MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. IF ANYONE ASKS, I'M BUILDING A TIME CAPSULE. I'M REALLY MAKING A DREADNOUGHT-SIZED CANNON, BUT NOW I HAVE AN ALIBI.

Now, I think Alanna needs to get off the poison-planet, before General Shay goes into yet another religious fervor.

Mass Effect: Legacy

X

Alanna practically collapsed on the infirmary bed aboard the Sicily. Despite painkillers and medi-gel, her headache was only getting worse, and she had even blacked out twice on the way to the ship. She had managed to formally transfer command to Haley, and then allowed EDI to run every test she could think of to see if she was all right.

It turned out that she wasn't.

"Your mental engrams have been altered," EDI announced, as medical drones hovered around Alanna's head. "Not drastically, and only in the areas surrounding language comprehension. It appears that your brain has been partially rewired to accommodate for the Outsider method of communication."

"Next time I want to learn a new language, I'll just pay for an extranet course," Alanna groaned. "How much longer before it stops feeling like I got shot in the head?"

"Your brain underwent significant trauma," EDI said. "At this rate, you will be fit for duty in no less than seven days."

"Well, shit." Alanna cracked open one eye. "Does my mom know?"

"I have submitted the AAR on your behalf to Director Lawson… which means that Liara has that same report on her desk by now."

Alanna bit back a curse. "Okay, if she suddenly shows up, can you knock me out so I don't have to listen to her fretting."

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Alanna." Even with her holographic avatar, EDI seemed to be smirking. "I've learned never to stop Liara when she sets her mind to something."

"Yeah, I figured; had to try, though." Alanna tried to get more comfortable, and only succeeded in making her head hurt more. "Hey, what happened with the artifact we picked up?"

"It is currently in storage. After what happened to you, it was deemed too dangerous to be easily accessed."

"Good idea." Alanna closed her eyes. "I'm going to try and get some sleep. Let me know if anything happens."

"Of course. Rest, Alanna; we will take care of everything."

…

Miranda was one of the few people brave enough to call out the head of state and expect to keep her career afterwards. Considering the information she had access to, legal or otherwise, it was more likely that whoever she was criticizing would be the one losing their job.

Fortunately, Prime Minister Waybrook hadn't done anything deserving of such a fate today.

"Prime Minister, I highly advise against openly providing any aid to the Asari Republics," Miranda said severely. "As much as I would like to see Tevos crash and burn, getting involved in this conflict will only weaken the Alliance when we engage the Outsiders."

"I'm not suggesting we send in the troops," Waybrook replied. "But Tevos has the most experienced and equipped part of the Asari military backing her. If they turn that kind of power against the Alliance, it will not be a pretty fight. It would be better if the Asari were more focused on each other than us, and that will only last if they are evenly matched. We can make that happen by providing Aethyta and her people with weapons and supplies."

"That will only do so much," Miranda said. "In fact, if Tevos sees the Republics' soldiers armed with Alliance weapons, she'll spin it into an anti-Alliance rhetoric that will draw millions of Asari to her banner. I've already run the simulations for this scenario, Prime Minister; the odds of this happening are almost certain."

Waybrook pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "Then what are our options, Miranda?"

"We have many options, Prime Minister, but I can give you the best two." Miranda paused. "Unofficially, of course."

"Right, right, this conversation never happened." Waybrook tapped a button on her desk. "There, we're blacked out. What did you have in mind?"

"The first option is the most pragmatic—stay out of the coming conflict, while building up our arsenal with improved ships and weapons. We can say that it's for dealing with the Outsiders, and it will even be true, but we can secretly move stockpiles to the most likely targets the Asari might attack."

"You're assuming that either side might attack us, not just Tevos."

"The Asari have been wary of humans since First Contact, and even more so of the entire Alliance leading up to, and since, the last war. Aethyta isn't as antagonistic as Tevos, but she's only one voice, and if enough Asari vote to go to war, she'll have no choice but to go along with it."

"True enough," Waybrook admitted. "What's the second option?"

Miranda hesitated, and that was all Waybrook needed to know that she wouldn't like what was coming next.

"We deploy Special Forces behind both sides' lines; they conduct false-flag operations that keep them focused on the opposing side. It's almost certain to trigger a war between them, but it will sufficiently weaken both sides for a long while."

Waybrook was right; she absolutely hated what Miranda was suggesting. However, once she pushed aside her initial disgust, the pragmatic part of her agreed with the suggestion. Among the Council races, the Asari were easily the biggest threat to the Alliance, and any way to weaken that threat was something to consider.

"There is another point to this," Miranda continued. "I believe that this is another way to draw the Outsiders into the open. After some calculations, it is likely that the Outsiders attacked the Turians on Atraxus because it seemed that they had been weakened when they left the Council. They attacked the Asari division and led them to the system as part of a plan to analyze and injure the Hierarchy on a small scale. Causing a civil war among the Asari would make an even more tempting target; the Outsiders will see this as a way to keep the Asari from aiding us if and when they come after the Alliance, but we will be using them to further cripple the Asari."

Waybrook was silent for a moment. "I can't sign off on this, Miranda. I'll go with your first option for now, but if it seems like either Asari faction starts to become hostile to the Alliance… do what you do best."

Miranda nodded; she was already calculating how best to covertly move the equipment to border worlds. It would take a few months to manufacture and transport everything, but it would still be done with time to spare.

And, if a few SpecForce soldiers—surgically modified to look like Asari, and with implants that mimicked Asari DNA to fool scanners—happened to be smuggled across the border, ready to destabilize both the Republics and the Athamean League, all the better.

…

After three days of observation, Alanna was allowed to leave the infirmary. She was still on medical leave, but after consulting with several of the best Alliance doctors, Alanna was not deemed any kind of threat after her exposure to the Outsider artifact. That was a weight off her chest, and she walked through the Sicily with confidence.

"Hey, cousin," Alanna said as she poked her head through Tetros' door. "Got time for a chat?"

Tetros looked up from his omni-tool and smiled. "Alanna, good to see you on your feet again. How's the head?"

Alanna tapped the side of her head. "All good now, but I'd rather take the worst hangover ever than go through that again."

"I'll take your word for it," Tetros said. "I do my best not to drink that much."

"Wow, you're no fun at all." Alanna winked, taking the sting out of her words. "Anyway, what are you up to?"

Tetros shrugged. "Just keeping up on current events in Hierarchy space. A friend told me about new line of weapon mods getting produced; if another war is brewing, it's easier to just improve the weapons we already have, rather than waste time and credits on prototypes that might not pan out."

"Good idea." Alanna grinned. "Any chance I could get a look at those new mods?"

Tetros laughed. "Eh, I might be able to get a few for myself, but if you happen to run a few scans, I won't say anything."

Alanna clapped his shoulder. "See, this is why you're my favorite cousin."

"I'd better be your favorite, or else I'd be really offended." Tetros blinked. "Oh, yeah, speaking of new toys for the squad, I forwarded the schematics for my sniper rifle to the ship's fabricators. Haley wanted to try out the Turian design, but I think it'll have to be modified to fit comfortably against a human shoulder."

"I'll talk to her about that," Alanna said. "Between us and Nok, we should have it figured out before our next mission. Maybe I'll be able to work out the kinks in my new shotgun while I'm at it."

"Ah, yes, that monster Krogan gun; because we need more people using a weapon the rest of the galaxy said is too dangerous to use."

Alanna sniffed. "Not my fault the rest of the galaxy is too scared to even pick up the thing."

"Yeah, it has nothing to do with the fact that nobody can safely use it without at least breaking an arm."

"That's beside the point." Alanna laughed. "Okay, I should go check in on the rest of the squad, but keep me in the loop about those mods."

"Will do, Alanna."

…

Korim was deep in the guts of one of the Sicily's shuttles when Alanna found him. She heard him before she saw him, swearing up a storm in a way very unlike the usually mild-mannered Quarian.

"Did that shuttle punch your mother or something?" Alanna asked. "Because I can't imagine another situation where you would call anyone that."

Korim pulled himself out of the shuttle, his upper body covered in hydraulic fluid and oil. "I don't know who maintained this shuttle last time, but I'm going to have words with them. The hydraulic lines weren't properly secured, and one of them is half-crushed."

Alanna raised an eyebrow. "How did someone miss that?"

"The newest model of shuttle also makes for a good gunship, but active combat missions tend to shake things loose." Korim shrugged. "Sometimes, there's such a thing as too much firepower."

"That is blasphemy, and I will not stand for it," Alanna deadpanned. "Seriously, though, how can we make this not be a problem?"

"Unfortunately, we can't completely lock it down, or else it gets in the way of other maintenance." Korim shrugged. "The best option would be to maintain it after every mission, combat or no."

"Yeah, we can't let this kind of thing slip through the cracks." Alanna made a note on her omni-tool. "You and I should go through the maintenance ourselves, just to be sure. I'll submit your recommendations to the Alliance Engineering Corps."

"Hey, maybe I'll get a medal for being a busybody," Korim joked. "Other than discussing overcomplicated machines, did you need me for something?"

"Nothing in particular," Alanna admitted. "Just wanted to see how you were doing since I was out."

"I'm fine," Korim said. "Keeping myself busy, and staying out of Nok's way when he's hungry."

"That's a smart idea." Alanna paused as something occurred to her. "Hey, Korim, what are your thoughts on the Outsiders?"

"In general? We just don't know enough. Their tech is way beyond what we have, and we don't even know what they look like. The only lead on their language literally carved itself into your brain, and would have killed anyone but an Asari. All we know for certain is that they have it out for anyone connected to your father, and we only have theories as to why." Korim took a breath. "So, yeah, I'm a little worried, because I like to know more about whatever is trying to kill me before I start fearing for my life."

"I think I got that," Alanna said dryly. "Why don't you calm down by finishing up that maintenance, okay? I'll see you later, Korim."

"Yeah, yeah." Korim looked down at himself. "Ugh, this is gonna take hours to clean…"

…

"Shepard-Lieutenant," Mantle greeted as Alanna walked into his quarters. "How may I assist you?"

Alanna waved him off. "Just checking in, seeing how everyone is doing after our last mission."

"I have some concerns regarding the Outsiders," Mantle said. "Specifically, the evolution of their technology."

Alanna frowned and sat down on one of the chairs in Mantle's room—it wasn't like he needed them. "You mean how they don't rely on Mass Effect technology?"

"Affirmative. We know now that all Mass Effect technology was intentionally spread by the Reapers to control the development of the races they would harvest. All records show that they were deliberate in this process, but the Outsiders are an anomaly."

Alanna thought about it. "Well, two theories come to mind. First, the Reapers just plain missed them in their early development, and if their tech was already superior, they wouldn't see a need to go backwards."

"That is logical."

"Good, because the other option kind of scares me." Alanna took a moment to collect her thoughts. "What if they were manipulated by the Reapers, and they came to harvest the Outsiders? But they ran away, and hid for thousands of years, and realized they couldn't win against the Reapers with Mass Effect tech, so they spent all that time going back to the drawing board, creating tech the Reapers had no defense against."

Mantle's cranial flaps fluttered; Geth body language was still largely a mystery, but Alanna suspected that he was scared of that possibility. The idea of an entire species rebuilding their entire technological development from the ground up was almost inconceivable. There had been no trace of Element Zero in the Outsider tech examined so far, something that was essential for all other races' modern technology.

"But the Reapers were defeated before the Outsiders could strike back," Mantle pointed out.

"Yeah, that's been bugging me too," Alanna said. "We know they've been active for at least a century—messing with Haestrom's sun, planting tech on Atraxus, and the assassinations. None of that has anything to do with the Reapers."

"Perhaps the first two examples did," Mantle argued. "The radiation on Haestrom was inflicting damage on the Reapers there, but not quickly. It may have been an experiment that failed. We do not know where the Outsiders went after Atraxus, and it is possible that they wanted to use the world as bait to throw the Reapers off their trail."

"Right, we got distracted by the fighting there," Alanna mused. "Looks like that worked on us just as well as the Reapers. Huh… maybe, because the Reapers aren't attacking the galaxy anymore, the Outsiders modified their plans to go after us."

"Shepard-Commander neutralized the Reapers. The Outsiders may see him, and those who assisted him, as the greater threat."

"That's bad," Alanna said, a little unnecessarily. "If the Outsiders' tech can bypass our defenses, we are in a lot of trouble."

"Our directive is clear," Mantle said, and Alanna envied his calm tone. "We must either adapt to counter the Outsiders, or destroy them before they destroy us."

"Let's hold off on genocide for the moment; there's a possibility we can still use diplomacy." Though, if she was being honest with herself, Alanna hated the Outsiders for killing so many of her extended family. A part of her didn't mind the idea of seeing the Outsiders wiped from existence.

"I have contacted the Geth Consensus," Mantle added. "They are working with scientists and engineers across the Alliance. They are drawing on all available resources to study Outsider technology."

"I guess that's reassuring," Alanna said. "It's nice to know we're not alone out here."

"I am Geth; I am an individual, but I am still connected to all Geth. I am never alone."

Alanna smiled. "That must be nice."

"It is… a comfort." Mantle tilted his head. "One I pity organics for never having."

…

"Good to see you up again," Nok said as Alanna entered the armory. "If you were a Krogan, you'd have been fixed up after just one day."

"Except that the Outsider relic would have killed me if I was a Krogan, or any other race," Alanna pointed out.

"Okay, yeah, but if you hadn't died, and you were a Krogan, you'd be perfectly fine by now."

Alanna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. So, big guy, anything new I should know about?"

"Not really, but I did get a message from General Grunt." Nok grinned proudly. "I was officially entered in my people's history as the first Krogan to fight and kill an Outsider soldier."

"All we've fought so far have been mechs," Alanna protested.

"Doesn't matter; if the Outsiders are too weak to fight on their own, if they have to use robots, then that's all that's worth killing." Nok was smug. "Besides, I've already received five offers for breeding rights, and I'm not giving that up."

That took Alanna by surprise. "That's still a thing? I thought Krogan didn't need to do that after the genophage was cured."

Nok shrugged. "We've gotta keep a balance with our population. We learned that the hard way during the Krogan Rebellions. There was a short population boom after the Reaper War, but Overlord Wrex got that under control after a couple of years. Most Krogan males will only ever get breeding rights with a single female, unless we do something so impressive that our bloodline have to be spread out as much as possible."

"And an example would be being the first member of your race to kill an unknown alien," Alanna cut in.

"An unknown alien that's a threat," Nok corrected, and grinned again. "I've either killed or helped kill every kind of Outsider robot we've seen so far. The only reason I'm not back on Tuchanka right now to fight off females with a stick is because I'm positive my legend is only gonna get bigger before this is done."

Alanna laughed. "Hey, by all means, stick around; when you've got a bunch of kids, I plan on telling them all the embarrassing stuff I learn about you."

"Ha! You can try, but you won't find anything."

"You sure about that?" Alanna brought up her omni-tool and pulled up a picture. "I took that the day we boarded the Sicily."

Nok's eyes narrowed, then went wide as he saw a picture of himself, walking out of the bathroom with a strand of toilet paper stuck to his foot.

"You wouldn't dare."

Alanna shrugged. "Or I could tell them that you sleep with a varren plushie."

"I do not!"

"I might not have proof that you do, but you don't have proof that you don't."

Nok groaned. "I think I need to kill a whole lot more Outsiders; otherwise, you're gonna completely destroy my rep."

Alanna patted his arm. "Hey, whatever motivates you, big guy."

…

"Haley, you busy?" Alanna poked her head into Haley's quarters. "Oh, you are. Never mind, I can come back later."

Haley looked up from her personal computer terminal; it didn't go unnoticed that she shut it down rather quickly. "What? Oh, no, I'm not doing anything serious. Did you need anything?"

Alanna smiled. "Just dropping by to chat. How've you been?"

"Me? I'm fine, I'm not the one who had her brain scrambled. How are you doing?"

"Well, the headaches are gone, so that's a plus, and I'm not gonna get discharged so that a bunch of scientists can poke my brain." Alanna gestured to the spare chair. "Can I sit?"

"Oh, uh, sure." Once Alanna was seated, Haley tentatively reached out and took her hand. "So, you're okay?"

"I'm okay," Alanna assured her.

"Good, because…" Haley swallowed nervously. "God, you were bleeding everywhere. I thought you were dying for a minute."

"Hey, you're not getting rid of me that easily; we still need to have a conversation." Alanna grimaced. "Actually, since we're here…"

"Yeah. Yeah, okay, we really need to talk about this." Haley took a deep breath. "All right, let's get right to the point. We both have feelings for each other."

"Yes."

"You're also the commanding officer of this mission, and I'm your XO."

"Yep."

"According to EDI, there are ways we could make something happen, despite that."

"Yeah… and EDI mentioned that to you, too?"

"Uh-huh. So… what do we do?"

Alanna stared at her for a moment. "You want to get some coffee?"

Haley blinked. "What, just like that?"

"It's coffee, I'm not proposing marriage." Alanna grinned. "I'd like to have at least a few dates before that point."

Haley spluttered. "Uh, yeah, sure. So, coffee? Won't people talk if they see us?"

"What people? There's fifteen crew members, including the rest of the squad, and this is an Intelligence-sanctioned mission. What happens on the ship stays on the ship." Alanna thought about it. "Still, we could go to my quarters, maybe get some work done."

"A work date?"

"I don't exactly have much experience with this," Alanna admitted. "I'm barely past the age most Asari start feeling this way."

"Right, kinda forgot about that." Haley frowned. "Does this mean I'm dating a teenager?"

"By Asari standards, I'm like a twenty-year-old." Alanna pointed at her. "Besides, I'm more than three times your age."

"Ah, so I'm dating a cougar."

"I—you… what!?"

Haley grinned. "Ha! The look on your face!"

Alanna glared at her. "I am so going to get you back for that."

"I look forward to it." Haley hesitated, then leaned forward and kissed Alanna on the cheek. "I'll get that coffee. See you in your room in a few minutes?"

"Sure thing." Alanna waited until Haley left, and then fist-pumped. "Yes!"

…

"You do remember that I have a dozen ways to kill you at any given time?"

Miranda raised a perfectly-manicured eyebrow, but didn't look away from the report on her desk. "I seem to recall only eleven ways. I must be getting forgetful in my old age."

"Don't pretend to be senile, Miranda, it doesn't suit you," Liara snapped.

"I suppose I don't look the part." Miranda sighed. "Why are you threatening me today? I must have done something to make you angry if you're more than vaguely ominous."

"You must think I'm an idiot if you thought I wouldn't say anything about your 'special operation' in Asari space." The hologram projector in Miranda's office was the bleeding edge in such technology, so Liara actually looked like she was there, ready to shoot her in the head. "Where do you get off planning wars among my people?"

"It was always a potential plan; that's what the General Staff is for, Liara." Miranda finally glanced her way. "And it became more than a hypothetical scenario when Tevos tried to turn her entire race against the Alliance. United, the Asari represent one of the biggest threats to Alliance security since the First Contact War. However, if the Asari are split between warring factions…"

"There are at least twenty ways the Alliance could benefit from such a conflict," Liara admitted.

"Twenty-seven, but you get my point." Miranda sighed, and actually looked remorseful. "Liara, I don't enjoy this, but my duty is to identify threats to the Alliance, and use any and all methods to counter them, no matter how distasteful."

Liara lashed out with one fist; she hit something the camera didn't see, but Miranda heard the impact, as well as the crack of a hand fracturing.

"Are you all right?"

"It's fine, nothing some medi-gel won't fix." Liara blinked away tears of frustration. "You're tearing down everything John died to bring about."

Miranda barely hid how much that really hurt. "I'm being given a choice: either do nothing, and potentially doom the Alliance, which Commander Shepard devoted his life to protect, or do something cruel to save billions of Alliance lives."

"At the cost of my people?"

"I thought you had washed your hands of them."

"The half Aethyta leads are the more progressive! They could be our allies! There's no need to attack them before they've done anything."

Miranda scoffed. "You seem to be forgetting that a good number of the military on Aethyta's side fought against us in the war. My sources are almost as good as yours—some of my sources are your sources—and they all say the same thing: that the Asari are terrified of what the Alliance could become."

"And if you go through with your plan, you'll prove them right." Liara's tone turned pleading. "Please, Miranda; don't destroy my people before they have a chance to change for the better."

"That's up to the Asari." Still, Miranda sighed. "Speak to Aethyta; try to convince her to build up a positive relationship with the Alliance. If she can help create a mutual-defense pact within one year, I'll put a halt to any and all Intelligence operations in Republic space. I make no promises about the Athamean League."

"Thank you, Miranda." Liara smiled. "I truly appreciate it."

Miranda sighed again. "Using Commander Shepard against me like that was a low blow."

"I'm the Shadow Broker; I use more underhanded tactics in a day than you do in a year." Liara's smile faded. "But using John's name like that was uncalled for. I'm sorry. I know you loved him."

"We all loved him," Miranda corrected, and ignored the stinging in her eyes. "You were the one who managed to win his heart."

"You wouldn't have tried to steal him? Of your own volition, I mean."

Miranda chuckled. "By the time I realized my feelings for him, you were the Shadow Broker. There was no winning at that point."

"True, I am somewhat intimidating." Liara's own laughter briefly joined Miranda's. "Thank you for the reprieve, Miranda. I'll speak to Aethyta as soon as possible, and I'll see about covertly transmitting messages between you."

"I appreciate that." Miranda paused. "You know, the next reunion is coming up in a few weeks. Will you be joining us?"

"I've never missed one, and I don't plan to start now. I only worry that Alanna's missions might keep her away this year."

"That's a possibility," Miranda conceded. "Still, if there's time, I'll see if I can pull her away for a few days."

"It will be good to see everyone in person… even you."

Miranda rolled her eyes; despite everything, including today's arguments, Liara remained one of Miranda's closest friends. "I'll see you then."

Once Liara's hologram faded, Miranda's smile vanished, replaced by a stony mask. Friend or not, Miranda had no intention of pulling her sleeper agents out of the Asari Republics. Even if they never had to be activated, there was no reason not to have them in place. One well-trained Asari was dangerous; so long as they were united in large numbers, they would always be a threat.

And Miranda Lawson did not tolerate threats.

…

Haley smiled as she handed over a steaming cup of coffee. "Black, two creams, three sugars."

Alanna smiled back as she accepted the cup. "Ah, just the way I like it."

"What, no tip for the delivery-girl?" Haley asked as she sat down.

"You get to bask in the presence of a beautiful Asari," Alanna said in such a faux-haughty tone that she almost couldn't keep a straight face. "Is that not enough?"

Haley tilted her head. "I mean, yeah?"

Alanna blushed; as an Asari, she was considered beautiful by all organic species, and had been called such by many people ever since she'd hit puberty twenty years ago. But she could tell that there was more than simple lust from Haley, which was probably why she liked the human so much.

"How did you know how I take my coffee?" she asked. "I don't think I've ever told you."

Haley smirked. "Alanna, I've known you for more than two years; you always drink your coffee the same way. You're a creature of habit."

Alanna shrugged. "I guess I stick with whatever I like."

"Then I don't have anything to worry about," Haley said with a wink, and sipped her own coffee.

"I guess not." Alanna frowned. "Okay, I think we need to cover some ground rules for this relationship."

Haley grimaced. "Yeah, the not-fun stuff."

"Might as well get it over with." Alanna held up a finger. "First, we act completely professionally during missions. We're N7 operatives, first and foremost."

"Got it."

"Second, as long as we're on this ship, we get all of our work done before spending time together."

"Of course."

"Third…" Alanna massaged her temples. "If we can't abide by those rules, we have to break this off. And if it causes friction among the squad, one of us will have to transfer to a different unit."

"Which will be me," Haley said flatly. "This is your ship, and your mission. I understand."

"Sorry to kill the mood," Alanna said.

"No, you're right, this is important." Haley paused. "Look, Alanna, I want this. Korim may have joked about it, but I've wanted this for a long time, and I'll do whatever I have to to make this work."

"Thanks. I… I feel the same way." Alanna set aside her coffee and brushed her fingers against the back of Haley's hand. "Dating is gonna be a little hard on the ship. We'll have to settle for more coffee dates until we get some leave. Anything in particular you want to do?"

"Hey, you're the officer," Haley half-joked. "You get to pick the first real date."

"Well… Nok mentioned hunting thresher maws on Tuchanka. Some humans sign up; it might be fun."

"So, for our first real date, you want to take me to Tuchanka, and hunt down a giant worm-monster."

Alanna winced. "… yes?"

Haley leaned forward and grinned. "That sounds awesome!"

Alanna couldn't help it; she leaned closer and kissed her. It was slow and hesitant at first, but when Haley responded with enthusiasm, Alanna's own confidence grew. After a little while, they parted for breath; Haley's face was red, while Alanna's was purple.

"Wow," Alanna panted. "If that's what we do just for scheduling a maw-hunt, I can't wait to see what happens when we finish."

Haley put her arms around Alanna. "Leave can't come soon enough."

…

The rest of the date was more reserved; Alanna and Haley spent most of it leaning against each other, going through reports, and occasionally taking a break to steal a quick kiss. Eventually, they decided to leave Alanna's quarters and return to their duties, but Alanna practically skipped through the Sicily. She couldn't remember feeling so happy before; not even spending time with her family left her with so much joy in her heart.

"Hey, EDI," she greeted cheerfully as she joined the AI in the cockpit. "Anything new come in from the Alliance? Any missions, or new leads?"

"Your timing is excellent," EDI said, and her body turned to face her. "We have just received a report concerning the Raloi."

Alanna blinked. "The Raloi? I thought they still weren't talking to the rest of the galaxy."

"They were not; the vast majority believe that the Reapers are still searching for them, and that our reports of victory were falsified."

"It's been a hundred years!" Alanna threw up her hands, her good mood already fading. "How are they so stupid?"

"They had just been introduced to the wider galactic community when the Reapers arrived," EDI reminded her. "The Raloi became convinced that it was the end of days."

"Well, I still think it's stupid," Alanna huffed. "What did the report say?"

"That the Raloi may be under attack; intercepted radio transmissions suggest that powerful machines are laying siege to their cities. Isolated factions on their homeworld are asking for aid, but the ruling government refuses to legitimize these requests."

Alanna frowned. "How close are we to Turvess?"

"Six hours, at best speed." EDI tilted her head. "I should remind you that, because the Raloi destroyed all of their advanced technology, they are now considered a pre-contact civilization. Officially, it would be illegal to interfere."

"All right, see if we can get permission from Director Lawson," Alanna ordered. "If we can't get it, suggest we put monitoring drones in the system. If the Outsiders are making a move on the Raloi, we should find out why."

"Understood. Requesting permission now." EDI waited for a moment. "It may take some time for an answer. For this kind of situation, the four heads of the Alliance must be in accord."

"All right, we'll just have to sit tight for now." Alanna hit the ship's intercom. "All hands, prep for combat; we may be deployed at any time. Squad, I want your gear checked and rechecked within the hour."

…

"Thank you all for coming on such short notice," Waybrook said. "We have much to discuss, and not much time."

She wasn't just addressing her fellow Alliance leaders; the Raloi situation was delicate enough that it required input from the Council and the Hierarchy. Fortunately, with Tevos busy establishing the Athamean League—which wasn't recognized as a legitimate government—the Asari were now represented by Matriarch Aethyta. Waybrook had only met her once before she had ascended to leadership, but she was already a much more welcome sight than her predecessor.

"Agreed," Aethyta said. "First of all, do we have the legal right to interfere?"

"Technically, yes," Lirno said. "Whether it is the Reapers or the Outsiders, a spacefaring race has attacked another, less-advanced species on their homeworld. The protocol has never had to be enacted before, but we would not be setting any precedent by intervening at this point."

"There shouldn't be any protest from the Raloi," Garrus added. "Their lifetimes are too short for any of them to have been alive during the Reaper War. As far as their people are concerned, the Reapers are a myth, right?"

"We're not sure," Lirno admitted. "We did have an observation mission that was gathering intel on the Raloi for decades, but during the Alliance's attack on STG headquarters, all the data we had was lost."

"You didn't have backups?" Waybrook asked.

"Considering how much of a non-threat the Raloi are, that data wasn't deemed important enough to store off-site."

"Now I almost feel bad that that place got wrecked again," Wrex joked. "Almost."

"All right, we have the legal authority to act," Jial'Koris said, getting them back on track. "Do we have permission from the Raloi themselves? Some of them are asking for help, but not the ruling body. If we intervene, that will set a precedent."

"We could send in a single unit," Waybrook offered. "At the very least, they can assess the situation and report back, and that will give us time assemble the forces we can spare, and scramble relief efforts."

"I can get behind that," Aethyta said easily enough. "Give me a day, and I'll have a squadron of frigates ready to assist."

The other Council representatives quickly promised some support as well; it wasn't much, but the fact that they were willing to do anything at all showed that they wanted to mend fences with the Alliance.

Within the hour, the Council, Hierarchy and Alliance had come to a unanimous decision. First, they would send someone to find out just what was going on; if the situation really was that bad, then they would move as one.

…

EDI quickly brought the squad up to speed, but none of them were impressed; if anything, they were as annoyed as Alanna.

"I can't believe those cowards might finally be asking for help," Nok grumbled.

"Even if it's not the Reapers, they sure as hell deserve to know what the rest of us went through while they were hiding," Haley agreed.

"Okay, to be fair, they didn't have an easy introduction to the galaxy," Alanna said; she knew she had to be the responsible leader, even if she didn't like the Raloi. "The first Krogan they met killed some of them, they contracted a strain of avian flu that nearly turned into a species-wide epidemic, and then the Reapers attacked. And that all happened to them over just three years; as far as they're concerned, they're better off hiding."

"And if they'd pulled their heads out of the sand for five minutes, they would have found out that things had gotten better," Korim argued. "I'm not saying we shouldn't help them, but I'm going to be really annoyed if they tell us to screw off."

"First things first," Alanna said. "We're heading to Turvess to assess the situation. For all we know, we won't even have to get off the ship."

Haley raised an eyebrow. "You really think so?"

"Okay, no, not really," Alanna admitted. "Fifty credits says we get shot at before the first hour."

"I'll take that bet," Korim said. "I give it two hours."

"Speaking of hours, it'll take us five to reach Turvess." Alanna stood up from her seat in the mess hall. "You all checked your gear already, so take some time to rest. We're gonna need it."

Most of the squad headed to their quarters, but Haley stayed behind. "So much for a casual first day back on the job, huh?"

Alanna sighed. "Yeah, I thought it would be a nice day—check on the crew, go on a date with the prettiest human on the ship, maybe finally get my new shotgun working. Instead, I have to go see what's scaring the bird-people."

"Someone probably let their cat onto the planet," Haley joked.

Alanna laughed, then clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm going to hell for laughing at that."

"Hey, I told the joke, so I'll see you there." Haley kissed her on the cheek. "I'm gonna take a nap, but I'll see you in the shuttle."

"Sure." Alanna watched her leave, eyeing the sway in her hips more appreciatively than she had before.

"I know you're staring!"

"Dammit!"

…

By the time the squad entered the shuttle, Alanna and Haley were as professional as ever. Alanna gave her weapons one final check before addressing everyone else.

"Remember, our mission is to assess the situation on Turvess; the Sicily will run scans from orbit, while we make contact with the Raloi. Apparently, the Alliance, Council and Hierarchy have informed the Raloi that we're coming, so we're expected. Be on your best behavior, and for the love of sanity, keep your suits fully sealed at all times. The last thing we need is to accidentally infect the Raloi with another virus."

"And we should be on our best behavior," Haley added. "We were on thin ice with these guys before the Reaper War, and they've been paranoid as all hell since. No violence unless we're attacked first."

There was a brief pause, and then Nok made an offended noise.

"Why the hell are you all looking at me? I don't go around murdering everyone I meet."

"No, but a Krogan accidentally killed some Raloi during a sporting event," Alanna reminded him. "These guys are kinda fragile."

"Comes with the hollow bones," Korim chimed in.

"Lieutenant, we are receiving a transmission from the surface," EDI reported.

"Patch it through to me directly," Alanna ordered, and waited until EDI sent her a 'ready' signal. "This is Lieutenant Alanna Shepard, acting representative of the Systems Alliance, Citadel Council, and Turian Hierarchy. We've come in response to your request for aid."

"We did not send the request, ground-bound," a voice screeched. "However, we are under attack by machines from the far-sky. Our treaty with the Council still stands; you will defend the Raloi from the machines."

"Are they serious?" Nok muttered.

Mantle dipped his head, the closest most Geth came to a sigh. "Technically, part of the treaty the Raloi signed with the Council after their First Contact did include a defense clause, promising protecting until the Raloi achieved a level of technology equal to that of other Council races."

Even though the Raloi couldn't hear them, Alanna gestured for them to shut up. "We understand. We're gathering forces to defend your world, but we were sent ahead to assess the situation, and how we might best respond. Do we have permission to land on Turvess?"

There was an avian squawk that the translators couldn't quite make out. "You have permission, ground-bound. Your shuttle will be escorted to First Nest. Deviate from your flight path, and we will kill you."

With that, the transmission ended.

"I've met Batarian nobles friendlier than that guy," Tetros said.

"All they did was hide for over a hundred years," Nok rumbled. "The Council doesn't owe them shit, and neither does anyone else."

"They're taking advantage of their treaty," Haley said, arms crossed. "As long as their tech remains at this level, they can call on the Council as much as they want."

"Oh, it gets worse," Korim said, looking at his omni-tool. "According to the treaty, the Alliance signed as both a part of the Council, and as an individual nation. That's still binding today, and since the Quarians, Geth and Krogan are all part of the Alliance, we're bound by it as well."

"How did this slip by everyone?" Alanna asked, exasperated.

Tetros scowled. "Between reconstruction after the Reaper War, and the Raloi just not doing anything, no one thought to revise a treaty that seemed pointless anyway."

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if this is the last favor we do for these guys." Alanna sat down and strapped in. "Come on, let's get this over with."

"Shepard-Lieutenant, there is something else that may be relevant," Mantle said as he and the others secured themselves in their seats. "The Raloi speaker called you 'ground-bound'. I have reviewed what data is available on the Raloi; that term is considered an extreme insult."

"Good to know they aren't putting in any effort to be nice," Alanna said. "All we have to do is not shoot anyone, and we'll probably all get medals."

"Lieutenant, there is another matter," EDI cut in. "I have performed preliminary scans of the planet, and are not detecting any Outsider energy signatures. It is possible that they are facing the same kind of assassin units that attacked Director Lawson and General Grunt; we were unable to detect them then. I also scanned for Reapers, in case they were active as well, but there is nothing."

"The Outsiders may have a way of hiding from our sensors," Alanna hedged. "We can't assume that they aren't improving their tech like we are."

Despite their misgivings, the squad went over last-second checks as the shuttle departed the Sicily. There was a brief jolt as they passed through the atmosphere, and Alanna got her first look at Turvess; it was beautiful, even from miles up, with thick forests, wide plains, and three vast oceans. The only signs of civilization were circles that turned out to be cities, with buildings hundreds of meters tall.

"Lieutenant," the pilot called out, "I've got eighteen craft approaching us. They're for atmo only, but they're heavily armed; I'm seeing high-caliber cannons and missiles."

Alanna shook her head. "Wow, they're really not taking chances with aliens, huh?"

"One of them is contacting us," the pilot added. "Patching them through now."

"Alien shuttle, we will escort you to First Nest," the Raloi pilot ordered. "Any deviation from your flight path will be seen as an attack, and we will open fire."

"Understood," Alanna said. "Lead the way."

Two of the fighters, with sleek frames and swept-back wings, took up a formation in front of the shuttle; the rest matched the shuttle's speed above, below, and behind it.

"If they decided to pick a fight, we're gonna have a problem," Tetros observed.

"Fascinating," Mantle said. "Shepard-Lieutenant, I have used the shuttle's sensors to scan these aircraft. The pilots are employing a type of nerve-sheathe technology to fly their craft as naturally as they would fly on their own."

Alanna frowned. "Aren't nerve-sheathes used for modern prosthetics?"

"Affirmative, but if flight is so important to the Raloi, it is logical to assume that they would spare no expense in replicating their natural abilities."

"Now I really wish these guys had decided not to hide," Alanna groused. "I'd kill to get a look at tech like that."

"Well, Mantle did scan them," Haley pointed out. "Though that might have been illegal."

"I have heard humans say that 'it is only illegal if you get caught'."

"That's why I like you, Mantle."

"Lieutenant, we're passing over one of the cities," the pilot announced. "It's not First Nest, but the flight path has us going closer to the city."

Alanna's anxiety spiked, even as the pilot followed the flight path. "Something's not right…"

Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, the shuttle was rocked by a nearby explosion.

"Shit! We're under attack from anti-air fire!" The pilot desperately banked right to avoid dozens of airburst shells. "I'm detecting ground-to-air missiles being launched! Hold on!"

"Alien shuttle, you are deviating from your flight path." The Raloi didn't even try to hide their smug glee. "You will die."

"It's a setup!" Alanna shouted. "EDI, contact the Alliance! Tell them—" She stopped when she realized there was no signal. "Shit, we're being jammed."

Alarms blared throughout the shuttle. "Missiles inbound, all directions!" the pilot shouted. "Attempting to ev—"

The front of the shuttle abruptly exploded; Alanna didn't need to check to know that the pilot had been killed instantly. What was left of the transport spun wildly as it plummeted to the surface.

"Everyone, bail out!" she ordered. "We'll meet back on the ground and find a way to get help. Go, go!"

It was rough, but each of Alanna's squad managed to leap clear from the disintegrating shuttle. Alanna was last, and jumped out less than eight hundred meters from the surface. As she was about to get clear, a jagged edge of the shuttle clipped her leg; though it did shatter her barriers, it wasn't enough to actually hurt her, but it did send her careening off course. The G-forces from the uncontrolled spin nearly made her pass out. She heard voices calling out to her, but she kept fading in and out of consciousness. Between blackouts, she saw a city rapidly filling her vision; in desperation, she fired her boosters, attempting to slow her fall, or even land before reaching terminal velocity.

She felt an impact with something, heard something else shatter, and then everything went dark.

…

Communications may have been jammed, but EDI was far from blind. It had been easy for her to keep track of the shuttle, while also monitoring the planet for Outsider or Reaper activity. As soon as the shuttle came under attack, EDI calculated the best course of action. By the time the shuttle had started to crash, she had contacted the two people with the best chance of helping.

"Liara. Miranda." EDI's hands clenched in a very human reflection of frustration, and fear for someone she considered family. "We have a situation."

And here we go, the Raloi! Seriously, there is no information on these guys. We know the name of their planet, the way they made First Contact, and how things went very wrong for them. We don't even know what they look like, other than that they are an avian species. Of course, that only offers up plenty of opportunities for writers like me, so there we go! I get to practically invent these guys from the ground up.

I like to imagine that everyone else in the galaxy is just really pissed off at the Raloi. Everyone banded together to fight the Reapers, but the Raloi just destroyed all their advanced technology, cut themselves off from the rest of the galaxy, and hid. I would also be annoyed with them. As for why they're suddenly attacking Alanna? Well, you'll find out soon.

Also, post-mission convos with the crew, as is Mass Effect tradition… and Alanna begins her romantic relationship with Haley! I wasn't exactly hiding that it would happen, but then again, the Mass Effect games don't do subtle romance either.

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon as both an eBook or physical copy. I've been trying to finish the sequel (only a couple chapters left!), but between work and extremely disruptive home renovations, that's become very difficult.

You can also support my via my P-atreon account (link in my profile). We're all going through trying times right now, which is why I'm not asking for a lot. Just a couple of dollars from all of you every month would go a long way towards making sure I'm not working myself to death.

As always, thanks to the following patrons:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Matthias Matanovic, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, killroy225, Lokthar, Hakuryuken, Anders Lyngbye

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Next Chapter: The wider galaxy goes from trying to rescue a species to rescuing six people, and Alanna discovers a wider conspiracy…

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite Muffin on the Citadel.