Mass Effect: Shattered Skies
by Coross Legions
Chapter Ten: The Allied-Artithan War
Recap:
In the last cycle, the Protheans were in the middle of a Cold War with another rival species known as the Espheni. Several wars had broken out as the imperialist Protheans attempted to conquer the Espheni, but they all failed as their enemies had stronger naval technology and tactics. As such, the two races were faced with never-ending standoff, with neither side gaining any ground. Near the end of the cycle, the Reapers, also known as the Artificial Leviathans (Artithans), returned to the galaxy and began to harvest the Protheans. The Espheni built massive underground structures to hide their people in cryostasis before the Artithans turned upon their civilization as well.
For thousands of years, the Espheni waited until the Reapers left the galaxy once again. They rebuilt their empire in the shadows, keen on avoiding Mass Relays and the Citadel. The Espheni realized that the Artithans would return, and when they did, their people had to be ready. Espheni Jax, the new rising political party, took control of the surviving Espheni and began to propose new military strategies that resembled a modified version of the Prothean Empire. This included the subjugation and enslavement of inferior species using technology based on genetic engineering. Harnesses soon became common place in Espheni Jax. Several species, including the Skitters and the Rachni, became cannon fodder for their growing empire.
Fast forward to the Human-Espheni War. With the arrival of the Volm, the Resistance was able to make considerable gains on their enemies. Once the Espheni Defense Grid is neutralized, Resistance was able to liberate the entire former-United States region. The Espheni grew desperate, as they realized they had awoken a sleeping bear. They attempted to orbital bombard the planet with kinetic strikes (an attack which would have ended life on Earth), but the stealthed Volm ships in orbit were able to use themselves as shields and protect the planet. After the Resistance took control of the surface-to-orbit cannons, the Espheni were forced to back out of range or face the destruction of their fleet.
The Resistance, Volm, and Rebel Skitters, also known as Chimeras, formed the Earth Alliance as they sought to rid their planet of the remaining Espheni encampments. Using abandoned beamer hangars and mech outposts, the Alliance was outfitted with Espheni-level technology and was able to easily overwhelm the remaining hostiles. For years, humanity sought to increase the size of their fleet, intent on destroying the Espheni Fleet that was hanging out just outside of the maximum range of the orbital cannons. Before the Alliance could successfully destroy them, the Fleet left.
Now left with a fleet and nothing to attack with it, the Alliance sent several colonial expeditions to various planets in the Sol System. Mars, Neptune, Uranus. All of them became fortified military planets with civilians situated in eco-domes on the outskirts of the base. Hydrogen Mines, which supplied the Alliance fleet with fuel, were established on the gas giants of the solar system. With their territory expanded, the Alliance changed their name to the Systems Alliance.
Several years later, the Volm Migrant Fleet arrived in the Sol System to check on the scouts they had sent to aid in the human's war. When he found a full fledged civilization, they were in shock. The Systems Alliance took them in and repaired their ships. The Volm officially joined the Alliance as a member race on the grounds that humanity would aid them in the reclamation of their home planet from the Espheni. The Alliance agreed; however, the location of the Volm home world is lost to time, along with the Espheni home world.
In 2159, the Systems Alliance came into contact with a battle being fought between two races, one known and one unknown. The unknown fleet had attacked the other once it was discovered that they were opening the Mass Relay. Known as the Turian Hierarchy, they were actually fighting a losing battle against the other fleet: Espheni. The Alliance, having finally found their old foe, immediately joined the turians and was able to tip the scales in their favor. Following the destruction of the Espheni Fleet, the Systems Alliance entered diplomatic negotiations with the Turian Hierarchy and the Citadel Council.
Negotiations were held on the Citadel between Ambassador Adam Glass and the Council. Glass was accompanied by a security detail led by Captain Kyle Mason, who was currently a candidate for the Alliance Berserkers. During the negotiations, the Citadel came under attack by the Espheni, who sought to take control of the station and destroy it to prevent the Artithans access to the galaxy. The Alliance, who wanted to secure relations with their new allies, arrived on the scene and was able to hold off the Espheni Fleet. However, before the Alliance arrived, the Espheni deployed their ground forces: the Rachni.
Captain Mason joined up with C-Sec in an attempt to close the arms and eradicate the Rachni. He came into contact with Urdnot Wrex, who agreed to join the human to close the Citadel arms. Meanwhile, back at negotiations, Adam Glass convinced the Councilors that, with the return of the Rachni, the genophage needed to be cured. They agreed on the grounds that the Systems Alliance would join the Council in their war against the Espheni. Together, they formed the Allied Powers of the Citadel.
Wrex and Mason rallied with Spectre Saren Arterius, who was present at the Tower. However, Saren had been captured by an Espheni Overlord and harnessed, turning the turian into a mobile command center. Wrex disabled Saren while Mason fought the Overlord. When Mason was successful, Saren was released from his harness, but retained the strategic information from being directly harnessed to an Overlord. The three of them closed the arms while the Alliance Fleet wiped out the remaining Espheni in orbit.
Mason, for his service on the Citadel, was given access to the Berserkers, which essentially made him a Spectre in Alliance territory. His assignment was to join Urdnot Wrex and Saren Arterius as an Alliance representative while distributing the genophage cure. The peace on the Citadel, however, was short lived. It turns out that the Keepers are harnessed; not by the Espheni, but by the Artithans. When the Alliance learns of this, the Keepers go feral and viciously attack anyone who approaches them. The Citadel is enveloped in panic once again as Alliance Forces and C-Sec attempt to subdue the Keepers.
In Dark Space, Espheni War Scouts stumble across the sleeping Artithan Armada. They attempt to flee, but are too late; Sovereign, the Artithan Vanguard, had awoken. The Espheni were able to destroy several Artithans and severely damage Sovereign, but in the end were destroyed. All of the Artithans have awoken following the discovery that several civilizations have steered away from the selected path. They set out to obliterate the Espheni civilization, as they realize the galaxy at large will do nothing to protect them.
Wrex successfully unites the clans into a single Krogan Imperium, which strikes fear into the Council. However, the Imperium publicly alligns its goals with that of the Systems Alliance, stating that unified galaxy is better than a divided one. Back on the Citadel, the Alliance successfully captures a Keeper and removes the harness. The Keeper explains that the Espheni didn't harness them; the Leviathans did. When the Artithans wiped out the Leviathans, their similar genetic coding allowed them to take control of the Keepers. Before the Keeper could warn them of the Citadel and its purpose, the Artithans assumed direct control, forcing the Alliance to kill him.
During a planned negotiation between the Alliance and the Quarian Migrant Fleet, damaged Espheni ships arrive in the solar system. They raise a white flag, and the Alliance takes them into custody. They explain that the Artithans were able to manipulate the harnesses, turning their slave labor force against them. As the Espheni Empire crumbled from the inside out, the Artithans were able to easily wipe out their fleets. To put it simply: they needed the Allied Powers help. The following conditions are reached: The Allied Powers will, once the Artithans are dealt with, quarantine the Espheni homeworld until they are deemed no longer a threat, as well as all former Volm territory will be returned to their rightful owners. The Espheni reluctantly agree.
Captain Mason, as a Berserker, is entitled to a 'support team' as well as a small vessel. He chooses Saren as his first crew member, then sets his eyes on another: Garrus Vakarian. Following the Keeper Crisis, the Citadel has largely been abandoned. The station itself is being contested by the Allied Powers as well as Artithan-controlled Keepers. Garrus has been leading the C-Sec remnants with the Allied Powers and is an amazing marksmen. Meanwhile, back at Earth, the Systems Alliance has nearly finished the Crucible Project. A massive space station, the Crucible will be a station designed to train the bulk of the Alliance forces. Project HAMMER and Project SPYGLASS are put into effect as well, designed to create powerful super soldiers and unfallible tacticians.
And now:
The Allied-Artithan War
Admiral James Weaver never thought he'd see the day where Alliance ships were working along side with the Espheni. In fact, he had half a mind to shoot them down right now. And, according to the communication link he shared with the other officers within his fleet, they had the same idea floating around their head as well. "Keep a tight formation, everyone. We're leaving warp in ten."
Be prepared for resistance, Admiral. The Artithans were able to wipe out our main defense before the people on our home world even knew they were under attack, the Espheni Admiral said as we exited warp space. Following the cease fire negotiations, the remaining Espheni fleets were divided up into small combat teams. Each combat team had an overwhelming amount of humans present to ensure that their new 'allies' didn't suddenly turn on them.
"Weapons ready!" Weaver shouted, ignoring the fish head speaking in his head. Suddenly, real space opened up before him. A planet with several massive satellites, presumably Espheni outpost stations, exploded into his view.
"Bless the spirits..." Weaver heard a Volm captain mutter over the communication link. "It's just as beautiful as the stories described..." Several of the other Volm officers aboard the Alliance ships crowded around every available window to get a good look at the planet.
So sentimental... whispered the Espheni admiral.
"So, Cochise... how does it feel to be home?" Weaver asked the blue AI as it gazed out of the cockpit. "We told you we would get you here. Humanity upholds its promises."
"Admiral, the Volm have long been cowering in fear. We lost our home. We lost our loved ones. Now, we have the strength fight once again. We knew that, in picking humanity as an ally, that we would once again see our home," Cochise replied. "This is the greatest gift we could have received. We are eternally in your debt."
"I think we can call it even, Cochise," Admiral Weaver replied with a laugh. "Anyway, it isn't yours yet. From what our... Espheni friends have told us, the planet itself was defended by an Espheni War Fleet before the Artithans attacked. Apparently, they feared we would discover its location and wage war for it."
"Their fears were correct, then," Cochise replied sternly.
"Indeed. However, the Fleet left to reinforce on the Artithan front, leaving this place without a military presence. According to the Espheni Admiral we currently have with us, a three way war is being fought on the surface of the planet," Weaver said, causing the AI to look at him questioningly. "That's how I reacted as well. It turns out, harnessing a beaten population is a waste of money. There are still Volm down there. Without harnesses."
"Impossible..."
"They're down there, Cochise. Fighting for their freedom, just as we were over a century ago. Meanwhile, Artithan insurgents have infiltrated the planet and have indoctrinated a large amount of Espheni. In the panic of the Espheni Civil War that has broken out, the Volm slaves have revolted," Weaver explained carefully. "In other words, we have a planet to save."
Freeing them would prove unwise, human, the Espheni whispered in his mind. They have been enslaved for so long... its all they know. The only worth they have is cannon fodder.
"Isn't that what got you into this mess in the first place, fish head?" Weaver muttered back harshly. When no reply came, a small grin spread across his face. "Alright then. Your orders have been sent! Eliminate the indoctrinated Espheni presence! Free the Volm slaves! Liberate the planet!"
"FOR THE ALLIANCE!"
"Scoped and dropped," the turian muttered under his breath. Fifty meters away, the lifeless shell of a Keeper dropped in the streets. The other two Keepers with him immediately fled into nearby abandoned buildings.
"Good shot, Vakarian," praised newly-appointed Executor Palin. "Keep them divided."
"Yes, sir." Another several shots rang through the streets as Garrus provided suppressing fire. The Keepers, being as stupid as they are, chose to hide separately. Two C-Sec strike teams approached the buildings they were in while Garrus ensured that the Keepers couldn't flee. The strike teams kicked open the doors, and Garrus could just barely hear the squeals of the Keepers over the sound of assault rifle fire. "Street secured, sir."
"Understood. Kithoi Ward is still heavily infested. Take the transit over there, and await further orders," Palin said.
"But, sir, our orders are to retake the Presidium before-"
"I understand that, Vakarian, but we need to ensure that the other wards don't get overwhelmed as well. From what I can tell, the Keepers on the Kithoi Ward are massing for an offensive. You're our best guy. I want you over there yesterday. Understood?"
"Yes, sir."
"Incoming Alliance Transport!" shouted one of the other officers on duty. "We scheduled for a supply drop, Executor?"
"Not for another three days. Let me take care of this." The transport slowly came to a stop, and two figures walked out of it. One of them was a heavily armored human with massive guns. The other, however, was a turian whose face had been plastered all over the Hierarchy. Saren Arterius.
Palin walked up to the Spectre and saluted before shaking the human's hand. Apparently, Palin knows these guys. Garrus could see the three of them talking, but he was too far to hear anything. The human appeared to say something that made Palin pissed, because Garrus could see the Executor's talons clench into a fist. After a moment of intense arguing, Palin put a talon on his temple in frustration. He then pulled out his radio.
"Vakarian, I need you over here ASAP." Shit, Garrus thought in his head. What did he do? What does this human and Saren want with him? The C-Sec officer jogged over to where the three men were standing, and saluted the Spectre just as Palin had.
"Reporting, sir."
"This is Captain Mason and Saren Arterius. They helped reclaim the Citadel from the Rachni back during the Espheni attack. They're... you tell him," Palin grumbled.
"We're forming a task force," the human said as his gaze turned to Garrus. "With the Allied-Artithan War in full swing, the Alliance has tasked me with gathering a team of the best. The best of the best. You have caught their eye as a marksmen."
Garrus was shocked. He knew he was a crackshot and could hit pretty much any target put in front of him, but working with a Spectre and a human? Seemed a little overkill to him. "What would this task force do?"
"We need to find a way to defeat the Artithans without conventional weaponry," Mason answered. "While the Allied Powers are confident in their ability to at the very least repel the Artithans, we don't know their true power. We need to find out what we're up against."
Garrus looked between the human and Palin intently. "I can't leave. Without me, the Kithoi Ward will fall to the Keepers. We're understaffed and undersupplied." Palin appeared to let out a deep breath, as if he was fearing the worst.
"Then we'll clean out what we can before we leave," Saren replied, causing Palin's sigh of relief to once again revert to a frustrated glare.
"You're two men versus the thousands of Keepers that used to maintain the Kithoi Ward alone. What is that going to do?" Garrus asked, skeptical.
"Why don't you ask Palin? He was the one who told us to close the Citadel Arms," Mason replied with a grin. Garrus looked back at the Executor, who had put his face in the palm of his talons in annoyance.
"Executor?"
"They had a krogan with them!" Palin exclaimed, causing Mason to burst out in laughter. Saren looked amused, but not so much as his human counterpart.
"And that krogan bailed on us. Something about 'leading the Imperium,'" Saren replied with a small chuckle. Garrus' eyes grew wide when he realized that he was referring to Consul Wrex, the leader of the new Krogan Imperium.
"We'll clear out the Kithoi Ward in a couple of hours," Mason said as soon as he had finished his fit of laughter. "Then I want you on my team. If I have to find another marksmen, I'm not going to be a happy camper." All three turians looked at him with confused expressions. "Damn cultural barriers... I'm going to be more pissed than a Krogan with Scale Itch?"
"You've been reading the codex I gave you," Saren said with a laugh. "That makes one of us. You humans still confuse the shit out of me."
"You two are crazy," Garrus muttered under his breath.
"You kind of have to be in this line of work," Mason replied nonchalantly. "So, what's the answer, Vakarian? Are you going to be here, cleaning up Keeper shit for the rest of your life? Or are you going to join us and make a difference?"
Garrus once again looked between the amused human and the pissed off executor. On one hand, the Citadel was still infested with the Artithan vermin. On the other, it wasn't a hotzone; the Allied Powers had shut down the massive Mass Relay inside once they found the controls.
"I'm in," Garrus said before he could stop himself. Mason nodded in respect, and turned to Palin. "After we clear the Kithoi Ward," he added.
"Damn. Thought we could get out of that..." Mason muttered. "Fine. We'll move to the ward and help C-Sec clear them out. Then, we need to go to Omega."
"Omega? Why there?" Garrus asked.
"Besides all of the booze, stripers, and drugs?" Mason asked with a laugh. "A representative. Allied Power command said that this was top priority."
"A representative for whom?" Palin asked.
"If I told you, you wouldn't believe me. C'mon, we're wasting time. I'd rather not keep him waiting."
Admiral Carter Grant was tired. He was tired of war. He was tired of politics. But, most of all, he was tired of commendations. He had a huge pile of the damn medals from the Alliance for, "securing a peaceful future between two powerful civilizations." It was down right stupid. All he did was not fire on another unknown race. Who would be stupid enough to do that?
"Admiral, sir," said the Tom Mason AI as it popped up on the deck. "It appears as if a large cluster of energy signatures are approaching the Mass Relay we have been stationed at. However, they have not spotted us yet. Orders?"
"Maintain formation. Start scanning the ships," Grant ordered.
"Ships identified: twelve Artithan Capital-Class vessels are on approach vector."
"All weapons, prepare to fire!" Grant shouted. This was it. This was the point in which the Allied Powers would know whether or not they were going to be fighting a losing, defensive war, or a winning offensive war. And it all weighed on Grant.
"The vessels have spotted us and changed their approach. Their weapons are powering," Tom Mason notified.
"As soon as they are within range, open fire!" Grant exclaimed. Brilliant streaks of red were fired from the Artithan Ships, and similar blue energy beams exploded out of the Allied Powers ships. Several turian and asari vessels were present, equipped with adamantium hulls and improved weapons. However, human technician teams were aboard to guide them on their new armaments. The bulk of the Council fleets were still being outfitted with new tech.
The first casualty was on the Allied Powers side. The beam struck the hull of the SSV Chimeran Redemption and caused a breach in the lower deck. However, moments later, several blue energy beams severed the tentacle-like limbs of an Artithan, disabling their missile defense systems.
"Fire the torpedos!" Grant ordered, and sure enough, several missiles streaked across the void. The massive ship tried to outmaneuver them, but failed to do so in a timely fashion. The torpedos landed and tore the hull into pieces. The first kill.
Before anyone could cheer as the vessel broke apart into debris, a massive shadow overcame the Allied Fleet. This ship, like the other Artithans, was enormous. However, at the same time, it dwarfed its friendly counterparts. And, to make matters worse, it talked.
I AM THE HARBINGER OF YOUR DESTRUCTION, it bellowed. YOU FOOLISHLY ATTEMPT TO STOP THE INEVITABLE. YOUR DEMISE HAS BEEN PREDETERMINED. THE UNIVERSE BENDS TO MY WILL.
"Focus fire on the big target!" Grant ordered. "I want that thing a pile of ash by the time we're through with it!"
YOU CANNOT STAND UP TO THE MIGHT OF HARBINGER. I AM ETERNAL. THIS DELAY IS-
"FIRE EVERYTHING! NOW!"
All forms of weapons soared through the void towards the enormous form of Harbinger – missiles, torpedos, lasers, kinetic slugs... The amount of firepower shot from the Allied Fleet was enough to scorch Earth three hundred and forty nine times over. No known material can stand up to the sheer firepower being expelled from the cannons of the fleet. And, as they soared across the great dark, everything was silent. No one moved. No one breathed. No one blinked. The impact resulted in a brilliant light that blinded everyone aboard the ships temporarily. Admiral Carter Grant could only hear one thing underneath the sound of the mighty explosion.
WE... ARE... LIMitless...
A/N: I'MMMM BAAACCKKKK! Haha! Who didn't think I'd finish it? *Raises hand* Well, I'm hoping you are all pleasantly surprised by this! A few things I want to note before I finish this off. Number one, I changed a few details to make this work. I know that Garrus is probably like ten in 2159, and certainly isn't in C-Sec. So I just bumped the Vakarian-lineage down a bit. Because Garrus is a god damn beast.
Number two... that plot twist? Harbinger?! Dead!? But, he's like, eternal and stuff! Said so himself! Well, sorry kiddies, but Harbinger is about as dead as dead gets. I promise. Totally not going to bring him back or anything.
Number three! And last one! I started a new story! It's actually what got me goin on FanFiction again. Who hear has watched Breaking Bad? If you raised your hand, good for you. If you didn't, shame on you. No cookie for you. Well, the story I started is called Breaking Zero. It's about an ex C-Sec detective gone rogue, teaming up with an odd turian chemist (turians can be smart?!) to sell Red Sand! It's pretty cool, I think. And don't worry, if you haven't seen the show, you can still read it and understand it. And for those of you watching the show and don't want spoilers, it's clear too. It's all inspiration, no crossover nonsense.
Anyway, that's about it! Looks like we're all out of time! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Release schedule is every Monday or whenever I decide to put out another chapter (that's if I decide to put one out earlier, not later.) It will alternate between Breaking Zero and Shattered Skies. So that means next week is BZ, and the week after that is SS. Got it? Cool. Coross OUT!