A/N: Gah! Yes! I know, Star Wars has the Force. That was a minecraft brain lapse folks, sorry. And here we go, new chapter, I hope everyone enjoys.
GNN News Broadcast, November 24th 2157
The image of Macedyn Spaceport with the massive Systems Alliance Banner fluttering from the primary control tower was one that had become familiar to many in Alliance High Command after constant reports from the ground combat that had been raging across Macedyn for days. But for the average citizen of the Alliance, all they knew about the fighting against the Turians were reports coming in from Shanxi, and the press release from High Command that the Alliance Military had taken the offensive against the Turian invaders. Right now, the sight of Ca Jen-rah, the most popular news anchor-female on the Galactic News Network, standing with the Turian tower and it's Alliance banner flying was a moment that had most people glued to their holos. The Aslan woman was wearing body armor and a helmet and had several light infantryman in attendance, but it was plain to see that those efforts were more for caution's sake rather than necessity.
"Systems Alliance General Kyle Obert reports that all hostile resistance on the Turian world of Macedyn has ended. After twelve days of high intensity conflict across the surface of the hostile world, the planetary Governor surrendered all forces to Obert and ordered the population to capitulate. He and Fleet Admiral Yarazh have considered Operation Lightning Hammer, the invasion of Macedyn and two other Turian systems to be a complete success for First Fleet and the Marine and Army ground forces that undertook the landings. As you can see behind me, the Alliance Military is not shy about showing just how triumphant it's forces have been." Ca said, raising a hand and gesturing at the large banner fluttering in the breeze, before panning over towards several large troop transports that were offloading AFVs and APCs along with marching ground forces. Ca looked back to the camera before speaking again.
"The Invasion began almost two weeks ago with the First fleet mobilizing out of Shanxi and invading through the Mass Relay system to strike at Macedyn. While token forces took two other systems from the Turians, the bulk of the Marine and Army forces landed here, on Macedyn. In combination with Airborne jumps and Marine meteoric entry forces, nearly the entirety of the Turian Hierarchy's ground forces were engaged in the first hour on planet. Follow up drops on the main spaceports left the defending troops with little hope as massive numbers of infantry and armor poured planeside. It's hard to doubt the fact that our forces faced a grim task, and went through heavy losses in taking their objectives. Turian opposition was fierce, but in the end, futile. And now, Macedyn, formerly of the Turian Hierarchy, has a Systems Alliance occupation force in place, and an Alliance fleet overhead. Without a doubt, the Turians have been dealt a major blow for their assault on Shanxi. As for the next step? High command is rather tight lipped about that, but after this victory, we can only expect the Turian Hierarchy to view the Systems Alliance with fear and much more respect than when they reached Shanxi. This is Ca Jen-rah of GNN on Macedyn."
Military Research Station FrostKnight, November 24th 2157
Julian Illius was not a happy Turian. After he and his unit had surrendered on Shanxi to the Humans at Admiral Varkus's command, they had done as ordered, stacking their weapons and being taken prisoner by the humans who'd treated them properly. A surprise for most of the troops who had expected these humans to try and eat them if they'd surrendered. But for the most part, the humans had been exemplary in their treatment of prisoners. Compared to how Krogan would have treated them…it was as though they were in a resort. They had food, for the most part, their rations…but the human had been providing them with synthetic nutrients and food pastes that they'd synthesized for dextro-protien based diets. It was a surprisingly generous gesture by the humans. But that just made most of the POWs suspicions of what was going to happen. But nothing bad had happened, no executions…except of course the general propaganda being given to the POWs that the humans had taken Admiral Varkus captive and planned to put him on trial for war crimes…that was ludicrous. He was a commander and a member of the Citadel Peacekeeping forces. The humans had no authority to do such a thing…
But then, that wasn't true…was it? They were the victors…and they weren't just human. The Turians hadn't been briefed on the fact that there were four species in the Systems Alliance. The vicious looking Vargr and Aslan, the strange Vegans, and the Humans. All allied and working together as a unified force, much like the Citadel Species, but on a smaller scale. Julian was shocked, a lot of things that they'd been told by their commanders had been wrong, from the way that the humans -Alliance!- would treat them, to the ability of them to actively resist their invasion of Shanxi…not to mention their technology and military ability…but that had all fallen by the wayside after spending a week in a fenced in perimeter outside of Shanxi's capital city. A group of Alliance troopers had marched into the compound and grabbed thirty Turian soldiers, marching them out. Each of the prisoners were scanned as they marched into a human transport ship and moved into holding cells.
Julian had heard something that one of the camp guards had been told to 'mark them KIA'. He didn't know what that meant, he wasn't familiar enough with the Alliance language and they didn't offer him any kind of translator, so he was in the dark…and he was completely alone. Each of the thirty troopers that had been grabbed and placed in separate sealed cells. None of them could communicate with any others. It was a striking difference to the way the Alliance had treated their prisoners before this. Julian had laid on the cot on one side of the small cell and tried to sleep, feeling a tingling discomfort in his head as he lay there, not sure just what was happening…but not liking the feel of it. He'd slept for hours, the monotony of his time in isolation not broken by the slightest outside influence, not even a guard checking on him. Either they were sure he wasn't going anywhere, or they didn't think he'd try anything. They were right on the first, but not the second. Julian had made an effort at examining the door, but there was no feature he could exploit to escape. So Julian slept.
He didn't know how long he was locked in the cell…all he knew was that after what seemed like a day, the hatch opened and a pair of soldiers were there. Both of them wore the combat armor he'd seen numerous times on Shanxi being worn by human troops, but these two wore matte black, and held their weapons aimed at him. Julian nodded and stood up, keeping his hands in the open. Somehow, both of these humans seemed much more aggressive and prone to kill him than those guarding him on Shanxi. He cautiously rose and walking into the corridor. The guards gestured and he marched off the ship into a massive hangar. Looking up, Julian could see a large overhead hatch closing and see snow drifting down from the gap. Before Julian could think about that for more than a moment, he was roughly shoved along by one of the black armored guards, this one a Vargr if his armor's helmet and leg structure were any indication. Julian nodded and walked along across the large hanger, forcing himself not to shiver in the cold air. He could see his breath…that made him blink…he'd never seen his breath before Palaven was too hot… But he didn't have time to think about that as he was loaded onto a large elevator with the other prisoners, black armored guards surrounding them.
"Where are we?" One of the other prisoners asked in a low voice, but before Julian could say he didn't know, one of the guards raised his rifle and pointed it at the other soldier's face.
"Talk again, and you die." Was the short command in Turian, and the other POW could only nod in agreement, accepting the rather heavy handed treatment in stride. There wasn't much that he could do. He was on an Alliance world, cut off, and being kept as a prisoner by a group who didn't care if he lived or died. He kept his mouth shut and followed the rest of the POWs as they were herded out of the elevator and escorted by the black armored guards through security checkpoints and airlocks, deep into the heart of the facility. Julian looked around trying to take in everything he could, but the labels on the walls were in some language he couldn't translate, and there were very few points of reference that he could safely consider to be universal. Just about the only one he thought to be universally bad was the one with what looked like a human skull over a pair of bones…that one was showing up a lot.
Julian and the rest of the prisoners were escorted through a final checkpoint and into a long cell block, patrolled by more Alliance soldiers in black armor with weapons. Each prisoner was moved into an individual cell and locked in. Julian examined the walls of his cell and saw no window, nothing but a bed, a sink and a lavatory…it was a depressingly empty room, and he was trapped. Of course, like any soldier, he had a duty to try and escape…but trying and succeeding were two very different things. Instead of trying to claw his way out of an armored cell, he just laid down on the bed and tried to sleep. Although he didn't actually get the chance to sleep for very long though, he was awakened by two more of the black armored soldiers opening the door without warning and gesturing for him to come with them. Julian stood up and marched along, following one, leading the other. The Alliance troopers didn't expect much trouble from him, and for the moment Julian wasn't about to provide it as he was marched onto another elevator and brought to a different section of the base. Although this one was less utilitarian and military oriented than the cell block he'd been interred in. This felt more luxurious…more…comfortable. As if the people here weren't soldiers, but civilians. Before Julian could examine things too much, he was led into a small room that was filled with strange holo displays and equipment arrayed around a central reclining chair that seemed to have been built for Turian physiology. The pair of guards gestured to the chair and Julian laid down on it. Before he could ask what was going on, restraints were snapped across his chest, neck, wrists and legs…leaving him with few options but outrage…ignoring the admonishment earlier to keep quiet he spoke up.
"What is this? I'm a prisoner of war, what is the meaning of this outrage!" Julian shouted, reflexively working the restraints, but not shifting them. He struggled for a moment, beginning to feel more than a little panicked. What the hell did these creatures have planned for him? Clearly he wasn't a POW anymore…they were doing something that was far beyond the rules of war. If the Council found out about this…
…the Council wasn't going to find out about it. These people weren't stupid enough to let him go after this.
"Do calm down soldier. We're not here to do anything untoward. Actually, I was just hoping to ask you a few questions." Came a voice from elsewhere in the room. Julian couldn't see anyone speaking, but the voice was clear, and in perfect Turian….
…too perfect Turian. There was no Accent whatsoever in the voice, and it was certain that there would be some kind of accent…something that didn't sound right…but instead it sounded like the kind of pleasant, refined Turian voice that you saw on shows on the net…devoid of anything…
"Who are you?" Julian asked aloud, his eyes darting around wildly. A soft laugh came from somewhere in the room. At the edge of his vision an indistinct figure stood wearing a white jacket. Though the Turian wasn't exactly well versed in the differences between male and female human but Julian supposed that this had to be a female from the voice and slighter build.
"I'm Doctor Raven. According to the information, you're the equivalent of a Corporal and your name is Julian, am I right?" The female asked, walking up next to the chair that Julian was strapped to. She leaned close to him, her green eyes and unlined face examining him closely. She didn't say anything and Julian remained silent, merely glaring up at her for a few long moments. The human female shrugged and turned as another human walked into the room carrying a tray…no…it wasn't a human, it was shaped like one though…Julian fought at the restraints to try and get a better look at what had just entered the chamber. For a moment, he thought it was someone wearing body armor with clothing over it…but as he looked, the head was too small for it to be a full helmet. And he noticed that the creature only wore a while jacket like the human female.
The head was dull metal in finish, it looked like a very gaunt human…almost like it was a metallic skull of a human, he'd seen those back on Shanxi and it seemed like an apt comparison…but as Julian blinked hard and the figure moved, he saw that it only had a rudimentary head shape when set next to a human…two eyes, a small…'mouth' for lack of a better term, and that was it. The Turian soldier couldn't help but feel that although the creature looked like a construct, like a robot, it moved like it were alive.
"Doctor, I have the necessary doses of Trance ready for the patient. We ran a biological calculation on him and we don't feel that the Detro-protien base of his cellular structure is of concern with the drugs affects." The construct said, lifting the tray for the human female. She turned and nodded, lifting an injector off of the tray the construct held and examine the glowing green fluid in the container.
"What are you doing to me?" Julian said sharply struggling against his restraints with more fury than ever before as the female shifted the injector in her hand. The metallic formed construct turned and looked down at him on the chair, it's head tilting to the side and examining his efforts to free himself. Julian couldn't help but feel like a lab animal struggling in front of a researcher…and he was.
"Will there be any conflict with the Hemocyanin in the patient's blood, Doctor Heka?" The female, Doctor Raven, asked looking at the injector and tapping the vial idly. The construct looked up and shook it's head awkwardly.
"No Doctor. We've run the simulations numerous times and on a cellular level, there is no lethal interaction for the drug, physiologically, we cannot be sure until we test it on a subject with an intact nervous system." Dr Heka said. Raven nodded and lowered the injector to Julian's throat, pressing it against his main artery. The Turian struggled in vain against his restraints as he felt the injector hiss against his skin and a soft coldness flood into his body. He grunted in shock as the cold sensation spread up his neck and seemed to seep into his brain. He blinked hard, trying to shake his head, but he couldn't. For a few long moments, nothing happened, merely the background noise of the female human breathing and looking at displays, while the construct stood silent and immobile. Then…ever so slowly, Julian began to feel his body tingle. It was subtle at first, spreading from the tips of his feet and fingertips inwards. Up his legs and down his arms, to his body, up his back and through his chest, up to his throat. His whole body seemed to tingle slightly and softly, it was maddening for a few moments, but slowly fell to a background sensation as the coldness in his brain got stronger and stronger. Julian began blinking and breathing heavily, almost gasping for breath.
"Relax Julian. We didn't poison you, we didn't do anything that could harm you. We have no intention of killing you soldier. Just relax, we are honestly only going to ask you questions. Even if you refuse to answer, there won't be any repercussions. Just questions you don't have to answer. Alright? So relax. We've used this drug countless times. It's not a truth serum, it's not a narcotic. Just calm yourself." Julian heard the human female say calmly and reasonably. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath…it sounded believable, it sounded honest, and he did feel much calmer. His breathing slowed down and he tried to nod.
"Alright…alright…ask your questions." Julian said.
"Brainwave activity shows no reaction." The construct said. Julian looked over as much as he could and wondered what that meant. Before he could open his mouth to ask, he felt the urge to ignore it…and turned back to look up at the ceiling.
"Good. Now, tell me Julian. Where are you from?" Dr. Raven asked…but her voice sounded…off…it was different somehow. It didn't seem to be coming in clearly. Instead, it was muffled….strange.
"Palaven. It's our homeworld." Julian said, but resisted telling anything else. The humans…no, the Alliance didn't need to hear about just where Palaven was, even if their chances of getting there were less likely than him escaping from here.
"Brainwaves spiking over location of Palaven." The construct, Dr. Heka said aloud. It's voice sounded normal.
"Interesting…you don't want to tell us where it is, and that's alright." Dr Raven's voice said. Julian nodded against his restraints involuntarily.
"No, you don't need to know…wait…" Julian paused…he hadn't said that…had he? No…he'd though it though…but…how…
"Easy Julian. You don't need to be thinking about that too hard." Dr. Raven said pointedly. Julian started to obey, but his eyes shot open and looked over at the female human doctor. Something was wrong here…something was very wrong. The tingling in his body was still there, but his brain felt colder than ever…and something about her voice…something was wrong with her voice…but just what was it?
"What are you doing to me?" He asked.
"Asking questions Julian. Tell me about your people." Raven asked in response, but she didn't ask it with words. The voice was inside his brain.
"What are you doing!" He practically shouted.
"Brain waves are peaking within acceptable limits, vital signs are fluctuating." The construct supplied. Dr Raven looked up and then back down at Julian.
"Within acceptable limits?" She asked aloud this time, not inside his brain.
"Yes." The construct supplied.
"Then we can continue. Julian, tell me about your people…how do you view yourselves in the universe?" Raven asked, this time, the only chance to her face was the smile on it…but it was not a warm and comforting smile, it was a dangerous one…a smile of a researcher who was learning…and didn't care about the subject of her study beyond the information she could garner from him.
"What…what are you doing?" Julian asked once more, nervous at the sight of the smile.
"I'm learning about you…I'm learning about how you think…I'm learning what your brain feels like. I'm learning how to listen, how to interact, how to read your thoughts. It's a useful talent that is exhibited in the species of the Alliance. We don't know if your Council races even understand Psionics…of course, you have Biotics…but that's not the same. So we want to learn about how your minds work…how you think, how you reason, how you feel." Dr. Raven said.
"You're…reading my mind?" Julian asked nervously, flinching at the thought of this human probing his mind.
"Yes and no Julian. I can't probe your mind and strip you of thoughts and feelings. I'm not that powerful…well, I'm powerful enough…Drazzic found that out…" She said idly…but then focused back on Julian with her 'thought speech', "…but the beauty of this is that I can simply think to you, and you understand, you speak and you think, and I understand. But now it's difficult. Your thoughts are alien, different, unlike a Humans…or a Vegan's or Aslan's or Vargr's. You're a Turian…so I need to ask questions." She thought to him with a smile. Julian felt his very heart shiver at that smile.
"Yes…I'm different from you, alien." Julian growled up at the doctor, trying to counteract the very chilling sensation of fear that was creeping into him. He shook slightly, almost pure terror gripping him as he looked up into that female human's eyes.
"Doctor, brainwaves register elevated endocrine levels and neurochemical indicators corresponding to fear. Vital signs are elevating rapidly." The construct said simply….and as suddenly as the fear appeared in his heart, it vanished. He felt calm again. Julian blinked and felt a shock of rage course through him that he had no doubt was purely his own. Somehow, that human had managed to manipulate his mind, she instilled fear in him, manipulated him…toyed with him.
"Very good Julian, you picked up on that quickly. So your kind does feel fear like humans do. That's good to know. Now…let us continue with the questions, shall we? Unless you want to experience that all over again, for much longer…" Doctor Raven said with that dreadful smile once more.
The Turian was removed from the room after four hours of probing and a follow up dose of Trance for Doctor Raven to continue her questioning. The Turian had been exhausted by the repeated probing of his mind by the Doctor, and she had experienced a similar degree of exhaustion. Trance worked to make a mind more susceptible to psionic interference, but an alien mind was always difficult to delve into. The doctor leaned against the instrument holder heavily as Dr. Heka catalogued the data that had been gathered. While the point of the exercise had been to ask questions, it hadn't been concerned with a search for answers. No…the objective had been for Doctor Raven to learn more about these creatures, how their minds worked, so that the psionics in the Systems Alliance could carry out their own activities….it was not an easy task.
For over two centuries on earth, Psi powers had been researched by major world governments. The old United States, Russia, China, South Africa and others had all delved into the science of the mind. The examples of mental powers manifested across the history of the human race, sometimes in the form of prophets an sooth sayers, others as magicians and mages…but until the mid 20th century, it had never been explored in depth. The former great powers of earth all explored the fields of the mind…but never developed their technology and research as more than a curiosity. When the borders came down and the Systems Alliance was founded, the various Psionic research programs all came together and compared their databases…and a revolution in Psionic research and identification emerged. Farseeing, remote viewing, mind reading, telekinesis, and numerous other abilities had been identified in subjects…but the truly powerful were rare. Of the billions of Humans, Vegans, Aslan, and Vargr…there were barely a few thousand whose powers were more than a mere curiosity. Those whose abilities were strong enough, like Doctor Raven…they could seemingly manipulate the minds of others, the physical world, energy…all with merely a thought.
Dr Raven knew she had talents, abilities that stretched back over a century. As she looked at the table where the Turian soldier had lain, she thought back to Drazzic so long ago, the first alien, the Salarian…the questions she'd asked, the time she had spent probing at his mind…it was so long ago…things had changed so much…
"Doctor?" Came the synthesized voice from behind her. She was jolted out of her thoughts and turned to look at Doctor Heka as he examined the science data they'd gathered. Raven smiled slightly at the synthetic intelligence in the lab coat. If Raven was a rarity, synthetic intelligences like Heka were the equivalent of a Unicorn. Part of Artificial life experimentation back in the 2050's, Heka and his kind were truly sentient life-forms, living, thinking creatures whose existence had come about by combination of accident and design. Originally intended as a leap into micro Neural computing, Heka and his kind had developed true self awareness in the laboratory. Unlike science fiction though, synthetic intelligences were limited by their core programming like any organic creature was driven by instinct. Too many bad science fiction stories had been written about machines becoming self aware and turning on their creators for the research staff to ignore the possibility of actual life being created. So when Heka's kind 'came to life' they didn't decide to slaughter their creators. Within the Systems Alliance, Synthetic Intelligences were considered citizens, but there were limitations on their creation. They could 'reproduce' with an extremely close examination of their core programming. They were a step above the Artificial Intelligences that ere commonplace throughout the Alliance Military and Civilian sectors. AI's were limited by their programming like a caged animal, dangerous and effective within their limitations, but unable to escape them anymore than an organic being could escape the boundaries of the four dimensions that they existed in. SI's however, merely used their programming as a foundation. They could think and reason, but more importantly, grow beyond their origins.
"Yes Doctor Heka?" Raven asked, straightening herself.
"Is this truly wise? Experimenting on these prisoners, it strikes me as having the potential to cause us great distress should the information be realized by the Citadel Council." Heka said, his monotone synthesized voice betraying an all to clear degree of conflict. Although he didn't have emotions as an organic would know them, his own internal 'conflict' between right and wrong was something any sentient knew all too well. Raven knew what the synthetic was speaking of…Julian was one of the lucky ones, he was merely the subject of research into Pisonics…other Turians had been selected to test biological, chemical and nanological weapons. Julian would live…the others…they would die horrible deaths.
"Wise or not, it is necessary Heka. The Turians showed themselves willing to annihilate millions because they were about to lose a battle. A species like that…a galactic alliance that condones that kind of aggression…" Doctor Raven said rhetorically. Heka knew exactly what she was referencing, he had access to the military reports and simulations about what kind of a struggle could result in…and the only result would be billions dead in an incredibly brutal war that would become little more than attempted genocide.
"This situation warrants these kinds of extreme measures?" Heka asked.
"Pragmatism Heka…simple pragmatism. Better we know what weapons will work than we let the Turians win this war. We have no idea what might happen next. The military is confident of holding our gains, and is eager to resume offensive operations…but as it stands, the outlook for victory is uncertain." Dr. Raven said grimly.
"Uncertain?" Heka asked.
"Yes…like all wars, nothing is certain Heka. From the first shot to the last, you can never be sure of what is going to occur." Doctor Raven said, looking away from the synthetic and shaking her head…her own thoughts drifting back over a century.
Palaven, November 24th 2157
To say that Turian high command was nervous would be an understatement. An institution that stretched back thousands of years, it had weathered the changes in Turian culture, from the unification wars and Krogan Rebellions to the earning of their place as peacekeepers for the Citadel Council. Made up of the most experienced and high ranking commanders, it was normally an institution that was dignified and restrained. Turian High Command dealt with the possible threats to the Hierarchy and Council Space. It was a task that called for sober and rational planning…not emotion, not anger, and least of all fear.
"How dare the council dictate to us like this!" Grand Admiral Orinki shouted in the conference room. Her voice was filled with rage both from the instructions that they had recived from the Hierarchy's political leadership, and anger over the fact that the Systems Alliance had destroyed or captured three Turian Dreadnoughts. It was a serious blow to the Navy…but whether the blow was more pointed to it's combat power or it's pride was up for debate. The Naval portion of High Command was livid over that, while the army was outraged over the failing of the Shanxi invasion and losing three separate systems to the Alliance.
"You've lost your dreadnoughts, fine, we've lost planets here Admiral, whole systems, those are of slightly greater concern!" Field Marshal Ceasus snapped back. Both of the commanders glared at each other, along with the other commanders seated around the long conference table. For the most part, the civilian representative was being ignored, even if he was the chief military advisor to the leadership. Senator Midantus was shocked by the panic that was sweeping High Command. The assembled leaders were horrified at the prospect of another galactic power seizing Turian Territory…and the Citadel Council deciding to negotiate rather than undertake a military campaign against them.
"Commanders, please, this animosity serves no purpose other than to divide us in the face of a threat." Midantus said cautiously from his seat at the head of the table. He held no illusions that the commanders here were not keen to take the input of what many of them deemed to be little more than a civilian, but he was in charge of them, even if they didn't relish the thought of it.
"Senator, we cannot sit back and let the Council dictate to us in this instance!" Grand Admiral Tiatus said earnestly. The youngest member of High Command, he was normally a hot-head when it came to matters of defense, but seeing three of the six dreadnoughts in his command neutralized, he was not as aggressive as he might have been.
"We can marshal our fleets within the month and strike with full force at Macedyn, every available ship formed into a striking armada. We can drive the invaders out of the system and hold the relay against assault. Then we're operating from a position of neutrality. The Council has to see that we are operating from weakness now." Grand Admiral Neraku said from her place at the far end of the conference table.
"Neraku is correct, we can mass or ships and strike hard now. The Army is more than able to provide the forces needed to retake Macedyn and the other conflicted systems. We have several conscription classes nearing full training and have multiple veteran legions that can be moved in for an invasion." Field Marshal Actus supplied.
"Yes, because your forces did so well on Shanxi." Grand Admiral Orinki said snidely, shaking her head.
"How dare you!" Field Marshal Ceasus shouted back, rising out of his seat and snarling across the conference table.
"I dare Marshal, because if the Army had succeeded at Shanxi we wouldn't be in this mess." Orinki replied coldly, not standing up. Ceasus glared at the Admiral for a long moment, seemingly torn between sitting down and hurling himself across the table at her. For a long moment, Senator Midantus wondered if the assembled commanders were going to turn into little more than a fist fight.
"Commanders! Now is not the time!" The Senator said over the din of multiple arguments, rising from where he sat to stand at his full height and look down at them. The arguments subsided slightly and then completely silenced as they looked up at Midantus, most of them glaring at the civilian who had the gall to interrupt them. Those who glared met his gaze one at a time, and Midantus could see rage and more than a little indignation in their returning looks. But all that was layered on fear. The veteran senator took a slow breath as silence finally came to the chamber, and the attention of the commanders was focused on one person.
"Commanders, the leadership of the Hierarchy has expressed it's desire to wage an aggressive campaign to retake our systems in the strongest and most forceful language possible. The Asari Republics and Salarian Union are in no doubt that the Hierarchy will retake these systems through any means. I hope that is clear to all of you, it will never be forgotten that this is Turian territory, nor will it be forgotten that it shall be reclaimed. Is that understood?" Midantus asked, looking at the commanders before him, they nodded together and gave a murmur of agreement, still watching him.
"Unfortunately, we cannot marshal the kinds of resources that your plans require. Our commitments to the Citadel necessitate that we keep the bulk of our forces deployed around potential hot-spots. We cannot pull much more out of the sectors of Council space to marshal against the Alliance. To do that means we would face dozens of brushfire conflicts and an explosion of piracy through out known space. The Council cannot afford that state of affairs. A halt to interstellar trade would devastate Citadel Civilization, and that's without the threat of the Terminus Systems striking against us." Midantus said heavily.
"So we're supposed to let Turian lives be sacrificed and our worlds be over run by an invading force to preserve trade?" Grand Admiral Neraku asked in stunned disbelief. None of the other commanders said anything, practically outraged at the thought. They weren't the kind of beings who worried about credits, they were soldiers, and that was something you didn't do unless you believed in something bigger than coin.
"It's more complicated than that, but at it's core, yes. Trade." Midantus said gravely.
"Let the damn Asari look after their own trading ventures! Macedyn is ours!" Field Marshal Ceasus said angrily. His voice was joined by others in the room, and the commanders were shouting in unison at the Senator who instead of trying to shout back held up his hands to call for quiet.
It was several minutes before things quieted enough for him to say anything at all.
"Our society exists entirely on trade. Our technology, our lifestyles, our own military power exist because of that trade. If our economy collapses we lose more than just credits. We lose our technology, worlds starve, workers are idle, soldiers receive no support. That is a basic tenet of warfare commanders, if you chose to neglect your lines of supply, you can be sure that your forces will whither on the vine." Midantus said coldly, his own memories of the lessons drilled into his mind during basic training coming back enough to give him a point that the assembled Turian military leadership could understand.
"If our worlds are isolated, it will be an exponentially large threat to our continued existence than if we had merely lost a trio of systems. If trade breaks down because the entire Turian Fleet is busy coping with one threat, what do you think will happen when the pirates descending on Council trade lanes go back to the Terminus systems and tell them that the biggest and most deadly force in the council is busy? They'll invade every world they can find and we'll be forced to fight a campaign across a thousand systems to win back what we had firmly in our grasp because pride made us turn a threat into the ruin of our species!" Midantus continued, his voice turning from icy cold to red hot in a few words. The commanders blinked in surprise and a few of them nodded in agreement with the politician's words.
"The Citadel Council has agreed to send envoys to the Alliance Forces around Macedyn and negotiate with them for a peace treaty. It has been made clear to the Council that the Turian Hierarchy will accept no treaty or agreement that does not include the return of Macedyn and all territory taken by the Alliance. The Ambassador and Councilor Valern have stated that if the Council cannot regain our territory, then the Turian Hierarchy will consider their allegiance to the Council to be null…and we shall no longer recognize the sovereign power of the Council over the Hierarchy." Midantus said much more calmly than the words he'd uttered had any right allowing him. The Hierarchy had thrown down the glove to the Council, 'get back Macedyn, or we are gone.' No Council species had ever made that kind of threat to the Council, and if anyone was going to say that…there wouldn't be a single being willing to place credits that the Turians would be the ones to do it. It was several long minutes before any of the commanders broke the silence. When it was finally broken, it was Grand Admiral Neraku who spoke.
"What are the leadership's orders?" She asked softly, her hands placed on the top of the conference table, her eyes looking at the stone surface.
"All forces will hold in place, no other military units will be diverted for any drive on Macedyn. Plans will be made for any and all possible contingencies, primarily on moving forces to Macedyn, either peacefully to resume control…or for an invasion. That will be all." Midantus said, ending his role in the meeting with much less fanfare than would have been expected.
Salarian Special Tasks Group Meeting, Undisclosed Location, November 26th 2157
The room was small, close, and discrete. There were only four Salarians, but they were without a doubt the most important members of the Salarian military, the leaders of the Salarian STG. None of them met in person lest some clever intelligence agency realize just who these four beings were. In fact, the four barely know who the others really were, communicating by encrypted messages and codes, for each, they only knew two others…in fact, each of them believed that there were only three leaders of the STG. But now, a situation had arisen where the four had to meet and discuss matters in detail. Although for the Salarians, there was the startling issue that they didn't really know who they were facing.
"What do we know?" The first said, his uniform pronounced him to be a military officer, a naval commander of one of the Salarian Fleets, but the name plate of his uniform was absent, only his decorations and ribbons were there. He'd been recruited into the STG early in his career, and served it behind the scenes for years, leading a double life, military commander on one hand, intelligence officer on the other.
"Very little." The second replied, his outfit was entirely civilian. A businessman, an entrepreneur, a self made Salarian whose wealth was comparable to that possessed by the Elcor or a particularly astute Matriarch. He funneled his own money into numerous ventures and corporations giving him an excellent reason to be in many places, and to know many things, the reason that the STG had recruited him.
"From what the Turians have released we believe that the Alliance is centered somewhere along our previous exploration tracts we sent out. Theoretically they were long term expeditions sent out in transports with sleeper capability. The mission was to locate Mass Relays. None were heard from again." The Third said, his own clothing proclaiming him to be a scientist or researcher. One of the most brilliant among the Salarian Scientific community, he was well versed in anything that the Union could create and had in development, and under the guise of 'friendly relations' knew almost as much about what the Turians and Asari had under research…and under the pretense of 'exploring the boundaries of science for universal peace and fellowship amongst scientists' he learned a great deal about what happened with everyone else.
"Interesting, very interesting. Is it possible that the Alliance located our expeditions?" The fourth asked, his own attire was religious in nature. While not a very large facet of Salarian society, 'the church' had been one of their societies' oldest intelligence organizations…perhaps the second oldest. This male had the resources of an intelligence agency that could compel assistance from beings in the name of a higher power.
"It is possible." Science replied.
"Is there any information about the Alliance military capacity?" Military asked.
"Given the known capabilities and specifications of Turian warships, combined with after action reports filed with Turian High command, we theorize that Alliance military craft utilize directed energy weapons that are useful at closer ranges than Mass accelerator weaponry. Engagements at Shanxi and Macedyn both show that the Alliance moved in rapidly before unleashing their heavy weapons." Science answered.
"They also show that the Alliance is willing to accept casualties to achieve a tactical and strategic goal." Religion replied.
"At great cost." Business interjected.
"Yes, at great cost, but the cost of victory can be less than the cost of defeat." Religion said pointedly.
"True." Military agreed.
"Are we in a position to combat the Alliance?" Science asked.
"No." Military answered without hesitation. All four of the leaders of the STG knew that there was no place at this table for bravado or manipulation of the truth. The Salarian Union required accurate information, and to manipulate it, to suit any end could spell the death of the Union, by combat, by coin, or by some other insidious means. They were the ones who gave the Union it's knowledge, of other technology, of other armies, of other markets. They had a duty to provide the best image they could manage of what lurked beyond…be it friend or foe.
"That is unfortunate." Religion said.
"Quite. If the Turian Hierarchy cannot match them, we would fare no better. Our military policy rests in Turian martial prowess being brought to bare on any threat." Business said.
"Exactly. We have no information on this threat beyond that which has been relayed by the Turians. I recommend we send scouting forays against Macedyn without Council knowledge, and if possible, to Shanxi itself." Military said.
"Unwise, the Alliance boasts cloaking and sensor technology that nullifies our stealth capabilities. They would be detected and destroyed, sacrificing equipment and crews needlessly." Science replied before any others could speak.
"We require more information on the Alliance." Military said, drumming his digits on the table top.
"We all agree on that, but we cannot sacrifice our soldiers needlessly." Religion said, his hand raised and making a placating gesture.
"I agree, sadly, that means we must wait to see what the Asari can manage." Business said.
"Unfortunate." Military replied with a nod.
"Agreed." Science said.
"Then we shall have to wait and see how Matriarch Seraya manages to compel the Alliance to make peace, before the Turians decide to wage a total war without the Council's permission." Religion said.
"Let us hope that Seraya is successful with returning Macedyn to the Hierarchy, otherwise the Council may only have two species." Business said grimly. The other three looked at him surprised.
"What do you mean?" Religion asked, breaking the surprised silence.
"The Turian leadership has made an ultimatum to the Council. Either they receive all their territory back, or they will withdrawal from the Council so they are not bound by the Council's decisions." Business said.
"That would tear apart Citadel Space." Military said.
"I'm well aware. Which means we must pray that the Matriarch is successful." Science said darkly.
"Pray as much as you like, but there is a reason that the Asari are so good at negotiation." Religion replied.
Battleship SSV Resolute, Blockade force Macedyn Relay, November 27th 2157
The Resolute had been bloodied taking the Relay in the opening stages of the invasion. The Main Meson cannon along the spine was non-functional after taking a smattering of 'lucky shots' from a Turian Dreadnought before the offending ship had been ripped apart by a volley of Antimatter warheads. After being bloodied in combat and giving out some damage of it's own, the Resolute had been pulled back to support the blockade of the Relay while engineering teams worked to repair the main weapon of the massive warship. Although without it's main firepower, the Resolute still boasted an extensive arsenal, and it wasn't going to be cycled back to Arcturus or any of the major shipyards to refit until reinforcements had been moved in. For now, Resolute was the command vessel of the blockading force. Captain Smythers was not exactly enthusiastic over having his warship doing a duty that Cruisers and Frigates would have been better suited for. But he had his orders, and like any loyal officer, he would obey them. Though as he stood looking at the Local space holo in the Command Bridge, he wasn't sure how long he could take waiting. Invading Macedyn, relieving Shanxi, those had the strain of waiting, but you knew something was going to happen before it was all over. Now…it was just waiting, and as the human Captain's eyes looked over the local space map, his eyes examined the smaller ships as they patrolled around the Mass Relay. Waiting for something that they didn't know would come.
"Captain, reading energy spikes in the Mass Relay that indicate a vessel is inbound." Sensors reported loudly. Smythers looked at the massive form of the Relay and his hands gripped the rail around the holo-projector tightly.
"No vessels scheduled to arrive sir." His comms officer reported.
"All vessels action stations, prepare for combat." Smythers ordered and the alarm chimes began to ring loudly across the Resolute. Smythers knew his crew was rushing to their stations, donning vac suits and manning their systems. Marines were drawing weapons and preparing for the possibility of ship-to-ship boarding actions. Smythers was confident in his crew, they'd comported themselves well in two major engagements, and they were about to distinguish themselves in a third.
"Inbound ship tracked, small, not matching any known ship types. Only one Captain." Sensors reported, and the main view screen showed the rapid track of a craft decelerating from FTL around the Mass Relay and dropping into 'real space'. It was a small craft, with sleek lines and an elegant exterior. It was manta-ray shaped, almost like it had been designed to travel underwater, not through vacuum. Smythers watched the craft move away from the relay.
"Weapons locked Captain. Meson gun still non-operative." Weapons reported before the Captain could ask. Instead, the veteran commander nodded in approval.
"I think we can take him weaps." Captain Smythers said with a chuckle. He received several nods in return, the ship was barely fifty meters long, a Corvette would dwarf the thing…
"No weapons powering up captain, or shields." Sensors reported.
"Captain, the ship is opening a channel to us." Communications relayed. Smythers looked at the bridge officer and nodded in approval, there was no sense vaporizing a ship that had just appeared.
"This is Captain Smythers of the Systems Alliance Battleship Resolute. You are entering restricted space under military jurisdiction. Identify yourself or your ship will be boarded and taken as spoils of war." Smythers said. The last bit sounded almost piratical, but there wasn't going to be any disputing that the Alliance meant business. The main screen lit up and on it appeared the face of a woman…a gorgeous woman…who was blue. Smythers blinked hard, but kept his composure, his eyes examining the image and realizing that this wasn't a human. There was no hair, only a kind of tendrils coming from the back of her head. But the resemblance to a human being was remarkable.
"I am Matriarch Seraya, and I come under a flag of peace." The female said calmly over the com, no doubt well aware of the large number of weapons that were locked on her craft. Smythers narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the female for a moment.
"Do you represent the Turian Hierarchy Matriarch?" Smythers asked.
"No, captain, I represent the Citadel Council and wish to broker a peace to end the senseless warfare. If it is possible, I wish to speak to a commander capable of negotiating a peace accord." Seraya said, her voice just as calm and steady as before. Smythers nodded slightly.
"Very well Matriarch, your ship will deactivate it's drives and will be boarded by an Alliance Corvette. They will then escort your vessel to meet with Fleet Admiral Yarazh who can discuss the matters with you and decide if anything of value is to be gained by negotiation." Captain Smythers said, and nodded slightly, an exceptionally generous gesture considering the circumstance. But Smythers was no fool, this was an envoy from a foreign power who was aiming to negotiate a peace. The Captain wondered idly just what would come of it.
"Open a com line to Fleet Admiral Yarazh." Smythers instructed as the line to the Matriarch was cut. The comms officer obeyed quickly, and the elegant and gorgeous face of the female was replaced by the wolfish visage of the Vargr Fleet Admiral. Smythers resisted the urge to flinch…he much preferred the other alien.
"What seems to be the issue Captain?" Yarazh asked with a growl. He was not the kind of commander who dallied about.
"Admiral, we've just received a craft claiming to represent the Citadel Council and they wish to negotiate with us. I instructed them that they would be boarded by a Corvette and then escorted to meet with you in person if that is acceptable Admiral?" Smythers asked professionally, and was rewarded with surprise and silence from the Vargr commander. It lasted for a heartbeat before he nodded, rubbing his muzzle idly.
"That's…quite something Captain Smythers, quite something. Well, we had to expect something would get them talking, I guess we had to grab a few star systems before they decided to chat." Yarazh said. Smythers nodded grimly. Seizing those systems had cost a lot of lives, but if it had really pushed the Turians to start talking, it would have been worth it. He said nothing as Yarazh nodded one final time and cut the communication. The Captain looked at the display of the Council ship being boarded by a Corvette, the marines aboard sweeping the ship. Smythers watched the vessel for a long time before the marine squad aboard cleared the ship and let them through. They were Asari apparently, one of the members of the Citadel Council, and they were here to negotiate. Like any information, it spread through the bridge and through the ships like wildfire. No one knew just what to do. But Captain Smythers stood there watching the Asari vessel leap towards Macedyn with a Corvette in close attendance.
Asari Vessel Far Dream, Orbit over Macedyn, November 27th 2157
"Those…those were humans?" Ilasa asked, her eyes wide. The young Matron pilot was no stranger to conflict, she was a long serving commando and had seen much death and destruction in her centuries. Even though she was one of Matriarch Seraya's personal bodyguards, that hadn't kept her from seeing more than one firefight since she'd accepted the position. She glanced over her shoulder, the almost Maidenly feeling of awe at seeing the human warriors move through the Far Dream searching quickly and thoroughly wearing massive power armor, but carrying surprisingly small weapons. It hadn't taken long, the Asari vessel was mainly for shot hops through Mass Relays, not long journeys. From her place in the cockpit, Ilasa had seen everything. She shook her head and then glanced over at her co-pilot, Helsi shook her head slowly, focusing on the controls. Helsi knew that Ilasa was young for her duties, but the commando had been hand picked…so Helsi was willing to let a few things go…
"I don't know what those were Ilasa, there was more than one species there. Did you see the body types? At least two. I don't know what those were, but they weren't all humans, if any of them were." Helsi said, her hand drifting down and checking the sidearm that had been removed by the human marines…strange word for a soldier…marine…She shook her head, not liking the idea of being unarmed, even if it didn't mean that she was without any recourse in combat. Her Biotics meant she could snap any of those power armored warriors in half…but still…they had a lethal bearing that she had only seen in veteran commandos. She shivered at the thought.
"Calm yourself Helsi, and you Ilasa, the Alliance is allowing us to proceed with our mission to negotiate. They will not kill us." Matriarch Seraya said calmly behind them. The two commandos looked back and nodded, glad that their matriarch wasn't affected by the appearance of the human combat troops. Seraya had seem far more dangerous threats in her lifetime than anything that the humans could throw at her, and the elder Matriarch wasn't going to let anything get in the way of her mission. She looked out the front viewport as the Far Dream left FTL and dropped into the Macedyn system with a human vessel in attendance. More were waiting, several of the same size as their escort, others that were larger. The three Asari knew that if the humans, or rather, the Alliance wished to annihilate them, it would be a paltry matter to do. But the three were calm, they knew that they were on a mission of peace, and these…barbarians would not violate that.
"Look…those craft…they're huge…." Ilasa said, her hands hitting a few keys and bringing up a view of a pair of massive ships, she glanced at the scale twice before she accepted what her eyes were telling her.
"Yeah…I know." Helsi said.
"They're half the size of the Destiny Ascension." Ilasa said, awed by the sight.
"I know." Helsi continued, her eyes looking out at the rest of the fleet, the 'smaller' large craft that were bigger than Turian dreadnoughts, the numerous vessels that were the same size as any Asari or Salarian dreadnought…the numerous support craft, the thousands of fighters.
"This fleet…it's immense…" Ilasa continued, awestruck, her hands piloting the Far Dream on reflex. Behind them, Matriarch Seraya said nothing. Silently watching the reactions of her bodyguards. The elder Asari had been briefed in on everything that the Turians knew, so the sight of this Alliance Armada was no shock to her, but to know of something and to see it were greatly different things. Just like knowing that the Turians had been hurled from four different star systems by this force, was a far different thing than experiencing it. Seeing all this force, seeing the craft, Seraya was more than willing to grant the Turians a measure of leniency in their inability to deal with the trouble they had stirred up.
"I know." Helsi replied once again, focusing on her screens, resisting the urge to tell the young Matron to get control of herself.
"Asari vessel, proceed to the landing beacon. Any deviation will be met with force." A voice came across the comm, and Ilasa looked down, surprised at the creature appearing on the vid feed. It was greenish brown, with a pair of sensory organs mounted in a hood.
"Confirmed…" She said, mustering her calm to sound non-pulsed by the blockading fleet that surrounded Macedyn. The Commando flicked off the comm and followed the beacon to one of the massive craft surrounded by it's own escorting force. The Far Dream passed through the fleet and maneuvered towards the large hangar that was indicated as their own escort group dispersed and returned to their own duties. Ilasa checked the sensors and made sure that the Alliance was ready for them to land, and guided the craft through the screening shield to the large hangar, going from vacuum to atmosphere with a slight shudder. Ilasa slowly lowered the craft to a highlighted cross on the hangar floor, landing with a soft thump that reverberated through the vessel.
"An exceptional landing as always Ilasa." Matriarch Seraya said with a smile and a soft touch to the commando's shoulder. Ilasa looked back and smiled as Helsi and the Matriarch moved into the communal area of the small craft. All three were attired for the meeting, Ilasa and Helsi wearing their own combat armor, though now devoid of weapons…and Matriarch Seraya wearing a flowing gown that she ware with a regal bearing which seemed almost casual. The bright red of the attire complementing the blue of her skin. She shook herself slightly and smiled to the two commandos.
"Now we shall see if I can con them as well as a member of the Citadel." The Matriarch said. Both the younger commandos blinked and then laughed. The surprising joke cutting through the tension of walking into a den of unknown aliens to broker a peace in a war that the Turians had started. When that happened, you couldn't afford to be tense, you couldn't afford to be nervous…and Matriarch Seraya knew that. The two younger women chuckled and nodded, finally falling into place on either side of their charge, ready for whatever faced them at the end of the airlock. Seraya touched the control and the door opened with a hiss, the subtle difference in the air between the Alliance hangar and the Asari craft palpable. Involuntarily, the three sniffed at it, knowing that the scent of a military craft was no indicator to a species, but the unusual new smell enough to make them curious.
In unison, the trio walked down the ramp and were greeted by a terrific sight. What looked like hundreds of beings were standing in parade ground precision, flanking a long straight path to several more beings waiting at attention. The trained eyes swept across the ranks of soldiers and sailors, and all three realized at the same time there were four different alien species represented. All of them equally dispersed, no groups that bunched up according to species, no clots of one type separated away from another, there was none of that. That was what shocked Matriarch Seraya the most. Even in Citadel Space, even after Centuries, in groups, species congregated together. It was habit, it was some ancient memory, staying close to the herd. But in the Alliance, there was no separation, nothing along the lines of species at least.
Before Seraya and her bodyguards could think much, a whistle pierced the air and a being close to the edge of the ramp wearing the marine armor without a helmet…one of the beings that looked like an Asari but with pale skin and no head tendrils called out loud enough to be heard across the entire hangar.
"Attention on the deck!"
In unison, the beings saluted and stood at attention. Seraya was surprised by the show of respect and what had to be an honor by the Alliance, but she didn't let that show on her features. Instead, she accepted it as though it were her due and walked down the ramp. She walked down the clear path towards what had to be the Alliance commanders and wondered for a moment if this wasn't a gesture of respect, but instead was a gesture to intimidate. With a slight smile, she knew that any savvy opponent would make it both…and as quickly as the smile appeared, it vanished. That kind of cunning was something quite rare in Citadel space. The Salarians were smart enough to do that kind of thing, but they'd been around the Asari for millennia. Seraya let the smile vanish as she approached the Alliance Commanders, one of them, small and stocky had the most elaborate uniform and had to be the overall commander.
"I greet you in the name of the Citadel Council. I am Matriarch Seraya and I bring a hope for peace and resolution of this conflict." Seraya said with a bow to the commander. The short being bowed his head in respect, it was short, powerfully built, it looked like a predator, still keeping it's muzzle of sharp teeth and short fur and bushy tail. Something said this being would be a dangerous opponent in a fight.
"I greet you in the name of the Systems Alliance, I am Fleet Admiral Yarazh, commander of this combat theater." He said with a growl.
"I am Admiral Zhav, commander of this fleet." A tall creature with tendrils for forearms and hands and a strange eye hood rather than a face offered, towering over the Asari.
"I greet both of you. I wish for there to be peace once more between the Citadel and the Systems Alliance. There is no need for war Commanders. This situation comes from misunderstanding and mistakes, the Turian Hierarchy has seen the errors of it's ways, and we in the Citadel wish for peace." Seraya said.
"They've seen the errors of their ways huh? Right…well, in the interests of peace I can grant a ceasefire along this front, but I don't have the authority to authorize any kind of terms. For that, you will have to speak to the State Department and the appropriate civil representatives. I'm a soldier Matriarch, and the civilians decided to wage a war against the Turians. But we didn't start the war, the Turians did." Yarazh said.
"The Council is well aware of that commander, and we will work to ensure a fair peace for both of you. War serves no purpose, only the deaths of many." Seraya said. Yarazh blinked and shook his head slightly.
"Yes…a great many. Though we shall see how impartial you are after you find out just what the Turian Hierarchy has done." Yarazh replied.
"What do you mean Commander?"
"That's not for me to say Matriarch, that's for you to discuss with my superiors at Arcturus."