SpecH82: I didn't say anything about the fate of the Master Chief, so you will have to continue staying updated on this story to find out more.
Guest(mehungry1): ...Okay, I don't know what you mean, but should I say thanks or not?
Chapter ten: War beyond the Veil, part I
Toby awoke with a loud yawn the next morning, or day, whatever it was ; It became so difficult to tell the time when he had to stare at an endless black void dotted with stars everytime he woke up, starting from yesterday.
It was rather hard to get used to living in a whole new universe, especially when he had to adapt to using unfamiliar technology; he was at least thankful that most of the ship's crew largely spoke English, though in some cases they drifted into their native tongue during a conversation.
He looked at the clock next to his bed, the displayed time being a few minutes past eight in the morning, the time when he had the first meal of the day.
Stretching his arms, he made his way to the mess hall, where several hundreds of people were already queing up to collect their meals from the different counters.
The mess hall was incredibly large, at least two decks high with over a hundred tables and chairs, and more than two dozen cooks sweating heavily as they churned out plate upon plate of food for the hungry soldiers and other crew members, never complaining about the scale of their job.
Unsure where to start, he simply grabbed a tray for himself and joined the nearest queue, immediately regretting his decision when he joined the longest queue out of all of them.
He got a few stares from some of those closer to him in the queue, mainly because of his clothing or the spreading news about the new stranger onboard their ship, but otherwise paid it no mind, much to Toby's relief.
Eventually, when it was his turn to collect his food, the Elven chef behind the counter passed him a bowl of noodles in a thin, near-transparent broth with an assortment of vegtables on top and a fresh sunny-side up egg on top, a pair of chopsticks and a glass of water accompanying the bowl.
Not wanting to hog up the queue, he sat down at the nearest table with an empty seat, and whether by chance or by design, he happened to be seating with Delsaran and his apprentice Zorri, Meleath, and a Dwarf who Toby never met before, though the strange thing was that Meleath and the Dwarf were both wearing their armor at the dining table, which was considered rather awkward to many, the Council citizens included.
Unsure on how to join the lively conversation between the four, he focused on eating his vegetarian noodles, which tasted surprisingly refreshing and stirred his appitite for more; he was enjoying it so much that he was unconsciously slurping very loudly, but when he realised he was doing so, he saw many others doing the same thing, though most of the Elves refrained from such table manners.
"So I hear you're the new guy," The Dwarf commented, then extended a hand to him, "Lieutenant Bhaledon Hammerriver, at your service."
"Name's Toby, Toby Turner," Toby shook the hand, "I don't mean any offense, but why wear your armor in a mess hall?"
"Bad habits, when you wage war for a long time," Bhaledon shrugged, chugging his soup down his throat.
"And my armor, Delsaran?" Toby asked the Dark Elf, who did not look up from his meal, "How much longer until it's ready?"
Looking up from his meal, he told Toby with a blank face, "You will have to wait for another two hours for me to apply the finishing touches."
Nodding in response, Toby continued to eat his meal in silence, finding the delicious meal to be one of the good things about landing in a foreign place.
Finishing earlier than everyone else, he wiped his mouth clean and decided that, since it would be a while before the others were done with their meals, he settled for waiting patiently in his seat, the ambience of the place surprisingly relaxing, one of the few things that came close to a comfort of his home.
After only about a few minutes, when most had finished eating, Meleath got Toby's attention by tapping his shoulder, "Meet me at the training hall later; you will need some basic skills to handle your new weapon."
Toby nodded; he did not like the idea of fumbling around with something he did not know how to use.
IIOII
After about a few minutes of traversing the winding, chaotically designed maze of corridors, Toby finally managed to find the training hall that Meleath told him about, realising that it was the same place he passed by on his way to the armory.
When he was just about to enter the place itself, he was stopped by an outstretched three-fingered hand grabbing his arm.
Turning his face, he saw a Quarian in exotically designed silver armor, a large Quarian-styled zweihandler strapped to his back and resting over his indigo cloak, Toby not recognising that it was the same Quarian he saw training in the place yesterday.
"Are you new here?" The Quarian inquired, not relenting in his grip over the Human's arm.
"Yeah, so what's it to you?" Toby asked, not intimidated by the Quarian's appearance in the slightest.
Sighing as if he was talking to a child, the Quarian then explained after letting go of Toby's arm, "It's standard procedure to get your armor and weapons ready before going inside; a lot of accidents have happened in the past due to most foregoing their protection, and I don't want to see the same happen to you."
Toby shuddered at the thought of being roasted alive by stray fires or electrocuted during his training session, and nearly reconsidered even coming here in the first place.
"But I don't even have my own armor and weapons; how can I get inside then?" Toby inquired.
The Quarian then outstretched his arm to a nearby room, gesturing for Toby to enter. When he did, he was greeted by yet another fascinating sight.
Rows upon rows of weapons ranging from swords to hammers lay neatly displayed on sturdy weapon rack, various suits of armor arranged in the same orderly fashion as the weapons, the silvery metal gleaming in the crystaline light.
When he asked about the lack of any ranged weaponry, the Quarian then explained, "The training hall is only for improving close combat and short-range magic; you'd have to go elsewhere if you want to train stronger magic or marksmanship."
He then extended a hand. "Kal'Reegar, newest addition to the Silver Knights of Ethrandir. Sorry for the rough introduction, by the way."
Toby shook it in return. "Toby Turner, pretty much the same status as you, though I'm surprised you managed to use such a big ass sword like that."
Seeing where Toby's finger was pointing, Kal'Reegar only shrugged, "Still have quite a bit of trouble handling the huge sword, but I'll get the hang of it."
After choosing some rather light armor and a slender longsword to use for training, Toby was rather embarassed at how much he was fumbling with how to wear his armor right in front of Reegar's eyes, causing him to chuckle heartily.
Deciding to show him some clemency and spare him further embarassment, Reegar proceeded to help Toby don his armor, the layered metal plates surprisingly fitting Toby's lean form; the Human had assumed that the armor was meant for one with much muscle on his body.
Once he had managed to fit his armor, he followed Kal'Reegar through the training hall, passing by many Thedosian soldiers who were busy sparring with their chosen partners and perfecting their craft in the arts of war.
When Toby saw Meleath, he thanked Kal'Reegar for helping him with his armor-fitting, and made his way towards the Blood Elven priest waiting for him, and saw that he was wearing some armor of his own, a gleaming golden, runic sword in his left hand, and a long staff in the other.
"I assume you are ready to learn the basics of swordwielding?" Meleath asked, to which Toby nodded, albeit hesitantly.
Unsure of how to properly hold a sword, Meleath instructed him to simply hold the sword with both hands, sheathing his own sword as he inspected Toby's grip on the weapon.
When he saw that his hands were trembling, Meleath quickly snatched it from Toby's hands with little trouble, the suddeness of the whole thing causing him to fall on his bum.
Rubbing his aching bum in subdued agony, Toby got up after being helped by his Elven instructor, who then handed him back his training sword.
"What was that for?" Toby asked, almost scowling at him for snatching his weapon.
"Your grip on your weapon is far too weak, so your enemies will have no difficulty knocking it out of your hands," Meleath explained, Toby accepting the reasoning in his words, "Before we proceed to actual sword techniques, you will have to improve your grip first and foremost."
The next two hours were spent teaching Toby the fundamentals in swordwielding, though it was mostly training his grip and correcting his stances for different situations in battle, whether it be offensive or defensive.
All the while, Toby felt like he was training in hell, finding swordwielding to be much harder than what all the medieval-fantasy shows and movies such as The Hobbit or 300 showed him, though he knew that the actors also had to spend a lot of time practicing their fighting skills.
Large beads of sweat trickled down his skin, a few drops imparting their salty taste onto his tongue; moving around in full-body armor was much harder as well, compared to simply wearing a body vest over his uniform back in his time in the US army, despite not having moved on to actual swordfighting.
It was partially due to Meleath testing his posture by intentionally kicking his leg – albeit soft enough to avoid hurting him – or by lightly pushing him on the chest. Each time, Toby stumbled and fell. Each time, he helped up Toby with a gentle smile, making it impossible for Toby to hold a grudge against him.
After what seemed like an hour, Toby finally managed to achieve a proper grip and stance beffiting of a warrior, much to Meleath's pleasure.
"Now that you have suitable posture and grip, we can finally move on to the actual swordfighting," He said, elicting a triumphant smile from his student.
"Damnit... finally, after so long..." Toby wheezed out, tired from constantly falling on the ground.
Seeing his tired state, Meleath allowed him to take a short break, to Toby's relief.
Sitting down on a nearby bench, he gulped down his water to quench his raging thirst, and was soon joined by Kal'Reegar and a Qunari woman who towered over Toby by more than half a feet, wearing a black cloak shrouding her features and armor underneath, the only visible parts being half of her face and strands of her silvery hair, a pair of horns absent from her head.
On her sides were a pair of ebony black shortswords sheathed in scabbards of similar colour, adorned with gold trimmings and glowing runes of power.
Toby could have sworn that the runes were actually whispering inaudible words in his mind.
Flinching slightly under the shadow cast by her large, yet surprisingly slender figure, Toby could only murmur in surprise.
"Woah, you're big."
The Qunari's shrouded face turned to Toby, who looked on the verge of inching away from her, but surprisingly did not, elicting a rather eerie smile from her face as she finished the last drops of water in her flask.
Placing down her flask, she curtly nodded as she said, "I have not seen you before, have I?"
Shaking his head, Toby answered, as if sensing the unasked question, "No, new here, and I'm not from around these parts. By the way, my name's Toby Turner."
Nodding in satisfaction, the Qunari woman then introduced herself, "Yasayar of the Silent Marauders, at your service, Master Turner."
Toby raised an eyebrow. "Silent Marauders?"
Yasayar then explained, "The Silent Marauders are one of the more renowned vigilante bands operating throughout the galaxy, and one of the oldest, hunting down criminal bands, slavers and other vagabonds the Empire has narrowed down over the millennia."
The Human sputtered on his water upon hearing it. "Millennia? That long?"
"You should know that the Empire has lasted for far longer than the Silent Marauders themselves, Master Turner," Yasayar pointed out, making the trainee swordsman feel awkward by her manner of adressing him.
"Um, don't mean any offense, but could you just call me Toby? You know, without the Master title or something?" Toby asked, causing Yasayar to laugh.
"And how else shall I address you, Master Turner?" Yasayar teased with a smile, causing Toby to groan slightly.
"So why are you here with the Knights here? Thought you would stick with the rest of your Order?" Toby asked out of curiosity.
"The Grand Master of my Order has ordered that I observe these Knights for the time being, try to gather any information that may be of concern to the other Knightly Orders or Vigilante bands," Yasayar answered, her smile fading, "I wish there were others of my band with me here, I miss their company."
Toby nodded, albeit sadly; he was isolated from his friends back on Earth, his Earth, and he currently had no way to go back home, perhaps he would never have a way to go back. Ever.
He envied Yasayar in that sense; at least she had a way to contact her friends and commrades and go back to them, or help them find her.
"Anyway, I think I've rested enough, I'm going back to training," Toby said, then turned to Kal'Reegar, "Think we'll get to talk again later?"
Toby had actually taken a liking to Kal'Reegar, other than being one of the few non-Thedosians to not talk in such a shakespearean manner. His relatively friendly attitude and willingness to aid a friend in need proved to be more welcoming than the fearsome, sometimes stern expressions of most Thedosians.
With a broad smile, Kal'Reegar eagerly replied, "Definitely, when we're away from danger."
Just then, a green-skinned Orc approached the three of them, Toby recognising him as Zorri.
"Delsaran says that your armor is complete," Zorri informed him, "Better come over to finallise whatever customisations you want, so he says."
Nodding, Toby told Reegar and Yasayar, "Sorry guys, gotta go. Be seeing you later!"
As Toby rushed off, Yasayar said offhandedly to Reegar, "He seems to be a promising soldier, if not a leader."
"I still wish he didn't have to go to war just like that," Reegar said out of symphathy, "This isn't his war, after all."
"He will not have any say in the matter when the true enemy reveals itself," Yasayar pointed out, drawing her swords for training, "When it does, it matters not where one hides, for no one is safe as long as they live."
Hearing the extremely icy and hateful tone in which she described the impending danger, gripping her sword so tightly her grey-skinned knuckles almost turned white, sent chilling shivers down the Quarian's spine, who knew exactly who Yasayar was refering to as the enemy.
Exactly how terrifying and dangerous was the Burning Legion, that made the UAP hate them with such cold and bitter hatred?
That was something Reegar was afraid to know.
IIOII
After making his way to the armory, thankfully remembring the way towards the place, he found that Delsaran was busy inspecting his latest masterpiece; a suit of multi-layered, silver armor with black trimmings, a balanced compromise between agility and hard protection.
Beside his anvil lay a slender, guardless elvish sword with golden amber runes of power, it's silver colour gleaming in the fiery orange light of the hot forge.
"I see that you have arrived, Master Turner," Toby heard the Dark Elf address him, "Please inspect my work and see if it's to your satisfaction."
As Toby checked the armor, evaluating the craftsmanship that made it, every part of his mind told him that the armor by itself was already so immaculate and finely crafted, Delsaran's request seemed like a childish one; why need to check such a masterpiece for any discrepancies at all? It simply made no sense to him.
Though if that armor were to be given to any other soldier or general within the Empire, or perhaps the Coalition – if he remembered correctly, were two of the strongest powers within the UAP, it was probably justified that they would want something more to make it feel complete in their eyes.
The sword was also fine on it's own, only needing a scabbard for it to rest in.
Nodding in satisfaction, Toby confidently told the Dark Elven Blacksmith, "No need to change anything, it's all okay."
"Then I suggest you begin getting used to wielding your new weapon before battle," Delsaran suggested, immediately going back to his work, "I would hate for you to waste my hard work if you damage it beyond repair."
Nodding his thanks, Toby made his way back to the training hall, where he continued to learn basic sword techniques and the practicalities of implementing them in a real battle, the lightness and flexibility of his new sword making it far easier than he thought.
It continued for the next two hours, with a short lunch break in-between and some light refreshments afterwards, until the ship's sound system rang loudly once again, everyone's attention being focused on the announcement being made by ship control.
"Attention all Knights," Toby heard the announcer say, his deep baritone voice almost making Toby recognise it briefly, "We will be arriving beyond the Perseus Veil in less than a few minutes. All personnel are to report to battle stations within the hour, and ready whatever battle provisions they will need soon. May Yggdrasil bless our endeavours."
When the sound system cut off, Toby could see all the Knights who had previously been focused on training suddenly rush off towards wherever their battle stations were, quickly moving to shower first to rid the stench of sweat from their bodies, then reequip whatever equipment they had, performing all these actions with the efficiency of a well-oiled machine.
Dwarves, Elves, Qunari, Humans, Dragonkin, all who had volunteered for a previously secretive mission whilst faking news about their deaths or disappearances were now part of a new Knightly Order, ready to bring swift, harsh judgement on the hated Heretics who betrayed their masters and sided with an old enemy.
Standing in line with the rest of the ship's crew, whether by chance or by design, Toby was standing right next to Kal'Reegar himself and Yasayar, with a group of silver armored Quarian Knights wielding the same type of sword as Reegar did, which were currently sheathed on their backs and held in place by large metallic scabbards.
Toby had to refrain from fidgeting where he stood; the tension in the atmosphere was so thick it could cut through the air, making him swallow his saliva out of fear.
As if sensing his growing fear, Kal'Reegar patted his shoulder, Toby turning his head to face him with widening eyes.
"You alright?" Reegar asked.
Takling deep breaths to calm his nerves, Toby answered, "Not really."
Before they could talk any further, however, all attention turned to Amarthathor, who stood before them garbed in silver armor that gleamed in the crystaline light of the crystal lamps overhead.
With a core of iron in his voice, Amarthathor addressed all of those present before him.
"My fellow Knights, today we strike at the heart of the Heretics' territory. Today, we will show these traitors, that betrayal will not be tolerated by any of us Thedosians or our allies, so long as our honor still stands intact."
"But the Heretics are but one of our many enemies, and should we eliminate one threat, another will become a thorn in our side. That is why we soldiers exist, to stay vigilant and prepared for any impending threat that dares encroach on our borders!"
The Dragonkin's words reached a crescendo, as he delivered his final statement, "So fight! Fight not just for your families, fight not just for your nation, bur fight for your honour, for glory, most of all, fight to let our descendants see yet another day!"
"To Victory!" He roared at the top of his voice, his charismatic personality causing all soldiers to shout in equal determination.
Toby did not join in, however, only mimicking their actions as he steeled his nerves for the inevitable.
The 28th day of Firstfall, or 28th of November on the Human calander, was the day Toby Turner would embark on his maiden battle, with only basic training to help him this round.
He wanted to believe so much that it was a science fantasy drama playing out before his very eyes, to simply watch as the Silver Knights charged the Heretic positions and go foward to victory.
Given the drastic change that took place in this universe, explaining the future events that would happen to Amarthathor became pointless, making him an ordinary outsider mixed into this entire mess.
But he could not despair; he had to survive to go home. No matter what.
IIOII
The Geth patrol ships that guarded the Heretic station in space only had moments to blink before two of their ships fell to bright emerald lances, the Vengeful Sword's laser cannon cutting through their barriers like they were nonexistent.
Not willing to allow the enemy to regain their bearings, the huge Fathership then proceeded to unleash broadsides of missiles and plasma shots from both sides of the ship, eliminating a light score of cruiser-class Geth ships in the process.
The Normandy and it's head pilot refused to be outdone by their counterpart, and so focused on harassing a few of the larger ships with evasive maneuvers and quick, accurate shots made by it's laser defense system, sapphire lasers striking precisely at weakpoints in the enemy ships.
Using the element of surprise, the Vengeful Sword then made a micro-portal jump to reappear beside a Geth Dreadnought, then loosed a swarm of assault pods that unloaded squads of Knights that began flooding the ship on every deck, overwhelming the Dreadnought's crew within minutes of the opening of the battle.
Whilst the Geth were focused on the two ships that broke the blockade surrounding the station, they each launched a shuttle ferrying no more than half a score of warriors in total, making use of the confusion and built-in stealth systems to move in undetected.
For this mission, Shepard had chosen Gabriel Angelos and Welearis to join her for this mission, needing the former's battle experience and the latter's agility to quickly plough their way through the Geth patrols to the main core of the station, where Legion said that he could rewrite the Heretics' programming with new strings of code the Geth Consencus had prepared.
Accompanying them were the Emperor himself, a company of Quarian Greatswords led by Kal'Reegar, Legion and Toby Turner, wearing his newly-made armor that somehow – from his point of view – had all the advanced systems and air supply of a suit of power armor only found in sci-fi novels or movies he usually indulged in.
Toby suspected that Delsaran had actually sent his armor to another part of the ship's armory to fit in all the required systems of his suit of armor without his knowing, on the assumption that he would find out later.
When all Heretic presense had been cleared from Haestrom, the Quarian Republic wasted no time in sending forth additional reclaimation teams to alter the star's radiation, this time with heavier security accompanying every single team; it was rumored that the Republic even contracted the Blademasters of Andarath to handle the job.
And for some strange reason, instead of heading back to his people, or further aiding in the reclaimation efforts, Kal'Reegar and the Quarian marines who survived the onslaught volunteered for the mission, effectively leaving behind their duty to their fellow kinsmen on site.
As for how he actually came to wield his zweihandler, it was through recommendation of one of the surviving magi on the colony, that Reegar and his surviving team were to be made Greatswords.
Greatswords were simply soldiers of the Empire who utilised large swords to cleave armored enemies whilst garbed in full armor, acting as heavy units on the battlefield with rifles as a secondary weapon; Arcanetroopers were more formidable than the Greatswords in terms of versatility and adaptability, but were fewer in number and required more time to train one.
At first Reegar and his fellow Quarians met with some friction between their fellow Knights over being unable to wield such large swords, and not being used to wearing such heavy armor, but with their surprising adaptability, and Reegar's charismatic personality, they managed to reintegrate into their new professions with little trouble.
The Vengeful Sword's shuttle was the first to dock at an opening made in the station's structure, having fired a missile to create an opening, unloading the Emperor and his party before hurridely heading back to dock in the Fathership's docking bay.
Toby was trembling in his armor, nervously holding his assigned rifle with shaky hands that barely kept themselves from dropping it out of fear.
A real war... This was the thought that raced through Toby's mind over and over again, A real war's starting right in front of me, and I'm part of it? What the hell!
He was brought out of his thoughts by a tap on his shoulder, Toby then facing Kal'Reegar who stood beside him.
"Nervous?" Reegar asked, to which Toby wordlessly nodded.
"I'm nervous too, and so are the rest of us," Reegar pointed out, though the other Quarian Greatswords weren't shaking as much as Toby did, "But we're here now, and we can't turn back."
Such words did little to assuage Toby's fears, but he decided to stick around for now.
Following the Silver Knights' company were Shepard and her chosen companions, their shuttle also making it's way back to the Normandy in quick fashion.
When Shepard noticed the Quarian Greatswords accompanying Amarthathor, Reegar among them, Shepard could not help but be surprised, the only sign it being a raised eyebrow.
"Wow, never thought I'd see Quarians going in Thedosian-styled equipment," Shepard commented, causing Amarthathor to scoff at that.
"The more elite soldiers of the Empire are far more impressive than them," Amarthathor replied, though there was no underlying disdain in his voice.
"The Space Marines are more than adequate in matching these Knights in splendour and appearance," Gabriel added offhandedly, hefting his massive hammer, "But I hardly believe we have time to waste on pointless chatter."
A slug flew past Amarthathor, alerting the party to approaching Heretic Geth brandishing their weapons against them.
Drawing their rifles, the Greatswords were the first to retaliate, firing bright pulses of sapphire blue at the Heretics which completely bypassed their kinetic barriers and reduced their exoskeletons to scrap metal.
Firing an arrow that took a Geth's head, Amarthathor said with a sadistic smile, "I must agree with you, Master Angelos. We have little time to spend on meaningless banter!"
Shepard shook her head, never being able to understand the mindset of these two, then drew her Exso rifle loaned to her from the Silver Knights, placing three accurate headshots on Geth shock troopers before they even managed to fire their rocket launchers.
Roaring battle cries, the party charged the Geth patrols throughout the station, though they were more numerous and armed with heavier weaponry compared to last they invaded a Geth stronghold, making their mission much harder than before.
Still, they were not discouraged; rather, they fought harder to achieve their objective, inching closer to the main station's control core with every Geth they eliminate.
Welearis was controlled calamity, unleashing his martial arts on the Heretics that pummeled their forms into nothing but scrap metal, astonishing the Quarian Greatswords and Shepard who watched him whilst focusing on the enemy. Shepard was focused discipline, not expending more energy than necessary. Gabriel was barely restrained fury, promising the abominations righteous judgement.
Toby tried his hardest to not cave in from stress when the Geth first encountered them. But once they fired, his instincts and training took over, compensating for his poor accuracy with his unrelenting firing rate that taxed his rifle's coolant systems, hot steam pouring out of his weapon with a loud hiss.
As he did not have adequate experience in gunfights, Toby was bound to make mistakes, and his first one was allowing himself to be an open target, his instincts being his only saving grace as he narrowly avoided a slug which would have turned his head to paste.
He was a mess of emotions, though his fear and stress were being suppressed by pure instincts and loss of cohesion in his line of thoughts, his companions' voices falling on deaf ears around him.
Even as the Geth around them lay motionless, Toby remained trapped in his own world, instincts dulling everything else around him.
Until he was violently broken free by a hard punch to the gut, his breath taken out of his lungs as Amarthathor prevented his body from curling on the floor in pain.
"Focus, Toby," Amarthathor chided the Human, "Do not allow your instincts to control your every moment and senses."
Taking the time to catch his breath, Toby realised the meaning of the Emperor's words, and apologised, "Sorry, Amarthathor. Won't happen again."
"Show me then," Amarthathor said, before cleaving a Geth prime in half with his axe, Gabriel smashing the head of another with his massive hammer, a look of disdain and absolute hate plastered onto his face.
Using the momentum they gained by surprising the Heretics, they pushed onwards deeper into the station, carving a path with tremendous force on their side.
IIOII
The space battle was largely in the invading party's favour, with superior technology and the element of surprise compensating for their lack of numbers to balance the odds against the Geth ships.
With the Vengeful Sword acting as the main attention-grabber to draw the Geth away from the Normandy, it continued the onslaught with rows of pylon turrets focusing beams of sapphire light on the Geth ships, lances of plasma easily cutting through the framework of the Geth ships alongside volleys of missiles and energy pulses.
Joker could not help but watch in absolute amazement at the ease in which the Vengeful Sword was dispatching the Heretic ships, while his AI companion, EDI, appeared next to him in a projection of light.
"Mr Moreau, I have to say, I am rather impressed by the technology of the Vengeful Sword," She informed him.
"Maybe not now, EDI? I'm trying to pilot this baby in the middle of a space fight?" Joker suggested, frantically tapping away at the holographic controls of the ship.
EDI was, in all honesty, the very first AI to be created from Eezo technology, using whatever resources and research developments that Cerberus amassed over the years under the guidance of their leader, the Illusive man.
Her given name was a shortened version of her real name, which was 'Enhanced Defense Intelligence', as a testament to her capabilities in cyberwarfare should any one else try to hack the Normandy's systems.
Though they were still untested as of yet, there would be plenty of opportunities to bring out her full capabilities, one of them being right now, in the fight against the Heretic Geth that were mercilessly assaulting the Fathership's shielding to no effect.
A force rocketed the ship, nearly causing Joker to fall out of his seat and most of the crew to lose their bearings, which would be problematic for the pilot given his medical condition.
"What the hell was that, EDI!?" Joker cursed, regaining control of the ship after a brief moment of surprise.
"Mr Moreau, apparently a few Geth ships have managed to get a lucky hit on our ship, and our kinetic barriers have barely managed to hold together from a torpedo blast," EDI explained in a monotonous voice.
"Maybe tell me next time!?" Joker suggested, refocusing on the battle in front of him.
Back on the station, Geth patrols were being slaughtered left and right by the indomitable hammer that was the Emperor's party, Shepard slashing away yet another Geth trooper with her orange omni-blade.
Her form of fighting, borne of years of experience on the battlefield, had once again reaffirmed Amarthathor's belief that aiding her in her mission was the right choice, and if he had the chance, he would try to train her in the arts of combat Thedosians used for millennia.
He found it such a waste that the Systems Alliance disowned her association with Cerberus, just to conveniently protect their empty pride, though he did not completely trust infamous supremacist organisation either.
The battle seemed to be coming to a head when they unexpectedly encountered a huge blockade awaiting them at the upper levels, pinning down the party behind hastily erected magical barrier on Amarthathor's part, giving them a form of respite under the endless hail of slugs pelting their position.
Unfortunately, the door behind them closed shut, Taenith unable to override the locking controls from within the Emperor's helmet.
"Curses!" The AI swore loudly, "I cannot override the lock controls on the door! The Heretics should not be capable of such a thing!"
"And what does that mean, AI?" Gabriel demanded, firing a few shots from his bolt pistol, killing a Geth hunter, "I thought you said these Heretics were inferior to your capabilities?"
"I did, Master Angelos," Taenith bit back, the Blood Raven unflinching from the AI's annoyed demeanour, "Either they have something else blocking me from the main controls or... oh, Sossedov damnit."
"What in the name of Yggdrasil is happening, Taenith?" Amarthathor demanded, loosing an arrow onto a Geth's head, killing it instantly.
"It's the Reapers, Emperor," Taenith muttered darkly, then materialising in his physical form to join the fight, "They have us surrounded in this damn place!"
Legion, hearing the news from Taenith, immeidately began relaying the information to the two ships outside, hoping it would make them better prepared for the incoming ambush.
His hopes were misplaced.
In space, more than a dozen Reaper ships appeared from the nearby mass relay, along with a few Collector and Heretic ships that surrounded the two ships in short order, the Vengeful Sword scrambling it's fighters in a defiant, desperate counterattack.
It only managed to buy them some time, to a certain degree, as the Reapers deployed fighters of their own, sheer numbers swarming the technologically superior Knights within minutes.
While the Vengeful Sword could withstand a few direct hits from a Reaper's main laser cannon – which were actually superheated pieces of tungsten fired at relativistic speeds, the shielding could only withstand so much force before it overloaded, leaving the ship's main hull vulnerable to further attacks.
The Normandy was worse off than it's UAP counterpart; with only it's kinetic barriers that were pitifully weak against a Reaper cannon, and a few Gardian laser defense systems that could hardly penetrate a Reaper's barriers, it could do nothing but thin the horde of Reaper fighters to alieviate the pressure on it's counterpart, hoping it can take out the capital ships to soften the odds.
With news that their only way out was being threatened by a direct ambush, the party fought harder than ever, the Quarian Greatswords fighting not simply to win, but to survive another day; in this situation, the only way to live is through nothing less than absolute victory.
Even Toby was giving it his all, using even the smallest amount of reprive that he gained to return fire against the Heretic Geth.
Beside him, he saw a Rocket trooper taking aim at Shepard, putting her position in danger as he did not know whether her kinetic barriers were down or still operational.
Not taking any chances, he bellowed to one of the Quarian Greatswords, "Cover me!"
Hearing him, the Quarian then focused covering fire to keep the Geth pinned down at their positions while Toby charged from his position and rammed his sword right into the Geth's heart, making it unceremoniously drop his rocket launcher to the floor.
Toby then had an idea cross his mind; picking up the rocket launcher – making sure he was aiming it correctly, he then took a wild guess in his aim then fired at a random Geth position, hitting a far more vulnerable target than a Geth prime.
A cluster of Geth explosives.
A chain reaction of explosives rocked the Geth ranks, the machines momentarily disoriented as the invading party renewed their assault against the Heretic Geth.
Machine fought organic, as slug after slug clashed with lasers, pulses of plasma and blade and magic, the fresh Quarian Greatswords quickly proving themselves as they left a trail of Geth bodies in the wake of their attack.
Launching a biotic attack on a Geth prime, the poor machine stood no chance as it was instantly disintegrated by the power of her new Exso biotics, the Spectre herself impressed by the ease with which she conjured the Warp.
I really have to give these Thedosian guys some credit, Shepard thought to herself as she inserted a new ammo clip into her rifle, They know their stuff about genetic engineering.
IIOII
Toby was still incredibly nervous as his party continued towards the main station core, where Legion would be able to rewrite the Heretics' programming and hopefully make them reconsider allying themselves with the Reapers.
They had only one chance for it to work; should it fail, the Geth programming would evolve to block out any further rewriting attempts, effectively making the Heretics beyond redemption.
He did not notice he was sweating heavily until a drop reached his lips, imparting it's salty taste onto his tongue.
He sorely wished for a respite to take off his helmet and wipe his sweat, the stress of battle starting to take it's toll on his mind and body, muscles and bones becoming strained from constant recoil from his gun and swinging his sword continuously.
Yet fate chose not to show clemency to him, and their position was continually assaulted by ranks of Geth that reinforced their position across the station, impeding the progress of the invading party.
Minutes felt like hours halfway into the assault, the party having started to slow down just when they were within reach of the station's core, defended by a heavy Geth blockade consisting of several primes and hunters aiding the shock troopers.
Having had enough of the Heretics' persistense, Gabriel along with Shepard and Amarthathor, charged the Geth positions with their blades at the ready, smashing a sizeable dent in their defenses.
With righteous fury and boiling anger, the three cleaved apart any Heretic that dared stand in their way, inspiring the Quarian Greatswords to retaliate with equally high zeal, their large swords cutting through Geth bodies like wet paper.
As Shepard spearheaded the assault, she eventually managed to reach inside the station's core, only to find an ambush from within, several Geth troopers already having locked on her position with weapons at the ready.
Cursing for several seconds, she quickly conjured a biotic barrier in her haste, buying her a few precious seconds for help to arrive, the rest of the party clearing the room within seconds of her arrival.
Among the Geth ambushers however, was a giant Geth colossus that towered over the rest of them, it's arms seemingly unfolding themselves to reveal a vast array of weapons that would turn the Quarian Greatswords into mince meat in short order.
Though most of the party managed to scramble for cover in the opening moments of the barrage, two unlucky Quarians were instantly killed by withering barrages of missiles, their advanced shielding giving way under the continuous damage it sustained.
Realising the threat the colossus posed to the party, and unwilling to allow any more casualties on their side than need be, Welearis quickly jumped on the colossus' arm in a great feat of agility, nimbly dodging or deflecting missiles with his staff.
When he reached the colossus' head, instead on using his staff, he curled his hands into fists and began pummeling it with his bare fists, the metal denting with every empowered strike in an impossible feat of strength.
Once the colossus' head was naught but scrap metal, the Blood Elven monk jumped off the colossus, allowing it's lifeless body to crumple to the ground, nonchantly twirling his staff in anticipation as he paid no attention to the astonishment shown on most of the party's faces.
Without wasting anymore time, the party cleared out the room of any remaining Geth ambushers, allowing them to secure the room's entrances to buy time for Legion to perform his task.
With the place secure for now, Legion quickly rushed to the main console in the room, ejecting a data chip from within his body and preparing to insert it inside the console, only for his hand to stop halfway out of hesitance.
As if sensing the surge of emotions within the Geth, Toby went to his side and checked on him.
"Hey, Legion," Toby asked, though the Geth still remained frozen, "You okay?"
For a moment, the Geth did not move an inch, or even utter a single word, still remaining frozen in place as doubt began to swarm his mind, the lack of a face leaving the others guessing what he was feeling.
Legion then finally uttered after a pregnant silence, "I'm unsure if it will work, the Heretic rewriting."
For most, it was somewhat understandable; attempting to rewrite rouge AI that have slain many a Creator was unfathomable, if not outright foolish. When the Geth Consencus suggested trying to rewrite the Heretics in the hopes of bringing them back into their fold, it was met largely with uncertainty on all sides.
Only when High Emperor Amarthathor gave his consent to initiate an experimental project that had next to no chance of success, did the others approve of the project and allow the Geth to proceed, which had all led to this moment.
It seemed so simple; just insert the chip and program it to rewrite the Heretics, and let the fruits of the project perform their job.
Yet, because it was an experimental project, there was such a huge unknown in the certainty as to whether it would succeed, and Legion was unsure whether it would bring the Heretics salvation from their Reaper masters, or simply drive them closer into the Reapers' ranks out of instinct.
Patting Legion on the shoulder, Toby reassured, "Hey, Legion, you wanted to do this, right? You won't know it'll work unless you try, right?"
Legion nodded, to which Toby then said, "Then screw whatever doubts you got in your mind and just go ahead, put it in; no one's forcing you."
Hearing the sound reasoning behind Toby's words, Legion then inserted the chip, then typed a few commands into the console, which then shut off as soon as Legion entered the commands.
"It will take time for the rewriting to take effect, not more than a few hours by estimates," Legion stated, grabbing his rifle, "Now we only wait."
"And I have a feeling I will have to address an entire horde of reporters when we return from this mission," Amarthathor said, his lips pursing in irritation, "We do have to answer for the sudden creation of a new Knightly Order, after all."
"I refuse to mingle with the ilk that these 'Council citizens' call reporters," Gabriel spat on the floor, curling his face in disgust, "It is horrible enough that I am stranded from the Imperium, and now I have to deal with Xenos that will hound us every hour of the day?"
"We will have to see," Amarthathor mused, slinging his bow across his torso.
IIOII
In a large, spacious hall of the govermental headquarters of the Council of Primarchs on Palaven, a group of Turians all took their seats behind elevated podiums that were no more than two feet above the floor, all attention focused on one Turian in the centre.
Said Turian was garbed in immaculate royal blue armor, it's design based on recreated ancient designs documented on Turian history, avian-like pauldrons holding a sapphire blue cape with gold trimmings and letters of Turian script tailored on it, the insignia of a Turian skull with twin hammers crossing each other in an X shape above it.
In his hands was a large hammer encrusted with silver trimmings and strings of Turian script on the head and haft, all glowing a turquoise blue.
One of the Turians asked the one in the centre, "Are you sure you want to go ahead with this decision, Sparatus?"
Sparatus, once the Turian Councilor, had retired from his position following the complete destruction of the Batarian Hegemony and conquest of Omega, feeling that he was incapable of being Councilor of his people.
By request that was made to the Council of Primachs, he stepped down as Councilor only two days after he returned to Turian space, allowing the Primachs to elect a new one to take his place.
It seemed rather strange, not sitting behind his podium in the Presidium as he continually refuted any of Shepard's claims about the Reapers existense, or vetoeing everything Anderson suggested alongside Tevos when it came to consolidating the Systems Alliance's position in the Citadel Council.
But to him, it felt liberating, having retired from a job he felt he could not handle; it felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders, allowing him to properly serve the Hierarchy without being bogged down by all the unnecessary bureaucracy the Asari Republics insisted on in politics.
And like many in the UAP and those friendly to them, he felt that the Asari had become far too comfortable on top of the pile; controlling every aspect of Citadel politics, monopolising advanced technology for themselves, and using violent incidents as an excuse to solidify their military power under the Treaty of Farixen.
That Treaty was soon dissolved with the advent of the UAP, most powerful of them all being the Thedosian Empire.
Now, he stood before the Primachs of the Hierarchy, not as Turian Councilor, nor as a Blackwatch operative, but one who would become part of something more.
Nodding his head with determination in his eyes, Sparatus affirmed, "I have made my decision, honoured Primarchs. I'm ready."
Accepting the ex-Councilor's statement, the same Turian Primach then declared, "Sparatus, on our authority and collective decision as the Council of Primarchs, we hereby approve of the formation of the first Turian Knightly Order."
Smiling broadly, Sparatus graciously said, "I won't disappoint you, honoured Primarchs."
It had taken a fair bit of time, Sparatus had to admit, but he was surprised when the Hierarchy approved of the idea of forming the Hierarchy's first Knightly Order, following in the Empire's footsteps; they would have formed a sort of 'Guild', as what the Azerothians called it, but there was a distinct lack of adventurous Turians save the mercenaries that were all but wiped out during the Purge of Omega.
Deciding on the Order's livery and type of weapons used, Sparatus never complained a single bit, entralled by the prospect of the Hierarchy having an Order that had the same privileges as the Spectres had, and with larger numbers than the Spectres themselves.
"Then I can proudly state this now, Grand Master Sparatus," Another Primarch stated with swelling pride in his voice, "That it is time for the Grand Order of the Palavenguard to blossom under your leadership, to fight our enemies and bring honour to the Hierarchy."
Sparatus nodded, "It will be you say, honoured Primarchs."
A/N: Yes, the Hierarchy's definitely being inspired by the Empire, and oh, I just love the idea of messing with the Mass Effect universe.
Anyway, I will be taking a short break in order to settle some things on World of Warcraft, before I get the Legion expansion, and I will be a while, having missed a lot in more than a month of inactivity on WoW, so the next chapter will be a while, probably a month or more.
So I thank all of you for your patience, and I will hopefully see you again, as Ebanu8.
Glory to the Hierarchy! Glory to the Grand Order of the Palavenguard!
