Beyond the Horizon

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 56

Location: Unknown
Date: Unknown

“I’m going to be starting with a surface meld,” Al'sha Shave, the Asari who had been assigned to the interrogation of this strange human said as she walked closer to the naked man. “We’ll be starting with the language centers so that I can understand your thoughts more clearly.”

“And you’re explaining this to your prisoner because?” The human questioned as he continued the strange exercise he had been doing when she entered the room.

“I find that it makes it easier to handle my melds when the subject is already informed of the specific areas where we will be going,” she explained as she waited for the human to finish whatever it was that he was doing.

“If you plan on waiting until I’m done with these then you’re going to be waiting for a while,” the man informed her as he switched to a different movement.

“Oh, I do not plan on waiting,” the Asari stated as she flexed her biotics, picking the human up and setting him down on the lone object in the room. “Now, we shall begin.”

—
—

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be in here,” A voice asked as a representation of the Asari and her subject appeared in what looked like a long hallway with many doors.

“I am exactly where I am supposed to be,” Al’sha said as she turned and looked at the much younger version of the subject she was interrogating. “Now, I assume that you are a representative of his subconscious mind, and as such are something that I will be seeing quite frequently.”

“You’d assume right,” the figure drawled as he leaned against the wall, his gray clothes nearly blending in. “And I’m not planning on helping you out too much.”

“I figured as much,” Al’sha sighed. “I guess I have to start opening doors then until I find the language center.”

“Your funeral,” the figure said with a shrug. “There’s some pretty nasty stuff waiting around here for you.”

The Asari simply scoffed and looked at one of the unlabeled doors before pushing it open. “Let’s see what you are hiding behind this door, shall we?”

Spoiler: Hull's First Line of Defense (Watch at own Peril)

()

--------------------------------------------------------------------
“Well, how did the initial meld go?” Athame asked the younger Asari who was seated across from her.

“It went well,” the other Asari rubbed at her temples in an attempt to stave off the migraine that the initial meld had caused. “But it may take me a bit longer to comb through than most subjects. This one is surprisingly self-aware and his subconscious mind was able to keep me from reaching the language centers for today. If his nervous system proves able to handle it, I may need to have multiple sessions each day if we are to achieve a proper breakthrough.”


“Should he prove resilient enough to withstand more than one meld you will be limited to two melds in a day’s period,” Athame said bluntly. “We need him more intact than most of your typical subjects.”

“I will restrain myself from some of my normal excesses,” Al’sha replied as she continued to try and rid herself of the headache. “But I’m not certain that two melds are possible for one Asari at the moment. Until we have breached his subconscious's defenses we will need to rotate in another interrogator. If all of his defenses are as capable as that one then we are going to have a fight on our hands until we have the information that we require.”

“Do what is necessary,” Athame stated. “Our resurgence relies on getting the information.”

“As you wish,” Al’sha bowed her head. “I will see to it that it is done.”

---------------------------------------
Imir System, Korlus

“This is not what I expected,” Aethyta said as she looked at the redhead seated across from her. “I’m not even sure how this is possible. After all, didn’t your species just make inroads into joining the Council?”

“We are still trying to figure out how we got here,” Natasha informed the elderly Asari. “But I have other concerns at the moment, like trying to find my husband. We can discuss my origins later, but for now, I need your help.”

“What do you need,” Aethyta said after a moment of absorbing the information. “We’re not done with this conversation though, I want a full accounting of everything that is going on once Hull has been rescued.”

“You will have it,” Natasha stated firmly. “But I need you and your connections to help locate my husband.”

“I’ve still got some Matriarchs that owe me favors,” Aethyta replied. “I’ll start calling them in and see what I can dig up.”



Sowilo System, Hagalaz

“Athame, I have done as you have asked,” The Asari said as she sat in the dark of her ship. “My debt has been paid.”

“Did you think that our debt was paid because of this small favor?” The older Matriarch asked. “No, you are bound to me for the rest of your life.”

“That was not our agreement,” The Broker responded as she grew angry. “I have enough data that I could bury your sect in a heartbeat.”

“Ahh, but you won’t,” Athame replied. “I’m one of the few that still have the files on your original identity after all.”

“And how would you even go about releasing that information?” The Broker asked. “I’m the one who you asked for help with information control, after all.”

“I have my—“ the comms channel shut down as a massive figure walked out behind the Matriarch that was the current Shadow Broker.

“I dreamed of this day,” the Yahg said as he looked at the smaller alien. “But I find you disappointing in person. I will honor the minor deal I made with this ‘Athame’ and send you into her care should your survive. But first, I must pull all of the secrets that I still require from you,” the Yahg shrugged. “And if you should die in the process then that is something that I am not concerned about. I am the Shadow Broker now.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 57


Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown


“I wouldn’t go in that door if I were you,” the representation of the human subject’s subconscious told Al’sha. “There are things in there that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”


“I do not believe you,” Al’sha scoffed. “What could possibly be in your mind that would be dangerous.”


“I warned you,” the gray and blue-clad figure stepped out of the shadows. “Proceed at your own peril.”


“I will go through this door and find out what it is you are hiding from me,” the Asari stated as she reached for the door before finding herself on the other side. “While this is not what I was looking for, this is progress,” she muttered as she looked around the small ship cabin she found herself in. “There’s nothing dangerous here.”


—

—


“What happened?” Athame asked as she entered the cell. Finding her main interrogator curled into a ball on the floor rocking back and forth while the human remained strapped into the bed and unconscious.


“Alone,” Al’sha rocked back and forth. “So alone, nothing and no one to speak to. Surrounded by ghosts, but they never speak. I wish they would speak, it would be noise.”


“She’s been like this for the past hour,” the medtech said as she injected the Asari with a sedative. “We came in when she missed her second check-in and found her like this. When we failed to communicate we called you.”


“Check on the human,” Athame ordered. “We still haven’t gotten our information yet.”


“He’s alive, but he’s not going to be up for another meld for at least a week or more. His nervous system was nearly overloaded despite Shave’s training,” the medical technician said as she checked Al’sha’s vitals now that she was unconscious.


“If we must wait that long then we will need to remove him from this cell,” Athame said as she looked at the barren room. “Have the guards put him with the Angel, she won’t do anything to him.”


“I’ll have them do it once I am certain that Al’sha is not a danger to herself or others,” the tech replied. “We are all well aware of the dangers should she snap.”


“I do understand those dangers, yes,” Athame responded. “If need be I will restrain Al’sha myself.”


“I hear and obey,” the tech bowed her head before gesturing to the two Asari standing by with a stretcher. “Let’s get her into the bay before she wakes up.”


—

—


“What the hell hit me?” I groaned as I woke up on the floor.


“From what I can tell from a cursory examination you are suffering from a near complete nervous system overload,” a female voice replied, causing me to look around before settling on an Asari seated in the corner. “I would not move suddenly, for it may cause great pain to you until your nervous system can properly understand the signals your brain is transmitting again.”


“Thanks,” I eased myself up. “Given that we’re both naked I’m going to assume that you’re a prisoner as well,” I slowly scooted back until I was able to lean against a wall facing the Asari in the corner.


“I am,” the Asari responded curtly.


“Well, given that I’m likely to be here for a while care to tell me your name?” I asked. “My name is Mark.”


“You may call me Angel,” the Asari replied. “I was once called something much different, but I have been here for far longer than every other prisoner.”


“We’ll get out of here,” I said as I noticed the look of slight despair on her face. “My people will find me and get me out of here.”


“I wish I could believe that,” Angel sighed. “But you are not the first to die of old age that I have been placed with, and you will likely not be the last.”


“Well then I’ll just have to prove you wrong then, won’t I?”








“Is she responsive yet?” Athame asked the physician that was currently on duty.


“Yes and no,” the doctor responded. “She is capable of responding to us, but she is currently still locked into whatever it was that she saw and felt in the subject’s memories during her meld.”


“Is my direct involvement needed?” Athame asked directly. “Or is she capable of recovering from this on her own?”


“It’s too soon to tell,” the other Asari replied with a half-shrug. “I’ll likely need until the subject is capable of being melded with again to finish my full conclusion. Al’sha melding with anyone for the next few days would likely kill her. She did something that caused her nervous system to mirror the damage that was caused in the subject.”


“That is unusual,” Athame observed out loud. “But not entirely out of the ordinary for an Ardat Yakshi.”


“Which is why we are not more concerned,” The doctor replied. “If she were a typical Asari I would be holding her for the next few months while trying to figure out exactly what went wrong. But given we’ve seen something similar to this in some of the training we’ve done over the millennia I’m simply holding her for observation.”


“Then it comes down to one specific question,” Athame muttered. “Were those active defenses? Or was it merely trauma or some event rising to the surface that caught Al’sha in the process?”


“We’ll have to ask Al’sha once she is capable of answering,” The doctor said as she sedated Al’sha once again. “I’ll send an update once I have one, but for now I would recommend rest for both Al’sha as well as the subject. If you want to continue interrogating him then it will be necessary according to the data on humans that we have acquired.”


“Agreed,” Athame said as she moved to leave the room. “Keep this quiet and between us for now, I would hate for the other interrogators to be hesitant in investigating the subject’s mind.”


“As you will,” the doctor replied with a bow. “I am at your command as I always am.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Stargate Atlantis (The Siege) Part III

“You’re sure that they won’t have fully regenerated their hull from the damages?” Dr. Rogers asked Zalenka and McKay. “Because it's my people that are at stake if this doesn’t work.”


“There’s not really any way to be absolutely sure,” McKay said as he continued working on backing up the Ancient Database. “We’ve never really been able to take on Hive Ships like this before, and we're going to be flying blind here for a bit.”


“If the BPLs work well enough to take out most of the Darts then we may be able to capture the ship,” Rogers said as she looked through the collected data they had on Hive Ships. “Given the tests we’ve run on the stunners in conjunction with our armor, we should be able to take out any Wraith that happen to be on board and take the ship.”


“Good luck with that,” McKay scoffed. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve captured a ship only to lose it soon afterward.”


“I think you’ll find that we’ve got a better track record of keeping the ships that we take from our enemies,” a voice said from behind the scientists. “Besides, you better hope that we secure the ship properly.”


“You are coming with us after all,” Sheppard walked in beside the bearded leader of their new Allies.


“Don’t worry, you can hide behind us if we start taking fire,” the Duke said with a grin.


“I can take care of myself,” Rogers replied. “You very well know that after all these years.”


“That’s why I was talking to McKay here,” Hull said with a small gesture at the other man. “We’re loading up onto some of your puddle jumpers now, the Hiveship is going to be over the city in an hour or two.”


“I thought it had slowed down,” Mckay said with a frown. “To let their hull regenerate after the beating it took from the beam weapon.”


“Well, it looks like you got the timing on their regeneration wrong,” Sheppard said with a wry smile. “So we’re going to go ahead and get into position.”


“I’ll have several Sting dropships on standby to clear out any resistance once we open up the Dart bay,” Hull said as he moved to help Dr. Rogers get into her own suit of Mithril. “We’re moving out in fifteen minutes.”


–

–


“Are you sure that I can’t get one of those suits?” Mckay asked the lone figure in powered armor standing in the cockpit of the Puddlejumper. “I mean, given that you can use it, it can’t be that complicated right?”


“Let me make myself abundantly clear,” a female voice came from the figure. “You do not have the requisite training or the capability of using Mithril to its full extent.”


“Easy there Colonel Paige,” Sheppard said as he moved the cloaked ship toward the void. “We’re all friends here.”


“Adamina warned me about him,” Paige glared at Mckay. “She said that he works with things that he doesn’t fully understand because all of your advanced technology was handed to you on a platter for you to eat from.”


“Hey!” Mckay spoke up defensively. “I’m a genius on multiple levels! I built my first nuclear bomb in middle school!”


“Be that as it may,” Paige shifted her rifle plainly for the scientist to see. “You insulted one of my closest friends, the one who helped perfect this armor that you admire so much. So I would watch my words much more carefully in the future. Lest you insult someone more willing to shoot first and ask questions later.”


“What she means, Mckay,” Sheppard spoke up. “Is that I should probably do the talking in the future.”


“I’m certain that you will be allowed to speak, Rodney,” Teyla smiled at Mckay. “But sometimes it is best to remain silent.”


“BPLs are being launched now that darts are moving to intercept our ASFs,” Duke Hull’s voice came over the Puddlejumper’s comms device. “Prepare to move in after the bombs go off, you don’t want to be anywhere near these things when they go off.”


“Copy that,” Sheppard replied. “All Puddlejumpers are cloaked and ready to move in once the bombs have gone off.”


“Standby,” Duke Hull’s voice echoed through the Puddlejumper. “ETA for BPLs is one Mike, I repeat, one Mike.”


The group of Mithril-clad Marines simply waited for the nukes to detonate so they could get to their proper job while Sheppard and Mckay watched in awe as the nukes detonated, sending the invisible lasers shooting out where they began to vaporize the groups of Wraith Darts that were leaving the Hive ship, leaving clouds of debris behind as the lasers also carved into some of the armor surrounding the Dart bay.


“You might want to get in there while the doors are still open,” Hull’s voice said over the comms. “If you get the chance though, open the doors and we’ll get some Stings in there with more marines to help clear the ship of any Wraith.”


“We’re Oscar Mike,” Sheppard said as the other three Puddlejumpers began to move into the Hive ship behind him. “Standby for further transmissions.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Flashback #1 Davion Palace (The week before the Christmas Eve party in chapter 58 of BOTH)

“I was willing to help with this baking, and all of this cooking that you were doing,” Natasha said as we walked through the Davion Palace as a couple. “But I draw the line at singing from door to door with you.”

“It’s called caroling,” I replied with a smile. “I’ve done it every year that I’ve been able to with friends and family since I was a kid. You don’t have to come with us and actually sing, but I would appreciate it if you just went with us for a little while.”

“I thought your family didn’t do the door-to-door thing,” Mathis said as he walked behind me and to the left. “You mentioned something about that before.”

“No, we usually found the families of people that we personally knew were in need and brought them baskets with lots of baked goods and sang carols to them. Even if it wasn’t a lot, it brought many smiles and helped them a bit with Christmas if they couldn’t afford to do a lot that year.”

“Which is why we’re going with you on a tour of some of the orphanages,” Hanse walked in with a broad grin on his face, Dana walking right behind him with a matching smile. “It took some calls. And a little bit of help in stealing some of your recipes so that we could make a lot more of them. But in the end, we’re going to be able to go carol and bring Christmas goodies to every orphanage on New Avalon this week.”

“I didn’t ask for that,” I pointed out as I brought the younger Davion brother in for a hug. “But thank you for helping me keep the tradition alive.”

“Christmas should always be spent with those that you consider family,” Hanse said with a slightly sad smile. “I know that your family has long since passed, but hopefully we can help bring some of that light back into your life.”

“Are you going to come with?” I turned and asked Natasha. “Because you can stay here if you want, I don’t mind.”

“I will come with you,” Natasha rolled her eyes at me. “I will at least see if this sort of thing is worthwhile to maintain as a tradition.”

“It’s worth it,” a grin sprung to my face. “It’s always worth it to see the faces light up.”


`


“Sleep in heavenly peace,” the two Davion brothers, Dana, Mathis, and I finished the second to last carol that we were singing before launching into a joyous rendition of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”

The children’s faces were bright as they joined in on the last song, some of them already snacking on the goodies that we had brought and handed out in small wrapped baskets.

“Thank you for this,” the head of the orphanage said as he walked us out of the front door. “I know that you all have extremely busy schedules, but these kids will remember this night for the rest of their lives whether they get adopted or not. And they’ll remember that you took the time to care for them even when you didn’t have to,” He started tearing up a bit at the end of his little speech. “We weren’t able to afford to make a lot of Christmas treats this year, and now we’ll be able to get some extra stuff for their stockings.”

“What do you need?” I asked seriously. “Give me a list of the things that you need to make Christmas work for these kids and I’ll make sure that it gets done.”

“We really need socks, underwear, and the necessities,” the director said as he grabbed a small notebook and a pencil. “We’ve got the toys and other assorted gifts sorted out, but somehow we always have to stretch the necessities out for another year.”

“I’ll take care of this,” I said as I took the list. “Don’t worry about any of it getting done.”

“You sure you want to do that?” Ian asked as we hopped in the small black sedan we were using to move around the city. “We have discretionary funds that we can divert from the Davion accounts for this sort of thing.”

“I’m sure,” I said as we went to a wholesale store to buy the items on the list. “This is something that’s a bit personal to me,” I got out of the car and walked inside.

“I do not understand,” Natasha confided to Dana as they remained in a separate car. “He could have sent someone to go do this later and it would have been more efficient.”

“Sometimes it isn’t about efficiency or about being able to send someone else to do something,” Dana smiled at the redhead. “Sometimes it’s about doing the right thing yourself simply because you know that it is the right thing to do.”

“I am not sure that I understand it yet,” Natasha said as she leaned back and watched Hull come out with a shopping cart loaded down with things like underwear, socks, shoes, and a bunch of bathroom supplies. “But I am certain that Mark will make time to help me understand it.”


Author’s Note: This is canon to both Blood on the Horizon and Beyond the Horizon. This is one of the memories they stumbled into while trying to get their intel out of Hull’s brain. The problem is, Hull doesn’t prioritize memories of technology gains and stuff like that as the most important things to remember. It’s the little moments like this that he makes an effort to remember. Happy moments with friends and family. Cherished memories that were more about being able to help someone in need who legitimately needed it. The little conversations where he had to sit down with Natasha and explain the Inner Sphere, and the concepts of family and what it means.

Something I’ve said repeatedly is that stories, at their core, are about people. Well, Hull also sees life that way. Memories and events are about people and making sure that the time spent is worthwhile.

Merry Christmas Everyone! I’ll see you after the new year!

(PS. Sorry for the long Author’s note)

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 58


Location: Unknown

Date: Unknown


“So, care to tell me a little bit about yourself, Angel?” I asked as I sat in the corner of our cell. “I mean, it’s not like we’ve got anything better to do.”


“There is not much to tell you,” Angel sighed. “I am a mother of three, and I have been held here for so long that I do not even know what year it is anymore.”


“Well, you have daughters, so tell me about them,” I scratched at the scruff that was coming in where my full beard once was. “And I’ll tell you some stories about my kids in return.”


“I suppose that will be acceptable,” the Asari replied. “It will at least make the time memorable before you vanish as the others with whom I have shared a cell.”


“We’re both going to be getting out of here,” I stated firmly. “Even if I have to break us out of here myself.”


“Do you not believe I have not tried to escape?” the Matriarch asked incredulously. “I am far older than you and have attempted to escape many times. None of my attempts have succeeded and I spent ten years trying to escape this facility.”


“I’m not so arrogant as to think that I’m better at escaping than you,” I replied, my smile still on my face. “But I’m not the same person as you, and I may be able to think of ways around problems that you haven’t considered. Also, you’ve been trapped in here for far too long. It’s time to get you some hope back. But in the meantime, tell me about your daughters.”


“Fine,” Angel crossed her arms across her bare chest. “My youngest daughter, Mirala is the smartest, and she is talented,” the Matriarch smiled at the thought of her kids again. “She must be nearing her Matron years now, but she dreamed of being a Justicar just as I was once she was finished with her training to control her abilities properly. And her older sisters were some of the best trainers for our order, with the ability to convey information in a way that made it easy to understand no matter what kind of student you were. Falere and Rila are the kinds of teachers that every student dreams of having as an instructor. They’ve helped many an Ardat Yakshi control their powers and also took it upon themselves to get a grounding in many of the sciences. I wish I knew what they were up to in this time and age, but I am afraid that I have been unable to get any information on my daughters in over a century.”


“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said as I attempted to console the Asari. “I’ll just add it to the list of reasons why we’re getting you out of here.”







Korlus, Imir System Late March 2167


“I’ve got information for you!” Aethyta nearly yelled in excitement as she burst into the office that Melissa and Natasha were currently in. “That psychotic bitch Sedaris came through for us. There’s a compound on Ilium that is just outside of her contracted defense area that has been there for the last thousand years. The owner hasn’t even changed hands in all that time. After pulling some strings with a friend of mine, I connected that Matriarch to an organization that I’ve only ever heard rumors of.”


“How many mercenaries in our employ are currently on Ilium,” Natasha interrupted. “And what will the response of the Republics be if Ilium were to change ownership?”


Aehtya paused, her thoughts having stalled out momentarily as she processed exactly what Natasha had just said.


“Well, Ilium isn’t officially an Asari world, so they can’t do anything legally to stop you,” Aethyta said after a moment. “But it is controlled by Asari Corporate interests, and they could make life living hell if things go badly.”


“We’ll leave the Corporations alone to do as they please as long as they remain within the legal framework of the Commonwealth,” Melissa said as she pulled up the data on the planet named. “But to respond to your first question, we have quite a large segment of the Brotherhood of Steel, and the Eclipse under our employ to protect our interests on Ilium currently. Not enough to subdue the planet as of yet, but give me a couple of weeks to coordinate with Carter and I’ll get things set up.”


“I don’t recommend you invade Ilium,” Aethyta stated. “The Republics are already wary of you, and you’ll be attacking many of the Matriarch's interests directly if you pursue this.”


“Good,” Natasha smiled cruelly. “Let them suffer from the consequences of their actions. They have not only taken my husband, but also our head of state. If our response was anything less than overwhelming then we would be considered weak,” Natasha looked Aethyta in the eyes as she stood up from behind the desk to her full height. “Now, are you with us, or will you stand aside and let others bypass you in order to do what is right?”


“Count me in,” Aethyta replied with a savage grin. “It’s about time those bitches on Thessia learn a thing or two about warfare.”








Location: Unkown

Date: Unkown


“Ahh, so we’re back to this old song and dance,” I snarked at the Asari who was still my main interrogator. “You’d think that Athame would have realized by now that I don’t exactly possess any technical data or information that can really help you.”


“Goddes,” Al’Sha rubbed at the headache that was already beginning to form. “Do you ever close your mouth?”


“Not really,” I chuckled as I felt one of the straps on my table loosen a bit around my right bicep. “I’m kinda known for being bad at negotiating back where I’m from. See, I’m not really a social person with people that I don’t like. So I tend to delegate that part of the job to others.”


“Embrace Eternity,” Al’Sha muttered as she forcibly entered my mind.


–

–


“Now, I’ve isolated the area that we’ve been looking for down to this section of the subject’s mind,” Al’Sha muttered as she glanced around the representation of the Human subject’s mental space. “Maybe this time I won’t run into any obstacles,” She opened the first door on her right as she entered the hallway only to be met by another strange figure.


“I’m sorry,” the shadowy figure bowed. “You’re in the wrong area, the room you’re looking for is two doors down on the left,” The figure made a strange gesture. “You kinda interrupted my movie here, so I’ll help you get on your way.”


Al’Sha found herself in front of a door with a strange blank spot in her mind.


“What just happened?” The Asari asked as she looked around and saw that she was in the same hallway she had been in before. “I must have had a time-lapse or something,” she muttered with a half-shrug. “I guess I open this door and see what is on the other side.”


–

–


“I’ve got it,” Al’Sha gasped as she jolted upright out of the meld. “I must get Athame immediately.”


“I think not,” the Human said as he flexed his right arm and the strap holding him in place shifted so that his arm was free before grabbing the Asari’s wrist and twisting it in a specific way that caused Al’sha to fall to her knees grabbing at the hand that seemed to be broken in an odd way.


The Human then tore the straps off of his left arm and legs before pushing himself off of the table and grabbing the Asari who was still looking at her broken wrist and gasping in pain, pulling her upwards and into a chokehold.

“Now, nighty night,” The human muttered as he pulled upwards and to the right on the Asari, relaxing his grip after she stopped struggling. “Time for a breakout.”




Author’s Note: Whelp, y'all get an early update. I wasn't going to update until January, but I got bit by the writing bug.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 59


Once I ensured the Asari was down, I went through the pockets of her bodysuit, looking for something useful and finding nothing except for her Omnitool. An Omnitool that was only in the Asari written language. A language that I couldn’t read as of yet.


“Dammit,” I swore as I attempted to navigate through the unfamiliar systems anyway. “There’s got to be something useful here.”


As I continued to fiddle with the Omnitool, I moved closer to the doors, hoping that there would be something in the Omnitool’s data that would cause the doors to open automatically or something. When I reached the door panel, I pushed a couple of buttons and then waited as nothing seemed to happen.


“Well, this sucks,” I sighed as I wrapped the Omnitool around my wrist and continue to fiddle with the panel, hoping that there was some sort of emergency opening switch I could trigger when the doors slid open slowly. Hearing voices, I slipped behind the doorway and watched as two Asari walked into the room.


“Hey Al’Sha,” one of them called out as she looked around the room. “Where are you at? It’s time for your session to be up, don’t want to burn out the Human’s nervous system after all.”


I looked at the two Asari and noted that they both had sidearms, one of them having her holster on the left and the other one on her right. Gathering myself, I rushed forward, throwing myself into a full-body tackle while grabbing at the sidearm that was seated on the outside of the closest Asari’s armor.


Snatching it from her holster, I brought the weapon up to my chest and fired while pushing out, my shots hitting the upright Asari and causing her to go down. Once the first Asari was down, I shifted focus and shot the second until she stopped moving.


Dragging both of the bodies over behind the bed with the other body, I went over the armor, hoping that there would be something useful that I could use to assist in my escape.


After some struggle, I managed to remove the kinetic barrier belts and small power source from both of the light suits of armor, wrapping them around my naked torso and smiling to myself as the small hum of the barriers made itself known.


“Alright, now it’s time to get out of here,” I muttered as I went for the door only to find it closing in front of me and alarms beginning to sound.


“Well, fuck,” I sighed as I ducked back behind the solid table to use it as cover. “Looks like we’re shooting our way out.”







Illium, Tasale system, Early April 2167


“When are we supposed to move in?” Captain Manitus Adration asked via the comms that he had been provided to his employers in the Imir system.


“Our Employers are sending the FAFO into the system soon, give it another week or so and we’ll be positioned properly to take over,” Sederis responded.


“I thought you’d be disappointed that Illium isn’t going to be owned by the Asari anymore,” Captain Manitus observed.


“You think I care for those old hags?” Sederis scoffed. “I’d rather bite my own tongue off than have to pay them any more money,” She shrugged “Besides, futures looking mighty good with the MRB, even if they do take a cut.”


“Agreed,” Manitus flared his mandibles. “The pay is good, and the employers seem to understand exactly what it is that a mercenary group needs in order to thrive.”


“Well, I’m off to go make sure my girls don’t do anything crazy before we kick things off,” Sederis laughed.


“I’ll hold station in orbit, I’m subcontracted for some civilian shipping patrols for cover,” Manitus replied.


“Sir, should we be reporting this to the Primarchs?” Lieutenant Brutrius Pholus asked as he cut the communication.


“I will,” Manitus replied as he looked around the bridge. “We are here to gather intelligence, yes, but we are also here to assist the Hierarchy’s agenda here in the Terminus, and given how things have changed on the border recently I would argue that we are doing exactly what we were ordered to when we were sent into the Brotherhood of Steel.”


“But what about the Asari?” An ensign asked. “Won’t they have issues if Illium is taken from their leadership and influence?”


“What about the Asari?” Manitus’s eyes hardened. “When was the last time we were helped in our duties by the Asari? When did they last decide to help us shoulder the burden of paying for the military?” Manitus looked around at his crew. “They haven’t, instead the slack has been picked up by the Volus. Spirits, we’ve even had Elcor and Hanar assist us more with funding and antipiracy actions than the Asari. So, I think that it is in the best interests of the Hierarchy for the Republics to be shaken up a bit. Besides,” He met the eyes of the Ensign. “Would you rather the slavery in all but name to continue down on Illium? I would not allow it to continue, and neither will the Commonwealth. We will continue on our chartered course and will contact the Council of Primarchs before the invasion starts.”








Angel meditated in her shared cell, her thoughts turning toward the strange companion that had shared her cell for the last few weeks.


“Hope,” She mused out loud as she began to feel a slight change in the atmosphere of the complex. Her abilities having long adapted to the aura of this place. “Such a dangerous thing to have once again. And yet, I find myself eager to see what the future holds.”


The Matriarch closed her eyes and began to concentrate, her body beginning to glow with a deep purple aurora as she began to float in place. All of her Biotic power gathering itself within for something.


Then, alarms began to sound and lights began to flash throughout the facility as Samara’s eyes snapped open, the purple tint to them taking on a sinister aura.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 60



Peaking over the solid metal bed that I was using as cover, I exchanged fire with some of the Asari who was peeking around the doorway, the handful of bodies littering the floor between me and where they were seeking cover showing what had happened to the last few Asari who had tried to cross the distance and take me captive again.


“Just give up!” A voice yelled out from the doorway. “Eventually the ammo blocks in your guns will give out and you’ll be trapped in there with a bunch of pissed-off Asari Maidens.”


“No thanks,” I replied as I snapped off a shot next to one of their heads. “I like my chances from here.”


“Your funeral,” I could hear the shrug in the enemy’s voice. “Not my fault if we happen to fail to take you alive.”


“Yeah?” I asked. “You wanna come in and confirm that with your dead sisters over here? I’ve got quite a few that are waiting for you in the afterlife after all.”


“We can hold here all day if we have to,” the voice replied. “You’ll eventually get tired and then we’ll take turns interrogating you until nothing is left of your mind but madness.”


“Not exactly giving me a good reason to surrender here,” I shouted back.


“I don’t want you to surrender,” the voice snarled back. “I want to watch as hope dies out in your eyes when you realize that you’re never getting out of here.”








Samara walked calmly through the hallways of the base, flexing her biotics against any of the Sect of Athame that she came across and ending them as they crossed her path until she came across a door that was labeled ‘Armory’.


Flexing her fist, a wave of biotic power flowed from Samara as she crushed the door inwards and entered the room, the trio of Asari inside flattened by the door as it flew at them and came to rest against the opposite wall.


Looking around the armory, Samara pulled a set of armor off of a pedestal and began to fit it to herself, making sure that there were weapons in easy reach and that she could see the doorway the entire time.


“I believe that I should locate my cellmate,” Samara said as she walked out of the door with a rifle in hand, a shotgun, and a sniper rifle placed on her back with a pistol by her side.


Walking back out into the armory, Samara was greeted by a face that had mocked her for over a century.


“Athame!” Samara roared as she Biotically charged at the ancient Asari and the two Matriarchs went through a series of walls, the metal seemingly giving way beneath the combined biotic prowess of the two Matriarchs, the two of them coming to a stop in a room that was littered with bodies and a lone naked human crouched behind a single piece of cover.


“So it was you that was trying to escape,” Athame finally spoke as she flared her biotics and shook off the hold that Samara had on her. “It seems that in my old age, I have allowed our standards to grow lax. This will not happen again,” Athame turned to Samara. “And as for you Angel, I believe you have long since reached your usefulness to us.”


“My name is Samara,” the escaped prisoner stated coldly. “I have endured my identity being stripped away for long enough.”


Samara then turned and grabbed the human, wrapping him in a biotic barrier and using a Biotic Charge to get them out of the room and past the doorway where the Asari were starting to move forward.


“We’ve got to get out of here,” Hull said as she finally let him go after they were past most of the opposition. “I’ve got an omnitool that should have a map of the facility, but I can’t read it,” Hull tossed Samara the Omnitool before looking around at the hallway they were in. “Now would be a very good time to leave.”








“Oh Al’Sha,” Athame knelt down and looked at the first Asari body that was lying on the floor of the interrogation room. “I had such high hopes for you.” She reached over and closed the eyes of the interrogator, the crushed windpipe evidence of her demise.


“Oh, you still cling to life?” Athame asked as she felt the slight stir of the Asari beneath her. “Get me a physician,” she commanded one of the commandos that had remained as her escort when the rest left to follow the escaped prisoners. “We may yet have time to save at least one of our sisters.”


“One is already on the way,” the commando replied as she took up a guard position.


“Good,” Athame said as she considered the bodies of her followers that littered the room. “We shall have to ensure the proper rites are done for our sisters, I shall see to it that their families are justly rewarded.”








“There is an exit here,” Samara pointed at one final doorway as we ran through this seemingly massive complex. “It should open up to the roof.”


“The roof?!” I asked as I slowed down in front of the doorway as Samara used her biotics to violently force it open. “Are you insane? I won’t survive that kind of fall without my armor.”


“I have my biotics, I will catch you,” Samara stated simply as she jogged to the edge. “Do you trust me enough to do this?”


“Do I have any other choice?” I asked as I looked back at the door.


“I believe our choices are currently restricted to this or resuming our captivity,” Samara replied. “Now come, we have limited time.”


“Alright,” I shrugged. “But if I die because of this, I swear I’m haunting you for the rest of eternity.”


The two of us leaped off the roof of the skyscraper and began falling, the wind rushing past my naked body and causing me to involuntarily shiver as we fell for what felt like an eternity before my fellow prisoner flared her biotics and began to slow our fall until we reached the ground where she set us down gently.


“Come,” Samara gestured me towards an alley. “It has been many years since I have dwelt on Illium, but I doubt it has changed as much as most might think.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 61 (Council of Primarchs interlude)


“Sparatus, it is good to see that you were able to make it,” Primarch Turuns Helion greeted the holographic image of their Council Representative.


“I was able to break away from some of the projects that have taken up much of my time as late,” Sparatus replied with a slight flare of irritation in his mandibles. “Councilor Tevosseems to be unconcerned with the fact that a head of state was attacked while on the Citadel.”


“I personally have had many a high-ranking Volus making calls to my office,” one Primarch remarked. “It’s taken a lot of work to keep them appeased.”


“Agreed,” Helion replied. “I’ve had to make some concessions so that they weren’t worried about potential profit losses from their negotiations not being able to occur as planned.”


“That’s not why we called you here though,” one of the senior Primarchs, a nearly two-hundred-year-old Turian cut through the conversation. “We have reports from the Brotherhood of Steel, and we need to prepare for some way in which to deal with the fallout.”


“What fallout?” Sparatus asked. “I’ve not heard of anything requiring that level of damage control.”


“Allow me to start from the beginning,” Helion cut in. “The Brotherhood of Steel was tasked with handling escort and antipiracy missions at first. Their primary mission changing from mission to mission, but typically remaining within the scope of work that we expected them to perform while under contract with the Terminus Commonwealth,” Helion paused to take a breath and sipped at the drink in front of him.


“The Brotherhood of Steel were the primary escorts and supporting craft for the operation to retake Omega. They were able to establish themselves as trustworthy to their employers and have spent the last few months working to protect trade routes and assisting in building up and training militia and soldiers in the planets that have joined the Terminus Commonwealth.”


“I do not see where the problem lies,” Sparatus said with a slight shrug. “What has changed of late that would require such a meeting?”


“They’ve taken to interpreting their orders in an… unusual way,” the old Primarch stated. “The Terminus Commonwealth seems to have found their missing head of state and are invading Illium as we speak.”


“Oh,” Sparatus stood there shocked for a moment before gathering his scattered and frozen thoughts and putting them to words. “And they are supporting this?”


“Supporting?” Helion scoffed. “They’re not just supporting the invasion, they’re one of the tips of the spear on this one. They believe that this will be in the best interests of the Hierarchy by ensuring that the Asari stranglehold on the economy is broken,” Helion paused. “There may have been something in the reports as well about trying to eradicate the indentured servitude contracts that are all but slavery while they are there.”


“Well, I assume that it’s too late to stop this invasion,” Sparatus said with his head cocked in thought.


“They sent us their intelligence briefing an hour before the invasion was launched,” Helion shook his head. “It is clear to me that while the Brotherhood of Steel still considered the Hierarchy to be their primary responsibility, we must disavow any knowledge of this happening under our orders.”


“There is some disagreement among this council in that regard. The old Turian spoke up. “There are those of us who believe that our wayward mercenaries and spies may be onto something. And that a shake-up is exactly what this galaxy calls for. In fact, I was told by one of the Volus that I spoke with this week that with the inclusion of the Humans and the Commonwealth into the regular economies of the galaxy that there would be the potential for a boom like we haven’t seen in centuries, and that this could be our opportunity to prove that we are more than just a police force for the Asari and the Salarians.”


“That is not the point of this meeting,” another voice interrupted the two Turians who were speaking. “You are now informed of all of the current and relevant data that we have,” the voice told Sparatus. “A data packet should be arriving at your terminal now, I suggest you take this time to become familiar with all of the details of our mercenaries’ operations.”


“I thank this council for the information,” Sparatus said with a slight bow of his head. “I will make use of the information as best as I am able.”


–

–


“You wanted to meet with me,” Sparatus said to Vedol as they met in a private chamber.


“Yes,” the Salarian nodded quickly. “Wanted to give critical information that I have gathered over the course of my life before I died.”


“What do you mean?” Sparatus asked.


“I am old for a Salarian,” Vedol responded. “So very old. I have outlived the Dalatrass that sponsored my appointment as well as those who argued against my appointment as councilor. Was once STG, and have done much over my lifetime, including gathering data which would have gotten me killed if I were any less important to the Union.”


“Data is here, on disk,” Vedol handed Sparatus a data disk in a bulletproof storage container. “Only view in a location that is safe from prying eyes. No one can be trusted to know this aside from a very few.”


“How long do you have left?” Sparatus opened up and asked the Salarian Councilor.


“Two weeks,” Vedol replied. “My replacement will likely side with the Asari in all things, and you are likely to be alone. Information on disk pertains to information that the Asari and the Dalatrasses wanted to be erased from history. I was responsible for carrying out the task,” Vedol lowered his head. “I saved the data and reported it destroyed, being too curious for a young Salarian.”


“What is on this disk?” Sparatus asked.


“Nothing you will need yet,” Vedol said reassuringly. “But one day you and your allies will need aid, and this will be the key.”


Vedol stood up and walked away, leaving Sparatus sitting in stunned silence.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 62


In orbit over Illium


“Why am I wearing this instead of armor?” Aethyta asked Natasha as she put the strange armored vest on over the athletic gear she was currently wearing.


“Because we are still unsure and do not know if you’re compatible with neurohelmets yet, so we cannot armor you up in one of our suits, and we do not know if your armor would be able to handle the heat generated by the mech,” Natasha replied as she took a seat in the chair of Hull’s Warhammer. “Here, you are going to want these attached to your cooling vest,” Natasha helped the Asari Matriarch get strapped in and hooked up to the cooling hoses.


“We are going to be taking the Ducal Guard and dropping directly on the complex that the Eclipse reported on while the mercenaries and the rest of our forces take over the governmental facilities as well as the corporate headquarters.”


“Don’t you think this is a touch under-armored, though?” Aethyta asked as she tugged on the cooling vest.


“It is what we had used for centuries before we managed to shrink our powered armor down enough for it to fit in the cockpits of our mechs and fighters,” Natasha answered. “Besides, you are going to be surrounded by eighty tons of armor and guns.”


“I guess we’ll see how this works out then,” Aethyta shrugged, still unsure as to how effective the cooling vest would be.


“At least you look good,” Natasha observed as she looked the matriarch up and down with an appreciative eye. “I may have to bring out that outfit again after we’ve rescued my husband.”








“What is she doing here?” Jesisnea Pesaran, the current head of the corporate council that was in charge of Illium asked, gesturing towards Jona Sederis, the head of Eclipse.


“She is standing right here, and has enough guns and armor surrounding and inside of the building to bury you and your guards five times over,” Sederis glared at the Matriarch. “Illium is under new management, and you and your fellow corporate heads are to remain here until the new authorities have decided what is to be done with you.”


“You can’t do this!” One of the Matriarchs stood up, her biotics flaring in her anger. “We are the rulers of Illium, and have been since before you were born!”


Sederis just made a small gesture with her hand and watched as the Matriarch's head vanished due to a very precise sniper rifle shot.


“I can do whatever I like,” Sederis grinned. “In fact, I decided to spend some of our hard-owned bonuses on a very well-qualified sniper to ensure that we can make our employers happy,” Sederis walked towards the head of the council who was still seated in place. “You see, you and the Matriarchs took us for granted, stopped paying us what we were owed, and assumed that because I was an Asari, I’d just go along with it like one of your pet Matrons or Maidens.”


“You will pay for this,” Pesaran looked at Sederis with hatred in her eyes. “You will never receive another contract in the Republics again.”


“You say that,” Jona sat on the table that was in the middle of the room. “But I’ve been getting many more offers for defense contracts with our outer colonies since I joined up with the MRB. And trust me, the outer colonies pay us way more than you do. So, I think you need the Eclipse, and we’ve just outgrown you,” Jona stood up and gestured towards her 2IC. “Keep them under heavy guard, if any of them try to escape gun them down. The last thing we want is the corporations having a solid base from which to mount some sort of counteroffensive.”








“You are clear for drop, happy hunting,” a voice said over the comms as Natasha and the Ducal Guard members around her felt gravity disappear as the drop pods were ‘gently’ pushed out of the dropship.


“Remember to try and locate Hull, he is the priority here,” Natasha said as the drop pod on her husband’s Warhammer began to break through the atmosphere of Illium. “We don’t have good schematics on the building so mechs are on defensive patrol while our infantry breaches and clears out the enemy stronghold.”


“I’ll be overseeing our sweep of the complex,” Major MacIntosh spoke up. “It’s been a while since I’ve done a VIP rescue, but I’m fairly sure I remember the basics.”


–

–


Flaring her jump jets, Natasha landed the Warhammer down in a crouch, the myomer and jump jets absorbing the impact as she switched her targeting computer to active.


“I want to do that again,” Aethtya said from the jump seat. “That was terrific!”


“Maybe we can do some training exercises with you,” Natasha said as she scanned for enemy hostiles. “We’ve got enemy turrets guarding the building, but I am not seeing anything beyond foot mobiles for now.”


“Copy that,” MacIntosh replied as his drop pod came down on top of the skyscraper, the six-man team leaping out and prepping the landing area for a couple of Stings to drop off the remainder of the force that would be clearing out the building.


“Enemy tanks are moving out of some sort of underground bunker!” one of the Toros on the force reported as it narrowly evaded a hail of autocannon fire. “Pulling back now!” the large pulse laser flashed, the beam striking the tank and melting off some of its armor.


“I’ll take care of this,” Natasha said as she jumped into the sky with a flare of the jump jets, the Warhammer touching the ground in front of the first tank, the medium lasers melting off entire sections of armor as she alternated fire from her lasers and SRMs.


“I’ve got your six ma’am,” the Toro pilot said as he turned to engage several of the turrets that were beginning to chip away at their armor.


“First tank is down!” Natasha reported as she moved the eighty-ton mech forward, stomping some of the Asari Infantry that were attempting to engage her flat as she ran forward. “Moving to engage the rest.”


Natasha felt something shiver down her spine and twitched, her mech barely dancing out of the way of what would have been a cockpit shot from some sort of heavy cannon that was being pushed out of the window of the skyscraper.


“You die now,” Natasha muttered as she squeezed the trigger on one of her PPCs, smirking in satisfaction as the cannon and crew that were manning it were vaporized.


“Status update,” Natasha barked as she and the rest of the Ducal Guard mechs began to set up a perimeter around the building.


“Lots of floors to make our way through,” MacIntosh said as gunfire echoed through the comms. “I’ll let you know when the building is clear.”


Author's Note: Sorry for the late update. I was going to write this yesterday but had a migraine that laid me out flat for most of the day.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 63


“Breach!” Major MacIntosh ordered as the Ducal Guard members blew open the door on the roof of the skyscraper that they were about to be searching through “We’ve got around forty or so floors to clear out, so let’s get moving!”


The fireteams began filing in and splitting into their teams of six, with MacIntosh leading the remaining members of his BlackWatch platoon as his personal fireteam.


“Status report,” came over the comms systems as the Ducal Guard finished clearing the top floor.


“Lots of floors to make our way through,” MacIntosh said as he ducked back into cover, before exchanging fire with a group of Asari. “I’ll let you know when the building is clear.”


“Copy that Major, we shall hold here until we’re given further information,” Kerensky’s voice responded. “We only have minimal resistance left out here.”


“It could take us several hours,” MacIntosh said as he looked down the massive flight of stairs. “You may want to have some extra infantry start breaching from the bottom because this is a massive building, and we’re going to be taking a lot of time just clearing out the floors as we go.”


“I’ll divert some of our forces as they become available,” Colonel Carter chimed in. “It might be a while though.”








“Get back! Keep running!” The squad of Asari tried to move away from the giant robot faster than they were before. “You saw what happened to the other squad that faced that thing!”


“I’m not getting squished or shot today!” One of the Asari glowed purple as she tried to lower her mass so as to move faster, only to end up vaporized by a stray beam of light.


“Don’t use your Biotics!” One of the Asari hidden behind cover screamed. “The glow gives away your position!”


“What happened to our artillery support?” Al'ko Edaos the commander of the corporate security guards that were currently fighting against the invaders. “I thought we had those things pre-sighted for our position.”


“Artillery was taken down by enemy air support about an hour ago,” the ground shook as the robot ran past them, its focus being taken by a gunship that had started harassing it. “We were never supposed to actually resist an invading force like this, we’re only really supposed to handle pirates and the merc groups that ran contrary to the corporate interests.”


“I don’t care that we weren’t supposed to resist an invasion!” Edaos grabbed the younger Asari by the shoulders and made sure she could see her eyes. “This is my home, and it’s yours too, we’re going to ensure that our home remains intact, and I’ll be damned by the goddess before I allow some Terminus trash to take over.”


With a flare of biotics, the younger Asari broke the hold and then while the older one was stunned knocked her unconscious. “You are an idiot who’s going to get us all killed,” She spat. “Someone get me a comms device to the enemy, we’re surrendering.”


A Salarian ran up and handed her a handheld comms device designed to broadcast on all frequencies whether they were jammed or not.


“This is Commander Staisley M'toris of Illium Corsec, we surrender, we’re laying down our arms and will be broadcasting this to all forces on the planet.”







“That’s my people!” I said as I heard the steady walk of an assault mech in the distance. “Samara, we’ve got to get to some sort of checkpoint.”


“I would caution patience,” Samara said as she sat on the lone bed. “It seems that there is an open war going on out there and our chances of survival will not be high should we make our presence known now.”


I paused and considered this for a moment as I leaned against the wall. “You have a point,” I nodded in agreement. “But I’m fairly certain that all of the comms frequencies will be monitored by the Sect so we can’t make contact until after my people have already established a solid foothold here.”


“That does seem to be the wisest course of action,” Samara agreed. “I too wish to speak to my daughters, but I know that if they are to remain safe for even a little while that they will need to wait for the right time.”


“I’m just not used to being sidelined,” I said with a frown on my face. “Being in on the action has been a big part of my life over the last fifty or so years, and that’s no small amount of time for someone with our lifespan.”


“Sometimes action is punctuated by periods of waiting,” Samara replied, a hint of smugness in her smirk. “As I did for nearly a century.”








“Get Athame to the escape tunnels!” Veia Iesus ordered as she arrange Asari Huntress squads in positions to delay the enemy movement. “We’re not going to be able to hold them off forever.”


“Ensure that we begin getting rid of our data files,” Athame ordered before being escorted out. “It would be disastrous for our Sect should it be leaked.”


“Consider it done,” Iesus responded before turning to the squad surrounding the ancient Matriarch. “Get her out of here, along with whatever she gives priority to. I’m staying to manage our defenses.”


“On it,” the maiden in charge of the squad replied as they began moving Athame and the stretcher beside her to the elevator. “We’re heading for the sub-basements right?”


“Yes,” Athame replied as she seemed to project calm to the Asari surrounding her. “Once we are in the tunnels we will detonate the charges, sealing the exit behind us and allowing us to make our getaway.”


The elevator then began to descend, the floors dropping off rapidly until a mass effect field slowed it down at the end and allowed it to coast gently to the bottom of the shaft.


“Follow,” Athame commanded as she entered what looked like a subway car. “We must ensure that we are all on board and moving before I give the authorization codes for the charges.”


“We’re all here,” the lead Asari did a quick head count.


“Good, now we leave,” Athame pressed a button and the small shuttle shot forward, a series of explosives beginning to detonate on a timer as the shuttle moved through the tunnel before coming out of an exit hatch embedded into the side of a nearby mountain.


“Take over piloting,” Athame ordered. “We must go to FTL as soon as we are capable if we wish to escape.”


“Clearing the atmosphere,” the Asari who took over piloting reported. “We’ve got several corvette, and frigate-sized craft diverting to follow.”


“Going to FTL,” the one who had taken over as copilot reported. “We’re in the clear for now.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 64


“Coming out of FTL now, the pilot reported. “What is your command?”


“I have coordinates that we must go to, but it will push the limits of this craft, “ Athame considered the shuttle that they were in. “Advanced as this craft is, it still has limits on what it is capable of.”


“Whatever your command is, we need to get moving quickly, we don’t have the luxury of sitting around and waiting, the Commonwealth will have ships moving to follow on our last vector. And I don’t believe we will be able to outrun them.”


“I am inputting the coordinates now,” Athame said as she brought her omnitool out and forwarded the data. “Even should they follow us they will find us well-defended against any enemies that cross our paths.”


“Coordinates received, we’re going to FTL now,” the pilot said as she pushed the right controls.


“Enemy just entered the system!” the copilot reported as she scanned their surroundings. “Looks like it’s a group of three older model Turian Frigates.”


“Good,” Athame said with a smug smile. “They shall follow us to their deaths then.”


“Moving to FTL!” the Pilot said. “The enemy frigates will be all over us once we come out of FTL though, we’re going to have a fairly large static trail left behind.”


“That is acceptable,” Athame said. “Our defenses are sufficient enough to deal with intruders of this level.”


“I certainly hope so,” the pilot said worriedly. “Because I’m not certain that we’ll survive anything should they be able to get to us when we reach our destination.”


“We must make it to our destination, for the equipment I require to ensure that Al’Sha survives is at our destination,” Athame said. “Now, I will need to take over piloting, otherwise we may be eradicated upon entering the system.”








“I believe you, sir, I just have to verify everything,” the Mithril-clad soldier said as he examined me and my companion.


“That’s fine,” I said with a heavy sigh. “Could I at least bum some clothes off of you? I’m kinda stuck here in this,” I gestured to the rough kit I had put together. “And I”d rather be in something comfortable.”


“I’ll see what I can scrounge up,” the soldier replied. “Just give me an hour or so and I’ll have some word on what is to be done with you.”


“Thanks,” I said as I took a seat outside of the small building that the local law enforcement officers and Commonwealth soldiers were using to maintain law and order until things had calmed down. “We’ll be here.”


“I had thought that you would be recognized immediately,” Samara stated as she took a seat next to me. “Why is it that they seem to be unfamiliar with you?”


“Because for the last fifty years, they’ve seen me with a beard and a variation of a uniform,” I replied. “Take that away and my facial structure looks unfamiliar, and that’s before you even get into the fact that my face looks like it did when I was twenty-five, which throws off many more people than you might think.”


–

–


“Here you are,” a soldier tossed a pair of gym shorts and a shirt to me. “There’s a bathroom just down the hall to the right you can use.”


“That’s not an issue,” I said as I pulled on the gym shorts underneath my toga-like clothes before pulling the shirt on. “Thank you,” I nodded at the soldier.


“We’re to take you and your companion over to HQ,” another soldier said as he walked outside. “Follow me, please.”


We followed the soldier and climbed into a modified Maxim, the hover-APC sealing shut behind us as our escort fireteam kept rifles carefully at the ready, but politely pointed away from us.


“I take it Illium is now owned by the Commonwealth?” I asked as a conversation starter while we sat in the APC.


“Yessir, they had a lot less equipment than even the pirates on Torfan had, seems like they didn’t expect to be attacked at all,” the fireteam corporal answered. “They rolled over and surrendered once we had taken out most of their heavier equipment.”


“Good thing too,” one trooper said. “We were pinned down by a group of biotics and were about to get smashed before they surrendered.”


“I can’t wait until we’ve got more biotics in our forces,” one soldier, remarked. “The utility is great for us infantry, and it’s comparable to our armor if we encounter a decently skilled one.”


“I’ll keep that in mind,” I said as they began to discuss how biotics could be used to assist the Commonwealth's forces.








“Transmitting correct codes now,” Athame said from the pilot’s seat. “Copilot, please begin evasive maneuvers, I believe that our guests are about to join us.”


The trio of frigates came out of FTL shortly after the shuttle did, their bigger engines allowing them to begin gaining on the escape craft.


“This is the Brotherhood of Steel Frigate, Forged in Fire, stand down and prepare to be boarded,” transmitted over an open channel. “We believe that you may be a party to a kidnapping.”


There was nothing but silence that filled the comms as the frigates continued moving, the shuttle not slowing down in the slightest.


Then, what appeared to be stray asteroids turned and began targeting the frigates, lashing out with large Mass Accelerated canons that tore massive gaping holes through them.


“This is Athame, have some of our defenses comb through the wreckage, we cannot allow any of them to escape with the location of this place,” the leader of the Sect of Athame ordered. “I am beginning my approach on Bastion. Have a medical team on standby along with a mind healer, we have an interrogator that may have important data for extract.”


“Understood, Goddess,” the ground control responded. “Your will be done.”


“I regret that you came with me,” Athame said to the group of Asari Commandos that had escorted her here. “You are now restricted from leaving this system, should you attempt to leave you will be killed. There are few that have earned the right to leave this system, and you are not among them.”


“But my family is on Illium,” one of the Commandos stated. “You cannot expect them to just forget about me.”


“No, but you will not be allowed communication with them, this place is a secret only because we have been extremely vigilant. I do not wish to kill you, but I shall if necessary.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 65

“You’re not allowed out of my sight for the rest of our lives,” Natasha said as she nuzzled into the side of my neck. “And what happened to your beard?”

“The savages shaved it off,” I said as I squeezed my wife tighter to my chest. “I’ll grow it back out, but it’ll take a while.”

“At least you are back,” Natasha said as she finally let me go. “We assaulted and took the compound that we believe you were held in but it seems that you had already escaped.”

“Was there any data we were able to salvage?” I asked as I made my way to a nearby chair and sat in it, Natasha moving to sit on my lap. “It seemed to be their regional headquarters for their operations.”

“Aerdin managed to get capture some of the data as it was being deleted, but he informs me and the other experts that it will take many months before he is able to crack the entirety of the encryption that they were using.”

“Of course,” I sighed. “Just because they got cocky this time doesn’t mean that they’re always going to act like complete idiots. For all we know, we just ended up with junk data, and not anything useful.”

“I miss the days of being able to just go out and crush our enemies in my mech,” Natasha said as she curled up into me. “It was cathartic on many levels.”

“Being a Merc was nice,” I agreed. “There are definitely days where I miss it even, nothing to worry about beyond making sure that our employer was happy and that we got good salvage rights.”

“Unfortunately, those days are dead and gone,” Carter said as she entered the room. “Ma’am, we’ve finally gotten the corporations to cede control over to us officially and in compliance with their own laws as well as the Commonwealth’s.”

“Good,” Natasha said as she stood up. “Contact Melissa, she’ll need to be here so we can make this work.”

“Anything you need me to do?” I asked as I stood up after Natasha had.

“Sit and recover,” Natasha said. “There’ll be plenty for you to do once we’re done here.”

“Alright then,” I said as I sat back down. “I’ll introduce you to my cellmate and fellow jailbreaker when you get back from taking care of what you need to.”






“It is a great honor and privilege to be a part of this new nation that has risen from the lawlessness of Terminus Space,” an Asari spokesperson said as she made a speech. “While there are still many details to be worked on, we do believe that Illium will remain a beacon and haven for safe trade and a center for business for many centuries to come.”

“And we the Commonwealth are glad to add the jewel that is Illium to the worlds that we will protect and ensure the rights of the citizens of,” Melissa Steiner said as she took the podium, her blond hair flowing free as the Lyran business suit fit snugly and professionally over her tall form. “While there are still many things that are left to iron out, we believe that we are not only capable of seeing to the needs of Illium’s citizens, but ensuring that they thrive under the new local government that will be taking over in place of the corporate rule that there was before.”

The screen paused as Sparatus hit a stop button on the recording that was playing in front of both him and the Council of Primarchs.

“It is obvious that the Humans have been less than honest with us,” Sparatus stated as he enhanced the photo onto the human’s face. “But given our interception of their communications they appear to be just as surprised as we are, so we cannot hold the Systems Alliance responsible for this. Their Ambassador, Miss Anita Goyle has said that the Systems Alliance has no part in any of the Commonwealth’s actions and they are also going to be diving into their records to see if there are any lost colonists that they might have been missing in their recent past.”

“Their development would indicate that they separated from mainstream humans long before they discovered Mass Effect or Element Zero,” a Primarch with a background in history spoke up.

“Either way, it is clear that we must continue to rely on the Brotherhood of Steel for more intelligence regardless of where their beliefs may lie,” Brieus Mercatus, the oldest member of the Council stated. “Otherwise we may have to rely on the Salarians or the Asari for intelligence that they may make use of before passing onto us.”

“The Republics have yet to release a statement,” Sparatus said as he glanced over to the newsfeeds that were up on a second screen on his terminal. “But I expect that all of the varied announcements will amount to much the same.”

“And what might that be?” Primarch Turuns Helion asked with his head tilted.

“I’m not sure yet,” Sparatus said with a confused expression. “Normally I would gauge Tevos to see what that reaction might be, but she has been unavailable since Illium was invaded.”

“Well, I’m certain that we will find out soon,” Mercatus said with a heavy sigh as he eased his old bones back into his chair. “The Volus are currently launching hostile takeovers of many Asari industries that were based out of Illium, so I would expect to see the coffers of the Hierarchy increase fairly soon.”

“We’ll have to relegate more funds to Research and development,” Helion said as he pulled up a picture of a giant robot. “We need some way to counter this, or we need to develop some of our own.”

“We’ll reconvene in two weeks' time,” Mercatus interrupted. “I believe that will give us enough time to gather enough information to make an informed decision as to the path that we will follow.”

“Agreed,” Another Primarch said. “We’ll also be able to gauge the Asari’s response and move on from there.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 66

“Matriarch Tevos, we, the representatives of the Asari Republics are calling on you to give an accounting of yourself,” Irissa, the current representative from Thessia spoke up, scorn evident in her voice.

“This should be interesting,” Beneziah commented offhand to her assistant Matron Shiala. “Irissa was in the running for councilor originally but was beaten out by Tevos, and she represents the largest faction of Matriarchs who were directly affected by the mess that happened on Illium.”

“And we are not affected?” Shiala asked as she watched the arguments taking place in front of her.

“We typically stayed out of any business on Illium,” Beneziah stated. “And we are headquartered on many varying worlds so as to prevent total disaster from striking the vast fortunes of the T’Soni family low. In fact, we are a primary investor of many Turian small arms companies, and they are currently making money off of licenses to our own outer colonies as well as licenses to several prominent mercenary groups that are operating in that sector.”

“We’re supporting the ones who the outer colonies are pushing towards?” Shiala asked. “Why would we do that? It seems counterproductive to support some of our colonies separating from us.”

“I am not all that concerned with the entirety of the Republics,” Beneziah stated firmly. “While there are some benefits to seeing the Republics succeed overall, there are a great many Matriarchs who are unable or unwilling to see the opportunities for what they are. Why, Saneez Janniara, the Matron who is in charge of the T’Soni finances has been ecstatic since Illium was overtaken, she said, ‘This is the greatest opportunity for growing wealth in centuries. I finally get to loosen the purse strings and grow rapidly instead of over many years.’”

“Fools, the lot of you,” one of the few Matriarchs who represented an outer colony of the Asari Republics stood up and said. “My colony has been under attack from pirates and slavers for over five hundred years, and you have done nothing. We have toiled and driven off bands of them for so long that we are able to predict their attacks and still are only able to push them back occasionally. We petitioned this very group for aid and there was none to be found. Yet, Illium, one of the colonies that is nearly a criminal venture in and of itself finds itself in trouble and this council wishes to finally do something. Well, the rest of the Outer Colonies and I have had enough! You will assist us or we will depart from the Republics.”

“There were efforts made to curtail the pirates,” Tevos spoke up, anxious to fix the problems before more cracks in the facade that was the Republics began to appear.

“What efforts?” Irissa smirked, eager to seize the opportunity to attempt to overshadow the current Councilor. “The Turians found themselves in a war while you seemed to be spending your time politicking and getting your family set up for the future by negotiating with criminals like Aria T’Loak.”

“The Relay 314 incident was not my fault nor was it my responsibility,” Tevos composed herself. “In fact, we remedied that situation in quick succession and are now preparing for an economic boom that will result from our successful peace negotiations between the Turians and the Humans. And you yourself voted for me to begin negotiating with T’Loak in the hopes of persuading her to help us bend the price of Element Zero in our favor. Negotiations, that worked for many decades I might add.”

Irissa simply backed off, realizing that this was a point that would make her look bad.

“Also, with the death of Vedol, the last thing we want is to change our Councilor right now,” a Matriarch stated. “It would make it seem like the Republics are not the bastion of peace and wisdom that we claim to be to the other species.”

“Agreed,” Beneziah stood up. “I believe that now is a time for the Republics to show unity, with the galaxy upset by two newcomers showing themselves.”

“I might as well speak, given the way the sails are blowing,” the normally silent adjudicator of the Republics spoke up. “We have been so concerned with ourselves and those who might be our enemies here that we have not looked at some of the obvious showings and news of the species outside of ourselves,” A picture of a blond human giving a speech on Illium displayed itself in the auditorium. “There seem to be two groups of Humans that have made themselves known, one of which seems to have evolved technologically away from utilizing mass effect technology. And while our intelligence apparatus is not as good with signal interception as our Salarian counterparts are, we have been able to get some recordings of conversations between Aethyta and the current leaders of the Commonwealth.”

A small audio and video recording from what appeared to be a dockworker began to play on all of the Matriarch’s screens.

Spoiler

"Now that is an interesting ship," Aethyta remarked as she looked at the Serenity, the Sting class gunship that was being used as a testbed for how effective the mating of our technology would be with the technology-based off on Element Zero.

"I like it," I smiled underneath my armor. "This one has been in service for over three hundred years," I patted the side of it. "I bought her and hired her crew of ex-smugglers around fifty years ago. The crew has since retired, but we kept some of the internal modifications that they made before doing a complete refit of the ship."

"She looks like she's done a lot in her years," Aethyta said as she touched the side of the gunship before walking around and looking at the weapons emplacements that were plainly visible. "How much to buy one of these?" She asked as her eyes widened at the sheer amount of guns that were on the Serenity.

"There are some things to work out before we start production on new versions," I told the Matriarch. "But once those kinks are worked out we can discuss things further."

"Don't trust me enough to give anything away huh?" Aethyta asked. "That's alright, I wouldn't trust another Matriarch either." She spat on the ground. "As far as I'm concerned, most of the other girls my age are too set in their own ways, expecting the galaxy to bend to our will because we are the 'elder' species."

“Now, we must devote time, energy, and resources to figuring out the primary motivations of this new power bloc that is forming in the Terminus. For far too long have we been content to allow the Terminus to remain out of our influence.”

“We must first deal with the fallout from Illium,” Irissa spoke up, cutting off the Adjudicator. “I motion that we begin with sanctions against the Terminus Commonwealth until Illium is allowed to become a corporate entity again.”

“And now we see as it falls apart,” Beneziah sighed. “We should be focusing on trying to figure out why there seem to be two separate branches of humanity, but instead we have a bunch of old Asari arguing over what funding and issues there are to be had,” Beneziah stood up and made her way out of the room, Shiala following closely behind.

“Ahh, Beneziah,” Saneez Janniara greeted the other Matriarch. Have you come to persuade me and my compatriots to stay?”

“No, I understand you and your stance, even if I do not agree with it,” Beneziah smiled softly. “I merely came to invite you out for dinner one last time on Thessia before you depart for the colonies.”

“I’ve got negotiations with some mercenaries,” Janniara said with a small smile. “But I’m certain I can find an opening in my busy schedule for an old friend such as yourself.”

Author's Note: So, the good news is that I don't have a tear in my bicep. The bad news is that I strained it very badly. So I can continue writing, but may have to either take light duty off of work, or might not even be able to work for a little bit.

Which leads me to my next subject. I am going to be posting a Patreon link here in a little bit for commissions. Whether it's a side story piece or a point of view shift that you think I might have missed. I'm even willing to cover the lives of characters that I might only barely touch on in this story and expand on them in the sidestory sections... This also extends to the Apocrypha stuff if you want me to continue that. None of my regular content will be ever be locked behind a paywall or anything else. This is merely a way to help me make ends meet as this goes along.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 67

“Would someone care to explain to me how the fuck we missed this?!” Jack Harper asked the heads of the various intelligence agencies that the Systems Alliance had. “I currently have every available staff member that we have working for our diplomatic corps working overtime to run damage control so that we’re not seen as the ones responsible for having just invaded and conquered one of the most prominent of Asari worlds.”

“There’s no way we could have predicted this,” Rocky Russel, the current head of the SAI stated. “We’ve gone through every record we have of lost colonies and haven’t found anything that would indicate anyone even headed over in the direction that they appeared from.”

“Agreed,” one of the lead researchers and scientists said. “We have several theories that involve the Protheans moving some of our ancestors to other facilities to conduct more research. Given that we found examples of them experimenting on and observing us in the Mars Facility we suspect that this may have been an offshoot that developed out of some test subjects that were moved when they began experimenting.”

“I can work with that,” Jack sighed. “I need all of you to help push the narrative that we have nothing to do with the Terminus Commonwealth. That we aren’t responsible for anything that they undertake or do.”

“We’ll continue digging into more records to see if we can find anything that would indicate they’re some sort of lost colonists. It’s still possible they’re from some sort of missing expedition that we lost the records on,” Rocky said as he typed some messages into his Omni tool. “We know that the UNAS, the old Russian states, and the Chinese People’s Federation had many secret programs for space exploration. We’ll have to burn some assets, but we may be able to find some of the things they’ve kept hidden that might have the key to what we’re looking for,” He shrugged. “Or at least something that may point us in the right direction.”

“We’ll start combing through the Beacon for data specific to the test subjects and try to find out if there’s anything about some of them being removed from the Sol system to another location,” The Scientist said with a slight frown. “The problem is that it may take several years for us to find any information that will help us out.”

“It’ll still help deflect the attention off of us,” Harper said as he pulled out a cigar and lit it. “Now, I’m giving you three weeks to give me more information to work with, we’ve got a lot to accomplish and very little time to do it in if we want to get ahead of the narrative.”

–
–

“Thanks for all of the data,” Anita said to Jack from the comfort of her office on the Citadel. “I’ve been able to persuade both the Salarian and Turian Councilors that we had no idea this branch of Humanity existed.”

“You’re welcome,” Jack sagged in relief as if a weight had been relieved from his shoulders. “The SAI had to burn quite a few agents who were embedded into the UNAS and the rest of the Earthborn nations to pull some of the data that would help prove that the Commonwealth has nothing to do with the Systems Alliance.”

“Well, the data was most useful,” Anita said with a smile. “It certainly leveled the playing field when some of our detractors tried to push against us continuing to represent Humanity on the Citadel.”

“Well, we’ve gotten some data from the Turians on the weapons that the Commonwealth has used,” Anita said. “I’m forwarding what limited data we have on it now.”

“What kind of sick joke is this?” Jack asked with a raised eyebrow as he looked at the bipedal robot that was walking through the streets of Illium. “I didn’t know you were into old Japanese cartoons.”

“I’m completely serious here,” Anita chuckled. “They’ve managed to somehow make these monstrosities, and they’ve also got some really good armored support to go back with it. Enough that we may want to look into developing AFVs to go with our IFV programs.”

“I’ll have to look further into what data you just sent me,” Jack sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “As well as get our scientists to take a look at some really old projects that were set to the side decades ago.”

“That’s something you’ll have to work out,” Anita said. “I’ve done what I can to get us ahead of any damage to our PR. All that’s left is to maybe push a project or product that can completely cement our image.”

“There is one thing that the Sirta Foundation is working on,” Jack mused out loud. “We may have to grease some wheels, but I think we have just the thing that might completely change the view of the Systems Alliance away from the Terminus Commonwealth.”

Author's Note: A bit shorter than normal, but it felt fitting to end it here. That and I'm tired and ready to go to bed.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 68


“Alright, so we’ve got a bit of a mess on our hands,” I said with a sigh as I looked at the total projected revenue that we would be bringing in from all of the various worlds that had joined the Terminus Commonwealth. “With the inclusion of Illium, we’ve got enough money to start funding a proper military and start standardizing gear across the systems that are in the Commonwealth.”


“Given that it’s the only thing we’re letting you work on for the next few months while you recover from being held captive I expect that you’ll have everything worked out properly in a month or so,” Melissa said smugly as she showed me the current budget that she had planned. “Enjoy number crunching and coordinating with the engineers and R&D.”


“I’ll get started on it,” I said with a small smile. “The shipyards over Illum were owned by the corporations that we suborned. So we’re going to have to figure out how we’re going to approach the shipyards and what they build before we trust them to assist with our navy. Now, our shipyards over Korlus are currently operating at full capacity in producing the Glamdring, which means that we’re getting a little over eight of them a year from the two shipyards there.”



“Hopefully that number will go up as we bring more yards online to support civilian as well as military vessels,” Doctor Kelley said as he looked at the hard data in front of him. “We’re not currently counting anything produced over Veil as a part of the Commonwealth’s main assets. Our intention is to continue building up ships that have K-F drives and Element Zero Cores over Veil thus limiting the ability for people to potentially capture the specifications for our K-F drives and reverse engineer them.”


“Opsec is a good thing to have,” I agreed. “I’m not sure what the Asari pulled from my mind, but we have to be prepared for something to be different about some of the Asari vessels we might encounter.”


“We’re going to have to operate under the assumption that they didn’t manage to snag K-F tech from your brain,” Dr. Rogers said with a small smile on her face. “Especially given you’re not exactly a scientist.”


“I know enough to have gotten the Manassas jumped across the Inner Sphere on my own,” I argued. “I might not know the exact details on how everything works behind the scenes, but I’m fairly competent at the engineering part.”


“Well, I’m going to have some of our accountants double and triple checking to make sure that everything you want planned will work,” Melissa said as she prepared to leave the office. “Going over budget is not preferred, but people will understand it given that we’re prepping the defenses of an entirely new nation.”


–

–


“So, the plan is to standardize over the next two decades,” I pointed out the yearly budget and how much of it we were going to spend on recruitment, training, and the like. “We’ll slowly phase the older hulls to training and backup security details as we get new hulls into the hands of experienced crews. Infantry and tank forces are going to be using the newly upgraded Marsden IVs as their Main Battle Tank with militia getting the King Tiger as their main tank. With APCs being whatever they can produce on world. We’re currently developing PA(L) for all of the various species that are a part of the Commonwealth but we estimate it’ll take at least five years before we get all of the kinks worked out of that.”


“And this is where I take over,” Doctor Kelley spoke up. “We’re going to be refitting all of our current tanks and ASF with Kinetic Barriers and any that are using ICE will be refitted to use Fusion Engines. Trust me, you’re going to want the power for your barriers. We’re currently working on getting Kinetic Barriers fitted to Mechs, but we’ve been having some difficulty getting them to work properly with the Myomer, it may take us a couple of years before we manage to get all of that ironed out.”


“Are the militia getting tanks with Fusion engines?” one of the engineers asked. “Isn’t there a chance someone could steal our designs?”


“There’s always a chance of that,” I responded to that question. “But we have to extend trust and faith somewhere. And we’re starting with our defenses.”


“The Sting is being shifted primarily over to gunship and infantry delivery,” Dr. Kelley said. “While we’re going to be continuing production of them for the foreseeable future given their utility, our other dropships are going to have to fall by the wayside as most of our mechs are shifted over to defensive duties until we can design a new delivery platform that’s suitable.”


“Now we get to dive down into the fine details of what we all hate,” I said with a shake of my head. “We get to start standardizing small arms across the entirety of the Commonwealth.”


“Are we going to start using the weaponry of this galaxy?” One of the Engineers asked.


“We’re thinking of mating the weapon blocks to our current gauss weapons,” Doctor Kelley said. “With our current ability to cool weapons off, we can shave larger chunks of Tungsten off of the ammunition block for better-stopping power, with a much lower chance of overheating the weapon than the current weapons that the galaxy uses. Now, we will have to start looking into adapting the ammunition blocks to be as easily exchanged as magazines. Otherwise, we may start seeing issues, but this should still simplify logistics as we can simply downsize the weapons for anyone not in powered armor.”


“We’ll be helping every world in the Commonwealth set up factories for the small arms and the tanks we want produced,” I said to many groans in the audience. “But once we get said people trained and the factories set up we’ll have a lot more redundancy and have a lot more security and faith from the people that are still unsure about whether joining up with us was the right idea.”


“Now, if there are any questions we’ll begin to address them before dividing you up into groups to start separating the work according to your specialties,” Dr. Kelley said as he started to close the meeting down.

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 69


Korlus, Imir System, November 2167


“So, how long until she’s rebuilt?” I asked as we floated around the wreckage of the Manassas.


“Well, given the plans we have and how intact the keel was, we’ve got a few options,” Doctor Rogers said with a mad grin. “We’re looking at ways to make a Naval Gauss spinal gun, with plenty of Naval PPCs backing it up and eight collars to support the Glamdring and Sting escorts that it’ll bring into a fight.”


“You’re planning on turning the Manassas into a battlegroup of its own aren’t you?” I asked as I considered the various plans in front of me.


“We want the Manassas to be able to kill anything that this universe has available, even if some sort of Cthulhu or Eldritch monstrosity shows up we want to be able to not only take it on but to kill it quickly,” Dr. Rogers said as she pulled up some specific specs. “We’ve done a lot of calculations and power plant adjustments, and with some tuning, we’ll be able to put a Kinetic barrier on this ship that it’ll be able to take twelve to thirteen direct hits from a dreadnought without us even getting into the armor that we’re working on.”


“That still doesn’t tell me how long she’s going to be in the dry dock,” I replied. “All of this sounds great, but I’ve yet to hear a timeline.”


“It’ll be around ten years until we’re finished and ready for a shakedown run,” Dr. Rogers admitted with a chagrined expression on her face. “There’s still a lot of work to be done in order to refine the tech we want to put into the Manassas, and if we actually want it to be state of the art when we’re finished then we’re going to have to upgrade it as we go along.”


“Which shipyard are we going to use?” I asked as I looked at the amount of funding we were going to be putting into this. “Because I thought we couldn’t tow the wreckage to Veil for any of the secretive stuff.”


“We’re going to be working on it in the shipyards here over Korlus,” Rogers said. “The citizens of Korlus were actually the ones who requested that we rebuild it here, they’re taking it as a point of pride that the ship that helped protect them is being rebuilt in the system. They even volunteered to pay the entire cost of the ship including the R&D that’s going into making it.”


“So this isn’t coming out of the ship acquisitions budget?” I asked. “Because this is an expensive Warship we’re building here.”


“It’s subsidized by us using some of the Omniforges down on Korlus to help, and it’s allowing us to slowly work some of the local species into our trained engineers and scientists. It’s also helping us figure out whether they’re spying or not because we’re starting them on things that seem critically important to figure out and if a leak occurs we can plug it before it gets too big.”


“Well, it seems that I’m behind on this,” I said as I looked at the design once again. “I’ll be keeping an eye on the construction and may be dropping by for surprise inspections.”








“I’m sorry that it took me so long to make it here,” I said to the memorial that had been built on Veil for Mathias and the rest of the fallen Ducal Guard. “You were a loyal friend and someone who had my back in everything,” I knelt down for a minute in front of the memorial. “Goodbye, old friend. You will be missed,” A single tear dripped down my face as I clenched my hands together.


“Are you okay?” Natasha asked me as she brought me in for a hug.


“No, but I will be,” I said as I stood up straight. “Some wounds just take time to heal.”


“We should get home,” Natasha said as we began to walk out of the memorial. “You still need to recover from the mental damage that was done to you.”


“I know,” I sighed. “I’m sorry I’ve been so sour and angry at times. I’m not even sure where the emotion is coming from at times.”


“You had someone raping your mind,” Natasha said as we climbed into the armored car. “It is understandable that some parts of you would still be recovering from the damage that was done.”


“Yeah, but I feel like I should already be pushing past this,” I argued. “I mean, I dealt with three years of sheer quiet and loneliness. I should be able to handle this.”


“You of all people should know that all wounds are different, and should be treated differently,” Natasha gave me a glare. “That applies to wounds of the mind as well, and you should know that and accept it.”


“I’m working on it,” I sighed. “It’ll still take time for me to work through this though.”


–

–


“It’s a pleasure to have you with us,” I greeted the Volus Representative as he stepped into my office. “I’m sorry that our meeting was delayed for nearly a year.”


“It is quite understandable,” Dusrin Verran, the Volus representative hissed in reply. “It is an honor to meet the leader of the nation that has managed to curb piracy and open up new trade routes to the Terminus systems.”


“Well, I would argue the pleasure is all mine, but I’m not really the negotiator of our group,” I gestured to Melissa who was waiting behind me. “This is Melissa Steiner, she’s the one who negotiates the trade deals and assists me with any legislation involving trade or any deals that we set.”


“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Melissa smiled with a sharklike grin on her face. “May I call you Dusrin, or would you prefer Verran?”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 70


“Ambassador Goyle,” I stood up to greet the Systems Alliance Ambassador as she entered the room that we had reserved on Illium for this meeting. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”


“I assume that the reason you wouldn’t meet me on the Citadel is that they wouldn’t allow you to have this much security,” Anita said with a gesture to the door she had walked through where there were more than half a dozen Ducal Guard members were standing outside with massive rifles in hand.


“I was perfectly willing to go back to the Citadel, actually,” I smiled and gestured for her to take a seat. “But my wife and bodyguards were not willing to allow me anywhere out of our territory.”


“Understandably so after the events that took place last time you were on the Citadel,” Anita observed. “Now, the Systems Alliance has many theories and questions that we would like to have answered.”


“I’m sure you do,” I replied with a grin. “I don’t promise to have a ton of answers for you though. We aren’t exactly allies currently.”


“Let’s get to it then,” Ambassador Goyle said as she opened up an old-fashioned briefcase with actual paper documents. “I haven’t had to use paper in years, but your security personnel made it very clear that Omnitools weren’t allowed past a certain point.”


“Yes, I apologize for that, but given we know that you can flash forge an Omniblade out of an Omnitool we figured it was better safe than sorry. We did allow your detail to follow you in though,” I offered up.


“Yes, but you yourself still have bodyguards in the room,” Goyle nodded at Samara who was standing behind me and to the left, and to Natasha, who was suited up in Mithril.


“Not taking any more chances with safety,” I shrugged. “Now, let me see what documents we brought, and we’ll see what we can and cannot answer.”


–

–


“I’m afraid that the Systems Alliance is dedicated to maintaining our presence on the Citadel for now,” Ambassador Goyle said as she stood up to leave. “I’m certain that we can meet at a later date to discuss trade proposals.”


“I’m sorry to hear that,” I replied to the first bit while standing up. “I’m sorry that you’re leaving with more questions than answers, but I’m afraid that I just don’t have the answers to give you.”


“I’m certain that the only people truly frustrated will be the scientists,” Goyle laughed. “Myself and most of the politicians of the Systems Alliance are just glad that there’s some sort of stability in this region.”


“I wouldn’t count on stability for long,” I replied. “The SIU on Omega vanished, and I fully expect something to start happening once the Batarians are done with their Civil War.”


“We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we,” Goyle politely smiled as she shook my hand before leaving the room.


“That was exhausting,” I collapsed back into my chair once the door closed. “We need to find someone who’s better at this sort of thing to take over from me.”


“Maybe sometime soon,” Natasha agreed as she pulled off her helmet and set it down on my desk.


“Samara, did you manage to get into contact with your daughters yet?” I asked in order to change the subject.


“I did indeed,” the Matriarch said with a soft smile. “Falire and Rila are finishing their semester and then are coming to join me here in the Commonwealth.”


“And Mirala?” I asked. “Did you manage to get into contact with her?”


“I am afraid that I have not,” Samara replied as a frown appeared on her face. “Rila said that they have a way to contact her, but that she is not able to respond to messages very often, and that it was only to be used in emergencies.”


“So they’re waiting until you’re reunited before trying to get into contact with her,” I followed the logical train of thought. “Makes sense to me.”


“They should be here in a few months,” Samara said.


“Take as much time as you need once they arrive,” I said before Samara could ask for leave. “No one will begrudge you taking time to spend with your family.”


“Your Major MacIntosh is a very serious individual though, he has enforced discipline in every area since I joined your Ducal Guard,” Samara responded. “I was afraid that there would be no time allotted for such things.”


“Major Ian MacIntosh has been guarding people for a very long time,” I replied. “And he takes his job very seriously, especially since Mathis died in my kidnapping. But even he understands family, and will let people take time off for that.”








“Well, did you get anything useful?” Harper asked Anita over the terminal.


“They’re very much humans just like us,” Goyle said with an odd expression on her face. “Their leader appears young, in his late twenties at the oldest, but his eyes, body language, and everything else about him screams that he’s a man in his late middle age.”


“Could be much older than he appears,” Harper said. “We both know that longevity treatments exist if you’re wealthy enough.”


“This doesn’t feel like that though,” Goyle shook her head. “It’s such an odd experience as well, because they look like us, but they feel like Krogan in many ways.”


“Would that be a good approach to start with?” Harper asked. “Treating them as if they were Krogan?”


“Likely not,” Anita shook her head. “Because they’re actually blending all of the cultures together fairly well. Allowing each planet to basically set its own government up as long as they maintain the rules set down in their constitution. Everything on a National level seems to be in infancy at best but has a fairly strong foundation to build off of. So hold off on having our negotiators and other diplomats looking for comparisons.”


“So what then would you have me do?” Harper asked. “I’m at the end of my final term, so whatever I set up now needs to be something that can be continued by my successor.”


“Establish an embassy on one of the Commonwealth’s worlds,” Goyle said after a moment of thought. “Have some N series intel people assigned to work it and gather as much intelligence as possible while we operate out of it as a proper Embassy. Nothing overt on the spying, but something that can assist us in what we’re looking for.”


“I can do that,” Harper nodded. “I’ll call you again when all of the details are worked out, make sure you send your reports in shortly though. I’d like to have some analysts go over your dialogue to see if this Duke Hull hints at anything that might give away their origins.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 71


“Have we managed to take the shipyards?” Balak asked the shadow that appeared in the office of the base he was using. “We’ll need them if we’re to make our dream a reality.”


“We’ve taken almost all of them, with only a handful of holdouts in systems controlled by the rebel faction,” the whispery voice responded. “What would you ask of us moving forward?”


“Start eliminating the leaders of the Loyalists,” Balak ordered. “But make it look like the rebels are the ones responsible. We want to keep quiet on our operations until we are ready.”


“It will be done,” the voice responded as the shadow then disappeared.


“Now, time to get the rest of the SIU into the proper positions,” Balak mused to himself as he considered the map of the Batarian Hegemony that appeared on his terminal. “Which planet is best to take over?”


“Have Commander Cam Drar'regar sent to my office,” Balak said to the noncom that worked as his secretary. “I need to get more information on his homeworld.”


–

–


“Commander,” Balak greeted his subordinate. “Tell me about your homeworld. I know that most of the State Arms factories outside of Khar’shan are located on your world, and I would like to know everything that you do about where those factories are located and what defenses might be in place.”


“I don’t know a lot,” Cam Drar’regar replied as he searched through his memories. “Even with how corrupt the State Arms is it’s not easy to access many of their actual locations. But I do know where the factories are, and what they manufacture.”


“Any information is better than going in blind,” Balak stated. “Give me what you can, and I’ll have the Shadows dig up the rest, then we’ll seize the planet along with the factories before moving on. Our first overt move must be to take the means of resupply away from both factions.”


“Then you’re going to want to take the orbital foundries as well,” Commander Drar’regar replied. “They’re the most important part of the factories because they supply the raw materials needed for the refineries that feed the factories.”


“The Shadows are already moving squads in position to do just that,” Balak informed the commander. “I merely wish to capture the factories as intact as possible so that we do not waste time in getting the factories producing for the SIU.”


“Then you’re going to want to move very quickly,” the Commander responded. “Any and all forces that are a part of the regular military have standing orders to destroy the facilities there if it seems that anyone may have a chance to seize them.”


“Then move quickly we shall,” Balak smiled at the other Batarian. “After all, we are the SIU, and what better time for intervention is there than this?”







“Questionable Greeting: We are surprised that you would be willing to negotiate trade deals with us,” Winkena the Elcor negotiator said as he entered the office that was currently used for the trade negotiations with the Terminus Commonwealth.


“Why is that?” Melissa asked as she greeted the large alien. “You have resources and other things that are worth trading in, why wouldn’t we want to trade with you?”


“Honest Statement: Most find our pattern of speaking unusual, and are unable or unwilling to accommodate our size,” the Elcor replied.


“I find it a bit relieving honestly,” Melissa replied. “The Commonwealth is willing to trade with pretty much anyone who approaches us honestly anyway. So long as you expect good negotiations that lead to both of us winning, that is.”


“Fearful Statement: We have heard of how you managed to get a favorable deal out of the Volus, and are worried that we may end up losing money in any deal we make.”


“The Volus aren’t losing money off of this deal,” Melissa said honestly. “They were just hoping to take advantage of us and ended up with a far more equitable deal than they are used to.”


“Agreeable statement: Then let us find out how we may benefit each other,” Winkena said as she stepped closer to the desk.








“You’ll pay for this Balak,” Ram Gaskavan the current Governor of the world of Tunerron Van spat at the leader of the SIU as he struggled against his bindings.


“I don’t believe that I will,” Balak said as he stopped before the Governor. “I am the head of the Special Intervention Unit. What did you think our mandate was? To intervene in the affairs of other nations?” Balak shook his head. “No, while we do such operations to ensure the survival of the Hegemony at times, our origin lies elsewhere. You see Governor Gaskavan, our sole purpose is to intervene as necessary to ensure the survival of both the Batarian Hegemony and the Batarian people. This civil war threatens that very thing, and so we’re taking over now. To ensure that the Hegemony survives to see another dawn.”


“You’re all mad,” Gaskavan said as he twisted his wrist and a blade popped out of his Omnitool that he used to cut his bindings and lunge at the current head of the SIU. “You and every one of your followers.”


“Mad,” Balak mused as he drew his sidearm and shot the Governor in the throat, causing the other Batarian to collapse as he tried to prevent himself from bleeding out. “Yes, I may be mad, but I have a vision for the future. Something that the Hegemony has lacked for generations. But do not worry, I’m not the monster that you make me out to be. I’m not going to target your family. Nor will I eliminate the families of my enemies. No, they will be given the best training and education that we can find, and when they grow up, they’ll be loyal followers of the new order. Whether they realize it or not.”


Gaskavan struggled to bring the blade up to kill Balak but his arm failed, one last gasp leaving the governor as he died.


“I’m not one to harm someone’s way to paradise,” Balak said as he closed the eyes of Gaskavan. “No one should be deprived of such a journey.”


“You are too merciful,” A voice said out of the shadows. “Better to have him humiliated in public.”


“Maybe that is so,” Balak nodded. “But I am not a barbarian, and I refuse to act like one.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 72


“Welcome back,” Sparatus greeted Tevos as she walked into the Council chambers for the first time in months. “I was worried I would be the only one left on the Council for a minute there.”


“I was able to retain my position,” Tevos replied with a wan smile. “Have the Salarians decided on a replacement for Vedol yet?”


“They decided to appoint a Dalatrass as an interim Councilor until they have managed to breed a new Councilor,” the Turian replied. “It seems that they were unhappy with Vedol, and desire to have a Councilor that pushes their interests more fully.”


“That could make things interesting around here,” Tevos observed. “Do we have any word on when the Dalatrass will arrive?”


“She should be here in the hour,” Sparatus said as he took a sip of his water. “But, I believe that I’ve met this Dalatrass before, and she may cause some issues.”


“Such as?” Tevos asked.


“She’s one of the few Dalatrasses that desire to push into the Terminus systems to finish their eradication of the Lystheni,” the Turian Councilor sighed. “I would expect something to appear sooner or later.”


“Why appoint her as Councilor then?” Tevos asked. “Surely there would be a better candidate.”


“Aside from her grudge against the Lystheni she’s the picture-perfect neutral Dalatrass,” Sparatus shrugged. “I expect to have no issues with the Salarians as a whole while she retains the office, but should she find evidence of Lystheni,” Sparatus trailed off.


“Then she will push to eradicate them with as much political power as she can bring to bear,” Tevos finished for Sparatus. “Is there a reason for her hatred of them?”


“When the Lystheni were banished, they managed to steal one of the clutches of female Salarians from her clan, and they’ve had to rebuild their entire power structure since then. But the entire problem has resulted in her clan being somewhat ostracized until recent times,” Sparatus said before checking his Omnitool to see a message there. “Osern Horajio is on her way now.”


“Then I guess I should be prepared to meet this Dalatrass,” Tevos responded.


The door flung open to reveal a Salarian slightly taller than most, with a patch over one eye, and a pistol hung on her hip, a small cloak concealing precisely what the rest of her physique looked like.


“Sparatus,” Osern nodded at the Turian as a slight red glow emanated from underneath the eyepatch. “It seems you’ve been doing fairly well since I last saw you.”


“Still pursuing your grudge, I see,” Sparatus retorted. “Seems you’ve lost an eye since our last adventure.”


“Krogan with a grudge,” Osern said with a smug grin. “Was fast enough to wound me, not fast enough to kill me. At least I have been active. Until recently was worried you’d become stagnant.”


“Osern Horajio, I am-”


“Councilor Tevos, currently barely retaining your position due to no better candidates pushed forward as of yet, expectancy in office to only last for a decade or more before unseated,” Osern dismissed the Asari. “Now, time to establish relationship with Humans, push economic recovery by also pursuing ties to the Terminus Commonwealth, chance to bring about stability in the short term to arrange long-term benefits,” The Salarian inhaled before continuing. “Outside context technology fascinating, would love to trade for it, but likely not to happen after the incident that occurred last year.”


“I’m still looking for someone to hang over that mess,” Sparatus said angrily. “I’ve even pulled a handful of Spectres in on my investigation because I know the Batarians weren’t responsible for that. Spirits know that I want to blame them for this, but they’ve been too busy killing each other to pull something like this off.”


Tevos schooled her facial expression into a mask of calm as Sparatus began to rant about the dead ends that his investigation had been reaching.


“Sparatus, not the time for anger,” Osern cut the Turian off. “We have much work to do, yet little time to do it. Must meet with Human ambassador to establish relationship, then must meet with the Volus and Elcor, need to see what sort of trade deals were worked out.”


Osern then grabbed the Turian Councilor and pulled him off of his chair.


“Come, must get to work.”


“I’d forgotten what it was like to work with a fast-paced Salarian,” Tevos chuckled to herself now that she was alone. “Vedol felt like a breath of fresh air compared to most. But I suppose that I should get used to her, she’ll be here for a few years yet.”








“Councilor Sparatus,” Anita Goyle stood up from her desk to greet the councilor. “I wasn’t expecting you, is there something that the Turian Hierarchy would like to speak to the Systems Alliance about?”


“No,” the Turian sighed with longsuffering. “This is the new Interim Councilor for the Salarians, Osern Horajio. She asked for me to get a meeting set up.”


“Ambassador Goyle, pleasure to meet you,” the Salarian sped through a greeting. “Would like to discuss potential Terminus Commonwealth infiltration with your Intelligence at some point, but for now would like to learn more about your species.”


“I would love to sit down and chat at a later point in time,” Goyle replied as Sparatus gave her a slight shake of his head from where Osern couldn’t see. “But I’m currently expecting a call from the Prime Minister, we’re beginning the transition of power as Jack Harper steps down.”


“Yes, understand, will set up meeting later,” Osern said quickly. “Will be calling secretary shortly to confirm appointment.”


“Thank you for the introduction Sparatus,” Goyle said, trying to give the Turian a way out. “Would you like to sit in on this call to meet the new Prime Minister as she comes on?”


“Of course,” Sparatus replied. “I’m afraid that I’ll have to introduce you to the Volus and Elcor ambassadors later, Osern.”


“Nonsense, as good a time as any to meet new head of state for Systems Alliance. Transition of power should always be observed by public officials.”


Sparatus just put his head in his hands and shook it as Osern took a seat across from Ambassador Goyle. “Spirits save us all,” he muttered under his breath. “Spirits save us.”

 

[MarkWarrior]

Chapter 73

“Captain Shephard,” Ex-Prime Minister Harper greeted the Systems Alliance captain. “I’ve heard many things about you from some of my admirals. Well, they used to be my admirals anyway,” the man smiled.

“All good things I hope,” the redheaded woman replied. “Ready to see the Citadel for the first time? I’ve heard there’s nothing like it.”

“I’m partial to Arcturus myself, but I think I’ll enjoy the change of scenery,” the ma replied. “To be honest, it’s great not to be in the office anymore. No matter how you prepare for it, you’ll never be prepared for the stress that the job puts on you.”

“You’re not supposed to smoke on Alliance Ships, sir,” the Captain glared at the man as he pulled out a cigar.

“I won’t smoke it here,” Jack assured the woman. “I just have to have it in my lips sometimes. It’s a bad habit, I admit, but it’s my bad habit.”

“As long as it’s not lit I can allow it,” the Captain said as she turned to continue supervising her ship.

“Your ship, it’s the SSV Washington, yes?” Harper asked. “It was commissioned a couple of months ago if I remember correctly.”

“Yes, we’re a part of the first generation of the new Cruisers that are coming online,” Captain Shepherd said as the cruiser moved through space towards the first relay they were supposed to move through. “It’s a shame that you only got to see some of the ships commissioned before you left office.”

“Well, we’re supposed to get more hulls in the next decade than we have in the past twenty years,” Harper said. “I’m hoping that we get to maintain our production rates until we’re comparable to the Turians in everything except for Dreadnaughts.”




Australia, January 1st, 2169AD/CE

“Gotta get out of here,” Miranda Lawson muttered to herself as she began going over plans that she had made a few months ago. “None of this will work,” She buried her face into her palms as she began to bypass her terminal’s locks that normally prevented her from accessing things that she wasn’t supposed to.

“Henry has access to pretty much every area of human space,” Miranda said to herself as she began plotting. “Every area except one,” Her eyes narrowed on a region of space that had seemingly gone independent over the last few years. “Illium will work as a starting point, we just have to get there first.”

–
–

“I’m sorry, but no one can know that you helped us escape,” Miranda muttered as she dragged Niket’s unconscious body over to a corner and hid it like she had the rest of the guards. Then, using her biotics, she pulled a toddler’s carriage to her where she then sealed it, typing in the codes that would generate a kinetic barrier around it and sync it up to her Omnitool.

Running out onto the landing pad, Miranda nearly cheered as she saw the ship that she had hoped would be waiting there, her father’s personal craft, designed with speed and functionality in mind.

Rushing up the ramp, Miranda closed it behind her and Oriana before heading right to the cockpit, using the codes that she knew would override the kill switches, she bypassed the standard take-off procedures and quickly piloted the upgraded and repurposed corvette up and into space, not slowing down until she had entered FTL for the relay at Charon.

“Got to disengage the tracking devices,” Miranda said as she stood up and began going through the ship with a fine-toothed comb, killing every bug and tracking device on the ship that could possibly be found. Then, taking Oriana out of the floating bed, she destroyed the tracking device on the armored bed and destroyed it before trying to set her sister down.

“No, don’t cry,” Miranda whispered as she rocked her little sister against her shoulder and tried to lull her back to sleep, her cries easing and gentle snores beginning to come from the toddler. “Shh, shh,” She whispered as she tried to set her down in the bed, only for Oriana to startle back awake and reach for Miranda. “Fine, I’ll hold you,” she picked her sister back up and held her as she piloted the ship through the Charon Relay.

–
–

“I’ll trade you,” Miranda said to the smuggler who she sat across from, her black armor melting into the background of the club as something floated just behind her. “Your ship for mine.”

“What’s the catch?” The Turian asked as he folded his arms. “That ship looks fresh from the shipyards, not something that a new bounty hunter would have.”

“I want fifty thousand credits to go with it,” Miranda said as she looked at the Turian, her helmet reflecting his image back at him. “It’s state of the art, and I’m only trading ships because it’ll stick out too much as I go about my business.”

“Call it thirty thousand and I’ll leave the ship’s schematics with the smuggler’s holds on your Omnitool and the armory still stocked,” The Turian bargained.

“Deal,” Miranda said as they began the transfer. “Shall we go to the spacedock and finish this?”

“Agreed,” The Turian said as they both stood up from the table they were at. “I’ll meet you at dock thirteen.”

–
–

“I’m looking for Sulinne Pedri,” A dark armored figure said to a bartender.

“She’s over there,” the Batarian indicated. “You got business with her?”

“Of a sorts,” the figure responded as it moved over to the table where the Asari sat. “Sulinne Pedri, wanted in the Asari Republics for murder, arson, and identity theft,” the figure stated as it tossed a holographic wanted poster on the table.

“Look, I’m sure we can work something out,” Sulinne said as she raised her hands.

“I can bring you in warm, or I can bring you in cold,” the figure replied as her hand massaged the handle of her pistol.

Author's Note: if some of the last bit looks familiar it's for a reason. Let's just say that Star Wars exists in both BT and Mass Effect, and a certain person was heavily influenced by it.