March 18, 11,958 CE
On board the Pallatinos Defense Force shuttle Honka Jonka, in orbit of the barrier world of Pallatinos Fault (administered by the Union Research and Development Consortium URDC) in the Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space...
9S looked down at the barren world beneath him as he contemplated the peculiar events of the past few months.
It had been less than a year since the Union first sent a scouting through the Charon Relay. At first, there had been jubilation, followed by an aggressive campaign of expansion and colonization- in just a few months, the Union had colonized many times more worlds than the Artemis Republic had in thousands of years, thanks to both the Mass Relays and the new Abbas Mass Effect Drives.
But the jubilation suddenly died down around mid-December. It began with the reports, word that the band of Artemisian outcasts, the pirates known as the Red Druids had begun attacking ships and colonies all throughout the Arcturus Stream and Betelgeuse Space.
Then rumors spread that these attackers might not be Red Druids after all- they ambushed poorly-defended settlements and transport ships, disappearing before the Navy could properly respond. Unlike pirates, the things they took usually weren't valuable parts or resources, but rather seemingly random objects, and reportedly behaved like a coordinated hive mind rather than a band of unruly pirates.
All of it came to a head on February 27, when communication beyond the Charon Relay was restricted. Discussion of colonization efforts which had formerly plastered every headline, vanished overnight. Androids and Machines who had friends who'd moved to the colonies beyond the Relay could no longer communicate with them, while the Interplanetary Communication Network refused to answer any questions. There was even unrest in several cities on Earth and Artemis, as protests and riots broke out in anger over the government's silence.
Information from the colonies beyond the Charon Relay stopped flowing, and official media stopped talking about it. Private media outlets still did, but could only speculate due to the lack of information.
Rumors were abound- from discussions of a hostile alien invasion, to open rebellion by seditious elements or a Machine uprising, to the theory that the Charon Relay had malfunctioned or changed its trajectory, leaving settlements in the Arcturus Stream stranded. No one, after all, completely understood just how the alien tech worked yet.
However, Androids stationed on Pluto reported seeing large convoys of Union warships heading through the Mass Relay, while the Jovian and Saturnian Shipyards reported that warship production was being increased threefold.
Furthermore, official media was largely focused on reporting an alleged increase in bombings and attacks on Earth by the Android supremacist group, Sunshine, but many conspiracy theorists speculated that this was engineered as an intentional distraction from what was going on beyond the Charon Relay.
For a while, 9S was just as much in the dark as everyone else, being kept out of the loop. But just a few days ago, Commander White had suddenly summoned him and 2B to her office...
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Flashback, days earlier (March 13, 11,958 CE) on Ingrian Station, in orbit around Earth, Sol System, Earth Sector, Earth Space, Union of Earth and Artemis...
2B and 9S waited patiently outside Commander White's office, while Operator 5O finished her report to the Commander.
"...93B has reported her contingent has safely reached the Nasrine System. That's the twenty-third system beyond the Charon Relay that our forces have garrisoned."
Commander White studied the star maps with worry. "Now we're supposed to secure Betelgeuse Space as well? Is Admiral Victoria mad? It's only been how long, and they're flooding the frontier with colonies? While our forces are under attack?"
"I believe the esteemed Admiral said, 'Offense is the best defense'."
"I think it's madness," White shook her head. "She's been listening to Director Serov and Representative Accord too much. But we have our obligations as well."
"Deneb colonies have also filed for YoRHa support as well, for protection against Red Druid raids."
"What? Deneb has colonies too?" White exclaimed. "When did that happen?"
"Shortly after the Deneb Federation joined the Union, ma'am. According to my data here, Deneb has one colony each in Betelgeuse Space, the Arcturus Sector, the Delta Sector, and two in contiguous space. Five total."
"..." Commander White stared at the report wordlessly for a minute before sighing. "Thank you, Operator. Will that be all?"
"Yes, Commander."
"Very well, send in 9S and 2B."
5O stepped outside of the office to greet 2B and 9S. "The Commander is expecting you."
The Commander greeted the pair as soon as they'd entered. "2B, 9S! How much of that conversation did you just hear?"
"I'm sorry, I-" 9S began, but the Commander cut him off immediately.
"No need to apologize, in fact, I wanted you to hear that," Commander White explained. "You probably have heard a lot of rumors by now, I imagine. Please, sit."
"Yes," 9S sat down, and 2B followed suit. "So, Commander, how bad is it? Who's really attacking us?"
Commander White sighed. "We… don't really know yet. Reports from the colonies are calling it… 'the Locust Swarm' or the 'Locust Plague'. There have been confirmed reports of Red Druid attacks as well, but we don't know if they're just taking advantage of mayhem these 'Locusts' created, or if they are somehow involved." She flipped through some files, seemingly more out of nervousness than any real need to do so. "The effects have been… troublesome, to say the least. Transport and courier ships have vanished, convoys attacks, comm relays and satellites destroyed, colony worlds invaded… and the attacks aren't limited to any specific system or sector, from Arcturus to Caerleon. All that changed on February 27- that day, the Locusts ambushed and destroyed an entire naval squadron, indicating an active escalation in hostilities. Within hours, the entire Admiralty was on high alert, and the Union Council decided on a media blackout on everything beyond the mass relay. Since then, there have been several fierce skirmishes with these 'Locusts', with the enemy deploying larger and larger warships each time."
"Are… they really aliens?" 9S asked. "That is… a popular rumor these days."
Commander White leaned closer to 9S. "Well… from what remains we were able to recover, they appear to be some sort of mass-produced drones, lacking intelligence, and blindly attacking energy signatures, apparently controlled by their larger capital ships. However, we haven't been able to detect any Android or Machine signatures on board their ships. Either they're blocking our sensors, are crewed by some sort of alien lifeform we can't detect, or are themselves drones."
"So, I guess you want me to check out something for you, ma'am?" 9S guessed.
"While that would be ideal, I have something else in mind as well," The Commander clasped her hands together. "We don't know where the Locusts might attack next, and I already have the other Scanners examining the debris we have already recovered. No, I have a very different mission for you two to undertake- and I will assign your Pods, and your family, 21B and Lavinia, to go with you. 2B, I will also be assigning Operator 6O to accompany you."
"Wait, Lavinia isn't-"
"Yes, I know she's with the Navy, I already ran the reassignment through with Naval Personnel. And don't worry too much about their safety, you'll be traveling with Admiral Shchedrin's Second Expeditionary Fleet, the Navy's newest and most heavily-protected fleet, which will also be heading out to defend the frontier from the Locust threat."
"But, Commander… where are we going? And why my entire family?"
"Because, Director Jackass is quite fond of your family, I believe. She's… quite interested in your family dynamics."
"What does that have to do with anything?!"
Commander White pushed a button that produced a hologram of a dusty, orange-red world. "Because you'll be going to one of the worlds under her rule- Pallatinos Fault in the Betelgeuse Sector."
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March 19, 11,958 CE
Wolcen Settlement, capital of Pallatinos Fault, Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space...
The Android tour guide named Mantis turned around and smiled to 9S, 2B, 21B, 6O, Pod 042, Pod 153, and Lavinia. "And that finishes up our tour of Wolcen! If you want to see one of the outlying settlements or outposts, I'm sure you can arrange it with Governor Sakhra. And, when you're ready, just head to the spaceport, and a shuttle can take you up to your quarters on Vytaka Station."
"So, mind if we… take a stroll around?" 9S asked.
"Of course! Suit yourself!" Mantis waved nonchalantly.
"Going somewhere, Nines?" 21B asked, as 9S, 2B started to walk off together, Pod 042 and Pod 153 in tow.
"J-Just taking a stroll!" 9S stammered unconvincingly. "We- don't have anything on our schedule, do we?"
"I was just thinking we should meet with Governor Sakhra. Mantis did say she was looking forward to meeting us."
"6O, tell the Governor we'll meet her tomorrow!"
"Sure, 2B!" 6O replied eagerily.
"Hey, wait-" 21B began, before realizing the futility of her objections. "Fine- just don't get into any trouble, okay?"
Once they were out of earshot, 2B muttered, "Wow, this settlement is really well-armed, isn't it?"
"No kidding," 9S agreed. "Anti-air batteries, anti-orbital missile silos, mass effect shield projectors… not to mention everything they have in orbit- orbital cannons, armored battle stations, warships. Even their civilian transports are armed. And new Androids are being churned out from their factories, as well as new warships under construction in their orbital shipyards."
"Well, they really are taking the Locust threat seriously," 2B commented. "At least your family will be safe here."
"But that's the odd thing. The Locusts first emerged in December, and at the time, most people, including Command, didn't take them seriously. And while I can't account for every factor, I know these defenses couldn't have been built in such a short timeframe. The infrastructure- their mines, the factories, power generators- have been functioning for at least half a year if not more, and they are built deeply entrenched as if to survive a massive attack. The timing is all wrong."
"They could have been just cautious…" 2B sounded rather unconvinced herself.
"Perhaps, but it's time we did a little digging around."
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Six hours later on board Vytaka Station, in orbit around Pallatinos Fault, Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space…
2B finished cleaning her chassis and stepped out of the restroom, where she was met with 21B.
"Oh, hey, sorry to keep you waiting."
"No probs, 2B. Keep your voice down- Lavinia and 6O have gone to rest. Nines is still working, I think. Something about a report to the Commander?"
"Yes, the Commander gave him a special assignment before we left Earth. It's kind of classified."
"And I wasn't told about this?" 21B shook her head.
"Well, technically, you're not his Operator anymore…"
"I suppose not," 21B shrugged wistfully. "I guess… I worry too much. But I'm sure Nines and the Commander know what they're doing. Take good care of him, 2B."
"Don't I always?"
21B smirked in response, patted 2B on the shoulder, and stepped wordlessly into the restroom.
2B entered the room she shared with 9S, who just as 21B had said, was still up and working at his desk, with Pod 153 hovering by his side.
"Late night work, Nines?" 2B whispered gently, and began massaging his back.
"Wha-?" 9S had been so absorbed in his work he hadn't noticed her enter the room. "You surprised me."
"No kidding, what have you got?"
"Just finishing the report on the readiness of Pallatinos Fault to deal with an enemy invasion, to be submitted to Commander White," 9S sighed, putting down a datapad. "At least, officially. You know what White really sent us here for."
2B looked about nervously and quickly closed their room door. The chances of one of the Station staff stumbling upon them was low, but it was something she didn't want to risk. "I hope you swept for bugs."
"Yeah, I did."
"And… so what were you able to garner from their databases?"
"Something is… definitely wrong. Pod, display the Moncton schematics."
The Pod projected the hologram of an enormous battle station.
"What am I looking at, Nines?"
"One of a number of massive weapons platforms that the URDC is currently constructing in orbit around Pallatinos. They won't be operational for at least several months, but when they are, well…" He trailed off for a moment. "They're called Moncton-class orbital platforms, and are armed with what the URDC calls Magnetic Accelerator Cannons- or MACs for brevity. The MAC is a terrifying weapon, designed to launch a thousand-ton tungsten projectile at about 120,000 kilometers per second- without using Mass Effect. It could easily shear any of the Union's capital ships in half and keep on going.
The recoil, as you can imagine, is enormous, and each firing needs to be coordinated with the firing of a massive Mass Effect dampner to prevent the entire battlestation from being knocked out of its orbit. And the Consortium is building about a half dozen of them around Pallatinos.
Furthermore, if this data is correct, they're also building them around the sector capital, in the Betelgeuse System. I don't know if any are being built in the Arcturus Stream, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were."
He paused, and instructed Pod 153, "Show her the rest."
The Pod projected holograms of a collection of various huge weapon platforms.
"The URDC is also looking to modify the MAC weapon to be outfitted on capital ships, or as ground-based turret platforms."
"By the Humanity…"
"This… isn't something you'd casually invest huge amounts of resources into, and it goes way beyond what's necessary to defeat the Locust threat. Heck, these resources would be far better put into building a large number of ships and fighters to hunt down the Locusts. Furthermore, this is something that should take years to develop, at least, but the URDC seems to have developed them in a number of months."
"The question is," 2B quickly understood 9S' key point. "What exactly are they expecting to fight? What is Jackass up to?"
"That's something we'll have to confront her about," 9S agreed grimly. "I heard from the station staff that she's currently visiting Geonosis in the Midgard Sector, and she'll likely come over to Pallantinos in about a month. We better find out what we can before then."
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Appendical Information
Characters:
-93B, YoRHa Battler-type Android stationed on the Union colony of Nasrine in the Nasrine System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space
-Mantis- URDC tour guide in Wolcen Settlement on Pallatinos Fault in Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space
-Sakhra, Governor- Governor of the Pallatinos System in Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space, on behalf of the Union Research and Development Consortium (URDC), common feminine Arab name
-Shchedrin, Admiral- Admiral of the Second Expeditionary Fleet in the Union of the Earth and Artemis Space Navy (UEASN), named after Soviet, later Russian composer and pianist Rodion Shchedrin (1932-)
Spacecraft:
-Honka Jonka- Shuttle of the Pallatinos Defense Force
Space Stations:
-Ingrian Station- space station housing YoRHa headquarters, in orbit around Earth, Sol System, Earth Sector, Earth Space
-Jovian Shipyards- orbital shipyards around the planet Jupiter in the Sol System, Earth Sector, Earth Space
-Saturnian Shipyards- orbital shipyards around the planet Jupiter in the Sol System, Earth Sector, Earth Space
-Vytaka Station- space station orbiting Pallantinos Fault, Pallantinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space
Union Colonies:
-Arcturus System- Arcturus Station is the sector capital for the Arcturus Sector, and administered jointly by the Space Colonial Administration (SCA) and the Union of Earth and Artemis Space Navy (UEASN) in Arcturus Stream
-Betelgeuse System- Betelgeuse Station is the sector capital for the Betelgeuse Sector, and administered by the Union Intelligence Service (UIS) in Betelgeuse Space
-Caerleon- garden world controlled jointly by the United Resistance Council (URC) and the Union of Earth and Artemis Space Navy (UEASN), and sector capital of the Caerleon Sector, located in the Caerleon System, Caerleon Sector, Betelgeuse Space
-Geonosis- colony world administered by the Union Research and Development Consortium (URDC) of Director Jackass- in the Geonosis System, Midgard Sector, Arcturus Stream
-Nasrine- colony world administered by the Interplanetary Network of Fuel and Resource Depots (INFRD) in the Nasrine System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space
-Pallatinos Fault- fortified world controlled by the Union Research and Development Consortium (URDC) of Director Jackass- in the Pallatinos System, Betelgeuse Sector, Betelgeuse Space. Its atmosphere is composed almost entirely of nitrogen and carbon dioxide, and no life has been discovered so far on its surface.
