Chapter 29 - When the Rain Comes

Date : 11.30.2169

Location : High Orbit - Colony Benedict

Taracus

They're finally on the true hunt. The boss has been preaching to them for almost two years about the dangers of the monster they're after, and now they're really doing something about it. At first, Taracus had thought the claims were insane. Who wouldn't? A little human girl that could slaughter battle-hardened mercs like an adult could crush insects? Absurd! At least that's what he used to think. Then he'd started watching the security tapes they had. The Shadow Broker had sent them hundreds and it helped the boss rally thousands to his cause. Most were batarians but plenty of krogan, salarians, and Taracus' own people had signed up with the Wake. The things that monster had done to turian captives had been reason enough for him to join.

And now here they are, high above one of the three places she was suspected of hiding at. It's not much to look at from here. Barely a speck on their sensors and the reports from the boys on the ground paint a dull picture. Benedict is just another tiny mining colony with a few thousand rats pulling metal out of the dirt. The boss had already called it. She's not here. No one had put up a real fight. Hell, they hadn't found more than a couple crappy pistols. "Taracus, status report."

"Shuttles are docking now sir. Three minutes until everyone's back." Jortan sits there fuming for the short time it takes for docking to finish. The last shuttle got clipped by some lightning on the way back up. Taracus watches as the smoke trailing shuttle thumps down in the docking bay floor and fire suppression crews rush out to keep the burning engine under control. "Everyone's back sir. What are your orders?" Taracus has a pretty good idea what Jortan will do, but he waits for the order. That's what a good soldier does.

"This little pisshole has been a waste of time. I should have known she wouldn't settle for somewhere so small and meaningless. No she'll be somewhere with connections, somewhere that's actually at least somewhat important. Tell the transports to head back to the staging area. Refuel, rearm, and have the raiding fleets head out to draw the response as far away as possible. We'll need to make sure the way is clear for the next attack."

"Sending the orders now." It's time. He can barely contain his excitement. "What about the colony sir?"

Jortan stands and spreads his arms in the viewer's direction as if offering up his own heart. "We should free the survivors from their pitiful existence. Purify it." In moments Taracus can feel a slight vibration as the Spite and a dozen other warships open fire. Taracus watches the enchanting sight for several minutes. Disposable drones send images from the surface. He can see the shells falling from orbit. Each one tears a giant divot in the ground. The few untouched building are blasted to pieces and the survivors along with them. For the first time in history, it's raining on the colony of Benedict.

Date : 12.12.2169

Location : Mindoir

Fel

It's a sight that warms his heart. Dozens of men and women marching in lockstep as a pair of retired Alliance drill instructors bellow instructions. It's been a longtime since he's participated in something like this. Jane really has worked a miracle. That Capp guy's done pretty good too. The 'Mindoir 1st', as Jane insisted on calling it, is rapidly becoming a disciplined and coherent fighting force. They've even managed to get some real combat experience thanks to answering a few distress calls from freighters at the edge of the system. A couple pirates thought the system would be easy pickings. Now they were just heaps of slag drifting through space. Jane had led the first boarding action to rescue the captured freighter crew members, but she'd let the militia members fight as hard as they could. Then she let them off their leash for the next three. There were injuries but no deaths yet.

Right now, Jane is shouting at a group of recruits on the firing range. He has to chuckle at the sight. Grown men and women cowering at the sight of a bellowing child, Though from a distance, she doesn't look very childlike anymore. Jane's almost six feet tall now and with her new suit on she looks like she's covered in old blood. That hanar friend of hers had gone all out. The new suit had self adjusting seals, expanded pocket space, enhanced medi gel dispensers, two built in shield generators, and a power supply strong enough to keep them going under heavy fire. Jane had been positively giddy over the new suit and had wasted no time. Even Fel though it was a work of art, mostly because he recognized several of the patterns running up her back, arms, and hood. They harkened back to a time when the quarians and the krogan were far far closer. Jane doesn't know it yet, but there's a story written in those spirals.

Fel himself is leading a lesson on hand to hand combat. These farmers might not be warriors, but they're the perfect mix of strong and stubborn. Even the weakest of them refuse to back down until they get something right. Like the little runt in front of him now. "Again Taglin." The little man with the blonde hair and black eye gets back on his feet and squares up across from Fel. He raises his fists and advances. Fel's been teaching them how to deflect a melee attack. It usually takes a few tries plus a couple loosened teeth, but they get it eventually. The little man advances as Fel takes his swing. Taglin throws his arm up at just the right time but over commits. It knocks him off balance just enough for him to absorb the blow on his shoulder instead of his face. He staggers heavily but stays on his feet this time. "Gettin better Taglin." The little man nods his thanks and gets back in front of Fel. "Again."

Jane

"Dammit Hollis! Squeeze the trigger! Don't pull! Tine! Look through the scope! Don't lean against it! The fuck are you waiting for Jonas?! You spend a week lining up a shot in battle and you'll get everyone around you killed!" Her throat's a little sore from yelling all day, but Jane is still having fun. The colonists are getting better. Pretty soon even the worst fighter won't need someone to hold their hand. Jane is leisurely strolling behind the line of militiamen as they take shots at targets down range. Her hands weren't tingling yet so she has a while before she'll need to go home. At first the people hadn't taken her seriously when she'd offered to start teaching people how to shoot. Those dicks had laughed when she'd stepped in front of them on the firing range. It was the first time she'd gotten to fire her new twin guns in front of anyone. She hadn't even named them yet. The result was a hell of a good time. She'd drilled shots into every target from twenty to a hundred yards, and that was only with the single fire trigger. By the time she used the full auto triggers, no one was laughing and everyone was paying attention. Fel had made a killings on the bets that day.

As she continues to shout helpful, if somewhat insulting advice, Jane occasionally fires a full auto burst over the heads of the nearest recruits. One serious problem they'd run into is that a lot of the colonists tended to panic when the bullets started flying around them. They'll need to break that instinct. As she steps up behind Frank, Jane aims both her guns over his head and fires off a long burst. To his credit, Frank barely budges. He's really turned out to be the most unshakable militia member so far. It's why Capp made him a team leader. Jane can see his accuracy stays high despite her earnest attempt to spook him. She pats him on the shoulder and moves on.

A few hundred yards away, Jane spots Blue banking tightly over the assault course. Gavin was getting better and better at combat drops and Blue was no longer just a simple chopper. The rotor ship pilot had evolved into, as General Capp called him, the deadliest tour guide in the galaxy. Nowadays Blue was packing hull mounted rocket pods, a heavy duty shield, advanced refractive armor, four bay guns for its passengers, and a heavy rail cannon running along the belly. She wasn't as fast as a dedicated interceptor, but she had enough firepower to take on multiple military grade gunships and win. Blue could also deliver a full squad to any spot on the battlefield despite heavy AA fire. If the colony gets hit, Gavin and Blue will be critical to keeping it safe.

She reaches the end of the line and is about to turn back and walk it again when her omnitool chimes. She's got a message from Hannah asking if she's ok and one from Capp. She responds to Hannah with a picture to prove she's fine and a promise that everything is going well. Then she heads to Capp's tower. The general had convinced her to invest in a command center that extended below ground almost a hundred meters and only twenty above. It wasn't finished yet, despite the huge amount of money she was pouring into it, but it'll be worth it in the end. The office on the surface was just for general use. In the event of an actual attack, it became one of only three entrances into the colony's soon to be finished shelter, along with the entrances under the school and the spaceport. The place could take a nuke strike and still be perfectly safe… hopefully.

She finds the general in the elevated comm tower, a place he calls the crow's nest. There are a few volunteers working the comm systems. When Capp sees her, he waves her over with a grim look on his face. "Looks like you called it Jane." Shit.

"Who got hit?" She'd been tracking colony attacks for a while now and all signs had pointed to a rapidly escalating threat. She'd predicted that the next attack would completely destroy the target.

"Benedict, mining colony about eighty light years out. By the time Alliance reinforcements arrived," The general brings up images from the first responders, "there was nothing to save." Weaver's data mining was better than ever. These scans and images would barely have filtered through Alliance command yet and they sure as hell hadn't been released to the public. She'd be happy with Weaver's work, but smiling at what she sees is out of the question. Benedict had been a small but prosperous colony. Now there's nothing more than a field of craters. "What we've got now could put up a hell of a fight, but we won't stand a chance against an orbital strike."

"Then we'll need to expand the plans. I'll take care of orbital defenses. Can you pull any strings and get some patrols in this sector."

"I don't have the pull I used to, but I'll make some calls." The general lights up a pipe and takes a few drags. Sweet scented smoke starts filling the room until one of the nearby volunteers turns the ventilation up. "So, as far as orbital defense goes, what do you have in mind?"

Date : 1.21.2169

Location : Colony Alacus

Jortan

The screams are music to his ears. This dirt hole had actually managed to put up a fight and his boys were reveling in it. The outcome had never been in doubt but the catharsis of battle was good for the spirit. Some of his men had complained about not being allowed to take slaves from the last colony so Jortan had let the boys take a pound of flesh for themselves this time. The holds are full and they're getting ready to leave as he ends his stroll along what used to be a tree lined boulevard. This place was just a ugly as most human settlements but at least there had been a few warriors here. Like the man in chains kneeling before him. He'd killed twelve of Jortan's best with a shotgun and a sledgehammer. As he steps up and looks down on the human, the wretch hocks up a load of phlegm and spits on Jortan's boot. Taracus slams his fist into the human's gut and lands a few solid kicks for good measure. The chains are the only thing keeping him up as he vomits what little was in his stomach onto the pavement. The young turian draws a jagged dagger and holds it to the man's throat, "Misbehave again human, and I'll skin one the kids we caught." The man bows his head and doesn't move again."

Jortan lowers himself to the man's level and pulls up an image on his omnitool. He reads the name tag on the man's uniform, "I'll make you a deal… Wilson. You tell me where this little monster is, and I'll let you and the kids we rounded up, go free." The brutalized man looks up through swelling eyes. His eyes lock onto the image and he stares for a while. The human is trying not to show it, but Jortan can tell he recognizes the crimson haired bitch on the screen. "Think long and hard about your answer. I can tell you've seen her before. You tell me where you saw her or…" He gestures to one of his men. The hulking batarian drags over a young girl bearing a striking resemblance to the man, "I'll have to ask this one. And I promise, I won't be as polite if I have to do that." He draws his own knife and stomps over to the girl. He grabs the kid by the throat and holds the knife to her left eye. The girl is weeping freely and choking out a plea for help.

"Daddy… please help… me…" The man is staring with bulging eyes, desperately trying to break free.

Jortan sighs theatrically and draws back the knife. Before he can step forward he hears the man cry out, "Wait!" He looks to the defeated human and holds still, his knife less than an inch from the girl's eye. Wilson breaks down and spills, "I… I saw her on a cargo run. We were picking up some food for the colony."

"So she isn't here?" No real surprise. If she was, they would have lost a lot more during the fight.

The human shakes his head, "No. It was on Mindoir, at the spaceport. She was picking up a package with an asari." Jortan lets go of the girl and watches her run to the man. He signals Taracus and the turian unlocks the chains. As the two embrace, Jortan calls his men.

"Let the kids go and mount up." A few dozen more children are released and herded into the square. Jortan's shuttle lands a few meters away. As he reaches the ramp he turns back to the man with a predatory grin, "Thanks for the help human." He and his men climb aboard and the shuttle powers away from the surface. Jortan nods to Taracus and the turian relays the order to the fleet.

Wilson

He holds his daughter tight, desperate to alleviate her terror, to make something feel normal for her. It won't help. They've lost to much for things to ever be normal again. The colony has been butchered and they're being left for dead. Wilson is trying rally the courage to tell her everything will be fine when he looks to the sky. A rain of doom is coming down and he hugs her as tight as he can. When the end comes, he's still there, holding the most important person in the galaxy as fire consumes them all.

Taracus

As they march onto the bridge, Jortan starts belting out his next orders, "Tell everyone to head to the rally point. Rearm, repair, and fill any gaps in the roster. Order the raiding fleets to go to town on every system they can reach at least two relays out from Mindoir. We're gonna spend a little more time drawing the Alliance away. Make sure the boys know that the next attack is the big one. She's gonna be there and there's no way it'll be an easy fight." Taracus starts sending the orders to everyone in range. The fleet makes its best speed for the relay and gets ready to jump away. "And Taracus?" He snaps to attention as his commander turns to him. "Send a message to the priests. I want one of them to join the attack. It's only fitting that the gods' messengers have a representative on the ground."

As Jortan leaves the bridge, bound for his personal shrine, Taracus carefully composes the message. Those 'priests' creeped him out. Them and Jortan's religion were the only things that bugged him. He knows the monster needs to be stopped, but he doesn't buy all this shit about her being some kind of demon. He knows that she's probably just some illegal Alliance lab rat. In the end, it doesn't matter. Jortan's the best shot they've got at killing the little freak. Then from there, they start working on stopping the humans before they get strong enough to launch some kind of crusade against the galaxy. It's what General Arturius had said would happen after first contact. But did anyone listen? No. They removed his colony markings and banished him to a shameful exile. Even his son, the spectre hero, carried the supposed shame. It's that kind of injustice that inspired him as a child and it's what eventually led him to the Wake. It's men like him that will set things right. If that means he needs to put up with a bit of fanaticism, so be it.

Date : 3.09.2170
Location : Mindoir

Aethyta

"You're sure? You're absolutely certain?!" She can't believe it. She'd wanted to clear the way but not like this.

As the asari on the other end of the channel gathers her thoughts, Aethyta's omnitool flashes a message from the militia, "Attention all citizens. Test firing of surface to orbit guns will commence in thirty minutes." She wants to see that, but first she needs to finish this.

"Yes mistress. Details are still sketchy, but we can definitively say that Queen Serissala and almost half her house have perished." The young asari on the other end of the call is trying to keep her voice neutral but Aethyta can tell Nis has been shaken. She's not the only one. Queen Serissala was one of those who'd been opposing Aethyta's plans to bring Jane into Asari space. She was also one of the most beloved figures in the church of the Athame and her violent death will send shockwaves through the asari culture. Some people would buy the official story without question, but Aethyta's been around too long to be tricked by some varren shit story about a plague hitting her family. Nis' agents had seen the Queen's body, and no disease left exit wounds like explosive shells did. Serissala had been assassinated and half her house house had gone down with her. "I'm afraid the news gets worse."

"Goddess. What the hell else happened?"

"Queen Viatin has not been seen for almost a month. All those that have gone looking for her have disappeared. Rumor has is that her ship was forced to make an emergency landing on Eas. No survivors have been identified." If it was true then there wouldn't be any survivors. Eas was classified as a grave world, a world that only the dead landed on.

"Shit…" Queen Viatin had also opposed her. As the high priestess of the Siari faith, Queen Viatin held enough political clout to do pretty much anything. Her death coupled with Queen Serissala's assassination opened the way for them, but the asari as a people would be mourning for decades to come.

"Mistress, please forgive my morbid words, but is this not a workable situation. Though clearly not ideal, it does clear our opposition and give us an opening to exploit." This is why Aethyta had chosen Nis to lead her house's spies. The girl could put aside her personal feeling in almost any situation and focus on the higher goal.

"Yes and no. Yes in that our opposition is gone and we can come home anytime now. No, because if we move right away, the other houses will think we're responsible. We can't afford that kind of scrutiny. We'll need to delay our departure for a while longer. Continue the preparations and keep me in the loop." Nis nods and the channel closes.

Aethyta spends several minutes alone with her thoughts. She can make this work as long as the other Queens don't think she had something to do with the deaths. At this point she can only hope. Another message pops up on her omnitool. "Attention all citizens. Test firing of surface to orbit guns will commence in fifteen minutes." Aethyta gets moving.

She weaves her way around the masses of people working in town. News about the colony on Alacus had Mindoir on its toes. Houses are being reinforced with plating, stores are selling out supplies as fast as they can get them. Everyone on the planet old enough to hold a gun is being taught how to use it. Deployable defenses are being installed on every street. At the center of the town, Aethyta can see the newest addition to their defenses slowly being assembled. The shield array had cost close to a billion credits, but the colony had barely spent anything. Two unsourced donations had paid almost the full cost. Aethyta had a pretty good idea who the colony's anonymous benefactors were. She was pretty sure a certain red-haired hellion was one and her friend on the mountain the other. In fact, Callen had been dumping millions into the colony's budget to help protect it and his investment. At the last dinner he'd shared with them he'd made his reasons clear. "A safe Mindoir is a wealthy Mindoir." Aethyta agrees wholeheartedly.

She finds Jane standing next to one of the new orbital denial guns at the edge of town. They weren't technically legal, but Jane has proven to be almost immune to Citadel weapon regulations. The girl is helping a group of techs run final checks as Aethyta steps up. Jane nods to her before speaks to the techs. "Send out a final warning message. One minute till test fire." The tech acknowledges and Jane turns to Aethyta. She's not as down as most of the colony. Then again, she was an avid weapons enthusiast so getting to fire the big gun was like a huge dose of Lyf for her. She hands Aethyta a headset, "Keep it on until after the third shot."

She gets the set in place as the techs start the final countdown. She can feel the ground start shaking as the gun cycles to full power. When the countdown reaches zero, the huge gun's accelerator coils launch a slug with almost impossible speed. She can see the air itself catch fire for an instant as the shot tears into the sky, along with shots from the other nine guns around the colony's permitted. Five seconds later, another shot, then another five seconds after that. Jane's smiling ear to ear as she looks into the sky. One of the techs is pointing at his screen and talking to Jane. "We've got an eighty percent accuracy on the guns. To get higher we'd need someone painting targets in orbit." Jane nods and takes her headset off.

"Sounds good Will. Run a test every four hours and let me know how it goes." The tech nods as Jane and Aethyta walk away. "The guns should be ready soon. They can take down shuttles, gunships... even frigates if they focus on one at a time. If they come with anything heavier… we'll be in trouble." They get to a hill overlooking the town and sit on one of the benches. The colony doesn't look like it used to. There are concrete barriers and people practicing house clearance all over. General Capp had barely needed any effort to convince the people to train for it after the news about Alacus had reached them.

"I should tell you something," Jane looks at her, "the way's clear for us. We can head to my family's colony as soon as you're ready." Jane chews her lower lip for a moment.

"I want to. I really do, but we can't leave yet. As soon as I'm certain the colony will be safe sure, but… I can't leave before that."

"I know. I just thought I should tell you." They sit on the bench for a few hours, just enjoying the peace. Aethyta hates to interrupt that serenity but she can tell Jane is starting to get uncomfortable, "Tingling coming back?"

Jane clenches and unclenches her fists a few times, "Yeah. I'll take care of it in a few minutes."

Aethyta can see a tear going down Jane's face, "What's wrong kid?"

Jane wipes her face, "I just keep thinking about what'll happen if this place gets hit. We've helped them get ready, but it'll still hurt. These people don't deserve that." Aethyta can't really make her feel better. She's seen places just as peaceful and just as deserving of peace before. It never stops the galaxy's shitheads from starting something.

"Well kiddo, at least Mindoir will be ready if it happens." Jane smiles and stands up.

"Yup. At least they'll be ready." Jane walks down the hill towards the house. Aethyta stays for a while longer, trying to quiet the incessant voice in her head. It's the voice telling her that she should have tried harder to convince the Queens. If she had, maybe they would already be gone. Maybe, they could have avoided this crap altogether.

Date : 4.11.2170
Location : System Edge -
Mindoir

Jortan

It's time. It's finally time. The universe has tried to stop him. Solar flares at his staging area, increased Alliance patrols, rooting out moles, and more. They had slowed the inevitable, but none had stopped him. His crew was excited. After the freak was dead, they could move on to the next step and work towards purging the humans from the Traverse altogether. After that… then things got interesting. "Sir, all ships report a clean exit from FTL. Comm dampeners are working. The surface has no clue we're here."

He's almost giddy over the good news. Jortan had heard rumors that Mindoir was bolstering defenses and he wanted as much surprise as they could muster. "Have the transports deploy shuttles immediately. Tell the ground forces to come in from the north of the colony after they touch down. All warships are to enter formation in geosynchronous orbit over the main settlement. Make ready for orbital bombardment. And make sure to jam the FTL comm relays. We don't want any distress calls getting out." He can't keep the smile off his face as his men leap to obey. His tactical display shows a swarm of contacts as the first wave of shuttles powers ahead. Soon… soon.

Date : 4.11.2170
Location : Surface -
Mindoir

Jane

The colony is as ready as it can be. The guns are working, the shield has been properly calibrated, and the people have a strong foundation in basic combat tactics. The full time militia has armor and weapons equal to some of the best military units out there and enough grenades, mortars, and heavy guns to ruin almost anyone's day. These are the thoughts that keep her smiling despite her worry. In a couple days she and her odd but lovable family were going to be on their way. The only reason they were still there is because Jane wanted to spend her birthday planetside. Aethyta, Hannah, and Fel had made a huge feast and they'd eaten and celebrated all day.

Now, Jane's on her way up the mountain to see Callen. He said there was something important he needed to talk to her about before she left. She didn't mind, in fact, Jane wanted to say goodbye to him and his crew properly. They were some of her best friends after all.

As she passes through the lively little town that supports the mine, she reaches the main gate. Jane can tell something is off. While the gate was usually wide open, there are always guards on duty, but not now. In fact, she can't see anyone. All she sees is a sign in the middle of the road that reads, "Head to Overlook." Confused but intrigued, Jane walks to the small clifftop plateau overlooking the main courtyard. There's a large red pavilion set up and a sign out front reading "Come in". She walks over and opens the front flap and is greeted by Callen and his entire crew shouting, "Surprise!"

She's so shocked she almost draws her sword. The fact that no one is pointing a gun at her is the only thing that stops her. Everyone is applauding and cheering as she steps in. Joshua is up front and calls for everyone to calm down. She has no clue what's happening, "Huh?"

"I would like to make a toast!" As Joshua raises a glass of what smells like cinnamon wine, the entire crew follows suit. "To Jane Shepard. On this day, two years ago, we began this glorious endeavour." Another cheer sounds out and Callen waits for it to subside before continuing. "And now, after two years of hard work, and the patience of Job himself, we have pulled over eighty billion credits of ore from this mountain. Each of us is now wealthy beyond all hope… and it's all because of one person." Callen walks over to her, holds a hand behind her back, and faces the crew. "She offered up what might as well be King Solomon's diamond mines for nothing for than a pittance of twenty percent in return. In doing so, she saved this company, made us all rich, and indeed she saved my own life. It is sheer luck that today is also her birthday. So, I say to you all, EAT, DRINK, CELEBRATE! To Jane Shepard!"

The entire crowd parrots the toast back, "TO JANE SHEPARD!" Loud music starts pounding out from a booth in the corner and she spots a table completely covered in food. She's almost drooling as Callen signals for her to go ahead. She makes her way through the crowd, completely speechless over the massive outpouring of gratitude.

Date : 4.11.2170
Location : High Orbit -
Mindoir

Jortan

"All ships report ready sir." It's the moment right before the game begins that Jortan savours the most. When he holds the power of life and death in his hands. The feeling is intoxicating and he revels in it. The gods have blessed this day, he's sure of it. The presence of one of their priests is proof of that.

"Status of the shuttles? Have we been detected?" Taracus quickly scans his terminal.

"No sir. No surface chatter. No calls to the FTL distress buoy. Not even a single call asking why we're here. Looks like Teg did his job. They're clueless. Shuttles for the first wave will be landing in fifteen." He takes several deep breaths. He wants to remember this moment for the rest of his life. Decades from now, when he's an old man and sharing stories of his glory with his grandchildren, he knows that the story of today will be their favorite and his. He turns to the priest for his blessing. The hooded man nods once, his glowing blue eyes the only thing visible on his face.

Elated, Jortan turns back to the main screen. "The order is given. Launch the first salvo." He sits there in absolute serenity as the shells fall. It's perfect. It's all so perfect.

Date : 4.11.2170
Location : Surface -
Mindoir

Jane

It's almost midnight and things don't show any sign of slowing down. She's downed two hams, four racks of ribs, three chickens, a mountain of fries, and an entire gallon of ketchup. Frank had shown up a couple hours ago with even more food and she just can't help herself. Her new energy spending schedule had left her famished for months and now she can finally get full for once. The miners are trying to keep up but they keep falling short. She's already drunk two of them under the table. No one on the mountain knows about the little razor wire bastard in her liver that filters toxins out better than any machine in the galaxy. She feels a little weird but who cares! She hasn't had this much fun in long time.

She spots Callen sitting with a nice older woman from town and vaguely recalls meeting her last year. She thinks the two are dating but can't quite remember for sure. As she heads up for more food, her omnitool starts chiming at her. She'd ignore it but this time it's on her emergency channel. That gets her head clear in seconds. Jane makes her excuses to the crowd and steps outside. She goes to open the channel but whoever is on the other end really knows their stuff. Her security is overridden in moments and the screen lights up with a familiar face. "Jane! Jane! Are -u there!" It's Miranda, but something's wrong. She looks like she just got out of bed. She doesn't have her makeup on but still manages to look insanely pretty. Her hair is in a wild mane and her eyes are filled with worry. This has gotta be bad. Jane Hasn't seen Miranda this worried since her last day on Omega. "Jane! Please -lk to me!"

"Yeah I'm here Miri. What's wrong?"

"Thank God. -ve been tr-ng to get through - hours. The comms - being jammed."

"Wha-"

"Just listen! You need - send out an alert! The colony is-" The channel is overwhelmed by static for a moment.

"Miri? Miri you're breaking up!"

"-tacked. Jane Mindoir is about to be attacked! You've got to-" The channel goes dead. Jane is paralyzed for a moment as she struggles to understand. Attacked? Why would Miri know before her? How could she know before her? They had a good orbital sensor grid in place and a stable comm network. Any attacker would be detected a long time before they got there… unless something knocked out the control station. She tries to call the sensor station to the north. Nothing, so she hacks into the camera network and her heart almost stops. All that's left is a single malfunctioning camera and the remains of the two people that ran the station. Before the feed fails, she catches a glimpse of a lone figure stalking away, a still smoking rifle in its hands.

Callen walks out behind her, "What are you doing out here Jane? The party's inside." She turns to him with horror stricken eyes. "What is it? Jane what's wrong?" Before she can answer, a flash of light draws their attention to the rain in the sky. Jane stands next to Callen, staring in mute horror as the first shells slam into the planet.