A/N:

Well, the next chapter of TWCD is still giving me some issues, and I've had problems here at home over the weekend. To tide you over a bit, I went ahead and polished this already written up interview.

Dragunov's piece takes place immediately after the ruin of Horizon.

"The biggest problem with high military officers is they think I actually give a shit about their insistence on protocol If you don't like the way I run my show, why in fuck would you agree to an interview? And if it was good enough for the Fleet Master, it should be good enough for you!"

- Henry Wade Redellion, 'My Way or You Can Go to Fucking Hell'

DOWNLOADING: Data feed, prime broadcast segment 784

Direct recording dump 4149-tertiary beta, classified rating [THETA] : COMMISSARIAT OVERRIDE : classified rating [COLLECTOR-REVIEW-RESPONSE]. REL-AUTHORIZED, HLoS.

This is an official Systems Alliance data capture dump, replication or rebroadcast is restricted.

Recording begins:

"Good evening. I'm Emily Wong, with Alliance News Network, and this is the Evening Talk." Her expressive face was set in a saddened expression, her cobalt blue jacket and pantsuit set off by a crème blouse and shoes.

"By now, most of you have seen the horrifying and saddening footage of the destruction of the former Alliance colony world of Horizon. It has only been in the past few hours that the Alliance High Command, working hand in hand with private merchants, several mercenary units that were on site, and Citadel relief teams, has been able to come to a conclusion as to casualties."

Wong shifted slightly, her dark eyes narrowing. "Based on the best reports we have at the moment, almost a quarter of a million Horizoners died either during the orbital bombardment of the surface or shortly thereafter, and a grand total of 366,403 people were evacuated from the world before ships had to withdraw. The system's sun underwent some sort of uncontrolled flare or demi-nova less than nineteen minutes after the last ship left the system."

Her voice was soft and solemn. "That puts the final death toll at roughly one million, seven hundred and eighty two thousand – the vast majority human, but over two hundred asari citizens were killed as well."

She looked up, at the camera directly. "The Alliance recently confirmed what footage bootlegged from emergency comm satellites or uploaded by panicked citizens has already implied – this was no attack by pirates or slavers. The mysterious beings known in legend as Collectors were behind the assault on Horizon and ultimately the complete destruction of an entire star system."

She gave a thin, wry smile. "While all sorts of rumors about the Collectors have long floated about the extranet, it appears the legend of their advanced technology was no myth. The Collector weapon that destroyed the sun is still based on unknown properties, but the University of Arcturus and the Reach Research Corporation have both proffered theories – but no defenses."

"It is suspected – based on evidence of the attack at Freedom's Progress, which the Council deliberately put out false information in regard to the perpetrators as to not tip their hand that they were investigating – that most if not all of the mysterious attacks on wildcat colonies in the past year and a half were also Collector attacks."

She turned to the tall, lanky figure sitting next to her. "In response to a request for further information, I am proud to have with us tonight the master and commander of all Alliance space forces, Fleet Master and Admiral of the Red Prince Ivan Dragunov, KoUE. Welcome, gracious lord."

Dragunov inclined his head, his leonine mane of hair shifting slightly. His sallow, hard features were set in a determinedly fixed smile, but his eyes were chips of icy coal, dark and unyielding. "The pleasure is being mine, madam. And please, there is no need for the Modes of Address – Admiral will do for conversing."

Wong nodded. "Thank you, Admiral. Before I begin, I understand you have a statement to make?"

He nodded. "Yes. Captain Jacen Delacor, Humanity's Spectre, has been upgraded from critical to serious but stable condition, as has his pilot, Li An. Both are to be awarded the Star of Terra for their magnificent resistance to the Collector fleet. While we are of course appreciative of other parties helping to defend the world – but if Delacor had not fought off the majority of the fleet with his tiny strike force, the entire would would have fallen."

His expression fell slightly. "That most of the brave men and women of Battle Group Chiron have given their lives in defiance of the odds against them is sorrowful. Our prayers are with their families."

She nodded. "Of course. The Alliance is coordinating relief efforts, but donations to both the Relief Fund for the Lost and a AllFund account for the refugees has been fasttracked to keyword : HORIZONHELP."

She adjusted her posture slightly, glancing down at her datapad, before looking up. "There have been many conflicting stories about the attack, as well as the presence of the ever mysterious Butcher. Rumors and conflicting stories are all over the extranet, and the video seen from the planet is often chaotic. Can you clarify, Admiral, what exactly happened?"

Dragunov's shoulders shifted as he leaned back. "Certainly I will. To the best of our knowledge, Captain Delacor was on the surface of the planet with the majority of his Marine unit, providing training to the local militia and assisting the Volus Defense Force with setting up GARDIAN towers on the surface. While the Alliance of course is not going to expend lives on protecting wildcat settlements, that does not mean we wish to leave them in the cold."

"Thus, the Alliance – working with the VDF – planned to upgrade the defenses of each wildcat world in the wake of what happened at Freedom's Progress. Delacor's scouts in space reported the arrival of unknown combatants. He immediately dispatched his ground forces to work with Horizon's own militia and the local Blue Suns mercenary group, then returned to his command ship, the SCV Kazan, to protect the world."

"The fight placed his units – one heavy cruiser, three destroyers and five frigates – against a force we roughly estimate at two heavy carriers, at least one superheavy cruiser, and upwards of fifteen destroyers. The fact that he was able to withstand this force and even inflict critical damage one of the carriers and destroy several enemy destroyers cannot be overstated as a proud moment for the Alliance."

He coughed. "At the same time, the Collector's dispatched a large ground force. This force attempted to kidnap humans immobilized by some kind of poorly understood weapon. From what data we've gathered, the Blue Suns mercenary group was able to hold off this weapons system, and Delacor's ground forces along with the militia held the Collector's back from the capital city."

He sighed. "The Collectors destroyed two cities from orbit, for reasons unknown. They were also responsible for destroying a smaller mining colony and an HE3 rig, adding another five thousand lives to what we owe them in revenge."

Wong nodded. "I see. Reports and video seem to show that eventually most of his task force was overwhelmed, until the Butcher arrived."

Dragunov nodded, almost unwillingly. "...yes. That is being true. The Butcher's ships engaged the Collectors with... almost unnatural zeal – she lost at least seven or eight frigate-class ships due to kamikaze attacks, and two more to point-blank torpedo salvos. The Butcher's heavier ships took out what we suspect was the command cruiser. The Butcher herself landed on the planet, accompanied by what appeared to be the turian vigilante Archangel from Omega, and proceeded to destroy nearly the entire landing force of Collectors in pitched combat."

He exhaled. "Unfortunately, once thwarted on land and in space, the Collector's apparently decided to destroy the entire system. We still do not know what methods they used to destabilize the star, but the results we have all seen."

He paused, then leaned forward. "I would like to give my thanks not only to the many brave men and women who risked life and future to rescue civilians, but also the many merchants, the Citadel Relief force, the volus merchants, and the Blue Suns Mercenary Group, who sacrificed seven million credits worth of war machines and vehicles to make room for a few more evacuees. The Alliance will be sending the Blue Suns re-compensation and a reward for such an action and will review further business opportunities in a better light."

Wong nodded. "And the Butcher? Did her ships also aid in the evacuation?"

His eyes narrowed. "No. They did not. Once the Collector's retreated, the Butcher's people took several corpses for examination, and towed away the damaged Collector carrier and several other disabled ships before simply vanishing. The Butcher's people on the ground seemed to indicate their vessels weren't prepared for refugees,but I have difficulty in finding this true."

Emily gave a weak smile. "Given the severity of this event, and how traumatic it must be for both survivors of the catastrophe as well as those who lost loved ones, how exactly does the Alliance and the Council plan to respond to this?"

Dragunov's bearing straightened, his eyes narrowing even further and his accent thickening very slightly with anger. "I cannot, of course, be speaking for the Council. I am however very sure of what my fleet will do to these animals – destroy them utterly and completely. I am authorizing – with approval from Parliament and the President and sign off from the High Lords – re-mobilization of two million Marines and the refit and reactivation of fifty frigates, thirty destroyers, twenty two light cruisers and eleven heavy cruisers left in drydock since the Benezia Incident. Additionally, the newly created Sixth Fleet under Admiral Okuda will begin border patrol maneuvers with an eye toward rapid response to any sighting of Collector ships."

The interviewer arched an eyebrow, her voice laced with surprise. "That is not the usual operating procedure for our fleets, Admiral – "

He cut her off, with a slash of his hand in a diagonal motion. "I have heard the argueings already, Ms. Wong, of Blue Stars No More and those who dislike wildcat settlements. These beasts have committed a crime unthinkable. The fact that they prey on only the weak and unprotected today does not mean they will not come for the Alliance's own colonies tomorrow. I do not like the idea of my brave marines dying for worlds too stiff-necked to pay for their own defense, true. But I am liking even less the idea of alien monsters dragging off innocent humans to whatever hell these Collectors come from, for what certainly cannot be anything good."

Wong pursed her lips, and consulted the datapad in her hands. "There are also concerns about the Alliance's reaction to the Butcher – can you speak to that? Some in the Alliance are very supportive of her actions."

Dragunov relaxed, leaning back again, eyes languid. "She is a curiosity to be sure. But without her making contact and dispelling this...melodramatic secrecy... there is little the Alliance can officially do. From what little evidence we have it would certainly seem that she is an asari, most likely of the Thirty. We have no confirmation as to her real identity or goals, or her possible sponsors."

His voice became deadpan. "She is, at least, not a fan of the Collectors. While it may be a pointless gesture, we do appreciate her acts – and her own losses were heavy, so I must also admire the bravery and courage of her forces, whoever they may be."

The Asian woman gave a small grimace. "There are rumors saying she's backed by the Council, as some kind of super-Spectre, acting on things the Council cannot formally react to. The fact that she's now working with Archangel would seem to strengthen that theory. Can you comment on that?"

Dragunov's smile was sardonic. "Ms. Wong, if the Council wanted deniability, I think they have more options to choose from than a bloodthirsty lunatic with fixation on making home video of her smashing slavers to death. No, I am thinking this Butcher is something more complicated than that, although we cannot say for sure of any facts at this time."

Wong sighed. "There are also rumors that she's connected in some fashion with the Justicars – and other, darker rumors. Given that she's all but shut down slavery on the borders and assisted in fighting off these Collectors, what is the Alliance's official position on her... and any connections she may or may not have?"

Dragunov steepled his fingers together, his eyebrows drawing down, the hard angles of his face contracting as he grimaced. "Nuanced. Please understand, while Fleet Master is a position of... political maneuvering as well as strategic planning, many things are taken out of my hands – or never are put into my hands. Our official position is identical on paper to that of the Council – the Butcher is an unknown asari rogue agent with unknown backing and no known agenda. As I said while we appreciate her help, that does not necessarily mean we trust her."

He lowered his hands, then spread them. "In truth? We know nothing. We have no hints of who supports her, where she operates from or if she is indeed doing this for reasons good or bad. She has refused all contact attempts and does not respond even to direct demands from Queen Matriarch Thana T'Armal."

He suddenly grinned sardonically. "And I am doubting she is answering to Aria, or to Jona Sederis. So we have enigma. Inside mystery. Inside dangerous package. My own preference is not to be poking at something that can explode, Ms. Wong. In time, we shall see if she is what she claims."

Wong glanced down. "A few questions, then, from the extranet audience. Tyronis Vathur from Bekenstein is concerned about the Alliance's involvement on the borders. Given the wildcats refusal to join the SA, and the danger of fighting these Collectors, why is the SA even bothering to get involved?"

Dragunov's expression soured. "As I was mentioning before – these Collectors are animals. One does not let a rabid dog roam about the village, simply because it is not on your land. It is not that I do not have the same worries, reservations. I have sons in the Marines. A grand-daughter. Cousins. Nephews. I do not want to send them to die on some planet that looks down on the Alliance."

He leaned forward. "But these things, these... hell-creatures. They are not pirates. They are not slavers. This is not something we can ignore. Video is showing the husk creatures... like on Eden Prime. That is geth machinery. If they are working with geth – who murdered Shepard, killed Ross, nearly destroyed Eden Prime and Terra Nova – who conspired with Saren and Benezia to overthrow everything..."

He shrugged. "Old Russian saying: a wolf harries your neighbor today and you tomorrow. We could ignore. Pretend people are not being … husked. Or whatever worse happens to those taken. We could lie and say blowing up a star is not worth us being angry over. Is that what you want, as human being? As a person? Perhaps some can look themselves in the mirror. I did not like not reacting after Freedom's Progress, where we first realized what we faced. I like the idea less now."

She tapped her padd. "Another separate question from S'ana Urothain, an asari citizen of the Alliance on Watson. She asks what measures should people take to defend themselves from attack?"

Dragunov gave a sharp nod. "This is what we are knowing. The Collectors are two threats. One is small insect-like machines that inflict mechanical stasis on humans. They sting and kill or incapacitate other races. All colony towers and settlement domes with kinetic barriers are safe as long as the barrier remains up. If you are caught in open, asari and other biotics can generate a wide area barrier – it does not need to be strong – to hold the insects away. We rescued a few colonists in stasis bubble – it can be broken with a sharp application of shear biotic invocation."

He rubbed his chin. "The other threat – weapons – is harder to deal with. They use a very advanced energy rifle that ignores kinetic barrier or immediately overpowers it and melts through most armor. This is a beam – the more it is held on the target the stronger it becomes. Infantry Collectors can take out both gunships and medium tanks. Cover is not effective, only evasion."

He looked at the camera. "Best advise – asari citizens, spread out and protect humans and others. Fall back to secure shelters with kinetic barriers and sealed air and wait for marine relief teams. Do not, under any circumstance, go into combat yourself. You will die. Many died on Horizon. All died on Freedom's Progress."

Wong winced. "And if they are forced into combat anyway?"

He lifted his head, his leonine features hardening. "Then know we shall avenge you. If you must die, then die on your feet, defiant."

Wong leaned back. "A different kind of question, from a David Patriham on Mars. He asks what is the Alliance doing to deal with the slump in our merchant exports due to increased piracy levels in the Traverse and Black Rim?"

Dragunov gave a rueful smile. "I am wishing I had answer for that. Geth containment inside Veil Forward Area is still occupying most of Third and Fifth Fleet, as well as turian, salarian units. Black Rim piracy is being handled by salarian and volus task group. The Alliance has plans to rework the Corsair program at some length but we are still in refit cycle after the Battle of Haestrom – this is not a quick process."

He pursed his lips. "In the short term, we have considered hiring mercenary corporations to provide security outside of the Alliance borders. Longer term, we are probably going to have to shell out money for a Seventh fleet, specifically for border operations – Third Fleet is overextended."

Emily Wong smiled. "One final question – one of my own, actually. Given the reveal of the Collectors, has any diplomatic or corporate effort been made to reach out to the wildcat colonies to join the Alliance?"

Dragunov nodded stiffly. "It has. Going well, it has not been until this point, but that may now change. However, to be correct, that is more of a matter for the political operators, not my own purview. With Sixth Fleet we do have enough fleet elasticity to cover most of the wildcats. However, given the sheer power of the Collector ships, anything smaller than full battle group would simply be throwing away ships."

He folded his arms. "Given Traverse proximity to Aria, we are... hesitant to send large fleet elements that way. The volus VDF is sending several heavy cruisers and support ships to the region, and so are elcor and asari. I am hoping this, along with ground defense improvements we have made in few past months, will address this." He made a gesture with his hands as he unfolded his arms. "We are being very confident in ability of combined fleets to offer some protection."

His voice hardened. "But I am not going to lie. The ugly truth is I do not have so many ships as to hurl them into the dark of space, to protect all of the wildcats when we do not know what the next target is. Even if they were all Alliance members... that would still be truth. If those on the frontier want safety, getting off those worlds is best way to achieve it."

She nodded. "Any final words, Admiral?"

Dragunov inclined his head. "Only that it is imperative for us to remain strong. To stand fast in face of this … abomination. And to remember that we will not be cowed, or frightened into weakness. Tehy may destroy suns. They may wreck worlds. They will never break the iron that is our Alliance, and they will never break the holy lines of our defenders. Have faith, even in the face of darkness."

Wong's smile was brittle. "The face of darkness, indeed. Thank you for your time, Admiral Dragunov."