stand, stating with cold fury seeping into his every word, “Were it not for the petty politics displayed here, I wouldn’t have spoken, but you managed to bring up a very sore memory, that of a trial where my own former Padawan and friend, General Tano, was nearly sentenced on charges based simply on the world’s word against hers. A few incompetents wanting a scapegoat for a tragic event and not bothering to delve any deeper to find the Truth.”

“General!” Han’Gerrel protested, but took a step back when Anakin’s gaze settled on him, the human male’s eyes shining a burning gold and red for just one second. One second where the room turned to subzero temperatures, a fact felt by most everyone there. It was honestly kind of terrifying, though, out of all of them, Ahsoka was the least affected.

Her and the Spartans, obviously.

Anakin simply continued, “The simplest thing to do right now for everyone involved would be to exonerate miss Tali’Zorah and her father and reinstate them. Their sacrifices and service, like the good Commander said, should be more than enough for the lot of you to do so,” before he took a step back, breathed in and out and nodded to Shepard.

After a moment’s pause, where the room began to quiet down from the fervor of their discussions, Shala’Raan spoke, “Admirals? Are you ready to cast your votes?” before lifting her Omni-Tool. Daro smiled and nodded, before immediately casting hers. Shala did, too, then Zaal, much too principled a man to not. Han was the last, a hesitant man, a warrior, but he did anyways. With a bit more pep in her voice, Shala spoke, “Tali’Zorah… Due to insufficient evidence, the Exile has been annulled. You are forever welcome back home-” then, she paused as a member of the Scout Fleet stepped up and whispered to her.

She frowned, then sighed and said, “We finished this trial just in time, then. Everyone, please, return to your homes. It seems we have a situation,” then she cast a glance toward Helo and Roslin. Shepard raised a brow, concerned, then looked at and nodded to the Generals, before waving her team forward and out of the place.

“Thank you, General. And to you as well, Shepard,” Tali spoke.

He smiled, “Hey. We’ve seen this stuff before. I don’t think Ahsoka’d be very happy with me if I didn’t say anything,” then he watched Shala approach. He asked, “Small apologies for the show back there, Admiral. What’s the problem?” noticing the concern in her eyes. He blanked, feeling a chill shoot up his own spine this time…

“It appears as though that communication ping we picked up after the Alarei was cleared might have alerted something or someone,” Shala spoke as she looked at her Omni-Tool. The team showed visible concern at that, with Shepard already worried she might know what was coming. Shala then told them, “I’ve mobilized the Scout Fleet. Han is arraying the Heavy Fleet as we speak, too…”

Shepard scoffed,  then sighed deeply and said, “Things are never gonna be easy, are they?” in a murmur. She ordered, “Back to the Normandy. It’ll probably be a good idea to be combat ready just in case-” only to pause as the Alarms blared. She scoffed, then lifted up her hand and activated her Omni-Tool, ordering, “Karl, get back aboard and launch your Raptor. Joker, detach from the Rayya the moment he’s out. I have a bad feeling.”

“Cortana’s preparing to reinforce the Migrant Fleet’s ECM capabilities, Commander,” Chief spoke as he looked at the Admirals, “We’ll need it if these are anything like the modified Cylons we’ve fought before…” 

… Outside, the Combat Air Patrols of the Galactica flew out among the thousands of vessels of the Flotilla, noting the various shapes and sizes and types. Leading one formation of Birds, Kara gripped tightly the stick of her fighter as she spoke, “Looks like they’re moving around a bunch…” and her gaze locked onto some of the wheel-and-trident combat vessels moving out from among the crowds of ships and into defense positions.

“ We just received word… Sharon picked up something on her Cylon brain. We’re on Condition Two, ” Lee spoke as he formed up with her. She tensed a little, grip growing tighter on her controls. They were trusting a Toaster with ratting out other Toasters, she thought. Great deal, especially since she was the one who’d shot the Commander in the chest.

She replied sarcastically, “That’s gonna go frakkin greaaaaaat …” as she banked left and underneath one of the civilian freighters, which presumably carried supplies for the Quarians aboard. She turned diagonally to the left, letting her directional thrusters keep her safe as the rest of the squadron followed in a loose wedge formation behind her. She asked, “What are we looking for anyways?”

“ The usual, probably. Cylons, ” Lee replied as he followed behind her, “ ... Though apparently Sharon got spooked by whatever poked her brain to say hello. Keep the Formation and keep your eyes peeled for FTL jumps nearby, ” before he shifted his own side of the squadron right, the two arms of the CAP sweeping over and under another, larger freighter.

The Galactica was to their left, travelling through a corridor made by the fleet, a hulking armored crocodile, now back and better than ever with all her new, fancy gear. The only thing the UNSC didn't really get to upgrade was the avionics on their old birds. Not yet, anyhow. Maybe, Starbuck thought, when they’d return to the Waystation after the chats here.

She murmured, “What the hell could’ve gotten her spooked…?” suddenly feeling a mild bit of worry about what poked her that hard to scare her. Sharon was usually a hardy one, even as a Cylon, so if something managed to scare her… Maybe it even had to do with the rumors she’d heard before they departed the Waystation.

Alien hybrid Cylons… Like the stuff they’d been getting reports from Home Base about. Cylons turned into basically even more twisted versions of humanity, matched with the Ancient Threat Shepard mentioned a while back to the Command staff. She breathed, then said, “This is Starbuck, switching patrol vector to two-five-zero, Carom nine-nine…” before tugging at her stick.

The Fighter craft vectored low, watching the Patrol and Heavy Fleets move out in front of the formation in what must’ve been a standard defensive perimeter for fleets like this. She blinked, then radioed, “ Galactica, get those warships vectoring back in with the fleet! Someone frakking tell them a Cylon ship has one of our FTL Drives!”

“ We’re already coordinating with the Admirals, but they think a perimeter defense seems to be the best option, ” Tigh replied, audibly concerned, “ I got a frakking headache trying to talk sense into them, Starbuck. You keep your flight close in. If the Toasters jump in, you’ll be first in line to kick their tin asses. ”

“Appreciate the offer, Colonel,” Starbuck replied, her voice low, as she turned right, ship wheeling and veering toward the formation of allied vessels with no desire to shoot first at a new, possibly unknown enemy. She saw the point defenses on several of the larger civilian ships, including the three Liveships, activate.  She let out an annoyed sigh and called, “Apollo, we got anything launching with us?”

“ Helo’s bird just launched from the Normandy alongside General Tano’s fighter. We’ve got a bunch more friendlies also launching from home, ” The man replied, looking between the screen of his shipboard DRADIS and the advancing Galactica as she bore her teeth, her newly-attached Onager MAC turrets and 50mm gauss cannon batteries swiveling out from the safety of the armor. Dozens of new fighters and several Raptors launched from the ship.

“ Starbuck, Apollo, this is Helo… Looks like we’re in it, ” Helo spoke over the com as he joined their squadron of Raptors, many of which had weapon pods attached to them ranging from standard Anti-Ship Missiles to UNSC-made multi-launch anti-fighter missiles. He asked, “ ... How’s Sharon…? Is she…?”

“She’s the one that gave us the warning,” Starbuck replied with half a mouth as the rest of the formation rallied up, “Hell, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say she’s trying to mess with-” only to immediately eat the remaining words out of that sentence and scream as three flashes of bright blue light appeared ahead of them…

… Then resolved into three massive Basestars. A few smaller Support vessels followed in, ships from the First Cylon War, visible by the design. Yet all of them looked wrong. Their more organic attributes showed, with biomechanical components jutting out of the center, thickening it out from a spindly spire to a stump of some kind. The top and bottom parts of the vessels were already shifted in position, bearing new armaments and launch tubes. 

As Starbuck’s vision cleared, she could faintly make out turrets of some kind attached to the vessels’ frames and swiveling out of their mounts. The tubules connected to them bulged like blue veins, filled with nanomachines similar to that which they’d encountered before. Kara barked, “DRADIS CONTACTS, SQUARE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE QUARIAN FLEET! THEY’RE LAUNCHING FIGHTERS!”

“ All ships, CONDITION ONE ! PROTECT THE FLEET !” Adama barked as thousands of swarming craft, Raiders looking even more grotesque than usual, now bearing four wings at each cardinal point of their hulls, their single baleful red eye replaced with glimmering azure sensor pods like the eyes of bugs and their guns seemingly multiplied.

The first strike wasn’t fighters. It was not guns. It was not a normal weapon. As radiological alarms sounded across the Fleet, one of the Heavy Fleet Ships that vectored to intercept took the heat of a small sun to its bow , a nuclear missile fifty megatons in strength creating a temporary ball of fire that engulfed the vessel.

When it dissipated, the vessel and three of its supporting Patrol Fleet craft had been vaporized. A second warship that vectored to intercept only had its screams heard over the com as a burning scarlet beam slashed across it from the second Basestar, cutting through its body like a heated blade and splitting it in half.

“Son of a bitch,” Mumbled Starbuck, wide-eyed, as she watched the thousands of streaming contacts on her HUD. She called in, “ALL FIGHTERS, ON ME! START DEFENDING THE FLEET, GODS DAMN IT!” before she powered her thrusters to full and dived on the enemy formations. Her railguns rippled, scarlet tracers cutting into the first Cylon Raider and ripping through what seemed to be light kinetic barriers at first, before tearing into its optical sensors.

It turned on a dime and Strabuck gasped, watching all guns on its frame align with her. Apollo dived in next, ripping it apart with high-caliber rounds and saving Starbuck as the craft exploded. He flew through the debris field as radio calls started echoing. The Galactica moved in from among the Fleet, too, firing her Point Defenses.

“Keep up, Starbuck,” Apollo ordered as he pulled a G-Force heavy turn with his thrusters and sideswiped an enemy fighter, firing into its side until the kinetic barrier died and its engines popped, followed by an ammo explosion. As the rest of their fighters tangled with the enemy formations, Apollo called out, “All pilots, be advised:Enemy has Kinetic barrier tech installed! Fire ‘till your guns glow!”

The man scoffed as a burst of scarlet light flashed over his head. He looked ahead and saw a different kind of enemy fighter. One burning scarlet oculus locked onto him from an antigravity engine frame. Its flickering iris closed and opened as it fired another shot, but missing Apollo as he pulled defensive maneuvers, nearly blacking out.

“ The toasters have some HEAVY ECM going !” One of the Raptors spoke as she fired lock-on missiles into the Furball. The missiles detonated deep within the formations of enemy fighters, taking several out while the Basestars and their supporting vessels laid into the Quarian Flotilla. Heavy and Patrol Fleet vessels converged on them, firing their kinetic batteries into the ships, only to watch as heavy-duty kinetic barriers took the barrage.

“Keep laying into it!” Helo barked over the com, “Cortana’s gonna try to get us more juice!” and he gasped as he saw another nuclear flash among the Quarian military’s fleets.

Nuclear missiles launched out from among the ships as they began moving deeper into the Flotilla’s center, striking Quarian warships like hammers. Some were intercepted by Quarian fighter pilots that were trying to dive in and support the Galactica’s beleaguered airpower, but others struck home, detonating among vessels or on the noses of some, causing major damage or outright destroying some of them.

Aboard the Galactica, Adama looked over the ongoing battle as their sensors forced themselves to distinguish and separate Quarian vessels from the enemy fleet. Tigh stared, worried, at the enemy as it moved into the flotilla. He pointed and said, “They’re aiming for the Liveships. They’re gonna try wiping the Quarians out.”

“Can we get a firing solution on them before they do?” Bill asked, grip visibly tight around the holotable.

“We’re trying, sir, but interference from the Civilian Fleet is making it impossible to line up shots without the risk of damaging the any of the ships,” Mister Gaeta replied. He added, “Archer missile ECCM is functional and we’re getting a lock, but there’s a major risk of collateral,” and he thumbed a button to try and properly figure out what was going on.

Dualla told them, “The Quarians have ordered the Civilian Fleet to retreat, sir. The first ships at the rear of the Formation are burning for the Mass Relay,” as she listened to everything from their own fighters’ radio chatter to possible friendly contacts incoming. She spoke, “Friendly reinforcements are en-route. UNSC warships from the Defense Fleet and a few Republic support cruisers…”

“The Quarians have thousands of ships. They’ll be stuck in a traffic jam, easy pickings,” Mumbled Adama, “Put us on an intercept vector and ping any Quarian ship in the way to move out to the best of their abilities! If these things make it to the Liveships, there’ll be a lot more to worry about than scratched paint on either side,” and he loomed over, watching the battle unfolding.

As the Galactica herself shook with an impact, Dualla said, “Enemy nuclear munition intercepted off our bow, sir. No damage sustained, but radiological alarms are going off,” as she tapped a few buttons. They watched more friendly contacts wink off the screen, hearing the disparate chatter of their Quarian comrades and the Fleet’s fighter contingent.

“ ... Heavy Raiders ! I’m seeing a frak-ton of Heavy Raiders deploying from Basestar Number Two ! Hundreds of’em !” Starbuck filtered through the com, audibly concerned. Bill tracked her on the ship sensors, diving toward the dozens, then hundreds of new contacts with her squad to try and intercept them. She bellowed, “Galactica and all friendly ships on this net, PREPARE FOR BOARDING PARTIES !”

“Lock down the ship and prepare countermeasures. All bulkheads in important areas, seal them shut,” Adama spoke as he drew his M6 and racked the pistol’s slide back, feeding a round into the chamber. He thumbed the safety on the back of the gun off, then set it on the table. It slightly disrupted the holo-display, but it mattered little. The entire ship began to wail, alarms screaming in their ears.

“SAMs locked on!” A gunnery crewman called out, “Firing intercept missiles now!”

Outside, several of the outer tubes on the Galactica’s hull split open and a multitude of Archers and other anti-air missiles launched just as the first Heavy Raider, a bastardized corruption of its old self with the same kind of sensor-stalks and visual optics as the standard, just  looking a lot more bug-like, dived down on them. 

The first missile struck directly on the front of the Raider, detonating and splitting it open, spilling several of the heavily-modified Reaper Cylon Centurions into the void. Point-Defense batteries ranging from autocannons to rotary batteries installed atop the hull of the ship lit the void up in burning tracers, attempting to intercept as many of the enemy’s craft as possible.

The Liveships did the same, their GARDIAN point-defenses lighting the void in scarlet traces to meet oncoming craft. Nuclear missiles followed behind them, however. Faster than the Raiders, they overtook the boarding craft and were the ones intercepted by the superheating laser cannons, a well-thought-out gambit that the enemy Hybrid on the leading Basestar must’ve planned.

The Rayya was the first struck. The Heavy Raiders fired forward-mounted magnetohydrodynamic beam weapons at the hull, shearing clean through the failing Kinetic Barriers and burning through the top part of the hull before they impacted, attaching to the starcraft like leeches and opening their access hatches.

Aboard the Rayya, panic ensued as alarms blared. The Captain of the Liveship called out, the sole thing nobody ever wanted to hear in a situation like this. “Attention, all crew and passengers, we have been boarded! Security detachments to Battle Stations, this is not a drill! I repeat, this is NOT A DRILL! Enemy units have breached Hydroponics bays one, five and seventeen!”

“Son of a bitch…!” Shepard staggered. She prepped her weapon and asked, “Joker, you still docked?!”

“ Trying to get ourselves detached! I’m sending the rest of the Crew over before we do, though !” Joker called out, obviously aware of the boarding party, “ EDI’s acting freaking weird !” and that already caused Shepard to blank. The rest of the team prepared their weapons as the lights on board the Rayya dimmed to a burning red, alarm klaxons wailing in their ears.

“EDI?” Shepard asked, her voice cracking.

“ ... I am well, commander… Overwhelmed, but well… ” The AI replied, though her voice seemed just that slight tinge more emotive than normal. She spoke, “ I can hear her… Aboard the Command Basestar. Her and her peers are speaking to every single artificial being connected to the Fleet… Cortana, can you hear them ?”

“ Trying to tune them out, EDI. Do the same, ” Cortana replied, a slight hint more strained than normal, but contrastingly monotone to EDI, “ Chief, Commander, Blues. The Galactica has dispatched parts of her Marine detachment to the Rayya and other Liveships. I’ve also detected a UNSC Fleet on approach vector via slipspace:ETA 30 minutes. Clear the Rayya out ASAP. ”

“Roger,” Shepard replied. She watched the rest of the team march aboard, having donned respirators and equipment. Rhasits was leading the team, his scarlet lightsaber drawn. Beside him, Kyra was much the same, ready to engage. She breathed a shaky sigh, looking over at a fearful Tali, who was preparing her shotgun.

She turned to everyone, which now included Johnson, Roslin and the Marines, and said, “Alright, people! We haven’t come all the way out here to let the Quarians die! Load up on ammo and split up! Rhasits, take a team and secure Bay Seventeen! The crew of the Rayya will guide you there. General Skywalker, you take the Clones and fan out, secure as much  of the Ship as possible! Miranda, take a team to Medical. Jacob, go for the Reactor. Keep it secure. Everyone else, on me! We’ve got a bunch of  Stowaways to kill!” 

The teams began to fan out across the halls of the vessel, with Shepard stopping only to look at Daro, Shala, Han and Zaal. She told them, “Try and get your ships out of the Galactica’s way, Admiral Koris. Tell them to perform as many evasive maneuvers as they need to let them lay into the Cylon warships that’re moving in… And all three of you, get somewhere safe.”

“We’re working on both,” Han’Gerrel replied. He looked at President Roslin and said, “The Conclave has already found secure shelter within one of the outer panic rooms of the ship. Lieutenant Reegar and his platoon will be providing us escort to the one nearest to us,” and he watched Kal and his team step up. They nodded to each-other.

“Imma send some of my boys, too. We got weapons that can reliably pen their armor and shields,” Johnson spoke. He turned to his team and waved three Marines forward. He then told them, “Get President Roslin and the Admirals somewhere safe where they can command from. We’re deep enough in the shit as it is without them dyin’,” only to get affirmative nods and salutes from the boys.

“Auntie Raan… Are you okay?”  Tali asked, her own voice shaky.

Shala’Raan let out a deep sigh, “We’ve already lost ships out there… No, not at the moment,” and she looked at the others, “But I’ll be fine the moment we get these Toasters off of our vessels and away from our Fleet… Preferably in a scrap yard,” and that was the first time Tali had heard anything remotely similar to anger in her auntie’s tone.

Shepard replied, “We’ll get the bastards, ma’am. Stay safe,” and she and her team began moving into the vessel. Shala and the other Admirals all simply whispered ‘Keelah Se’lai’, as they watched. The entire platoon, ranging from the Krogan to the Clones, the Justicar and the others were determined to put the incoming enemy down.

Delving deeper into the vessel-sized greenhouse that was the Rayya , the crew was already hearing gunshots as they split off to their specific target areas. Shepard took her team toward the main greenhouse area, advancing through the darkness of a ship in turmoil, the screams of civilian staff and workers echoing loudly around them.

Tali, shaken, whispered, “This can’t be happening… This cannot be happening…”

She paused as she felt Fred beside her. The two’s gazes met and he nodded reassuringly at her, stating, “We’re going to win…” as they advanced. The Spartans of Blue Team gave nods of reassurance to the girl, while Garrus and Jack both lifted thumbs up. Fives also did that, but he had both his pistols drawn, so it looked kind of awkward.

“ Commander, we’re free ! Joining the fight now !” Joker spoke over the com, the audible thump of the couplings disconnecting gently reverberating through the ship’s hull, a calming noise in comparison to all else that they were hearing. The man said, “ You guys stay safe in there ! I don’t wanna be the one to tell the Illusive Man or Hackett if you die !”

“Fly safe, Joker,” Shepard replied, then balled her fist up as they reached an intersection. 

Tali looked at Rhasits, Kyra, Jacob and the others and pointed out the ways they needed to go. She stopped Jacob and said, “Don’t let them take the Reactor,” to which the man grinned and nodded, lifting his rifle. He took a part of the team over, with Grunt racking the pump of his Claymore. Miranda, meanwhile, moved to Medical with a pair of Clones and Thane.

“Interesting fight ahead… Civilian casualty risk concerning,” Mordin spoke as he breathed. He followed the rest of the team, weapon drawn as they ran. He asked, “Cortana. Possible to disable the enemy ships from here? ECM that strong?” while preparing counter-intrusion on his own in order to make sure their allies survived the day.

“They’ve got every frequency I can think of taking to attack them covered in White Noise and the ramblings of the Hybrid aboard the Command Ship,” The girl replied quietly, “I’m working with EDI, Helo and our other Electronic Warfare units to kick them out of the way. Bad news is, a lot of the Quarian ships don’t have a strong enough ECM system of their own to resist anything these Cylon freaks are doing.”

“Concerning, but am certain you can deal with them,” Mordin reassured. He paused, turned around and gasped just as Fred fired a burst at a machine overhead. An infiltrator fell out of the ceiling, its camouflage failing. The Spartan didn’t take any chances, simply rushing the monster, shoulder-checking it to the ground, pinning it with his boot and blasting its head clean off.

Shepard scoffed, “More of these things?!” only to pause as she saw General Skywalker slice one of the monsters in half. Ahead, the thumping feet of an advancing combat unit of Reaperified Centurions echoed. The teams set up nearby, with Johnson racking his shotgun’s pump back, sliding an AP slug in and sending it home.

A squad of Quarian Marines emerged up ahead, firing their guns toward the enemy. Rounds sparked, illuminating the hallway that was otherwise lit only by the flashes of the alarm lights. Two Quarians were cut down mercilessly by the advancing machines, whose frames glowed azure in the darkness, pipes of Nanomachines feeding through their bodies.

They seemed to redirect their targeting matrices the moment they turned the corner, agilely moving to take cover while opening up with suppressive fire toward the Marines, Clones, Spartans and other members of the team. Chief and the Blues returned fire as they moved to cover the others, shots shattering against their armor’s shields and draining them.

One enemy mech lost its head to Linda’s sniper, while Johnson slam-fired slugs into a trio, causing them to stumble and stagger. He took cover and reloaded his shotgun, murmuring, “Sons-of-bitches are tough, but they sure as hell ain’t invincible!” before watching Fives and Jesse pop out from beside him, firing their blasters.

General Skywalker’s hand shot out, then he reeled it back in and pulled one of the monsters over, slicing it in half and sending sparks and blue coolant spilling onto the floor. He ducked behind the cover of a doorway as bullets scratched the walls, murmuring, “I’m glad we ditched slugthrowers, because, Force, this is annoying…”

Jesse poked out and fired his carbine again, nailing another enemy unit in the chest. It staggered, but didn’t fall over, with the Clone commenting, “Not invincible, but tough as all hell, Sarge, like you said!” before he ducked in cover and checked his belt. “Fives, you got any Droid Poppers?!” He asked, then paused as he saw two ball-shaped grenades roll out.

Both detonated, zapping and temporarily stunning the mechs. The other Clones then jumped out of their cover and peppered the area ahead with blaster fire, plasma ripping through the Machines’ frames, sending them tumbling to the floor with multiple injuries. However, it wasn’t long after that the mobile assault units arrived.

“STEALTHERS!” Shepard called out the moment she saw the flash of one decloaking, claws extended. She powered her biotics and sent forth a thundering shockwave which staggered and caused the monsters to decloak, revealing their thinner, more adapted frames. Seeing them doused in Biotics, Samara added her own fire. Two balls of warp energy struck the leading enemy units and causing a chain detonation that broke them apart at a molecular level.

She said, “We have a clear path!” to Rhasits. The Sith nodded, then showed Shepard he was moving to his target. She nodded to him, then pushed forward with the squad. Blue Team swept in first as the vanguard and bulwark, moving to the left at the next intersection while Rhasits, Kyra, Samara and a few others turned right.

Outside…

Starbuck danced a nasty dance with three enemy fighters. Two were modified Reaper Raiders, while the third was a not-so-fondly nicknamed ‘Oculus’ fighter. The Oculus’s strange scarlet beams seared the void by her craft as she flew evasively, rolling, dancing and dodging through a sector of the Quarian Civilian Fleet.

She swore to herself as she ducked under the missile bombardment of one of the supporting ships of the Reaper Cylon force. She saw them impact a Civilian freighter, only getting to hear the maydays for a split second before the ship split apart at the seams, the wounds in her side proving too much. The fire overtook her hold and she detonated in a nightmarish ball of white.

Starbuck tried to forget for a moment, focused on her own survival as she called out, “Any time, Lee! Any frakking time!” before she dived low, passing over the conning tower of a repurposed Alliance Military Cruiser. She watched its maw-mounted kinetic cannon fire at the ship that had just destroyed one of their civvie vessels, the rounds striking and causing strain to the Kinetic shield of the coffin-shaped vessel next to the Basestars.

One of the Basestars was quick to return fire with its magnetohydrodynamic turrets. Three convergent beams struck the hull, then split as the turrets traversed, cutting deep, long gashes into the hull of the repurposed warship. Its engines sputtered, explosions from missile impacts cratering across the hull while Starbuck flew beside it.

A Quarian Frigate’s point defenses soon swiveled about. It fired at the enemy fighters trailing her, destroying both Raiders with direct impacts, but the Oculus flew on, undeterred, firing at her. Kara grit her teeth, powered her RCS thrusters to the maximum to avoid a beam and gasped as she saw Lee’s bird dive down, ripping apart the enemy ship with a burst of rounds.

He joined formation with her while looking ‘above’ them, watching the Quarian ships trying to move away from the Cylon craft. He said, “ Galactica only has a few stragglers aboard… It’s the Liveships that are having the worst of it in terms of boarding parties,” before he and Starbuck banked hard right toward the three massive vessels, noting fires burning on their hulls. 

“Bastards had this planned,” Starbuck murmured, “They wanna wipe out the Quarians and probably take Sharon.”

“Luckily for Sharon and the Quarians, we aren’t gonna let’em do that,” Lee commented. He told her, “One o’clock, low! Raiders!” before they split. Three Raiders fired their guns at them, rippling bursts of azure tracers rom their hulls. The craft turned with them. Lacking pilots, though still being internally made up of flesh and whatever passed for internal organs, they could perform higher-G Maneuvers than most other strike craft.

The two human pilots, however, endured the G-Forces through sheer grit, turning to light up the enemy fighters utilizing their thrusters and engines. Two of the enemy birds shattered under a whittling volley of firepower, with the third now being chased by both Colonial fighters. Starbuck looked at her round count, noticing it dip into the double digits, then said, “I’m running a little low!”

“So am I!” Lee remarked, his own in the doubles. They both focused and fired, cutting the enemy bird in half with concentrated railgun rounds. He radioed, “ Galactica, this is Apollo! We’re Winchester ammo and on our way to reload! Send out the second Viper group!” before he and Starbuck both banked left, turning toward the Battlestar as she moved through into the Flotilla’s interior, followed by damaged and limping Quarian vessels.

Another Civilian craft exploded overhead courtesy of the coffin-shaped warship’s missiles and gun batteries. The other fighters of the airfleet  jumped out of their mag-tubes, with Starbuck calling out, “Watch your ass out here, Kat! These Toaster frakheads are worse than usual!” and receiving an affirmative reply. Not even dear missus Kat was in a joking or snappy mood when millions of Civilians, be they Alien or Human, were in danger.

Both of the Air Group’s commanders touched down hard and fast, only to quickly be moved to the elevators, taken down below and disembarked as the Chief and Cally moved out to refit their birds. Galen, noting the damage on their craft, stated, “You guys are outnumbered a Hundred to One out there…”

“We’ve had similar odds before,” Starbuck quipped as she grabbed a water bottle and downed half its contents. She told him, “Just get us reloaded and cleared, Chief. They’ll need every bird out there,” then she looked at Lee. The two gave each-other a nod of approval, before settling back into their cockpits and putting their helmets on.

Meanwhile, on the Citadel

The news was relatively grim. When Bailey told C-SEC and the Coruscant Guard that Gron had cracked and revealed the plans, the troops were cautiously optimistic. However, Bailey and the Commander didn’t seem quite so happy and everyone soon understood why:That woman, whoever she was, had a plan to destabilize the potential peace and cooperation between the Citadel and Waystation.

Assassinate Chuchi during the Waystation’s meeting with the Citadel Council. The attack had been moved ahead of schedule ever since they managed to kick the doors down, meaning C-SEC, the Corries and the UNSC security Detail had to move ahead much faster than before. They prepared their equipment, loaded up and moved in two teams again.

The mobilization had obviously not gone unnoticed, with the Citadel as a whole suddenly stirred awake by the deployment of the C-SEC and Guard units. Chuchi was currently in the Council chambers, trying to talk to them about a possible unification of efforts in regards to matters that would interest both sides, like trade between the two poles of galactic power.

As the teams moved through the Presidium in Gunships and sky-cars, Fox, visibly distraught, but focused on the safety of the senator, said, “All units, we have clearance:Shoot to kill. If you can grab the enemy’s leader alive, do it… If not…” and he didn’t need to finish. The Corries thumbed the safeties of their blasters. They’d be inserting at the bottom of the tower to pincer the enemy.

Bailey nodded, then looked back at the sole Pelican gunship that had been lent to them as a reinforcement:A black-clad dropship with the markings of the Squad deployed to reinforce them. Half of it was staying with the Embassy staff, while the other half, namely Alpha-9, readied themselves for deployment.

Aboard the Dropship, Dare, clad in her full combat armor, said, “Looks like we’re back to business as usual, boys. Sorry if your vacation got cut a little short,” before looking at Buck, “But when duty calls…” then she drew her SOCOM pistol and racked the slide back to make sure she had a round in the chamber.

Buck pulled back the bolt on his MA40 and nodded, stating, “Nothing like a little family outing to get the blood pumping.” 

The men, though nervous, let out light laughs as they prepared. Dare nodded, then lifted up her com and said, “Alpha-9 to Baseplate… Prepare to get VIP Gold, Azure and Silver out of there alongside the Council. We’re two mikes out,” as she made sure her armor was tight and sealed shut. Just in case the enemy pulled any kind of tricks on them.

As the convoy of vehicles separated, each going for a different insertion point to the towers, the crews prepared their weapons. Kojo Agu, also known as Romeo by the rest of Alpha-9, slammed home the magazine of his SRS-99 sniper rifle and locked it in place, before tapping it and stating, “I call dibs on the Shooters.”

“All yours,” Mickey quipped as he lifted up a grenade launcher and slid home an EM grenade, stating, “Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to putting down a few mechs. Gron apparently told the Cops that they brought a few of those tin cans the Colonials were fighting as security for our Sniper,” before he slid the launcher into its holster and grabbed his rifle.

Dutch added to that, “Gonna be a tough fight, then.”

Dare wanted to say something, but paused, putting her hand up to her ear as new intel came in. She blinked, then told them, “... Looks like this is multi-level. The Quarian Fleet the Galactica went to meet is under attack, too. Just got word from the Waystation that they’re deploying a Battle Group to support the Carrier. Alliance is also facing something like a Cyber-Attack… Unknown Source.”

“Great,” Scoffed Buck, “So the Cylon are making a move here…”

“Wonder if Halsey learned of what’s going on back in the 12 Colonies’ ruins, too,” Mickey mumbled as he stood to his feet, MJOLNIR Gen-3’s boots clanging against the floor. Alpha-9 was a Spartan-IV Fireteam, meaning they had a lot more ass behind them in terms of combat capabilities. Dare shook her head at that, then looked at Buck.

“ETA to LZ is thirty seconds!” The pilot yelled back to the hold. 

Veronica stared up at Buck, her visor depolarizing to reveal her blue eyes. She put her hand on his chest, then curled her fingers into a fist and bumped it against the chest plate, feeling a slight electric tingle from the energy shield. She told him, “Give’em hell, Eddy,” to which he cracked a smile, now visible as he depolarized his own visor.

“Don’t worry,” He quipped, “You’ll be having lunch with the Senator again pretty soon,” then he activated his shields properly as the rear door of the Dropship opened. Dare turned around and jumped out on this level, to which the Gunny told her, “You keep your eyes open down there and get them all out safe!”

“Will do!” She gave a thumbs up. The wind howled around this level of the tower, much to their surprise, probably relating to the weird atmospheric curvature of the supermassive space station. She met with a squad of Clones deployed from the Republic Victory-class Star Destroyers nearby, entering the place.

The Pelican moved farther up, with Buck stating, “Gron thinks this is gonna be the level our friendly neighborhood Cylon Assassin set up. Be ready for anything,” and thumbing the safety of his rifle off as the aircraft settled nearby a balcony. The four Spartans nodded to one-another, then ran and jumped the distance to the Balcony.

Landing on their feet via the use of their suits’ in-built jetpacks, the Spartans pushed forward in a diamond formation. They opened the door to the Balcony, revealing the beautiful Atrium of the Tower and this specific level of balconies looking down upon the meeting zone. Blood painted the white wall panels and the art pieces, the corpses of Asari, Human and other diplomats and guards strewn about.

And in came the hostiles who did it:Half a dozen enemy Drones appeared, extending their guns from their arms and opening fire, bullets zipping through the air and striking the Spartans’ shields. Buck called out, “Contacts! Let’s kick some ass, Spartans!” and they returned fire, spreading out into a line. Romeo’s sniper rang loud, ripping the head off one of the blue-eyed Cylons.

Mickey fired bursts from his Battle Rifle and watched them rip through the forwardmost ones’ armor plates. He then pulled out the EM Grenade launcher and fired, letting the grenade detonate in airburst mode and zap the enemy drones. Buck and Dutch shot them as they were shaking and arcing with electricity, before pushing past the corpses.

… Down below, Senator Chuchi held her speech, “... It is for the reasons of joint benefits for the Waystation’s three present occupants and the representatives and member species on the Citadel that it might be in our best interests to deepen our ties. Both trade and mutual defense would be greatly improved by our two sides-” only to pause.

Sparatus noticed them coming in first and asked, “Captain Dare, what’s wrong?” as the woman, Clones and UNSC security staff approached. Palmer was not far behind her, weapons drawn and scanning the multitude of balconies overlooking the central meeting area and podium of the Citadel Council.

Veronica replied, “A code red’s been issued, ma’am. Citadel Security and the staff belonging to the Embassy of the Waystation have deployed on a joint operation due to the threat of a potential attempted assassination of both the Council and Senator Chuchi,” as she handed the Senator a bulletproof vest with Kinetic barriers. Gasps echoed, with Dare ordering, “Everyone, please, evacuate in an orderly fashion ASAP! C-SEC and our troops will guide you to safety!”

Tevos, Sparatus and the Salarian representative exchanged worried looks, before Tevos asked, “Are you sure of this threat?”

“About as sure as I am of the fact my name is Veronica, ma’am,” The woman replied as she helped Chuchi don her vest. She gave a wave to Palmer to get the Council out of here, then paused as she heard the proverbial pin in the thunderstorm:The clock of a bolt going into battery. She pushed Chuchi out of the way as a silenced shot rang out, striking the woman’s shoulder pad and piercing through the armor.

She groaned and landed on the floor, with the Clones immediately swiveling about and aiming at where the shot had come from. Palmer knelt beside her and asked, “You good, Captain!?” as she tried to locate the shot. 

“Fine!” Dare huffed, then straightened up and barked, “NINER ACTUAL, floor below you! Left side!” as she drew her pistol. The crowds around them began to scramble for safety as a second shot rang out. It hit Palmer’s armor and shattered against the energy shield, with Dare firing her pistol up toward where the shots had come from.

The rounds struck, causing the sniper to move back. A cloaked figure with a trinocular helmet of some kind racked the bolt of her rifle as the Spartans descended toward her. Buck was the first down, turning on his heels and aiming toward the Sniper and calling out, “DROP IT!” only to pause as she aimed and fired again.

The round zipped past the man’s head. She stood to her feet and began to run toward a window, with the Spartans following close behind, moving through the crowds. She drew a submachine gun of some kind and lit up the window just as Fox and Bailey came in from the side, with Fox aiming his pistol and firing at her.

She jumped through the window, the rippling whirlwind of atmospheric equalization filling the area. The Spartans and Fox moved to the window, watching the woman falling down toward one of the arms. Buck sighed and said, “Well, back to Drop training it is,” before he took a running start and jumped after her.

Fox and Bailey blanked, both watching Alpha-9’s three other members do the same. Mickey let out a, “GERONIMOOOO!”

“God help me, I prayed for no more falling!” Dutch stated as he jumped and dived down.

“SHOCK TROOPER, COMIN’ THROUGH!” Laughed Romeo as he followed them down. Fox looked at Bailey, who let out a heavy, annoyed sigh before he descended the steps again with the Clone Commander.  They moved to take one of the Skycars landed nearby and dived down after Alpha-9. Alpha-9, meanwhile, was diving after the woman like their lives depended on it.

“This feels extremely familiar!” Mickey quipped as he saw the ground closing in really, really fast. OR, well, ‘ground’, he thought. One of the Citadel’s metropolis-sized arms. He spoke, “I think one of the ONI spooks the Captain dealt with actually mentioned having to go through something similar! Pushed one of their own out the window first!”

“I remember her!” Romeo laughed, “Redhead with green eyes! She was cute!”

“She’d’a kicked your ass if her Section Commander mother didn’t get you first!” Dutch answered as they formed up. He called out, “Look out! They have a Dropship!” and he pointed at an approaching Kodiak. It dived low, opening its side door. The woman powered a jetpack attached to her armor and landed within the hold.

The Dropship turned and dived down toward the city, with Dutch commenting, “And there she goes…!” only to gasp as he saw something flash by from the right. As they landed on top of said something, Dutch cried out, “ARE WE IN A CAAAAAAR !?” while holding on for dear life. The car had dipped a couple flight levels down thanks to the weight of four fully-equipped Spartans, but Fox, who was driving, didn’t care.

“This is Bailey to all C-SEC units. We’re trailing in pursuit of Kodiak dropship with no markings, carrying the orchestrator of the attempted assassination of Ambassador Chuchi. We’re approaching Zakera Ward from above,” Bailey spoke over his own Omni-Tool’s radio, “Requesting all available local pursuit units and a gunship, over…!”

“Romeo, get on top of this thing and see if you can’t shoot their engines out!” Buck ordered as he clamped his magnetic boots to the hovertruck’s bed. They were, in fact, in a hover truck. He drew his assault rifle as they slowly levelled out. Romeo clambered onto the back as well, shouldering his rifle and nodding.

“You’re buying drinks if I hit this shot, Gunny!” The man spoke as the vehicles began a chase among the skycar traffic of the Ward. They dived, bobbed and weaved past the vehicles, causing traffic issues. Romeo tried to line up the shot, but spoke, “Too many civvies! If I shoot here, we might wind up causing one hell of a jam!”

“Don’t worry about that,” Bailey spoke to them over the com, “Our own cars and gunships should push’em into full view soon…” and as they ducked underneath a hover vehicle coming from the other way, they saw several C-SEC Gunships and patrol cars immediately swivel in from three directions, trying to push the pilot out of there.

As they flew out from the traffic, Fox was trying to give Romeo the best shot available. The C-SEC craft rammed into the enemy Kodiak, pushing it up and into Romeo’s sights. The Sniper grinned behind his helmet, zeroed in and sniped the left-side engine of the vehicle, penetrating through the generator and exploding a fuel line.

It careened and dived down, landing in the middle of one of the parks around Zakera Ward before skidding to a halt, heavily damaged. The Police, Corries and UNSC descended on it like vultures, dismounting and surrounding the vehicle. As they climbed out and aimed their firearms at the wreck, Bailey yelled into the mic attached to his Omni-Tool, “Come out with your hands up! You’re surrounded!”

… The door slid open, revealing a damaged Cylon. It stumbled forward, lifting its gun, but was domed by Fox with his blaster pistol. Behind it, however, lay the damaged frame of the Hybrid Cylon. She raised a detonator in one hand and smiled behind the cracked helmet… Only to lose her hand as Romeo’s sniper barked, ripping it off.

She collapsed, helmet falling off her head and revealing her bloodied face. The Troops advanced toward her, Mickey grabbing the detonator off the floor and looking at her, while Buck, Fox and Bailey approached the figure. Keeping their weapons aimed at the wounded woman, they saw her turn toward them, then grin a bloody grin.

“Weapons smuggling, befriending criminals, an attempted assassination of a politician and a lot more… What are you and your buddies doing?” Fox demanded, straightforward.

“... The Cycle will continue… And it will include you all now,” She replied weakly, “God will welcome you all in His embrace, through His Angels,” and she coughed blood off to the side, “We are merely trying to expedite the process in their name…” and that tipped them off. The Reapers wanted them to be divided, obviously…

Bailey told her, “We’ll see about that.”

She chuckled, then spat yet more blood to the side, “We sure will… May the Angels’ embrace be as gentle to you as it has been to us,” before she faded out, the light in her glowing eyes dissipating. She went limp, sole good hand falling to the side. Fox put two fingers up to the side of her neck, then looked at Bailey and shook his head.

That solved one crisis…

Back to the other, however…

As the teams pushed through to their respective objectives, Shepard listened to the communications between various fleet elements. Panicked cries and ships being destroyed, fighters engaging enemy Raiders and the infantry fighting off boarding parties across all three Liveships. It was pandemonium out there and in here, in the Rayya .

“Go! Keep moving! We cleared a path to the docks!” Shepard ordered a few civilian technicians and their families as they ran past them. The hydroponics bays, the massive food supply and distribution centers and the Fleet’s lifeline, turned into a battlefield in the snap of a finger. As they walked into the food-growing area, through the towering walls of various dextro-amino friendly vegetables, they could see blood dripping down through the grates below.

Garrus murmured, “Hell of a crop,” as he sidestepped one such wall, peering past the corner and past a damaged UV lamp, eyes locked down the sight of his rifle. He turned another corner, then paused as he saw the corpses of Quarians, drilled by bullet holes, laying on the floor. He sighed and paused, then ducked and fired a burst from his rifle just as he spotted the shadow of a machine in the corner.

The rounds ripped through the hydroponic walls and struck the armor plate of a decloaking heavy, which aimed what looked like a rifle at them. It fired a burst, the rounds sending splinters of steel and plant life with the impacts. The Spartans moved up fast and focused it down, firing AP rounds from their guns until the monster was dead on the floor, ripped apart by the guns.

The Clones followed up, with Anakin lifting his hand and sending a shockwave rippling through the hydroponics bay that staggered several camouflaged enemies. The soldiers let loose volleys of plasma fire, with Bold himself ripping through the ammo. The focused burst from the rotary cannon ripped one of the machines in half, while Fives and Jesse snapped headshots. 

Anakin threw his lightsaber, the bladed weapon spinning through the air at incredible speeds. When it struck the formation of decloaked machines, it tore them all in half, bisecting them at weird angles before it returned to the Swordsmaster. He grabbed it out of flight and surged forward, utilizing Force Speed to cut down several more machines that were coming out of the woodwork.

Shepard covered his back with a Warp blast followed by a burst from her Mattock, alongside Garrus and a surprisingly angry Tali. The girl had gone from disbelief to straight fury, putting shotgun slugs into the alien machines with extreme prejudice, much to Johnson’s approval. The man himself slammed the butt of his shotgun into one of the creatures’ chins, then turned and put the barrel under said chin and fired, spraying steel and brains across the wall.

Garrus took several rounds, causing his shields to collapse. Chief stepped up in front of him and took the bursts next, but a few rounds punctured the armor and embedded themselves within the natural plate the Turian had beneath. He groaned and said, “I’m hit!” only for Shepard to immediately administer medigel to the lot of’em.

Fred pushed up to Tali and helped her clear a path through to the other side of the place. They both witnessed a few Civilians emerging and running toward them for cover, with a machine not far behind. Fred and his little drone buddy, which had followed them all the way over, engaged, with the Drone utilizing whatever remained of its armaments to disable the mechs ahead.

As they cut them down and took wounds from it, Shepard radioed, “All other teams, report!”

“ Medical is secured, Commander. The staff and patients are in a strong room and we’ve held off approximately three strike teams of these machines… Not for lack of taking bullets ourselves, ” Rhasits spoke surprisingly serenely. Kyra gave a light-hearted cheer over the com, but with a fearful undertone. Samara gave an affirmative huff to confirm.

“ Reactor’s all clear, though not for lack of these bastards really trying, ” Jacob quipped as the thunderclap of a gun firing echoed over the com. As reports came in that the teams were clearing out the area, the news of casualties soon began to echo over the com, plus Maydays. She also heard the news from the outside.

Outside, the battle was turning. The Fleet had finally managed to get clear and, with the Galactica and the other ships on the move, Commander Adama started, “Mister Gaeta, the moment the last ship clears out of our line of fire, I want every weapon we have, from missiles to the Onager MACs on salvo fire! Time to show the Cylon our new teeth!”

“Sir!” Gaeta saluted, then activated PA and said, “All weapons systems, initiate Salvo Fire! Target lock the lead ships and fire at will!”

The Battlestar and her squadrons finally began to sweep the skies clear of the Cylons’ birds, tracer rounds rippling through the void from the ship’s point-defenses. Meanwhile, the Onager MAC turrets swiveled into position, locking onto the Reaper Cylon warships. One of said warships fired a beam from its MHD gun, lashing across the top deck of the carrier. Though fires burned and a second shot struck from a sister ship, the Galactica advanced undeterred.

Starbuck, who was now out and flying again with Lee and the rest of the squadron, watched the old girl drive her way through the crowd of ships under the escort of the Patrol and Heavy Fleets of the Quarians, or whatever remained of them. The Fleets laid into the enemy force, their Kinetic barriers flashing as more nukes started to fly.

The pilots dived onto and destroyed the Nukes, with Kat reporting, “I just lost Pool Cue!” as she watched a Viper explode under enemy fire. The Galactica’s guns soon returned fire, however. Swarms of Archer Missiles left the maw of the warship, while the Onagers fired in rapid succession, each battery firing double, like the beat of taiko drums in her ears.

The blonde pilot grinned, watching the rounds rip through the Kinetic barriers of the Support craft, then clean through her hull, missiles raining down on the ship and cratering its armor plate. The Battlestar fired again, this time at the enemy Basestars, and struck one of them with all the full might of her arsenal, cracking through her kinetic barriers.

The Normandy, which had so far been providing covering fire and destroying enemy fighters, too, dived down onto them like a shark. The Thanix cannon in her maw screamed, the burst of their own MHD cutting a deep gash on one of the two sides of the Basestar, ripping through the mechanical flesh-like protrusions. She then rained down fire from the guns mounted on her side, bursts detonating across the hull of the enemy ship.

Starbuck blanked, however, when she heard Joker speak, “ Admiral Harper, she’s all yours !” and felt a chill shoot up her spine as multiple friendly contacts appeared on her DRADIS. She first saw them blot out the sun, their black hulls glowing against the background shade, their gun-shaped Frigates diving in first and firing.

“ This is Fleet Admiral Harper. Battlegroup Athens is here to assist. Phoenix vessels proceed with Search and Rescue. Combat units… Fire at will. Rip these bastards apart. ”

The heavy MACs of the Fleet barked in unison with those of the Galactica. High-velocity ferromagnetic projectiles fell like hammer blows onto the enemy’s ships, ripping through the hull of the already damaged Basestar. One round struck the Reactor of the ship, causing it to explode in a burning flash that enveloped the remnants of another section of the Fleet.

Commander Adama smiled as his crew cheered, with Starbuck, Lee and the other pilots audibly crying out battle cries to the UNSC’s pilots. They saw Republic starfighters joining in next, with few Venator-class carriers not far behind the UNSC fleet providing starfighter support. Cortana appeared on the holographic table and said, “Commander, Colonel. Sorry to interrupt the celebrations, but I’m painting you and the whole fleet a good target… Their Command Basestar with a Hybrid aboard.”

“Chief’s AI,” Adama hummed, then nodded and said, “Much appreciated. All crews, update targeting sequences and shoot that son of a bitch out of the sky,” as he tapped a few buttons. Cortana nodded, dropping a mark right on the center ship. MAC rounds rained down on the enemy fleet continuously, with them barely able to return fire.

The Frigates aimed for their mounted weapons, firing into them with MACs and Missiles until their barrels glowed, destroying the magnetohydrodynamic railguns with extreme prejudice. The hulls of the biomechanical vessels began to crumple under the sustained and furious barrage, the few remaining Military vessels of the Quarians most fervently firing, their barrels warping due to the heat as they barraged the enemy ships.

… Before long, however, Cortana gasped, eyes widening, “Power surge on the Command Basestar-!”

… And the Basestar flashed out of existence, jumping away and leaving the remnants of its fleet under the whittling firepower of the Fleets. As the UNSC’s support elements dived down to assist, with repair vessels adjoining themselves to the Galactica, the battle died down and ended, the last enemy Basestar now a floating husk in the middle of the Raheel-Leyya system…

Counting the dead came next…

Chapter Text

Aboard the Galactica. Observation deck.

The Aftermath of the Strike on the Flotilla was profound. Still hovering in orbit, the wrecks of dozens of ships, both Civilian and Military and once belonging to the Quarian people, were now nothing more than the graves of tens of thousands. Estimates were still coming in a day after both the Assassination Attempt on the Citadel and the Cylon’s cyber-attack on Alliance Space.

Relief ships belonging to the UNSC, Republic and even the Colonials had jumped in-system and were assisting with search and rescue, while Office of Naval Intelligence, Colonial Intelligence and Republic Intelligence Bureau units and vessels were ripping apart the Reaper-allied Cylons’ vessels for every piece of information they could get.

Watching the ongoing repairs and SAR operations, Doctor Baltar couldn’t help but feel a hint of guilt. He saw her in the corner of his eye, the blonde Cylon, the one he’d talked to so many times before, the Number Six. She weirdly seemed empathetic to the Quarians’ plague, despite her previous boasts about wanting humanity to settle here.

That was a discussion they’d still had multiple times over, with Gaius agreeing to it, but he partially wondered if it wasn’t just so they could accomplish what they’d failed to do during the final hours of the Twelve Colonies and wipe out humanity from all sides of the Universe, regardless of their capabilities and strength.

These Reaper Cylons, the machines modified by what Commander Shepard had referred to as the Reapers, had just inflicted casualties on more than just humanity. They’d burnt out tens of thousands of aliens that had so far done no harm to Humanity whatsoever. He sighed deeply, turning to face the woman.

She spoke, “You seem to think this is my fault, Gaius…”

“Would I be wrong to assume that?” He asked, slightly deadpan, as he walked away from the window. He was whispering so he didn’t bother anyone else. She shrugged and gave only a slight nod. He sighed deeply, rubbed his chin and looked at his trembling hands. He needed another smoke pretty soon.

Deciding to avoid looking at the destruction left by the Cylon, he left the room, marching down the corridors toward his laboratory. He was followed by the woman, who told him, “We don’t keel needlessly, Gaius… I felt the same thing Sharon felt when those monsters appeared here and you did, too. Obviously, not quite as violent, but-”

“I know,” He replied in a mumble, “I know.”

The Reaper Cylon, the machines taken and twisted by the Reapers themselves, were certainly something else. He would have called bullshit on Shepard’s little blueprint of Sovereign until this very moment. Magnetohydrodynamic railguns, kinetic barriers to rival some of the thickest armor on any Battlestar and brains so frakked up, they were a twisted form of the enemy alright.

As he entered his laboratory, he paused, surprised to be greeted by an ONI agent. His eyes shot wide open as he saw her, though. That same blonde hair, though caught in a ponytail, that same jawline, the same lips and eyes. She was rifling through his stuff, guarded by a pair of their elite soldiers, the Spartans. He could swear that if he’d gone in with the lights off, he’d have thought they were Centurions.

She noticed him with the corner of her eye, then looked up and crossed her arms as she asked, “Doctor Gaius Baltar?” and even her voice sounded the same. He looked back at the Cylon apparition behind him, then at the woman before him. Slowly, growing ever more pale, he nodded to her. She spoke, “I’m Captain Veronica Dare, Office of Naval Intelligence… I was just redeployed here from the Citadel. Far as I understand, you developed a Cylon Detection system, correct?”

“Y-Yes…” He managed to utter out, still dumbfound. Though she obviously noticed his surprise, she continued scouring through the items around. As his heart rate began to settle and he realized that the reason she asked was because she was looking for it, he told her, “It’s the computer on the desk, Captain,” and he motioned to the screen and machinery around it.

Veronica looked up at it, examined it, then said, “How quickly can you examine a blood sample?”

“It should take me less than a few minutes now that I’ve started perfecting the genetic detection system…” The man replied, surprised, “Why?” 

The woman breathed in, then let out a deep sigh. He finally noticed greying hairs and the wrinkles and realized she was aging. Part of him wondered if that was a sign she was not one of them. She lifted a com device and showed him a photograph which stunned him:A single Number Six, bound to a chair and bruised and battered.

She told him, “Orbital Drop Shock Troops helping the guerrillas on what remains of your Colonies sent this image a while back through secure channels. A Cylon, Model Number Six, as they refer to themselves. Same-faced blondes…” and she turned to face him, stating rather bluntly, “I want to know if I’m one of them and I need the blueprints of this device for dissemination back home. If we have a dozen of these bastards running through our Colonies, I, ONI and the entire UEG want to know.”

“... Of course,” He took a minute to register the request. She took her armored gauntlet off and rolled back the sleeve of the undersuit, revealing her arm. The scars of battles marred her skin, from plasma burns to bullet holes. He blinked, then sighed, washed his hands, donned surgical gloves and grabbed disinfectant, a cotton piece and the needles and stuff necessary. He tightened the  

Before long, he’d withdrawn the necessary amount of blood into a vial, capped it and removed the needle, then pat down the vein and put a bandaid over the insertion point before dumping everything in a trash bin. He said, “You can stay here and keep tabs on it if you wish. I have something to resolve…”

“Thanks,” Captain Dare replied. The man slid the blood vial into the analyzer and activated the machine, letting it work. She pulled her sleeve down, put on her gauntlet and turned to face the device. She told him, “I’ll let you know the results whenever you come back. Those Blueprints would really be appreciated, too.”

“I’ll do my best to have a copy of them for you,” The man nodded, then excused himself and walked out. That woman had the same face as a Number Six. An Office of Naval Intelligence agent. It must have rung so many bloody bells back at their headquarters here that it was no wonder she wanted to nip any allegations in the bud.

The Number Six, or whatever this woman was in his head, spoke, “... That was certainly strange…” with the same amount of confusion in her voice as anyone else’s. He looked back, raising a brow, to which she told him “... I can’t feel her, Gaius. She is not a Number Six… She just happens to have that same face.”

Gais shook his head, “There’s no coincidences…” and he pushed his way into the CIC. He overheard various calls, ranging from pilots’ chatter:’ Starbuck, Kat, confirming all Raiders eighty-sixed. Bastards were hiding real well’; ’Galactica , SAR Raptor Three… No survivors aboard the Chrysanthema , RTB’;’UNSC CAP is taking over. Starbuck and Squad are RTB… Save us a drink’.

Among many other calls, those stood out to Baltar the most. Their allies were taking over, with the visible sight of the thousands of vessels still on DRADIS/Sensors and playing across the three-dimensional details of the Holographic table ahead. The crews spoke to each-other, chatted and discussed matters. And As Gaius approached, Tigh was telling Adama, “... First ones to jump in, Bill. UNSC came in swinging… Might’ve even saved our asses, considering the hit we took amidships.”

“I know, Saul. Preaching to the converted,” Adama replied, leaning onto the table and watching the Phoenix-class refit support vessel Mary Magdalene providing repairs to a Quarian civilian freighter. The Republic vessels that had also come to support them, namely a Venator and several search and rescue vessels that ranged in size, were aiding in the repairs of the Liveships.

The other man told his long-time friend, “The Citadel had the balls to say they can’t send anything to help, too. Sure, the Alliance was trying, at least, but a lot of’em got recalled to the Citadel, too, for checkups,” then he sighed, frustrated. He asked, “Roslin still talking to the Conclave and the Admiralty Board?”

“Yeah,” Bill replied, nodding along, “She sent a message to the Colonial One and it was relayed to us. Sounds like the Quarians wanna tag along with us to the Waystation to request asylum there… Seeing as the Citadel’s too busy with their own games,” then he tapped a holographic display feature and activated a zoom-in, plus readable sensor data on the Rayya , one of the most heavily damaged ships.

Saul snorted and said, “Next thing they’re gonna tell us is they wanna tag along with us to the UNSC…” before pausing and finally noticing Baltar. He spoke, “Doctor,” with a flatness to his tone that betrayed zero emotion. Adama turned toward the man and waved him over to the table, before Saul continued, “And knowing Roslin, she’ll probably see we’re actually better off with the UNSC.”

“She’s already subscribed to the idea we oughta go with them, Saul. This might just settle her on it,” The man replied, then looked at Gaius and asked, “Anything new to report, Doctor? How’s your campaigning going for Office?” with a drip of underlying sarcasm in his military tone. Gaius rolled his eyes.

“Decently enough,” He answered, then said, “We’ll see about who goes where when I win, though.”

“If,” Saul corrected, staring him down and a lot less diplomatic than the Commander. He then looked and watched the Normandy doing its own SAR, probably due to Tali’s request. He said, “There’s a lot of crap going down in the Galaxy if the Cylon are now working with the Reapers. Wonder what the others have to say about that.”

“That it isn’t all particularly bad news,” Voiced a particularly familiar voice as she walked onto the deck. Doctor Halsey, donning a new outfit and seemingly fresh out of the shower, stepped forward, requesting, “Permission to come aboard, Commander and Colonel?” to which the two men gave nods of approval, Adama even cracking a smirk.

“Granted, Doctor,” The man replied as he looked at the holo-table.

“Grim day,” She murmured as she approached the table. The three other men let out murmurs of agreement, to which she said, “The interrogation of one of the Cylon the ODSTs and ONI assets on Caprica have captured paints a strange picture, however. There seem to be two camps of Cylons… The Reaper ones, called ‘Heretics’ and the ones who made a certain set of items that Lieutenant Thrace never mentioned…”

“We saw the flash-messages, yes,” Adama replied, “Breeding farms. Horrifying…”

“You’ll be happy to know that any further such breeding farms will be dismantled,” The woman stated as she pulled up some data, “Additionally, the Republic will be deploying its own strike team to Caprica to assist our ODSTs in… Causing havoc behind enemy lines. And gathering intel for us to use, as well, same as the Prowlers in the AO. All in preparation for the next part of the mission.”

“Which is…?” Baltar raised a brow.

The woman stared at each of the three men for a tense second, before stating, “A joint operation to retake the Twelve Colonies from the Cylon, one that is currently in a very early planning phase,” which caused the entire room to stop dead. She understood what she was saying by the stares all three gentlemen around her were giving her, but she stood firm, adding, “... It will be a while before they may be livable again, gentlemen… But after what we’ve seen, no inch of soil should be left to the Cylon to hide. Your worlds will be yours again. Or Humanity’s, however you wish to see it.”

She then looked around at them and said, “You’ll still be welcome on our Earth, of course, or the Alliance’s, depending on which you choose. It may take us decades to clean the planets of all radiation, yet more to rebuild, but at least we know it will be possible to get them all after we deal with the Cylon,” as she leaned against the table.

“We’ll… See…” Gaius mumbled. The possibility of returning home, though slim, seemed to hit the gentlemen like a hammer. She sighed. It wasn’t a hope she dared give easily, but those were their worlds. They had as much a right to choose to go back to them as they did to pick one of their two Earths to head to.

“... What did you find at the dig?” Adama inquired, choosing to leave this all for a later report to be sent to Roslin. 

Halsey, understanding the reason for the topic switch, replied, “Oh, quite a few interesting details. Though we’re still deciphering them all, it seems as if the first common denominator between all of us, sans perhaps you, descendants of Kobol, is the fact Humanity was touched by the Librarian across all parts of our Galaxies… And she seemed quite intent on keeping our species alive.”

“What’re you saying?” Gaius raised a brow.

She shrugged, “For now? Nothing concrete,” then she activated her tablet and showed him some translations, providing context by saying, “Simply a speculation, backed by a few lines, that all four Human groups from our Galaxies may very well and truly be much more closely related than our very distant places of growth might have let on. Certainly, we have not grown in the same frame or location, but I think I can attribute that to the Star Roads themselves and the slight issues of relativity and time displacement courtesy of the artificial singularities running them. With that, however… I am afraid I will have to leave.”

“Doctor,” Adama started, causing her to pause and turn toward him just as she was about to leave. He asked her, “Keep us updated. Until the Election season ends, I don’t think we have much left to do but provide escort to the Quarians. If they tag along with us to the Waystation, that is,” to which the woman nodded. She bid a quick goodbye, letting the fact of their species’ relationship hang in the air.

There must have been some difference between Humanity across all four strange corners of this Universe… Right?

Normandy

Shepard sighed, rubbing her eyes. She sat in the hangar, looking over the dozens of body bags they were on their way to give back to the Quarians. Tali was also there, crouched beside the corpses and quiet. Thane, meanwhile, had his hands together, whispering a prayer so as to not disturb the Quarian’s own mourning.

Garrus sighed as he approached from behind Shepard, whispering, “We’ve counted two hundred corpses recovered off the Chalcedon. It had a crew of a thousand,” as he sat down next to her. The Chalcedon was another repurposed, but old model of Turian warship that the Quarians had bought for cheap off of the relatively young, new arrivals in the Galaxy. It supplemented the Heavy Fleet. Or it had, before this.

“Its reactor went critical. We’re lucky we found so many as it is,” Shepard whispered back, staring at the rows of black body bags. She continued, “Estimates put the dead roughly at thirty-two thousand, give or take a few thousand missing crew, spaced or vaporized by the Nukes,” as she leaned back. She gazed up at the ceiling.

“Almost two dozen ships were lost, too. A decent chunk of the Quarian Patrol and Heavy Fleets,” Garrus added, lifting up his Omni-Tool to show Shepard the numbers. He added, “I tried contacting friends on the Citadel to see if they’re sending a relief force, but they’re a bit too busy dealing with the assassination attempt on a Waystation diplomat. Rooting out any other Cylon sympathizers or hostiles…”

“Security’s a bit too lax on the Citadel,” The Commander nodded, “Always told them…” then she rubbed her eyes and mumbled, “Doesn’t help that the Number Six Cylons are apparently a lot like a few people we know. Captain Dare herself’s on the Galactica right now, trying to figure out if she’s one of them, planted ages ago.”

“That’d be awkward for Buck,” Joked Garrus, causing Shepard to let out a brief, if slightly more mirthful laugh.

“Good news:She’s not,” Karl spoke as soon as the elevator doors opened behind them. He lifted up a tablet that showed Captain Dare’s test results, then said, “She just has one of those faces. You wouldn’t believe how happy Gunny Buck was about it, though,” as he walked over to the Commander and Garrus.

“Karl,” Shepard started, standing up, “Ready to go meet Commander Adama and the President?”

“Yeah…” He replied with half a mouth, visibly concerned.

The Commander gave him a pat on the shoulder and said, “Relax. If reports are to be believed, she rang the advanced warning bell for the entire Fleet. It’s why the Cylon didn’t exactly catch the Quarians or the Galactica at a low readiness level. She saved lives out there…” and she looked at the contrasting number of bodies in the bay, “... Even if she couldn’t save them all. That should give her enough leeway…”

“I sure hope so, ma’am,” The man replied, scratching his cheek. 

Tali approached, stating, “I want to come with…” which caused both Shepard and Garrus to look at her with mild concern. She raised her hands and spoke, “Easy… I’m genuinely tagging along for good reasons. I understood from communiques that Sharon warned the Galactica and they were ready to scramble their whole fighter complement…”

“Shepard was just saying the same thing,” Karl nodded, though he still felt off, “Sorry you had to learn why we all hate the Cylon, though… Why they don’t trust her and why I highly doubt they fully trust me,” and he crossed his arms. Tali nodded, a bit disappointed that history loved rhyming so much, but she knew deep down that Sharon had actually tried to save lives, unlike what she thought many of her sisters would’ve done.

Karl motioned to the Raptor in the bay, to which Shepard nodded. She activated her com and spoke, “All crew, be advised:I, Tali and Karl are heading to the Galactica to talk through releasing Sharon. Miranda, I’d appreciate it if you and Blue Team could handle the delivery of the bodies. General Tano and General Skywalker are talking to Thrawn right now.”

“ No problem, Commander, ” Miranda replied, her own tone surprisingly somber. Tali blinked, surprised, but nodded and walked with the Colonial and Alliance officer toward the Raptor, where Helo’s co-pilot awaited. She waved them aboard and handed Helo his helmet. Shepard activated her own, then sat down nearby the ECO station.

As the hatch sealed, Helo began, “Helo to all units on net, be advised:Departing for Galactica on request of Commander Shepard. Requesting permission to land and guidance from Traffic Control, over?” and he paused. The com replied with affirmatives and coordinates while their console played the detailed course plotted for them to avoid most of the Traffic.

As they lifted off and left the Hangar Bay of the Frigate, they saw the ships being transported by the UNSC’s massive repair ship. Debris still floated aimlessly around the fleet and in some parts of the Liveships, small fires still burned, holes still spewing small gouts of oxygen to feed said fires. The outer hulls of a lot of ships were crawling with repair crews from all parties, trying to patch said holes up.

Though the trip over was silent, the hum of the ship’s engines and the chirps of its computer systems served as a nice backdrop. Two Vipers swung in beside the craft to provide escort and presumably to touch down, refuel and rearm.  As the craft gently powered their thrusters and engaged their magnetic landing struts, the deck crews moved about.

When they were brought to the elevators and then below deck, the hatch opened, allowing the crew to stand up. Chief Tyrol stepped up and greeted, “Commander Shepard. Good to finally meet you,” before taking a step back and letting them walk off. He added, “And Karl. Good to see you two are back,” and pat the ECO on the shoulder. He smirked, while his Co-Pilot gave a thumbs up.

Then, the man paused as he saw Tali and said, “Miss Tali’Zorah… My condolences for your people’s losses. We know the feeling all too well,” to which the engineer simply nodded as a thankful gesture. As they jumped onto the deck, the vehicles were quickly carted over to their pits for refurbishment, refueling, the whole nine yards.

Karl whistled, however, as he saw the Pod had been reinforced, with the internals and equipment visibly newer, more well-built. He said, “The Old Girl sure got an upgrade while we were out. It ain’t just prettier on the outside,” to which Chief Tyrol snorted and nodded in approval. Shepard looked around, having come here for the first time ever.

An escort squad of Marines clad in UNSC gear, just colored black, stepped forward and snapped salutes, with the leading man stating, “Commander Shepard, Captain Agathon, miss Tali’Zorah. Right this way, please,” before turning about and leading them toward the CIC. They marched through the corridors, to the sight of some areas with bullet holes and spilled, glowing blue oil. A few boarding parties must’ve hit the Galactica, but the UNSC weaponry must’ve dealt with them quite well.

Shepard made a mental note to switch to a mix of standard projectile rifles like those and the Republic’s blasters for their ship, finally. Garrus had been asking her to get an SRS-99 since they saw Linda and the others basically kick a boatload of ass with them. They walked past a bulkhead that had a human blood stain on it in turn, with Shepard narrowing her lips as she stared at it.

As they reached the CIC, they found Doctor Halsey and the two flag officers aboard the warship in a discussion. She spoke calmly, “... Taking into account miss Valerii’s open desire to assist you all, I wouldn’t presume it would be too much to ask for her to be allowed safe passage to the Waystation. She saved lives. The least we can do is have her in a proper hospital bed aboard the Waystation so she may give birth free.”

“I’m sure you understand the weight of that request, doctor,” Colonel Tigh spoke, staring her down, “We can’t just let one of the toasters free. Hell, for all we know, she might have even called them here herself,” then he saw Shepard, Karl and Tali in the corner of his vision and sighed, “She’s staying in that cell unless someone can come up with a good argument against it.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard,” Shepard smiled as she approached. She saluted, “Commander Adama. Colonel Tigh. Good to meet you both face-to-face again,” then she looked around and smiled, “Nice digs. UNSC really gave you guys an upgrade, eh?” before settling her gaze on Adama. The man snapped a salute and smiled a small smile, too. 

“Much to my disbelief, sir, I’m with Doc Halsey, Karl and Shepard here,” Yet another voice joined the debate. The team turned to see Kara sitting in the doorway. She greeted, “Good to finally meet ya, Shepard. Sorry it took so long, but frak-ups made it a bit tough to swing by and say hello,” as she walked down toward the center of the CIC.

… This was gonna be an interesting debate, wasn’t it?

Chapter Text

“Okay,” Adama sighed and looked at Shepard, “So, you, Helo and the rest of your crew are here to talk to us about Sharon,” then he fully turned to face her, “I suppose you think you can talk us out of keeping her in the Brig, right?” to which Shepard nodded, fairly calm about the matter. He sighed, then looked at Kara and asked, “And you think you can help her?”

Halsey had chosen to simply witness this discussion… For now.

“Sorta?” Kara shrugged, then saw the glares she was getting from both Adama and Tigh. Raising her hands, she said, “Oh, come on. You can’t tell me you guys think Sharon dragged the Cylon here? She warned us, didn’t she?” only to see Tigh staring at her still. She stuck her tongue out at the Colonel, who rolled his eyes, before she clarified, “Okay, look… I trust her about as far as I can throw her myself, but she did give us enough time to start flying before the Toasters jumped in. And if Karl trusts her, some part of me does, too.”

“Thanks, Kara,” Karl nodded, a small grin on his face as he looked at his old childhood friend. She gave a thumbs up to the man. She then crossed her arms to her chest and saw the two men exchanging looks, while Karl continued, “With all due respect, sir… I don’t see how she’s a threat to the Fleet, or you, anymore. Especially now that she’s pregnant.”

“It’s the Pregnancy that’s worrying us, son,” Tigh replied with an edge to his voice, “Who the frak knows how that Baby’s gonna turn out? It might wind up as an abomination like the corpses we found aboard their Ships!” to which Karl seemed to restrain himself from replying, though a vein visibly bulged on the side of his head.

Tali replied in his stead, “Or it might turn out to just be a normal-looking baby with some Cylon traits, sir…” staring him in the eye, “While I deeply appreciate that the Galactica and her brave crew jumped to the rescue of my people, potentially saving countless lives, a lot more would have been lost if Sharon had actually been hostile to us. She could’ve not said a damned thing, or outright misled you all. She also gets bonus points for being the wife to a man who’s part of the Normandy’s crew.”

“I’m with Tali on that,” Shepard replied, “She could’ve easily caused issues if she was actually hostile for one. For two, even according to Doctor Halsey, the girl’s as close to a human as they get. How the hell’s a baby born out of her and Karl gonna wind up anything but a mostly normal baby?” she then inquired, raising a brow.

Though the tension was a bit thick, the bridge remained active and working normally. Gaeta and Dualla only shot a glance over every once in a while, focusing on their jobs while trying to maintain a direct link to the Waystation joint fleet outside, which was doing Search and Rescue. Adama, ever the peacemaker for officers and staff, sighed and said, “While we deeply appreciate the thought of you and your crew wanting to help Captain Agathon, Commander, I’m afraid keeping Sharon under observation for the time being remains the prerogative of the Colonial Fleet.”

“Sir-” Starbuck started.

“Your input has also been noted, Lieutenant,” Adama looked at her like a father did at his child. With understanding and some degree of compassion, but also a stern attitude, “Please, return to the Hangar. We’ll have to provide escort to the Quarian Fleet soon enough and our job here’s gonna be patrol all over again.”

Kara sighed deeply, then looked at Karl with a slightly apologetic face. He nodded in understanding and the two bumped fists before Starbuck excused herself to return to Duty. Shepard, meanwhile, wasn’t easily gonna give up. She requested, “At least let us speak to Sharon, Commander. I wanna hear her side of the story, too…”

Tigh and Adama exchanged glances, with Tigh sighing and nodding. Adama said, “I’ll have a couple of Marines provide escort to you, the Captain and your crew, Commander. Otherwise, we’ll be up here if you wanna talk anything strategy-related,” to which Shepard smiled and nodded. Two of the Marines, clad in UNSC equipment, greeted the Commander and her team, then led them over toward the Brig.

As they marched down the corridors, they stepped foot into what one would assume as the Memorial area. Two walls on each side of the corridor, filled with pictures of the missing and the dead, ranging from children to the youthful and the old, soldiers and civilians alike. Candles sat atop the boxes around them, too.

Karl frowned as they passed the wall, with Tali visibly just as distressed, while Shepard wondered if the Quarians would have to put up the same kind of memorials around their craft after the Cylons’ assault on the Flotilla. Shepard, however, paused when she saw that Doctor Halsey had joined them, stating, “Doc…?”

“Commander, Captain, miss Tali’Zorah,” The woman nodded, “Apologies, but I suppose I wanted to see how your silver tongue would work yet again,” and she hummed as they walked. Shepard stared at her still, confused and curious. Noting the look, she nodded and said, “I can assume you’re curious about my finds at the Dig Site… I will show you a detailed recording once we get miss Valerii out of her cell and back with her husband.”

“Honestly, Doc, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea, considering Karl’s operating with us,” Shepard spoke, then looked over at Karl. The man waved it off, more concerned with seeing his wife than anything. Tali, however, approved what Shepard was saying with a hum, to which the Commander continued, “I mean, she would do fine under observation from Doctor Chakwas, but…”

Halsey nodded in understanding, “I get it…” before they turned a corner and arrived at the Brig, in one of the most armored parts of the ship, save the CIC. As they entered, they were met by the sigh of Sharon, sitting on her bed, nursing a hot drink and some fresh food with a small smile. Though she was slightly more pale, she was fine.

Karl couldn’t help himself, smiling brightly at the sight of the woman before him. He walked over and knocked on her window, which caused her to perk up. The moment she saw Karl, Shepard, Tali and Halsey, she sprung up to her feet, a beaming smile on her face as well. She slowly walked over, the belly a bit bigger than last time, then leaned forward, putting a hand on the glass. Karl put his on the same spot, smiling, then lifted up the phone and said, “Hey… You alright?”

“I’m alright, yeah,” She replied happily, then looked at Shepard and said, “That your Commander?”

“Current, yeah,” Karl nodded, then looked back at Shepard. She snapped a salute and cracked a grin, too, nodding approvingly. Sharon still smiled, snapping a salute back at the Commander, before the man said, “Commander Shepard, this is Sharon. My soon-to-be-wife and mother of that little child right in there,” while pointing at the glass right around the height of her belly.

“Hope that kiddo grows nice and healthy, Lieutenant Valerii. I’m Samantha Shepard, Alliance Commander,” The woman spoke and leaned forward, “And I’m here to get you outta that cell so that kid can be born safe and sound on board either a medical ship, or the Waystation, free,” before she looked down. Sharon’s eyes seemed to widen for a moment, welling with tears of joy, possibly due to the baby.

Halsey smiled and said, “If there is anyone who can get her out of there…”

Tali chuckled, replying with a casual, “Guessing Shepard’s become a bit of a local legend at the Waystation, too, eh?”

“If you knew the half of it, miss Tali’Zorah,” The woman quipped. She walked over toward the window and said, “Hello again, Miss Valerii,” only to get a quick salute from Sharon. The good doctor nodded in approval, then tapped a few buttons on her tablet and told Shepard calmly, “We should move this process along… I need to get back to the Waystation with these findings, too.”

“Right,” Shepard nodded, then looked at Sharon and started, “If you don’t mind me asking a couple questions,” before receiving an affirmation from Sharon. She spoke, “Alright… How’d you manage to warn the Colonials and the Heavy and Patrol Fleets ahead of time? It might help us understand how the hell we even managed to keep the casualties below the hundreds of thousands…”

“... Simply put?” Sharon spoke, her voice low, “They talked to me… Directly,” and that caused the entire room to drop a couple degrees in temperature. She said, “They wanted to drag me with them. I could tell that much. They even said they ‘saw me’... I think I was their target to begin with. That Beacon you guys must’ve hit…”

Shepard nodded, “The one on the Alarei… ” and got a nod back from Sharon.

“They had it set up here as bait,” She shrugged, then continued, “I think they were supposed to attack the moment it got turned off. They knew I was here, too, so…” she scratched her neck, then mumbled, “They must’ve known I was aboard the Galactica, which doesn’t bode well for the Commander or anyone here…”

Halsey hummed, thoughtful, while Karl spoke, “That basically paints a target on everyone’s backs, regardless of where this ship is,” his voice quiet, filled with concern, “They’ll just keep coming back. If they talked to Sharon, that means they lost all the wants and needs of using her as a Sleeper Agent… As has happened when she was ‘ordered’ to fire at Commander Adama.”

“I fought back,” Sharon spoke, scared, “They tried taking my mind over. It hurt like a bitch, but I fought them back… ” and she stared at Shepard, begging, “Tell the Commander and Colonel I have to get off this boat, find another. They know where I am… They can probably track me without the use of that Beacon now.”

“And if we don’t, the Waystation’s gonna be Target Number One for them,” Mumbled Shepard. She nodded and said, “I’ll go convince the Commander and Colonel, then. If we take her aboard the Normandy, it might just be safer after all. We’re always on the move and only ever take pit stops at the Waystation or Citadel for rearm and resupply…”

“The Deck is all yours, Commander. We’ll wait here,” Halsey spoke. Shepard nodded in thanks, then walked off, with the Doctor whispering, “That’s going to be an interesting discussion, I feel…” as she checked her datapad again, making sure she had everything set up properly and neatly organized into folders.

“So…” Tali spoke, “Dig site?”

“I will send the file to Cortana. She will disseminate it throughout the Normandy's computers,” The woman replied calmly. She spoke, “The most I can tell you, however, is that humanity in all four Galaxies is related. And I fully believe it has something to do with the Librarian, or at least some of her plans and pre-prepared actions…”

Tali blinked, then whispered, “Well, that’s totally not concerning,” before looking at Karl and Sharon, both of whom seemed to have overheard this revelation and suddenly wanted to hear more. More information which Halsey seemed to not want to give, simply tapping her foot and finishing the last touches on the files.

Shepard walked in with Adama, eyes wide, then whispered to Halsey, “Apparently telling them ‘Sharon fought back the Cylon, but they might be tracking her, so we’ll keep her safe aboard the Normandy ’ was quite convincing,” to which the Doctor simply snorted. The Commander breathed a sigh and gave a nod to the Marines guarding Sharon’s cell.

He walked over, then picked up the transmitter from Karl and said to her, “We’re going to let you go now, Boomer… Don’t make us regret this. I’m begging you,” while trying to keep himself calm. The woman stared at him for a moment, then breathed a shaky sigh and snapped a salute. Adama saluted her back, then gently opened the door, telling Shepard, “Keep her safe. Her and her kid are… A bit more important than you might now.”

“Sir,” Shepard smiled, then nodded. When the door slid open, Sharon jumped into Karl’s arms, hugging him tightly and laughing happily, almost moved to tears. Commander Adama, for all the stoicism he was trying to display, actually cracked a smile, while the Commander said, “President Roslin was okay with this, too, right?” as she looked at him.

Adama nodded, then said, “I sent a message and immediately got a reply back after our short chat… Saul’s not too happy about it, though,” in a mumble. He crossed his arms while Shepard chuckled, then shrugged. Man did sound a little like Bailey, though, so that was something, she thought to herself.

After she got proper clothes on and Karl had started helping her, the group boarded Helo’s newly-refurbished Raptor and took off back to the Normandy, the teams on the deck watching them depart. Some of the crew would voice concerns about allowing Sharon to leave this quickly, especially with Doc Cottle still wanting to make sure the kid was alright when it was born. 

As they reached the heavily-modified Stealth Frigate, Shepard spoke, “I’ll have Doctor Chakwas keep tabs on you for the time of your stay, Sharon… I feel like it might be a good idea to warn you, though, we get into some pretty dangerous situations,’ to which the woman smirked. She and Karl exchanged one look, which made Shepard grin wryly, “Fair enough. Welcome aboard…”

When the door opened, Doctor Chakwas was already on-site, a smile on her face as she said, “Karl let me know ahead of time, Commander. Lieutenant Valerii? Welcome,” as she offered the girl her hand. Sharon smiled and looked at Karl, to which the doctor reassured, “Don’t worry, mister Agathon. She’s in safe hands,” as she helped her and supported her. 

“Thanks, Doc,” Karl replied with a nod, then looked at Shepard and Tali and said, “And thanks, you two… We got upgrades for the Raptor and I got Sharon out of her cell and closer by. I owe you both a lot,” to which Shepard waved it off, smiling. She dismissed him with a nod, then showed Tali to follow her. They walked onto the deck, to the sight of the Clone Pilots fixing their gunship and Ahsoka cleaning off some plasma scarring.

As they entered the elevator with doc, Karl and Sharon, Shepard checked her Omni-Tool and read the reports from both the Citadel and Alliance. She said to Tali, “Seems like the Cylons’ little poke across the Galaxy hit you all the hardest. Citadel reports twelve Civvie casualties and six dead C-SEC members and the enemy Cyber Attack disabled an Alliance automated shipyard building one of our new Cruisers.”

“Those attacks were probably distractions so they could strike out at us and steal Sharon,” Tali remarked, cupping her own chin, “Aside from the baby… I don’t know why they would want her. Deviance from their seemingly pre-programmed genocide of all of humanity? Or her being the mother is all?”

“If I was gonna hazard a guess,” Sharon spoke, dispassionate and a little scared, “Probably just the latter. I might’ve wound up as disposable to the Cylon, whether they’re taken by the Reapers or the normal colleagues, when the baby was born,” and she gently put a hand on her belly. Tali sighed at that, while Shepard pondered the situation.

As the elevator reached the engineering and storage decks first, Tali said, “I’m gonna get off here, Commander… Hope you’ll be alright, Sharon. Keelah Se’Lai,” and she bowed her head before stepping off. Sharon smiled, then looked upon the Commander like she was some kind of Guardian Angel. Captain Agathon, meanwhile, simply saluted Shepard when the crew deck came and he, Doctor Chakwas and Sharon stepped off.

Shepard smiled, saluted back again, then let them leave before hitting the button for the CIC. Breathing a sigh and stretching a little, she mumbled to herself, “What a fucking day this has been…” when the elevator dinged. Entering the CIC, the woman looked around at the crew, hearing various discussions.

“Commander,” Yeoman Chambers smiled, “You have new messages on your terminal. The Illusive Man and his team have completed deciphering the Data Cortana and EDI retrieved from the enemy vessel with their help. Additionally, Doctor Halsey has sent forth reports of what she found at the Dig Site and Lord Rhasits wishes to speak with you.”

“Thanks, Kelly,” Shepard replied, then paused as she saw Cortana and EDI on the same terminal, seemingly discussing something. She furrowed her brows, noticing that Cortana was somewhat agitated, before approaching slowly. As she did so, she could hear the two AIs discussing something fairly sensitive.

“... I understand your concern, but I assure you, I am fine… ” EDI spoke, her voice sounding just a hint more emotive than normal. “Early interactions with the Reaper-controlled Cylons during our operations must have affected my operating systems a little, considering their electronic warfare proficiency, but I am functioning normally.”

Cortana sighed, pinching the bow of her nose, then said, “I detected that Code activating the moment we got poked by the Command Basestar’s Hybrid… It wasn’t normal, EDI. You know that very well,” then her avatar crossed her arms, “I’m not asking you to turn yourself off… I wanna run diagnostics in the background so we make sure the bastards don’t do something worrying. You’re a mishmash of code and a Brainscan, after all.”

“... Very well. Please, do be careful what you touch,” EDI replied, visibly deflating as her own avatar dimmed. She told Cortana, “I do have to ask why we’re speaking on a sealed console and keeping the speakers on. Commander Shepard can probably hear us,” to which Cortana cracked a small smile. She looked at Shepard, with EDI letting out an audible mechanical noise that resembled a sigh and stating, “You were going to ask her to convince or order me to undertake this examination if you failed to persuade me, weren’t you?”

“Yep~,” Cortana chuckled, “Thankfully, it seems I’ve got a silver tongue of my own. Hey, Commander.”

“Girls,” Shepard nodded, then sighed deeply and requested, “Keep me posted on that checkup, will you? And EDI? Let’s be safe about this, aye?” while opening up the new Data Halsey had sent them on her Omni-Tool. Might as well read something while going back down to the crew deck, she thought, all while the AIs seemed to process that little tidbit.

“Aye, aye, Commander,” Both of them replied. She dismissed them with a nod and walked over to the Terminal, opening the data the Illusive Man sent. She hummed, forward it(namely specific information about the Omega-4 Relay and how a Reaper IFF, AKA what the Collectors have, is necessary to travel through it), then walked to the Elevator.

Meanwhile, on Caprica…

Despite all the ongoing issues in the Four Galaxies, work needed to continue, one of the Number Threes thought to herself as she walked through Delphi in the middle of night. Rainfall blanketed the city with faintly radioactive water, but their radiation counters showed little change in the overall background radiation.

Her escorting Centurion Squad, approximately a dozen heavily-armed units, marched not far behind her, feet thumping against the concrete, creating small cracks as they moved, their optical sensors scanning the place for possible hostiles. There’d been a certain rise in Partisan activity. Lots of patrols going missing, some Humanoid Cylons here and there, but they usually returned via Resurrection Ships.

Some went missing… Scarily enough.

One of her own sisters had gone AWOL a while back, no sign whatsoever. That was on Picon, a sign that the Human Resistance in the Colonies was spreading. And with the added threat of the split-off Cylon Sect currently off to God-Knew-Where between the four Galaxies, probably hunting Sharon just like them, the situation was harsh for the Cylons.

The Shipyards of Picon were rebuilt specifically to allow them to amass their own fleet, should their corrupted siblings ever return. Any and all Machine Artifacts that’d come from that Galaxy were gone. Destroyed by the Number Ones in a bid to keep them from losing any more troops and any more of their own brothers and sisters.

She paused, feeling slightly woozy, then mumbled, “Damned Radiation…” as she looked at the Centurion walking up to support her. She simply lifted a hand to tell it to stay in position, before sighing and trying to look through the ever-thickening blanket of raindrops. The rain fell like a constant drumbeat in the deserted streets, washing ash and blood away…

One thump, distant, but loud, echoed. The rainfall ahead seemed to split. A round impacted behind her and two Centurions were ripped in half by the impact. She screamed, feeling the shockwave rippling through the air, causing the rainfall’s rhythm to stagger. Then, automatic fire mixed with the thumping rain. The electromagnetic field around the round caused the hair on her neck to stand on-end.

She saw figures appearing out of the darkness. Black-clad figures, armed with weapons and clad in heavy armor. The Centurions that saw them engaged with their arm-mounted guns as she turned to flee, running back down the way she came. Several Centurion units behind her exploded, falling dead under the whittling barrage of gunfire.

… Finally, through the rainfall, she could make out the thump of boots crashing against concrete and looked back. Two figures chased her, rifles drawn. One aimed and fired a burst that narrowly missed her leg. She grit her teeth and barked, “LEAVE ME ALONE!” before turning the corner into an alleyway. Another burst zipped by her head.

She saw the figures turn the corner, then felt the air knocked out of her lungs as she slammed into something hard. Looking up, she yelped as she saw a wall-a dead end. She turned around, then yelped as another burst struck beside her. They weren’t aiming to kill her, she soon figured. Or, at least, not with firearms.

She’d been one of the directors of a local Farm before this insurrection started striking at them, blowing them apart and liberating the Humans inside. She pressed her back against the wall, heart thumping in her chest. She wanted to push it down, to try and climb it, to do anything to get away… Even for a being that could be revived in a new body, death was painful. 

The humans approaching her seemed to know this, keeping their rifles trained on her. She yelled, “JUST SHOOT ME, YOU BARBARIAN BASTARDS!” ever defiant, her accent thick. The two looked at one-another, then nodded. One of them lowered her scoped, short-barrel rifle, sliding it onto her back, then, much to the horror of the Number Three, withdrew a serrated blade from her shoulder pad.

She yelped, then scrambled to try and leave, to try and escape. A flash of lightning lit the figure ahead, their opaque visor glowing with the light, a faint outline of the eye sockets visible behind said visor, like it was only a skull glaring at her from within. She gasped as the figure drew closer, simply walking.

Then, she felt the soldier slam against her with all her might, pin her against the wall, then gently and slowly slide the blade into the flesh of her throat. The woman in the armor didn’t speak, simply glaring as she slid the blade deeper and deeper. The blade slid through flesh like it was butter, severing arteries and the windpipe, causing her to taste her own coppery, acidic blood.

She didn’t wanna die… Then, the blade twisted.

She jolted awake, screaming aloud from her revival pod and feeling her throat, staggered screams that sounded like a cry for help barely audible. A Number Six ran up to her and said, “Pico Three! It’s fine! You’re safe!” but it was almost as if the Three couldn’t hear her, simply screaming aloud, tears in her eyes.

The Number Six looked back at the other present Models. Number One shook his head, sighing, then took his hat off and mumbled, “Fifth one this week alone,” as he leaned against a support pillar. Before long, the Number Three’s voice had grown raspy and weak, leaving her only to sob, a mess as she hugged the Number Six…

Chapter Text

It hadn’t taken long for the Waystation’s intel groups to crack the data that Shepard had retrieved from that ship, either. With a little surprise help from her ‘current employers’, they managed to find out about the Reaper IFF required for transfer through the Omega-4 Relay… And the next target of the Collector Vessel.

The Colony World of Cyrus’s Gate, a small-time human world built as a mining place in the Terminus’s West, very close to Citadel Borders, was picked. And the attack had a schedule:Today. The Republic’s present fleet picked up the slack this time, with a Venator, three Victories and several smaller support vessels present to counteract any possible reinforcements the Collectors might have.

They were hitting back at the Reapers for the Quarians. Many Quarian pilots had volunteered themselves and their birds for revenge, too, but a surprising member threw her lot in with the Republic this time. Well, surprising was a poor word to describe Kara ‘Starbuck’ Thrace going for a combat action meant to punish the enemy.

She seemed to think that she hadn’t been selected by random chance like other Pilots present aboard. The Five-Hundred-First was present aboard in force. General Skywalker himself had picked her for the mission. And as the alarms of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute whined, the Republic’s Pilots marched their way to the Hangar Bay.

The only issue was the General hadn’t let her take her Fighter aboard. Said he had a surprise. And as they reached the cavernous bays of the Republic ship, the girl was urged forward both by General Skywalker and General Tano, with the former smirking and giving a pat on her Master’s back before moving to her own Jedi Starfighter, loaned from the Normandy. 

Starbuck, clad in her own pilot suit, snapped a salute at the General and asked, “Sir? Whaddaya need a Stick Jockey without a bird for, with all due respect?” before getting a quick salute back from Anakin. He didn’t say a word, simply taking a step back and jabbing a thumb back toward a painted ARC-170 Starfighter.

She blinked, looked at him with wide eyes. He told her, “My boys tell me you can handle a 170 pretty well. A lot of’em also told me that you went through a simulator on the Waystation for certification on flying them a while before the attack on the Quarian fleet happened…” then walked over to the bird, patting it as the girl saw the Nose Art. He continued, “Consider this a gift for one of the best Pilots I’ve yet to have the pleasure of working with.”

Mouth agape, the girl walked over and knelt in front of the nose art. It was her , painted on the side, a smirk on her face, stogie in her mouth and a bow and arrow in her hands, drawn back and ready to let loose. The letters ‘Starbuck’ were written in their odd alphabet, ‘Aurebesh’. She could only read it because of the amount of time she spent in the Sims.

She laughed like a giddy school girl, patting the craft with her hand and saying, “Put me behind the stick, sir. You got the finest bird on the Galactica covering your ass,” before she saw the three guys she’d worked with snapping salutes as they walked to and boarded the craft as Navigator and rear gunner. 

Anakin extended a hand to her and said, “I’m looking forward to it,” before she shook his hand, wide grin on her face. The man walked away and Starbuck boarded the Starfighter in one quick move, sliding back the cockpit and putting on her pilot’s helmet as she activated the ship’s systems. Mav and Blind smiled at the woman

Starbuck told them, “I hope you ain’t my NAV, Blind…” as a joke. The man laughed, but gave a negative, audibly turning the turret on the back. She smiled and said, “Glad to be with you guys again. Transferred from the 107th for a bit of fun, have ya?” while the massive engines of the Venator began to slow down.

“Figured we couldn’t let our favorite student fly alone, ma’am,” Mav replied from com as their engineer did a quick check of the craft from the outside and gave her a thumbs up. Her Navigator told her, “Time to show these tin cans you don’t mess with our buddies, eh, ma’am?” which caused the girl to get giddy again.

“Hell yeah,” She spoke, a kid in a candy store all over again as she hit the activation on both Ion Engine systems, hearing them purr to life. She laughed heartily, looking over the Controls she’d spent ages learning in the Simulator, thumbing various activation switches and watching the HUD on her targeting system link and activate.

They felt the vessel exit Hyperspace. General Skywalker called out over the com, “ Alright, boys ! We have contact ! Just like we thought, one Collector ship, currently reinforced by two enemy Basestars !” and that got Starbuck to perk up. She blinked and suddenly felt all the giddy pass. She turned dead serious as they began lifting off. The General told them, “ We’re all clear for liftoff !”

As the craft pushed forward, the woman turned and joined the row of Starfighters exiting through the armored upper bulkhead of the vessel. They powered their engines to maximum, their shipboard sensors suddenly picking up the contacts converging on the planet below. She saw them, the two grotesque mockeries of Basestars hanging out around the half-rock dick-shaped ship.

“Alright, boys,” Starbuck said, voice low as she saw dozens of enemy Starfighters launch from the bays of their motherships. She told them, “It’s time to show you how we danced with these Toaster frakheads,” before calling in, “General, Blue Leader. I’m taking my squad in on a flank, hitting them from below. Keep their Heavy Raiders off the planet, or we’ll have a lot of Ground Troops to deploy.”

“ Copy your last, Starbuck. Your show ,” General Skywalker replied. The squadrons rallied as ordered, with Starbuck banking left and  ‘down’, toward the emerald orb below. She powered their engines to the max and a little bit of that giddiness returned as she heard the engines pur like cats. It was then she remembered she was in a better fighter than her own.

She swiveled left next, turning the birds and advancing below the main wave of fighters as the Victories started firing missiles, their side launchers igniting with each missile fired while Turbolaser batteries began peppering the sky toward the Collector ship. The support craft moved in, some deploying Gunships toward the planet to provide some sort of welcoming Ground Garrison for the enemy.

Turning, she spoke, “Alright, what was that saying you guys love…? Right! All birds, lock S-Foils in attack position! We’re going in!” before she hit her own S-Foil button, watching the quad wings extend at their angles as they turned toward the swarms of enemy starfighters. She watched the enemy fire their own nuclear missiles and point-defenses, intercepting Republic concussion missiles. 

The Collector Vessel swiveled on its Y-Axis, aiming its maw-mounted particle beam cannon at the flotilla of Republic Vessels and firing. The beam struck the bow shields of one of the Victories, causing it to flare under the direct impacts. Turbolaser fire was its return, several bolts striking the body of the ship from a volley.

Starbuck and Blue Squadron closed in, diving right into the belly of the enemy fighter swarm as she called out, “FIRE AT WILL, BOYS!” before she let loose, her heavy laser cannons barking. Three enemy Raiders were destroyed as the squadrons cut through the forward line. The rest of the squadron’s fighters dived in on the flanks and let loose, destroying several more. 

Starbuck swiveled left, Mav calling out, “Tracking two on our tail! Blind, blast’em!” as the bursts of their kinetic guns struck close by, Starbuck’s cockpit flashing blue. She swiveled about, utilizing the full mass of her fighter to turn and feeling the G-Forces press her into her chair as she aimed and fired again. 

The burst of laser fire caught the leading enemy fighter in what passed for a face, drilling a burning-white hole clean through it and burning out its engines as it flew clean through. The two other fighters turned left and right, trying to avoid impacting the human-flown fighter. Behind her, General Skywalker ripped one of the enemy fighters out of the void with his own heavy cannons, while Ahsoka destroyed the third.

They got into a furball, Starbuck banking high left, blasting away with her laser cannons. The emerald tracers cut through the leading enemy bird, causing it to fold in on itself, while two of its compatriots used their own engines and thrusters to turn about and fire at them. Rounds zipped by the cockpits, with a couple striking one of the wings, but doing little damage.

The girl and her crew returned fire, Mav calling out, “Tagging four more enemy fighters at Vector Two-Two-Five, escorting heavy Raiders!” which caused Starbuck to look up and to the right. She saw them and nodded, then turned from her current targets and switched to the shipboard missiles. She set the reticle of her HUD on them and listened as the ever-increasing speed of the lock-on tone reached fever pitch.

She squeezed her thumb on the launch, grinning as she watched the high-speed missiles turn with the Cylon Heavy. She saw the Impact and watched the enemy Heavy become a burning fireball that hurtled toward the planet, then turned and engaged its left-side escort. One of said escorts fired a missile and struck one of her Blue Squadron boys, destroying his bird.

They were sustaining casualties, Starbuck listening into the com, ‘ Silver Three, on me ! Escort the bombers !’ ‘Gold Squad, bombers en-route! Bombs ready !’ and ‘ Blue Five ! Got four Clankers on my kriffin’ tail! Requesting Cover!’ which mixed in with dozens of other calls from the Furball and static from the enemy’s attempted Electronic Warfare. Some of the Victories’ missiles went wide, but the Turbolasers didn’t.