April 7th 2148, Sol System, Earth. undisclosed location.
"So, things are in motion. How long do you think we have before the real issues begin?" Hackett asked as he sat at a small table with Kaguya and Yukari. The table was full of assorted plates of snack as well as a cup of tea for each of them, though Hackett had a three litre bottle of Coors in front of him instead.
"It depends," Yukari answered simply as she took a sip of tea and continued. "Eden Prime is progrssing well, and it is quickly becoming a mecca of Alliance, and council science and culture. We'll only be able to hold off the discovery there for so long. As little as two years, to as many as seven to nine I would think."
"That gives us time to prepare at least. Not as much as we need though. We may have to inform the council after all." Kaguya said with a sigh.
"No, they would not believe us, not yet. They'll need proof, and will not believe what we have to show at this moment," Hackett said, his tone almost a growl.
"This is true. Our own shipbuilding is progressing well, but we need a way to convince them to increase their own shipbuilding past what our existence has done already." Yukari stated.
"The Turians are already doing so, despite their treaty, but they do it in secret from the rest of the council it appears," Hacket stated with a smirk. "I'm actually upset they did not have that coup that would have made them leave the council. They would be better allies in what is to come without the Asari breathing down their necks and trying to influence their laws and ideals."
"There's nothing for it, we'll just have to cope." Kaguya said with a shake of her head as she tossed a Konpeitou* into her mouth and bit into it with a crunch. "How is our counterforce going?"
"Well enough. Our special forces training continues per usual," Hackett answered.
"She meant our other counterforce," Yukari said with a smirk. "The two of them are coming along excellently. I expect both will be taking the operative exam within a few months. I'll be sure to give them ample reason to be on Eden Prime when events begin. That should allow us to make sure things progress as we hope."
"And if they do not go as planned?" Hackett asked.
Yukari shrugged. "Then we simply give them a special mission right off the bat. They both ended up being the ones to learn about it on Kar'shan, so as soon as they witness the scryed events on Eden Prime, I'm sure they will begin to connect the dots."
"Haaa, I do not like how we must skulk in the dark like this," Hacket stated sourly.
"Yes, but we have little choice, a warning and scrying can only go so far. If we begin outright telling people, it may mess up the perceived flow, and then our efforts will be for nothing," Kaguya stated as she tossed another candy in her mouth.
"Yes, yes, I know this. It does not mean I have to like it!" Hackett snapped just as a small pyramid shaped object in the tables centre began to beep.
Yukari tapped the tip of it, and a small green light lit up before she spoke up. "You need something, Flandre?"
"Aside from some seriously well aged blood and the ability to actually hunt down people that know how to fight. . . Yes, unfortunately I do," came Flandre's reply from the device. "Are the other two there with you?"
"Yes, we were just in discussion, what has occurred?"
Flandre let out a deep, exhausted sigh over the line before finally speaking. "We've hit a snag, a bad one. The council talked to me earlier, claiming an Alliance force had claimed and taken over a reactor facility on a moon owned by the Asari republics. Apparently they killed the entire workforce, and the local forces that tried to reclaim it to get answers."
"There's no way any of our forces have such orders," Hackett claimed steadfastly.
"I know. They showed me the video feed. Everyone there was human, and looked to be wearing modified Asari armour suits with a mix of laser and council weapons. Each of them had an insignia upon their armour on the left breast. Terrafirma."
"Oh fuck! We got rid of those fanatics!" Hackett nearly roared.
"Yeah, well we missed some of them, because they've popped up and are trying to make themselves known it seems," Flandre replied haughtily.
"How many of them are there?" Kaguya asked next.
"Unsure, but the councils people estimate at least three to four dozen."
"So knowing Terrafirma, there's probably at least a hundred of them in that facility," Hackett said grimly.
"Agreed. Did you tell the council anything about Terrafirma?" Yukari asked softly.
"Didn't have much of a choice really. I told them, and even said that we would send someone in to clean them up as it was our problem. Unfortunately the council is insisting that they have at least a few of their people deal with the problem as well."
"It is a facility in their space, this is not surprising," Kaguya stated as if it wasn't her problem.
"So, what is the situation then?" Yukari asked.
"We finally agreed that one spectre, and one operative would be sent to work together to clear the facility of Terrafirma," Flandre stated, sounding almost upset with the situation.
"Anything else?"
"No, but from their insinuations they'll be sending one of their best Spectre's it sounds like."
"So by that we will need to send one of our more, effective, Operatives as well," Hackett said, choosing his words carefully.
"Indeed. Flandre, did they specify a meeting point for the operative?"
"They did annoyingly. The council is loving this chain of events," Flandre said as each of their wristcomps beeped, alerting them to a message. "I've sent the coordinates."
"Thank you. Any information on the facility you can give us?"
"Yeah, the video showed those Terrafirma maniacs using the reactor release valves to flood areas with radioactive gasses as traps and to block access. They also appeared to be relatively well armed, but had no magic or biotics anywhere visible."
"As Supremacists it wouldn't fit their MO," Hacket grumbled. "What about cybernetics?"
"None that I could see in the video, but it was pretty short."
"Alright. Thank you Flandre, we'll decide who to send and have them underway within the hour," Yukari stated.
"Alright, I'll tell the council. Have fun!" Flandre stated with a giggle as the line closed.
"Have fun she says. Ugh. So, who do we send then?" Hackett asked as he tapped his wrist comp, causing the pyramid to show a rotating column of operative bio's before them.
"That is the question. If it's a reactor facility, that takes away any Human operative, we'll need a Youkai's resistance, or a Lunarian's tolerance in a place with long term radiation danger," Kaguya said, removing a portion of the bios from the columns.
"I agree, but I think we should make it a Youkai. While most Lunarian's don't have it to a severe state, their xenophobia to council races could be slight problem if the mission runs long," Hackett stated.
"As much as I want to counter your statement, I agree," Kaguya hissed as she tapped her own wristcomp, removing another portion of the bios.
"I know who we should send. The one operative who radiation means nothing to!" Yukari said with a grin as he tapped a bio, making it expand.
"Are you sure about that?" Hackett asked nervously as he looked over the Bio. "Her history is not exactly, stellar."
"Her cape is," Kaguya joked at Hackett. "She's now an intelligent scientist, and one of R&D's best as it stands for reactor and engine design. She has changed."
"She has changed a lot yes, but I believe her skills in defeating those before her, both in range and melee, and her immunity shall be the main point here, don't you agree?" Yukari asked with a small smile that irked Kaguya and Hackett to no end. Whenever she smirked like that, nothing good came of it!
"Very well, you have my vote," Kaguya said with a sigh.
Hackett let out an equal sigh and nodded. "Do it, make the call."
"Then I will," Yukari said with a smile, "Though I do wonder one thing."
"Oh?"
"Yes, I wonder how much of that facility they want to be kept in one piece."
"Terrafirma has taken it. Hopefully Flandre told the council that if Terrfirma's involved, our rules state to purge them even at cost of facilities."
"I doubt she did."
"Then the spectre is in for a rude awakening."
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April 8th 2148, Korethea System, Planet Yatoo.
Saren Arterius growled as he lay on a hill a kilometer from the reactor facility. Barely a kilometer behind him was a thriving city, but that could change if anything went horribly bad with this mission. Supposedly a human terrorist organization had taken it, but it wasn't enough that the Alliance problems were causing them grief, no, now he was being forced to work alongside one of their operatives who still had not deigned to show up!
"Spirits, if that damn Alliance operative doesn't show up soon I'll head in there myself, explicit Council request or not! Bad enough I'm having to work with one of them!" Saren grumbled to himself as he looked over the facility with the scope on his rifle. He could not see anyone on the outside, but the blood trailing out the doors and the few bodies that had not been recovered made it clear the area was dangerous. It needed to be cleared of the Alliance filth, even if the Alliance itself said those within were unaffiliated with them!
Finally Saren could hear the low sounds of a craft and turned around to see an Alliance shuttle soaring towards him, making an ominously small lack of noise. It set itself down a few dozen meters from him, and then seemed to shut off.
"Spirits, this is going to be the worst mission ever. At least I'll be able to paint any blame on the Alliance if this goes bad!" He muttered as he got up and walked over to it, rifle in hand while his assault rifle was sitting on his back, and his pistol on one leg.
After many minutes of waiting, the side door of the shuttle finally slid open, far wider than Saren figured it would need to, and out stepped a single person whose look made him take a step back in surprise and confusion.
The person was tall, easily as tall as he was himself, and clearly female by the shape of her hips and large chest. The woman was wearing a dark red suit that clung close to her body and had lighter red markings down the sides. Her skin was a strange light brown in color, and her dark black hair was long and hung loosely down her back. What was truly strange however were her other features. She had massively large black feathered wings coming out of her upper back. Coming down from around her neck and over the wings was some kind of cape that seemed to have a strange star like pattern across the inner face of it, and on her chest just between her collar and breasts was a jewel bigger than Sarens's own fists, glowing like a crimson eye, complete with a slit in the center that seemed to pulse with barely contained hate. Strapped to the woman right leg in a strangely open holster or case was a large brownish colored object, while her left leg was covered in ornate but heavy looking metal plating all the way up to her thigh.
Saren felt sick just looking at the Alliance women. He could see no weapons on her anywhere, and the wings on her back looked like they would be nothing but a hindrance inside of a reactor facility. The Alliance was doing their usual mockery of everything else the galaxy held dear! "So, you're the operative the Alliance sent?" Saren nearly spat, barely containing his disgust.
The woman turned her crimson eyes toward him and walked toward him, her wings making her feel easily four times larger than she actually was. "Yes, I am Operative Utsuho Reiuji. And you are?"
Saren felt himself began to feel strangely warm, as if he was standing near a heat lamp, but he barely noticed as his gaze was fixed on the woman's expression. Calm and calculating, with a fleck of expectation in her eyes. It reminded him of STG agents who were both dangerous on the field and also so mechanically inclined it was a wonder they ever left the labs. Was this woman some kind of engineer of all things? "Yes, Council Spectre, Saren Arterius," Saren answered in kind, holding his voice high and filled with pride.
The Alliance operative seemed unamused as she simply nodded and walked past him to the edge of the hill and looked down at the facility. "Have you investigated the facility already, or no?"
"I was told to await your arrival before starting my mission, despite the fact I could have finished already if I hadn't," Saren replied with venom lacing his tone.
The Alliance woman let out a chuckle, a chuckle! "I see. Do you know anything about Terrafirma?"
"The group that your people claim are terrorists. That is it."
"Pity. Last question before we begin then. How sturdy is that building? Is it allowed to be destroyed completely?"
Saren's mouth fell open at the woman's question. "It is a reactor facility that is connected to this planets grid, and there is a city barely a dozen kilometers away!"
". . . So that's a no then. Damn, would've made it easier, but I guess that's why we're being sent in instead of the place being glassed out of existence. I guess I'll just stay below thirty present output then," Utsuho said as she pulled the strange rod off her leg and placed it over her right forearm. A second later it hummed, glowed with red lines down the edges, and the end of it popped open slightly. In that same second Sarens suit systems suddenly began blaring radiation warnings. "One warning for you, stay out of my firing lines. Injuries tend to be rather final around me."
Saren was confused for a second until he brought up his omnitools scanner and his eyes went wide at the readings. He was feeling heat from the woman because she was literally releasing vast quantities of non-lethal low level radiation as pure heat energy! According to his omnitool, she had the combined radiation of numerous nuclear blasts all bottled up across her body and somehow it was not melting her, poisoning her, or killing him from just being near her!
"How are you not dying?" Saren asked darkly. He was not worried for her, far from it, he was worried for himself, for the facility he was being forced to clear with this woman. And most importantly, he was afraid of the fact that this woman, who had so much radiation in her she should be a glowing rock, was an Alliance operative. He wanted answers!
Utsuho looked at Saren like he was crazy. "Why would I be dying? C'mon, this facility won't clear itself," She said as a beat of her wings put her into the air. "Try to keep up!" She then called before she flew toward the facility, perfectly visible and without even the teeniest bit of stealth!
"GGGRRRRR, Alliance fool! She's making this operation more difficult!" Saren grumbled as he ran down the hill, making sure his optical camouflage was active so he at least would not be seen. Surprisingly no one shot at the Alliance operative despite her being in the open for many moments, and when Saren got to the facilities only entrance, found her looking over the blast doors quizzically. "Have you never seen blast doors before? They keep radiation in in case of a breach!" Saren explained with a sigh.
Utsuho was unfazed as she began tapping on the door with her knuckle, the strange rod still over her right forearm. After a few seconds she looked to Saren with a perfectly serious look. "Terafirma doesn't care about collateral damage, but they are paranoid and willing to do anything to get an advantage. Keep your suit sealed and take no prisoners, understand?"
"You do not order me around! You are only an operative, while I am a Council Spectre!" Saren snapped back, his tone laced with so much venom he may as well have become a poisonous snake.
Utsuho merely shrugged. "You're funeral then," she said as she turned to the door and kicked out her armoured leg at the door. Saren expected it to do nothing, as getting through blast doors either required security overrides or large shaped explosives. Much to his surprise, the place she kicked bent inwards almost a half foot deep. It would be impossible for the door to open now. Before he could voice his complaints however she kicked it two more times, putting more dents in the door, and then swung her right rod covered arm at the door. That strike blew the blast door inwards, right out of its rollers and hinges, flipping and bouncing off the ground as it eventual crashed inside the dark unlit room with a dull, but very loud thud. "Knock knock!" She then called out with a grin as she casually strolled in.
Saren had gaped at what had just happened. They knew hostiles were in the facility, but instead of entering silently and getting the drop on them like anyone intelligent would, she just blew their cover completely and gave away their position to probably the whole place and every terrorist inside!
"Are you coming or no?" Utsuho asked as she turned to see Saren still outside the doorway.
"Do you even understand the situation here?" Saren finally asked, not being able to believe that he was being force to work with someone so insane and clearly dim witted.
"Yes, of course I understand," Utsuho suddenly stopped mid-sentence and aimed her rod up. In that same second a beam of orange energy shot out from the rods front, heat and light wafting off from it as it burnt through the air, and collided with a person that had been at the back of the room, a Council model of accelerator rifle falling to the floor as the human let out a shout of abject pain and suffering.
Immediately Saren moved forward to look over the target lying on the floor, finding that it was a human in what looked to be repurposed Asari armour, the kind that freelancer mercenaries or security forces would wear. However, what horrified him was that from his waist, all the way up to his shoulder was cut, literally burned off, with the section of flesh and arm lying on the ground, the edge still smouldering. Even worse the human was still alive, clearly in complete shock as he grabbed at his cauterized flesh in a panic. "What in the Spirits name was that about!?" Saren barked as he picked up an accelerator rifle off the ground and sighed. It was a Phaeston assault rifle, the exact same kind that the Turians own forces used regularly. How had a supposed terrorist gotten his hands on it?
"What was what about?" Utsuho asked as she walked over and looked at the human lying on the ground. "Oh, he moved. That was supposed to go through his centre of body mass."
"What exactly is that weapon of yours!" Saren demanded to know as he stood up and pulled out his pistol, aiming down at the humans head and putting him out of his misery with a single shot.
"It's my control rod," Utsuho said simply as she walked over to a control panel beside another blast door and began tapping at it with her free arm. "I'm a Yatagarasu crow, I innately have the ability to control and manipulate nuclear fusion and fission reactions. I literally fired a condensed beam of nuclear energy at him. The heat melts what it strikes, while it also has the kinetic power from the reaction as well, which is why he was knocked backwards when I hit him."
As Saren stood up the lights in the area they were in came on, and a red light began flashing as the blast door before them slowly began to rise. "That is impossible."
"So is magic according to many of you Council types," Utsuho countered with a grin as she tapped the console a bit more, then tapped at a holographic display that appeared of her control rod. In seconds a strange musical noise began filling the room, echoing out from the facilities speakers, and in seconds words began to accompany the music.
(BGM – NUCLEAR FUSION by Aki - Bifurcation)
"What are you doing?
"Playing my song through the speakers!*"
"Why?"
"Because it infuriates Terrafirma!" Utsuho laughed as the blast door fully opened and the room beyond lit up, allowing them to see dozens of terrorists all with weapons at the ready.
Saren looked for barely half a second before a single world slipped from between his mandibles. "Spirits!"
"Time to play!" Utsuho declared as she rushed forward right as very terrorist began firing at them with accelerator weapons and even the occasional small laser weapon
Saren ducked to the wall beside the door and began picking terrorist off with rifle fire, inwardly grinning at how ill trained they were. None of them were using cover or even giving others a chance to cool down their weapons as they overheated. But he also noticed Utsuho in the middle of the room. She lunged at one terrorist and swung her control rod at him, sending him flying into the air and right into a wall with so much force Saren could hear the crack as his armour, and his bones within, smashed on impact. Without skipping a beat she swung her control rod in a wide arc, a beam of hate spitting out of it with deadly precision, melting through boxes and beams and people alike. While causing Saren's suit radiation warning alerts to go off constantly.
As Saren picked terrorist off he noticed one aiming at Utsuho with a Widow anti-material accelerator rifle, and before he could train his gun on them, it fired. The shot seemed to be perfectly aimed, but just as it seemed the shot would hit Utsuho, it burned out into nothing, just before she turned and aimed her control rod at the terrorist who had fired it. He quickly ducked behind a box, realizing he would not survive getting hit by it, but Utsuho fired anyway, her beam punching through it and the man effortlessly.
Without sparing a single second she fired one last beam at the last man who tried to flee through a doorway, punching a hole clean through his chest and dropping him just beyond the door as it closed.
"Well, that was a good warmup!" Utsuho stated as she stepped on a barely alive terrorist's skull and crushed it under her armoured heel, making Saren feel slightly nauseous for a small second as he glanced around seeing that all of them were now dead.
"There shouldn't be too many more I'd say, it was a good thing they prepared for a last stand. They must have known they wouldn't be a match for a Spectre!" Saren gloated as he looked down at a terrorist's body and almost felt bad for them.
"Last stand?" Utsuho questioned before she shook her head. "No, this was just them trying to slow us down to prepare themselves. Terrafirma cares about Human supremacy, but are willing to throw their lives away if it means they win. There are likely many more of them inside this place, dozens if not upwards of a hundred."
Saren looked at Utsuho as she shrugged and began walking toward the door, smashing it to bits with her control rod.
"Are you coming or am I finishing this myself?"
Saren felt rage and anger grow within him but controlled it. By the end of the mission he was going to make the Alliance regret sending anyone, especially this one!
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"So, how did it go?" Kylyra Atana asked Saren as he sat in his small corvette that was currently sitting in orbit around the planet Yatoo.
Saren let out a slight growl. "I would like to say it went perfectly and that the Alliance will feel this insult for months, but in truth the mission was completed in neither our or their favour. Their operative, while strangely forward in tactics, used their knowledge of the terrorists to her advantage. Almost every door in the facility was destroyed, but the facility itself is in good repair and should be fully operational again within a week." Saren admitted, clearly angry.
"I'm surprised you didn't break things just to blame it on them," Kylyra stated with a soft smile, clearly amused by Saren's anger.
"I considered it, but there was too much that could go wrong in that facility if things were damaged. How goes the plan?"Saren asked, changing the subject.
"It goes about as we expected. We're getting enough allies for now, mostly Batarian military or government survivors, pirates and the like, but it will still be a while until we can strike. More than just infantry, we need ships and weapons systems, and even if we all have vast sums of credits to access from being Spectre's, it will still take time. Cruisers are not cheap."
"Cruisers will not save us when the Alliance tries to fight back," Saren countered, making Kylyra sigh.
"True, but we all agreed that there was no other option. We can acquire cruisers without too much problem, getting battleships however attracts too much attention, both from the Councils, economists, and from the Terminus. Besides, the only way we would get battleships is by having them built, or by scavenging old wrecks."
"Old wrecks cannot be considered an option, repairing and rearming them would take too long!" Saren pressed.
"Witch is why we're gathering cruisers. We've been over this," Kylyra said with a sigh through the hologram. "Are you returning to the Citadel, or going off on another mission of your own?"
"I-," Saren stopped as suddenly his omnitool began beeping from a message. It was strange; when he tried to look at the sender it said it was an unknown ID. Something impossible with his Omni tools capabilities. "I have something to look into, I'll keep everyone posted as necessary."
"Very well, we'll speak later," Kylyra said as the comms closed, leaving Saren in the quiet of his corvettes bridge.
He immediately scanned the message he received for anything extra, then opened it when nothing out of the ordinary was found.
Meet at this location.
I have the tools you require for your revenge.
a friend.
Saren looked at the message with interest. The coordinate that came with the message pointed to an area on the edge of the Perseus veil, on the edge of Geth territory. They hadn't been seen outside the veil since they pushed the Quarians from Rannoch, but why would anyone wish to meet in such a dangerous place?
Still, perhaps it was worth looking into. Anyone who could force an ID-less message to his personal omnitool had to have funds and skill with technology after all. And Ragnaok could always use more of both!
Codex
Konpeitou – A slightly hard starburst shaped candy from Japan. Very sweet and crunchy and comes in a multitude of colors that are not flavour specific to color.
Terrafirma – A terrorist organization that sprang up in the wake of the Alliance creation. Believing that magic is a curse, and that only Humans matter, they will use anything they have access to including bio weapons, cybernetics, and anything else to fight as long as it is not magic. They are fanatical in the belief that only human's matter and that all other races are nothing but cattle to serve humanity. They will work with other alien races, but care nothing for them.
Theme Songs – Despite many operatives disliking it, most operative identities are public knowledge and many take part in events around Alliance space. This has led many musicians, artist and the like to make art and entertainment, including figures, centred around operatives themselves. Many make music based upon operatives, their abilities and/or actions. Some operatives often choose music made by people as their theme song, and use it either as background music to annoy people, to announce their presence, or simply because they like listening to it in their spare time. Not all operatives do this however, and it should not be assume that all do.