Somewhere in the Terminus, July 12, 2192.

An unmarked freighter dropped out of FTL as it approached its destination. The planet that it was headed to, a mountainous planet with a mono-climate, was the perfect place to hide out, the ship's Pilot thought to himself. He didn't enjoy living underground –no Batarian worth their weight did- but he could appreciate the natural tunnel network that ran existed in each of the mountains. Given a different situation, he might find it interesting to see how extensive it went.

Now was not the time for such curiosities though, he had a job to do, and he was determined to do it quick. No point in lingering around when he could be off making money elsewhere soon as he was done.

The independent colony he was visiting was quite beautiful. There wasn't a lot of settlements in it, though its population was steadily rising. Salarians, Turians and Krogans trying to get away from being drafted into the military, as well as Volus refugees who escaped from the Turian occupation but want nothing to do with the Council anymore. These have been becoming a common sight around the Terminus, as the half-century war has somehow turned even bloodier,

There are mountain ranges as far as the eyes can see cutting through the continents, and cliffs rise right out of the planet's many seas as they lined the entire coastline.

Built on one of these ocean-side mountains, a beautiful -though foreboding- looking fortress, with intricate designs and decorations, sat on its side.

Lowering the craft, the ship's HUD lit up as a guideline towards his designated landing zone. The metal platform was surrounded by AA cannons and Anti-Ship missile launchers. The ship touched down, and the metal platform lowered itself deeper into the depths of the mountain.

The platform finally stopped lowering itself and brought itself closer to the cavern based hangar.

Blast doors covering the hangar opened, revealing two Salarians and well over a dozen Gun-Mechs.

The Pilot got up from his seat and pulled a lever which lowered the cockpit of the ship to ground level. He opened a hatch and exited the freighter.

"You're late." The Salarian wearing a lab coat said.

"It's not my fault, shipment was given to me late. If you've got complaints, send them to the navy." The Pilot said.

"The Navy? What happened!" The armored Salarian said.

"Apparently the Turians made contact with the Humans, and both managed to repel the spearhead of the latest invasion." The Pilot said. "Now they're counterattacking, and have launched an invasion of the colony we took."

The Salarian scientist paled for a moment, before shaking his head.

"Japh said we still had a year before they made contact, this pushes our timetable considerably! Contact our mutual friend, tell him that I will be needing the next shipment earlier." The scientist said, transferring the Pilot's payment via his omni-tool. The Pilot confirmed that the payment has been received, and lowered the ship's cargo hold, revealing several large crates.

A squadron of industrial Mechs moved in and took the crates away towards the part of the fortress/bunker that was marked 'Holding Room'.

The Pilot returned to his ship and activated the engines. As soon as the Mechs had finished unloading his cargo, he had his ship's VI signal the hangar VI to raise the platform again.

The armored Salarian walked over to the scientist, datapad in hand.

"So, you're actually requisitioning more people, at higher frequencies for your horrendous experiments?"

"The more subjects I can experiment with, the faster I can complete my research Kangl. You should know this, it's researching 101." The scientist replied flippantly.

"Have you no heart Saleon? These are people you're experimenting with! They have lives and family, are you really that cold that you wouldn't think of that?" Kangl practically shouted.

Saleon turned around to face the taller Salarian.

"The sooner I can complete my research; the sooner we can end this war Kangl. Without this, this galaxy is doomed to fight for another half century! That's another 12 generations of Salarians who will be dragged into the war. 12 Generations of Salarians who will be conscripted into the frontlines, to fight a war they might not even know the purpose of!" Saleon replied. "Learn your place in the grand scheme of things, Kangl. It doesn't matter how terrible the things I do are; the ends justify the means."

Saleon turned around and left Kangl in the hangar alone with the Mechs.

Kangl balled his fists, took a deep breath, then went off to his office. He didn't doubt that Saleon had already reported his objections. This wasn't the first rant he had after all. He needed to settle some things, no doubt the Dalatrass might dispose of him if she start's seeing him as a liability, just like his predecessor.

-000-

FOB Berlin, Tiananmen Coastline, Shanxi, July 15, 2192, 06:00 Local Time.

"Sir, I must insist! Leading your men directly in the frontlines is extremely dangerous. The enemy will recognize your tank as a high-value target, and prioritize attacking you!" One of Volter's executives said.

The General put on his jacket, then strapped on his armored vest. He put on his cap, then his goggles on it.

"In 2067 my great-grandfather was among the men leading the charge into Federation territory. He rode in his own tank, with his own men, and faced his enemies as a general should. Why should I be any different?" He said to his executive. "The men will need morale, seeing the Hunting Tiger himself in the frontlines will no doubt do miracles for them."

"But…" The executive tried to reply but was cut off.

"No more, Jordan. I have already made up my mind." The General said exiting his tent.

Outside, soldiers and support units alike were hustling about, doing their work. Mechanics were performing maintenance, logistics officer making final checks on supplies that are being sent.

Headed towards the armor pool, the General could distinctly remember the Siege of Camelot. Fighting in his old Teutonic type tank, performing guerilla attacks against the Sol Union during the Brother's War. The most prominent memory he had, was ambushing 9 of the Union's superior Kingslayer tanks with only 2 other Crusader tanks with him. So great was such feat, that he and his crew received recognition from the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth directly.

Rounding a corner, he spotted his beast; an older, beat up Mattis class tank stood there, with its crew performing last minute checks. One of the crew members saw the General and walked over to him, before saluting.

"Ready to get back to the field Gunther?" the General asked.

"Locked, loaded, and ready to party, as the Yanks would say!" Gunther said. Having served with the General since the beginning of both their military careers, he had earned the right to talk so casually with the highly esteemed general.

"Eager as usual, eh?" The General said, chuckling a little. "Better introduce me to the new crew then."

Gunther leads the General to the tank, where the rest of the tank crew was waiting.

"Attention!" Gunther said loudly. "We have a new commander today. Would you all say hello to our guest of honor?"

The rest of the tank crew, which had been rather relaxed beforehand immediately straightened up and saluted the General.

The driver, a blonde named Ilsa, spoke up.

"Sir, we didn't know you were joining us on the front lines!" She said.

"I realize that it's a little bit sudden, but seeing how things might go, I think that it would be best if I came along. The troops could use some extra morale." The General said, inspecting his tank. "She's still in good shape, ja?"

"Yes sir!" the gunner, Frank, answered, "There's nothing that those four-eyed freaks have that can hold against her!"

The General had to suppress a smile which had been growing on his face. No doubt that his mere presence here had already done wonders for these soldiers.

Further inspecting the tank, Volter noticed several new scratches and dents that had not been there when he last commandeered the tank. The side panels on her were also entirely new, as well as the two exhaust pipes at the back. The twin 110mm cannons, a modification which had requisitioned back when he was a Colonel, still looked as imposing as when he first saw it. Though a whole 25mm smaller than the standard issue cannon that the Mattis class used, the stronger capacitors and rails which he personally installed would ensure that the gun fired at almost equivalent force. The fact that Batarian tanks were never designed for actual armored warfare, and instead designed mainly for infantry support helped immensely, as it would mean that they had armor that is more effective against infantry based anti-tank weapons, like anti-material rifles and RPGs, and less effective against a tank round.

The General inspected the side of the turret. A few new scratches were found again, and what seemed to be a patched hole in the tank. Beside said hole, was his beloved tanks own name, emblazoned in black and gold.

'The Furious Phantom'

He let that small smile he was suppressing form a little, even if only to be turned into a small scowl as he turned to Gunther.

"What happened here?" Volter asked as he pointed at the patched hole.

"Batarian RPG hit it. Damn thing pierced the armor, but thank god, didn't detonate." Gunther said.

"Well, we can't make any more mistakes like this. We are the best, of the best. I will not accept anything less than that. Am I understood?" The General announced as he climbed onto the top of the tank.

"Sir, yes sir!" They all answered together.

"Güt. Now, let's get going. We have got a war to win!"

-000-

Galactic News Update:

Citadel Central Broadcasting: Death tolls continue to rise as the Volunteer Corps continue to face increasing numbers of fights and prolonged battles against Turian forces. CCB War Correspondent Aleas Raeza reports that the Turians are using what volunteers are calling "literal moving fortresses". A galactic wide stalemate has occurred, and now citizens are beginning to question whether or not the war is even worth the effort.

Hierarchy Official News: With the 2nd stage of the Tor offensive underway, brave soldiers of the Hierarchy has bogged down the Volunteer Corps and the newly deployed Krogan Legions in a bloody war of attrition. Mobile Fortresses have been deployed by the army in key strategic locations, which would force enemy forces to engage the Fortress if they hope to advance. High command states that the 2nd stage of the plan is to bleed enemy reinforcements dry, before advancing to the next target.

Colonial News Center: The liberation of Shanxi is now at full swing as the Alliance Marine Corps have successfully captured 'beachheads' for deployment of the Alliance Army. Enemy resistance has been scattered at first, but the alien forces have regrouped before the Corps could push further. General Heinrich Volter has voiced displeasure, stating 'We might as well as formally tell them to get ready.' Reports of organized resistance around the planet has also been heard. Rumors of who these resistance fighters are organized by are already floating around, with General Henry Williams being the name heard the most.

Archive Update:

Year: 2139

The Brother's War: Before the formation of the Systems Alliance, the Human race and its subjects are under the rule of the Sol Union. The Union was in essence, an evolution of the United Nations of Earth. The main problem with the Union was its increasingly centralized government system. Almost all decisions concerning the Union were made in the UN HQ in New York City. Frontier colonies found it hard to represent themselves in elections, as compared to their population of 4 billion, the Core Territories were already home to over 11 billion humans. Feeling left out, many frontier colonies attempted to secede but were most of the time suppressed by the Union's monopoly on military power. Political instability within the Union finally came to a head when a demonstration in Elysium went violent after Military Police fired tear gas into the crowd. The MP had expected for the crowd to disperse but instead found that the demonstrators had rallied, and used improvised weaponry against the MP. The domino effect of the demonstration led to the Elysium colonial government being overthrown by the end of the week. Elysium, now armed and equipped with military grade equipment, declared independence from the Union, which inspired other colonies to revolt against the Union too. What started as local civil unrest in 2139, turned out to be a civil war stretching almost half of Human space. The seceding colonies banded together to become the Free Colonial Commonwealth. Fighting between the two factions died down in 2158, where both sides settled down and licked their wounds for the next 9 years, up until political conflicts flared up again and the war started again in 2167. The war finally ended permanently in 2179, after a nuclear bomb was detonated in Lowell City, Mars, as well as New York City. The bomb killed hundreds of millions of people. The Union finally capitulated after Union citizens demanded that the war is ended. The Union government finally chose to surrender. After the war, the Commonwealth annexed all Union territory, and then reformed their own government, though mostly in name. The Systems Alliance is finally formally formed in 2180.

A/N

No action this chapter, sorry if you were really looking forward to some. I just felt like I had to do flash out some things, and explain (or at least lead up to an explanation) of some things. We see a lot more of General Volter -see if anybody can guess who are his primary inspirations (though I wouldn't be surprised if anybody did)- and the backstory for this incarnation of the Systems Alliance.

I also introduced a third party to the entire conflict. To be honest, I didn't plan for them to be there, but I figured it would be a great place to kickstart the overarching story.

Write a review if you want to, or you could message them to me. As always, thanks for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day.

PS: Where in the hell is Satellite Provider? One guy from that location read up all chapters from this story. Curious is all.