June 13th, 2155 – Hoc System - Virmire

Virmire was a tropical world. Wet, filled with vegetation, and prone to sudden storms that ranged from light rains to torrential downpours as well as typhoons and lightning so powerful it could shred steel and pop barriers in a single hit. Such a powerful storm was normally on the uncommon side, yet now one had arrived with barely any warning

Heavy rain, lightning, and lashing winds wracked the jungles and some of those defending the bases figured it would slow the Alliance forces.

Others, such as the Batarian mercenary, Orav, knew better.

A survivor of the Alliances horrendous attack upon Karshan itself, Orav knew what the monsters were capable of. He had seen millennia of culture ruined and destroyed, and thousands of his kin brutally slaughtered for doing what their existence made their right.

"Get up, you layabouts! This weather will not impede the Alliance! Check your weapons, arm the auto turrets and prep everything! I will not have us being caught unaware!" Orav yelled as he came out of the outpost he had been put in charge of to help train their burgeoning army.

His outpost existed to train their army in a variety of assault and denial tactics. The walls of the outpost building was too thick to simply breach, and the outpost had a number of turrets as well as a good number of mostly workable Batarian IFV's known as Ignac's. They were named after a cone by the same name from Karshan that after the war with the Alliance was now endanger. A spiky cone that was hard to crack, but when broken open was filled with a pleasantly spicy powder that was often used in cooking. Similarly, the Ignac IFV was covered in raised spikes and grooves that both helped deflect fire and boarding, and was equipped with a pair of potent weapon systems. One was a trio of linked auto cannons based loosely off of the widow anti material rifle, and the other was a large flamethrower, the bigger cousin of the one that mercenaries often gave Vorcha to charge lines with. Anything they saw at range would be obliterated, and on the off chance anything got closer, the flamethrower would make short work of it. At least that was the plan, and Orav knew how easily plans could be undone when the Alliance was concerned.

"Sir, everyone is ready, but I fail to see why we need to be ready. No army would willingly fight in such weather," one of Orav's men came and said to him with a loose tilt of his head.

"Fool. The Alliance will. They will not let the weather stop them," Orav said as he glanced at the report to his side, of how quickly the first and most outer outposts had been so easily felled.

"How could they. These jungles are wet already, with this rain the ground will become a swamp. And rivers are already starting to flood. There is no way they could attack us in this weather, and even if they do we will-,"

"They will attack, and when they do, you will follow my orders to the letter if you want there to be any hope of your survival, is that clear!?" Orav yelled as he glowered at his subordinate, and his arrogance.

"O-of course, sir. But why are you so sure they would attack us in weather like this?"

"Because unlike some of you, I have learned from history," Orav stated. "If you look at Alliance history, even just human history before the Alliance was formed; they are a race that has warred against themselves for generations, just like how the Turians and our own people did. Unlike our people however, the humans did not care if nature impeded them. They would march through weather that would cripple their own people just so they could fight them sooner. If you survive this, look up their historic data in the area called World War Two, specifically what they called the eastern front and a city called Stalingrad. It is enlightening."

"But isn't that ancient history?" Orav's subordinate asked, knowing that the last time their own people or the Turians had wars against themselves had been almost a thousand years ago.

"Not for the humans. This was barely two hundred years ago by their calendar," Orav stated, causing his subordinates face to look at him in shock. "Also, do not forget I have seen what happened on Karshan. So get to your post before-."

Orav was cut off by the sound of a crash unlike any he expected to hear. It was not like that of a weapon firing, or of a machine crushing the ground beneath it. He ran to the window of the outpost and looked out of it, rain still coating the window and making it difficult to make anything out. The crashing sound came again, closer this time, and then much to his surprise it echoed out as it looked like the very trees of the jungle were being bent aside, some snapping sideways, while others seem to come apart in ropes of vines and sap that then wrapped around each other as if creating walls to the sides of the twin rivers that flanked the outpost.

"They are coming! All forces prepare for combat! Fire incendiaries into the jungle at will! Follow with accelerator fire and rockets. Do not let up until the jungle is a barren burning heap of ash!" Orav cried, causing his troops to do as ordered. Bare second later as their fire began mulching the tree line, Volleys of fire, both laser and glowing magical bolts, began zipping out toward them. "Alright alliance, let's see what you can do against someone who knows your tricks!"

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Ashley Williams was not a happy half-youkai, and it was not because she was being shot at, that was normal after all. No, Ashley Williams was not happy because she had failed and had not yet had a chance to redeem herself.

Being the daughter of the famed, and much feared, Yuuka Kazami, there were certain expectations that various people had for her. Most of these were things she ignored as it was what people thought she should act like or how she should fight. A few of these expectations, such as those of her commanding officers, her fellow soldiers who she fought with, and her mothers, these were expectation that she strove to meet and exceed.

It was expected she follow orders as a soldier, and she did.

It was expected that she fight alongside her allies to the best of her ability, and in the past she believed that she had been.

It was expected that she fight against her enemies and never harm her allies. That she had failed. Miserably.

And it was expected that she know the proper time to use her innate abilities, and when to use her gun. Yet another thing she had failed at.

Thinking she could become known by her own skill, she resisted her own abilities and used them little, not wanting to be compared to her mother, whose abilities she could never surpass. Others had often asked her about it and her response had often been that she did not need her innate abilities to be strong, and she thought she had proved it often enough to make it a fact. The real fact however, was that if she had been polishing her innate skills, working to actual control them and embrace them instead of repress them, then she likely would not have been so physically or mentally weak to have her body and mind infiltrated and controlled by an alien fungus of all things!

With how common it was known for Youkai to manipulate, and how well known mind alteration magic could be, as well as the well-known resistance half-Youkai were supposed to have it was extremely embarrassing to have been controlled by an alien as she had.

Yet the embarrassment was nothing to how much it hurt her. Even if she was being controlled, she had failed and hurt those who were supposed to be her allies, who were supposed to be her brothers in arms.

That had been her first realization when she had finally awoken in the Normandy's medical bay with Doctor Chakwas. The second thing she did was insist on knowing what situation they were in to be caught up. The third was letting Chakwas look her over for her own health before storming out of the ship and joining the combat and ignoring that the weather was utterly and completely terrible.

Weather did not matter to her as it did to some others who were moving slightly slower due to it. The only thing that mattered was fighting, fighting and proving herself. Fighting to get rid of the hurt that filled her due to her failures.

"The outpost is ahead, but this rain is making it difficult, if we stay near the river it will be worse, so we'll move through the forest," someone in the group that she had caught up to said loud enough for those around to hear over the rain and distant sounds of combat.

"Then we need to hurry, we cannot give those bastard a chance to dig in more than they already have!"

"Agreed, everyone who can manipulate the environment do so, we're rushing in!"

Ashley grinned at the words. This as a good chance to fix her failings and she wasn't about to lose it. Noting a couple others who were letting their magic flow into the tree's she let her own ability out of its constraints. Almost immediately the entire forest began to shake and vibrate. Vines slithering up off the floor of the jungle and up tree trunks. Poisonous plants pulling to the sides out of the way as whole trees began to lean to the sides, providing perfect avenues of attack.

Unfortunately, these avenues seemed to work both ways as a sudden wall of accelerator fire, incendiary grenades, rockets and even cannon fire began pouring into the forest. The rain was still present and heavy, but as accelerator fire tore open tree trunks the incendiaries gained footholds faster than they would normally have in the rain. Fires began spreading almost instantly, and while the damp wood and waterlogged vines slowed it, the amount of incendiaries being fired into the forest made the moisture a moot point.

"Move forward! Tear through them! They think they have us pinned, so show them otherwise!" Someone yelled as the rain around them was manipulated into a large torrent that crashed into the bulk of the fires, dousing them in an instant.

Ashley threw herself forward and rushed through the trees, dodging cannon fire and almost being struck by a small rocket that ended up blowing apart a tree. She was one of the first to break free of the tree line and see their target.

The outpost was large and squat, sitting with its back to a thin river that was now flooding its banks and making the grassy ground into a soft mess. The outpost was covered in barricades that were manned, and a number of IFV's were around it, guns trained on the forest. All of which turned their guns upon her and fired.

Being a half-Youkai, Ashley had a much quicker response time when compared to a normal human. Her body could also follow through on her response times due to the same fact. The problem was that as a plant half-Youkai, speed was not her forte. And to dodge something, you have to know where it is.

The IFV's guns were easy to dodge by just slipping to the side as they fired, and rockets were not as hard to dodge either, but with how many incendiary grenades and the mass quantity of accelerator rounds flying, Ashley could feel herself getting hit and skimmed. And then found an incendiary grenade a bare foot from her head.

Then it exploded in a ball of hateful flames.

Ashley winced, expecting pain, but when none came she opened her eyes and found none other than Kaiden Alenko crouched in front of her, a magical barrier in front of him blocking hundreds of thousands of accelerator rounds in addition to a wall of licking flames.

"Does the concept of dodging not occur to you?" Kaiden asked, his tone jovial, but his expression annoyed.

"It was a grenade, you can't-,"

"Oh, don't give me that shit. I've done it, everyone has done it. If you can see it you can dodge it. And you should be faster than I am!"

"But, with that volume of-,"

"Enough!" Kaiden yelled before looking up to a Youkai who walked over. "Deal with the outpost or hold it back please."

"No problem," The Youkai responded as he stepped in front of Kaiden, forming his own barrier in front of kaidens.

"Thanks," Kaiden said, before very suddenly throwing Ashley backwards into the jungle, and specifically into a very wet bush that had somehow managed to not get flambéed. "Ashley, what in the gods names are you doing? I did not work so hard to save your ass, to have you get yourself perforated!"

"Then maybe you should have just let me considering how badly I had failed!" Ashley responded angrily.

To her surprise, Kaiden did not lash out or yell back, but simply scowled at her. "Really? Is that what this is about? You rush out of the ship and straight into combat, because you think you failed? And what, now you need redemption or something stupid like that?"

"I failed! I let myself get controlled and hurt everyone! I have to fix it and-,"

"And just how is running into enemy fire without thinking going to do that, huh?" Kaiden asked as he flicked a hand up, creating a magic barrier and blocking a stray accelerator cannon round. The explosion making their ears ring for a few seconds. "It was an alien we did not understand that controlled you. You are not at fault!"

"Of course I am! I should have been better than that!"

"Why? Because your mother would not have fallen for such a thing?" Kaiden asked causing Ashley to falter at how accurate he had guessed. Seeing how she faltered Kaiden continued pushing. "You once said you didn't want to be compared to your mother, and that was why you used a gun, so why are you out here without one? All you are doing is putting yourself and others in danger needlessly!"

"That, is that your vaunted mages knowledge or-,"

Ashley was stopped as Kaiden threw a hand up and silenced Ashley with a spell, her body going limp as she was knocked unconscious. "Hey, I have to head back it seems. Sorry." Kaiden called to the mage that had shielded him, who was still nearby.

"Hey man it's no trouble," the mage said as they conjured a ball of lightning and let it fly out of the forest. "I heard that Lady Sagyouji was heading to this area in the next bit, so if we don't take that point, she will. Not like those idiots could hurt her after all!"

"Fair. I'm heading back then," Kaiden says as he threw Ashley over his shoulder. "Need to bring this one back to have a long talk with."

"It happens. Don't be too hard on her. Half-Youkai have it hard, trust me, I know!"

"We'll see what Adaaya or Desolas think, I suppose," Kaiden muttered as he began heading back, annoyed that he was having to when the fight was just truly beginning on this front.

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Orav allowed himself to smile as the situation continued to develop in his favor. The Alliance seemed to be caught off guard by his use of incendiaries and accelerator fire combined. They were being held back and, while he could not tell how many were being killed or wounded, he figured it was far less than those under his command were making it sound like. The alliance were like insects, tough for their size and annoying pesky. Luckily all he needed to do was to make them fall back.

If his outpost held them back their attack would slow, and if he held them back just till the storm overhead ended, he could call in all of their air forces. Almost seven dozen gunships, all equipped with heavy accelerator cannons like those on IFV's, as well as missile pods and heavy armor. Some would be shot down he was sure, but their attack would likely make short work of the Alliance forces.

Watching a sphere of electricity float forward out of the tree's and collide with one of the IFV's made his smile lessen a bit. "Status on the IFV?" He ordered through his comms.

"We,.. are fine sir," A rough and pained voice came through the comms as the IFV's main gun turned and began firing again. Albeit a bit slower. "I take back my earlier comment about jury rigging those surge protectors into the systems. That probably would have blown us apart otherwise. We'll need to repair our electrical within the next few hours if we intend to keep fighting though, sir."

"Can you do the repairs while firing?" Orav asked hopefully.

"No, sir. We can do some of them, but to repair the gun back to full functionality will require switching it off to let its systems cool while we repair the parts that are damaged. We'll also need a new capacitor for it, so our firing rate is less than half now."

"I see. How much damage to your systems?"

"Armor and the drive train are fine, but our electrical system is barely holding together. I'd say we're at about forty one percent combat ability right now."

"I see. Time to repair?"

"Between a half hour and three hours. We are still not sure how much of the electrical was damaged by that surge."

"Understood. Pull your IF around to the outposts rear and start repairs, then," Orav ordered as he switched his line to all the IFV's. "IFV's, unit seven is pulling back to repair, close the gap and keep up the firing pressure if at all possible. All infantry units, keep up the firing pressure while the IFV's move.

His forces began following his orders nearly instantly. As long as the Alliance had no immediate way to break past him he would be fine. All he needed was-

"Sir, there's something odd floating out of the forest!" one of his men called from a window they were using as a sniping post.

Orav stepped up to the window, triple paned and covered in a kinetic barrier, and looked out. The light blue glow of accelerator fire was constant in thin streaks, but just as he had been told a number of odd glowing shapes were floating out of the forest. No, they were not floating, but flapping. They were shaped like large insects of some kind, blowing blue and pink primarily. They flitted and bobbed through the air, accelerator rounds passing through them harmlessly as if they were a trick of the light, getting closer and closer.

The amount of magic and lasers coming out of the forest was lessened now, and as soon as the first of the glowing bugs reached his lines he found out why. One glowing bug flitted through one of his men, and he just fell to the ground limply.

Orav immediately checked his scanners and all of his eyes went wide when he found that soldier's vital signs were nonexistent. "Do not let those things touch you! It is some form of magic that kills!" Orav called out, a second too late.

Then all hell broke loose as every glowing bug exploded into glowing flower petals that shot out in every direction like grenades, cutting and burning anything the touched. The IFV's were scarred and one exploded, while a number of the infantry on his walls were eviscerated or simply cut into pieces of misty pulp.

weapons fire from the forest intensified, and his forces began firing back blindly, no longer a controlled suppression, but fear prompting them to simply hold the triggers of their weapons down.

"Do not fire at random, focus on where the enemy fire is coming from!" Orav yelled in to his comms, only to get panicked responses in return. He looked out the window again and scowled as he could see Alliance forces charging out, firing lasers and magic as they went.

Then a single person, a human woman by looks, stepped out of the forest. Her hair was a strange shade, and her clothing looked ill-suited for combat. But as she walked a swarm of the glowing bugs surrounded her, and with a wave of a fan in one hand, hundreds were summoned and fired off in a cone towards the outpost

Orav turned and stepped away from the window, ignoring the sound of magical explosions and his screaming troops. "Turn on every single one of the outposts auto turrets and set their controls to my omni tool. Then lockdown every system and doorway once I leave," Orav ordered the lone technician in the outposts interior.

"But, sir, what for? Wouldn't the turrets work better if-."

"I will target the turrets manually for max efficiency. Also set the generators controls to my omni tool as well. I may need to override the safeties in short bursts to achieve the results we will need," Orav stated, stopping the tech from finishing.

"Y-yes, sir. . . . . . Done, it will take a minute to take effect."

"Good. I'm going out to lead the troops, put the outpost on lockdown once I leave," Orav said again as he walked out of the outposts command room. Then as soon as the door closed and locked behind him, he went down the ramp to the rear where the one IFV was still being repaired by its crew of four. "The situation has gotten worse, all guns are needed up front!" Orav barked to them as he walked over to a small armory locker and opened it, pulling out what looked like a large rocket launcher.

"Sir, we are almost finished repairing the main gun. If we just have a few more minutes-.."

"We don't have a few more minutes," Orav stated darkly. "We need every gun at the front or we will be overrun. A few guns could make or break this. So get out front. The IFV will still be here when we push the Alliance back!" He finished as he tossed the rocket launcher at the IFV's commander.

"Yes sir. Come on, let kill some Alliance monsters!" The UIFV commander yelled as he led his crew out to the front of the outpost.

Orav grinned as he pulled an infiltrator module out of the locker and attached it to his armor before walking over to the IFV and climbing into its driver seat. With a few taps the engine came to life, and while the machines engine was not even close to fully operational, it was enough to allow him to leave the area.

"I was told to hold this post as long as the outpost was here. Luckily, if it explodes and takes the Alliance with it, I can still report on what I have seen," Orav muttered to himself as he began driving away from the outpost, using the IFV to cross the overflowing river and head down the path to the next outpost back.

And as soon as he was out of reach, he used his omni tool to override the outpost's generators safeties and set it to go critical, while activating the self-destruct sequence at the same time. While turning off its alert.

The sound of an explosion ripped through the forest a few seconds later from behind him, jostling the IFV and shaking the very tree's around him.

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"We have problems sir," Argok said as soon as Saren entered the command room of his base.

"I have read the reports, Argok. I know the situation is problematic. The Alliance is pushing our outposts faster than I believe either of us anticipated with this weather."

"Yea, but I just got two reports a few moments ago that may be of particular interest," Argok said as he leaned on the holographic map of the base and holdings. "One of my lieutenants by the name of Orav had to abandon his base and destroyed it, taking out some Alliance forces. It has slowed that front, but he reported a woman whose description struck me as strange. So I took the liberty of looking into it. It matched the description of an Alliance operative by the name of Yuyuko Saigyouji. The information Council space was given on her is, troubling, as it claims she is already dead. A ghost."

"The Alliance says a lot of things," Saren said with a sigh, "what was the other thing?"

"Our forces reported a Quarian in a mechanized battle suit on one front, as well as a Turian whom was providing covering fire and counter sniping our forces." Argok said as he brought up an image. "They were recognized as a council investigator, Garrus Vakerian."

Saren felt anger and disgust well up within him. If Garrus Vakerian was here, then his ex-brother likely was as well. But how? Only the one ship had landed on the planet? "They must have ditched their ship, or have it docked in the other," Saren muttered as an idea crept into his head, making him walk over to one of the technicians. "Can you track the location of omni tools upon this planet?"

The technician slowly nodded.

"Do it. Show me all of the locations on the Holomap," Saren ordered as he walked back over to the map with Argok. A second later hundreds of small blips appeared. "Alright, remove all those that are in our system as those who are our allies."

The map changed, but then showed only a single blip, far back at where the Alliance ship had touched down.

"That can't be right, the report claiming the investigator was here came barely a half hour ago. There is no way he could retreat that far back in that short of time."

"No, but that tells us something else important. Investigators turn off their Omni tools, completely, when in combat zones if working alone. The Alliance doesn't use omni tool's, so he would have no reason to use it," Saren said as he looked over to the technician. "Can you get a direct messaging connection to that Omnitool? Text only, of course."

"Yes sir. What do you want sent?" The technician replied.

Saren smiled.

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Greetings Doctor T'soni, I am the Spectre Saren Arterius. I know you have been imprisoned by the Alliance. I would like to offer you both a way out, and a way to stop the Alliance from desecrating more galactic history than they already have! If you are interested, then reply.

Liara T'soni stared at the message that had suddenly appeared on her Omni tool in a daze. She had no connection to the extranet, no way to contact anyone, and had been essentially locked inside her room.

Technically she could leave, but she had been ordered by the Spectre Nihlus to not leave the Normandy due to the ship it was docked in being dangerous for her. Of course, any time she left her room anyone she encountered in the shop promptly told her that if she had nothing to do to return to her room.

And of course, the worst part was the fact that she was forced to wear the disgusting bracelet that stopped her from using her own biotics. Biotics were the natural right of all Asari, to deny them was such an insult to her basic rights it infuriated her. But what could she do against a spectre? Nothing. So here she had sat in a small and simple room, being force to be content to fiddle with data on her Omnitool.

And then the message had just abruptly appeared in front of her. No notice she had a message, no signal icon, no accept call message. It just, appeared.

It was worrying and surprising, but when Liara remembered how suffocating just being in the Normandy was, and how little the Alliance cared about ancient Prothean relics, and how much they already had destroyed, Liara found her fingers touching the keys on her screen naturally.

What can I do to help?

For a few minutes nothing happened, and then another message finally appeared.

I know you are no soldier, Doctor, so I will not ask you to attempt sabotage or anything else like that. I am searching for an ancient Prothean artifact that will protect Council space from the Alliance and it's ways. I could use your assistance in finding it. If you are willing? came the next message.

Liara responded immediately.

Yes, please. The alliance knows nothing of the Protheans, they are ignorant to everything about them, yet willingly destroy Prothean relics and ruins. I will help you however I can. Or I would if I could, but I am stuck on their ship and have been told not to leave.

I am sending you a map of the terrain of this area. If you can leave the ship you are on and make your way to the position I have marked, I will have some of my men meet you there for exfiltration. Can you do that? said the next message.

Liara looked over the message and the attached picture image. It was an overhead topographical image of the environment showing a planned exit location, as well as four different possible routes to it.

Yes, I will be there. I promise!

Good. I look forward to meeting you in person, Doctor.

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Codex-

Half-Youkai – Half-Youkai are the result of a human and a Youkai having a child together, or of the mother who was human becoming a Youkai while pregnant in some rare cases. Half-Youkai live longer than humans, have enhanced immune systems and willpower, and often gain random abilities that are sometimes related to those of their Youkai parent. While their bodies are stronger beyond most normal humans, they are not normally on par with Youkai with similar powers, though many have a naturally proclivity to learning magic that a human may not naturally have.

It is unknown at this time if Half Youkai have a natural end to their lifespan as humans do, or if they are more similar to some Youkai that can live eternally as long as in good health.

The mental health of Half-youkai however, is something that the alliance has found difficulty with dealing with in recent years due to the surge in their numbers and the vast variance in their issues.

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Bio - Yuyuko

Name : Yuyuko Saigyouji

Race: Ghost

Gender: Female

Age: unknown , Dead for over 1000 years

Power rank: S

Class:1

Class specifics: Highly capable of working around others, as san control their abilities to such a high degree that friendly fire is not an issue. Sometimes is known to be far to calm and friendly on the field however.

Powers: Manipulation of death. Control of the souls of departed and recently deceased.

Capabilities/skills: high intellect. Good at low level manipulation and command. Understands fear. High amount of cunning and ability with misdirection

Bio: the ghost Princess of Hakugyokorou, Yuyuko is known to be many things and few have one set opinion on her. Living as a seal to the great Demon tree many fear her, yet she never uses her power to invite people to death without a reason, or without serious thought. Yet she at other times, as in the past, seems oblivious to the obvious around her, and seems to miss the point that people are trying to get across.

One of the alliances most elusive operatives, not because she will not be seen, but because it is impossible to get answers out of her, those from Gensokyo before the fall have said she has changed little to how she always had been.

Being already dead and being able to control death, she is considered one of the most powerful Operatives in the alliance, but is rarely on missions due to her apparent ditzy and airheaded nature.