Traditional Disclaimer:

I do not own either the Harry Potter or Mass Effect franchises. This piece of fiction is being written merely for my own pleasure, and no monetary profit is intended.

*WARNING: For the old readers who do not yet know, I have made an important alteration to the last scene of the previous chapter. The events are still the mostly the same, but changing pronouns gave Harry's conversation with Desolas a new light. I urge you to check it out before reading this chapter.


Chapter 6

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Carrots and Sticks

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Relaxing against the back wall of Shanxi's temporary command center, Jack Harper watched with concealed amusement as the Bulldog barked orders to his people.

"Check it again, Ms. Lasky. Hell, check it three more times! If there are foreign software in that network, I want them found. There has got to be traces somewhere."

"Aye, aye, sir." answered the young woman.

When it became glaringly evident that someone had broken into the Alliance battle net, General Williams had ordered all communications to be done over the secondary lines and all computers disconnected from the network by default. Unfortunately, they still depended on the system to keep track of their many sensory suits and to coordinate real-time tactical data between different units. But Williams hoped that the measures would keep third parties from knowing about strategic decisions and battle plans.

Jack knew it was all useless. The general was a smart man, his people were well-trained and competent, but they had no idea what they were up against.

"Pressly, anything?"

The old First Sergeant gave his report in a gravelly voice. He looked just a few years away from retirement. "We have found no signs of unauthorized presence anywhere, General. Every soldier has checked clean. I'm afraid it is just impractical to search forcefully among the civilians. There's just too many of them to knock on every tent, and they are already nervous enough as it is. As my grandson would say, better not to poke on a beehive unless you are sure to get your honey."

Williams gave a nod of acknowledgment, though his face showed that he was absolutely not happy with that fact. "I understand. Tell every Marine to keep an eye out."

"And what if we find anyone, sir?"

The general took a deep breath. "If there are any suspicious elements messing around with our equipment, I want them detained with as little injury as possible. Unless they start shooting at you, give them all chance to come in quietly. If they refuse, capture them if possible, but do not use lethal force. I hate to know there are people waging their own private war against the aliens without any overseeing from us, and compromising our security in the process, but they have yet to bring harm to a single soldier or civilian. Most likely saved a lot of asses, so far." he shook his head. "And that's not even telling how great of an asset they could be. Frankly, if I have to choose between having them killed or keep doing their thing, I would rather take the second option."

1stSgt Pressly just nodded, a serious cast to his face. "I will inform the boys and girls. The colony officials are making a quiet search. With how many people we have and how scattered they are, it will take some time, though. If they suspect anything, they will call us."

"And of course, there are still hundreds of civilians out there who never made into the shelters. Not to mention any unregistered visitors." the general sighed. "Nothing to be done about that. You're dismissed, Pressly."

"Sir!" with a sharp salute, the senior non-commissioned officer on Shanxi started to make his way out.

All around him, Marine specialists and soldiers performed their tasks. Jack had not been in that room, or on that planet, for the last few days, but he was sure the mood had been very different before. Despite all the suspicion and misgivings about the protective dome around their colony, the more cynical even said it was the work of the aliens themselves, most people took heart at those news. And if, previously, the intentions of whomever put up the thing were uncertain, the recent data sent by the recon squads changed that.

The images of the broken and defeated alien forward base left no doubt to most that someone else was taking the fight to the turians, and that someone had one hell of a big stick. Sure, that meant a very powerful rogue element with unclear goals was playing in their backyard without a single 'by your leave', not to mention the obvious ease with which they could infiltrate Alliance systems. But suddenly, the Marines were not alone in this fight. And for people that had expected to just stand around dying while waiting for the cavalry to arrive, that meant more than could be said. So it was not surprising that the men and women inside the room worked with a renewed spring to their steps, even as they hunted down the supposed intruders.

General Williams himself seemed undecided if he would punch the mysterious fighters and throw them into a cell, or give them a medal and tell them to keep up the good work. Probably a combination of both.

"First Sergeant." Jack gave a friendly nod to the older man as he passed him by.

Said officer just gave him a brief and guarded look. With a half-nod back and an almost-whispered grunt, he left the room.

The operative had to struggle in order to suppress his smile. In what he thought was an incredibly amusing twist of fate, he and his team were being regarded with a lot more mistrust than Shanxi's secret defenders. Even when they were right there and had full backing from Williams. But he could understand; just three people and an armed shuttle when they needed a whole fleet? Plus, they were still untested in the eyes of the soldiers and their mercenary cover did not help matters any.

But they would prove themselves sooner or later. Jack was ready to give his life protecting humanity, and so were his teammates. The only question was how they could be most helpful. And that thought made him look once more to the datapad he had been contemplating for the last half-hour.

He heard the door to the room opening one more time but paid it no attention until he felt the sudden shift in the nearby mood, and the newcomer addressed him directly.

"Jack?" the gracious voice of his female teammate reached him. He looked up into pale green eyes as the woman came close enough so they could talk without being overhead. "There you are, we have just received our first assignment."

He nodded. He also noted with renewed mirth that a few Marines were sparing poorly-disguised looks of admiration at his companion. He forgave them their droll, as Eva Coré was most certainly droll-worthy. The blonde could easily pose as a fashion model. She could also just as easily break the spines of almost every man in that room and shoot their left eyeball from forty meters with a pistol.

"So, what is it?"

"There's a downed enemy UAV on the southern outskirts of the city. Now that he knows the aliens can't target specific points inside the dome, Williams wants whatever data can be salvaged from that thing, along with almost two dozen reconnaissance probes."

Jack chuckled. "But they might still be trapped, somehow, and he isn't willing to risk his own Marines just yet. So he sends us."

She returned his smile. "That appears to be the case, yes."

"Smart man."

"I thought so, too."

He straightened from his leaning position on the wall. He gave another look at the datapad. "You go fetch Ben and gear up, I will be along shortly. I just need to send a little message, first."

Eva looked confused. "Making new friends already, Jack?"

He returned with a half-smile. "In a manner of speaking."

She puzzled over his words for a few seconds, then just sighed. "All right, keep your secrets. I will get the big lump, we will be ready in fifteen." with that, she left the room.

The operative thought about what he wanted to say for a couple of minutes. A few strokes of the pad later, and the message was sent. Now he could just wait for the answer. Despite the great danger this could potentially place him into, he had no doubts about his choice.

What was happening at this alien-besieged colony on the fringe of known space was nothing short of a miracle. Something the few people in the know thought they would never see again. And Jack Harper would not let this wonder slip through their fingers after all this was over. It could change everything for humanity.


The woman gave a small jerk, then slowly opened her eyes. For a few moments, she took long glances at the walls around her, then at the chair she was sitting on, then finally at him. And all the time her mandibles fluttered slowly and her brow plates contracted just a tad, in an expression of lethargic bewilderment.

Then, her eyes widened just a fraction. "General Arterius, sir." her first words were slurred and faltering. There was just the slightest apprehension to her voice. "Wh-what happened? What are you doing down here?"

"Do not worry, my friend." he soothed, in his best calming tones. "There has been an incident. You got into a little scuffle with the humans, but it is all over now."

The turian took another confused look around the small room. Dark grey and silver metal walls greeted her, the harsh overhead lamps still made her eyes blink a little. She finally seemed to notice the window to her left, which showed the black void of space. She spent almost a minute looking at it. On the distance, the familiar thrum of starship engines was a comforting sound, he was sure. "This isn't the human planet. Where are we?"

"Back on the Fleet, soldier. We have recalled your entire company."

"We are abandoning the planet, sir?"

"Only for the moment. We came to an agreement with the humans after your clash. We are holding our forces back for now."

The soldier's brow plates became a little tighter. "But sir, that's not right. The humans are foolish criminals. We came here to take out their guns and teach them about the rules."

"I know, soldier. But we are nevertheless taking a break from all that right now." he looked sharply at her. "Do you want to fight them?"

She pondered that for a while, and he could see the thoughts moving sluggishly behind her eyes. She finally just shook her head. "No, not now. Too tired. Maybe later."

He just nodded, face very serious.

The woman tugged feebly at her restrained limbs, and when they would not move, she looked at him. "I'm stuck. Why am I stuck?"

He put up a calming hand. "You are very tired, yes? Members feel like lead? The bonds are there to keep you from hurting yourself. You will feel better soon and they will come off, I promise."

The woman blinked slowly. "I suppose." she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Thank you, sir."

"You are welcome, soldier. That aside, are you all right? Need anything?"

She considered that for a moment. "I could use a little water. A lathan would be even better, to be honest."

"We will get you something to drink very shortly. But first, I truly need you to answer some questions for me, my friend. I promise this will not take long."

The turian nodded, albeit a little reluctantly. "That's okay, I guess."

"Excellent! First, state your full name and rank."

"Field Commander Nayra Acklan, Blade Legionnaire. 4th Strike Company of the 37th Legion." she answered, slowly but promptly.

"Very good, Nayra. Now, can you tell me what the last thing you remember is?"

The woman took some time now. He just waited patiently. "I-I'm not sure." her flanging voice took a very low, keening undercurrent. "You ordered us to establish a base on the human planet, and our Company was chosen to go first." another long pause. "I was one of the first to go down. We got into the transport… Sergeant Laska made fun of my last fight in the training room! As if he never lost a bout before." she grumbled a little about that.

He rapped his knuckles loudly on the arm of his chair and got the woman's attention again. "Right, but we are too far in the past, my friend. I need you to concentrate on the last things you remember."

"We…" the turian tilted her head this way and that, as if trying to dislodge a memory. "We were working. We put up a base… Talon? Spear? We coordinated some kind of… incursion into the alien's little settlements. I was overseeing the operation and... wait, there was an attack?" it seemed his earlier words had just now registered properly. "I think… yes, there was a black smoke and… flashes? Grenades? My soldier were screaming. I-I can't remember, is everyone all right?" despite her words, she did not seemed truly concerned. She could not summon the emotion.

"Your subordinates are well, Nayra. You were roughed up a little, but most of you got out fine."

"Oh… that's good, then."

"Yes, it is."

"Just like all the others." he thought.

Every one of the soldiers he had questioned so far had these same symptoms. The first was a deep exhaustion that could last for days. The second was that their more recent memories were a wrecked, disjointed mess. But that mess could be navigated with enough time and patience. It was delicate work, he had learned, but it could be done.

The Commander was just waiting placidly while he gathered his thoughts. "Thank you, soldier. Now, some of the others have shown great difficulties with their memories. For security matters, I will need to confirm some data with you. It shall not take long."

"All right." she agreed, relaxed.

With some brief moments of hesitation from time to time, the woman began to answer his many questions, while he made careful notations on all of it. Everything she said corroborated the information he had gotten from all the others, and all of it painted an exceptionally grim picture for them.

He leaned forward, looking very intently at the woman's eyes. This next part was very important, and what he thought was the key to solve this whole situation. "You're doing very well, Commander. We are half-way there. Just a few more questions and I will see that you receive some hot food and a comfortable bed. Can you do that for me?"

She nodded. "Some sleep would be nice."

"Of course. Now, please tell me everything you can remember about the other Citadel Races and the Council."

Almost an hour later, they were done. The turian's voice was hoarse and her eyes were drooping, mandibles slack against her jaw.

"Thank you very much, Commander. Now, can you please look up here? That's a good lass. Obliviate!"

Her face went completely slack, and her eyes clouded. Carefully, he began erasing the last day-worth of memories from the woman's mind. Her earlier confusion had been a temporary side-effect of a full-body transfiguration performed on a non-magical. He needed a more permanent measure. He varied the time-length with each prisoner, and used two types of effects. Most of the memories were set to be gradually recovered. Only the last couple of hours were permanently erased. Master Legilimens could perform incredibly complex memory work, erasing only very specific recollections. That was beyond him.

That done, he once more turned the woman into a wooden statuette.

"Ya know, no matter how many times we do this, I just can't get used to seeing you talking with that jerk's voice." said Astrid.

Harry Potter chuckled, still using said jerk's voice. He got up from the chair and dispelled the illusion he had weaved around himself, along with the voice-altering charm. Illusion charms like these had not been widely used in his old world. Experienced spellcasters could detect them with little difficulty, and they were ridiculously easy to break. If one wanted to disguise himself in the magical society, he had to go with either transfiguration or potions.

But against Mundanes? It worked just fine.

Collecting the prisoner, he left his best imitation of a room inside a turian warship and entered the long corridor. Metal walls once more gave place to reddish rock. The walls were lined with shelves where two-hundred and eighteen other similar figurines were neatly arranged. The strongest truth serums could get a person to disclose their deepest secrets to their worst enemies. But they were also devilishly hard to make, and required many rare ingredients. Harry could not afford to waste them carelessly, so he had opted for a mild compulsion potion coupled with his strongest Calming Charm, and aided by a little bit of deception.

He was putting Commander Acklan back into her shelf when Astrid spoke again. "So, was that the last one?"

He nodded. "Yes. We can't interview even half of all these guys. No one has been telling us anything really substantial for the last five rounds, so I think we can work up from here."

"Humanity is screwed, isn't it?" asked his companion, referring to all the data they had acquired about the turian's military force, logistics and doctrines.

The wizard sighed. He rested his back on the wall, arms crossed. "If we go to all-out war with these guys? You can bet on it. We have our teeth, but the Alliance is a shark in an ocean full of krakens. It will be at least three decades before we can pose any real challenge to the major powers, and that's if the Navy keeps the pseudo war-footing they have been on for the past eight years." he looked at his feet for a few seconds. "Has there been any new movements from their end?"

"Nothing on the Alliance's long-range-sensors. Also, my minions haven't seen squat."

The 'minions' his ship referred to were the twenty reconnaissance drones he had… appropriated from the turian base. Spoils of war, really. A few tweaks to their programming, courtesy of Astrid, a few concealment charms, courtesy of himself, and the little guys were now their new eyes in the sky; watchful, tireless, and completely undetectable. No more shuttles catching him with his pants down, as she had so eloquently put it.

"I think you really succeeded in making them nervous…" she paused for a moment, then snickered. "Mr. Ghost."

He groaned. She had been teasing him about the title every chance she got. It was just a spur of the moment thing! The corporal had been absolutely terrified of the name, he just figured it would be something the rest of the turians would share.

"Give it a rest will you? It's done. Anyway, I think it's high time we got a move on with Phase Two. You know, before General Wanker decides to send the rest of his forces down here."

"Ohh, I can't wait for that! I have been practicing my speech for a day now."

He chuckled. "I can imagine that. Well, just be patient for a little longer, girl." Harry took his mokeskin bag and went to the beginning of the corridor, where the first rows of transfigured turians were kept.

There was also a separate shelf, where six more statuettes stood. These had been made with a darker, almost black, wood, to signify the fundamental difference they had from all the others.

Besides the first two soldiers he had killed on the shuttle crash, two others had been standing exactly at the wrong place when one of the tank's engines exploded, and another fell from the catwalks when a concussion rune went off, landing straight on his neck. The last was the critically-injured soldier, also from the shuttle crash. Like Harry feared, the time it took him to finish off the base was too long. When he got back to the Refuge, the man had already died from his wounds.

Animate to inanimate transfiguration was weird, even for wizarding standards. A person turned into an object would go into a sort of mental limbo. They would not get hungry or thirsty, and any other biological necessities were put on hold. But it was not a form of stasis; there was no such magic. Injuries would still kill the person if left untreated, as would a grave enough disease. And perhaps the most famous effect; the person would not stop aging.

Scholars debated the reasons for this apparent divergences for centuries, and for why, even with all their capacity to heal almost every wound, they could not create a spell to simply stave off Death. They could never arrived at a consensus, but Harry Potter knew the answer, and it was a simple one.

All souls had their allotted time on the Living Realm. And sooner or later, Death would get its due. The only way to deny the Reaper entirely was to invite a far worse fate upon one's soul.

Well, there was one other way, of course. But it was… complicated.

Turning his back to the deceased turians, Harry begun collecting prisoners and putting them inside his bag. He thought about his next move, and the window he hoped it would create for him to capitalize on a very interesting piece of information he had come upon, regarding the movers and shakers on the sieging turian fleet. He still did not knew how he would get past the logistical problems, though. This was one of the times were he could really use some skilled help.

And as if to prove how Harry Potter was Fate's favorite toy, for better or worse, that was the precise moment when Astrid's very tense voice spoke to him. "Harry, we may have a serious problem."

He paused, concerned about the genuine alarm in her words. "You mean another one, girl? What is it?"

"We have received a message."

He frowned. "The turians are contacting the Alliance?"

"No, Harry. I mean a message to us. From that new guy, Jack Harper." she said. "Remember when I told you he was very smart for figuring out things about the Shroud? Turns out, deduction was only half of it."

Harry felt a flicker of apprehension in his guts. He had a feeling he knew what would come next. "All right, girl. Hit me."

The message appeared on his field of vision, transmitted directly to his visor. It was relatively short, but no less heavy in its implications because of it.

"Dear Sylphid,

As you most certainly know, my name is Jack Harper, and I have come to this planet to help fight the aliens that seek to subjugate humanity. Imagine my surprise then, when I arrived at Shanxi to find a sight I have only ever heard fantastical tales about.

I would like to request a meeting with your masters or mistresses, whoever they are. I'm sure you can explain what I am, if they don't know already. I swear I mean them, or you, no harm. I believe they are the best chance this colony has to survive this conflict, and would like to pledge my support and that of my team. Even should they refuse, I guarantee that no word of their true nature or actions will leave my lips. It's not like I could divulge the information freely, anyway.

Unless my team is sent on a mission, I will be alone at supply depot number 2 in the Alliance HQ, at the 21st hour of every day. I'm sure you can also find me at any other time or place, if you so choose. Take your time to make a decision, but remember that Shanxi is in grave danger, despite all your efforts, and I CAN help you.

Jack Harper

P.s.: Together, we will recover that which was Lost."

Harry just blinked. "Oh…"

"Just what are the chances that one of them would come here at this time?" asked his ship, outraged. "There must be what, twenty? At most? And what the hell does he means, calling you my 'master'? I just help you because… because you would be totally lost without me to hold your hand, that's all!"

Harry conjured a chair and sat upon it. He gave a weary sigh and looked at the hundreds of transfigured beings all around him. They stood still and silent, as most wooden statues did.

He remembered when Astrid first told him about the incident with the turians. The instant he learned about the possible invasion, he knew he was going to be in the middle of the mess. That had never been in doubt. What had changed a great deal was the degree and method of his interference. In the beginning, he was determined to be subtle. A few wards here, a few traps there, nothing too obvious. He would let the Alliance do most of the fighting, and support them from the shadows.

But there was the all too likely possibility of orbital bombardment. So he turned to the most powerful resource he had, the Resonance Orbs. And he knew bloody well what activating the Shroud would mean for his future.

And as if that was not busting his cover enough, as the days passed and the looming invasion got ever closer, his damned conscience would not let him hold back while brave men and women died. Suddenly, simple wards and traps were not enough. Assisting the soldiers and capturing isolated targets was not enough. Somewhere along the line, he went from hidden supporter to trying to fight the damn battle all by himself. He announced himself the enemy, painting a target the size of the planet on his back, just on the off-chance that more innocents would not have to suffer once this whole invasion was over.

All in all, he was sure the people on Earth who still had knowledge of the truth would soon realize that at least one magical human yet lived. And then it would be open season for his magical hide. He just never expected one of those people to come for him here, not so soon; Astrid had not seen any news of the Shroud being sent to Earth. And he definitely did not expect them to make contact like this.

"Harry?" his companion asked. Her voice was soft now, and concerned. "Are you ok? What should we do?"

He took another minute to answer, gazing without really seeing at the little sharp-angled figurines. Then, he straightened himself and shook his head. "Nowhere to move but forward."

"For now, we stick to our next plan." he stood up and vanished the chair. He went back to filling his bag with more soldiers. "Keep a close eye on Harper and his team. Watch his every move."

"I can do that."

He put twenty-five prisoners inside, then closed the bag. "I will decide if we will give Mr. Harper his meeting after we are done for the day. Right now, I want you to be ready, it's your time to make an impression on our dear friend Arterius."

He could just imagine that she was mentally rubbing her hands in anticipation. "Ohh, I'm ready. You can bet your little mismatched socks on it."

He nodded. A step into the stream of magic later, and he was standing beneath a large promontory very far away from the colony. The light from Shanxi's star shined brightly on the red earth. After applying a few choice spells in the area, he began setting the turians on the ground.

"Bleeding Morgana, I will hate this part." he grunted.

"Harry, the birds are going to be fine. The mind-lock won't let them feel anything. I know their biology from the inside out by now. You just do it slow and steady, stop when I tell you to, and there will be no lasting damages."

"I know, girl. That isn't the point."

"I get you." she said, voice gentle. "But it is the only way to achieve the effect we want and you know it."

"Doesn't make it any better." with a sigh, he undid the transfiguration on the first soldier. With the full-sized male now laid on the ground, he kneeled next to him and cast the spell that would keep his mind dissociated from any physical experience. The magical version of general anesthesia. That done, he put away his first wand, and took out his secondary focus.

Hawthorn and dragon heartstring, won by conquest from an old enemy. His holly wand could be used, but it had become very fickle about what kind of spellwork he did over the years, obviously reflecting his own thoughts on the matter. Its natural resistance could mess his concentration and, ironically enough, end up killing the man.

He agreed with the wand, though. He hated doing this. Hated the taint it left on his Magic, even if temporary. Hated how it reminded him of his foolish youth, when he many times used such powers without knowing the terrible damage they could cause. Not even Dumbledore himself fully understood it, even if he had a very good idea. But his old headmaster had never commanded all three of the Hallows, could never see what Harry saw.

Gently, the wizard made a very shallow cut on the man's neck. Just enough to draw blood. Then, he put the tip of the black wand to the wound. As he shaped his will, he could feel instantly as his Magic recoiled, like a threatened animal. But it was only for a second.

"Enervo."

The body started to convulse even before he finished the word.


"There has been no detectable movement on a three hundred-kilometer radius from the dome for the last two days. We have found no tracks of any kind approaching or leaving Talon Base. We have confirmed that every significant piece of hardware inside the walls has been destroyed. Still no signs of our soldiers, dead or alive. No transponder signals have been detected on any region of the planet."

"Our analysis of the enemy's strike on the last shuttle are inconclusive. The craft was disabled too quickly for its sensors to send any data. All we have is the image of the attack, which suggests a directed energy weapon of some nature. Whatever it is, it's small enough that we can't see it in the recording, and it appears the shot is leaving the… human's right hand. Some believe it could possibly be a new kind of biotic attack."

"Thank you, Specialist. You're dismissed."

"Sir." the man saluted, and left.

"General, for the last time, send word to Palaven. Circumstances have changed. Evidence shows the humans are not senseless criminals planning an invasion. They are not uneducated children. They have proven themselves capable naval opponents, despite their disadvantages. And now, they have also proved that we are very much outmatched when it comes to conventional ground warfare."

Mavis Vakarian's voice rang strongly in the conference room of the Penitent Justice, after almost two days of trying to learn everything they could through long-distance observation of the destroyed Talon Base. Specialists had spent every single hour pouring through heaps of data. The recordings of the scans during the battle had been watched countless times, as had been the conversations between himself and Corporal Patrus, and the one with the unidentified human operative. And for all their efforts, they knew precious little now that they did not know forty hours ago.

Desolas had finally convened an officer's meeting between himself and the other commanders of the 16th fleet, to discuss their next course of action. And he had no choice but to invite the High Commander of the 53rd to participate. Predictably, she had spent the whole time advocating for a diplomatic move. And the worst part was, more than half of his officers were nodding their heads to her words.

"Palaven Command ordered this invasion based on incomplete data, and without consulting the Council. Repercussions will not come only from humanity. We are part of a much wider galactic community and we bear the responsibility of being its primary guardians. Every action we take here will reflect on them just as much as ourselves."

From his seat four chairs away from the woman, the commander of the frigate Callius took the word. He was a very close friend to the commanding officer of the frigate that the humans destroyed during the first space battle. That loss made his words much more spiteful than they would probably be otherwise.

"We are the Turian Hierarchy! We are not puppets of the Citadel!"

Vakarian turned to him, and her flanging conveyed an undertone of soothing empathy that the general could never fake. And damnation if it was not calming the man down. "I did not say that we were, Commander. But we cannot act as if our actions concern only ourselves. It is the weight we agreed to bear on the day we accepted a seat beside the asari and salarians. We have made it a part of our creed. Every one of us swore to uphold galactic peace and stability when we took our commissions. We must ask ourselves how we can best fulfill those vows."

Desolas interrupted. "I believe I have already extended the hand of diplomacy to our enemy, High Commander. And you all heard how it was swiftly rejected."

She turned her blue eyes on him, meeting his gaze without hesitation. He kept all traces of displeasure from his voice or expression, but with that woman, he was never sure if it was enough.

"With all due respect, General, I'm quite sure the human did not reject talks with our people. From what I understood, they rejected talks with you, specifically." on the seat to her left, he saw her First Officer, Victus, shift slightly. "And forgive me for saying this, but it is not without merit. The leader of the conquering force is hardly the most appropriate figurehead for such discussions."

"What makes me perplexed," spoke Felix, from his own left, "is how the humans knew about the Council. They had barely finished taking out the camp. They must have learned this either during the attack, or more likely before it. And this means they can either walk among the soldiers undetected, or hack computers faster than a quarian. Perhaps even both."

Another officer took up the trail of thought, voice grim. "And if the Corporal's words are to be believed, only a single one of them managed to take out a hundred and fifty legionnaires."

"Nonsense!" exclaimed one. "That's impossible. That soldier was clearly delusional, and the humans are trying to use that. Nothing less than a platoon could have achieved that result."

"They truly are as if Ghosts." said a female officer quietly, ignoring the man's words.

Desolas had to keep himself from grinding his teeth. Curse Patrus for coming up with the moniker, and curse the human for capitalizing on it. It was one of their oldest and dearest legends.

If every species had their own Spirits, could they not also have their own Ghosts?

In the absence of clear factual explanations, superstitions had the nasty habit of sounding remarkably rational. Even now, rumors were already spreading amongst the ranks. Desolas had caught more than one whispered conversation in corridors and work stations. Worse, he had heard them amongst his own Faithful. And he could do little to quell these whispers, except to present his soldiers with the corpse of one of the so-called 'immortal' beings.

Problem was, Desolas knew such things were possible. He had one 'supernatural' artefact resting at the cargo hold of one of his frigates right now, guarded by a being evolved beyond the limits of biology.

"It is just tech we can't understand yet." said the commander of the cruiser Exalted Lance. He was always a hot-headed man. He was also one of the believers. "Whatever their abilities on land, they don't seem able to reach us up here. Let's take a few shots inside that dome, see if we can hurt anything."

Victus shook his head. "That would be against every rule of engagement for this mission, Commander. And even if we were in an actual war with the humans, it would earn us little but more trouble after this is all over. Sur'Kesh would think us stupid children for trying to brute force our way through new technology like that. And striking indiscriminately at an area that could be full of foreign civilians? Councilor Tevos is liable to choke our Councilor when they next meet, and there will be burning turian effigies on asari worlds before the end of the day. Void, even the batarians will protest, if only to make us look bad."

He looked at every officer around the table. "Does anyone here doubt there will be a full report of this conflict made by every intelligence agency in the galaxy before long? Spirits, the Shadow Broker will probably have it by next month."

They all traded glances, and nods were seem everywhere. The young officer was right.

"Exactly, Lieutenant." said Vakarian. She once again addressed the room. "The humans have shown themselves capable warriors who are also open to dialogue, using the proper channels." she inclined her head to him. "And I say again that we should at least try."

Felix interjected. "High Commander, surely you heard the human giving very strong threats to our forces?"

Desolas could see her suppressing a smile. "All that shows is how much they seem to understand us, already. The humans can't appeal to our pity for a defenseless or indecisive enemy, we have none to give." despite the general words, he knew that comment had been directed straight at him. "If they had been all meek and humble, would you even consider a truce, Felix? How many people that have known turians for a lot more time still don't get this?"

The general was about to make his own little speeches, when the meeting was interrupted by a priority call from the cruiser's CIC. "General Arterius, sir! We are receiving a hail from the planet! They claim to be one of the… Ghosts, sir."

Slacked mandibles could be seen in many faces. Perhaps this was not wholly unexpected, but it was still surprising.

Desolas wanted to evict everyone from the room, but that would not be justifiable. "Have we got their location, operator?"

"We have, sir. The signal's source is stationed a long distance to the south of the dome."

"Very well, please send the call to this room. I want sensors on that signal as soon as possible."

"Understood, General."

He addressed his officers. "My friends, I ask that you remain silent unless I give you permission to speak." he received nods of agreement from everyone.

A blue light on the suite at the table indicated that they were now receiving the transmission. Besides a faint sound of static, there was silence.

Eventually, he was forced to speak. "Greetings, friend. To what do we own the pleasure?"

"General Desolas Arterius." spoke the voice. This one was very unlike any others they had heard so far, albeit they had admittedly only heard two. It was softer and high-pitched, a female's voice. Like the first alien's, her words came in perfect turian speech. There was even the flanging undercurrent that could convey some emotional messages, and which were absent during translations of non-turians. "Greetings to you, as well. I'm contacting you on behalf of the Ghosts of Shanxi to make a proposition."

He clasped his hands and leaned forward. "I believe your other member stated you would not parley with me?"

She was unfazed. "And I will reiterate that we do not have the authority to negotiate on behalf of the Systems Alliance. I will also reiterate that they would be open to diplomatic solutions, if given fair terms that assure human autonomy and the safety of our civilians. But this isn't about peace treaties, General Arterius. This is about a temporary accord between our forces. It you accept it, it will give us both time to better consider more level-headed actions."

"I see…" Desolas looked at the others. Vakarian was giving him a particularly piercing gaze. He knew she was watching his every move, and any words spoken here would go straight to Command. "Very well, I'm listening."

"Excelent! By now, I believe you already have the location of this transmission. When you get your sensors in position, you will discover that it's coming from the vicinity of a row of tall hills next to a medium-sized lake. At the side of one of those hills, you will find a large opening where right now twenty-five of your soldiers wait for extraction."

Now there was surprise in the faces of every turian. That had been completely unexpected. "Forgive me, friend. But that is a little hard to believe."

"Of course. Why don't you see for yourself?"

The transmission was interrupted by another call from Comms. "General, they are sending a video feed now. It's… it's something you have to see, sir."

"Have we got cameras over it yet?" the general inquired.

"Drones are en-route. From what we can see so far, it appears to be close to a large body of water."

"Good. Keep at it, soldier. Send us the feed."

"Yes, sir."

A large screen raised smoothly from the center of the table. The images it showed were amazing.

Just like the voice had said, inside a large opening at the base of a cliff, many legionnaires could be seen huddled closely together. They were all seated on the bare ground. It was impossible to discern their expressions, but the fact none was standing brought concern, even if no injuries could be seen. They had been stripped of their armors, and were only wearing their undersuits, but the thick and comfortable meshes were designed to function as clothing.

"I'm afraid the methods we used to incapacitate them can leave short-term impairments to their bodies. But you will soon find out that they will all regain perfect health, given time."

Desolas took a moment to speak again. "You realize this sounds too much like a deception, yes? You have proven capable of easily taking out our landing vessels. This could be just a ploy to get a few more. Or perhaps to bring some of your traps inside my ships."

"It could be." she agreed easily. "Or it could be an honest attempt at a trade of favors. I guess you will have to weigh the risks, General."

He nodded. "Very well, let us suppose it is true. Where are the rest of my people, and what do you want in exchange for this… mercy?"

"It's very simple. You take these soldiers back as a gesture of goodwill. Then, you agree to three days of cease-fire. If no turian forces make moves on the planet during that time, we will reveal another location where twenty-five more soldiers will be waiting for rescue, in the same conditions you see here."

Desolas' hands clenched. "And you will do that until you have given them all back?"

"If you keep respecting these terms, why not? Truth is, we can't keep them for much longer. As your ground forces already found out, this is a levo-chirality planet. We can't care for your people indefinitely. In the meantime, we will keep the rest of your soldiers in some very comfortable, very warm, very exposed buildings at our settlements inside the dome." she finished the last part in a cheerful voice.

He heard the Lance's commander choke almost imperceptibly. The man had clearly not considered the possibility that random strikes against the barrier could end up killing over two hundreds of their own people. On the other side of the table, Vakarian had her hands in front of her mouth and seemed to be holding back another smile.

The general tapped a talon on the metal surface. "And so, you use my legionnaires as hostages to delay us, while your homeworld gathers the rest of your ships to come here?"

"You could also see this as the opportunity to send for those diplomats my friend talked about? Neither of us needs to lose more people in this conflict, General. You want to smash the Alliance's military infrastructure to pieces. We will break any force larger than a couple of transports that you send down here, and perhaps get a few more prisoners in the process. Both of us have showed we can do these things already. So, this leaves us with a simple choice: do we agree to a temporary truce, or do we keep wasting equipment and personnel? You know our preference."

As everyone watched him, Desolas considered his options. He could not bombard the inside of that… Shroud blindly, and the supposed POWs were the least of his reasons. Denied the use of his overwhelming firepower, and with the risk that any large ground force would be taken out in minutes, he had no leverage against these people. He knew next to nothing about them, while they knew a lot about him. At this moment, his best hope was a smaller, covert force. But he had no objectives, and no targets. Information was the key here, and the turians still had precious little of it.

In the end, accepting the aliens' proposal cost him little except for the possibility of losing another shuttle. Time worked for both sides here. The prisoners could give him information, and he could wait for another opportunity to present itself.

"I will send a transport to gather the soldiers. Further agreement will depend on their condition." he said, finally. He allowed a cold tone to seep into his voice. "I warn you that any attempt to betray us will have most severe repercussions."

Both her overall tone and her sub-harmonics told them she was taking his words very seriously, but was not intimidated. A show of both confidence and respect that would earn the humans even more merit with his people. "Of course, General. Your soldiers are waiting. I would hurry, though. They are a little underdressed at the moment and Shanxi is on the more frigid side of the spectrum. I believe you people favor warmer lands. Good day to all of you."

As the transmission ended and officers started to murmur amongst themselves, he saw Vakarian lean towards Victus and speak in a normal voice. "I like her."

Ignoring the woman, Desolas' mind went to the report we would send to Palaven Command. He would have to paint this picture very carefully. He needed to keep this siege going. Vakarian was right; his people respected strength, respected self-assurance. Above all else, they respected the willingness to stand up against an enemy until the end, no matter the odds. As things stood right now, Command would seriously consider sending a diplomatic effort. Especially if this latest development proved true.

On the other hand, he could not make things look too grim. Any reinforcements Palaven sent would most likely have a High General at its front, and that would mean Desolas would no longer be the one calling the shots.

And that would be unacceptable.


"I'm telling you, man! Flicker found it yesterday and it's the real deal. Are you in or not?"

"I don't know, Les. What if the soldiers catch us?"

"They don't use that passage anymore, it's a dead end to them. It will be fine, don't be a pussy."

"I'm not! It's just that…"

"What are you reprobates whispering about in here?"

Lucretia glared at the young men who were huddled together at the back of the tent. They were both startled, but the larger of the two recovered very quickly and snarled at her. "Fuck off, Bhatia! This doesn't concern you!"

She just scowled even more. "If it involves doing something the Marines would disapprove of, you can be damn sure it concerns me, Lester."

He got up and stood right in front of the girl, looking down at her. He was a large guy, a head taller than Lucretia. But for all of his imposing physic, Lester Gusman was all muscle and little sense.

"Oh, I forgot! You're spreading your legs to one of them jarheads now, aren't you?" he said with a leer.

She was not impressed in the slightest. Not by his size and not by his words. "Why, Lessy? Is that jealousy in your tongue? If you want to spread your legs too, I'm sure some other strapping soldier would be happy to accommodate you."

His face twisted, and he advanced on her. "Bitch!"

"Too easy." she thought. Moving as well, she dodged the clumsy strike and got one leg between his own. A swift hit to the inside of a knee put him off-balance, a sharp push with her elbow and the big retard was face-first on the ground. Before he could rise, she had one knee on his spine and one of his arms in that nasty hold Harry had taught her. The slightest movement caused great pain, and could easily snap a bone.

"Newsflash douchebag, working out every day doesn't mean you know how to fight."

"Get the fuck off me!" he tried to sound all tough, but there was an audible whimper in the order.

"First, you listen very well to what I'm going to say. I don't know what kind of half-assed mischief you are planning, but this isn't a fucking vacation. There's a whole bunch of aliens up there who want our blood, and the last thing we need is a gang of idiots making trouble down here. So I'm going to keep a close eye on you, and the moment I see you doing anything wrong you're going straight to a brig. Got it, Lessy?"

"Please, Lucretia, let him go." came the soft voice of the second would-be conspirator.

She looked up into his distressed face. He was almost as tall as his 'friend', but nowhere near as built. He was wringing his hands and looking nervously from them to the tent's entrance. They were alone at the moment.

She glared at him, too. "I don't suppose you want to tell me what this is about, Jerod?"

He debate with himself for a second. A warning snarl came from the young man beneath her but a quick tug turned it into a whine. It seemed to make up the younger boy's mind, though.

"It's nothing Lucretia. Just a stupid prank we were going to play. It won't happen now, right Les?"

All he did was grunt.

She looked at Jerod for a few more seconds, but it seemed that was all she would get from him. With a derisive snort, she released the well-dressed ape and got some distance between them. He raised slowly, massaging his arm all the time and sending her a baleful look that she ignored. "Get out of here, Gusman."

He seemed ready for round two, but Jerod spoke. "C'mon, Les. If we make any more ruckus, someone will come in here."

"Fine, let's go. Bitch isn't worth it, anyway."

He strode out glaring at her all the time. Jerod sent her an apologetic look, but left with him.

Shaking her head and taking a deep breath, she went to her cot and sat down. Perhaps goading Gusman had not been the smartest thing to do, but Lucretia was just as stressed as any other person with their prolonged confinement. Even if she fully understood and agreed with the measure. She had not realized just how much pent-up frustration she was carrying until now.

She was still lost in thought by the time Avani came back, her little brother in tow. The woman was in a good mood, but it was replaced by concern when she saw her daughter's expression. "Something wrong, dear?"

Lucretia sighed. "Just had a run-in with Lester Gusman. He's up to no-good."

"He's a mean bully!" said Samesh, fiercely. "Always trying to order everyone around."

She gave him a smile and ruffled his hair fondly. "That he is, half-stuff." while the boy grunted good-naturedly and tried to fix the damage, she looked at her mother. "Gusman is just a fool. What really gets to me is Jerod. That guy is a tech wiz and can make himself into one hell of an engineer if he wants, but he wastes his time running around with the wrong crowd."

Avani sighed, sitting down beside her daughter and bringing her son close, where she proceeded to put his hair back in proper shape. "We don't have other boys your age at Green 14. I think he is just trying to fit in. But I will have a talk with Mr. Flint tonight."

"Don't know what good it will do, but it's better them nothing." she paused for a moment, before asking again in a lower tone. "Any news from Harry?" their neighbor had not made his usual appearance last night. But earlier he had given them a datapad to where he could send messages, but only when needed. He had sent one apologizing and saying that he was fine but in the middle of something that could not be interrupted. When that something could very well be a firefight though, the reassurance did not make them any less anxious. They never asked exactly what he was doing, trusting the Voyager unconditionally, but a couple of times he came back looking on the brink of exhaustion and it had them worried.

Avani apparently had news on that front. "He sent me another message. He says everything is fine and that he managed to sort things out with his problem. But he also said that he had a meeting tonight, and again will most likely not be able to come."

"Hum…" they had long ago realized that 'I'm fine' was Harry's default response to any questions regarding his health or state of mind.

"Harry will be all right. He's is tough for real, not like Guslime who is all talk." said Samesh, with confidence.

Lucretia laughed and ruffled his head again, earning a 'tisk' from her mother. "I know, half-stuff. I know."


It was dim inside the large tent. Only a single lantern illuminated the many cases and crates that filled the space almost completely. This lantern was beside a man who sat relaxed upon a folding chair, legs crossed, smoking a cigarette and reading something on a datapad. He appeared to be in his late thirties, and wore utilitarian clothes covered by a brown jacket. A heavy pistol rested on his belt.

Harry had checked, twice, and confirmed that the man was alone. He also confirmed there were no electronic devices inside the tent besides the datapad on the man's hands, an auricular implant on his left ear, and his gun. In any case, Astrid had already blocked his devices, and a couple of quick spells made sure no passerby would disturb them. That taken care of, the wizard stepped out from the corner where he had been standing for the last fifteen minutes, and into the circle of light.

"Mr. Harper."

The operative was not startled. He glanced up from his reading, took in the wizard's appearance, and smiled. Putting out his smoke and leaving the datapad on a crate, he got up and took a step forward, still a non-threatening distance away.

Now that he was so close, Harry could feel the Magic upon the man. The invisible force that both shielded and restrained him. He did not bothered with illusions for this meeting, besides a voice-masking charm. This man would see straight through them.

Grey eyes met amber glasses for a few seconds, before he spoke. "So, your Sylphid did pass on my message. Fantastic beings, they are. Living freely on any digital medium. Traveling the world unencumbered by flesh." fascination could be clearly heard in his voice.

"Actually, Mr. Harper, they tend to identify very strongly with the objects they choose to inhabit." said the wizard, keeping his own voice neutral.

"You tell him!" exclaimed his companion. "I'm the fastest and prettiest bird in these skies."

"That you are, girl." he spoke inside his mask.

Harper blinked. "Oh… I see. Of course, if you have the body of a toaster, then you are a toaster. It's an interesting point of view."

"Dickhead."

He shook his head, getting back on track. "I could try to tell you how unexpected it was for me to see that dome, but I would not do it justice. Meeting a living human wizard was the very last thing in my list of miracles when I left Arcturus."

Harry observed him. Harper was meeting his 'eyes' openly. He must have known, or at least suspected, what that could mean, but there was not a shred of hesitation in his gaze.

"You are a soldier, even if an unofficial one. Not the kind of person who would normally be chosen as Custodian." Harry kept his tone light, he was not trying to accuse. But it was a big divergence from what he learned in Hermione's journals.

Harper gave another smile, not at all offended. "Ah, but I was not always a soldier, Mr. Wizard. In my youth, I was quite the academic. Applied Engineering and Administration, at the same time. Wanted to open my own company, you see, a multinational to rival the likes of Ashland Energy and Aldrin Labs." he shook his head with a small laugh. "Life had other plans. But it was in Engineering School that I became very close to one of my mentors. Perhaps you've read about him? Prof. Antonio Calissari, world-famous scientist and inventor."

He gave Harry a conspiratorial wink. "He was always talking about his late wife. A great woman, he said. A special woman. I didn't know just how special she was until the professor passed his Secret to me, only one year before he went to join her."

"I see…" Harry gave a small sigh. "And what about the others?"

"They are around." Harper shrugged. "Most on Earth, a handful outside of it. We lost a few, unfortunately. Accidents or just plain stubbornness kept them from choosing their successors."

"I'm sorry, Harry." Astrid told him for what must have been the tenth time in the last days. "I can't keep track of these guys."

"I know, girl. I know."

Aloud, he said. "I will be honest here, Mr. Harper. I don't know quite what to make of you. While I admire your courage in exposing yourself like this, I must say that it was a very reckless move. You don't know anything about me."

The man took a few steps to the left and leaned against a pile of crates, arms crossed. His eyes never left Harry.

"I don't know any specifics, that's right. I don't know your name or your past. I have no idea how you have gained your powers or if you have managed to somehow stay alive for so long after the Sundering. I don't know why you decided to hide away from the Custodians, as you clearly know about us. And I don't know what you plan to do after this is over."

"What I do know is that you could have very easily taken a ship and left this planet before the aliens came. I know that you have used a device that was sure to reveal your existence even after you spent so long in hiding. I know that you had your Sylphid protect the Alliance systems from any harmful effects and most likely intervene if the enemy came too close. And I know that you decided to risk your life fighting a battle that doesn't truly concern you."

"Even if all of humanity was defeated and enslaved, you could have avoided all the mess. But you chose to expose yourself and fight for us. More, you chose to fight in a way that would protect as many of us as possible. That tells me a lot about who you are, Mr. Wizard, and it makes me confident that you will not simply kill me to cover your tracks."

Harry tilted his head, pondering the man's words. Sharp, indeed. "I could be just a cocky bastard who figures he can take an entire race all by himself, and thinks all you non-magicals are just incompetent savages."

"You could be." Harper shrugged easily. "But I don't believe so."

Both men went silent for a minute, just watching each other. Eventually, Harry sighed again, took out his wand, and conjured a comfortable armchair.

He was taking his seat and watching as Harper looked captivated at the temporary magical object. The man did not comment on that, though. "If I may ask, and I will understand if you refuse to answer any of my questions, are there others?"

Harry took a second to think. "I'm the only wizard on Shanxi."

Harper also did not comment on this obvious half-answer. "And did you gained your powers at birth? Do you know if the Sundering is being reversed?" for the first time, he looked a little anxious about the response. Harry could see a clear spark of hope in his eyes.

It was a hope he hated to dash, both for the man and for himself. "I'm afraid Earth's Living Magic is just as lost to us now as it was a century ago."

Harper slumped, and the genuine dismay Harry could feel from the man was surprising, to be honest. Harry had only ever met one other Custodian, and the results of that encounter convinced him to steer clear from the lot. Harper was very wrong to think that Harry could not harm him to keep his secret.

He would not be the first Custodian the wizard had killed.

"Why have you come to this planet, Mr. Harper?"

"Please, it's Jack." he said, walking back to his own chair. "And I believe your Sylphid has already shown you the files?"

"First of all, her name is Astrid. She doesn't really likes being called a Sylphid."

The man considered that. "Understood. A good name. I don't suppose you can give me yours?"

Harry's response was very dry. "Not at this moment, Mr. Harper."

He nodded. "Later, then." he said, as if anything else would be impossible. "And anticipating your question, yes the files are not the whole story. But let me tell you right now that the most important part of it is the absolute truth. We came here to help fight this invasion. We are ready to do whatever it takes to keep the colonists of Shanxi safe. Please, never doubt that."

The wizard just nodded, waiting for the man to continue.

"As for why us specifically? Well, modesty aside, we are some of the most skilled, meanest sons-of-bitches you will ever find. Assault, infiltration, intelligence gathering, sabotage, some wet work, we have done it all. Eva is the greatest pilot you will ever see, and she can do things with small arms that the devil himself would doubt. Ben is young, but he is the toughest bastard I know, a true walking tank. I once saw him take a shot to the neck and just keep firing. He is also a demolitions expert and can fight well with anything that can shoot, slash or smash."

He gestured to himself with another smile. Harry had already noticed that the man was very likeable. His smiles never came off as fake or out of place, and he spoke with a strong tenor that inspired confidence. "As for myself, I'm no slouch with a gun or a knife, either. My specialties are counter-intelligence and electronics. Like I said at the beginning, I have an official formation as an engineer. But there was another reason I was chosen to come here, something that only a very small number of people could do. And out of all of them, I was the only one really qualified to be on a battlefield."

It was then that Harry finally understood. Of course. How could he have not considered this before? He should have thought about it sooner. He had been so focused on himself, he did not realized it was really not surprising to see a Custodian on Shanxi, after all.

"Well, fuck my engines!" it seemed his companion had realized it, as well.

"You were sent here because you're a Custodian. To verify if the turians could use magic."

He nodded again. "Right in one, Mr. Wizard. An invasion by a technologically superior force would be bad enough. If they could bend reality to their will on top of that? We needed to know as soon as possible. There isn't all that much we could do about it, of course, but every bit of additional data counts."

Harry leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his legs. "Well, I can tell you that I've found no evidence of magic use by the turians, so far. It doesn't prove they don't have their own spellcasters. But if they exist, they don't seem to be known by the general society."

"I see. I will take your word for it. You're far more qualified to know about these matters than me, anyway. Custodians are all we have, so there were little options left to us."

"Who are 'we', Mr. Harper? The other Custodians?"

The man got into the same position as the wizard. He was silent for a moment, likely pondering how much he should reveal. And yet, he still met Harry's gaze head on.

In all honesty, Harry was not all that good at Legilimency. It was one of the few magical fields he just could not excel at. Like his trainer at the Auror Academy had said, it was not about time or effort. Mastering the skill required a natural disposition that some people just did not possessed. He was competent enough to read emotional states and surface thoughts. He could always know when someone was lying or otherwise trying to deceive him. But that was about it.

Occlumency, though? Now that was something he found out he could do very well. Still, Harper did not knew any of that.

"When the Prothean Archives were found…" the man finally decided on what to tell. "…humanity's major armed forces came together to create the Alliance Navy in order to protect us from possible threats. But aside from the military, we still remained divided on almost all other fronts. Centuries of petty conflicts and protectionism can't be erased in just a decade. Humanity is still separated in hundreds of different nations. The U.N. never could act as the unified voice of Earth, and the Alliance is mostly a figurehead political body at this point."

"And it's not just politics. Companies hoard their resources and expertise jealously. Scientists wait years to patent their inventions and researches before making them available. The general public is all too willing to follow this or that celebrity's opinions. Corporate fighting and espionage is a silent war that most people are never aware of. While competition and different points of view are fundamental for progress and a free civilization, the way we have been doing it causes just as much harm. Everyone is out for themselves, first and foremost. When we finally met our galactic neighbors, chances were that they could be far more advanced than us. If that happened, even if our relations were peaceful, such a divided and self-centered humanity would be at a great disadvantage."

Harper got up from his chair and started to pace. With his back to the lantern, his face was cast in shadows almost constantly. Sometimes, the grey of his eyes were the only thing that could be seen.

"Some people understood that. And they are trying to do something about it. I'm not talking about mastermind conspiracies here, Mr. Wizard. No New World Order. No fancy names, occult symbols or secret codes. No dimly lit room full of sinister old men deciding what new puppet they should put on that chair at the Oval Office."

"I'm talking about a group of influential but law-abiding friends who thought they could pool their resources and intellects together to strengthen our people. These friends brought in some other friends, who brought others, and the group grew larger. Politicians, scientists, C.E.O.s, and yes, even some high ranking military officers. Most of it is very informal stuff. A sharing of resources here, a joint research there, an agreement not to compete in the same markets. No ranks or hierarchies, though some voices do echo for longer than others, naturally."

"Right now, those people are doing what they can to speed up Earth's response. Our politicians are putting pressure on governments; owners of media outlets are trying to sway some public opinion; all the data sent by the defensive flotilla is being studied without rest. Money for R&D is ready to be throw around in amounts that you wouldn't believe. The Alliance Navy is already mobilizing their forces, even without the explicit approval of Earth. And when the fleets are gathered, they will come to this planet no matter which President's or Prime Minister's or mewling dictator's little feelings are hurt."

"In peace or in war, we will show these turians and those other nameless races that humanity will stand strong against all that would threaten it. And yes, many of the Custodians are counted among the network. We all know the danger we could be in if another race could use magic against us."

"Still sounds a lot like shadowy manipulators to me." said Astrid. Harry had to agree. He was very unsure about Harper's 'group'. Influencing politics? Controlling the media? Encouraging semi-legal military actions? It all sounded like the kind of power that could be horribly misused very easily. And even if it was all made with the best of intentions, he was sure it was not as 'clean' as the man suggested. But then again, who was he to judge? Had he not just wiped the minds of two hundred people in the last days? Had Astrid not been falsifying data for more than a week now? And had he not once swore to defend and uphold the laws of a society that routinely manipulated the mundane people who lived around it?

If Harper was to be believed, and Harry could detect no lies from him, then at least all that power was diluted among several actors, so they could keep each other in check. If it had been all concentrated in the arms of a handful (or even worse, a single person) with no accountability, then he could never bring himself to trust them. He knew that made him a bloody hypocrite, but it was just the way it was.

"And that…" the operative finished, stopping his pacing to stand right in front of Harry. "…is where you come in, Mr. Wizard. Right now, you and whatever others you might know out there are our only hope to match any supernatural forces the aliens might have. You are the only ones who could help us protect ourselves."

Harry reclined back in his chair. "And what if that isn't needed? What if humanity was the only race to have had magic users?"

Harper was looking intently at the wizard's masked face, voice filled with passion. "This isn't just about defensive matters. It isn't just about the power to defeat and kill. This is about all the wonders we can accomplish together. I know some of your history. I know your people had many failings. I think your society made a lot of bad choices before the Sundering. Perhaps things would have been different, otherwise."

Harry remained silent. He agreed.

"And yet, you have just as often embodied the highest virtues. Every time one of your 'Dark Lords' would appear, another of you would rise to challenge them. Every time. As a society, you never tried to subjugate us, to enslave us, even when we were nothing but hut-dwellers who threw shit in the streets. And after the Sundering? When we joined our efforts? My friend, until the discovery of Mass Effect, there had never been a time in human history when our people had accomplished so much. Without you, we might have never survived the food crisis at the beginning of the last century. You showed us the path to efficient fusion of atomic particles. Without that, it might have taken us another thirty years before we had working fusion plants, and Earth's environment might have been in a much worse state. Through your healers' insight, our medics learned how to fight all kinds of diseases once thought incurable. You revolutionized normal medicine! It was only by emulating your practices that Sirta created the medi-gel." he patted the little red dispenser on the small of his back. "How many millions of lives has this little compound saved through the years?"

He opened his arms. "You gave us so much. And in exchange, you asked us to help you find a cure for our planet's sickness. Find a way to save you from extinction." then his voice faltered and his arms dropped, along with his eyes. "And we couldn't do that. We failed you." the regret was genuine, of that Harry had no doubt. Harper got back to his chair and sat down, suddenly looking exhausted. The wizard did not know quite what to say. The man's speech and emotions had gone against all of his expectations.

He had to say something, though. "Your people gave us many things, Mr. Harper. We never knew so much about the nature of Magic until we started researching together. Without your help, our places of power would have been discovered and plundered. Our heritage turned into mere curiosities. When our society was fragmenting and turning against itself, you helped our governments keep order."

He did not mention all the troubles. All the demands and threats made by both sides. He knew the man was aware of all that, probably much more than himself. Everything he learned after awakening told him Magical and Mundane relationships had become very rocky, outside of the scientific circles. It would eventually lead the last magic users to the creation of the Resonance Orbs and the Sylphids, the founding of the Custodians of Magic, and their final, desperate ritual.

"And yet, it was too little, too late." Harper passed a hand over his face. Holding his forehead, he looked once more at the other man. His voice was tired, now. "I just don't understand why you never approached us in all this time. We swore to guard your legacy, to continue looking for an answer. We are still looking, you know? Most of all, we swore to protect and care for any magical being that could eventually be born. Maybe they are not Unbreakable Vows, but they have meaning, all the same. If you had just contacted us! I'm sure all of us would have been eager to help."

The words left his mouth before he could stop them. "Not all of you."

Harper raised his head sharply, startled by the dark tone. He creased his eyebrows in confusion. "What do you me..." until a look of understanding dawned on his face. Followed shortly by one of utter dismay.

"Gaspard." he whispered, almost low enough that Harry did not heard him. "Good Earth, you contacted Gaspard, didn't you? Of all the…" he leaned forward. He spoke vary fast now. Harry felt his anxiousness, a desperate need for him to understand. "Listen, you can't take anything that bastard might have said to you as our word. That piece-of-shit should have never been a Custodian! Ever! If he wasn't such a powerful and well-connected man, we would have done something about him ourselves. Even when it meant another Secret was lost, all of us were relieved when he had that accid…"

He stopped abruptly, suddenly looking at Harry in a new light. The wizard kept silent, waiting for the judgment.

He was once again surprised, when the emotion he next felt from Harper was pure respect.

The operative spoke very slowly and clearly now. "Let me tell you something, I will not say it again; Jean Gaspard was a monstrous criminal, a corrupt and twisted man. A stain on our honor, and a blight on humanity's." Harry suspected Harper did not knew the half of it. The middle-aged multibillionaire had his darkest perversions buried very deep. The wizard still had the occasional nightmare about little bodies chained to walls.

He hated taking lives, but sometimes even Death felt too little. The Custodian's was one face he would definitely not forget.

"I'm very sure running his car off that bridge was just a tragic accident." Harper concluded. "But if it had not been, if it had been done by someone, that man or woman would have done us all a favor. And nothing needs to be said about it anymore."

Another, much longer lull where both men kept their own thoughts. Eventually, Harry got up from his seat and Vanished his chair. "I believe we are done for today, Mr. Harper. I will think about all you have said. I will contact you on the next few days."

The operative also got up and approached him. "I will tell you the same thing I told Williams: no mission is too dangerous, no challenge too great. Whatever your plans are, we can help you. Both Eva and Ben are completely trustworthy. They will roll with the punches, and they won't ask questions. I won't pretend to know all of what you can do, but I have a good idea. I know that down here, inside the atmosphere, you can be almost invincible. But up there…" he pointed a finger to the roof of the tent. "…the story changes a little, yes? Still more dangerous than any normal soldier, I suspect, but much more limited."

Harry just nodded. No use in denying that.

"Don't worry about my other proposal, that's for later. What matters here and now is ending this siege. I can see you have been trying to force a stalemate with the turians. Make them consider talks, I suspect? I don't know if that will work, they don't seem all that inclined to a truce, from the data I have looked at. But I'm sure you have much more information about the way they think. In any case, every day they don't attack is another day for the fleets to arrive. I will try to calm Williams down about our 'helpers' and get him to direct more forces to the shelters."

Harry decided he needed to give the man something. Harper was being very open, and his passable skills at offensive mind-magics assured him the man truly believed everything he said. It was something he was going to do, anyway. "Something like that, I'm working on some fronts here. I will explain them to you if I decide to accept your assistance. In the meantime…" he pointed to the left wall. "Warehouse B-4, at Central's spaceport. Inside it, you will find a turian assault tank, a transport, a lot of drones, two laser batteries, a few computers, and about two hundred suits of armor and useful little gadgets called omnitools. Also, just about five hundred different small arms and a few heavy weapons."

The operative was just looking at him, completely astonished.

"You will also find some data disks which contain most of the information I have gained from… talking with a few prisoners and hacking into their devices. Estimated Fleet numbers, colonies and homeworlds. Full schematics on many devices and weapons; you'll find the personal shields particularly interesting. Also culture, customs, language and some history. Biology, too! Not only about the turians; about the other races. I recommend that you read it all very carefully. You should understand a little of what I'm doing and plan to do."

"Unfortunately, they don't keep things like navigation charts and ship blueprints on their personal computers, or any other really sensitive strategic information. There wasn't any officer high-ranking enough for me to find out what their High Command plans to do, besides speculation."

Still with a somewhat-disbelieving look, the operative asked. "I thought you had destroyed every vehicle at the base?"

The wizard shrugged. "I can repair most things just as easily as I can tear them apart. I've left a couple of fake carcasses on the camp along with a few spells. The vehicles are more for you to study than to use. I wouldn't try to use any of the stuff in this battle, really, except perhaps the guns. Hide them somewhere safe and give the stuff to R&D later."

"Also," he said with a smile that went unseen, "I'll leave it to you how to explain all this stuff to Williams."

The other man coughed a half-laugh. "You're really throwing me to the lion here, you know?"

"Just remember that you volunteered."

"I guess I did." He shook his head ruefully, but there was also the hint of a smile. "I'll come up with something. Thank you, Mr. Wizard, this can really help us if we go to all-out war."

It was Harry's time to shake his head. "I think you'll see it very soon, Harper, but the bottom line is, we need to end this with an accord. Forget magic; the ordinary forces that the turians alone can employ against humanity are staggering. We have no hope of winning an all-out war against them."

Harper pursed his lips. Clearly, the idea did not sit at well with him. "Are you sure?"

"Almost four thousand." Harry said, simply.

"I'm sorry?"

The wizard elaborated. "The Turian Hierarchy has twenty-nine permanent Fleets, comprising something over two thousand and five hundred warships. Another thousand are scattered in various Groups. An additional five hundred are on lease to the Citadel Council, the galactic version of the U.N. which the turians are a part of. They have 34 dreadnoughts, alone. In a week, they could mobilize a thousand ships and carve a path straight to Earth. And every single one of those ships is superior to ours.

Harper's face was getting darker with each word.

"We have about 250 ships, and that's only because the Alliance has been receiving a war-time budget for the past eight years. I know there are plans to expand the yards, which would speed up production, but we won't be able to sustain that pace for long unless our economy gets a major boost. And in any case, they would never be ready in time to be of any help. We also have under 3% of our population joining the armed forces. About a third of the turian population is in active military service, and they are all required to serve for at least two years. So every single citizen knows how to fight. They are consummate warriors; they don't break ranks or surrender. They believe that if even a handful of turians are alive at the end of a war, then the war was justifiable."

He shook his head. "And that's only one race. They are not alone, and their friends have naval forces at least half as strong. All in all, if humanity picks up a real fight with the turians, humanity will lose. It's as simple as that."

The man paced to the front of the tent, and spent about a minute looking outside. Harry could see him gripping his pistol tightly, fingers clenching and unclenching around the grip. When he finally turned back, the hopeful Custodian was completely gone, and in his place was only the grim tactician.

"So what's our hope?"

"Read the files." he put up a hand. "Learn more about the turians, how they feel, how they think. They are not humans, Harper, even if their military actions so far makes sense to us. And making them see sense isn't our only option. Like I said, I have some ideas. We will go deeper into them… perhaps."

"We will." again, that absolute conviction. The man extended his hand to Harry. "Whatever happens, thank you. You don't need to do any of this. Especially not at such a personal risk."

The wizard hesitated just a second, before shaking the offered hand. "There are thousands of innocents buried under this planet, Harper. To do anything else would be criminal."

"I wished more people thought like that, Mr. Wizard. I truly did."

Harry just shrugged, and went to leave. But before he did, an idea sparked in his mind and he turned to look at the operative over his shoulder.

"Harper?"

"Yes?"

"Just how good are you at hacking?"

The man tilted his head. "Without sounding like an arrogant ass? Good enough."

Harry nodded. "On those disks there're details on the turian's system designs. Study them. Also, some of those omnitools I mentioned are optimized for electronic warfare. Get familiar with their use."

A smile was slowly coming to his face. "I will."

"No promises, Harper. But it's best to be prepared."


"Twenty-five living legionnaires, just as promised."

Mavis Vakarian shook her head slowly, as she began to read the report Adrien had given to her. They were in her office, which also functioned as her personal quarters, on the fourth deck of the Shadow. Like almost every room on the ship, gunmetal grey and silver were predominant, but Mavis had decorated the space with many personal effects in more lively colors.

Mostly blue.

"Amazing. And a very big statement, too."

The First Officer nodded. "If they can afford to take our soldiers alive while still turning Talon Base into rubble, just what kind of damage can they do if they go all-out?"

"Mercy can be a much more effective show of power than ruthlessness. It's something many of us don't really understand. Killing is easy, anyone can do it. It's far more challenging to capture an enemy. I don't know if that was the only reason those soldiers were spared, but I don't believe so."

"Why do you say that?"

"It's just a feeling I have." she shrugged. "You have listened to the recording of the human's conversation." thankfully, it had been something Arterius could not keep secret. "You have heard his tone, the sub-harmonics we don't know how they can reproduce. There's something there…"

She got up from her chair and walked to a small drink dispenser on the wall. Privileges of the commander's quarters. Filling two metal cups with a sweet-scented beverage, she gave one to her officer.

"There was dislike towards our dear General. It was subtle, but you can hear it. But there was no derision when he talked about turians in general. A very slight resentment, perhaps, but no hate. More importantly, he didn't talk about us like strangers. No 'aliens', or 'your race' or 'your species'. But 'your people'. He called Arterius 'a man', not 'a turian'. And when he gave his threats, he said they would fight 'every turian that came with the intent to harm innocents'."

She took a sip. "There was a very slight emphasis on that phrase. Something I believe may have even been involuntary. I can't talk about the rest of the 'Ghosts', but that man? I have a feeling that man doesn't see us as anything different from his own people. Everything we know tell us we are the very first alien species humanity has encountered. But he felt… natural, addressing us. Not unnerved, not fascinated. Just… familiar."

Adrien pondered those words. "I didn't notice that. I will trust your instinct on this matter, Commander." he tapped a talon against his cup. "Do you know what I did notice? General Arterius sounded really interested in that dome. A little beyond professional curiosity or tactical concern, in my opinion. And while the offer of a parley was not without merit, it's unlike him to do so. On top of that, it came right after the human's comments about 'ancient technologies'. I was ready to dismiss it as grandstanding, but the general seemed all too willing to buy it right there."

She nodded. That's why she liked Victus so much. "I've been getting a growing suspicion that this is more than a simple pacification to Arterius. I don't know what else it may possible be, but my gizzard has been screaming at me for days, now."

She once more took the report. She finished reading the details of the transport's arrival and the retrieval of the prisoners; no one interfered, as promised. In fact, not a single sign of the humans was found. Extensive and thorough examinations didn't reveal any kind of suspicious devices on the area or the released prisoners. Even the shuttle itself was checked, twice, while in middle air, before finishing the ascent to orbit.

Then she started on the health checks, and frowned. "What's this about 'physical and mental impairments'?"

"You remember the human female's words?" asked the man. "She told us there would be some 'short-term' effects. Turns out, she was downplaying things a little." He gestured with his cup. "The soldier's bodies don't show any sign of abuse. There are no suspicious cuts, incisions, or any other signs of invasive procedures. Every soldier was awake when the shuttle arrived. But they are all suffering from retrograde amnesia. Most don't remember many hours before the attacks, a couple have lost over a day. They have no recollections of what happened after, as well. One second, they were performing their duties. The next, they were waking up freezing on the hard ground, stripped of every piece of equipment they had. Only cybernetic implants were left."

"They are also all suffering from some kind of general physical debilitation. All their vitals are strong, but they are experiencing difficulty to concentrate and perform taxing mental tasks. It's extremely tiring to move, most can't walk unaided, and their coordination is shot to the Void. Whatever method the humans used to incapacitate them, or are using to keep them under, must be the cause of it. A very strong systemic shock is most likely responsible, whether it was some energy weapon or a biological agent is unknown. One of the medics noted that there are records of biotic attacks that can produce a similar effect, though for a much shorter duration."

"Another hint at biotics. I wonder if that's what it is? And the prognosis?"

"Good enough." he answered. "There's little sign of real damage to any organs. And they are already improving. Yesterday, they couldn't even feed themselves. Now they are eating unassisted, if messily. It's like they are recovering from a long illness. At this moment, there's no reason to suspect they won't make a full recovery in time. Their memories also seem to be returning very slowly. But they won't be capable of continuing this particular campaign. Unless their recovery speeds up a lot, it will probably be a couple of months before they can operate at the level a soldier needs."

"So we have soldiers who are alive and will most likely recover all their capacities, but who can't give us any information about the enemy or fight for the foreseeable future. Arterius must be loving this."

"Indeed. The General is going to send this group of captives with the next scout to Palaven. They can't stay here. If the humans return all of our legionnaires, we won't have the resources to care for them."

She finished her drink, putting the empty cup on her desk. "And what is the General's decision about the truce?"

"He has stated that we 'will keep the accord until another opportunity to strike presents itself, or the human's change their terms'."

She scoffed. "Of course. I wonder what Command will think of this new development."

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Mavis looked at the large picture of Palaven on her wall. The humans had completely changed the rules of this fight. Most of her people had expected a common pattern: smash the defending fleet, siege the planet, destroy every target they could find, then route out the last defenders and secure the civilians. Instead, most of the enemy ships had left to parts unknown, after making them look like fools, and they found themselves without a clear target. When they went to secure a ground position, the humans swiftly proved themselves the masters of their land.

And now they were in a stalemate. Arterius couldn't risk an attack on the planet until he was sure at what he should strike. And everything pointed out to the humans being unable to harm them at orbit. The Primarch and the High Generals would have to think very carefully about where to go from here. And they would soon be forced to inform the Council…

"They are making us look bad."

"Commander?"

She turned back to look at him. "You said it yourself, Adrien. The human mentioned the Council. It was casual, almost like an afterthought, but think about this: they know about the asari and salarians. The Citadel will find out about these events, most likely very soon. The humans are showing themselves as both willing and capable of neutralizing invaders. And yet, they spare our soldiers and say they are open to talks with our diplomats."

She pointed at him, then at herself. "Us? The moment we had a large human force defenseless, Arterius just blasted them to pieces. No hesitation. They are making us look savage and unreasonable."

Her First Officer nodded. "Whatever our motives before, we will now be seen as in the wrong. The salarians will go crazy with this new tech, but they much prefer to get what they want through commerce, or espionage. And unless they are threatened directly, the asari will always try to make peace. Neither will support us. Unless things change drastically, this is already over. If Command itself doesn't call this off, then the other races will force them to."

She picked up a model of the Shadow that she kept on her desk, tracing the toy's lines. "All it will take is time. The humans just need to hold on until then."


"Jerod, if you don't get your skinny ass up here right now, we're leaving you behind!"

"I can't get up this ledge! Can one of you guys give me a hand?"

"What are you, five? Man up and do it yourself!"

The young man sighed. Perhaps Lucretia was right; his friendship with Lester sometimes really seemed more trouble than it was worth.

Taking a deep breath, he put another foot on the rock next to him and with all his strength tried to grab a hold of the edge of the next elevation. It did not helped that the cave walls on that part of the tunnel were slightly humid and slippery.

A full minute later, an empty set of lungs, and not a few scratches, he finally brought himself up to the next level. He took a moment to look behind at the way they came. The narrow tunnel disappeared into the darkness like the gap of a monstrous throat, and he shivered. Swiftly turning his attention back to the front, he saw both Lester and Takami, also known as Flicker, inspecting a large fissure on the rock that looked to be covered by some wet and green blanket.

Even from his distance, he could feel the very slight breeze.

"These are just some roots." said Flicker. "Give me the knife, Les."

"Here." the bulky youth passed the improvised tool, made up from plastic tubes and a metal sheet. Gusman had said 'there was no way in hell he would walk around unarmed, while the Alliance assholes could just shoot them at any moment'. Jerod had no idea why the young man hated the soldiers so much, but he was not foolish enough to ask.

The smaller of the two begun to cut the thick plants away. The job took many minutes.

Flicker had been exploring the many side passages of their shelter, when he came across a wall that had crumbled very recently. It was located in one of the more out-of-the-way tunnels. He immediately informed Lester, and both boys proceeded to disguise the opening for later exploration. The idea of 'sticking one up' on the stuffy soldiers and colony officers had been too good for them.

They also wanted to prove to everyone that the so-called invasion was nothing but a ploy from the Alliance to look like heroes and gain more political clout. There had not been a single sign to suggest a battle was ongoing at the surface, and many other refugees were beginning to doubt there was any danger at all. Even with official news that the defense fleet had been run off from orbit and the planet was under siege.

They had both talked him into the action. He was not sure he believed the Alliance would lie to them all like that, but it had just felt so good to be included. Unfortunately, they had to wait days for an opportunity to slip out. Lucretia had been true to her promise; she had watched them like a hawk, and even roped her little brother into it as well.

"There! We can pass now!"

"Awesome, dude. C'mon, I can't wait to feel some wind on my face."

Jerod reached them as Lester had just squeezed his large frame through the narrow opening. Flicker winked at him and followed. With a last look at the tunnel that they had spent almost three hours to traverse, Jerod pushed through the slimy roots.

It was night. Blessed, dark night. Not the darkness of a cave, but of the open sky filled with stars. The wind ruffled his hair and the soft, wet ground felt wonderful under his feet. The buzzing and clicking of little insects was a symphony after two weeks of nothing but tense voices and hushed whispers.

The tunnel came out into a large clearing at a marsh. The tall grass extended for a long way around a large nearby river. The twin glows of Zhou and Tang cast their pale illumination over the darkened land. A few dozen meters behind them, the landscape slowly turned into a swamp. Lester and Flicker were walking around laughing, jumping and screaming to the winds.

For a moment, Jerod closed his eyes and imagined nothing was wrong. That they could just walk back to their homes at Green 14, and to whatever they were doing before this nightmare started.

But his friends had other ideas. "Hey, Jerod! Get over here! Let's put up the camp!"

Snapped out of his daydream, he flushed before taking out his backpack and walking to them. The plan was to mount up a 'base of operations', from where they could explore the countryside. They all had cameras and they would be recording everything. Their ultimate objective was to reach a nearby Settlement.

For a time the three were mostly silent while setting up their small tents. Flicker's mother had taught him many survival techniques. After going to the nearby swamp, armed with the knife, the young man soon had a big fire burning merrily on their clearing. Lester had also pilfered some of the strong battery-powered lamps used inside the shelters. They put the lamps on a wide circle around their camp, so as to cover as large an area as possible in the light. The two older boys were not worried about any Alliance soldiers seeing their camp. Lester said it would just let them confront the deceivers earlier.

The three sat down and started trading rations and stories. Well, Lester and Flicker did. Jerod was just content to be out of the cave, resting against the soft earth.

In the pitch blackness of the night, their camp must look like a small star.


"I hate this plan, Harry."

"I know, girl."

"I hate it. Every single part of it. What if one of those people decides to stab you in the back?"

"I won't be exactly powerless, Astrid."

"But nowhere near your usual strength." she retorted, voice a little angry. "These guys are all professional killers! All it will need is for you to get a little distracted!"

Harry was at the Refuge, once more preparing a selection of gear. They had been arguing about this for three days now.

"I will check their intentions before we leave, girl. And Harper, at the very least, can't deliberately bring me harm unless in self-defense. His Secret won't let him."

"It's still too risky! And that's only the humans who might attack you. What about the three-hundred turians who most certainly will?"

He sighed, checking his pistol again. "This isn't the first time I'm doing this, girl. The idea is to not be seen at all."

That did not made her any less worried. "You'll have to break cover at times. What will you do if they catch you?"

He chuckled, putting the gun away. "Aside from the fact our little truce with the turians may go supernova? I will run as if my arse was on fire. And I guess the old battle rod will be getting quite the workout." he twirled said implement, the light-blue crystal glinting in the light.

There was a minute of silence. Harry busied himself with his preparations. When she next spoke, her voice was small and soft.

"I won't be able to watch your back. I won't know if you are all right."

He paused, and took a deep breath. "Girl, I understand. Really. I'm sorry for putting you through this, all of it, but we can't keep waiting around. We have been keeping this little respite with the turians for a week. At any moment, Arterius might decide to make another push."

Their proposal with the prisoners served many purposes. One of them was to allow Harry the chance to leave Shanxi for a short while. After the third group of prisoners had been returned, they knew the general was at least pretending to follow their agreement. But who knew how long that would last?

"But do we need to do it?" she pleaded. "By Harper's estimations, the Second Fleet could be here in another week."

The wizard shook his head. He grabbed two empty pistol magazines and put them besides a small wooden cup. The recipient was half-filled with a clear liquid. "And when they arrive, we will have another space battle. One that could undo everything we have been trying to accomplish here. And the turians might receive reinforcements of their own at any moment."

He took the small knife besides the bowl. Putting his other hand above it, he made a quick slash, and crimson blood poured freely from the cut and into the recipient. With not even a grimace, he kept the flow going for a few seconds, until the cup was full. Then he traded the knife for his wand and healed the wound.

"I just… I… please, be careful, Harry."

"I will be. I don't plan on dying today, girl."

He waved around the cup with his wand, speaking softly. The content started to circle along with the tip of the focus. After a half-minute, he put the tip just against the rolling surface. The liquid stopped spinning immediately, and with a hiss it went from the previous red to a brilliant gold.

"I'm receiving the call from Harper, Harry." she said, voice still a little despondent.

"Patch him through. Thank you, girl."

The voice of the Custodian came to his ears. His face also appeared on a screen in his visor. "Mr. Wizard! Good to hear from you again. Your Sylp… I mean Astrid told me you had a job for us as soon as we were available?"

"That's right, Harper. How are you coming along with those omnitools?" Harry picked up the cup and filled the two magazines with the golden liquid. He wanted to have some extra ammunition on this particular joint.

"I think I have a good enough grasp of them. Hacking into a turian computer is not all that different from doing it to one of ours."

"Good. And are you available?"

The man shrugged. "Sure. Not much for us to do down here, to be honest." he chuckled. "I think most of the Marines are actually hoping for an attack at this point."

"And I hope to disappoint them, Harper." cleaning away the mess, the wizard then went to put on his own appropriated omnitool. It was one of the simpler models, as Astrid had explained to him in no uncertain terms that the more advanced combat functions could only be properly used by people with extensive training.

He only needed it to access turian systems and for the built-in translator, anyway.

"So, what's our mission?"

"Oh, nothing too much, really. I just felt like breaking into one of the turian cruisers today."

A moment of silence. The operative blinked once, then twice. "You… you can do that?"

Harry finished packing. He was ready. "Not by myself, I couldn't. But it just so happens that someone said I had three mean sons-of-bitches to call for help, if I needed."

Still with a disbelieving look on his face, Harper spoke. "All right, we're game. But you'll have to explain that very slowly to me before we go, Mr. Wizard. And in any case, what is our goal?"

"That's simple, Jack." his smile went unseen. "There's this lass up there, name is Mavis Vakarian. I really need to have a private chat with her."


"We have a visual, General!"

"Excellent, soldier. What do you see?"

"Three humans, sir. And the point-precision scans confirm it; there's a large opening near them which extends for a short way in the direction of the dome, before it goes too deep for the sensors to follow."

They had long realized the planet was full of natural tunnels, which probably led to the hiding places of the human civilians. The problem was that there were too many of them. It would be impossible to search each one. Certainly not with the equipment they had.

Commander Felix shook his head. "After all these days in hiding, they put up a light show at night? Right next to a passage to the underground? This could be a trap, General."

"A trap to gain what, my friend? A few more prisoners? What purpose would that serve? No, I think this is a mistake, one we would be remiss to not take advantage of."

The general went to his platform. "But our 'Ghost' friends could still be down there, true enough. And that is why I have to send our best."

"What about our accord with the humans, sir?"

"Nothing but a delaying tactic, and we all know that. We need information, Felix. We need something to bargain with the humans. Some way to bleed them. I will not let this opportunity pass us by."

Reaching his station, Desolas opened a channel to another room on the Penitent Justice.

"Saren?"

The answer was instantaneous. The low and creeping voice of his best operative was clearly heard.

"Yes, brother?"

"Please, assemble your Cabal. I have a task for you."


ANs:

So, no action to speak of in this one. Just many conversations. Hope that doesn't disappoint. Still, we should have plenty of action in the next few chapters to compensate.

Harry and the turians come to an agreement, then they both decide to break it at the same time. Should be fun.

The number of reviews is starting to get too large for me to put responses in these ANs. I don't want them to get too long. I don't like it, and it messes up with the chapter's word count. My own frequent notes about changes already do that enough. So I have decided to only replay to individual critics via PMs. I apologize to all unregistered users or those who keep their PMs disabled, but your comments will have to go unanswered.

I'm officially extending the minimal update time for this story to once every two-weeks. Work and university take most of my days, and I do have other activities for my free time, other than writing. This chapter took especially long because I had exams to do the week after the last update.

In any case, a big thank you to all reviewers. I hope to hear your opinions on this chapter.

Until next time,

Fish