Mass Effect: No Going Back
"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world"- Sovereign
Chapter 1: Arrival
"Alliance Space: Earth. 2186 CE, Alliance vessel AFC ID#867443. Commander Thomas C. Jericho overseeing planetary defense."-Alliance HQ Databanks
Space. No matter how many times I look out into that endless sea of stars, it still takes my breath away. As a child, I remember being told by my father that by the time we were exposed to starlight, the star in question had been dead long before the light reached us. To know that throughout my years of exploration I have managed to see many of these stars alive and well, there is no comparable feeling. The best way I can describe it is to imagine sitting upon the edge of a precipice, staring out towards the world around you; one comes across both beauty and details of the land one might not have seen before. Take that concept, and expand it to a global scale, even a galactic scale. It's a feeling that never diminishes, yet in my heart I believe that no view lasts forever. Where and when that ends is anyone's guess, but until then it's time to follow orders as usual.
Glancing at the blue terminal next to my bed, I notice an incoming message from Admiral Hackett. A stern and determined leader, his face bears many scars from his wars across the past few decades. Some men fear him, others compliment the seasoned veteran, but we all share a mutual respect for one of the brightest minds in human history. Because an impending message from Hackett wasn't something to dismiss, I took a moment to ensure my appearance was adequate, making sure that my posture was straight and that my attire was clean and secured nicely. Once I was satisfied, I accepted the call. Upon acceptance, a blue silhouette took the live form of Hackett on the metallic desk.
"Admiral Hackett," I said puzzlingly to the miniature figure before me. A fierce shiver ran down my spine. Even over a hologram his presence inspired intimidation. "What can I do to assist you?"
"Commander, time is of the essence. We have incoming reports of dozens of large objects blasting through Lunar Base. We need you to send in a reinforcement force ASAP."
"Any idea what I'm sending my men in there to combat?" I asked. While it was usual for top brass to be vague, an attack this close to home warranted an explanation.
"No idea. The damage these things are making is immeasurable. Command has a hunch as to what they might be, but we're awaiting visual confirmation. Get in there, and reinforce whatever is left of the defensive force. We'll send the third fleet in right behind you."
"Understood Admiral. Jericho out". As the image of Hackett minimized and retreated back into the terminal, wonder found its way into my brain. Lunar Base was the closest outpost guarding Earth, and so it had been fitted with the best defenses money could buy. It would take a lot of firepower to take out the station, but shouldn't the early warning detection systems have alerted us? The fear in Hackett's voice was apparent, and the Admiral was never someone to shy away from a fight. Hell, I'd never seen him break a sweat. Whatever this new threat was, it had him worried, a definite cause for concern.
I made my way towards the bridge. As usual, the door in front of me automatically opened as I passed by, the lock which stood in the center flashing green. Upon exiting I punched in the keycode to seal, and the lock color transitioned to red, signifying that only those with the proper clearance could enter. I took the elevator which sat adjacent to my quarters and traveled down to the command deck. Upon my arrival, the various technical and navigational staff stood at attention and saluted me, salutes which I returned as I rushed by. My two pilots sat busily at their station.
"Ace, Jeff, what am I looking at here?" I asked. A digital map sat above their heads which showed various masses on our radar. Currently there were over a dozen massive objects on the display, and several smaller ones which signified the ships which were protecting Earth's orbit"
"Well, Commander, whatever is causing havoc at Lunar Base is gigantic in scope," Jeff stated coldly. "Hell, I've never seen anything this size, and that's including Ace's girlfriend".
"I swear to god, Jeff," Ace said as he turned a stern eye towards his co-pilot. "You talk about Christina one more time and I will drag you out the airlock myself!".
"Enough! I want full power to the engines. We're heading straight for Lunar Base. We need help out the men stationed there"
"With all due respect, Commander, Lunar Base may be too far gone. Those objects are already heading this way". It would've taken a whole Turian fleet just to make a dent in our defensive array. Before I had the chance to respond, the ship's alarms began blaring and alerts appeared all over the bridge terminals.
"Four of the objects have broken off from the attack. They're heading right for us!" Jeff said.
"Steady, crewman. Make contact to the fourth fleet and tell them I want them encircling Earth. Get our engines in reverse and I want full power towards the forward shields. We're falling back to the main garrison."
As if on cue, the large objects which had all but laid waste to Lunar Base sped their way towards Earth. Even with the advanced warning, the fourth fleet was unprepared to withstand the technological might before them. The massive objects resembled starships, but the scale and sheer height of the machines was unfathomable. Easily ten times the size of the largest frigate in the Alliance fleet, this new enemy resembled a squid. Metallic in form, the near kilometer high object possessed six arms which folded inward when unused. Still, I was confident that the amount of firepower the Alliance possessed would be sufficient in this situation.
"What the hell is that?" Ace asked. No one could muster an answer. Shock and awe had taken hold of the bridge. I thought the galaxy had run out of surprises to present us. Snapping out of the daze, I took control of the situation and started issuing orders to the fleet.
Sending a quarter of our remaining strength into Earth's atmosphere to attempt and repel any invading ground forces, I positioned the rest of the force in a defensive formation around the planet. Once the first object came within firing range, the forward line of Alliance vessels unleashed an unending volley of fire. Various mounted guns poured out firepower that would've destroyed a lesser vessel, but the destroyer kept charging on. Appearing to simply absorb the damage, the monstrosity pulverized the forward line of defense, ramming head on with the leading Hammerhead corvette. The ship had no chance to maneuver, and in the blink of an eye a thousand men and women were crushed into bits.
Turning to face this new enemy, my vessel did what it could to stay out of the object's way. While our foe did have the size and power advantage, Alliance ships still held their own in the speed department. Sending in our much smaller fighters, we believed that by flanking the enemy, we stood a much better chance of emerging victorious. What we discovered was that the frame which protected our attacker had no weak point, so once again we found ourselves perplexed as to how to stop their assault. Before we had an opportunity to reanalyze the situation, the other objects entered the fray. Opening their large tentacles, they revealed a charging red beam which when unleashed, decimated everything in its path. Dozens of ships disintegrated instantly upon the impact, leaving our defenses that much weaker. Debris smashed into the side of our hull, rocking the vessel, but our shields managed to absorb the damage; for now.
The attackers once again opened their tentacles, this time unleashing hundreds of pods and fighters down into the atmosphere. What was left of my fleet did whatever we could to repel them, but between both the space battle at hand and the lifting craft we had our hands full. Thousands upon thousands of infantry units were making their descent into the atmosphere, and onto a planet which had no hope of repelling them. It wouldn't be long before their counterparts joined them, a fate which the battered and beaten Alliance forces couldn't change.
"Ace, I want you to make contact with Admiral Hackett," I said in desperation. "Tell him we need reinforcements immediately or that we're going to lose the system."
"Sir, I'm afraid that's impossible at the moment. Our communications are being jammed. We could send out a short-burst transmission to the remnants of the fleet, but the signal wouldn't last for more than a few moments."
With no way to contact Hackett, the lives of these man fell upon my shoulders. Glancing out the observation window, I can see a fighter being blasted into bits, and other explosions scattered around Earth's orbit. Over the intercom screams of terror can be heard, before being suddenly silenced due to the sheer power of our enemy. Grim-faced, both Ace and Jeff turned around to look at me, preparing for an order that could mean life or death. They were willing to die for the cause, the question was am I willing to let them?
"Gentlemen, I'm issuing a full retreat. I want every Alliance vessel to converge on the Sol Relay. We're making our way to the Citadel."
"You can't do that, Commander!" Jeff yelled. This was the first time he had ever questioned one of my orders. "There are innocent civilians that are counting on us to protect them. We can't leave these people to die!"
"Enough! You think I want to leave? We don't have a choice. Those people on the surface are going to be in for the fight of their lives no matter what."
"So you're going to make us run away like cowards?"
"Our deaths will only make the efforts to retake Earth that much harder! What we need is to survive, so you're going to get every remaining vessel on the line and tell them to get out of here. if you're not capable of doing that, grab a shuttle and leave my ship!"
I could see the expression on Jeff's face turn from anger to sadness. Part of him wanted to take the offer, that I know for sure. Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed, and after a few moments of deliberation passed Jeff finally came to terms with the situation. It wasn't an easy decision for any of us to make; however, it was a decision that was crucial in order for humanity to still have a fighting chance. With a reluctant look in his eyes he turned his head towards me, his pale blue eyes quickly turning red. A nod of approval followed, and with that he connected my omni-tool to the communications array.
"Listen up, everyone. This is Commander Jericho. I'm ordering a full retreat for all Alliance forces still within range of the Sol relay. Make your way to the Citadel at full speed, we will rendezvous there and plan our next move. Jericho out."
And with that statement, the beaten and demoralized forces of the Alliance made full speed towards the Sol relay. Capable of plotting a lightspeed jump to anywhere in the galaxy, these mass relays were the gifts of a race which went extinct long ago. In the center of the relay sat a blue ball of light, which, when activated, was responsible for sending its passengers to their destination. What remained of the Alliance fleet desperately attempted to make their way past the invaders. Enemy reinforcements poured through to try and halt the retreat, with a seemingly endless sea of red fire being launched at Jericho's men. Ships burst into flames all around them, but somehow the few surviving Alliance vessels managed to escape through the relay.
Just as the ship began to make the jump to lightspeed, I took one final look outside of the starboard window. Flames were already amassing on the planet's surface, the planet I had been entrusted to protect. In my mind, I imagined the millions of people being left behind. Swearing under my breath to rid the galaxy of this new threat, I turned away in disgust as wave upon wave of enemy forces entered the Earth's atmosphere. The war for humanity's survival had just begun.