…
"Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception."
(Carl Sagan)
…
Unknown, unknown, unknown, unknown
…
My eyelids were heavy, as if they were made of lead. As I opened them, I was greeted with a large, dark blur that occupied the entirety of my vision. I attempted to move my arms, only able to move the right. All I got from the left was a sharp burning sensation that traveled the whole length of my arm. Both legs were much warmer than my exposed arms, meaning I must have been under a blanket or sheet of some kind.
As my vision began clearing back up, the first thing I noticed was Mara, who was sleeping soundly at my bedside. I looked at my surroundings, seeing I was inside a self-contained medical unit similar to the ones on the MFV Orvosi, but different in a few ways. I looked to my right hand, relived to see that my father's old ring was still in its rightful place.
I sat in my bed completely still for ages, just trying to reprocess myself and put together a mental timeline of the attack.
We were attacked by Cerberus. They had arrived on one of the Idenna's scout ships. They were apparently looking for Gillian. Attacked in full force, killing everyone in sight. Even the civilians. One of the quarians was part of the Cerberus team. Killed him on the crew deck. Sustained a gunshot wound to the left shoulder. Passed out trying to stop remaining Cerberus commandos from leaving.
After piecing that together, I looked up at the IV bag holder, seeing an empty blood bag hanging from it. It didn't take a genius to realize that I had been given a blood transfusion. I looked to my left shoulder, seeing several layers of bandages covering the spot where I had been shot. I slowly started moving the arm again, starting with my fingers, then wrist, and then the joints themselves. My guess was that several of the nerves must have been inflamed or damaged.
Eventually, the normal running lights turned back on, bathing everything in a bright, LED glow.
I looked back at Mara, seeing that the light has stirred her. She slowly rose from her slumber, her eyes shooting open in surprise the moment she saw me conscious.
"Sean!" She cried out loud, instantly pulling me in and hugging me. "Oh my god, I thought you would never wake up!"
"It's alright… it's alright." I reassured with a weak smile, giving her a gentle pat on the back as she pulled away slightly. She then kissed me on the cheek before sitting back down in her chair. "How long was I out?"
"You were unconscious for... eleven hours." She answered in a soft tone, still looking very worried as she checked the time. "You passed out from blood loss."
I nodded slightly in acknowledgment to her, before other thoughts crossed my mind.
"What happened after I passed out? I asked, becoming worried over Kahlee, Gillian, and the rest of the crew from the Idenna. "Is everyone alright?"
"Apparently, from what I heard, one of the guys who attacked was Gillian's father, Paul Grayson." She answered, thinking back the last few hours. "He was trying to take Gillian back to Cerberus, but Kahlee managed to convince him not to do it. They had the other shuttle filled with explosives that would have destroyed the Idenna, but he told Captain Mal the code to disarm them."
"I assume this man is now under custody?" I remarked, suddenly getting my old, vigilante urges again. I haven't felt that since Lynda.
"The quarians are debating what they'll be doing with them." She finished, stopping for a few moments before looking back at me. "Sean, you have no idea how close they were to finding me. There were three of them, going cubical to cubical and shooting anyone they found."
She then stopped to think about it for a few more seconds, before she smiled.
"Then I heard your voice." She recollected, tears forming in her eyes as she grabbed my hand and squeezed it. "Whatever you did… you saved my life."
She then broke down into tears, putting her head down into my blankets as she sobbed quietly. I put my hand on her back, gently rubbing it.
"It's alright… it's alright." I reassured, taking in a deep breath as I pondered what to do next.
…
MFV Idenna, November 25th, 12:36 PM, 2183
…
After a few hours more in my little medical room, I was given an arm sling and was cleared for unassisted movement. I was free to go. After taking the time to look over the medical report, I'd have to chalk my survival up to sheer, blind luck.
If the round the quarian had fired hit any closer to my subclavian artery, I wouldn't still be here, and the blood for the transfusion had come from Mara, who was apparently blood type O- according to her blood tests from months ago.
Lady Luck was on my side, apparently.
The entire fleet was up in arms over the attack on the Idenna, and were unsure as to what they would do with Paul Grayson. He had been the one to give them the access codes to the Idenna and enabled them to cause dozens of deaths, but he also prevented the Idenna from being scuttled by providing the codes to disable the explosives onboard the Cyniad. It was a hard decision for them.
I could only guess what affect this would have on the Conclave's previous talks.
Mara and I slowly made our way back to the bridge where Mal currently was, walking past scenes of destruction and bloodshed that were still very fresh. The bodies were nearly finished being moved to one of the shuttle bays, where they would be visited by mourning family members before being ejected into space. It was an extremely depressing ordeal just looking at. I felt so sorry for those who have to move the bodies.
Inside the bridge, Mal was standing at the nearby communication console, going over the tight-beam transmitter repairs with one of his bridge crew. He walked over to us the moment he knew we were here.
"Good to see you back on your feet, Captain Michaels." Mal greeted with a much lighter handshake than normal. "There were some among my medical staff who didn't think you'd survive."
"Well, I'm glad that they were wrong." I replied with a small smile, before thinking back to the grisly question I knew I'd have to ask. "So… what are the numbers?"
Mal paused for a second, turning around and looking out his bridge window.
"Twenty-seven dead, thirty-nine injured or wounded." He answered, hands folded behind his back as he stared out at the stars. "All Cerberus hostiles, ten commandos, one pilot, and one exiled quarian, all dead."
"The quarian I killed on the crew deck was an exile?" I asked, remembering the encounter clearly in my mind.
"Yes, he was formerly Golo'Mekk vas Usela, before trying to sell his fellow crew members to the Collectors." He answered as he turned back around to face us, making me remember the story Dimitri had told me a while ago. "We suspect that he helped Cerberus infiltrate my ship."
"Well, he got what was coming to him." I replied, letting a small bit of venom drip from my voice. "He was killing every quarian he ran across on the crew deck before I pumped him full of bullets."
"Well, you sure did a good job of that." He congratulated, nodding approvingly to me as he pulled my two extra 1911 mags out from a pouch behind his back. "I assume these belong to you?"
"Yes, thank you." I confirmed, taking them both and putting them in my loose coat pocket.
"You're not going to hold Kahlee or the other two accountable for any of this, right?" Mara asked with another worried look in her eyes.
"Of course not, it's not their fault that this all happened. All fault for the attack falls on Cerberus." He said, filling my heart with relief as Mara let out a breath she had been holding in.
"So, what happens with the ship vote now?" I inquired, wondering what kind of ripples this attack was sending thought the Fleet.
"I think in the end, this attack will help generate support for the move to the Klenot system." He answered, folding his hands behind his back again. "I've already received messages from other ship captains offering support. It's unfortunate that it took something like this to change their minds, but what's done is done."
"Well, in the end, I hope it can help strengthen your cause." I finished, giving him a curt nod. "We're going to head back to our ship for now and wait for the conclusion of the Conclave, Captain, but if you or Kahlee or any of the others need our support, we'll be there."
He nodded back to me without a word, as he turned on his heel and went back to the communications console.
Mara and I left the bridge, walking past a few decon crews before ending back up in the shuttle bay to say our goodbyes to Kahlee, Hendel, and Gillian in case we never saw them again. When we arrived at the previously besieged shuttle, we gave it a firm knock.
The door slid open, revealing Hendel and Gillian once more.
"Well, at least you two knock instead of just barging in." He greeted, looking at me with some surprise. "You look as lot better than you did yesterday."
"I'll take that as a complement." I replied, standing instead of sitting. "So, we're going to go back to the Explorer for now, but we just wanted to say goodbye just in case we didn't see you again."
"Well, Kahlee isn't here right now, but I'll be sure to send the word along." Hendel agreed, nodding as we both shook hands.
"We appreciate it." Mara thanked, also shaking his hand.
It was at that moment I remembered something.
"Oh, and before I go…" I said, pulling out an OSD and walking over to Gillian. "Gillian, I made this for you. I was going to give it to you yesterday before… well, before everything happened."
She then took the OSD with a cautious look on her face, staring at it for a few seconds before looking back to me.
"What is it?" She asked, looking slightly harder at me.
"On this OSD, I put copies of all my ambient audio recordings for you to listen to." I explained, pointing at it for emphasis. "If you ever want to focus yourself, relax, or need help going to sleep, these can help you."
"What kind of recordings?" She asked, sounding even more curious.
"Simple things, like snowstorms, rain, waterfalls, and even a campfire." I said, getting a small smile on my face. "These have always helped me, and I'm hoping they can help you too."
"Thank you!" She said quickly, cracking a small smile before going off into the bunk area of the shuttle.
I let my smile grow a little larger before I nodded back to Hendel, and we went on our way. We called a shuttle over to pick us up, and as we waited, Mara and I began talking again.
"So… if they actually do end up moving to the Klenot system, what do you think will become of their Fleet?" She asked as we leaned against one of the bulkheads.
"Well, it's like Mal said before, they'd either have to try and make the journey with conventional FTL, or they'd have to abandon their ships to make the journey." I answered in a matter-of-factly tone, trying hard to ignore the dull, throbbing pain in my left arm.
"Are you sure there's no other way we could get them there?" She inquired further, looking very confused. "I'm sure there's something we could do."
I thought about it for a few moments, thinking about all the possible ways we could mount Reach Systems and whatnot. It was only when I thought harder about the Gravity Drive did it dawn on me.
"I've figured it out!" I said, almost yelling as I found myself filled with a sudden burst of energy. "If we simply used the Liveships to move the unequipped ships, we could slowly transport the Fleet that way!"
"What do you mean?" She quizzed, lost to what I was saying.
"You remember how the Gravity drive works, right?" I quickly asked, trying to get my thoughts out as fast as possible. "It creates a sphere-shaped magnetic field to protect the ship and isolate it from normal space! If we get the ships to cram into close enough proximity that they are also inside the magnetic field, they can all jump at once!"
"Wait, so you're suggesting that the ships without Gravity Drives… surf with the Liveships?" She reworded, suddenly filled with energy as well.
"Yes! It already isolates them from normal space! The field does all the work when it's active, so as long as they stay within that sphere of influence they'll be moving at the same speed as the Liveships!" I confirmed, actually getting a little jittery as the possibilities ran through my head. "We need to tell the Conclave about this! Nothing has to be left behind!"
As soon as our shuttle arrived at the Rayya, we spread this new information like a raging wildfire.
…
MFV Explorer, December 1st, 1:22 PM, 2183
…
After almost a week of nonstop debates, meetings, and arguments, the decision had been made.
With all the public support pouring in after the attack on the Idenna, and after blabbing about the Reach System's ability to move other ships inside the magnetic field, we were all going to make the move to the Klenot system.
The move itself would take a few days, due to the need for recharges and organizational management. Along with the Liveships, a few of the bigger ships in the Fleet also volunteered to serve as "surfing" vessels. It would be a tedious process once it began tomorrow, but worth it in the end.
The Liveships, due to their massive size, would be able to safely cram upwards of 200 to 500 ships into their magnetic field at once. It would take a few hours to get the ships into position, but when the jump was made, they were set and ready to go. The smaller Fleet ships could fit various numbers, too hard to predict due to size differences and such.
That wasn't the only thing happening, either. Kahlee was taking Paul Grayson to the nearest Alliance facility so they could arrest him, and in an interesting turn of events, Hendel and Gillian were staying in the Migrant Fleet. I offered both of them spots onboard our ship, but after everything they went through on the Idenna, I think they were comfortable where they were.
I wished them all the best of luck. It wouldn't be easy integrating into quarian society.
As for me, Mara, Lydia, and the rest of our lovely crew, we were going back to Reach. We had accomplished a lot here over the last week and a half, and personally, I wanted to go home. We'd have a lot of stories to tell our friends back on the homestead.
A lot would be happening the next few days, and I had so many ideas for what we could do once we had full manpower in our system.
I popped a few more pain meds into my mouth as I flexed my left arm with a noticeable amount of pain. Most of the major damage had been healed already, meaning I no longer had to wear the arm sling. The hard part would be getting my arm to move properly again. It would be a good month or so before I could even think about fine motor control in my hand.
I looked around the bridge, looking at everyone as they look their places. Mara was back at her communications console with her hair hanging out freely, Lenlo was piloting our old bucket of bolts, Kirva was sitting calmly at the weapons console as she fiddled with her tooth necklace, and the reclusive Biss had actually come up from Engineering and offered to man the communications console.
I smiled, realizing how good of a crew I really did have as I looked out the window into the black.
"Lenlo, engage the Gravity Drive." I ordered, nodding to him as I relaxed in my chair. "Take us home."
"Yes Captain." He replied with an uplifted tone, as the vision outside of the Explorer became distorted for a few seconds. We then jumped, stars passing by in seconds as we moved into a new age.
…
MFV Explorer, December 29th, 7:20 AM, 2183
…
"In other news, Council investigators are still baffled over the sudden disappearance of the Quarian Migrant Fleet. The fleet of over 50,000 ships was last seen in the Pylos Nebula three weeks ago before it vanished, sending many government agencies across the territories into a panic. No one has been able to figure out how the massive flotilla of ships simply dropped off the radar, leading to many theories over the Fleet's sudden absence. Some believe that the Quarians have returned to their home system beyond the Veil in an attempt to take back their homeworld from the Geth, while others are suggesting that they could have found a Mass Relay that leads to an undiscovered system. Privateers are combing the Pylos Nebula looking for possible answers, but are having no luck in their search for possible clues. The Council is preparing to dispatch SPECTRE operatives to the Pylos Nebula for an official investigation. When questioned on the issue, Councilor Sparatus was quoted, saying "The quarians are vagrants, thieves, and above all else, dangerous. Until their fleet can be found, we can only assume the worst."
I cracked a small smile as I finished reading the latest news article on the Migrant Fleet's "mysterious disappearance." It was actually a lot of fun reading all these hair brained theories of what happened to the Quarians. It was like being part of a massive, species-wide inside joke.
I was about sixty percent sure that the Alliance already knew what we had done, and I was one-hundred percent sure Cerberus sure as hell knew where we were. Hell, some of the scrap from their destroyed ships probably went into the construction of the ODP. With all the tensions after the attack and our isolated location, I doubt they'd try anything funny for a long time.
Nearing the end of our first month here in the Klenot system, things were going very well. All ships finished making the jumps after three days, and now the only ships outside Klenot were exploration ships that were slowly making their way back home. On top of that, many ships have actually landed on Reach, looking to establish settlements, I wasn't expecting that, but I couldn't argue against it in any way.
Within days of fully occupying the system, entire mining facilities have popped up all over Reach, and smaller wolf pack groups of mining ships have begun combing through the asteroid belts of Mėlynas and Geltonas. Resources were rolling into the Fleet like a steady stream of water. It didn't take long for production on the Orbital Defense Platform to finish after this, which made me and everyone else on the station happy on an incredible level.
We received an outpouring of volunteers to work on the station, much to my surprise, but then again all quarians volunteered to serve rotations on the Liveships too. In fact, today was the day we were actually going to test the ODP. It was online and fully functional, and later this afternoon all the Admirals and key members of the Conclave would arrive to witness the largest mass accelerator weapon ever fire for the first time.
Everyone else was still asleep at the moment, but that would likely change in a few minutes since the scent of coffee was now rolling through the air. Now that the ODP was finished, I began mulling over a few more ideas that had been rolling through my skull.
What I wanted to do was start designing new spacecraft that we could use. Nothing huge, just simple things like fighters, gunships, and possibly freighters. Plenty of ideas, and so many possibilities. Once the ball got rolling on the orbital shipyards, I was going to propose the creation of seven new fighter squadrons, and a single squadron of heavily-armed gunships. The quarians were at a serious disadvantage in both departments, considering they had very few effective gunships, and no fighters to speak of.
I looked at a few of the little digital drawings I had made for my proposal later this week. I was a pretty good artist when it came to technical objects such as guns, vehicles, and other objects, but I could never draw organic things like faces or hands to save my life. My favorite at the moment had to be the one gunship I had dubbed "The Cobra".
It was a medium-sized, multi-purpose assault craft armed with two 100mm mass accelerator cannons on the ends of the wings, and four missile launchers on the inside where the wings made contact with the hull. It would be manned by a crew of six, and would be capable of bombarding ships and ground targets with relative ease. It would be able to carry cargo in a small hold near the center of the craft, and would feature wings that folded upwards when landing. It would be propelled by four oversized plasma engines, powered by a miniature NM reactor.
I wanted this big bastard to hit as hard as a thermobaric bomb, and move fast enough to avoid retaliation from anything but the most advanced interceptors.
Still, it was only a concept. There would likely be problems associated with developing such a craft, but in the end I think it would make a valuable addition to the Fleet if I could get it built.
I picked up my cup of coffee, taking a sip and letting it sink in for a second. This last coffee shipment we got was some of the best I have ever had while here in the Fleet. I didn't know if it was some sort of unannounced reward or something, but it was fucking fantastic.
I looked over my shoulder, seeing that the second person to get up today was actually Biss. I thought this was odd, because he's always gotten up at 9:00 sharp every morning.
"Well, how are you this fine morning?" I greeted, raising my cup towards him.
"I'm alright." He replied quickly, grabbing a tube of nutrient paste from the second cabinet on the top as he always did. He then sat down slowly in the end chair closest to the escape pods.
"So, have you gone over to see the ODP yet?" I asked before shoveling another spoonful of cornflakes into my mouth.
"N-no, it's a little too… imposing for me." He answered, seizing up slightly before relaxing again. "Is it dangerous?"
"It is for any poor sap who tries to approach Reach without identifying themselves." I said, letting a small smirk cross my face. "Why? Worried about it?"
"No, I'm just worried about… well…" He began to explain before stopping himself.
"You're still worried about the mass effect fields, I know." I finished for him, knowing exactly what he was keeping himself from saying.
He nodded in agreement, hooking his nutrient tube to the underside of his mask as we both sat in silence for a while minute.
"So, what's your latest theory on mass effect fields and their impact on the space around us?" I asked, wanting to break up the silence between us and coax him into socializing.
"Well… I'm starting to think that they could have various, damaging effects on large, gravitational fields." He answered, sounding more comfortable now that he was talking about his favorite subject. "Things like weakening the magnetosphere of a planet, disrupting the composition of stars, or maybe even weakening the magnetic components of electronic systems."
I stared at him in thought for a moment before speaking up.
"Can you think of any way to measure these changes?" I asked, trying to find a way to further his theory. "Have you tried subjecting say… standard iron magnets to a mass effect field? Seeing if that does something to their overall strength?"
"I haven't tried that yet, no, but I had that and a few other small experiments lined up when we return to the surface of the planet." He finished, standing up as he pulled out his empty nutrient tube and discarded it into the trash chute.
"Ok then, well let me know what you come up with when you're done." I encouraged, as he nodded quickly back to me and walked off.
I thought about his latest theory for a few seconds, wondering if this could actually be true this time.
If it did, then we could have a few more tech ideas for the future.
…
Cairo Station, December 29th, 2:30 PM, 2183
…
I stood at attention at the top of the command center, looking down at everyone gathered here. All Admirals but Koris and Zadie were present, along with the two-thirds of the Conclave that voted in favor of constructing this station. I was front and center at the top of the command platform with Captain Keno. I looked back, seeing all my friends looking back at me with smiles on their faces.
"I think everyone's here." Keno said, turning slightly towards me.
"Yeah, let's get this ball rolling." I replied, stepping forward as all chatter in the room stopped.
It was so quiet during that one moment that you could hear your own heartbeat.
"Thank you all for coming here today. I can't express how grateful I am for all the support we received for this project, so... thank you." I began, looking at each and every face that was staring up at me. "Today, we will be firing the largest mass accelerator weapon ever built, and with it we can protect the Klenot system from any outside threat. Today, Reach becomes a fortress world that will ward off all those who wish us harm. Captain Keno, you may have the honor."
"Thank you, Captain." He nodded, stepping forward next to me. "Begin the firing sequence. Target the MFV Odkrycie and fire for maximum effect."
I looked at the large monitor at the end of the room as the station rumbled. The loading mechanism traversed the barrel, charging the coils to full power before stopping at the top. The whole command center was silent for that one, brief moment.
What I saw next was the most exciting and terrifying display of firepower I had ever seen.
The gun fired as the loader slammed back down the barrel, sending a massive shockwave through the station as the round soared into the decommissioned MFV Odkrycie a few miles away, impacting with maximum force. It exploded into a shower of debris, creating a large flash of blue light before dissipating in the vacuum of space.
The entire Admiralty and Conclave erupted into applause, as Captain Keno gave a silent salute to his old home. I would have to look at the data we had recorded of the impact, but for now, it was time to celebrate.
We had finally done it. We've given the quarians a new, safe home.
I hoped it would be enough to stop the Reapers.
…
A/N: So, that concludes the second major arc of the story. The quarians finally have a new home, are safe from the rest of the galaxy, and can now begin repairing and upgrading their ships for the inevitable retaking of the homeworld. Just because they have this world doesn't mean they'll be giving up on Rannoch anytime soon.
I'm still between ideas for what will occur between now and Mass Effect 2, but I'll figure it out sooner or later. It feels so good to have this portion of the story finished, and I hope you're all still having a good time reading it. I may take a bit of a break after this chapter, or I may not, who knows. It all depends on how I feel.
My lazy ass finally got around to writing my profile page. It's got some basic info about me and the story on it.
Also, I'd like to give a big thanks to entroz on deviantART for allowing me to use one of his ship designs as the basis for "The Cobra." It can bee seen here: fav me da05jtk (Put a period between fav and me, and a slash between me and da05jtk.)
I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Stay tuned!