"Sarah?"
The voice over the ECHO contacting the tired commander was insistent. Sarah desperately wanted to ignore it as long as she could, but eventually the woman clad entirely in Dahl combat gear stop after an exercise. Sarah then reached into a pouch strapped tightly to her chest, and extracted her phone.
"Yes?"
"Sarah, what have you been doing? Why didn't you answer sooner, this is an emergency!"
"First off I was doing drills, second I didn't know it was an emergency."
"[Sigh] Sarah, let me explain something to you – but first let me introduce myself. I am Lieutenant Commander Savion, I am about the same rank as you correct?"
"Yes that is correct. What do you want LC Savion?"
"Every time someone contacts you, always assume it's an emergency."
"Because no one contacts us LC's unless it's an emergency?"
Sarah unstraps her helmet and sets it on the dummy in front of her. It isn't her helmet, but the rest of the gear Sarah bought with her blood and sweat.
LC Savion laughed on the other end, then he went silent and then, a moment later, spoke seriously.
"Sarah this is very important, a council meeting about the upgrading of Acheron is being held right now. It has been running for a few hours now, and it's about to fall apart."
"And you want me to meet you there? To try and calm things down I assume?"
"Yup, except … let's just make sure no one kills each other. At least not inside the council room, that space is strictly physical violence neutral."
Noise and background chatter could be heard on the other end and Sarah realized Savion was on a train speeding towards the meeting center. Sarah posed a question while walking towards the nearest fast travel station.
"How long will it take you to get to the meeting room?"
"Ah – damn it! I'm being held up, maybe 10 minutes."
"Make it five."
"Just get there. I'll try and hurry to back you up … stay safe LC Sarah."
Checking to make sure no one was following her, and staying stationary in front of the fast travel station for thirty seconds Sarah is finally satisfied. She steps through the specialized DAHL fast travel station gate, and exits at the base of the small staircase leading up to the council rooms. Multiple raised voices can be heard coming from behind a locked door, reverberating down the hall.
So many voices were mixed together and jumbled almost all yelling at the same time that any normal person wouldn't have been able to decipher any distinct words. But Sarah having been briefed by Savion, Sarah had a guess as to what words or tones of voices to look for. At first Sarah didn't detect anything out of the unusual – except your usual council argument banter.
But as Sarah shifted through the voices, and tuned out the ones that weren't important, she found whispers. Which was odd so many of them, but not loud enough – obviously – to be heard over the din of shouting voices.
Deciding enough time had been spend outside the council room Sara moves forward to stand by the locked door listening more intently. Sarah knew that as soon as she entered the room all sense of the non-physical violence neutrality would end. A part of the agreement was that no Soldier of any kind, no matter the rank was to enter the council chamber.
Now only a few voices spoke, and Sarah was able to follow the conversation more readily. After several minutes Savion arrived and moved across from Sarah, leaning up against the door opposite her. He nodded and Sarah nodded back in greeting.
Savion leaned his head against the door, both LC's had been silent while listening. Both Sarah and Savion now listened intently, and after a moment all went silent in the council room and one voice spoke from within.
"It has been decided then."
Both Lieutenant Commanders looked concerned, and Sarah motioned breaking down the door. Savion held up a tough suntan hand, "Wait…not yet. Just one more…okay now. Do it Sarah."
Sarah backed up and slammed her right foot into the door like it was her enemy. It blasted off its hinges, wood splinter everywhere in fragments. 13 pistols fired simultaneously and Sarah braced for impact, but after a brief second her brain caught up with what her eyes were seeing in front of her.
The previously alive thirteen council members were seated, bound to their chairs by explosive straps and c4 charges. At once the corpses' heads slammed against and lay rested on the black marble table – now slowly being stained with blood.
The 13 assassins turned around to face Sarah and Savion, smiles on their faces. Each person was of a different race – representing equality. Each had a buzz cut, their man different colored hair shaved almost to their scalps. Each also had on a pure red jumpsuit with a label on the chest that read in bold letter, FIREN CORPORATION.
"The bombs, blow 'em then let's run!"
Sarah's shout fades as she runs down the stairs vaulting past the now somehow inactive fast travel gate, while Savion follows close behind, but not before tossing a Clusterfuck grenade back behind him. Both of them jump off a balcony and begin falling down to the floor of the building 10 stories below.
On the ground below a soldier dressed in full Commando gear deploys a temporary fast travel gate and stops back as both LC's fall through. Sarah re orients herself to catch a glimpse of their savior. Rage flashes briefly across her face as Axton stands there a cocky, 'I'm so cool', grin on his face.
Above them a violent explosion rocks the building and every other council chamber – all holding similar meetings blows up violently. The whole council building of the newly discovered and constructed 1st Eden planet, implodes violently and a great burst of Eridium swallows the surrounding city.