2976.265
New Alexandria Fleet Command, Reach
To be in the presence of a closed meeting with the Officer-Commander-in-Chief of the Confederation Armed Forces was something Malkovich could say, truthfully, he never thought would happen. This was the kind of thing done by generals and admirals, not field officers. Yet here he and Samus were, in a room at Fleet High Command on Reach, just over three parsecs from Sol System itself. About to brief the head of all Confederation military forces on the situation they were facing.
The Chozo homeworld.
"Hell of an uproar you've put us into, Cas." The worn and aged General Rodham Morris sighed as Dane gave him a swift salute, but he still had a smile on his lips. Dark brown skin creased as Morris turned gaze to the younger arrivals. His hair, mostly gray with streaks and patches of white, was kept neatly trimmed and regulation, as was the goatee and mustache that framed his chin and lips, and while he was not attired in full dress as one might expect from holodramas and various military fictions, his simple ACU's were enough, as was the way he carried himself, to say who he was. "Commander Malkovich, heard about Heaven's Gate and the ambush the Kromus had for you. Hard as hell decision you had to make there."
"Every field trained instinct told me to cover my escorts to let them escape, sir." He was trying not to sound ashamed, but Adam was hesitant in his still lingering guilt over the loss of those ships. "Captain O'Hern reminded me though that the Concordia and everything aboard her were too valuable to lose there." He went quiet again, reminded how close he had come to failing that day. "Doesn't feel any better."
"It never does." Morris patted the young commander's shoulder in sympathy before turning his attention to the young blonde girl dressed in light armor. Scars crossing her left cheek, bright blue-touched green eyes, and a face that seemed very familiar to him. "You must be Miss Aran," the general greeted warmly. He held out his hand to the girl, noticing her confusion. "It's a pleasure to finally meet John and Virginia's daughter after nearly two decades, I just wish circumstances were better."
Blue-green eyes turned toward Dane, unsure how she was supposed to respond. She knew, on the functional level, who it was talking to her. But she didn't know how she was supposed to answer him back. "I...um...I'm not-"
"Miss Aran has been through quite a bit in the last few months, General." The admiral was quick to notice how uncomfortable Samus had become. "There was unfortunately some misunderstanding when she arrived on Calliope IX, and she ended up being held by the local prison sector for the last while, as Field Captain Harper was...not very concerned with the news she was trying to relay."
The elder general raised a brow, but solemnly nodded as he turned his focus to the projected holographic logo of the unified Confederation Armed Forces. "Admiral Dane has updated me on what he could while you were all en route. It's precious little, admittedly...but still invaluable." A pause as Morris drew a breath, looked to Samus, and sighed in resignation. "I'm aware of your connection with the Chozo, Miss Aran, that they took care of you following the massacre on K-2L and the loss of your parents. I assure you, the rescue and safety of any survivors on Zebes is my top priority, followed by driving those bastards out of our galaxy and back to the inferno they crawled out of."
Her eyes shot to Dane, who held up his hands. "General Morris had to be told why you were significant to all this, Samus. He's been aware of Zebes since your father was there over twenty years ago, and I informed him you were our contact there after you left the academy to help keep it under guard from the Kromus." Dane gave a turn of his head slightly to head off further questions regarding how much he had told Morris. They would be talking later. "Samus, I know this is hard, but General Morris needs to know what happened the night the Kromus invaded and took the planet."
She took a breath, her mind processing it all. After a moment, the young woman relayed the events that had occurred, from the explosion that shook the Nest, the slaughter she had witnessed, and her escape from Zebes. Samus was particular about noting what had occurred on Calliope-IX, from the assault by the mine security teams to her treatment at the prison for over a month in isolation. Though she knew she was likely skewing events with her own narrative and perspective, the girl tried to be as objective as possible. It was only the events on Zebes that she was withdrawn on, and from how Morris was holding his chin in silence, focusing on her report, it was obvious he could see she was holding something personal back.
But he didn't press her on those points. "Miss Aran...your family has suffered much because of the Kromus. I can't presume to imagine the trauma you have endured in this renewed conflict, but I appreciate what you have done for the Confederation, and the peaceful species of the galaxy." A pause as he seemed to be deep in thought, now pacing to the back of the conference room before stepping to a halt. "Admiral Dane, make sure Miss Aran is given generous accommodations during her stay with us, and please process her all due survivor benefits she would have inherited from her parents, with fifteen years of interest."
The admiral raised a brow, but despite that, Dane proceeded to crack a smile as he nodded. "Aye, General. It's the least I can do for her."
"Commander Malkovich, I need you to return to the Concordia, there will be a data package waiting in your quarters that will brief you further on the full nature and capabilities of your command, and Cora will be given clearance to discuss further classified information in regards to this situation." Morris smirked as he turned on his heel to see the hanging shocked jaw expression on the younger officer's face. "I'm not privy to the full details of Miss Aran's time with the Chozo, but I can imagine, as she was your younger brother's roommate at Mountain Point for three years, that you are. So keeping secrets is something I can trust you with."
"General." Admiral Dane cautiously interjected into the conversation as he held up his own data tablet. "I hate to cut in, but the Seventh Fleet is awaiting new orders, and their flag officer who will be leading them in to take back Zebes."
With a raised brow, Morris turned his head before following with his upper body to make contact with the admiral. "Orders are still the same. And I have no intention of taking you off command of the fleet, Cas." He held up his hand when Dane looked ready to object in shock. "I'm aware what happened with the Dauntless battle group, Castor. We had little intel going in, and you sent them ahead specifically so you could recover Miss Aran personally while Captain Ikari would establish defense blockades. But the Pirates and their High Command have wised up and were a step ahead after having a month to dig into the planet."
"I assumed an inquiry into the incident would have been called-"
Again, Morris held up an open hand and shook his head. "Inquiry boards and committees can wait, Castor. You're the best I have, and the only person in the service who has even set foot on Zebes and has the experience with the Pirates to handle this."
"And managed to survive as their prisoner long enough for a rescue." A fact Dane was often reminded of. He was alive, when many others were not. "Sir, I appreciate the faith in me...but those people died because I wasn't thinking objectively. I panicked because-"
"Castor, I need my best to face this." Morris gave a sigh as he glanced a moment to Malkovich, then turning his gaze toward the blonde young woman who, against all the odds, had survived ordeals that would have claimed almost anyone else. "Those men and women were a tragic loss, but we are at war again, and the Kromus don't play by the same rules as we do. Right now, your job is to make sure that tragedy was not in vain."
Yet it hardly missed Dane's attention that General Morris was giving Samus a fair number of glances, as if studying her to consider options. "General, I have to ask how long we're planning to maintain the deception surrounding Zebes for the Federation." A pause as he carefully considered his words. "With this, it's only a matter of time until the truth comes out and the Assembly demands answers."
That slow methodical nod as Rodham Morris was clearly thinking over the matter. "I've already spoken with the Arbiter on Sangheilios, we're of a shared opinion that Kea'ton needs to be informed of what is really at stake on Zebes. If the Chozo are truly this much in danger, it's going to take a lot to break that infestation of Kromus. As it is, however, the fleet is ready to follow you into the Outer Core Belt and start blasting away at their blockades while we try to find and recover any Chozo survivors."
Going back again. But what this time? How would they prepare for what had already destroyed a dozen ships, and stranded countless infantry and marines on the barren surface that normal humans could not, without atmospheric gear, survive long on their own. "But what are you going to do once you get back there, after they already wiped out a full battle group and trapped hundreds of troops on the surface?"
"Samus, this isn't-"
Now she was angry with him. "Shut your hole before I shut it for you, Adam! That's my gods damned home and family!"
A raised brow as General Morris would turn his total focus to the young blonde and carefully approach her. "Miss Aran, I have been made aware of the circumstances of your welfare and care since the massacre on K-2L...though to be fair, I feel there may be more to the last fifteen years of your life than Admiral Dane was willing to tell me." A pause as he turned an eye toward Malkovich as well, then resettled his attentions on Samus. "I am not at liberty, nor obligation, to disclose what our strategy to retake Zebes might be, but as I'm sure by now that the admiral informed you, this is hardly our first time ending a Kromus occupation of a highly sensitive Chozo world."
"They didn't have over a month to dig in and infest the planet last time, general." Her response was sharp, to the point, and tinged with a barely restrained cracking squawk in her voice. "They didn't slaughter most of the population last time, a slaughter I witnessed firsthand as my father and I tried to escape."
"General, she has a very valid point." Dane was careful to wait for Morris to meet his gaze, a brow raised on the commander-in-chief's face to signal that further dissection of the situation was granted. "We had warning ahead of the last Kromus invasion, and they only sent one tactical group that was held up by automated system defenses." Again, Dane paused to collect his thoughts on how to present the dilemma they faced now compared to the situation nearly a quarter of a century earlier. "They had no warning this time, the system defenses never activated. Based on Miss Aran's statements on during our withdrawal from the Dakona system, we're lucky she made it out alive to even tell us."
It took a few seconds, but ultimately, Morris would nod in agreement. "Kromus Pirates don't often leave refugees to rally an opposition to them. Even with Ridley dead for the last two decades, the Kromus High Command are no idiots, and their kind are not to be trifled with. They were blasting each other into repeated stone ages across the Dragon's Head Nebula while we were still pulling ourselves through the bronze age and barely sailing the seas." A pause again as Morris would tap on his own wristcomp in response to a soft beep to bring up a crackle over the small speaker. "Morris here. Go ahead."
"General, fleet is ready to hit the corridor and tether to the rendezvous. Its going to take a day and a half at best sustainable speeds, according to two-four-two, since we don't have a charting of any jump lines leading into the outer core belt."
"Tell two-four-two to access charts under code alpha-one-one-niner, authorization key beacon-harvest-cole." Morris gave a smirk as he keyed off his wristcomp. "Admiral, Commander. You boys have a ship to lead into combat. I'll leave the matters of Miss Aran's care and board to you, gentlemen. I, right now, have a Sangheili Arbiter to negotiate with." A nod to the trio as he would make his way for the doors and left, leaving both Adam and Samus to just stare after him, while Dane could only hold his nose and shake his head.
"This is payback for waking him up at one in the morning on Ganymede," came the muttered words as the admiral would take a deep breath. "Alright, you heard him, Malkovich. We have a fleet to lead through a jump corridor that's off the books, a planet to retake, and a precursor remnant to rescue."
"Admiral, sir." Malkovich hesitated as Dane strode across the room in following Morris' departure. "How are we going to take Zebes? The Kromus are fortified in there, and they've have plenty of time to bolster defenses and get control of any DefNets the Chozo had."
A nod was the man's response as he motioned for both his companions to follow him. "I'm well aware, commander. An entire platoon made the bounce and are dead or trapped on the surface, but we cannot allow the Pirates free reign of what is hidden there. We're going to do as the general said, make for Zebes with the full Seventh, and get a ground team down here to search and retrieve any survivors."
"Admiral, I need to know how you even plan to get the survivors off Zebes."
They all halted as Samus spat those words. Dane considered her for a moment, eyes narrowed at the young woman. He had never known Samus to be this belligerent toward him, but it was something he wasn't liking. Now all the times he had been called into the academy to have a long word with her were starting to make far more sense than he's want to let himself believe. "That is information I'm not ready to-"
"Just admit that you don't have a plan."
His brow creased as he shot a glance to Malkovich, then sighed and returned his line of to the blonde girl. "Samus, I understand that, yes, Zebes had been your home for twelve years, but if we are to have any hope of beating the Kromus here, we cannot go in without a strategy after we already lost an entire battle group and all hands. General Morris is-"
Another beep from his wrist computer, though this time, only text appeared on the small screen. Dane narrowed his eyes as he read the communique, hesitating before he looked up at Samus and Adam with concern in his eyes. "Change of plans, it seems. General Morris needs to get to Daiban ASAP, and Concordia is the fastest ship in the region. Commander, prep the crews and have Cora tether the fleet for warp jump to Al'kya. Have guest quarters prepared, Miss Aran is going to need a place to sleep during the ten hour flight."
"Admiral, what is-"
"Chaos, commander, and it is that which we are forced to push through." A pause as Dane keyed open the conference room door and led the pair out into the main concourse of New Alexandria base. "Apparently, the Arbiter is already on his way to meet with Kea'ton, and General Morris just received hyperburst from GalFed capital to make all haste and meet at the Assembly Hall before mid day tomorrow, local time. We are going to show the Congress that we are not screwing around, and our informant can give a first hand account of what happened at Zebes."
It took a few seconds for it to sink in the implication of what was about to happen. "General Morris plans to tell the Assembly about Zebes?"
"Captain Orman recommended it since the founder worlds still hold a high regard for the Chozo, and if they know what's at stake, it should tip the arguments in our favor for a full assault to rescue the survivors and get the Pirates out of there." Dane's eyes turned to his 'guest', well aware the concern she had now. "We may have to disclose that you lived with the Chozo for some years, but we will keep other things under wraps, Samus. I still don't trust those ghouls any further than I can throw them."
With a deep breath, Dane led the way down the concourse and toward the lasnding pad where he had a dropship waiting for them still. "Let's get going, kids. Time to take back the galaxy."
