Wing Commander: End of an Era
Chapter 8

Serpent Nebula
Widow System
Citadel

"You expect us to believe you are willing to trade all of your unique technological advancements simply for us agreeing to fight your war," Councilor Valern said with disbelief. "You must truly be desperate."

"Oh, we're not desperate," Admiral Richards replied back. "At least not as desperate as you seem to think we are. It is true we need help but I did say I was only granted to give you low grade weapons and shielding. Those along with jump drive engines come free with your declaration of war against the Kilrathi. Anything else and we would expect to receive something of equal value in return."

As all four Councilors and the two Spectres fell silent, Colonel Blair finally had a moment to try and collect the thoughts racing through his head at Admiral Richard's admission that the Confederation was prepared to hand over the very weapon technologies that made them strong. On the one hand Richard's was right, the Confederation needed help to stay in the war, and the only way for the Citadel races to be of any help was providing them with these advancements. On the other hand, Richard's and his colleagues in the Joint Chiefs were taking a huge gamble by supplying these recently discovered species new weapons and shields. Not to mention the jump drives that would make it possible for them to reach Confederation space. In Blair's opinion, this was too risky.

It wasn't that he had a problem with aliens. He had flown numerous missions with Firekkans strapped into the fighters alongside his own. Those birds were tough and dedicated and even though they were primitive by human standards, the Firekkans had fought just as hard as or even harder than humanity when they were fighting the Kilrathi. Blair had also personally met several Varni in his travels across the Confederation Navy. Despite their peaceful nature, the surviving Varni had devoted much to furthering the Confederation's war time technologies. When the war had first begun it was the Varni that helped humanity quickly catch up to the Kilrathi in torpedo design and lethality.

No, Blair had no problems with aliens; he just knew he could trust the ones that were a part of the Confederation. Both the Firekkans, and even more so the Varni, had fought and bled to defend themselves against the Kilrathi's attempt at conquering all of known space. These new species composing the Citadel government had made no such sacrifices. They hadn't even had a real war in centuries. In Blair's mind, they still hadn't earned the right to be called allies and they didn't deserve the right to simply receive the advancements that had cost billions of human lives to attain. They hadn't earned humanities trust.

Councilor Tevos opened her mouth to speak and Blair could tell the effort she was putting into choosing the right words, "Your offer is extremely generous but considering the actions we must undertake to acquire said technologies…you must understand this is no small matter. Our decisions affect trillions of lives across the galaxy. War is something none of us take lightly, and I hope you understand that while we may not know how much your society has suffered, we do grieve for your losses."

Admiral Richards remained silent as Councilor Anderson added, "There is also the matter of internal politics at play within our own regions of space. The Systems Alliance has its own troubles to deal with in the galaxy. Removing our forces from current hot spots will only invite further aggressive actions from our enemies."

Admiral Eisen took this opportunity to respond, "You are referring to the Batarians and Collectors are you not?" Seeing Anderson's surprised expression Eisen explained, "Since arriving at Illium I have taken it upon myself to learning a little more about the Systems Alliance history and internal workings. You certainly seemed to make waves upon entering the galaxy at large."

Anderson nodded in understanding, "That we did. But you are correct in mentioning our current enemies. The Batarians have always been a thorn in the Alliances side and tensions steadily grow worse every day. Add that to the current Collector attacks in the Terminus systems on human colonies and the Alliance is on its highest alert since the First Contact War. Our main fleets are busy guarding primary relays into Alliance space."

Richards spoke up, "Given the fact that you would be helping us fight the Kilrathi, we would be willing to divert the necessary forces to help defend your boarders when they become available."

Councilor Sparatus let out a sharp laugh, "And now you reveal yourself Admiral. You claim to not be desperate in your fight and yet you are willing to create even more enemies for the Confederation, simply to guarantee our cooperation against the Kilrathi."

For the first time since meeting the man, Blair noticed Richards flinch. The Admiral had seen an opening to sweeten the deal but he had pushed too hard, and Sparatus had caught him in the act.

Sparatus leaned across the table and looked at Richards, "I was not always a politician you know. I once was a military leader for my own people. So you will tell me now, soldier to soldier, just how badly are you losing this war?"

Everyone in the room turned to look to Admiral Richards when he responded without hesitation, "We may be losing, but we will not lose. No matter what condition the Terran Confederation will be in when the war ends, it will end with us as the victors."

Sparatus grinned in amusement, "A prideful answer, but from what Captain Terrik has told me about the meeting on Illium, it is most likely the truth. I believe that you are stubborn enough to win in the end." He then leaned back in his chair and addressed the other Councilors, "Whether the Kilrathi armada arrives with the intent to conquer or pledge peace with the races of the Citadel, the Turian Hierarchy officially accepts their offer of an alliance. We have always been the defenders of Council space and this is no different. The Kilrathi are too dangerous to be left unchecked. No matter what action the rest of you decide, we will announce our declaration of war and formal alliance with the Confederation when the Kilrathi arrive tomorrow."

Tevos looked at him, extremely uneasy, "Even if the rest of our governments decide not to fight? You would go against the Council and fight this war alone?"

Before Sparatus could even respond Valern interrupted him, "I will tell you that the Salarian Union will not fight in this war. We know next to nothing about the Confederation or the Kilrathi except what has been told to us by one side alone. Only fools rush in when blind, Sparatus."

Sparatus merely huffed, "I would expect nothing less from the Salarian Union and you are free to do as you see fit but the Hierarchies decision stands. Since the Battle of Illium the Turian military has been analyzing the Confederation and Kilrathi weapons systems. We know the first few months will be bloody but with the advancements provided to us by our new allies, the Turians will help the Confederation end this war." He finished deliberately turning to face Richards.

Blair could see the Admiral was filled with confidence as he answered, "The Confederation has made pledges of allegiance before and we have never failed in our duties. The Firekka and Varni can attest to that. You will receive what we have promised, you have my word." He then looked hopefully to the remaining two Councilors.

Blair noticed as Tevos and Anderson shared a troubled look and seemed to engage in an invisible conversation between themselves. Not only that but Shepard and Vasir also seemed to be more on edge as they shifted in their seats.

Tevos looked away from Anderson and addressed the Confed officers, "There are…certain matters which exist making this decision much more difficult. Discoveries that have been… brought into new light the past few years that affect all of council space, and your own."

"Discoveries that affect us alongside yourselves?" questioned Eisen.

"This is not easy to hear, or to even explain," Anderson began. "It deals with the mass relays and galactic history."

"And it is a belief not held by the Council as a whole," Valern added in after Anderson had paused. "It wasn't even something we had entertained until a certain Councilor began to have doubts." He finished shooting a glance at Tevos.

"It is still something they should be made aware of," Anderson said back to Valern before he turned to face those seated across from him. "Because of the lack of mass relays in your area of space this may be harder to hear and understand but from what you have already seen you know that none of our races here have the technology to build those devices."

Richards nodded, "Yes, your codex says that they were created by the Protheans. An advanced race that inhabited the galaxy 50,000 years ago before vanishing. They also built this station as well."

"Well they weren't built by the Protheans," Anderson replied back succinctly. "In truth, they were built by a race of sentient machines called the Reapers."

Blair was slightly confused by that, "You mean a race of artificial intelligences? Fully sentient AI's?"

"Yes that's correct," Anderson said nodding. "Do you have anything close to AI's in your society?"

Eisen was the one to answer that, "We have highly advanced computers that help our ships in combat and in other military or civilian applications but nothing of an independent nature like an AI."

"The closest example we can give to help you understand this concept would be the Geth," Tevos added to the discussion. "A race of AI's created by the Quarians over three hundred years ago. The Geth eventually rebelled and forced the Quarians to flee into space where they live to this day. The Geth have remained behind, mostly staying beyond the region of space known as the Perseus Veil. That was the case until two years ago."

Shepard spoke up at this point, apparently letting her impatience get the best of her, "To make a long story shorter. The Reapers built the mass relays to guide the civilizations of the galaxies along a certain technological path. This then made it easier for them to arrive every 50,000 years to kill all advanced races inhabiting the galaxy. Two years ago, I and my team, temporarily stopped the invasion but the Reapers are still trying to find a way to enter our galaxy and kill us all. This is a pattern that has repeated itself throughout the history of the galaxy and if we don't unite together to stop them, our cycle is doomed to die just as the Protheans and the races before them did."

Blair was completely baffled, "You're trying to tell us that we wouldn't even be having this meeting if it wasn't for your actions two years ago? When you apparently stopped an invasion of galactic proportions that consisted of living, thinking machines intent on killing everyone?"

"Correct," Shepard simply replied.

He crossed his arms over his chest and adopted a bemused expression, "Oh, well OK then. Just making sure I had a grasp on the situation." Her eyes narrowed and he noted that she apparently didn't appreciate his tone of voice.

"What evidence do you have to support this…I don't know what to call it, theory on galactic level extinctions?" Eisen asked Shepard.

Shepard drew in a breath and began explaining, "My first job as a Council Spectre involved me hunting down another Spectre that had gone rouge. His name was Saren. The Reapers themselves seem to emit some kind of signal that can completely brain wash people to be their servants and do whatever they want. It's called indoctrination. Saren was indoctrinated by a Reaper known as Sovereign. As I hunted Saren down throughout the galaxy I began to realize that Sovereign was using Saren to try and activate the Citadel to allow the rest of the Reapers entrance into our galaxy. It seems that the Citadel itself is a giant mass relay connected to dark space. In the Battle for the Citadel two years ago, Sovereign led a fleet of Geth in an attack that nearly cost us everything. I was able to defeat Saren just outside in that audience chamber you walked through and the Systems Alliance 5th fleet was able to defeat the massive two-kilometer long dreadnought that was Sovereign the Reaper just outside these windows."

Shepard paused to make sure that everyone was still following her before she continued, "As of right now I am currently investigating why the Collectors are abducting human colonies. I know that they are servants for the Reapers, I just haven't discovered what their plans are yet."

Valern just grunted and shook his head in disbelief causing Richards to ask, "You don't believe her story?"

"It is just that, a story. We have no solid evidence that relates anything to the myth of sentient machines wiping out galactic civilization every 50,000 years," Valern explained back.

Shepard leaned over the table and shot him a cold glare, "You have all the evidence you need! We still have pieces of Sovereign all over the Citadel, and don't even start on how you think the Geth built it."

Valern didn't even turn to face her, "But it is just that. The Geth are a race of machines capable of rapid technological advancement. Sovereign was nothing more than their newest dreadnought class of ships."

"Did you even see what that thing was capable of?" Shepard said back, now raising her voice. "Its main gun is a mass driver capable of destroying anything we have in one shot. Not to mention the advanced GARDIAN system that could shear our ships in half!" She then turned to look to Richards, "We have the footage recorded from multiple ships that took part in that battle. Take a look for yourselves, the Geth didn't build it. That was just one Reaper, and there are enough of them waiting to enter our space in numbers capable of wiping out all life in the galaxy."

"And now of course we come to the part of asking for the evidence to support your claim," Valern spoke up once again. "Where is your proof, tangible proof, that can spur us into action? Convenient how anything you could have used is no longer available to us."

Shepard stood up and began advancing towards Valern, "Listen you eyeball licking, fly eating toad. I will-"

It was of course at this moment that Vasir stood up between Shepard and Valern, and quickly covered Shepard's mouth with her hand before the younger Spectre could finish her sentence.

"Obviously you can see this is a touchy subject around here," Vasir said apologetically to the Confed officers. She then dropped her hand and faced Shepard as she sat down, "Sit down and shut it before you embarrass yourself anymore."

Shepard glared at Vasir angrily before returning to her seat and Richards took the opportunity to voice his question, "A touchy subject indeed. Spectre Shepard, how do you know all of this?"

Shepard took a breath to calm herself and then answered, "Among the many instances I had to speak to either Saren or his supporters, including the one time I actually spoke to Sovereign himself on Virmire," she said looking to Valern before focusing back on Richards, "they all confirmed that the return of the Reapers was their intended goal. I also had two Prothean beacons download a warning of the Reapers arrival in my mind."

"Prothean beacons?" Richards asked.

"It's a piece of very rare Prothean technology that is theorized to be a way for instantaneous communication across their empire," Tevos explained for Shepard. "Very few beacons have ever been discovered and even fewer have been active upon discovery."

"Right, that's a beacon," Shepard then continued, "On Eden Prime I had the first vision of the Reapers attack put in my head and on Virmire I had a more complete version fill in the missing gaps. Even still the visions were messed up and undecipherable to me because they were intended for a Prothean mind. Eventually I gained the cipher, the ancestral knowledge of the Prothean race, and that allowed me to understand that the beacons were a warning to us about the Reapers return."

Shepard sighed and looked around the room, "I know this is hard to believe but it's the truth. When it comes right down to it, I want your war ended so I can get you to gear up for the big one that's coming. Everyone fighting in this galaxy only weakens us further and so far that we have seen; only you and the Kilrathi have the level of technological superiority that can give us a real chance of defeating the Reapers. I need that edge put to good use defending everyone in the galaxy."

The room was silent for a moment before Richards decided to speak up, "Well that was brutally honest. To tell you the truth that's nice to hear every now and then." He turned to face Sparatus as he scratched his chin, "A race of AI's intent on galactic genocide…While I relish the idea of the Kilrathi going extinct, I don't like the idea of the same thing happening to us. I will note that you have been exceptionally quiet this entire time we were discussing the Reapers. Seeing as how we will be allies soon and fighting side by side, do you have anything to say on the matter?"

Sparatus looked back at him evenly, "Do I believe in sentient machines coming from dark space to kill us all? No, I don't. As Valern pointed out earlier, there is no tangible proof to support Shepard's claim."

Richards nodded thoughtfully as he then addressed Councilor Anderson, "What is the Systems Alliance opinion on the Reaper threat? Do you believe Shepard is correct?"

Anderson nodded, "I believe Shepard. Before becoming humanities representative on the Council, I was her commanding officer for a time; before that she was an exemplary soldier for the Alliance. Her record speaks for itself. As for the Systems Alliance, we still haven't publicly announced our support in her theory but recent discoveries have begun to shed light on the truth of her claims. Nothing so physically damning as of yet, but when you connect all the pieces together there can be only one conclusion, the Reapers are real. Unofficially, the Alliance military has begun to prepare for their arrival."

"Councilor Tevos?" Richards asked going down the line of representatives. "The Asari's position on the matter of the Reapers?"

Tevos looked down to the table, "My people are divided on the issue. A vast majority does not believe in the Reapers existence, but a number of fairly influential individuals do." Tevos looked down the table at Shepard and a small smile appeared on her face as she finished, "I don't know what to believe, but I trust Shepard. She says they exist, they exist."

Blair noted that at those words from Tevos, Shepard swelled with pride. Her whole posture changed from near resignation to energetic and her eyes brightened with new light. She looked as though a large weight had just been lifted form her shoulders and for Blair, that image of her gaining some hope for the future is what convinced him. It's exactly how I looked after the disaster with the Tiger's Claw, and when I met the first person who believed my own crazy story…

Blair looked back to Admiral Richards and could see the wheels turning in the man's mind. You didn't need to be an Admiral and on the Joint Chiefs to know what the man was going to say next. To be completely honest it was the only choice available to the Confederation and Blair didn't blame the Admiral at all, he knew the difficulties of being in command and having the lives of others in your hands. But before the Admiral spoke, Blair made sure he said his piece first.

"I believe her."

Richards and Eisen looked to him in surprise as did everyone else at the table. Blair had to smile as Shepard turned her shocked gaze to him.

"You believe me?" she asked.

"You believe her?" Admiral Richards had asked at the same time.

Blair nodded and turned back to Richards, "Look at her and tell me you don't see the similarities. That's me fifteen years ago, right after the Tiger's Claw."

Richards looked back to Shepard and stared intently at her while the rest of the table was still perplexed by the odd direction the discussion had taken.

Eisen turned back to Blair, "You can hardly compare the scale of events Colonel."

Blair had to agree with him there, "The scale may be different sir, but the events affect you the same way." As Richards finally turned away from Shepard and faced him, Blair could see the man had made the connection. Blair could also see that while he sympathized he couldn't change the course of events prompting Blair to add, "I understand your position Admiral. I just wanted you to be aware on where I stood and how I got there."

Richards nodded back to Blair and turned to face Shepard, "While this idea of the Reapers returning to the galaxy is greatly disturbing, I must tell you that even if they were here right now, the Confederations first task would be to fight and defeat the Kilrathi. They pose the most immediate threat. However, from what Eisen has told me so far, the Collectors seem to be shadowing our forces since we arrived into this region of space. They are a threat we can see and reach; and they are attempting to strike us when our back is turned. So if we run into them again we will do our best to not simply destroy them outright. If they are working for the Reapers, we should find out why and what interest they have in the Confederation."

"I think the interest is fairly straightforward," Shepard replied back. "One, you're another race of humans and the Collectors seem very fond of our species right now. Two, you are the most advanced society in the galaxy. With the Collectors serving the Reapers it would be their duty to gather intelligence on any force large enough to threaten them. What we really need to discover is how they intend to get the Reapers here physically."

Richards smiled back, "True on all accounts, but as I said before, we will not be able to focus on anything else until the Kilrathi are dealt with. You must understand that the Terran Confederation as a whole doesn't even know of the existence of the mass relays or what lies beyond them. Only a small part of our military has any knowledge of events happening right now between us. After fighting the Kilrathi for so long and then to learn of a doomsday plot by AI's to destroy all life in the galaxy; I don't think our society could take the psychological strain."

"If the Reapers do arrive that decision may not be in your hands Admiral," Councilor Anderson said solemnly. "Better to let them know what lies in the greater galaxy now, then allow it to show up on their doorstop unannounced."

"You may be right," Richards replied back. "But that is a decision that will be made by the President and Joint Chiefs. If they decide to have the Confederation remain in the dark than that is what we will do." He sighed deeply and then continued, "Now that we have gotten that extremely depressing bit of intell out of the way, I must ask if the Turians are still willing to aid us in our fight and whether or not the Alliance and Asari will as well."

Sparatus shot the Admiral a bemused glance, "Afraid I was swayed by this line of discussion? The Turian Hierarchy does not officially believe in the Reapers and we are still willing to fight the Kilrathi, as long as you provide us the ability to do so effectively."

"Excellent," Richards replied back happily. "You'll get what we promised, I guarantee it." He then glanced back to Anderson and Tevos.

Anderson was the first to speak up, "I don't have the authority to commit the Alliance to war, but I can tell you that it would be difficult to get us to take action. As I said before, out of all the other races, we are the ones being pressed right now by outside influences. The Kilrathi's actions during your conflict are greatly disturbing but until the meeting tomorrow, I can't guarantee anything."

"I can see your dilemma Councilor," Richards said back understandingly. "Councilor Tevos?"

"Despite the Kilrathi's actions over Illium, we will always strive for peace first," she explained back. "We will see how negotiations go tomorrow. The outcome will decide our future."

Richards was then turning to Councilor Valern before he caught himself, "I know where you stand, unless you've changed your mind?" he finished with a smile.

"No." was all the Salarian responded back.

"Alright then," Richards began as he rubbed his hands together. "We have one 'yes', two 'I don't knows', and one 'no'. Not bad, could have been worse. But a good Admiral always has a plan B, and here's mine. With the Turians backing us and the Confederation supplying them with new weapons and shields along with other things, that leaves just them being prepared in case the Reapers return. If Shepard is correct then this outcome is not ideal. I can still offer everything the Turians are getting to the rest of you even if you don't actively participate in the fighting, but on a number of conditions."

"Such conditions being…what exactly?" Anderson asked.

Richards replied back with a smile on his face, "You scratch my back and I scratch yours Councilor. Let's start talking about what the Confederation can get in return for giving you the ability to fight off the Reapers and stave off a galactic extinction."


Very early the next day…

Citadel Orbit

Task Force 54
TCS Jutland
Flight Control Center

"We are so screwed."

Colonel Blair stood firm with his arms crossed across his chest and his gaze never wavered from the images on the holo table, "You said that twice now Major. Either shut up or say something productive."

Major Marshall turned to him with rising agitation, "Okay, you want something productive? Let's get the hell out of here. Spin up the fleets engines and lets hit the space lanes."

Colonel Blair closed his eyes and took a breath, "Already discussed that too. Admiral Richards says we are staying, so we stay and get ourselves and the fleet as prepared as we can."

Marshall turned away from the table in disgust, curses flying under his breath. Only a moment later he turned around and came back, pointing aggressively at what was being displayed "You can't get prepared for that!"

Blair had finally had enough, "Maniac, I swear if you don't-"

"Colonel," Lieutenant Colonel Marks interrupted loud enough to break the two men up. When they were both focused on her she looked at Blair evenly, "Sir, the Major is right. This isn't something we can win."

He stared back at his Exec. Damn, you too? I needed your help to keep them in line…

She apparently knew that as well seeing as how Marks couldn't hold his gaze and her eyes fell back to the table. Blair looked to every pilot he had in the room and what he was seeing deeply disturbed him. Every one of them was thinking along the same lines as Marshall and Marks. Blair had brought the ranking pilots together as a show of camaraderie and to brainstorm a working plan. Clearly this current line of thought had to be stamped out fast. He decided on a new approach and took the reins for the rest of the meeting.

"Any Kilrathi ship can be destroyed with either enough firepower or a clever use of existing resources." Blair turned to the Major in charge of his remaining Longbow squadrons and asked, "How are we on the firepower?"

Out of all of the officers in the room, Major Ben Caldwell looked the least fazed by what he was seeing. He appeared to be studying the figures above the table with the coolly detached and analyzing mind of a veteran bomber pilot and Blair hoped by calling on him to answer first, his calm demeanor would rub off on the others.

The Major turned to face Blair and replied back steadily, "You have the ten Longbows of Green squadron still aboard. They were the only ones to survive our first engagement. Admiral Richards has provided another flight of bombers bringing our total up to twenty. We have enough bomber pilots aboard to launch all." He then gazed back to the largest figure being displayed, "Previous engagements reveal we will require the total twenty seconds required to achieve proper lock-on for our batch of Mark 3 torpedoes. Assuming all the bombers make it to this stage and launch at least half their torpedoes we will have a kill…or at least a severe beating. Stressing, if we get all our bombers to that stage."

"Forty torpedoes, you have got to be kidding me," Marshall said as he looked to Caldwell. "Right? That's a joke."

Caldwell shrugged in response, "I've seen them take over twenty confirmed hits and still have enough power to wipe out a battle group."

Blair quickly interrupted Marshall before the man could derail them again, "So if we get you in place, you can kill that thing?"

Caldwell just shrugged again, "I guess there is a first time for everything."

Blair looked back to everyone, "We'll there you go people we can kill it. Now we focus on getting our bombers in range."

"That's the tricky part though Colonel," Captain Winston Chang spoke up. Only two weeks prior the man of Chinese decent had been a Lieutenant flying one of the Hellcats escorting the Confed delegation down to Illium. Blair had promoted him to the Hellcat squadron leader because of his impressive record in combat along with his seasoned attitude and also because the previous captain had gone missing on his patrol; the same patrol that had a Collector ship in system when Blair investigated later. Blair was actually surprised that Chang hadn't been promoted earlier with his impressive but suspiciously empty file. It was one of the things he planned to dig into further when the opportunity arose.

Chang stretched his hand out and pointed to a length of the ship, "These decals right here. Can you enhance the image?" he asked turning to Marks.

Marks complied and typed a few keys on the table, allowing the ship's hull to be magnified and brought to new clarity. Chang looked it over once more before announcing, "That's what I was afraid of. This is the Vengeance. Those are blood red Kiranka clan symbols along the entire hull. We won't be getting any of our bombers near that thing."

"Never heard of it," Blair said as he looked to the other officers. "Anyone here faced that ship before?" No one but Chang acknowledged back. "Okay Captain you're our expert. What's the deal with this particular ship, what's so dangerous about it?"

"I wouldn't say I've actually faced it Colonel," Chang began explaining. "I was part of a light carrier group responding to a distress call in the Able system of Vega sector two years ago. The entire Confed battle group was wiped out by the time we got there and the KIS Vengeance of Vukar Tag was loitering in system. We got the hell out of there as soon as it spotted us. What makes this one so much more dangerous than the rest, is that the crew on that ship are avenging the disgrace we gave the royal family on and above the planet Vukar Tag. Her crew is handpicked by the Emperor and they are the best at what they do. That ship has a spotless record in combat; they have never been driven back and they would rather die fighting than even consider the notion of retreat."

"So their tough," Marshall interrupted, but Blair could see the man had a serious question so he let it slid, "All the cats now a days are fighting till their last breath. Why is this level of devotion any different?"

"It's because of who I said they serve and what they are avenging," Chang explained back. "They were picked by the Emperor himself, they are avenging the ruling clans disgrace and they have some of the best pilots Kiranka clan has produced and those pilots fly the best fighters the Kilrathi possess."

This day just gets better and better, Blair thought to himself as he rubbed his forehead, "How many are on board?"

Chang sighed, "At least a full flight of twelve. That's what intell has so far been able to confirm and track being launched off its deck."

The entire room let out one big moan and Marshall began cursing under his breath again before he turned back to Blair, "So just so we are all on the same page…We have a sizable Kilrathi fleet approaching. A fleet being led by one of the near invincible Hvar'kann-class dreadnoughts, being crewed by cats even more crazy than normal, and on that battle wagon we have a flight of twelve Bloodfang super fighters, the best fighters the Kilrathi possess, and those fighters are being flown by the best pilots to come out of the royal family. That about right Colonel?"

Well when you put it like that... "Yep that's the gist of things so far," Blair responded back. "Look, everyone just ignore the Bloodfangs for now. Hell, I took one of those fighters on when they were brand new and their specifications were still unknown, and I did it in the old F-44 Rapier. I'm still standing before you, and today we have something to match and even out preform them. The intentions of the Kilrathi fleet are still unknown to us so we could be worrying ourselves over nothing, but we all know it is better to be prepared than caught flat-footed."

Blair glanced back to the fleet being projected and then readjusted their arrival time to compensate for current fleet speed, "We have ten hours before the Kilrathi reach the Citadel, let's get a workable plan done by hour six at least. There was a restaurant on the presidium that has a burger and beer with my name on it. I'd prefer not to miss that date."

That got a chuckle out of the officers gathered and Blair was relieved to see they had a new look of determination on their faces. He hoped that it would be enough because Blair secretly agreed with Marshall from the start. If the Kilrathi arrived at the Citadel looking for a fight, Marshall was right, they were all screwed.


Five hours later…

Citadel
Presidium
Café that serves burgers and beer

After four hours of brainstorming ideas on how to effectively counter the Kilrathi armada approaching the Citadel, Blair had finally dismissed the officers to get some relaxation. He didn't want them focusing on the coming day so he had given them the next few hours off duty. For Blair though, his day wasn't over until he gave their report to Admiral Richards.

Once he had met up with the man on the Jutland's bridge he calmly gave out all available options he and his officers had come up with, and then tried once more to stress the fact that Task Force 54 was not in the best position to fight the incoming ships. Blair may have put on a brave face for his own officers but that's how the chain of command works. Complaints only go up, they never go down. Blair made sure Richards understood he was complaining very loudly about their chances.

True to his nature however the Admiral took everything Blair had brought to him and then calmly replied that he worried too much. The Admiral complimented Blair and his officers for coming up with the best tactical maneuvers he had seen in the last few years and then Richards stressed that Blair should go and get some relaxation himself. When Blair had tried to get an answer out of Rear Admiral Eisen, all Eisen could tell him was that Richards was a man who was a survivor and he wouldn't be staying if he didn't think they couldn't win. Besides that piece of advice Eisen admitted to being in the dark just as much as Blair.

So with five hours to go before the real fun started Blair decided he would travel to the presidium on the citadel and find that burger. The Council had granted the Confed task force the use of a private docking bay on the presidium and a regular shuttle route had already been established between the fleet and the Citadel. On the one condition that all personal stay on the presidium and not venture into the wards. The Council was trying to limit any chance of another Illium incident and had stressed that the only real safe place would be as close to C-Sec headquarters as they could get. For Blair, this was hardly any inconvenience at all and traveling by shuttle meant he wouldn't have to wear his bulky flight suit like he would have if he had traveled by fighter, and so far that he had seen, the presidium was more than large enough to likely to have something for him to eat.

Thanks to the helpful VI known as 'Avina' less than fifteen minutes off the shuttle he was already seated at a small café and eating his very juicy burger and washing it down with a beer imported from the Systems Alliance. He had to admit that while the brand names were different the beer still tasted the same; something that he wasn't sure gave him comfort or left him a little uneasy. After a few moments of thought on the subject he began to wonder if chicken tasted the same as well, when someone took the empty seat across from him at the small table and began eating one of his fries. Well if the fries are still the same and made from the same potatoes then chicken is basically guaranteed to be…wait a minute someone's eating my food, focus!

"You always mentally zone out like that when you're eating a meal?" the Spectre named Shepard asked him with an amused expression.

Mentally shaking himself, "You try traveling across half the galaxy and eating a meal at an alien run café. A meal that you could find back on Earth and that shouldn't exist this far out because your society has yet to even make contact with said aliens."

Finishing off the last of his fry, Shepard grabbed another, "Wow, that's deep. In answer to your question I did just have chicken on Illium before traveling back to the Citadel after the big battle."

Blair couldn't stop himself, "Does it taste the same everywhere in the galaxy no matter where it's raised?"

She tilted her head and looked deep in thought, "Well if you order the chicken bland then yes it always tastes the same. But I have to tell you that the Asari are always adding extra spices to everything. My meal was delicious and devoid of any original chicken flavor." She then looked down at his meal, "Now I have to ask you a question, how did you pay for this?"

Blair took a quick swig of his beer and motioned to the Asari waitress, "I was worried about the same thing but apparently the Citadel has already taken the Confed credit into their currency system thanks to the 'enterprising efforts' of a race called the Volus. When I offered my credit chit to her she just charged it and had it converted into your currency in less than ten minutes." He then looked around to the other patrons at the café, "Which ones are the Volus?"

Shepard shook her head, "There aren't any here. The Volus are the short, round ones you see walking around in those suits. They come from a high pressure world with a unique atmosphere requiring them to wear the suits or literally split open in our atmosphere."

"Wow, thanks for that image," he replied but still took another bite from his burger. His very juicy burger that could have been cooked by a Kilrathi for all he cared. I spend way too much time eating fleet food if this is how I get every time I'm off a carrier… "Can't be easy for a species with such a glaring physical weakness like that. How do they even fight?"

"You don't have to worry," Shepard explained back. "The Volus are a client race of the Turians. Anyone messes with them and they get crushed by the strongest military in the galaxy." Her face was filled with amusement as she continued, "And don't underestimate them in battle. Some are capable of biotic power that is near godlike."

"Uh huh," Blair said slowly as he put down his burger and wiped the grease off his fingers with a napkin. "So, what's up? To what do I owe the pleasure of having a Spectre join me for lunch?"

She grabbed another fry, eating slowly, "Two things. One is business and the other is personal. Which would you prefer first?"

"From the way you say 'business' I think we should get that out of the way," Blair said as he mentally prepared himself for whatever was about to occur.

"Alright, to business then," Shepard took a deep breath and began, "The Council is having a combined massive heart attack at what the Kilrathi have coming our way. Since that fleet arrived at Illium to get directions here, the entire galaxy is having a panic attack. In the past five hours alone over a twelfth of the total population of the Citadel has evacuated on the fears that the station won't be here in a few more hours. To make matters worse your Admiral Richards has refused to leave his fleet and help the Council try and prepare and calm the populace's fears. So this has left them scrambling to bring more ships into the Citadel defense fleet, which of course only causes more people to panic."

Colonel Blair had known this topic was going to come up as soon as he knew what was coming towards them as well. On the shuttle ride over from the fleet, he could see the amount of traffic around the Citadel and the numerous warships that were making their own way to their respective species fleets. Being one of the officers in on the Council meeting he knew that he ran the risk of being questioned as soon as he touched down on the presidium. Admiral Richards had also known this and had ordered Blair before he left the Jutland to tell the Council anything they wanted about the coming fleet. Blair wondered why the man wasn't doing that himself but he would carry out the Admirals orders. No matter how strange and unorthodox they may be.

Blair glanced around the café and turned back to Shepard, "Are you sure people are panicking?"

Shepard shook her head as she motioned to the area around them, "This is the presidium of the Citadel. Everyone here considers themselves to be of a different class and character from the general populace in the wards. You won't see them panicking until the arms are blown off," she turned to look at him and said seriously, "which isn't going to happen right?"

Blair shrugged and continued to eat, "I don't know what the Kilrathi's intentions are. What else did you want to know?"

Shepard looked at him unsatisfied with his answer and then activated her omni-tool, bringing a holographic image to life above the table between them, "What can you tell me about this monster coming towards us?"

He put down his burger and cleared his throat, "That is the KIS Vengeance of Vukar Tag, just one of the Kilrathi's Hvar'kann-class of dreadnoughts. That 22-kilometer long monster carries a combined strike craft compliment of 252 fighters and bombers. It has the heaviest shielding and armor that can rival any planetary defense battle station. The entire length of the ship is covered in anti-matter cannons and laser batteries, along with missile and torpedo tubes; making that one ship more than a match for a Confed battle group without even launching her fighters and bombers. First deployed ten years ago they serve as flagships for Kilrathi sector fleet admirals and the class leader is the flagship for Prince Thrakhath, supreme commander of all Kilrathi forces and heir to the throne of Emperor."

As he was speaking Blair watched Shepard for the traditional cursing and general worry that the Kilrathi dreadnoughts inspired in all Confed personal. He was completely caught off guard when her expression never changed and she merely nodded and digested the information he had provided her. She didn't even hesitate and asked her next question as soon as he had finished, "Sounds impressive. How do we kill it if we need to?"

Blair laughed out loud and said, "Well that is the question isn't it? The Kilrathi have about six or seven of those ships right now and they don't risk them needlessly, despite the sheer power they possess. Out of every engagement that a Hvar'kann has participated in, the Confederation has yet to destroy one of those vessels. And I can personally tell you it is not from a lack of trying, those ships are near indestructible."

Again he was impressed at Shepard's focus when she asked, "But you have beaten them right? I mean, you have driven them back and forced the Kilrathi to retreat in order to save the ship?"

Blair nodded sadly, looking back at her, "At great cost."

Shepard deactivated her tool and leaned back in her seat staring at him intently. Blair watched as she didn't say anything for a moment before stating, "You don't have the firepower to defeat that ship if they come here looking for a fight." It wasn't a question.

Blair leaned back in his own seat and looked back at her, "We have the forces to defeat the fleet accompanying it, and if it was traveling alone, we could most likely drive that ship back. Again, at great cost. But you're right. That ship, with that fleet, would easily defeat my own forces if they come looking for a fight. I could promise you over half the escorting ships destroyed, but once the Hvar'kann deploys her strike craft and moves in to engage, the fights over." He leaned forward and began finishing off his meal as he said, "But we could be worrying over nothing. The Kilrathi may be coming to simply negotiate like Vak said they would back on Illium."

Shepard just crossed her arms and huffed, "Yeah, like we are ever that lucky. I can't even count the number of times I've heard the phrase 'milk-run' used to describe a mission that turned out to be an utter mess."

Chuckling Blair had to agree, "I hear you. I've had numerous patrols in systems that were 'guaranteed' to have no cat presence that turned into full fleet actions by the end of the day. You would think briefing officers would be smart enough to not jinx the mission before it began." He then looked away in contemplation, "Come to think of it, I'm the one normally giving the briefings now a days. I've been sabotaging myself without even knowing it."

That got a laugh out of the two of them as the Asari waitress arrived to take away Blair's empty plate. He leaned back into his seat savoring the remainder of his beer before he remembered, "Was that the business portion of our meeting or do you have something else to ask?"

Sitting up straight once again Shepard replied, "No that was the main question. I hope you don't mind but my omni-tool was recording everything you said about that ship. I am going to be giving it to the Council later on. They just wanted to know how it was possible to build something that large." She rested her elbows on the table, leaning forward and continued; "Now I know why you guys weren't fazed when I mentioned the two-kilometer long Reaper. After fighting the Kilrathi and these ships I doubt anything startles you anymore."

At those words, Blair was reminded of his month before joining this current fleet. Back when he was running 'patrols' through Sol sector on the orders of Admiral Tolwyn. He sighed and looked down at the table, "You would think that after thirty odd years of war, but there is always something else being invented or built to alter the balance of power in our struggle. Take the Kilrathi deciding to simply destroy our worlds. The Confederation can only take that once or twice before responding…" As he trailed off he realized how dangerously close he was to talking about things no one in the Confederation or Kilrathi Empire was supposed to know. Let alone someone who was a special agent for an alien run Council.

He quickly drank down the rest of his beer and stood up ignoring Shepard's puzzled expression, "So you had a personal matter to discuss as well. I hope you don't mind if I feel like walking while we talk. I want to see more of this station before I leave."

"Sure. No problem," Shepard answered as the two of them walked out of the café and down one of the numerous pathways through the presidium's ring. "Don't you need to get back to your fleet anytime soon?"

"Nah," Blair responded as he looked down to the lake that apparently ran the entire length of the inner ring. "I have another two hours of leave and even then your taxi system works great. That's how I arrived at this café. Avina said it was one of the best."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Shepard apparently letting Blair just take in the sights around them. Eventually though, Blair spoke up, "So, anyways you had something to discuss?"

"Yeah that," she replied back, as she rubbed the back of her neck with her hand. She then stopped and leaned against the railing separating them from the lake, "Back in the Council chambers during our meeting you said that you believed my story on the Reapers. Not that I enjoy doubting you, but you're the only person in the galaxy who has just simply stated that you believe me." She looked him in the eye, and asked seriously, "From the way your Admiral was looking at me, somehow it convinced him too. I'd like to know the story behind why that is."

Blair could see just how important this was to the woman before him and he couldn't blame her for wanting to know. He knew the emotions that were most likely rolling around in that head of hers and Blair understood what it meant to find someone willing to listen. It also mattered that they truly understood and weren't simply giving out false pity. If anything that was worse than simple denial.

He walked over and leaned on the railing next to her, "My whole adult life has been spent fighting the Kilrathi. Over that time I've played a key role in a number of battles that greatly affected the war effort. I quickly made a name for myself as a person who could get things done and could kill a lot of cats along the way. I was stationed on the carrier TCS Tiger's Claw and our job was to destroy the Kilrathi's sector headquarters in the Enigma sector. By this time the Tiger's Claw and the pilots that flew off her deck were famous. We were one of the elite carriers in the fleet, nothing could stop us…"

Blair trailed off quietly as the memories began to flood back. All the friends he had made on that carrier and the number of lives they had saved in their careers. He hadn't been lying when he said he had played a major role in the war, the Tiger's Claw was the ship the Admirals called upon when failure wasn't an option. He forced the memories away and continued.

"It was on our way to the Kilrathi space station that tragedy struck. A number of patrols were flying ahead of our carrier scouting the path ahead. I was one of the fighters on close air patrol for the carrier itself. Everything was going smoothly and we had no enemy contacts ahead when the carrier was suddenly ambushed by fighters that seemed to come out of nowhere. In a way they did, these were the Kilrathi's Strakha stealth fighters. Most likely the very first time they had ever been deployed in the war. The fighters had quietly slipped past our long range patrols and directly engaged my flight and the carrier. Because of their numbers, they quickly began to kill my pilots attempting to defend the carrier. We fought hard but it wasn't enough. Shortly after the attack started the TCS Tiger's Claw was overwhelmed and destroyed. The Kilrathi fighters retreated their job done, and I was the only pilot guarding the carrier to survive. All my other pilots and the personal aboard the carrier had died, with the fighters on patrol returning to find nothing but debris and myself.

"After the battle and due to the actions of traitors sabotaging my flight recorder, there was no proof to support my claim of stealth fighters being responsible for the attack. I was convicted of negligence and labeled a coward by the Confederation brass. They sent me to guard a station in a backwater system of space away from the war, and that's where I stayed for nine years. Nine years of trying to convince others that I was telling the truth all along. Of course no one believed my story; they had even written a book about the incident called "The Treacherous Hero". Stayed on the best seller list for over a year."

He looked over to Shepard's shocked face, "Near the end I was to the point where I put a gun to my head every night and debated whether pulling the trigger was my only option. If it wasn't for a few people saying they believed my story I'm sure I would have blown my brains out." He let out a laugh as he reached the end of his story, "I would still be on that station if it wasn't for the fact I rescued another carrier under heavy attack by Kilrathi forces. That carrier was commanded by none other than the man who had convicted me in my trial. To this day he and I still butt heads and if it wasn't for the actions of that carriers wing commander, Admiral Tolwyn would have probably just left me to rot whether I saved his life or not. She convinced him to give me another chance. I owe her everything for the life I have now." He finished with a sad smile that was not lost on Shepard.

"Where is she now?" Shepard asked softly.

It took Blair a moment to answer; he was still trying to come to terms with it himself. "Dead. She went on a covert ops mission a few months ago, and from what she could tell me it wasn't going to be safe or easy. Seeing as how no one knew how the mass relays worked and if we could return, I contacted an old friend who ranked high enough to tell me what her mission status was. Whatever her assignment was, it is still so classified he couldn't tell me what she had attempted to do, but he did let me know she had died in the attempt."

Blair heard Shepard inhale sharply, "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright," Blair responded getting off the rail and walking forward a few steps. He didn't like it but he needed the moment to recompose himself. This wasn't about his feelings, he was supposed to be reassuring Shepard so she didn't end up feeling as low as he did.

He turned around to face her, "Everyone has lost someone in our war and I've lost friends before. This one is just a little fresh." He then looked Shepard in the eye and began, "I understand how hard it is to know that something is true and to try and warn others without success. It's a difficult burden to carry and one that will always leave its mark on those who experience it. Seeing you react in the meeting after Councilor Tevos admitted to trusting you was all the proof I needed to know that the Reapers are real and you are doing everything you can to try and halt their advance."

He took a step towards her chuckling, "Seeing as how I'm stuck fighting the Kilrathi, I would appreciate it if you didn't stop in your own fight to defeat the Reapers. I'd hate to finish one war and then be forced into another without any kind of shore leave in between. I can't even remember the last time I had a vacation on a beach."

Shepard laughed lightly along with him as they both turned and resumed their walk along the Citadel.

"Thanks for that," she said after a time.

It was a simple sentence but the tone behind it was understood.

"No problem," Blair replied.


Author's Note:The main plot is well entrenched. The sub-plots are digging in. Begin orbital bombardment!

From here on the pace begins to pick up, and things get more interesting. There has been a general lack of explosions the last few chapters. This must change!

Codex Entry:

Hvar'kann-class Dreadnought: Easily the largest warship in the Kilrathi armada, the Hvar'kann is a ship to be feared and respected. With it's numerous heavy cannons and laser batteries, added alongside multiple missile tubes and torpedo launchers, the dreadnought is capable of laying waste to enemy fleets alone. Boasting heavy shielding and armor these ships are almost invulnerable to any form of attack. The Hvar'kann dreadnought serves as the flagship for Kilrathi sector fleet admirals and the KIS Hvar'kann is Prince Thrakhath's personal flagship.
Length: 22 kilometers
Fighter Capacity: 252 fighters
Weapons: 24 anti-matter cannons, 38 laser turrets, 16 torpedo tubes, 12 missile tubes