A sneak peek at some impending weapons upgrades from the Alliance, and a few familiar characters return.
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Chapter Twenty Four
The Olympus, CNO Office
Fleet Admiral Hackett looked up from his desk as Captain Shepard and Miranda Lawson tentatively walked through the door. "At ease, Shepard."
"Congratulations on the promotion, sir," she nodded toward the five stars on his collar.
"Funny, I've wondered whether it's really something to be happy about considering we're preparing for war," the aged admiral answered as he held up two folders. "We're just waiting for one more person to make it here, and then we'll start the briefing."
"Director Harper sends his regards," Miranda said off-handedly as she accepted her folder and opened to the first page, missing the fleeting dark expression on his face.
"Kind of him," he managed.
"You know," Shepard looked up with a slight smirk. "I bet mom went nuts when she heard about this."
"She insisted on accompanying the recovery teams," Hackett replied. "And I know better than to stand in her way by now, even if I rank her twice over."
Shepard stopped, her mental processes going in a new direction. "She's a Vice-Admiral now?"
"Under Admiral Mikhailovich. He took over the Fifth Fleet when General Summers promoted me to Chief Naval Officer."
The red-head grinned impishly. "She won't be as happy serving under him as she was serving under you, sir."
The admiral shook his head as the corners of his mouth curled upward. "Have you no shame, Erin?"
"What? Everyone knows the rumors about you and her."
"She's the one who started those rumors in the first place."
"And you've never said anything about them. Almost makes me wonder if you're my dad."
Before the admiral could reply, the door slid open again. "Sorry for my lateness, Admiral," a woman with a mixed French-Germanic accent apologized.
"I'm just glad you could join us, Dr. Vahlen," Hackett answered as he stood up to greet her. He noticed another man enter behind her. "I don't believe we've met, mister…"
"Dr. Richard Tygan," the dark-skinned man announced as he held out a hand. "Cydonia Research Institute. I've been consulting with the Alliance on some of Cerberus's latest projects."
"I felt that both of us should be here in order to explain our findings," Vahlen replied to the unspoken question in Hackett's eyes. "He holds a top-secret clearance."
Hacket held his gaze for a moment, before letting it drop. "Alright then, let's start. We all know that Captain Shepard was sent off on a scouting mission of the Terminus Systems to investigate the latest attacks on independent human colonies. And how the Normandy was ambushed and destroyed by an unknown alien force."
"Point of clarification," Tygan cut in. "The Normandy was actually destroyed from the shock of atmospheric deceleration after jumping from deep space into atmosphere."
"Joker-sorry, Flight Officer Moreau didn't exactly have that many options," Shepard justified.
"Considering how well that ambush was planned, it's almost a miracle you got out at all, Captain."
"Based on sensor data from the Normandy and our conceptual reverse engineering efforts, we believe the aliens had a device that used Dark Energy to counter our jump drive technology," Vahlen explained. "The device was Element Zero-based and capable of tremendous power. We're fortunate that it was not in the form of a tractor beam, as the Normandy would have had no escape."
"I thought that Element Zero couldn't affect our drives," Shepard noted.
"Dark energy affects space-time, Shepard," Miranda answered. "I'm guessing that the alien device used its expansionary effects to destabilize space-time in a certain area, preventing the Normandy from jumping away by closing off or shrinking any wormholes the ship opened up in its field of operation."
"Correct, Miss Lawson," Tygan agreed while Vahlen eyed the woman in equal parts astonishment and approval. "Our own constructed prototype operates in the same way, as shown by various tests conducted in collaboration with the Cydonians. If our efforts are accurate, that device is just a very simple yet powerful unshielded Element Zero generator, one that creates a potent area-denial effect in space. Theoretically, the device could be upscaled to severely disrupt or damage an enemy fleet. And with what we know of large scale Element Zero generators, it could be detonated as a last resort."
"One major concern about this is where the unknowns obtained such a large amount of Element Zero," Vahlen added. "This is more than any known independent party could easily obtain, and the technical knowledge to safely work with such vast quantities is not readily available to most people."
"If it's the Reapers or a group acting on their behalf, it would answer both questions," Miranda replied. "The Reapers built the Relays and the Citadel, according to that Prothean VI."
"How do we counter it?" Shepard asked.
"In the first place, get out of range. Failing that, you do have the option to destroy the device and immediately jump away to escape the blast. I would recommend against that however," Tygan said dryly. "We are currently working to design a drive system capable of 'brute forcing' its way through the Dark Energy field, but it will be some time before that makes its way into production."
"There is a project under way with Antares Munitions to create a weapon that can render active Element Zero inert," Vahlen recalled. "However, that project is still in the conceptual stage."
"Is that even possible?" Shepard asked incredulously.
"Theoretically, that kind of weapon would involve a 'Dark-Energy sink' that would safely drain off the energy from the core," Tygan mused, "or it would simply disrupt the electrical systems passing current through the core material. The latter, of course, is more practical. In simple terms, I'd think the best weapon against this alien device would be an EMP burst. The induced charge in the device would likely cause a short in the controls or mechanisms, tripping a safety system and causing it to shut down or partially self-destruct."
"We do still have our old designs for the EMP cannons from the war," Vahlen continued, slowly becoming more excited. "We can reengineer those into a long ranged weapon for a ship that can fry the cores through electrical induction! With the introduction of a plasma stream to carry the charge, we can convert it into an electrolaser! An entirely new weapon system!"
"And this is how scientific breakthroughs are made…" Hackett noted sardonically as Vahlen began furiously typing on her tablet muttering under her breath.
"Scientific progress isn't always as methodical as we'd like," Tygan agreed. "Sometimes, you just need a 'eureka' moment."
Miranda cleared her throat. "While this is interesting and all, we still have a briefing to get through, admiral."
"Yes, getting back to the mission, the Alliance is still trying to determine who is behind the attacks," Hackett grimaced. "Fortunately, there have only been two such incidents after the destruction of the Normandy. However, those were within the last month. We need to move in fast and neutralize the unknowns. To that end, we're sending both of you two out there. Shepard, I'm assigning you a new generation frigate. It has roughly the same speed as the Normandy, but a lot more armor and firepower."
"And probably a lot more surface area and personnel to defend," Shepard pointed out.
"Actually no on the second part," the admiral corrected her. "You'll see what I mean when you take the tour of the ship."
"I presume I'll be using a different means of transport?" Miranda asked. "Cerberus has a number of undercover units we use."
"For reasons of his own, Director Harper has seconded you to me for the investigation," Hacket replied. "but he did provide one of those undercover transports you are referring to. To make things clear, both of you report directly to me until further notice."
"Understood," both women acknowledged.
"The director has been keeping tabs on the Spectre you interacted with, Erin. Apparently he's currently at a large space station known as Omega. In the interest of public cooperation, you should meet up with him and see if he's uncovered anything in the last six months."
"Will do sir," Shepard noted.
"Miss Lawson, you will be heading off to the planet Illium to make contact with Dr. T'Soni. It's my understanding that she's been scouring everything related to the Protheans for anything they had on the Reapers. Find out what she's discovered, and keep an ear out for anything of interest."
"Understood," Miranda replied, mentally going over the list of undercover agents Cerberus had in that part of the galaxy.
Sorensis
The salarian agent looked up at the telltale static from the bug in place. His turian partner set down his rifle and cleaning kit and joined him to listen in.
"What do you think he'll ramble on about today?" the turian grumbled as the familiar voice of a batarian demagogue began streaming over the speaker.
"More 'human treachery,' no doubt," his colleague replied. "It's not as if he has any new material to work with."
"This is Shadow Two," their asari partner called over the radio. "I'm overlooking the area. Got a bunch of new faces in the group. I recognize a few of them from the Blue Suns."
"Shadow Two, patch in the visual," the salarian ordered.
A small holodisplay flickered to life, giving image to the madness of the raving.
"Running facial recognition software," the salarian announced to the others. "I see Helak Vresta down there."
"Please tell me I'll get to shoot that bastard when we get the order," the asari hissed as the feed moved back over to focus on the man in question. She had a bone to pick with that notorious slaving scum after spending a decade under his "tender ministrations."
"Why make it quick and fast?" the turian asked. "If you want, I can show you how to really draw out his last moments." The Cabal veteran fingered a wickedly serrated blade along his thigh.
"Keep it professional you two," the STG agent warned.
"The humans brought ruin to our worlds!" the demagogue howled as the throng of disgruntled mercenaries and soldiers listened, eagerly devouring his words. "Our proud people became refugees...and yet…they could not shatter…OUR UNITY!" The crowd roared its approval, with many hefting weapons into the air. "For we are bound by the Khala, our oath of vengeance! We carry with us the last hope of the Hegemony! And we will restore it to greatness! But first, we must destroy the humans as they attempted to destroy us! And we will succeed!"
"How delusional can you get?" the turian asked as a renewed chorus of screams echoed over the line. "These rebels actually think they have a chance against the Alliance?"
"Hate has a tendency to distance desire from reality," the salarian answered dryly.
"I'm going to enjoy carving your eyes out you four-eyed son of a bitch," the asari whispered over the radio. "and then I'll take a meat grinder to your legs, and a plasma torch to your hands, and a fucking thumbscrew to your tiny little…"
"Case in point," the salarian sighed before keying his mic. "Shadow Two, you know we can hear you, right?"
The Olympus, Docks
"How long did it take for them to switch the mechanical docking arms out for the tractor beams?" Shepard asked as they made their way to her new ship.
"About a year," Hackett replied.
"That fast?!" Shepard whipped her eyes across the vast docking area, trying and failing to count all the armatures.
"When we established the joint-training facilities for the Cydonians and the Mutons, they pitched in a lot around here. Their help made things go much faster."
"So I see," Shepard trailed off seeing two human engineers coordinating with a Muton technician in fussing over a section of a destroyer.
"Captain!" a familiar voice drew her attention back over. She turned her head to see Commander Pressly waving her over. "Welcome back, ma'am."
"Good to see you survived," she greeted as she squeezed his hand. To his credit, Pressly didn't show any sign of pain from her grip.
"Thanks to you, ma'am," he reminded her as he withdrew his hand, flexing his fingers to regain circulation.
"Hello, Captain Shepard," a new and distinctly artificial voice chimed in.
"Shepard, may I present EDI, the first Human-Cydonian hybrid AI," Hackett swept his arm toward the gynoid walking toward them.
"I am actually purely Cydonian, admiral," EDI corrected him. "This body is human-made."
"Looks like it was made for combat," Shepard noted, eyeing the armored frame and limbs.
"Correct, Captain. I will be taking this body into combat if called for. And you may be surprised what it is capable of," To accentuate her words, EDI's chassis began glowing a subdued blue.
"Biotics," Shepard noted. "just like that one geth five years ago."
"Yes. These are the same as the combat prosthetics designed for augmenting humans as part of the MEC Soldier program," EDI flexed the limbs in question. "Anyone with these will be able to use biotic abilities."
"Alright, but you said this is for combat if called for. Are you also going to be managing the ship?"
"That's exactly right, Shepard," Hackett answered. "She is the reason that this ship won't require the same amount of personnel."
"Great."
"To be more precise, I will be handling much of the ship's combat and electronic functions," EDI clarified. "There is still a team of engineers to maintain the ship core separately from myself, though they can allow me access if need be. There is also the matter of the ship's pilot who has refused to allow me to aid him." Amusingly, this came out with a slight hint of vexation.
"Flight Officer Moreau is somewhat possessive of, quote on quote, 'his place,'" Pressly explained.
"That sounds like Joker alright," Shepard laughed.
"Ah, there you are, Shepard!" a familiar voice echoed through the docks behind them.
"Captain Anderson!"
"I hope you'll enjoy the new ship, and that you bring it back in better shape than the last one we gave you," he leered.
"With all due respect sir, go to hell," Shepard swatted his arm lightly. "And I'm surprised you haven't been promoted to admiral yet."
"That's because he refused to be," Hackett noted with a smirk. "despite my best efforts."
"I'm not old enough yet to be trapped behind a desk, dammit," Anderson said.
"And I am?"
"You're the crusty old bastard that everyone kisses up to. I'm the guy who makes sure that everyone kisses up to you."
"Everyone except you, apparently."
"Someone has to keep you in line, sir."
Hackett shook his head. "Well Shepard, this is what you have to work with. She's all yours, and as her first captain and first in her class, you get to name her."
Shepard froze. "Really, sir?"
"Really, Shepard," Anderson confirmed.
The woman thought back to her previous command, remembering her time with it and her current mission. Then she smiled as she considered how fitting it would be. "Why mess with what works? We'll just call her the Normandy."
"I figured as much," Hackett smiled, gesturing to a section of hull plate. Shepard followed his arm to see "Normandy" clearly etched and painted on the side. "I don't need psionics to read your mind, Erin."
Shepard's mouth twisted into a lopsided smirk. "And what would have happened if I picked a different name?"
"We had an extra section of hull plate on hand that we could have quickly etched and painted."
"Ma'am, we have a few hours before we can get underway," Pressly noted. "Shall I give you the tour?"
Sorensis
"Goddess, this guy won't shut up!" Shadow Two growled. "How can anyone stretch out 'kill the humans' into a two hour speech?"
"You have to admit, that takes some imagination," the turian replied.
"Well I'm imagining pitting one into that lump of skin he calls a face so I don't have to listen to this garbage anymore."
"Remember our mission," the salarian reminded them. "We observe and report. And if this group of rebels laughingly known as the 'Hegemony Band of Brothers' actually tries to strike out against the humans, we string them out to see how far they could get, and then we kill them."
"Our preparations will soon be complete!" the demagogue raved. "The Leviathan of Dis lives!"
The STG commando lurched forward, almost shoving his colleague out of the way as he cranked the volume all the way up. Did he just say…
"Those cowards on the Citadel felt the wrath of its brother, and we shall make the humans fear the Leviathan! With this ancient god, we shall smite the humans!"
"The Leviathan of Dis," the turian repeated slowly.
"Isn't that the wrecked alien dreadnought the Hegemony discovered?" Shadow Two remembered.
"Yes," the salarian confirmed. "and we've been wondering where it went. If what he's saying is true, these rebels managed to make that thing operational."
"How?! None of these guys are the brightest bulbs in the box!"
"Spread the word! The time of our reckoning is at hand, and we shall collect what is owed us! The humans will pay in blood!"
The salarian was fumbling with his omnitool, preparing to send out a critical alert to his superiors when the roar of the crowd abruptly died away and an unfamiliar voice came over the line.
"Alright then, we'll start with yours."
Before the eyes of the crowd and an astonished asari commando, a spear of blood erupted from the batarian speaker's chest and a human materialized directly behind him. The scum's voice had been grating on his ears for some time, and he took satisfaction in silencing the alien rebel.
Kai Leng carelessly pulled the blade out of the man, the first victim in the impending bloodbath, and swept the blood off the blade. He spat on the man's body. "Hmph, disgusting freak."
"HUMAN!" Several batarians roared as they pulled out their weapons. But the human was already among them, his blade flashing so fast it seemed to be a fireworks display. Blood flew through the air as a number of hapless rebels were hacked apart before any of them could pull a trigger.
Leng cast his eyes toward the back of the crowd, where despite their prior bravado, panic was setting in. A small group of the alien scum was heading for the exit. And then they froze before turning around, a visible purple glow in their eyes. Leng smirked as the rebels drew their weapons. Right on time.
The asari stared, speechless, as the previously fleeing batarians opened fire on their own. She remembered her briefing as she saw that purple glow and swiftly made the connection. "Alliance…" she breathed, a shiver of fear running down her spine.
By now, the entire crowd was fighting back, or attempting to. The group of traitors was cut down by a retaliatory fusillade after a few seconds. But for each renegade cut down, another seemed to crop up, bearing that same purple glow. Meanwhile, Kai Leng continued his effortless massacre, his body almost on autopilot as he, with only the slightest curl of contempt on his otherwise impassive mien. Nothing changed it. Not the heat from a point-blank shotgun blast singing his hair. Not the grenade that he batted away to explode harmlessly several meters up. Not the hairline cut that a very lucky (or unlucky) batarian managed to score on his armor with a rusty combat knife. Once upon a time, this chaos might have excited him, but after years of dealing with subhuman alien scum like this and never once finding his life in any real danger, the excitement had long waned. His blood bayed for something greater, and he craved a better fight.
The "battle" lasted ten minutes, though for the few survivors it seemed an eternity of slaughter. The gunfire had long since died off, and now the only sounds were of armored feet on the slick blood-soaked ground and the last gasps of the dying.
Leng made his way over to a downed alien and kicked the man onto his back. The coward had thought to play dead, he noted with contempt. A second human approached, mind-controlled thralls in tow. The swordsman hauled the alien to his knees and leveled his blade at his throat. "That was a very interesting speech your friend was giving," he said sarcastically. "He mentioned a Leviathan. Care to tell us what it is?"
The frightened man didn't hear the question. His sheer terror of these two…monsters blotted it out. Unknown even to him, the only thing he could whimper was "please don't kill me" over and over again.
"Don't want to talk?" Leng mused. "Well let me tell you something," he bent over and whispered in his face. "You can talk of your own free will, or I hand you over to my 'friend' here. Your choice, scum. And I'm the nice one here."
Kaiden Alenko kept his disgust toward his fellow Jaeger hidden, knowing better than to express it on the mission.
"Spirits above…" the cabal veteran breathed, his mind replaying the video of the slaughter. In all his years, he'd never seen such a brutal butchering.
Meanwhile, the salarian was frantically exchanging words with his superior. "The Alliance knows about the Leviathan."
The demagogue, inexplicably, was still alive. He had watched, powerless, as his band of brothers was mercilessly killed. "No…" he gurgled, his eyesight fading away as internal bleeding took its toll. "…we were…supposed…to…"
With all eyes elsewhere and the stench of blood and body fluids covering the ground, no one noticed the faint green tinge in his eyes or the rank odor of spores emanating from his corpse.
Codex: Alliance Government Structure
On paper, the Alliance is comprised of two worlds: civil, and military.
The civil government consists of municipal authorities, colonial governors and staff, Alliance departments, and the Joint Council. Each city or country on any world represents itself in the colonial or planetary government, and each government has a representative on the Council. To serve as a representative, or department head, a candidate must have collegiate level education in a relevant field of study. Most planetary representatives have degrees in business management, the better to deal with the various concerns of running a colony.
Laws are typically made at the local municipal level. All other levels usually only pass "measures," and "austerity measures," which are seen as strong suggestions. This is in acknowledgement of vastly differing local conditions and colonial culture. A one-size-fits-all approach to law would not be feasible, the criminal code notwithstanding. To avoid separationist concerns, each "austerity measure" comes with the unspoken threat of withdrawing military protection, leaving the colony with only sub-par militia to defend them. This scheme has the side benefit of curbing corruption that originates from international corporations, as the vast number of municipal officials in the Alliance would place a strain on even the richest of companies that try bribery to obtain exceptions from the law.
The civil government has the responsibility of managing revenue flow and colonial development. In simple terms, they are the source of the money.
The military is governed by a universal set of laws that hold members to a strict level of conduct, and is overseen by the Joint Chiefs, the senior general and flag officers of both the militia and the regular military.
The militia officers are more of representatives, having little real say in the operations of the militia. Their primary purpose is to keep the militia commanders informed of military developments and to coordinate training and exercises.
The military is the single largest source of employment in the Alliance, responsible for roughly 15-18% of all jobs either through direct employment or contracts. A prime example is the Alliance Travel System.
While General Marcus Summers is the "leader" of the military, his authority is not absolute. The Joint Council normally allows the military free reign, but has the final mandate over the military by the simple virtue of supplying the funding, recruits and raw materials needed to operate.
Alliance Intelligence occupies an odd place in the government structure. Neither wholly civilian or military, its unwritten purpose is to ensure a happy marriage between the two while overseeing intercolonial legal affairs. Its responsibilities are broad, encompassing civil unrest, corporate espionage, sedition, the criminal justice system and crisis management just to name a few.
Ideally, the civil government has the greatest amount of power during times of peace, handing over power to the military in the face of impending war or conflict. In reality, the relationship is considerably more complex.
Codex: Normandy-Class Frigate
With the integration of Cydonian AI technology, Alliance has seen fit to produce a new breed of warship with remote combat capability. The ship carries two Firebird drones, which are piloted by the ship AI and serve as extra gun platforms and sensors. It also carries a large supply of reconnaissance drones, each with its own wormhole drive, to scout ahead on a jump or blanket a battlefield with extra eyes.
With the lessons taken from previous combat experiences, the Alliance has redesigned the weapons banks with an eye towards increased modularity, allowing for rapid inclusion of weapon upgrades as research progresses.
A more modern core design and more robust engines allow the Normandy-Class the same agility and speed as the ill-fated prowler from which it draws its namesake, while a set of permanent shield capacitors enables the shield systems to always be ready, to avoid the the fate of its predecessor.
Hmm, there was something strange about that batarian. What could it be?
The Normandy prowler did not have time to energize its shields during the attack, hence why the ambush was successful. However, the Alliance, like the geth, adapts very quickly. Fool me once...
Side note: I'm learning/remembering a lot of things about laser physics thanks to those who take the time to review. I admit, I forgot that in space, there is insufficient matter for lasers to reflect off of in order to produce the visual effects I describe in story. I'm on the fence as to whether or not I should go back and re-edit those scenes to make them consistent with physics, or leave it as is to enable the readers to more easily imagine the effects.
In my defense, my background is mechanical/aerospace engineering and computer science rather than optics and high energy physics.
Say hello to everyone's favorite bisexual officer!
A lot of stories under the ME section have Hackett as Shepard's father or some other familial relation. What do you think? I'm leaving it up to you readers.
DrKerbin: you are correct. Focusing light does require a physical medium. I envisioned "magnetic lensing" as being like Gundam Seed's Geschmedig Panzer system, using magnetic fields to manipulate particles to reflect or refract energy beams. Obviously, this is beyond current technology, and who knows if it's even possible. But that's where I got the idea.