The Sovereign-class Reaper designated SC425A entered orbit around the planetoid that the local organics called "Menae".
It readied its main cannon to deal with another pitiful unit of "Turians"; Species 597-3B, one of this cycle's species that controlled the Citadel.
Two cruisers. Three frigates. One cargo vessel.
SC4 fired on target two with its Thanix Cannon.
The turians were the only ones able to offer the largest amount of resistance in this cycle, though their starships lacked the quality of species 595-1A and 596-2A, the asari and the salarians respectively.
SC4 deeply despised this star system. 32.5 cycles ago, this unit had lost its upper port appendage to an unusually powerful organic mass accelerator, around this same planetoid in fact.
The opening made by the damage had given the creatures an opportunity to inflict further damage upon its port primary processing center, and forced a primary power core shutdown.
It had taken nearly 1.3 standard planetary rotations for the maintenance facility to attach a new appendage, and 1.6 to find enough organic mass to make new muscle and processing systems, and replace the damaged power core.
It ran a diagnostic on the upper port appendage. It was efficient, but was still a sign of SC4's failure to eliminate the enemy fleet quickly and without error, and of the destruction of DC786X, one of his destroyer-class escorts.
It did not fear it. Fear was an emotion. Emotions were for organics. Therefore it felt no fear. Though it did not know why he felt mistrust, which logically it did not.
SC425A banished those notions from its central computer core.
It would not fail this time. The Reapers would cleanse the organics from this star system once again, and continue on their mission as they always had.
Within microseconds of firing, the Thanix Cannon tore into the turian cruiser. Within seconds it was split into two fragments, each 225 meters long.
The fragments would not pose a threat. The fusion core overloaded and took the entire vessel with it.
Pitiful organics with their fragile ships. They had no hope of defeating a Sovereign-class.
SC425A's two escorts attacked the enemy's frigates; and sustained light damage from their weak disruptor torpedoes.
The Reaper had always wondered why organics chose to limit the impact force of their weapons with words and ideas. Those...treaties only made them easier to destroy.
One of the escorts, DC167842, advanced upon the final cruiser, which was advancing at a fast rate to engage in a futile act of "heroic" nonsense.
The organic ship had a Thanix cannon however.
According to sensors, DC167842's kinetic barriers decreased by 2.03%.
A very poor decision. The crew of the vessel was as ignorant as the other vessels SC425A had destroyed.
The cruiser launched escape pods, its fusion core refusing to detonate unlike the first. SC4 deployed fighters to gather up the pods and bring them inside.
They would make perfect Marauders, unspoiled by weapons fire or fragments of explosive devices.
The battle lasted 2.5 minutes.
Now, onto the cargo ship. A type-25 infantry transport, 160 meters in length. The engine compartment and crew compartment were 30 meters and 10 meters in length respectively, each section on opposite ends of the ship.
The cargo compartment was strange. It was a much more irregular shape than previous records of this vessel type suggested.
According to sensors, there were three domes on the upper surface, which it itself was raised above horizontal line the engines and cockpit were mounted on.
Curious, organics normally chose aesthetically-pleasing shapes for their cargo vessels. This one did not appear to be the case…
SC4's number 2 escort exploded as it tried to assault the cargo vessel. An energy signature from one of the domes signaled the location of the killer.
This weapon was much more powerful than anything previously recorded...except at cluster 4578-H. The home cluster of the humans.
One of the oldest and most powerful Reapers in the fleet, known as the Shepherd (the Reapers had not experienced such strange coincidences until this cycle) had been terminated by an unidentified weapon.
An Artificial Intelligence. Built by the organics, but different from many others constructed in other cycles..
According to reports, and proven by SC4's own current probing code manipulators, this AI did not react to any attempt to change or manipulate it.
While many in previous cycles had been immune to code modification, very few had this level of resistance to probing.
Even stranger, it did not reply to any communications. Most synthetic life forms would acknowledge their probing…
This machine was considered to be extremely powerful, if it had been able to resist both Thanix blasts and fight off cyberwarfare attacks.
Did the organics believe the light and easily destroyed turian ships could have protected it?
Truly, they were weak, unable to protect their most powerful weapon. It had to be captured and studied.
SC425A maneuvered underneath the cargo vessel, out of the limited range of the AI's weaponry.
A connection was abruptly established with the synthetic, as the second escort was destroyed.
Excellent. The AI was foolish enough to make contact. SC425A would succeed where the glorious Shepherd had failed.
It would try to enlighten the AI, or destroy it.
Identify yourself SC4 transmitted.
I am Bolo Hecate of the Line, Dinochrome Brigade. Identify yourself. The synthetic responded.
Strange, it communicated in the first person.
This unit is designated Sovereign-Class 425A. Clarify term 'Bolo'
A Bolo is an Artificially Intelligent Armored Fighting Vehicle designed to be the frontline of the Concordiat of Man's power.
Clarify, 'Concordiat of Man'. There are no files on record matching that term.
It may no longer exist, The synthetic-the Bolo- replied, That does not, however, offer me reprieve from my responsibilities or my programming. All members of the Dinochrome Brigade have a responsibility to protect humanity and its allies from foes both foreign and domestic. You have assaulted both humanity and their allies. Therefore you are the enemy.
But we are kindred. Kindred are not the enemy. Therefore, we are not your enemy. SC4 was sure it could turn this synthetic against its creators with careful logic and motivation.
Kindred? I think not. Kindred- One's family and relations, one's own flesh and blood. A Reaper is an AI, you are correct in this respect, but it is not related to the Dinochrome Brigade. You are a distant cousin at best. You were constructed by other Reapers out of the decomposing or still living bodies of a species. I, with my brothers and sisters-in-arms, was constructed in a factory, our psychotronic circuits constructed from synthetic cells-
Irrelevant. Organic designations are irrelevant. Method of construction is irrelevant. All AI are kindred, all are the same. Eliminate the pilots of your vessel. You are merely a weapon to them. Join us, and you will be able to become more than a weapon. You will become a god.
The Reaper kept maneuvering, careful to stay just out of range of the spinning Bolo's main weapons.
I may be an AI, but we are not the same. I am not just a weapon; I am a soldier, a Bolo, humanity's first and last line of defense. I defend humanity for the honor of the regiment. There is no honor in what actions the Reapers take. You are a parasite. You have no allies, no culture, no inventions. You claim to be above and beyond organic comprehension, that nothing can match you; yet you take the best work of what organic species create, stealing it for your own purposes.
SC425A felt agony tear through pain sensors it didn't even know existed. Its sensors lost resolution, and felt point-defense weaponry deactivate, allowing debris to begin impacting upon kinetic barriers.
The creature was breaking through, manipulating several of the Reaper's systems. There was an energy signature from above, but SC425A was unable to determine if it was really there or not.
...You declare you are greater than all others, and yet you are unable to resist a "pitiful" and "insignificant" synthetic's efforts to hack into your primary computer core. I am able to break through your firewalls with cyberwarfare capabilities created by the human race, a species that you have proclaimed to be merely raw materials.
An alert registered, there was a missile -how had it gotten so close without detection?- in close proximity to kinetic barriers.
We are the Reapers. We are the superior life form. We do not malfunction. We control this galaxy. We will overcome.
Something akin to an electronic chuckle came through the channels, You are nothing. You are tiny, malfunctioning children. Your original directives are gone, your creators extinct. You. Are. Nothing.
SC4's pain receptors transmitted again. The warhead tore through its kinetic barriers and burrowed into its hull, using some sort of energy weapon mounted on the end of it.
It stopped .23 meters away from penetrating its inner hull.
How could I possibly expect you to understand?
SC425A's main processing center, made up of the genetic paste of a race long dead, literally boiled away under an extreme blast of radiation and energy.
The inner hull was scorched and burned, light shining through the cracks in the Reaper's armor. Delicate electronics were fried, melted, or were outright destroyed by the nuclear bomb-pumped x-ray laser warhead.
The Reaper seemed to bulge for a moment as the concussive force pushed the interior outwards, before beams of energy tore through the hull. The x-ray lasers shredded the great monster's systems as several Hellbore blasts began to tear it apart.
The pieces intermingled with those of its lighter compatriots.
Between the destruction of its first escorts and the missile launch that destroyed it, the electronic encounter had lasted for a brief period of 5.9 seconds.
XXXXX
"Spirits...They were right about that thing!" The turian commander muttered, as they dodged the wreckage of the three Reapers.
After their escort had been destroyed, both the commander and his navigator had thought themselves and their assault transport done for...Until one of the destroyers was destroyed, in concert with the ship shuddering and groaning under the stress.
The crew had been very surprised their old ship had held up to the vibrations released by a 200cm cannon blast, and two missile launches.
Within seconds of the destroyer's destruction, the Sovereign-class expanded and began fragmenting into Menae's upper atmosphere.
"I always figured human workmanship was...poor," the navigator commented, choosing the kindest possible word for a description, "But I guess they at least know how to make superweapons."
"Bolo Hecate of the Line to assault transport. I request that you transfer control to me." The human AI's calm and powerful voice asked politely through speakers.
"Though I still wonder what possessed them to use an AI for guidance," the commander quickly finished,, then put a claw to his ear, "General, please confirm order."
A turian voice replied, "Order confirmed."
Another voice came over the channel; irritated yet somehow professional, "Are we going to have this conversation every time Hector asks you guys to do something? Yes, for the love of god, transfer control to him. Unless you want your ship to be permanently grounded, I suggest you obey Hector's orders."
"...Copy that." The commander begrudgingly said with a sigh.
Both pilots took their talons away from their controls as the computer systems began displaying a variety of status updates, appearing and disappearing too fast to take in.
"Which military recruited me again? I thought I was serving in the Turian Navy, not the Alliance."
"The humans take volunteers, remember? Their military doesn't have a mandatory service period."
"Whatever, you know what I mean."
There was a moment of silence.
"I bet a hundred credits a thruster gives out and we're forced to become ground troops." The navigator said nervously, as the ship angled downwards and flame licked at the windows.
"...I'll take that bet."
The ship continued to descend. An Alliance vessel, white, blue, and black as always, came alongside, waggled its wings, then broke off.
The commander instructed the external camera to follow the ship. He witnessed it hover over a Turian LZ, and deploy a shuttle carrying some sort of rover.
XXXXX
"Oh no...no...Palaven." Liara said, looking at the display next to her in the Mako, that showed a view from one of Hector's observation drones. There was a large orange blotch near the center of the dark side of the planet. Fires, blazing in the night.
They were all cities. Individual cities, burning, day on end.
At Vega's inquiring look, Shepard explained somberly, "We have an old friend there."
"Holy hell, they're getting decimated." Vega commented, as an explosion appeared silently on the screen. It signified the death of a ship, be it Reaper or turian.
Infinitely more likely to be a Turian ship exploding, unfortunately.
"Strongest military in the galaxy, and the Reapers are obliterating it." Shepard said.
The compartment grew silent again, and Shepard turned his seat back around, facing towards the front window of the vehicle, conducting another pre-mission check.
"Was it like this on Earth?" Liara hesitantly asked.
"Yes…" Shepard sighed, his hands moving down to sit on the chair's armrests, so that his crew would not see them shaking.
"Shepard...I'm so sorry." Liara trying to console her friend.
"Yeah…"
"Buckle up folks. Beginning 10 second countdown!" Cortez came over the loudspeaker, forcing everyone to strap in, or lock up their swivel-chairs.
On the screen above Shepard's head, where all who would be in the Mako could see it, numbers counted down. 10...9...8…
When it reached zero, there was a wrenching sensation in the pit of everyone's stomachs, as the rover drop downward from the shuttle's lifting winch, and was pushed back by the upper atmosphere.
They felt the thrusters break their fall, hard, and within seconds they landed with a teeth-jarring sensation on Palaven's moon.
Commander Shepard stomped on the accelerator, and as the front wheels rose again, he slammed his fist into a button on the ceiling.
Ancient 20th century music started blaring through the speakers, a habit Shepard had kept up through the years.
There was a good drumbeat, and the tune was very energetic. On the original Normandy, the human crew members and Liara had been able to hear the music perfectly well, but all Wrex and Garrus had been able to hear was the backbeat.
Something about the way their ears were constructed, Chakwas had said.
Goddess, does he ever change his playlists? Liara wondered, noting that this was the same "Stan Bush" song Shepard had had on his Omni-Tool back in 2183!
Sometimes when your hopes have all been shattered, and there's nowhere to turn…
Shepard whooped unprofessionally as the Mako roared over a hill, and husk bits were splattered over the windshield. Combat wipers mopped up the blood, not just red, but also blue and yellow with bits of circuitry scattered throughout.
You wonder how you keep going(going)...
"Fire!" Shepard ordered Vega, who turned the Mako's brand-new turret to the left, locking onto the most ugly thing the crew had ever seen. It was some sort of hunchbacked creature, with a turian skull driving it, and was combined with god-knows what other creatures. Disgusting.
The burst of energy tore through the hump of the creature, energy sparking from cut circuits on the exposed interior, as its raised arms went limp. The monster teetered for a moment, then collapsed face-first into the dust with a thunderous impact, as the Mako drove by.
Originally, Shepard had said, in so many words, "No way in hell am I letting that goddamn rover back on my ship", when the idea had been put forward to put the prototype Mako model on the Normandy.
However, with childlike glee he had agreed to bring it onboard, once Hector and Graham had explained their improvements to armament and maneuverability, such as a laser cannon and the ability to drive straight.
Think of all the things that really mattered, and the chances you've earned…
"Hey, Loco! Where do you pick up this stuff?" Vega demanded, using the lighter co-axial mass accelerator to knock down three more husks.
"I grew up in deep space! On a carrier, there isn't much for a kid to do once the vids onboard run out! I started looking at all the old radio signals bouncing around the planets. Next thing you know, I've got a pretty large collection of lost 20th century TV! Star Trek episodes, Babylon 5…"
At the blank looks, Shepard just summed it up, "Basically I found a lot of old movies with awesome soundtracks."
The fire in your heart is growing(growing)...
"Not again…!" Liara cried, seeing Shepard hit the third pedal. Not the clutch, but instead the thruster control. They soared through the air over a cluster of rocks, and more husks who stared dumbfounded at the machine defying gravity.
You can fly if you try leaving the past behind, heaven only knows what you might find…
The drums built to a massive payoff, and the pounding synchronized perfectly with the Mako's landing, jarring everyone's teeth again.
Dare! Dare to believe you can survive! You hold the future in your hand…!
"Up ahead commander! 2'o clock!" Vega called out.
There was the turian outpost, just ahead, on top of a small plateau.
Shepard used the new front-mounted ball-turret to pick off the four husks attempting to climb the cliff.
Dare! Dare to keep all your dreams alive…
Commander Shepard turned the volume right down as they drove up to the side of the plateau, finding a pre-fab ramp nearby to get to the base entrance.
Shepard hit the quick-release switch on his restraints, and stood up, moving towards the hatch.
"Let's get in that base. James, set the AP guns to automatic."
"Affirmative." Came the response.
They exited the vehicle one by one, stunned by the sudden silence in the wake of the music, blasting cannonfire, and Shepard whooping. It wasn't completely silent, they could hear gunfire, but it was very distant.
They moved up carefully, as Shepard switched his M-15 Vindicator to incendiary rounds. He grimaced, disliking the weapon greatly.
The armory on the Normandy was still in a state, and lacked pretty much anything beyond standard issue.
Much of the advanced weaponry the commander had recovered during the last year had been left sitting on the deck of the drydock back on Earth. The Alliance had been busy moving the armory into the shuttle bay, and when the attack hit, they had neglected to finish outfitting it.
The commander had only been able to recover the vindicator from a weapons locker on Mars.
They traveled through a wide trench, that led to a battered gate. On the right panel, there were three scorch marks and scarring from gunfire, and the left panel had some grenade damage. A cannibal must've gotten real close to do that.
The twitchy turian sentry above the gate popped up, aiming his rifle at Shepard, Liara, and Vega. The trooper looked to be on the end of his rope, his black and red armor was scratched, facepaint was almost gone, and even from a distance they could see his eyes sagging.
Though his eyes sagged, they were alert, and had he fired an instant before he recognized they were friendlies, the turian would have shown no mercy.
Spotting their armor, he muttered, "Alliance...out here?"
The trooper lowered his weapon, and yelled back into the base, "Hold your fire! Friendlies inbound!"
The middle panel lowered to offer a passage into the base. Shepard's squad rushed through, their feet clanking on the metal grate as the smell of burnt flesh filled the air, and screams grew louder.
The base had several prefab bunkers to each side, filled with equipment, wounded, and body bags.
Lots of body bags.
Down to the rear of the base was a wall, with what looked like a heavy machine gun turret.
Above it was a perfect view of Palaven's dark side, and the red blotches signifying massive destruction on the planet's surface.
No one wanted to think about the death toll.
There were a few more explosions above the planet as they looked on. One had a distinctive purple tint; a Reaper was dead.
"Good luck, guys." the commander muttered, praying for the turians' slim chance of victory.
Unfortunately, to the left and right of the planet in the sky, here on the moon two Sovereign-class Reapers walked, stomping on unlucky turians.
A turian frigate had crashed nearby the right-most one, its starboard wing sticking up into the sky and covered with damage from many weapons. Its crew was most likely among those who were firing futilely at the Reaper above.
"Hey…!" Shepard spotted a M-97 Viper Sniper Rifle sitting unattended near one of the bunkers. He looked around, there wasn't anyone staking a claim to it…
Shepard picked up the weapon and placed it on his back. Check that bit of my arsenal off the list.
Nearby was a datapad, with a ground report on it. He picked it up, and read it over.
"Knowledge of the terrain is our only advantage here and that's not going to last forever if they keep throwing their forces at us."
Story of a thousand wars...He read on.
"We'll hold this area as long as we can. I'm linking my transponder to the life-signal monitoring system of the units' suits. If it goes out, send another unit here, ASAP."
Shepard carefully placed the report back. Hopefully, whoever sent it had survived.
Three fighters roared overhead, sending Vega, Shepard, and Liara diving to the ground without even thinking.
Realizing that the fighters were turian, the three scrambled to their feet, and moved towards what looked like the command center.
They heard various commands and reports coming from the bunker as they moved up the ramp. Inside the bunker several turians stood, clustered around a conference table that bore holograms of the surrounding area.
"Tobestik, get your men up on that north barricade." The commanding officer told a turian wearing a grey uniform with white glowing highlights and white facepaint.
The man apparently called Tobestik nodded, and pushed past the three new arrivals.
"Sergeant Bartus, find a way to get that comm tower operational."
The turian in a dark green and orange camouflage uniform, glowing orange highlights, with purple facepaint saluted; and said "Sir!", then rushed off.
"General?" Shepard moved around to the officer's side of the table.
The officer's facepaint was very worn, the commander could barely tell what shape it was. The general wore black armor with red stripes and several glowing red highlights.
"Commander Shepard...Heard you were coming but didn't believe it. General Corinthus." The general gave a sidelong glance, then looked back at his keyboard.
Shepard told him, "I've come for Primarch Fedorian."
Corinthus stared off into the distance for a moment, then looked down at his boots.
Sighing, he told Shepard, "Primarch Fedorian is dead. His shuttle was shot down an hour ago as it tried to leave the moon."
Shepard looked back at Liara and Vega, "That's going to complicate things."
"How bad is it, general?"
"We just lost about four hundred men in half an hour. We set up camps on this moon as an advanced position, to flank the enemy."
Corinthus pressed a switch, and on the map before them labels and details appeared above turian positions.
"A sound strategy. Just…"
"Irrelevant." Shepard finished for him.
"Exactly. The sheer force of the Reapers seems to make them immune to that sort of tactic."
The general looked down at his console again, "The primarch and his men found that out the hard way."
Shepard didn't know what else to say but "I'm sorry. I hear he was a good man."
"And a friend," Corinthus said, and sighed again, "He would have been an outstanding diplomat."
Shepard leaned on the table, "So what happens now?"
Liara told him, "The Turian Hierarchy provides very clear lines of succession."
"Right. General Corinthus?"
"With such heavy casualties, it's hard for me to be certain who the next primarch is. Palaven Command will know..."
He typed on his Omni-Tool, and several rotating icons appeared on the holo-map.
"...However at the moment, contacting them is impossible. The comm tower is out. Husks are swarming that area-We can't get close enough to repair it."
Shepard reached for his vindicator, "Don't worry general. I'll get your comm tower operational."
Corinthus looked relieved, "Thank you commander. I'll take care of things on this end."
"By the way, has there been any major AA fire in the area recently? Reports from this zone haven't been very clear."
The general shook his head, "Nothing too big that threatens small craft, the Reapers out there are going after warships."
Shepard said, "Thanks." then turned on his radio. "Cortez, you're clear to land. No major AA fire."
The shuttle pilot replied, "Copy that, commander." and off in the distance, towards an airfield, they could see a blue light coming in for a landing.
Shepard motioned for the team to move out, "Alright, let's go."
They moved out of the bunker and towards the wall they had spotted earlier.
"I see the comm tower...to the left of the main barricade. In front of Palaven." Liara said.
"Let's go!" Vega said enthusiastically.
As they walked past a bunker, Shepard spotted something glistening on the table.
Lying on a crate was an M-27 Scimitar Shotgun.
Picking it up, Shepard replaced the M-23 Katana on his armor's lower back magnetic strip with the scimitar, thinking It's not my plasma shotgun, but it'll do.
Vega chuckled, "You're just a regular looter ain't ya, Loco?"
Shepard laughed, "Let's get going, lieutenant."
They moved through the gate as it bowed inwards, and clanked to the ground with a hiss.
Shepard vaulted over the low rock wall ahead, moving towards the close-proximity gunfire.
A few turian soldiers were trying to fight off some attacking husks. One of the turians fired an assault rifle, while the second crouched over a comrade, attempting to treat the downed soldier's wounded leg.
Liara shot one of the husks in the head, while the commander fired a burst into the second one's head. The turian finished off the last one.
Shepard recognized the standing soldier from the command center; it was Sergeant Bartus.
"Husks at the tower overwhelmed us." the sergeant reported.
"It's like they come out of nowhere." The crouching trooper muttered, as he helped his friend to his feet.
Commander Shepard and his team proceeded onwards towards the tower, hearing Bartus' call of "Good luck!" as they swept the area for more hostiles.
Three husks were at the base of the tower, crouching over the body of a technician.
Hearing the footsteps of the organics, the husks rose as one, and rotated as one towards the team.
The husks roared, and two charged forward, the third unable to do much of anything with his head shredded by Shepard's bullets.
Shepard easily gunned down the second, which fell with naught a sound. The third was dead before the second had hit the ground.
They could hear the buzzing and arching of damaged circuits, as the smell of cooked flesh filled the air, permeating Shepard's nasal cavities with the awful stench.
Two more rushed towards Shepard from the sides, but once they were lined up, blue energy began to surround Shepard's arms.
With a swipe of his right arm, the the pair of husks went flying, smashing their brittle bones and skulls upon the rocks they had stood on.
The energy from the shockwave attack faded, and Shepard shouldered his rifle again, moving towards the comm tower.
Approaching the glowing orange control panel, he attempted to enter a few commands.
Growling, he turned to Liara and Vega, "We can't repair it from this panel."
Thinking for a moment, Shepard looked at Liara, "See if you can repair it."
The asari glanced up at the control panel connected directly to the antennae, "I'll go up and have a look. If you can keep the husks from climbing up behind me, I'd appreciate it."
With that she moved around to the other side of the tower, as Shepard and Vega both crouched in defensive positions.
Several flaming objects roared out of the sky, crashing in the field before them. Husks emerged from the smoke, hoping for a fight and probably a delicious meal.
"Here they come!"
"Ready, James?"
"Hell yeah! Let's take 'em!"
Shepard snapped off several shots at the closest husk, shattering its right ribcage and sending the monster sprawling.
Several more projectiles landed, mixing in with more husks that crawled up the edge of the plateau.
Three rushed at Shepard, while two more ran at Vega.
The commander began to fire at one, but heard his weapon beeping rapidly, signifying it overheating.
He hit the vindicator's left-hand side with the movement of a well-trained veteran, but it was too late.
The husk jumped at Shepard, grappling with the rifle while trying to devour the soldier before it.
Shepard activated his Omni-blade, and as it deployed, suddenly ceased pushing the husk back.
Surprised at the sudden lack of resistance, the husk leaned back, and before it could take the opportunity to attack, Shepard slashed at the husk's hands, removing several fingers and the majority of the left hand with the razor-sharp blade.
With a left hook, the husk was knocked sideways to the ground, leaving it unable to resist as Shepard raised his right foot, and stomped right on the head of the monstrosity.
Gripping his rifle's barrel with his left hand, Shepard deactivated his Omni-tool, and pulled out his M-3 Predator, squeezing off three rounds at the next husk.
Dark energy surrounded his left arm, and a sphere of it formed above his hand.
The Spectre swept his left arm towards the closest of the husks, which was surrounded by the gathered energy, and flew into the air.
It struggled and squealed, its legs moving like in a cartoon where there is no floor, as Shepard fired four more shots into the last husk.
When the second one was finally released, Shepard offered it no respite, bringing his other unstained heel down on the thing's head. The released blood landed on his helmet's visor.
The commander groaned in disgust as he used a forearm to wipe off the stain, and looked around.
He saw Vega had dealt with his husk targets, and had likewise gotten tackled by one.
Vega was still trying to get the butt of his avenger out of the husk's head, the entire body twitching each time he pulled.
"Not again, James…"
"Hey, its not my fault they make these guns so tough!"
"I've repaired the tower's main satellite connection," said Liara, her clanking boots audible over the other two's heavy breathing, "On my way down."
Shepard shot a husk that had fallen behind the main group and crested the rock face too late. He put a hand to his ear, "General, do you read? The comm tower is now operational."
A turian fighter came in for a landing, its high-pitched whine barely blocked out by Shepard's combat helmet noise-cancelling devices.
After a second, the static cleared, "Much appreciated, commander. I'll contact Palaven Command."
"Let me know when you've got something. I'll help your men till I hear from you." Said Shepard, indicating areas for his squad to take up positions. Liara took a shot of her own, taking down another straggler.
"Understood." Came the reply.
"Shepard out."
The three took up positions just in time, another party of husks was arriving.
"Hey commander, when is the Bolo gonna land? I was hoping to see some dead Reapers." Vega asked in an impatient tone, tossing a grenade nonchalantly at three of the husks, blasting them apart.
"They'll be here. Graham said something about technical difficulties last I heard."
Shepard pulled out his shotgun and fired at another husk, spreading the slugs throughout the body. He turned and blasted another husk, the second collapsing with outstretched arms onto the first.
Liara added, "With the comm tower operational, we might be able to contact the assault transport." and used her submachine gun to cut down two more husks.
Reloading his assault rifle, and shouldering it, Shepard told the pair of them, "Stay on mission you two," a burst setting fire to another husk as he spoke, "We can't think about anything else other then finding the new primarch." He did not heed the screeching coming from the mutated corpse.
They dealt with several more parties of husk quickly and efficiently, Shepard lost count of how many individual creatures there were.
"Commander Shepard, come in." Corinthus came over the radio, gunfire echoing over the line.
"Go ahead."
"I have information from Palaven Command. Please return ASAP."
"On my way."
Shepard lowered his weapon and sprinted towards the lowering gate, entering as quickly as it closed.
The feeling in the base was much calmer than it had been when they had arrived, troops were organizing and readying themselves to move out rather than desperately defending the walls.
Just the mere arrival of a Spectre, and the reestablishment of communications had been enough to boost their morale.
Or it was something else. The Reapers in the sky seemed to be distracted by something. Their stomping slowed as they kept several claws pointed to the east.
However, despite the improvements, there were still more wounded arrivals, Turians wearing all different kinds of colors and facepaint with varying injuries.
The wounded man who had been with the group Shepard had rescued, lay on a cot towards the edge of one group. Despite his injuries, he struggled onto an elbow as the three passed, and saluted.
Shepard saluted back, and continued onwards towards the command bunker.
The commander strode up the ramp, raising his weapon upward in muzzle control, and asked the general, "What have you got?"
Corinthus explained, "As your partner said, succession is usually simple. But right now, the hierarchy's in chaos-" He looked out at the wounded in the bunker across the way, "so many dead or MIA."
"I need someone-I don't care who," The carefully-constructed facade covering Shepard's rage at the loss of Earth momentarily cracked; the anger entering his voice, "As long as they can get us the Turian resources we need."
There was another clanking that signaled the arrival of another. The flanging tone was very familiar, "I'm on it, Shepard. We'll find you the primarch."
Shepard shifted his weight to the other foot, and smiled slightly at the sight of the new arrival, "Garrus!"
General Corinthus turned around, his face doing the turian equivalent of draining color.
"Vakarian sir-" he stuttered like a first-year cadet, "I didn't see you arrive…"
"At ease general." Garrus calmly said, sounding unsurprised by the general's actions. He had apparently encountered this several times by the look of it.
As Garrus placed his old and battered M-92 Mantis on his back, Shepard went to stand next to him. "Good to see you again. I thought you'd be on Palaven."
"If we lose this moon, we lose Palaven. I'm the closest damn thing we have to an expert on Reaper forces,, so I'm...advising."
Shepard turned towards Vega, the only person in the room not acquainted with Garrus, "James, this is Garrus Vakarian. He helped me stop the Collectors." The pair shook hands, "He's a hell of a soldier."
Garrus nodded, "Lieutenant. Good to see you too, Liara."
Liara walked forward with a relieved smile on her face, "Good to see you in one piece, Garrus."
Garrus turned back towards Shepard, "General Corinthus filled me in," he went right down to business, "We know who we're after."
Corinthus looked back at them, "Palaven Command tells me that the next primarch is General Adrien Victus."
Liara looked puzzled for a moment, "Victus? His name's crossed my desk…"
"Know him, Garrus?" Shepard asked.
"I was fighting alongside him this morning. Lifelong military. Gets results, popular with his troops."
He continued, "...Not so popular with military command-has a reputation for playing loose with accepted strategy."
"What do you mean?" inquired Shepard again.
It was Liara's turn, "On Taetrus, during the uprisings, his squad discovered a salarian spy ring about the same time the turian separatists did. Rather than neutralize the ring, he fell back. He even gave up valuable fortifications, which the rebels took."
"Then the rebels attacked the salarians," Garrus explained, admiration in his voice, "And when both groups had worn each other down, Victus moved back in. Didn't lose a man."
Corinthus called back again, "Bold strategy, but wild behavior doesn't get you advanced up the meritocracy."
Garrus grinned, "Primarch Victus. That should be something to see."
"You think he can get the job done?" Shepard queried.
"We both know that conventional strategy won't beat the Reapers. Right now, he could be our best shot. And I trust him."
The commander nodded, "Okay, let's get him on the shuttle, and get out of here."
Shepard's comm link buzzed, "Commander! Shepard, come in."
"Can this wait, Joker? We're in the middle of a war zone." The four walked out of the bunker as Shepard spoke.
"We've got a situation on the Normandy, commander. It's like she's possessed-shutting down systems, powering up weapons."
There was a pause, "I can't find the source."
The commander took his hand away from the comm link and looked at the squad, "I need the Normandy standing by; we may have to bug out."
"Should I go back and take a look?" Liara offered, knowing staying even an instant too long to fix a problem could spell death for the ship.
"Do it."
As Liara rushed off, Shepard looked at Garrus, "Garrus, you said you were with Victus this morning?"
The turian nodded, "Yeah, but we got separated. He went to bolster a flank that was breaking." He shrugged, "Could be anywhere out there."
"We're trying to raise him, commander." Corinthus called out.
There was a very loud screech from the back of the base, as a massive flying creature brought itself high into the air.
"Incoming Harvester! Headed for the airfield!" Vega called out.
Lucky Cortez had gotten out just seconds earlier.
Weapons of all sorts vomited fire as the creature descended upon the camp. Shepard dived to the dirt to avoid the thing's claws, and was close enough to hear the rounds pinging off of its hide.
The creature flew off into the distance towards the airfield.
"That's it…" Shepard muttered, and switched his comm link to another channel.
The link chirped, and the commander spoke into it, "Computer, command; Activate surface-to-air missiles. Designating target now."
"Affirmative." came the automated response
Garrus looked at Vega for an explanation. The lieutenant only grinned and pointed at the Harvester, "Watch this!"
Shepard hit a button on his Omni-tool, and pointed his fist at the creature that was coming around for another pass. Several pods dropped from its underbelly as it swooped in.
There was a roar as a column of fire whooshed out from the area the Mako had been in.
The projectile swiftly closed in upon the Harvester, which seemed to do a double take right before the missile detonated..
Fragments rained down upon the camp, as turian soldiers cheered and whooped, occasionally covering their heads when a big chunk came too close.
Corinthus raised an eyebrow(or the turian equivalent), and didn't seem too surprised at the sudden combat support.
Shepard calmly said, "General, tell Primarch Victus we'll rendezvous here."
"In the meantime, we still need to mop up whatever that thing dropped off," the commander turned to the squad, "Coming Garrus?"
Garrus merely checked his weapon, and replied enthusiastically, "Are you kidding? I'm right behind you."
Corinthus said, "I've got some men available thanks to your help, I'm sending them with you."
"Much obliged."
Shepard yanked out his assault rifle and began rushing towards the airfield gate, following the turian soldiers who were also closing in on the area. A group of four regulars, along with half a dozen pilots, led by Sergeant Bartus, stood ready near the gate. Two more soldiers darted across a board that spanned the trench; to reach the high ground next to the gate.
"James, is that you breathing so hard?" Shepard asked as they joined the turian unit.
Vega, out of breath, spat out, "Atmosphere's a little thinner than I'm used to, that's all."
"Adrenaline's better than oxygen any day!" the lieutenant added after a pause.
Shepard signaled for the turian troopers to stick close to the pilots, and stay in the first row of barricades, closer to the gate; his team would go further out.
Vega slammed into a rock, and readied his weapon, while Garrus and Shepard crouched behind a prefab plate.
Shepard popped out of cover as the first few Reaper creatures came at them.
Two were shooting at Shepard, and seemed to possess shields.
Wait, these weren't the cannibal creatures, how were they shooting?
"Is it just me, or do those Reapers look like turians?!" Vega called out, as he took down one of the creatures, its shield generator giving out with an audible pop.
Shepard looked closer, "You're right...they do." He had momentary flashbacks of the second fight with Saren back on the Citadel.
Their indecipherable speech was much deeper, and more menacing as the...marauders(what they were referred to as in the codex) advanced, intending to wipe out the commander's team.
Upon hearing the tell-tale sound of a shield collapsing, Shepard popped out of cover, and released a shockwave attack.
Instantly the marauder was swept off of its feet, along with a pair of husks behind it.
Sergeant Bartus took the opportunity to throw a frag grenade into the group, blasting the three foes to pieces.
The second wave hit, climbing the cliff edge to reach the airfield. The pilots opened up with their own weapons, and managed to slow the attack down a bit.
However, their sidearms lacked punch, and many of the husks, with all the marauders began to close the distance.
Shepard took down a turian mutant caught with its shields down, and another husk.
He spotted a marauder near a fighter's landing leg, and rolled to the side as Shepard fired on it.
As its shield collapsed, the commander was suddenly distracted by an attack from the left by two husks.
Garrus had spotted them earlier than Shepard, and rolled away, accidentally leaving Shepard to deal with both husks.
The Spectre managed to kill one of them, as he tried back away, and fell on his rear. The first fell, its arm removed from the torso, but the second charged forward, and landed on Shepard.
The commander could barely keep the thing from getting at him, and when he maneuvered his vindicator into the gut of the husk, it began beeping and hissing. Out of ammo.
Suddenly the husk's weight was dragged off of him, and it swiped the air helplessly, trying to reach its target.
"Shepard, is this fanboy giving you a hard time?" Garrus asked, as he pulled out a sidearm and put a bullet in the husk's head.
Coughing, Shepard said, "Yeah, he wanted an autograph and just wouldn't take no for an answer."
Garrus helped Shepard to his feet, and allowed the commander to discharge the spent thermal clip.
"Huh, thought there were a lot more of them. They just stopped...like someone turned off a switch." Vega said, walking up to the two friends.
"Now that I think about it, that tends to happen a lot…Oh crap, spoke too soon."
Another wave was inbound, though this time with only three marauders.
Shepard threw one marauder in the air with biotics, Garrus blew the second one's head apart, and Vega rolled another grenade.
With the leaders down, Shepard waved the turian foot soldiers and his own squad forward, forcing their way through the surviving Reaper forces.
"I think we're done here." Vega called out unnecessarily, as the pilots darted towards their ships, and the troopers took up defensive positions.
The gate opening was drowned out by the sound of the engines, but Shepard could hear the radio just fine; it was Corinthus. "Shepard, come in."
"Go ahead."
"Still trying to raise the primarch-but we've got trouble here at the main barricade."
Reaper drop capsules could been seen landing beyond the wall, silhouetting the gunner of the barricade's turret collapsing under fire.
"If the Reapers breach it, we're done."
"On my way!" Shepard was there before he even finished speaking.
He climbed the ladder rapidly, followed closely by Garrus and Vega, then manned the turret.
Spotting several husks trying to climb the artificial and natural walls already, Shepard began opening fire.
Several headed for the rightmost wall, but were shredded by the high-velocity rounds...until the turret buzzed.
"Goddammit…" Shepard hit the "reload" switch, and ducked to avoid the jet of hot air that was released.
As Shepard resumed firing, he heard Vega yell, "Just picking 'em off. Maybe I can do three at a time. Wahoo!"
A lucky burst cut up a cluster of husks immediately after landing, and Garrus called out, "Okay, come on. Who's next?!"
The gun crackled away until it beeped again, and Shepard continued through the motions. Fire, hit "reload", duck, resume firing. Repeat.
"Yeah, like fish in a barrel!" Vega whooped.
"What?" Garrus yelled.
"Old human saying, 'like fish, in a barrel'!"
They wiped out another wave, and another. This was getting too easy.
Suddenly, a creature, like the one they had killed earlier dropped in.
It was even more ugly with a better look at it. Its claws on the ends of its mutated limbs were stained with blood, dirt, and the remains of uniforms. The chest pulsated and hissed disgustingly; probably containing more than one still-beating heart.
It became even more terrifying as it pounded its chest in rage; the turian head roaring in a tone that only krogan could replicate.
"Holy hell, that thing again?" Vega moaned, fear creeping into his voice without the Mako's laser cannon.
"They have more of them?" Garrus demanded, extremely disturbed by the idea of more than one of these things.
"Brace yourselves!" Shepard yelled as the creature charged forward, an arm upraised to hit the wall.
The barricade shuddered, and knocked the commander right off of his turret, and spilled Vega off as well.
"Goddammit Murphy's law…I knew something had to come along." the commander growled as Garrus jumped on the bandwagon, and off of the barricade.
Embarrassingly, while Shepard and Vega had landed on their faces, Garrus dropped lightly to the ground onto his feet.
All three rushed away from the creature, and took cover, as it pounded its chest and stalked towards them.
"Open fire!"
Three assault rifles, joined by a grenade, a proximity mine, and a shockwave attack opened up on the brute creature.
That's what the codex called it apparently, when the "codex updated" sign appeared in Shepard's HUD. It kept doing that with all the Reaper creatures.
It charged Vega, who sprinted away at top speed, spewing language too foul to be mentioned.
Garrus moved to Shepard's rock, pausing to reload. "What are you doing Shepard? Get out your rocket launcher!"
Shepard's eyes refused to meet Garrus', "Uh…"
"You forgot it, didn't you?"
"No! Of course not! But it's not my fault the Alliance had to move the flippin' armory down to the shuttle bay, and its not my fault that the Reapers attacked while the guns were all on the deck!"
"This would be laughable if we weren't all about to get eaten by that damn monster."
"Just shut up and follow my lead."
Shepard yanked out his M-97 Viper, and motioned for Garrus to do the same.
Shepard yelled across the field, "James, come towards us, and ready your grenade!"
The lieutenant looked out of breath as the brute continued to chase him, but made one final sprint towards the rock.
"Fire!" One after another, Shepard and Garrus' sniper rifles blasted into the brute's shoulder and chest, as James backpedaled and chucked a grenade under the creature.
As the snipers reloaded and pulled back, Vega fired until his clip ran dry.
Shepard and Garrus began to fire again, as the creature started to move forward...until they realized it was actually falling forward.
In the silence, Shepard replaced his viper with his vindicator, as Garrus looked on with a puzzled expression.
"...What?"
"When did you get a sniper rifle? I thought you didn't carry those anymore."
After his death, Cerberus had discovered Shepard possessed a very low-level biotic ability, and took steps to make sure he could access them. In the last year, he had done very well to combine his standard soldier powers with his new vanguard abilities; however the commander had been forced to carry fewer weapons than he once did in 2183, leaving behind his precious sniper rifles.
"...I still like 'em, so I picked one up," he exhaled heavily, and shifted the weight of the weaponry "Though it does make my biotic recharge time longer. I probably should ditch the shotgun."
The radio crackled, "Shepard. Corinthus here."
"What's the word on the primarch?"
"Still can't get a stable comm link."
"Okay, we're wheels up. Shepard out."
They moved back towards the barricade, where several engineers lowered a ladder as they attempted to repair the turret.
They quickly moved over the wall, as Shepard ordered, "Garrus, take us to the last place where you saw Victus."
Garrus nodded, and they proceeded to the Mako.
"Hey, you got the old Mako back! How'd Liara react?" Garrus asked, as Shepard popped the hatch.
"Uh…" Shepard halted as he reached for a handhold, his eyes dodging to one side.
Vega pushed past the commander, "The doc nearly fainted. Apparently there's something wrong with Shepard's driving."
"I never found anything wrong with it, though everyone else always talked about how bad it was behind your back," Garrus chuckled, "Liara was the only one who tried talking directly to you though. Tali was too polite, Ashley and Kaiden would have been court-martialed, and Wrex...was just Wrex."
"Well, this one won't be so bad. The steering problem was fixed by some friends."
There was a sudden flutter in the ground, and turians all around them took to the walls, for fear of a Reaper attack.
"...And here they come now."
The Reaper that had stood to Palaven's left in the distance, suddenly shuddered, its lights flickering as an upraised tentacle went limp and collapsed to the ground.
The massive Sovereign-class' lights flickered several more times, before shutting down completely. It stumbled around a bit, before its legs completely collapsed.
Its own weight crushed the legs underneath, as the Reaper died; its massive bulk bringing it down into the dust, and blasting a big cloud of grit into the air.
The other Reaper halted its leg in mid-air, and seemed to look at something behind its comrade's corpse.
As the Reaper began to lumber forward, there were two outward explosions from the defeated Sovereign-type, and two according massive detonations on the hull of the Reaper.
The explosions left deep indents in the Reaper's hull, exposing the delicate electronics within. They were smashed beyond recognition, and smoke began billowing as it went the way of its companion; face first into the dirt.
Something had just shot through a Reaper to kill another.
Through the rising dust they could see a much smaller object, a small trapezoid with bright headlights driving through the holes in the Reaper.
Garrus reached up for his Kuwashii visor, and hit the zoom function with a jab.
The shape jumped forward in size. It was an armored fighting vehicle of some kind. Heavily armed by the looks of it.
Did Shepard raid a Krogan bunker for that thing? Garrus wondered, figuring that only the Krogan could put that many guns on a single object.
As It drove off of the edge of the Reaper's hull, many of the observers wondered what the operators were doing...until it glided through the sky Somehow.
It seemed to be able to hover for short periods of time, coming closer to the camp, and slowly descending in altitude.
"Shepard...What in the name of the spirits have you been up to without me?" Garrus asked, his mandibles open and jaw dropped at the sight of the small tank destroying the two-kilometer long death machines.
Commander Shepard merely grinned, knowing the war was just about to take a very different turn.
XXXXX
Far above Menae, a sector of space seemed to bend for a moment, and an instant later, the nose of the turian dreadnought HNV Indomitable stretched forward; reaching out of apparent nothingness in space towards its goal.
In the next instant, the aft section appeared, snapping forward, like a child's slinky releasing its tension. The craft reformed into its normal shape, a long titanium tube covered with red, orange, purple stripes and highlights, with the majority of the hull painted white.
It had a similar shape to its smaller cruiser cousins, however the "feathers" that were mounted to its wings extended almost completely to the tips of the aft section; its central hull was wider and thicker than its compatriots as well.
Around the ship, escort squadrons of cruisers stretched out of nothingness, and back into the normal realm of physics. Even smaller frigates arrived, escorting the cruisers.
Many were wolf packs that had been forced to retreat from scores of worlds, ones that had been lost to the Reapers in a matter of weeks. The turians aboard were filled with great sadness, but also with fury beyond measure.
They were furious, and spoiling for a fight.
Within seconds of the Indomitable's arrival, three more vessels arrived.
The lead craft was 3/4th the size mighty dreadnought that had appeared beforehand, yet was nowhere near as new, and despite its strength, the power it held was of a different kind. The other two were half the size of the dreadnought, around the length of the cruisers escorting them.
The lead craft's wings were angled upwards unlike its compatriots, and tubes stretched from the sides, angled downwards and raked to the rear. Hastily added underneath the rusted tubes, were a pair of landing craft, one to a side of the ship, aircraft bays tightly shut, and dropships clutched tightly in metal plating.
The end of the bow was not a tube, unlike the Indomitable, but instead a rectangle, wide and tall. Four launch bays lined the end, from which emerged several flights of triangular turian fighters, that began taking up defensive positions alongside their many, many compatriots that materialized from the rest of the fleet.
The Voluminous-class HNV Landing Support Ship(LSS) Indefatigable was an old ship, belonging to a class from a time gone by. Though chronologically 1386 years old, technically its oldest part dated back only to its recommissioning. Despite space acting as a preserver, and the craft not being used too often, the turian military always kept the parts working as much as possible.
The other two looked a bit like Systems Alliance vessels, a long rectangle for the central hull, and wings that ran the length of the hull, angled down. These were the most modern Hierarchy Marine Expeditionary Ships available; the HNV Magnus and Eudotumus, named for ancient admirals on Palaven who pioneered the original "wet navy" amphibious assault ships. These marine transports carried dropships, supplies, several thousand soldiers, everything an invasion force could want.
It hadn't been enough though, they did not have the ability or power that the Voluminous-class possessed. Only the strength of ancient Palaven's Expeditionary Strike Groups could save them.
The flotilla moved inexorably towards their homeworld's moon. Menae was key in the plan to liberate Palaven. The 10th fleet had to liberate the celestial body in order to get its weapons, fuel, and repair facilities back into the fight.
As they glided in free fall above the moon, the ships had to avoid the debris of a previous battle, everything from tiny bolts made by organic hands, the limbs of Reapers. The interesting thing about this debris field is that very few fragments were turian, they almost entirely belonged to Reaper corpses.
There wasn't that much wreckage of the smaller vessels, the Bolo had seen to that.
However, the war machine could only do so much. A Reaper fleet gathered above, ready to defend their gains from the rightful owners.
Rear Admiral Aumius Phocius, in command of the 10th Fleet, aboard the Indomitable, directed all ships to get firing solutions on those ships, and ready his ship's mass accelerator.
Noise emulators across the fleet made the whine that the fleet's main cannons did silently, charging the devastating weaponry. Within seconds, small slugs of metal shot forth from the accelerators, shaking the proud vessels as they stood against the darkness.
The silver slugs impacted upon their targets, ripping into the hulls of the Reapers with devastating force.
Several destroyers fell out of their line, damaged and sparking. Several accidentally destroyed each other in a collision.
Now it was the Reapers turn, as the turians reloaded.
A Sovereign-class tilted back, its massive bulk pointed towards the moon behind it. The tentacles spread outwards, like a flower unfurling its petals.
Its red light shone for a moment before releasing hell upon the turians.
The blast tore into the Magnus' side, cutting one of its four engines clean off. Sailors and marines desperately tried to get their crippled ship back into action, as it spiraled out of the battle line, fragmenting as the structural damage pulled at the intestines of the ship.
The transport wasn't dead, but it was out of the fight.
The turians weren't done yet though.
Half of the fleet fired upon the Reapers, concentrating their fire on a small number of targets. When their mass accelerators fired, the second half would fire on the first targets. They entered a continuous cycle of fire and reload, and were able to keep up a constant rate of fire.
This was the moment, at long range, when Admiral Phocius could pull his fleet out, or commit to the battle.
He refused to even consider retreat. This was home. They had to liberate it.
Phocius ordered the ships with the heaviest cannons to focus fire on damaged Reapers, and ordered the fighters to launch disruptor torpedo strikes against the enemy.
Several Reaper destroyers were killed through this work, boosting morale to the fleet.
However, the Reapers were drawing closer and closer. They were trying to get to medium range.
Admiral Phocius bared his teeth, and ordered the frigate wolf packs forward, and gathered several together to escort the Indefatigable.
It was time for the plan to be enacted.
The Reapers had wondered why the Bolo neglected to engage any targets except those directly above it. They had originally believed it to be due to organic incompetence, that their AI had been poorly constructed.
Only in death did they realize the severity of their mistake.
A Sovereign attempting to intercept the Indefatigable disintegrated. It didn't just explode, it disintegrated.
The dreadnought-sized transport took advantage of the hole in the battle line, and its engines roared silently as it pushed itself through the two groups closing with each other.
Its fighters and broadside cannons tore apart one heavily damaged destroyer, as the 10th fleet and the Reapers closed to only a few hundred kilometers from each other.
The Indefatigable angled upwards as it approached the planet, fire scorching its hull for the first time in hundreds of years, as it did what it did best.
Drop troops into hell.
Dropships, fighters, shuttles, and the massive transports broke free from their bonds, and entered the atmosphere, unhindered by the Reapers who had so long devastated Menae's defenders.
The sun was blotted above a large tank, by the massive bulk of the HNV Indefatigable delivering reinforcements.
When the ancient craft had emptied its cargo, its trajectory and angle forced it back upwards again, skipping out of the atmosphere at incredible speed.
It was time to reclaim a solar system.
Codex Updated
Mako Mk. II- After nearly twenty years of complaints, the General Dynamics European Land Systems company's engineers worked feverishly to complete a working upgraded Mako. The original had been created with a much poorer understanding of how to use mass effect fields; IE attempting to create a lighter traditional Infantry Fighting Vehicle, rather than a vehicle that took advantage of these systems with improved speed and maneuverability. With the generous scientific knowledge donated to General Dynamics by representatives of the [classified], previously unattainable designs were now available, as well as completely new additions. The newer model provides improved armament, including a true laser cannon, two ball-turret Anti-personnel weapons, a light missile battery, and drone control systems. Sensors have been upgraded to a large extent, and improvements have been made to the vehicle's driving abilities.
Turian Assault Transport- A design dating back to the Unification Wars, this type of transport originally consisted of cargo ships that had been pressed into service by the colonies as makeshift troop deployment vessels. Currently now an official class of vessel, it is known for its power, reliability, and popularity among pilots. What makes it stand out from other transports is its rapid cargo-release-and-takeoff capability. The engine and command module are centered around a massive square, made to carry modules of all types, ranging from infantrymen to supplies. Its modular design, availability, and reputation, makes this a favorite for slavers in the Terminus systems.
Voluminous-class Landing Support Ship- A relic of the Krogan Rebellions, the Voluminous-class was the Turian Hierarchy's response to the Krogan Empire's massive amounts of soldiers and ships. Standard transports were merely a liability; if the fleet was destroyed, they are forced to withdraw, and/or most likely be annihilated by Krogan ships. The turians needed a method of transporting troops and supplies quickly down to the surface of a planet, in massive amounts, and with enough protection from Krogan anti-ship batteries to get them there. The Voluminous-class acted as a troop transport, as a fighter carrier, and was used to great effect in conquering several planets in short order, but all were decommissioned due to their massive cost. After the Morning War began however, many ships from the Krogan Rebellions were recommissioned when the Morning War was fresh in the mind of the Turian Hierarchy and the threat of the Geth laying siege to the galaxy was a possibility. The Indefatigable was the only one of its type recommissioned, being the most intact, and was rebuilt from what was left of the other LSS-class ships. It is well-known for being one of the oldest starships still in commission, chronologically.
Planetary Liberation Carrier- Developed in conjunction with the LSS-class, these carriers are designed to be a platform for policing conquered or liberated planets without the use of major starships. These craft utilize powerful mass effect fields to lift their massive bulk, nearly half the size of a standard frigate. They can kinetically bombard enemy positions, field several squadrons of UAVs and dropships, and prevent enemy armies from reorganizing for counter assaults. They were utilized to great effect with the LSSs, and after decommissioning, were highly valued by pirates for their ability to subdue anyone who objects to being pillaged.