Chapter 2
The lights dimmed and the conference tabled whirred as it sank into the floor. Shepard waited a few seconds to let his eyes start adjusting to the darkness before he stepped into the middle of the briefing room, just in time for a holographic projector to his front to flicker to life.
Shepard was greeted by a man in his fifties, standing at ease with his hands behind his back to display the blue and gold of his Alliance Navy dress uniform. On his shoulder pads were four stripes, symbolising his rank as an Admiral. His face was lined with wrinkles and scars, displaying the decades of experience and stress that had come with his rise to his current position. When they made eye contact, he smiled.
"Commander Shepard."
Shepard came to the position of attention and saluted. "Admiral Hackett, sir."
Admiral Hackett made a small gesture with one of his hands and said, "No need for that, son. You don't answer to me anymore."
Both of them knew that wasn't exactly true. Shepard might have been disassociated from the Alliance, but that didn't mean the Alliance itself was ready to let go of him. After accessing the Shadow Broker's extensive information network with Liara, he was aware that Hackett and Councillor Anderson were perhaps two of the only reasons keeping him out of an interrogation room or a holding cell. As friendly or genuine as their current exchange might be, the unmistaken reality was that he owed the Admiral in front of him.
Shepard lowered his arm, aware of how he'd been in not a dissimilar situation with Jacob about half an hour ago, and mirrored Hackett's pose.
"Your message was quite the wake-up call, sir," Shepard said, trying to inject a little humour and make a smooth transition into what was likely to be a very serious discussion.
"Brevity is rarely kind to the heart and soul," Hackett acknowledged.
"What have we got?"
Hackett's face tensed and Shepard felt his mind lock down into 'go time' mode.
"Over the past two months, SALIC (the Systems Alliance Intelligence Coalition – a group of 22 of humanity's civilian and military intelligence organisations and departments) and their associates in other Council agencies have picked up a suspicious pattern of ships heading from the Hades Gamma Cluster to the Exodus Cluster."
As one the major links between Council Space and the Terminus Systems, the Hades Gamma Cluster saw a lot of traffic through its mass relay, allowing many wishing to remain off the radar to slip in and out of the proverbially crowded lanes.
"Within the Exodus Cluster, we've detected at least 30 vessels, but likely more, of varying sizes making multiple trips to and from the same 25 square kilometres on the planet of Terra Nova in the Asgard System."
Shepard remembered Terra Nova. It was a human colony that had been the target of Balak's terrorist attack during his hunt for Saren. Considering the planet's proximity to the batarian homeworld of Khar'shan in the Kite's Nest, Shepard thought he could make an educated guess as to what was going on.
"Can we assume those ships were Hegemony?"
"Officially, they're registered under the Aparax Corporation," Hackett said. "They're a relatively small mining company with an unremarkable sales turnover. But around when we started tracking the ships, their stock value and capital have skyrocketed to over 500% their initial values. Suffice to say that they've found some wealthy investors who are likely using them as a front for something."
"Do we have any idea what they're transporting?"
"Two weeks ago, one of Admiral Singh's ships from the Third Fleet was able to tag one of their vessels for a random inspection. They found a lot of heavy machinery, as well as pre-fabricated underground modules. The vessel's captain informed the Alliance that they were expanding a mining operation for a newfound rare metal vein on Terra Nova. At face value, it's nothing suspicious. But on closer inspection, running back through helmet camera footage, we've found that the underground modules bear a resemblance to barracks rooms."
A slight chill ran down Shepard's spine.
"Are you telling me, sir," he began slowly, "that for the past two months, the batarians have been building up a staging area right under our noses?"
To Hackett's credit, he didn't even hesitate with his answer. "As of now, that's what the evidence is pointing to, Shepard."
Shepard resisted the urge to run a hand along his scalp. This wasn't the time to panic.
On paper, he had zero obligation to Hackett and the Alliance. Shepard was part of Cerberus. He was the enemy – of that, there was no denying. More importantly, he had his own mission. The Collectors and Reapers weren't going to wait while he took his own sweet time dancing around Omega 4. But what Hackett had told him was, as EDI had said, urgent. If the limited information they had was accurate, they could be looking at a second Skyllian Blitz. Shepard hadn't been on Elysium when it was invaded, but he'd been one of many Alliance Marine and Navy personnel who had been glued to their omni-tools and datapads, able to do nothing but hopelessly wait for the next news and status reports. This time, he was in the unique position of being offered the chance to stop another, potentially similar invasion.
"One moment, sir," he said to Hackett. Turning his body slightly away from the hologram, he looked up at the ceiling. "EDI, what's the timeline for that IFF?"
"At our current rate, we will have the IFF integrated in our systems in 113.22 hours," came the immediate response.
Almost five days. They had time.
If the batarians were truly mobilising for an assault, they could strike any number of human worlds within and connected to the Exodus Cluster: Terra Nova, Eden Prime, even Arcturus Station was only a single relay jump away.
It was decided, then. Shepard wouldn't be sitting this one out. The Illusive Man and Miranda might have some qualms about potentially endangering his crew so close to their final attack, but he would handle them in due time.
"What do you need from me, sir?" he asked Hackett. If Hackett was curious as to who EDI was, he kept it to himself.
"As of now, we have placed all our forces at DEFCON 4, and the Third Fleet and Arcturus Station at DEFCON 3. As the situation develops, we are prepared to escalate our readiness even further and declare martial law on the Exodus Cluster. But before we can do anything, we need more actionable intel. Initially, I was prepared to ask your crew to recon the area in which Aparax's ships are landing and taking off from, but the JCS (Joint Chiefs of Staff) put their foot down. They didn't want a Cerberus vessel involved in such an overtly Alliance matter."
Shepard frowned, but held his tongue. Hackett wouldn't be contacting him if he'd been stonewalled out of allowing him to help. His hunch was vindicated as the Admiral continued.
"I was able to talk them into letting me ask you, but on the condition that you be accompanied by an Alliance element."
Shepard blinked.
"Alliance element?" he echoed. Hackett nodded.
"As of now, our Tier 1 assets are either tied up or too far away. However, we've got some Tier 2 units at Arcturus who can mobilise and rendezvous with you at the Utopia Relay within 18 hours."
Along with their multi-lateral N-School, the Systems Alliance divided its various special operatives in its Navy and Marines into three tiers, with the lowest tiers being composed of the highest Ns. Often mistaken for purely indicating levels of proficiency, the tiers were more a reflection of the amount of funding each group received, as well as for what exact purpose they were deployed.
Tier 1 was composed of highly specialised operators (most, if not all of whom, were recruited from Tier 2 units). They trained for hyper-specific types of missions, often for extended periods of time, to make sure that when they were called on to perform, they would do so with flying colours. They were expected to take the concept of 'jack of all trades' to the logical extreme, in which a tech specialist for example, could also switch roles to be a corpsman, communications specialist, armourer, and a whole other bevy of positions within the span of a few minutes. There were only 2 Tier 1 units officially confirmed by the Systems Alliance – them being the 33rd Special Operations Wing and NAVSPECWAR-CONDOR (Navy Special Warfare Contingency Development Operatives, more commonly known as just 'Condors').
With some exceptions, Tier 2 assets were intended for more 'by the book' missions, of which they could tackle a versatile number of. Where they were deployed, there were fewer unknowns, and they were more often attached to conventional units than their Tier 1 counterparts. There were many more disclosed Tier 2 formations, including Navy SSEAL (Space, Sea, Air, and Land) Teams, JTACs (Joint Terminal Attack Controllers – specialists who guided artillery, air and naval strikes for ground forces), PITs (Pioneer Irregular Teams), the AMCI (Alliance Marines Corsair Initiative, which had been recognised since only a year prior), the 1st Marine Force Reconnaissance Division, the 2nd Marine Raider Division, the 72nd Hunter Wing, and the III ISOF (Third Interstellar Special Operations Force).
Tier 3 units, while lacking the same 'prestige' or popular attention as their Tier 1 and Tier 2 counterparts, were often the most widely deployed operators within the Alliance. This was largely due to the units themselves usually being conventional formations that had been given the green light by JSOC (Joint Special Operations Command) for the training and equipment that differentiated them from the regulars. Tier 3 operatives included the 3rd Marine Extreme Environment Division, the XV Marine Airborne Corps, SEWFAC (Special Warfare Fast Attack Craft), the 7th Marine Lightning Armoured Division, and Ground Support & Reconnaissance Strike Group IX.
Shepard himself had been invited to transfer into the Navy to attempt the Condors' gruelling selection process after seven years in the Marines (for three of which he'd been a Raider). He'd made it through the 95% attrition rate and graduated to serve for an additional three years before being reassigned to the original SSV Normandy for SPECTRE evaluation. Hackett had said Tier 1 units were off the table, meaning he wouldn't be able to see his fellow Condors, which felt akin to being denied a chance to reunite with one's family, no matter how big of a wedge his current association with Cerberus might drive between them.
"Who exactly will I be working with?" he asked Hackett.
"If you choose to go in, you'll be meeting up with a platoon of Force Recon Marines."
As their name suggested, Force Reconnaissance Marines specialised in infiltration and reconnaissance missions in support of the conventional MEFs (Marine Expeditionary Forces). Their operations were divided into two general categories: low and harsh. Low operations involved identifying and gathering intelligence on hostile positions and personnel. Stealth was critical, as they would often insert far ahead of friendly lines and beyond the reach of any meaningful support, should they be compromised and engaged by the enemy. Harsh operations were meant to be fast and hard – strikes at a concentrated point in hostile territory that relied on shock and awe to mitigate any numerical or positional disadvantages on the marines' part.
This would almost certainly be a low operation. If the batarians were truly mobilising, it was likely that they would have numbers far in excess of what a platoon could handle. To be honest, Shepard wasn't exactly sure why Hackett had come to him. This was the perfect mission for Force Recon, but the SR-2's GCE was more like a battering ram to their surgical scalpel. Shepard and company were expecting to crash into the Collector Base with no hope of remaining undetected, and had planned accordingly, loading up on as much stopping power and practicing 'direct action' manoeuvres that was about as antithetical to covert reconnaissance as one could get.
He decided to voice his query.
"With respect, Admiral, as happy as I am to go to Terra Nova, why do you need me when you've already got your own people?"
Hackett didn't seem to take offense to his question, and had likely anticipated it, judging from his immediate response.
"Even with all the advances we've made in stealth technology in the last two years, the bottom line is, to our knowledge, nothing is on par with your SR-2. At this point, we're looking at a powder keg that's getting set to blow in Exodus. And I, and the JCS, would greatly prefer if we can handle this with a minimum risk. No matter how we feel about the Batarian Hegemony, none of us want another war. If we can get a team in there undetected, we can present whatever they find as evidence to the Council of crimes against peace and find a way to dial everything back diplomatically."
So, it was a matter of pragmatism. Shepard couldn't fault Hackett for that. He wanted to acknowledge as much, however Hackett continued before he could speak.
"But on the chance that things go sideways, I want an airtight insurance policy. As bad as it would be if we had to end up killing any batarians, the fallout from this will be so much worse if we lose even a single marine. Make no mistake, we're in the right to investigate their suspicious activities. But if blood's spilled, there will be cries for more. And if it's our blood that's spilled, escalation from our side will be inevitable. I trust those marines, Shepard. But I trust you more. If you can keep them alive, no matter what happens and how bad things get, you'll be a hero in my book…And I know that a lot of skeptics in our ranks will be grateful for what you do."
Huh…maybe not as pragmatic as he'd thought. It wasn't like Shepard was expecting to come back from Omega 4, but if he did…
There wasn't much question as to what he would do. Even after all the resources they'd spent to bring him back, neither Shepard nor the Illusive Man were under any delusions. Once the Collectors were gone, and assuming that he survived, they would be terminating their current agreement. Shepard was tired of running. He was tired of looking over his shoulder, wondering how long it would be before Hackett and Anderson were overridden, and people started to actively look for him to have a 'chat' about his potential return to Earth. Not that he didn't need more motivation to sniff out what the batarians were up to, but if he could prove to the Alliance that he was on their side (or at least not against them)?
"Send through the coordinates for the rendezvous, sir," he said to Hackett, "and I'll have the SR-2 en route within the hour."