United Nations Allied Force Database. Please enter the passcode.

Standby…welcome Fleet Admiral Limburn, Field Marshal Ross.

Task force selection…Task Force Unity

Alert! Task Force Unity is currently inactive. Reactive it?...Yes

Task Force Objective…..Primary:Investigate Harvester threat level, investigate Citadel Council, investigate the Batarian Hegemony. Secondary: Find the Blind Migration colonies

Task Force Assets: UNSV Normandy (Sun Wukong Class Heavy Strikecruiser), Assets of the 75th Ranger Regiment (army), Assets of the 2nd Frontier Division (marines), JSTF Squadron 7, 87th Europa space superiority squadron, 1st armor Battalion of 1st marine division, 2nd Battalion of the 106th Orbital Shock Division.

Operation name?...Operation Silent Screamer is a go.

Signing off.

Wua Megashipyards, Wua Star System, United Nations Solar Alliance

2976 UNC/ 2183 C.E

"Bro, did you piss off the brass?" Jane Shepard asked as she and John Shepard walked through the halls of the Wua Megashipyards.

"Why do you assume I did something wrong?" John looked incredulous, or insulted. It had been a while since the twins had fought the Batarians at that faithful slave colony. Since then, the two had become JSTF operators of UNSOCOM. The best of the best, outside the Crusaders.

So for both to be called up meant that they either fucked up or there's a new operation. John was leaning towards the former. Many due to Jane adopting Victor Ross's penscence for explosions.

"I don't know, maybe ramming that ancient mining drone at the Citadel that Sabine Wren gave us? How are we not at war with the Council?"

The twins entered a conference room, to find the couple of mass destruction waiting for them. Well that and bickering with each other.

"We don't need hogs on a damn strike cruiser. We need more Tridents and more Maquetes in the hanger bays. The Normandy is a damn ship killer, not a troop hauler." Sophia growled at her husband.

"The Normandy is a ship slated for supporting ground forces and spec ops. Tridents may be good but a Hog is better. Explain to me that if it's a ship killer, why is it carrying two regiments of marines and army troopers?" Victor shot back.

The two stared at each other and sighed. "Why are we arguing about this now?" Sophia grumbled.

"You're the admiral of the fleet! Why not just requisition a second cruiser or carrier and have it act as the assault ship?" Victor asked.

"It's Hackett's fleet now, not mine. Besides, I-" the pair looked to the side to see the two JSTF operators staring.

"Uhhh, are we interrupting something?" Kane questioned. "Because we can-"

"Oh no, nonononono! It's fine. The Field Marshal and I are having a major argument over your new assignment's fighter complement." Sophia threw in. "Sit."

The Shepards looked at each other and then sat down. The pair of mass destruction did the same.

"Alright, you might be asking why we called you two in today. Congratulations, you're being drafted for a new mission." Victor said. The Shepard twins stared.

"What? So we aren't in trouble for ramming that mining drone into the Citadel?" John asked.

"Well I did want to punish you and the operators for unleashing the dancing plague on Illium, I was going to do that." Victor pouted.

"And we made up for it by dumping some Feral Plague on the STG HQ. I heard the fishes are still baffled how we got onto Sur'kesh." Sophia giggled, forgetting about the minor argument they had.

"Ah good times. But back on topic, I need you two to help 'shepherd' one of Hackett's and Limburn's projects for us." Victor said. "Pun unintended."

Jane snorted. "Don't believe it sir. But what can we do to help?"

That was when a holo screen on one of the conference room's walls and both of the Shepard Twins' jaws dropped at the sight. "Is that-"

"Yup. The first batch of Sun Wukong battlecruisers ready for action!" Victor proudly declared as a camera feed rolled over a shipyard full of combat vessels.

"Strike cruisers. Strike cruisers. Battlecruisers are the Titan class vessels. That being said, their beauties are alright. They're the first line of new stealth vessels that can finally bypass the current generation of sensors. A mix of Quarian, Geth, Raloi, Solarian, Elder, Federation, and Pact technology into a 1.2 Kilometer package. However there is one ship in particular that we are interested in." Sophia explained.

The camera, clearly attached to a drone of sorts, panned over to one strike-cruiser. "That my friends is the UNSV Normandy. 6th in the line and crewed by a mix Human, Aquarian, Vissari, Geth, and Quarian crew." Limburn stated. "She's got enough firepower to take on a dozen Council Dreadnaughts and their escorts or 4 last generation heavy cruisers, highly advanced cloaking and stealth tech, a regiment of combat troops to take towns or stations, and an air wing of dozens of fighters." Sophia walked up to the screen. "I need an observer so congratulations. Your it"

The strike cruiser, bigger than the standard dreadnaughts of the Citadel Council, followed the standard UNSF fleet designs, a rectangular, boxy shape that narrowed towards the front of the vessel. Decked out with dozens of turrets of both energy and kinetic weapons, a host of VLS launch tubes, dozens of upgraded Guardian missile defense systems, and a large side hangar bays for various strike craft.

(It's a blend of the Humanoid cruiser vessel of Stellaris with hints of the Higarian battlecruiser from homeworld 2).

"Woah. That's a lot of firepower." Jane said in awe.

"Yeah. It was originally slated for the 12th fleet but I requisitioned it from Hackett. Anyways, I need you to look after her. Tag along during her shakedown cruise." Sophia said.

"You're going in as apart of the Normandy's STTs (Special Tactics Teams)." Victor said.

"Wha- Why?" John was genuinely confused why a shakedown cruise needed more JSTF members onboard.

"I won't lie to you. We really pissed off the council with our antics. Like A lot." Victor sighed. "Like the time I shot up one of the wards."

"Yeah, surprised that Turian spectre didn't kill you." Sophia giggled.

"Yup. Still. we need someone to watch over the Normandy on its shakedown cruise as its heading to Rannoch." Victor said as Sophia settled down.

"As for why we need you, the Normandy is carrying experimental tech for the Geth and Quarians to work with. We figured a show of force with the Normandy would deter anyone stupid enough to raid it." Sophia replied. "That and it really has no Special Forces team on board and we figured you were bored and wanted in."

The two Shepards looked at each other. Then John turns. "When do we leave?"

"Now." Sophia responds.

UNSV Normandy

Class: Sun Wukong Class Strike cruiser.

Branch: United Nations Space Navy, Quarian Heavy Fleet, UNIS Cerberus

Length: 1.3 kilometres

Width: 250 metres

Height: 230 metres

Designer: Luna Stellar Shipworks, Wua Design Bureau, Quarian Science Branch

Builder: Wua Megashipyards

Crew: Originally meant for 700 organic crewmembers and 1 regiment of marines. Can operate with a crew of 200. Also carries 300 Sub Orbital Drop Troopers (SOBTs)

Power generation systems: 2 10th Generation Zero point energy reactors, 4 13th Generation Cold Fusion reactors (as backups),

Propulsion: 4 Impulse engines, 4 Plasma Afterburners, various impulse manoeuvring thrusters, 1 MK2 Mass Effect Generation Core

FTL: 2 Mk5 long range Jump Drives (max distance for one jump is 4,000 lightyears), 2 MK4 short range jump drives, Backup hyperdrives, Mass Effect FTL,

Tactical disruption systems: Sakuas Stealth Generators, reflective stealth hull composite, full suite of ECM jammers, holographic decoys drone (capable of projecting a hologram of any UNAF ship smaller than a cruiser), optical camouflage,

Defences: Synthetic Neutronium outer hull, 3 Hypershield Generators, 2 backup Deflector shields, self healing ameba layers, Kinetic barriers

Weapons: 1 Spinal large Gauss Cannon, 2 triple turret particle beams, 20 turreted medium gauss cannons mounted across the hull, 20 turreted gamma pulse cannons, 56 Stormfire autocannons, 80 Barrier point defence cannons (40 of them kinetic, 40 of them plasma), 12 rapid fire missile turrets, 20 bays for VLS swarmer missiles (each bay containing 60 Swarmer missiles), 4 fast firing Disrupter torpedo tubes.

Fighter complement: 60 F-61 Trident Space/Air superiority fighters, 24 A89 Warthogs attack craft, 20 Mistaya transports, 30 recon-raider drones, 10 Cree Heavy Gunships, 200 Hawk Drones in Racks.

Vehicles: 10 M7A4 Liberator MBTs, 20 Maryia APCs, 20 Spartan SPGs, 40 LCTVs, several Valkyrie, venom, and turtle Power Armour units.

Facilities: 2 Fabricator modules (meant for build spare parts and new munitions), ECM suites, full medical suite, automated drone production lines, galactic Quantum and Tachyon communication systems, several replicator units, full weapons armoury, hydroponics bay, drone mining and repair bays, teleportation bays, SOBT drop pods.

THis story is not dead! I'm just having a writer's block and trying to figure out how to go from here. FIgured I should upload a shorter chapter to show I'm not dead.