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/THE FIRST CONTACT WAR, THE LEGENDS ARE TRUE. PART 4 FINAL, ACCEPTANCE/
9hours 6minutes and 55sceonds until arrival of reinforcements.
Today was the day.
It is going to be a good day.
Everyone is very lively; spirits are high as they have great amount of confidence knowing that today was the day in which reinforcements arrive finally. Even though the solders of the Prydwen don't exactly feel any form of fatigue for being androids, the soldiers of the Alliance and militia are still flesh and blood and they look to be needing a good rest from the constant vigilance all throughout the night.
Even though our regiments were scouting and keeping a good eye on the standard Turian ground forces the Alliance leadership deemed it prudent to have constant eyes on the main enemy encampment.
The Turians had set up one massive fortress of a FOB.
All of their transports had been set up to act as modified stationary walls with gun platforms erected along the sides.
Based on recent scout reports they weren't making any moves of mobilisation which was good, but it also meant they were planning something as the coms station on both ground and our ship both picked up multiply transmissions being sent and given to the FOB.
Triangulation of the direction of where the messages were going showed two direction paths.
One to the remaining in system Turian space force who had stationed themselves right behind Shanxi's moon, they had not made any moves aside from the launch of several probes which our fighter wing where sent out to deal with.
The second more worryingly was being sent beyond into space right past the Mass Relay.
It was very likely that the Turians were calling for reinforcements or seeing reason to call an diplomatic team. These messages would likely be intercepted by STG teams, the Council will know of whats happened and the Asari will be scrambling to stop the conflict from escalating any further.
But that will also take two to three weeks to get themselves sorted and in that time the Turians might just have gathered enough ships to make another assault and that's only if they don't let go of their pride.
Whatever their decision would be, we would not know about it, so in the mean time we'd prepare.
Back to the current invasion at hand, it was decided that destruction of the FOB on ground would not be very ideal much to the disappointment of General Williams but after being enlightened on the wider galaxy, it would be wise not to give the Turians high command the fuel to approving another fleet to be sent with greater number of warships than last time.
We knew that this war would end, but we also knew we'd begin a cold war.
My family and I have already begun sending files upon files of blueprint designs of armours and armaments to Alliance leadership, we'd sent our fabricated history, we sent the footage of the battle, the power we all possessed, all of it would be sent.
We also knew the reaction to all this would be ether high end mild or very extreme reaction.
The technology we give them would break them out of the trap they unwittingly fallen into and hopefully by getting them to believe that the Reapers were real and very much willing to harvest them in the next two decades or so, we hoped it would trigger an arms race.
And if they were sceptical then we have to go out and kill Sovereign and assault the Collectors and bring back their corpses as proof before throwing them into the nearest sun.
One step at a time though, as there was still a war to be fought among other things.
And just like that both ground and space forces made their move.
The Turian space force had performed a precision FTL jump bypassing the Prydwen and exiting just right outside the atmosphere and began descending down, ground force was also on the move in bulk as both forces were predicted to meet just outside the Juggernauts effective firing range.
It was clear that were trying to give us one last shot at the city with everything they got.
Only one possible reason come to mind on why they would commit everything to this last gambit.
They know they cant win in any confrontation in space as the Prydwen would rip them apart.
But on the ground they must believe they have a chance, they must think the Prydwen isn't cable of flight in atmosphere without the "all powerful EZ" thus they believe they won't have to worry about an orbital bombardment as they believe it would be immoral against their law and if they take enough prisoners, Prydwen wouldn't dare of firing down thus unconditional surrender.
These idiots must think this an overwhelming advantage, a chance of victory to heal their pride, they are sending all their ships down, most likely trying to cow us into submission but not before roughing us up first.
And once both forces met up we began to prove them wrong, punishing them for such arrogance, their hubris would be their undoing.
Once the combined force began their advance and right before they could fire the first shot or more less send a message of unconditional surrender.
The first streaks of emerald bolts rained down from the high heavens.
We didn't just sit on our arsses and wait for them to siege the city again; we'd mobilised everything we had to meet these birds head on.
For all the complexities that was being run behind the scenes The plan of attack was fairly simple.
First. Prydwen would lay down an orbital barrage on the Turian Frigates and Cruisers flying in the lowest atmosphere, giving all ships five or more hits to cripple them if not outright grounding them.
Second. Once the barrage is complete all aerospace wings would fly in and finish off the rest of any air born ship or enemy air squadrons.
Third and final can go in two directions. First direction the most preferable one was for the Turian ground force to raise the white flag. Second and most detrimental path was for the Turians to still commit to the assault in spite of all they have to lose.
Can you guess which approach they chose to go for.
If you thought it was the second path then you all right and wrong.
Our regiments were in optimal firing range we found ourselves meeting oncoming fire in scattered directions.
King and Queen regiments went straight down the middle meeting the more duty bound soldiers who believed they had the right to win this battle one matter the cost. It didn't matter though, Mum and Dad were cutting and blasting them apart, Holy swords unleashing nameless blasts and magical spells causing nature itself to attack the aliens that walked Shanxi's surface.
Black, Gold and Blue regiments were tasked with complete encirclement of all Turian forces in the battle. This meant that my siblings and I had been deliberately forced away from the most dangerous intense part of the battle and left to deal with fleeing combatants that had seen the stars tell them the battle was lost before it even began.
A majority of the fleeing soldiers and armour we'd encountered stood their ground fought once they realised at how futile it was to retreat. And very few Turians willingly threw their weapons down and surrendered peacefully.
But after a few full releases of our Noble Phantasms onto the world along with the armour, air superiority. Finally the dumb birds saw reason to let go of their weapons.
But yet again the Turians who survived and taken prisoner only ranged in the low hundreds. The rest refused to surrender; they stood their ground against an vastly superior force cutting through them like a scythe through daisy's in the field.
Once again we'd saved Shanxi and its citizens from the invading Turian Navy and Army. The battle was over, if you could call it one, in my mind it was nothing more than a one-sided beat down boarding onto a slaughter.
It was a joyous moment for everyone, the Shanxi system was no longer contested space and was firmly right back in the grasp of humanity's hands.
Our force began searching the downed recked hulls of the Turians ships for survivors often meeting them in a skirmish before putting them down, just like on the field very few surviving Turians came out willingly.
At least the ones at their FOB came quietly, after witnessing that tragedy anyone would lose the will to fight.
But once the people got the news that the Alliance Second Fleet had arrived in system and made planet fall. The Turians were to be transferred out onto prison ships, supply's restocked, fortifications foundations being laid down, The true celebration began that night among the civilian populous.
And where were we during this eve of celebration.
Stuck in a bloody conference room in City Hall with Governor Kyle, General Williams, General Brimmington, Admiral Drescher and Ambassador Victor Frederick.
The conference in itself was a mass of statistic overlays and confirmation around troop deployments and POW transportation among subtle praises coming from the ambassador who was most certainly (not) sucking up to us, the Generals and Admiral began layout long plans stating threat assessment of possibly future incursions.
We negotiated the willingness we showed for transferring over all the blueprints and schematics that were logged in the Prydwen's mainframe, they were right to be sceptical but despite our sincere promises of showing this to be a gesture of goodwill they'd be going over the data with a fine eye.
Next came our alliance with the Alliance (not sure that's a pun or not?), this needed to be done right, whilst my family were keen on becoming part of humanity once again we also knew it would be impossible to be simple humans as we were not human anymore, at least not completely.
We had memories of our separate times as Kings and Queens. (Well one of was apparently a space cop trying to kill all Sabers or what not.)
We were in control of an technologically advanced ship with equally advanced soldiers who are also supposably hailing from another galaxy in another reality which has all of humanity's legends living and breathing.
Our supposed origins painted us as gods capable of preforming feats that no normal human could possibly achieve.
Everything the Alliance knew about us was so far kept to higher echelons of government and military command aside from every soul on Shanxi, but it wont be long till footage of what happened on this world would make it to the internet, once the engineers repair and reconnect Shanxi back into the wider net. We will be identified, journalist and reports would seek us out for the truth, historians and other well-known individuals would try to explain our impossible existence, and inevitably we'd become idols of worship.
I calculated only one and a half weeks of normalcy before the net was reconnected, and about 4 days for videos and other news about the invasion of Shanxi to swamp the local news networks.
And where would we be in it, well physically we'd be heading to Earth for a massive conference with the newly minted United Earth Government, but metaphysically we be right dub smack centre in that news storm along with the existence of the wider galaxy.
That reminded me, would Jack post the translated codex into the public streams or would he use it to coheres individuals to kick start the beginnings of a brand new organisation.
With the way things are going all I could do was pray that future events go smoothly, but that was too wishful.
We were committed to make sure humanity would be prepared for the arrival for the Reapers, and if possibly the wider galaxy as well, though that will take too many years as they Council is quite wilfully ignorant. We cant tell them what to do, all we can do is inform them of what's to come, much like what we're telling the Governor, Generals, Admiral and Ambassador.
"I want to recap what you've told us so far and I apologies the way I might sound now but please allow me to say this…So let me get this straight. Not only all of humanity's legends are true, you all exist in another reality in an advanced state of being while yet also possessing arcane knowledge and dare I say world ending magic. And the series of events that happened here today started out where You were heading to dispose of an possible pirate base. But instead were approached by an entity beyond the power of any other entity's in your reality. It proceeded to asked you to come to our reality to save us from an galaxy ending threat that only appears once every 50,000 years and is said to be responsible for ending the Protheans, the race which we based our technology on but is not but instead a trap based on the ones that destroyed the Protheans who your entity called the Reapers. And so you have decided to save us from this threat by giving us access to your entire technological base. I really only have one question. Why us, possibly the weakest race in this galaxy and not the already established ones that are in this codex that I have briefly looked through, wouldn't any of these races been more deserving to be leading the fight."
Victor gazed at us, he face is very controlled showing a body posture of a professional diplomat, a persona that knew the games that where played. but I see he was revering us as larger than life monuments, his soul showed me it all. He felt unworthy to be in our presence despite how much experience he has had as an ambassador to other countries.
The others were somewhat the same, less so the military personal but faint traces of their unease revealed much.
The question though made me think back on why we didn't go to the Council.
To be honest, we have found them to be unworthy, this is of course supported by an extensive wide range of reason why we believe we didn't go to the Council to show them the threat they all faced in the future.
Example one, the mishandling of the Quarrians
Example two, the genophage
Example three, the blatant disregard of slavery.
Example four, the near caste like system of how the Council races are on the top and imposing their will on the other races.
I could go on but we'd be here all day.
Our reasons, well mainly Altera's and I's reasons were explained to them as the rest of our family don't know the story line of the Mass Effect universe nor the shittery that the Council has done and allows to continue.
As we explained and delved into the codex pointing out what was wrong and right and how things were changed to make the Council look like the "good guys". We found the expression of the Alliance representatives change from disgust from the actions committed by the Council and there policies as a whole, Altera and I managed to also make our family feel glad they did what we did to the Turians.
In just a couple of minutes we managed to change the opinions of the humans in this room with us from an optimistically thinking about mending ties with the extra-terrestrial to outright verminous hatred to them.
It is regrettably that we had to show them how dark this galaxy is this early on, I practically don't like misleading them in this charade of misinformation supported with outside knowledge which we had the liberty of being fortunate of knowing.
Just imagine what we would of done if my older (brother)sister and I never played Mass Effect nor read into its in universe lore, things would have been very different, we wouldn't know of the Mass Relays, we wouldn't know of the Council nor how there races operate or even anything about the Reapers.
We probably end up in a very dark place, but who was I to say that, anything can happen no matter the circumstance be they good or bad, that's just life.
It took another hour or two to go through the strength and weaknesses of the Citadel Council, their current policies and acts towards other races and possibly ways they may try to get humanity to join the Council itself in order to acquire the new technology schematics that we've given them.
Just thinking about the future bureaucratic talks is already giving me a massive headache.
Still once all the major points of the meeting today where discussed and plans on how to move forward where laid down and ready to be implemented we'd adjourned for the night and planned to continue to hammer out other talks in the next couple of days.
The first thing I did was head straight to bed back in my room on the Prydwen along with my other two siblings while our parents decided to pull an all nightery to make sure all the things we talked about were all fixed up and documents written up from the administration offices and sending the green light on withdrawing most of our forces back onto the Prydwen as they wont be needed on planet anymore.
The Turian POWs had been carted off planet in prison ship out of our hands and be taken care of by the Alliance Military Police.
Wreckage which couldn't be properly mended was being scuttled by the civilian engineers who flown in. Salvage teams from multiple companies would be paid very well from the government to secure all the alien derelict hulks in space and on ground and any other foreign equipment in the fields.
Medical ships carrying food and another supplies had been fairing in around the clock as mine sweepers were at work to clear the mines in the farmlands near the city, so until they were swept the people of Shanxi were very dependent on imports.
The much more detailed report was currently displayed on in my rooms terminal but I was far too tired to read through what has been happening and all other miscellanies things which were occurring down on the planet's surface.
With the days ticking by in a blur of administrative jargon and deals being made with civilian business along with other plethora of orders being relayed to and fore by the Alliance Army and Navy.
We the Chaldeans with orders from the King were told to pretty much help out where ever needed before the deadline of week before we were to head out to Earth whilst under heavy escort.
By the 6th day since the invasion the electricians and telecommunications engineers had finally managed to relink Shanxi back into the internet and other communications servers which connected to all of Alliance space. And just as I had predicted, the events of Shanxi dominated every News channel.
"ALIEN INVASION THWARTED" and "LIVING LEGENDS AMONG US" was quiet the front liner.
It was only a few hours after said headlines being announced in which I was training a few SECTION 8s in CQC by an military designated field near a few civilian owned establishments when my eyes were drawn to camera flashes.
In that moment I believed it to be an awed citizen or two, but hence when the flashes kept on coming it didn't exactly take long to realise that it was from a small crowed of journalists.
And within the next two days, after everything I went through I started to feel very self-conscious of my surroundings the more I ventured down to Shanxi. In every conner and every step away was someone not holding onto an camera or being followed by an camera drone.
The number of journalist was increasing with the days going by, Shanxi was the next big story that topped every other event to have happened within Alliance space nor in human history.
So as the mob of reporters grew to sizeable 40 or more my dear older sister came up with a way to get them to give us some personal space.
Her "genius" plan to was have another sparring match, just like that time on some random planet in space, she says it would make the reporters too nervous to come within talking distance if we showed off our "crazy fancy moves".
Personally, I believed it would only increase their fever and I believed Alter only wanted to gain more popularity by doing this.
But none the less I reluctantly agreed, secretly I was hoping and praying to god that the reporters would get too nervous to approach us, but that was yet again too wishful.
So about a kilometre away from the outskirts of Shanxi city proper was Alter and I standing no more than 25m apart with a massive crowed of reporters, the citizens of Shanxi and a lot of military personal along with our entire family to watch this "spar".
Dad had refused to allow Altera to have her way if not only for Mom to somehow pacify him somehow. I bet it had something to do with the bedroom, I'm not hundred percent sure.
Atria was a bit disappointed in not being able to participate but she was far to curious to see the reactions of the common man which were to bare witness to our awesome power.
Back to the here and now I spied my older sister by one year to my front, ignoring the masses and focusing my body and magic for the upcoming bout.
Altera was helmetless but garb in her full plate blackened draconic armour staring right into my own passive dull eyes with a fairly excited grin if not a bit crazed glint in her own eyes.
I remember the days where Charlie was more calm and comedic, his laugh was actually filled with mirth and joy, his action where always aimed to brighten the day in the house.
I remember the days where I was more outgoing and aloof in my mannerism, I never had a drive to take control nor the need to be the best there can be.
But those memories from those days while still in my mind are gone forever.
Altera was conflict driven.
I was more order driven.
Atria had both of our traits.
Dad was like me but was actively showing he was in charge.
Mom was a pranker and pervert…pretty self-explanatory.
"HEY, Artoria" Altera's loud voice snaped me out my daze having to focus on her.
"What is it Altera" Having gained my attention she raised her blackened sword to me.
"We never found out who was the strongest between us, back then we were still adjusting to ourselves in this new life, we didn't know our limits, still don't really but over the month we been here, I say we have gained a good understanding of what we can do." She lowered her sword before her helm started to conceal her face and then taking a combat stance.
"But today, we finally get the chance to see just what we are capable of" I couldn't help but show a small smile on my face. To the regular human such a sight would send their hearts hammering to the heavens.
"Well, I guess I can only say one thing to you" in a swift moment my helm started to don itself around my face, showing the lion like design to the world before I set myself into a near identical combat stance to my sister rising my own sword up.
"Good Luck." With my final words said I gave a look to my Farther acting as the umpire of this match
He in turn nodded
"Both sides ready" he shouted out raising his right arm up while both altera and I visibly tense up in our stances, coiled tightly like springs ready to throw ourselves at each other.
The crowds silenced themselves into small mutterings.
The reporters clicked away with their cameras, capturing the image of our stilled forms readying to pounce on each other.
Military personal had been passing bets around on who they believed would be victorious in this moment.
And then the Kings arm fell.
"BEGIN!". We moved before he finished the rest of that word.
The very ground shattered beneath our feet as we lunged forward aided by our own respective manner bursts.
Both of our swords flashed into colour, swelling in their own respected affinity.
And when our blades crossed paths, when our titanic strength slammed against each other.
the very earth of Shanxi trembled in the face of two opposing forces.
Like a two tidal waves splashing against each other light gold holy power and dark red demonic power spiralled in opposite directions, they both repelled one another, and when forced to mix it was very explosive.
Our struggle for dominance ended when we both withdrew our blades from one another.
From different angles we came at each other again producing much of the same results.
Again and again we came at each other. Each clash causing gale force winds to rip through the skies, dirt and rock where displaces or ether was eviscerated by our combined power.
Shock waves pushed against the worlds barries and reverberated through the crowd of on looks who stared on in shocked disbelief.
The fight and many more like it in the future to come was forever immortalised, recordings would spread to the far reaches of Alliance space and in time to the rest of the galaxy.
A loyal near crazed following would be propped up, thousands upon thousands would be entrapped by the majesty of these beings power, the regal nature of their looks would earn them royalty status and an standing of which should only be given to grand idols of civilizations.
They be national heroes or icons which put even the most awe inspiring to shame.
Here be the daughters of King Arthur showing humanity their power, the legends were not just, they failed to show just how much they got wrong, but this moment however showed how much more the legend truly was.
If the daughter were this powerful, how much more so was the namesake of the legend.
The Government and military leaders knew, but the public would soon be treating them as gods, worshiping the very ground in which they tread.
For Artoria and Altera in the moment in which they fought, it was time to up the ante as it were.
The crowds of civilian military alike soon found it incredibly more difficult for their eyes to track the movements of the first and second princess as they began going even faster than the faster land vehicle to date.
It was a strike here and there; sword sing after a quick dash ether to doge or press forwards upon an advantage which then turned against one another.
So quickly the flow of the battle tipped and dipped in each other's favour while quickly shifting once more they find themselves loosing that advantage.
Compared to the first time they fought against each other it should be at this point where they felt the strain to keep their efforts up much less go beyond.
But after many days of training, the skirmishes against the pirates and the battles of Shanxi.
This spar would be one of the first times in which Pendragon family showed their true power to the galaxy.
But even if the two sister knew they could unleash more of their power, to really feel a strain on their bodies, that mean putting the crowd no less the entire city of Shanxi at risk of annihilation.
Even in the heat of battle the two realised the stalemate. Both could nether defeat the other without going truly all out without putting others at risk.
When both demonic and holy blade again kicking up more of the environment the two helm clade heads both nodded to each other.
Nether would be victorious nor satisfied by a draw, but they had no choice in the matter.
However both understood the spectacle that they both had put on.
Altera's plan was done and now they just needed to end things off with a bang.
So both sister jumped away from each other and taking stock of their surroundings.
Much like that distant planet, the area in which they fought on was unrecognisable.
Looking around what was once a semi green dirt ground was now blackened and uneven wrecked terrain with multiple smoking creatures and small scattered black, blue and regular red flames.
Altera chuckled which raised an eyebrow from Artoria.
"And what's oh so funny dear sister" Altera stopped, turning to give her attention to her younger sister.
"when I said I wanted to find out which one of us was the strongest I actually was serious, but what really wanted to see is if I'd actually lose in a stereotypical manner of way in this light vs dark scenario. But I think there was something else I wanted to find out instead" this time Altera's helmet collapses in on itself showing her face.
She didn't have her customary conflict driven expression nor a crazed controlled glint.
She was smiling gently, showing something that was actually positive.
She was happy, relived even.
And that's when I found out what she was actually searching for, how much this match truly meant to her, this was her true intention all this time, not anything else I thought of.
Lowering my sword and collapsing my own helm I looked directly to my older sister giving her my best reassuring smile, I put some effort behind it for this meant all to her.
I now understood that while our changes have not only altered our way of acting and thinking, it has also irreparably distorted our drives and personalities beyond who we originally were.
I believed that the last fragments of Charlies being were trying to find a form of closure before accepting what has happened to him.
I wonder if he has found what he sought and if he is at peace because of it.
I can't really say the same thing with the rest of the family but as for myself. I think Leo the human stopped being a singular entity once he fully understood that what has happened was not going to change and accepted it before fusing fully with Artoria's soul.
The two souls were very different from each other in so many ways, one was a king the other a commoner, one strove to save their people, the other had nothing to protect.
But they both had one thing in common, a deep rooted feeling in their core that just simply told them to go forward to continue for that one glorious dream. One was fighting for while the other learned to create it.
Which was more valuable, the sword or the sheath, both made the same answer before realising which was far more important. And in their mistakes, they both found the time to accept what they have done.
So now as I gaze on my older sister I see that she has found her answer, she has reached acceptance of her situation and will forever more be more at ease.
I turned to the crowd, I gazed at my father before addressing all who could hear.
"This match is a draw" my loud voice was met with silence.
The masses where still entrapped by what they have witnessed here today.
The scale of power was simply to world shattering in more ways than one.
But of course once both Altera and I made our way back to crowed started applauding.
Cheers broke out, an new form of enthusiasm descended into their minds. The behaviour being shown was much how one would act when they experienced a good game of footy.
But unfortunately as with all things in life there must be a balance.
This didn't come in the form of massive bills for the complete and utter destruction of the field, nor the future cult fan clubs or even the paparazzi stalking behaviours and most certainly not some actions of future shady organisations planning some way to make lowly clones of the pendragons oh no not even close at all.
What happened next was predicted but to happen on this day would be mildly annoying.
Admiral Drescher received a commlink call from an futuristic looking phone. She then gathered the Generals, Governor and my family members.
And by the looks on their collective faces they did not look happy.
Once we got closer I caught the tail end of what the Admiral was saying.
"-tem, they are holding by the relay and have yet to move".
"What's going on" Altera asked tone becoming a tad serious.
"We have a single Asari cruiser that has just entered the system supported by 12 Turian ships, its not another invasion judging by the size and from the fact there's an Asari cruiser among them, we can assume they are here for an immediate end to all hostility's." Dad said to us.
"how should we proceed" Atria asked.
"by doing what we planned to do, were returning to the Prydwen and should we manage to gain peaceful talks we will return back down here for further negotiations." With his final words said Dad followed by the rest of us headed towards a LAAT.
The admiral made her way somewhere else likely to return to her command ship in orbit while the Generals and Governor declare martial law on the populace and have the garrison at the ready in case of an unforeseen attack.
In the next hour or so, things were going to be fairly intense, here's hoping we don't accidental another war against the rest of the galaxy.
[]
next chap will be a timeline