I don't own the Mass Effect.

Act I: Consolidation

Chapter 7: Politics

Date: 03-01-2185

Location: Afterlife Complex, Omega, Sahrabarik System, Terminus

"Well." I muttered as I entered the circular room, finding it to be far more crowded than it had been the last time Aria had summoned me to one of these events. Seventeen other lesser warlords were packed into the room, and since most of them had brought their own senior subordinates or bodyguards, the place was packed. Especially down near the cleared area where Aria would end up standing, where plenty of people were jockeying viciously for the seats at the bottom of the bowl. "This will be so much fucking fun."

"Probably." Ghai murmured as she moved to stand on my left, jerking her chin across her body. The pair of us were in full armor with coats, though our helmets were on our belts and we'd stuck with just sidearms for weaponry out of respect to our host. "There."

I glanced in that direction and grunted, staying on the uppermost level as I wandered over towards the small table she'd located. The pair of us dropped into the chairs, utterly content to ignore and be ignored by our 'equals'.

"What big fish are we expecting?" I asked as I leaned back as best I could in the uncomfortable chair.

"Sederis, Waffe, Yesh, and T'Ravt." My executive officer rasped dutifully.

I frowned a little, "No Cesssa or Tirravan?"

She shook her head and rolled a shoulder in a shrug, "War."

That drew a grunt as I exhaled. The two local weeks since we'd gotten back from Ferris Fields had proven to be... more mixed than I had thought, with a few bits of good news thrown in with the problems.

Jacqueline was doing about as well as I thought she could be. She'd had a very long vid call with Liara once we'd arrived on station, and an even longer one with Voya immediately after. She'd declined to go with on the True Son operation, and even more oddly, hadn't gone to get any of the hard drugs I knew she used to enjoy. Instead she was mostly hanging around our headquarters, sticking to just alcohol, and seemingly trying to get a feel for how things were run. She obviously hadn't committed to staying or going, but I still had hope that she'd decide to stay.

The situation we'd left behind on Ferris Fields was a bit more complex. Collins had evidently gotten caught in the napalm bomb I'd thrown over my shoulder on our way out, and had been barely clinging to life when the local citizenry had discovered his collusion with the Broker to betray us and the Corsairs. Someone had flicked off his life support as a result of the mob anger that had risen up at the news that they were now effectively defenseless against attack, and something like a minor civil war had promptly broken out in the absence of central authority.

I didn't much care either way, but the Matriarch was hard at work spreading rumors across Citadel news sources that the entire thing was my and Jacqueline's fault. Nynsi's own contacts on Illium were retaliating with Aethyta's reluctant help, blaming the mess directly on Collins. The end result was a mass of confusion, with no one really sure exactly what had happened. Which still worked in the old bitch's favor, our PMC license request had been denied by the Alliance within a day, and our similar petition to the Citadel was on indefinite hold pending 'investigations'.

Not that the Citadel one mattered as much. Technically just having the license on Illium was enough to keep us clear of C-Sec and the Council's direct interference, but our reputation would have been vastly improved if we'd had it. And we couldn't hire out to the Alliance without that one, which would obviously never happen now.

That news was merely annoying against the continuous headaches that were constantly coming up in and around our new enclave. Resistance to the more structured, and legalized, Illium fashion of doing things was proving just as fierce as I had feared... at least up until I'd entirely lost my temper last week. Two Highborn had snuck in pleasure slaves, and only been caught when one of them had tried to escape. She'd been screaming in agony in the street from her implants, and our people had gotten there in time to see her 'owner' trying to get her under cover.

I'd personally executed him and his brother right there in the street, and informed everyone present that I was out of goddess-damned patience.

Nara had followed that up next shift by dragging five drug dealers and a pimp down to what we were calling Level One, gathering everyone in sight before having all six of them shot for operating without licenses.

We'd been promptly flooded with requests for said licenses, which was an issue in itself, but the bemused disdain many of the older residents had treated us with had vanished overnight. Many had elected to emigrate as a result, but more immigrants, many of them of the lower classes and castes, were pouring up from Doru and the lowers to replace them. If anything, the numbers coming in were making Ven start to worry about potential overpopulation if they didn't slow down.

That was an issue I was willing to accept, considering the sheer amount of work still needed to be done to clean and fix everything up... and then there was getting all of our new recruits vetted and settled in, and training regimens going... and negotiating with the local dock workers in terms of fixing our old ships... and negotiating with their prissy Illium counterparts for the same... and dealing with Aethyta... and Aria... and Sederis...

"I quit." I muttered as I slumped forwards, letting my head fall to rest on the table. "You're the Warlord now. Have fun."

There was a soft snort, "Delegate more."

"How!?" I demanded, turning to rest my right cheek on the wood to gape at her. "I throw everything I can to you, Joa, Nara, Trena, and Ven and I'm still swamped. Fuck, two shifts ago I had to ask Jacqueline and Erana to draw up a training exercise while I dealt with the Tigers trying to break into Level Two."

She grimaced a little, then forced full phrases through her ruined throat. "We're still getting established. It will slow down soon enough."

I pursed my lips, "You sure?"

"Reasonably."

"That," I sighed, "Is not nearly as reassuring as you probably meant it."

One of her shoulders rolled as she smiled, patting me on the shoulder before pulling a tablet out of her coat and flicking it on. Exhaling, I pushed myself back into a seated position and dutifully looked at the device as she pushed it in front of me, giving me an excellent view of our current financial situation.

"Still that bad?" I asked rhetorically, shaking my head a little. "At least its still in the budget Nynsi set for us... overlay the six month projection that Ven made, the updated version."

She did so with a few quick flicks, "Promising."

"Yeah." My mouth shifted a little as I looked over the numbers. Overall the numbers were still not great, but income from taxation began trickling in to offset some things, and there were definite spikes as ships in our fleet shifted from costing us money in repairs, to providing money as they rotated to the Horizon contract. "Shit, we're still losing too much on the recruiting classes, but I don't see how we can lower their salaries. Maybe we should go with Nara's idea to shift the payment schedule, back-load it as they get closer to full service."

There was another rolling shrug as she brought up a notepad, quickly recording approval for that idea and saving it for later.

Of course, even with that... I sighed and pushed the device away. "We won't ever really be profitable, will we? Athame's ass, even when we have our full fleet we'll barely be above the red line. Any major combat action would bankrupt us, even with Nynsi's support."

Ghai pressed her lips together, then shook her head. "Ships and crew."

"Yeah." And we really, really couldn't lower their salaries. The last thing we wanted was a mutiny over shit wages. "What do you think of Nara and Joa's proposal?"

"Base incomplete." She exhaled softly, "Next year?"

I clicked my tongue, "No moral concerns about invading the lower levels?"

My mind healer gave me a look that told me just how stupid of a question that was. Of course she didn't have any moral qualms about expanding our territory on Omega, especially if we were going to be forcing some measure of order into place. Ghai was a big believer in the Illium Minor concept, and had no issues with the concept of growing as much as Omega would tolerate.

"Illyan?" The name came out as a question, her mind having no issues figuring out why I'd actually asked the question.

"She's... not thrilled with the idea." I admitted. Illyan was fine with concepts like retaliation and revenge, lashing out against people who hurt our own... but the idea of becoming the invading force was one that she actively rejected. Being part of a full blown PMC had been something she'd been able to handle only because she knew that my particular branch was only being hired out as protection for Traverse colonies.

That I was even considering acting like a Warlord, expending our territory by force, had put even more strain on our relationship... right after we had started to try and patch things back together into something that might have been workable. Joa lining up all of the faux-reasonable arguments as to why violent expansion wasn't such a bad thing hadn't helped much either, with Illyan not appreciating the reminder of just what kind of people we'd become.

Ghai regarded me for a long moment, then sighed and forced a longer sentence out. "You're actually going to break apart this time, aren't you?"

"Probably." I offered quietly. "She wants... well, she wants things to be simple. We have that in common. The problem is that I can't just walk away from all of this, as much as I want to just tell Aria to fuck off and to run away with her to Illium."

The Asari on my left grimaced. I'd be hunted down by either Sederis or Aria inside of a week, just to ensure control of the crap that I knew. And even if they left me alive... I'd still be abandoning everyone who now considered me their commanding officer, and I didn't think that I could do that at this point.

Maybe... maybe if I'd listened to her and bailed right after the fight, if we'd fled to Xentha, the Lady Warlord might have kept our presence quiet for a while. But... instead I'd stuck around, gotten involved, and it increasingly felt like my only available options were between bad and fucking terrible if I wanted to seriously protect and nurture what I had come to think of as 'mine'.

Before we could continue the conversation, and before I could really get the pity current swirling, the first of the greater warlords arrived and drew our attention for an entirely different reason. Heinrich die Waffe, the Steel King, strode through the same doorway we'd come through, his expression irritated. He'd continued his evident weight loss program, replacing his bulk with muscle, though the black in his hair had continued to lose its battle against the silver creeping in.

His appearance, and that of the dark skinned woman acting as his own second, wasn't surprising... but the massive Quarian who came in with them very much was.

"Huh... he look like a migrant to you?" I asked, frowning at the much more expansive suit than I was used to Voya or her kin using. "Exile maybe?"

"Maybe... odd." Ghai agreed, both of us watching them move. The man in question was studiously ignoring everyone else present, staying close to the Warlord as they descended to the lower levels. Die Waffe kicked a Turian PMC executive out of his seat with a mere glance, the three of them settling themselves in after.

Jona Sederis arrived in time with Ul Yesh less than a minute later, the latter's human wife following dutifully behind them as they likewise descended. Sederis paused about halfway down, turning her head until she found the two of us lurking in our dark corner near the top, her lips pulling into a smirk. The golden dressed Asari murmured something to the young Batarian man, then reversed direction and actually moved back up.

I could only sigh as she reached our level, not bothering to look at her until she dropped into the seat beside me.

"Cieran." She greeted me, her voice wickedly amused. "Hiding in the back again I see."

"Jona." I replied, knowing full well that her choosing to sit beside me was a declaration of support... and possession. "Eager to cause trouble for me... as usual."

"Always." The Mistress of the Eclipse purred before leaning around me slightly, "Ghai. I trust my granddaughter is well?"

"Yes." Ghai rasped, "No thanks to your daughter."

Sederis snorted, leaning back in her chair. The grin on her lips faded as Yan T'Ravt arrived, the Lady gliding down the stairs in a white dress as tasteful as Jona's was revealing. The Illium warlord didn't quite glare venom at her Xenthan counterpart, but there definitely wasn't any love lost between the two Asari.

Aria's commando bodyguards began strutting in shortly after, emerging from the various doors and taking up positions near them. The Queen herself came in when all but the main entrance had been shut and sealed, the door sliding shut with a clang that saw all conversation in the room cease. Those few people who had still been standing quickly found their chairs as Aria's heels clicked against the stairs.

"Right." Aria spoke into the absolute silence, a massive holographic display flickering to life in the air above her head as she began to pace a slow circle around the bowl. "This is the first of two planned meetings on the long term threats that we, as a collective, are facing, so let's get this crap going. Give me Ilos."

Some luckless subordinate adjusted the loading icons to show what scans we had of the former Prothean world... and the hundreds of destroyed Reapers scattered across its surface. More displays flickered to show the system as a whole, with hundreds more icons popping up to show where more AI corpses drifted in loose orbits around the sun.

"Heinrich." The Queen jerked her chin towards the man, "You've got a relevant theory on what killed them."

The Steel King nodded, rising from his seat and stepping down into the bowl, his voice a deep Germanic basso. "It is based upon the information provided by Executive Kean, Kerensky's omni-tool, and a long analyzation of the amount of firepower that the Council's fleets required to destroy Sovereign. The long version is technical and would take hours to go over the anecdotal pigshit, so the short version is that the Protheans were able to deploy a super-weapon, one specifically designed to destroy Reapers across the galaxy."

There was an uneasy stirring around the room, then a Batarian Ha'diq rose. "For those of who were not given the huma... Kean's information, what is this weapon?"

"It supposedly fires some kind of damaging signal via the Mass Relays, possibly tuned to specifically destroy some internal system of the Reapers." There was a human shrug from his broad shoulders, "The specifics aren't known to us, but its the results that matter. No practical war fleet, even given supposed levels of technology available to the Protheans, could have destroyed so many, and all of our other theories had fifty thousand years worth of questions behind them."

Grunting, I rose to my feet and raised my voice. "Based on what I know, that seems possible, but how do you think Sovereign survived?"

"Your own information indicates that such a super-weapon is highly unstable, and as dangerous to the user as it is to the target." Another shrug and a wave at the images above his and Aria's heads, "It likely acted only as a localized pulse and failed to transmit its signal beyond Ilos's local system. However many Reapers were left were likely sufficient to finish off any pockets of resistance that remained."

I nodded while the same Ha'diq glanced at Aria before permission, then turned and faced me when she nodded. "Your information... does it indicate how many might remain, given the exact numbers of those destroyed?"

I shook my head and shifted my posture to show regret, "No, and even if it did, I wouldn't trust it. Whatever reason that bitch had for fucking with my and Krom's heads, it definitely wasn't to help us fight these things."

"Then why trust any of it?" He demanded in return, only to shrink a little when Aria spoke.

"Because we lack any other practical intelligence." The Queen informed him, "Until we find hard data that contradicts what he knows or knew, we assume it is at least partially correct."

"Yes, my Queen." The Ha'diq offered, settling back into his chair, and I elected to follow suit rather than keep anyone's attention on me.

"Right." The Steel King resumed, "Since the only plans for the shit the Protheans used are probably on Ilos, and maybe Mars, they aren't available to us. We're working on seeing if we can get mechs down to the former, but the level of destruction means we've got no idea where to even start looking. In the meantime, we're stuck planning for a conventional fight. Yan?"

The Lady Warlord nodded politely and rose, joining he and Aria though she remained still rather than moving as she spoke. "With this additional intelligence, I have been able to better correlate some of my dear sister's actions over the past few centuries. I believe that a conventional victory against the Reapers may actually be possible, and would explain the Leviathan's involvement if they wish to once again dominate the galaxy."

"Ahhh." The Turian who Heinrich's group had relocated rose, his mandibles twitching. "I believe that I see. If the Council was unified, they could contain the Reapers conventionally while they built this super-weapon. Then they could easily defeat the weakened Reapers and maintain the status quo. These Leviathans want to be gods... the easiest way to rise would come if they were seen as saviors to a desperate and losing populace."

"Precisely." T'Ravt gave him a formal little bow, "It is merely theory, but I believe they fight the delicate balancing act, ensuring that we are strong enough to defeat their enemies in the end, but not so strong as to threaten them directly in the aftermath. To that end, the eldritch beings elected to suborn the most powerful of the early nations."

"If the Republics stay out of any fighting when the Reapers finally show up," Die Waffe grunted, "We're in trouble as things currently stand. That's why we're doing nothing but prepare from this point out, and expecting nothing from those pigs on the Citadel."

Aria's right heel clicked hard on the floor as she continued to circle the bowl, "I'm aware of the damage that the war has done to our infrastructure. It must be repaired, quickly. Cost will not be considered an acceptable obstacle, nor will any other that arises. The Terminus will be ready for war in three years."

Ul Yesh cautiously stood up, his posture shifting between nervous and commanding, though his voice was strong when he spoke. "If I may, my Queen. Where will this war occur? If these... Leviathans truly consider us a threat, we might be invaded from Council space as well as from wherever these Reapers appear. And there remains the issues of the Collectors and the Geth to consider, if they are under the Reaper's thrall."

There was an approving grunt from the Steel King. "I've got someone with a proposal for the latter. Zorah? Get it out."

I felt my mouth drop in surprise even as Ghai sucked in a breath. To my left, Sederis went still, then offered a soft curse as her eyes narrowed, tracking the absurdly tall Quarian as he rose. He remained where he was rather than descending to Aria and the other Warlords, likely a wise move, and clasped his hands behind his back in a militant pose.

"Warlords. Queen T'Loak." Tali's father had a deep, almost booming voice, but his accent was almost absurdly thick compared to the smooth Xenthan cant I was used to. "I won't waste your time with frivolity or honors. The Admiralty Board would like to propose an alliance of action, to destroy the Geth threat once and for all."

A low round of mutters went around the room at that, then vanished as Aria held a hand up. She regarded Rael'Zorah for several long breaths before speaking, "What do you offer, migrant?"

"An equal share of all Geth salvage taken, and all former colonies that lay farther from Rannoch than Haestrom." He informed her, "We would not expect action at once, given the recent war. The campaign is planned to begin in one standard year. Our primary need would be for ground troops to help secure our former worlds, while our fleet would handle the primary engagements."

I let out a soft hum, leaning back in my chair as I considered the offer. It made... a lot of sense strategically. Not only would we, well... Aria and Die Waffe mostly, gain access to more Geth technology, it could secure that region entirely well in advance of the Reaper attack. That would free up a large number of forces to engage either the Reapers or the Leviathans, depending on how crap went down.

"Kean?" Sederis asked quietly as more murmuring began, Aria stepping aside to speak quietly with T'Ravt while Zorah waited patiently. "Your thoughts?"

"Its a decent enough plan." I replied equally softly. "Even with Sovereign down, the Geth are probably a lost cause thanks to the extra time it had to fuck with them. Better to clear them out now... but the Geth are rough customers. Even with the migrant fleet, it'll be rough."

She grunted, "Agreed. Athame's azure though... that human down there is the only real Warlord with a fleet ready to fight, and I don't care what the suit-rat says, we'll need ships as well as troops and neither Heinrich or Aria have many. A year might not be enough time unless the shit with the Hegemony is wrapped up that quickly."

That drew a snort from me, "We'll have to praise Athame if that shit is done in the next two years, much less one."

Blue lips twisted, "Can you free up anyone?"

"Not unless you want the Traverse open to the Collectors." I reminded her. "Shit, I'm already praying to the goddess that Khar'shan falls sooner rather than later so I can get more troops into place to fight those bugs as it is."

Far below us, Aria seemed to be doing similar math as she stepped away from T'Ravt and turned back to Zorah. "We will require eighteen Citadel months to prepare, not twelve... but Heinrich, Yan, and I will support your push, along with our subordinates."

Many of said subordinates stirred uneasily, but none were so stupid as to say anything.

Rael'Zorah seemed to consider that, then nodded almost cautiously, "Our timetable will be difficult to shift, but I will speak with the other Admirals."

Aria waved a hand dismissively. "If you want to start your campaign on your precious schedule, you may, but we won't be involved until the time I set... and we will expect our compensation regardless."

The Admiral didn't seem to be surprised by that, instead simply dipping his head and returning to his seat.

Omega's ruler stared at him for a few more breaths, then nodded as well before turning away to throw her gaze in our direction. "Jona."

There was an annoyed sigh as Sederis pushed herself to her feet, planting a hand on the table as she casually shifted to lean against it. "The Directors are screaming their pretty little heads off, but Illium will be ready. I'm draining every maiden I can out of the Republics with recruiting offers and other assorted crap, but there's already emigration laws being passed. Some shit about cutting Illium out of the Repbulics entirely and blockading the entire region is also in the works."

I couldn't stop from grimacing, sharing a concerned look with Ghai. That was news to the both of us, even if it wasn't all that surprising in hindsight.

"My vassals are still getting their blue asses in gear, too used to being fucking left alone on our side of the Terminus." She continued, "Conscription orders are going out on some of the colonies, and war economies are slowly getting setup where they aren't already. It's not going to be painless, but shit will be in place in time."

Aria grunted loudly enough for everyone to hear her, then flicked her gaze to T'Ravt. "Xentha?"

A shoulder rolled demurely, "Releasing some of the information we have on the Reapers and Leviathans has seen the end of complaints from my own vassals, and rebuilding is well underway. I should have half again as many warships as I had to fight Ganar when the time comes, and three to four times as many combat ready troops. My principle worry remains the Leviathans. Releasing the information may have quelled any muttering amongst our own people, but I do not believe they will take their... outing, lightly."

"Assuming anyone believes them." Die Waffe snorted. "Timeless spice squid controlling the Republics from the shadows? If I hadn't seen those damned orbs and the dead husks for myself, I'd have thought it the worst sort lunatic conspiracy."

I cleared my throat and rose again, "That may be true, and the Council will probably call us insane, but the Leviathans and their sock puppets will know. They'll have plans of their own that we'll have to worry about and try to counter if we want to survive the next three or four years. Spectre Shepard's death is just one example, there's also been their repeated efforts via Matriarch T'Ravt to kill or capture her former allies."

Once again muttering filled the room, and Sederis turned to narrow her eyes at me. I hadn't exactly shared that bit of news with her, or anyone else, having elected to save it for this particular meeting. Mostly to avoid having to repeat myself when the inevitable questions began, as well as the fact that I'd only gotten some additional confirmation yesterday.

"You're sure?" Jona asked, "How many attempts?"

"Two on the Citadel, another on Ferris Fields." I glanced down at the massive Quarian. "A... potential fourth attempt last week, on Haestrom."

Rael'Zorah rose once, his glowing eyes locking onto mine as his accent thickened further. "You are disturbingly well informed, Executive Commander."

I bowed my head at the compliment, mentally thanking Liara for keeping me in the loop even though her father currently refused to speak with any of us. "And your daughter and her squad are exceedingly skilled, if they brought down a Leviathan Banshee."

The compliment seemed to throw him off slightly, but he jerked his helmet in a tight nod before turning to Aria to provide some context when she flicked her cold eyes to him. "The attack did occur. It was a scouting party, sent to evaluate our chances in a direct assault, they were assaulted by similar husks to the ones the Steel King informs me preyed upon your miners."

"And it convinced you to come to Omega." The Queen deduced.

Another tight nod. "The encounter changed many minds in the Flotilla, once we correlated it against the information coming from your people. That such creatures exist now seems certain, and their influence over Citadel politics is likely... extreme. That is why we elected to request a military alliance."

Aria merely pursed her lips, grunted again, then returned her attention to me. "Kean, any other shit I should know?"

My head twitched in a quick shake, "Nothing that you aren't already aware of, unless you want a report on what we'll be doing in the Traverse." When there was the tiniest of nods, I inhaled and continued, "Ferris Fields is a lost cause, but there's four other major human colonies that will likely become Collector targets. Horizon is going to get the bulk of my attention, it has the most people and the most cash. New Canton and Nagato have agreed to accept weapons and training cadres, with combat forces later once the Hegemony crap is done with, but Freedom's Progress..."

"Told you to fuck off?" She guessed.

"They didn't put it quite that politely." I replied dryly, drawing snorts and rumbles of amusement. "As soon as my ships are in any kind of condition, I'll have rotating patrols near potential targets. The goal will be to get any actionable intelligence they can on the Collectors rather than to actually fight, we'll save that for the big targets."

"Good." The Queen replied, "I don't need you wasting ships we'll need later. Murridan, Lorvit," Two Batarian Ha'diq bowed their heads to the left, "You can keep up your raids on the Salarians, but I want your people ready to reinforce the Blades if those bugs come out to fight."

Both men exchanged a quick look, then the elder of the two rose and turned to split his gaze between me and his queen. "Safe anchorages are at a premium in the Traverse with the influx of freelance operators moving into the region. Locating one within easy range of all three of your protected worlds will not be simple."

I grimaced, tipping my head to show him that I understood and respected his position. "The bulk of my fleet will probably be at Horizon... if you can find a location near Nagato, that should give you range to the Union's outer colonies and leave you close enough to move to Horizon or Nagato."

Ul Murridan pursed his lips, his four eyes narrowing in thought, "That might be possible, yes. I will have my people locate an acceptable system and contact you further."

We exchanged another set of polite nods, then settled back into our chairs as Aria began to rotate through her other subordinates. A few had been given enclaves on some of the smaller asteroids that orbited Omega for their service in the war, and updated her on the status of repairs and upgrades to their various facilities. The only two Asari in the group drew everyone's attention, given that they ran Aria's shipyards, and it took them a while to run through the mechanical triage still ongoing.

Apart from them, six Ha'diq were given explicit permission to start cleaning house in the coreward clusters. Any system not claimed by someone present was considered fair game, with the long-term goal being the complete assimilation or expulsion of 'minor' pirate bands. Others were to begin patrols near the Perseus Veil, or released to make long-distance raids on conservative Hegemony worlds to hasten that faction's collapse.

Three, including the Turian who ran the only other PMC currently on station, notably didn't get any public orders at all. I considered worrying about that for a few heartbeats, then decided that I didn't need even more complications in my life.

The last report came from Ul Yesh, the young man standing with a bit more confidence than he had earlier. "Reconstruction efforts on Zadith Ban are proceeding. The local Krogan are proving more amiable than I thought, mostly because I've turned over local power to the few fertile femlaes that Ganar had hidden away."

I felt my lips tug into a small smirk, even as Ghai snorted and quietly rasped. "Clever."

Aria regarded the newest Great Warlord, "And those females obey you?"

"They obey the fact that I can bombard them at any moment." He admitted, "The larger issue is the general state of their territory. Those worlds I took from Zaen are in decent enough shape and can provide some support, but Ganar's planets..."

"I can guess." The Queen all but growled, "Get them in shape to support a war, I don't care how you do it."

"It is already a work in process." Yesh gave her an overly respectful bow as he returned to his seat. He didn't say it, but his posture screamed that he was more than aware that the only reason he had his position was because Aria had specifically chosen him to come out as the winner in the free-for-all campaign that had enveloped Zadith Ban after I'd killed Ganar Iraz.

"Good. If that's everything, get the fuck to work." Aria ended the meeting as suddenly as she'd begun it, striding her ass up the stairs and out of her personal exit. Her commandos stirred to life from where they'd been lounging, opening the rest of the doors for us before they too vanished.

Sederis rose, giving me a long look that told me we'd be conversing later, then spun on a heel and departed in a swirl of golden cloth.

"And she's annoyed that I'm not copying her on every little thing anymore." I sighed, reaching up to rub my forehead. "How do you think she's going to get back at me?"

Ghai grimaced, rolling her shoulder in a shrug. "Threats. Seduction. Usual."

My own face pulled a little as I stood up, "Leska then, she'll probably try for both and I'll have to be careful as fuck. Can't afford to piss her off, but giving in to either would basically be suicide."

"Yes." She agreed as she followed me to her feet, the pair of us beating everyone else to the nearest door thanks to our proximity. Her voice deepened as she pushed more words out, giving me a tired smile as we walked. "Welcome to being a Warlord on Omega. The games never end."

Silver Blades Communication Log

Shyeel: By the goddess, I can't...

Kean, C: Shyeel, what is it? Is something wrong?

Shyeel: No, it's... Athame, I can't stop laughing... this is... she's still twitching!

Kean, C: ...you mind calling back when you're coherent?

Shyeel: I'm fine, just... give me a moment. Right, so we got back to base from a trip to the Old District, and I convinced Voya to stop visit her brother since she's been avoiding him since we got here.

Kean, C: Oh goddess... please tell me that-

Shyeel: That your brother didn't have her brother bent over the bed, complete with scented candles around Haro's quarters and a bunch of Quarian sexual stuff I didn't have time to take in?

Kean, C: ...I did not need that mental image. Athame's azure I so did not...

Shyeel: Neither did she! She just kind of shut down and gaped at them! I had to drag her out of there before they noticed, and this little muscle in her cheek is still twitching! I'm recording it to send to you both.

Shyeel: Cie?

Shyeel: Cieran.

Illyan: Shyeel? Something wrong? And why is Cie just staring into space?

Shyeel: Illyan! Is he twitching too?

Illyan: ...his left hand kind of is, not as bad as when he's having an attack, more like when he's feeling really homicidal. What happened?

Shyeel: Voya and I walked in on Magnus fucking Haro.

Illyan: ...That. Is. Awesome. How'd she react?

Shyeel: Totally out of it, kind of twitching, not reacting to anything. I already locked the door so she can't run off to try and kill them.

Illyan: Good thinking. I'm going to throw this comatose idiot into bed, then grab a drink. I want details when I get back! And a vid!

Shyeel: I'll have both, don't worry.

Next up is Chapter 8: Pragmatism

The title may be politics, but mostly this was a militant chapter, setting up the Terminus' initial long-term plans. There will be another such meeting in the second act, involving Cessa and the other Traverse Warlords. Big notes are that word about the Leviathans and Reapers is spreading, figured I would state this openly here; Assume all of the Great Warlords have been fully briefed on the Matriarch and Leviathans by Aria/Sederis/T'Ravt, though the personal details remain private (the knowledge is being presented as raw information). The Lesser Warlords know as much as they have to to take the threat seriously.

The next chapter will shift to the internal politics of the Silver Blades, along with plenty of Cie-Illyan talk. After that we'll just have two more chapters before this first Act draws to a conclusion; 1-9 - Demons, 1-10 - Deception, both involving helping Trena secure the last spot on her team. After that we're going to have a six chapter act from a separate POV, and it will be very heavy with both personal and political matters. POV will be named Operatic Memory for those who wish to guess who it will be.

Act 3 will be back to Cieran, and will see the Hegemony Civil War moving to front and center.

Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."

P a treon Zach_K2V

Thanks, Kat

Review Responses:

Mr. Odd - That argument was sort-of planned for a while, I just wasn't sure who he'd be having it with. hat particular situation seemed to be the right time.

seabo76 - Cieran cares very deeply about his friends. Not so deeply about everyone else.

GreaterGoodIreland - He might have been the first person to ever go back for her when she fell behind (or sent someone else to do it when he couldn't). Twice even. She and Cie are going to have an interesting relationship given Shepard's own role in her life (while that lasted).

Micha/Gods/Griezz - See the forums for responses. :P