…
"There are people who make things happen, there are people who watch things happen, and there are people who wonder what happened. To be successful, you need to be a person who makes things happen."
(Jim Lovell)
…
CASTLE Base, May 21st, 8:52 AM, 2184
…
I opened the hatch with a small hiss, almost instantly releasing all the warm air inside the cockpit and replacing it with frigid cold. I climbed out, coming face to face with Dan.
"Did it look good from the air?" I asked without missing a beat as I put my normal gloves back on.
"It looked awesome." He answered with a big smile, offering a handshake that I accepted without hesitation. "Don't worry, we re-recorded all of it."
"Good, good." I replied, looking down at the shuttle to see all the Admirals talking to one another. "What did they think of it?"
He looked down at the Admirals too before focusing back on me.
"I think we sur…surpassed all their expectations." He said with confidence, crossing his arms. "Well, I guess I should let you go. They seemed eager to speak with you."
"Yeah, I've been hearing that a lot." I finished, putting my hand on his shoulder and nodding to him before stepping onto the elevator and descending.
Back on the main hanger floor, I looked back up at the mech to see what kind of shape it was in. There was no damage on the mech, but it was covered in a ton of snow and ice. It was so packed with the white stuff that it almost resembled an ice giant from a fantasy book. The legs were especially icy due to me having walked it through a lake.
I approached the Admirals slowly, trying to mentally brace myself for whatever surprise they had in store for me. I was really hoping their news wouldn't be upsetting for me or my friends.
"What about that plasma cannon? Did you see how easily it cut through the obstacles in his path?" Zadie gushed in the middle of an ongoing conversation with the other Admirals, who were thankfully still unaware of my presence. "Have we considered using them on other vehicles?"
"According to the last report from Dr. Vsevolod, he and Dr. Nemo are already working on a version we can mount on the next generation of Cobra gunships." Gerrel replied, visibly annoyed by the cold. The thermal layers in his suit didn't seem to be helping much.
"For atmospheric use, of course." Rael added, before he and the rest of them finally noticed me approaching.
"Captain! That was an amazing show!" Zadie continued to rant, reminding me of an excited child. "You and your wife designed that plasma cannon, correct?"
"Uh… yeah. Yeah we did." I answered, trying as hard as I could to curb her enthusiasm. "It was pretty simple, really. All we had to do was upscale the original designs and balance the power, heat, and plasma subsystems, then-"
"That's enough for now." Rael cut off, taking a few more steps towards me. "I think we have more pressing matters to speak of."
"Yes, you're right." Raan agreed, nodding her head as she focused on me. "Captain, we've been having steady negotiations with the Systems Alliance for the last few weeks regarding possible trade deals. One of them would be particularly good for us as far as the shipyards go, but it also involves you and your team."
"What kind of trade deal would involve me and my team?" I asked, suddenly confused.
"Captain, what the Alliance wants to do is send an official, long-term representative here to live on Reach." Koris finished, cutting through all the bullshit and getting to the crux of the issue. "In return, we'll send our own representative to live in Arcturus Station, while receiving significant shipments of rare materials needed for our ongoing retrofits."
I stared at all of them for a few seconds, rolling around this information in my head. Something didn't sound right about this.
"There's more to this than you're letting on." I remarked, crossing my arms. "Why do both sides suddenly want to exchange representatives? This involves more than resources."
This time it was their turn to look between each other. They gave small gestures and nods to one another before speaking back up.
"Captain, the truth is the Alliance is looking to make the Quarians an official ally." Raan said, actually shocking me slightly. "According to Admiral Hackett, the Alliance is currently suffering from many issues regarding logistics, defense, and Cerberus. They want our help, but none of us want to make a decision yet."
"You mentioned Cerberus in particular. They've been feisty lately?" I prodded further, letting my arms hang at my sides again.
"In a matter of speaking, yes." Gerrel answered, looking up at the Dragoon mech. "Admiral Hackett believes that the Alliance is infested with Cerberus infiltrators. According to several of his reports, they've been ambushing Alliance convoys traveling through what are supposed to be secured trade routes."
"Somehow I'm not surprised." I replied, shaking my head in disappointment. "I think this can benefit the Fleet, but it has to be done right. I'll agree to it, but on two terms."
"What would those be, Captain?" Koris asked, crossing his arms as I heard him take a deep breath.
"First off, this representative has to be fully background checked, not a blemish on his record. I won't risk my wife or any of my friends with some spook who doesn't know a pen from a stick up their ass." I started, getting a small chuckle out of Zadie. "Second, I think it's only fair that we do a little trade of tech alongside this deal."
"What kind of tech trade?" Gerrel asked, still looking very uncomfortable in the cold. "A lot of your team's research is classified."
"My proposed trade is our experimental cloaking system for the one they used on the experimental Normandy-class frigate." I answered, looking hard at each one of them in succession. "Our prototype is already based on an old Alliance design, and we never got the system from that damned Cerberus ship. What do you think?"
"I think that's a perfectly reasonable offer." Zadie chimed in, nodding in approval. "Not only would we be assisting one another, but we'd also be upgrading our own stealth capabilities."
"We will weigh the options in more detail later." Rael said, trying to end the conversation before it could get too involved. "Doctor, there are two other matters me and Gerrel wish to speak with you about in private."
"Very well." I agreed, nodding to the other three Admirals as I walked away to the corner of the hanger with Rael and Gerrel. "So, what's the scoop?"
"First, smaller order of business, we've been looking at potential scenarios for a full-scale attack on Reach. We've taken everything into account, even potential Alliance invasions." Gerrel began, sounding much more serious than he had back in the group. "We've determined that there exist the possibility of an invading force outright avoiding Cairo Station, meaning there is a gap in the orbital defense grid."
"You're sure?" I questioned, folding my arms as I forced myself to begin thinking strategically. "We ran the projections, the station is supposed to be capable of… oh."
"What?" Gerrel questioned, leaning slightly towards me as I remembered something crucial.
"I ran those projections for a higher orbit pattern." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "We anchored it in a lower orbit that originally intended."
"Precisely." Rael agreed, folding his hands behind his back. "By this point, Cairo Station is the primary line of defense for the fleet's orbital shipyards. It will be too time consuming to move both the station and the shipyards to a higher orbit, so we've decided to build a second ODP to bring up the rear and defend the gap Cairo leaves open."
I actually allowed my eyes to widen in surprise, completely caught off guard by the sudden news.
"You want to build another one?" I restated, still not believing what I had heard. "I thought you were pushing to focus on the Fleet refits."
"The refits are progressing along at a much faster rate than we had originally projected." Gerrel reassured, waving his hand dismissively. "If we can secure this deal with the Alliance, we will have a healthy surplus of high-grade materials to put into use. We'll be able to keep the progress in the shipyards steady, while simultaneously jumpstarting the construction of a new ODP."
"I suppose the reason you're telling me this is because you want me to oversee construction again?" I guessed as Rael let out an amused huff.
"You would be correct, doctor." Rael confirmed, crossing his arms. "That's not a problem, is it?"
"No, that just means I'll have to do a lot of rescheduling." I answered with a small chuckle of my own as I scratched the back of my neck. "I've still got other projects to work on, you know. I've got to design a ship system capable of transporting the Dragoon mechs, and begin development on the Phantom, Viper, and Python concepts."
They both nodded silently to one another in approval as worry slipped into my mind once more.
"So, what was the second thing?" I asked, leaning against a crate. "You mentioned there was something else."
"Yes… we wanted to inform you that Captain Daro'Zen vas Moreh may occasionally be in CASTLE Base to use your facilities." Gerrel began, taking a breath before going on. "You've met her a few times before. She's a very talented woman, though she is… borderline obsessed with the Geth."
"That may be putting it lightly. She's more infatuated than anything else." Rael said to Gerrel under his breath as turned back towards me. "She'll be working on possible countermeasures we can utilize against both the Geth and Cerberus, violent or otherwise. If she asks for any data or assistance, I expect your team to cooperate."
"If she expects Richard or Powell to consent to any "tests", she'll be in for a rude surprise." I warned, developing a clearly visible scowl.
"If any of her requests involve either one of them, you have no obligation to accept them." Gerrel remarked before taking a step towards me. "However, I recommend you at least hear her out and assess her request before making any final judgments."
"Noted." I replied, letting my shoulders sag back down as the conversation neared its end. "Forward me the preliminary data on the ODP. I'll begin preparations and work as many improvements into the new platform as I can. As for this ambassador, let me know when you have more information."
"Doctor." Rael finished as I nodded to the two of them and walked away.
As soon as I well out of earshot, I pulled out my earpiece and inserted it back into my ear canal.
"Did you catch all of that?" I asked clearly as I walked back towards the hanger doors.
"We caught everything." Dimitri answered over the comm, as I looked over at the other corner of the hanger to see Dan and Dimitri sitting by a pile of materials. "While I know you still have distrust in Alliance, Sean, I believe Hackett will take proper steps to ensure safety of both us and quarian partnership."
"How can you say that? You heard what they told me, they've got holes in the Alliance big enough to drive a semi-truck through." I shot back, still deeply torn on what to think about the issue.
"Think about how t-this could shape the pol…political stance in the Alliance." Dan insisted, making eye contact with me from many yards away. "If the Alliance does solidify their r-relationship with the quarians, it holds the po… potential to weed out these infiltrators."
"It also holds the potential to start a war." I reminded, taking a breath before going on. "You know as well as I that if the Alliance makes this official, the other Council races will eventually find out. I doubt the Council will take the idea of a Human-Quarian partnership very well."
"Who cares what those bigots think?" Dan asked with a hint of venom in his voice. "To them, the quarians are nothing more than homeless beggars. Imagine what a bitch slap it would be to them all if they found out the quarians went from a race of drifters to a race possessing the most advanced military in galactic history."
Dan's statement actually took me back for a few moments as I put some brainpower into it. Thinking about it, we've always been developing things for defensive purposes. Never once have I thought about offense, taking the fight to our enemies and showing what we're truly capable of. While the potential for these inventions as offensive weapons has been pondered, I'd never looked back at the whole picture.
The plasma gun and it's larger, cannon-sized brother were incredibly advanced, capable of burning through all conventional armors and rendering kinetic shielding useless. The Gen III and IV exosuits enhanced the capabilities of every individual soldier in drastic, yet cost effective ways without sacrificing the wellbeing of the wearer. The ODPs were large enough to completely destroy any known ship, and even held the potential to crack the crust of entire planets. The biggest advantage was still the Reach system, which could be used to bypass the Relay network entirely, thus avoiding standard planetary defenses and allowing a relatively small amount of ships to strike at their weakest points with ease.
All of this made the quarians more than a match for any race out there.
Despite all of this, my mind drifted back to those we had lost, those who couldn't be here with us today. Remembering them, I banished the militaristic thoughts from my head as focused back on Dan.
"Just because we can go to war, doesn't mean we should." I defied, pausing for breath as I thought back to Jack. "We need to be ready for the real threat that's coming, and I'm not going to throw all our advantages away just to satisfy a political agenda."
Even from this distance, I could see Dan shake his head in disappointment as he looked back to Dimitri.
"Either way, things are going to get much busier around here in the coming months." I began to finish, tugging lightly on my goatee. "Tell the others to be aware of the changes and to keep their ears open. I don't want any surprises to come out of nowhere and bite us in the ass like last time."
"Very well, Sean. We will see you later." Dimitri concluded as I shut off the comm link and walked out of the hanger back into the snow.
All I could wonder as I made my way back towards the underground facility is who the Alliance would send if this deal went through.
…
Serenity Valley, June 18th, 2:12 PM, 2184
…
The weekends were a nice time to take a breather and relax after a long workweek. No matter the job, nothing beat that feeling of "I have no obligations for the day" while sitting back and watching a movie with Mara.
I wished I was in the position to get that feeling.
I had been completely swamped with work for the last few weeks. At the moment, I was in the process of developing four new aircraft, another Orbital Defense Platform, and managing the logistics involved with starting production of the Dragoon mechs. Everyone was happy to pitch in with assistance, but they weren't the ones being constantly badgered by the Admirals with requests for status reports and time estimates. I was working overtime on all of it, and the news that this Alliance ambassador would be arriving soon wasn't helping in the slightest.
The guy's name was Lieutenant Gregory Buckell. Looking at his CSV, I had to grudgingly admit that the man's service record was very well-rounded. Joined the Systems Alliance ten years ago right out of high school and went on to fight in over a dozen small conflicts along the frontier. After saving his squad and a large group of human miners from a batarian slaver attack on Tyr, he was promoted to Lieutenant and invited to the ICT for Special Forces training.
He made it all the way to the N3 designation before learning he had begun to develop hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that thickens the myocardium, which in turn impairs his cardiac muscle. The condition is non-life threatening by our modern day medical standards, but prevents him from engaging in the same kind of heavy physical activity that regular service requires. It effectively killed his military career. From there, he joined Alliance R&D as a military consultant before being invited to Hackett's personal staff.
Overall, he seemed to be a pretty solid guy. Hackett must have put a lot of faith in him to allow him not only into his staff, but to be the Alliance ambassador here in the Klenot system. Still, we would be the judge of that. If the guy was all of this and more, he'd have to prove it to us.
Dan, Dimitri, Sira and I went through the sobering process of clearing all the personal items out Jack's old housing unit. Gregory was going to be staying with us, which I initially objected to before being told to basically deal with it. I think the Admirals were attempting to use that "human connection" theory of theirs again, and I was really starting to get annoyed by it.
"Need any help with anything?" Mara asked, standing in the doorway with a glass of water in one hand, and a cup of coffee in the other.
"I'm afraid there's not much here you can help with." I remarked as I leaned back in my chair, letting out a deep sigh. "When is that man supposed to arrive again?"
"Sometime between three and four." She answered, walking over to me and placing the steaming coffee cup on my coaster.
"That mean's I'll have to clean up soon." I groaned, burying my face into my hands as tried as hard as I could to keep myself under control. "Thanks hon."
Mara stood to my side and stared down at me for a few seconds with a mildly amused look on her face. I turned all my attention to her, confused.
"Ok… what did I do?" I asked as she let out a small chuckle.
"You know, I've never been able to pin down what exact accent you have." She replied, crossing her arms as she looked studiously into my eyes. "It seems to be pretty unique, whatever it is."
I stared back at her for a moment or two, not knowing what to say.
"I have an accent?" I questioned, completely in the dark as to what she was talking about.
"You honestly don't know?" She shot back with an even more chide expression on her face. "You say "hon" instead of honey, sometimes you roll your O's, and on the rare occasions you've even omitted entire vowels from words and shouted curses in… I think it was German?"
"Oh, you mean schiss?" I shot back, finally understanding what she was getting at. "Yeah, that's German for shit. As for the accent, I think what you're referring to is my mongrel Maryland accent."
"See, you just did it there." Mara pointed out as the smile on her face grew bigger. "Why do you pronounce it "Mare-a-lend" instead of "Mary-land"?
"To be honest, that's just how everyone says it there." I shrugged, thinking back to my parents. "My mother was raised in a German/Irish household in Baltimore County, while my father was brought up in a Polish home located in a city neighborhood known as Curtis Bay. Growing up, I guess I just mixed and matched certain phrase they used until I settled on this weird fusion of slang and city-speak."
"I like it, it gives you more character compared to the stilted way Dan speaks." She remarked, taking a seat across from me. "Why does he speak like that? I've always found it to be one of the oddest things about him."
"To be honest, I'm not quite sure myself." I admitted, taking a gulp of the warm coffee and savoring the warmth in my throat before going on. "Back when I first met him in high school, it was even worse, and he barely spoke at all. Took a while, but he started to get better."
"But why does he speak like that?" Mara pushed further, clearly interested in his condition.
"The speech impediment is simply part of his Asperger's Syndrome." I answered in the bluntest way possible. "I used to have one too when I was really young, I would speak so fast that no one but my parents could understand me. I went through a lot of speech therapy in elementary school to correct it."
"You used to speak really fast?" Mara laughed, rubbing her stomach before looking back to me.
"I still can." I said after drinking more coffee as I cracked my neck and took a deep breath. "It'sliketheclassicdebateofwhymeasuringthepositionofanelectronchangesitsmomentumandvice-versa. Theonlycorrectansweristogetdrunkandsetfiretothings."
That got a real sharp laugh out of Mara, who laughed so hard it brought her to tears.
"Oh my God, I never thought I'd hear the Uncertainty Principle described in that fashion!" Mara remarked while wiping the tears out of her eyes. "Did you and Dan come up with that?"
"No, it's from an old web series Dan and I used to watch." I reminisced, remembering my high school and college days. "That series always got funnier every time we watched it."
I looked at the clock, only just now realizing how much time was left before this Gregory character would arrive. It was 2:23.
"Crap, I've got to clean up before this guy arrives." I explained, downing the rest of the coffee in a few gulps. "I'll talk to you later."
"See you." She finished as I ran into the bathroom, stripping off my clothes and hopping into the shower.
I leaned against the wall of the shower as hot water rolled over my head, remembering my college days. I chuckled as I recalled an old prank Dan and I pulled on our Physics professor. On April Fool's Day, we hijacked his computer with VNC and played Brutal Doom on it in the middle of the session. That first shotgun blast was at full volume too, making everyone jump up in their seats. It took every ounce of self-control we had to keep from bursting out with laughter.
I cleansed myself once my scalp was nice and hot, making sure not to leave any soap in my hair this time. Once the shower was over and I had dried myself off, I took out my razor and began trimming all the random hairs off of my neck and cheeks. I had developed a goatee that would have rivaled my father's, though my hair hadn't begun turning gunmetal grey yet. If I did have that trait, I'd likely start seeing it within the next five or so years. I decided to keep my hair the way it was for now, electing to "comb" it back with my hand.
Back in the bedroom, Mara had returned to the main living space. I opened the dresser, picking out my cleanest lab coat and placing it on the bed before putting on the rest of my clothes.
Most of my t-shirts were surplus, consisting of a cheap material and a single color, while nearly all of my sweaters we handmade, covered in repairs and patches from frequent use. I threw on a plain blue t-shirt and put one of my few good green sweaters on top of that. From there, it was a simple choice of underwear, wool socks, identical jeans, and surplus combat boots.
I hopped in front of the body mirror to make sure I looked right, slipping on the lab coat and pinning on my ID tag. I looked pretty good all things considered.
"I think he's here." Mara announced as she opened the door, tearing my attention away from the mirror. I glanced over at the clock, seeing it was 2:56.
"Wow, he's early." I remarked, smoothing any remaining wrinkles out of my lab coat as I walked outside with Mara.
Currently, we were actually experiencing clear weather. The snow had begun to go down slightly since the sun was out, but I imagined it wouldn't be long until that changed. In this climate, we got at least one snowfall every few days.
While walking to the landing pad, we were joined by Dimitri, Dan, and Sira. Where Richard and Powell were, I had no clue at the present moment.
The shuttle appeared to be an Alliance variant of the UT-47 Kodiak. Unlike the ones we used to escape from The Barn, this one was equipped with a blue and white paintjob, and had visibly more armor added to the fuselage.
Everyone stood behind me as the heat from the engines blew warmer air towards us. The Kodiak landed with a gentle thump, sitting quietly for a few moments before the hatch opened up.
Gregory Buckell walked out into the cold air, wearing a long, white winter jacket that bore the Alliance logo as a small patch on his chest. He wore this with his standard blue and black BDU. He was about the same height as me and Dan, had short, dirty blond hair that barely moved in the wind, and had green eyes.
He immediately made eye contact with me, walking over to me with a gaunt that suggested a sense of purpose.
"Greetings, Lieutenant. Welcome to Serenity Valley." I greeted, offering the man a handshake. He accepted it with healthy enthusiasm, immediately cracking a smile.
"I'm not much of a Lieutenant anymore, just a man working for the Alliance. Call me Greg." He humbly corrected before looking at each one of us in detail. He then focused back on me. "I assume you're Captain Michaels? The one in charge around here?"
"You'd be correct in that assumption." I confirmed as I folded my hands back behind my back. "Since we're being informal, call me Sean. The only ones who call us by our formal names are our quarian crew members and the Admirals."
He nodded in acknowledgment as I turned around to face everyone.
"This is Dimitri, he's the mind behind a lot of our weapons tech." I introduced as the two shook hands. "You two share something in common, you're both former Alliance military."
"Really?" Greg remarked in surprise. "Who'd you serve with, Dimitri?"
"I served under Admiral Kahoku during Skyllian Blitz." He answered with a small smirk before his expression quickly turned sad. "I still can't believe he's dead."
"He was a good man." Greg finished with a somber tone, returning his attention to me.
"This is Dan, he's my best friend and trained in many scientific disciplines, mainly theoretical physics." I continued, as Dan reluctantly shook his hand.
"Be seeing you." Dan said with a blank tone, causing Greg to shoot a look of confusion before he looked back to me.
"Don't mind him, we're a little… weary of newcomers." I reassured, turning to Sira. "This is Sira, she's our expert in Element Zero physics and applications."
"Ma'am." He greeted with a firm handshake as she let a smile cross her face. She nodded to him, pursing her lips as her posture became very stiff.
"This is Mara, my wife. She specializes in thermal projection, though she's talented in just about anything she does." I finished, stepping slightly to the side.
After looking reluctantly at his outstretched hand, she quickly shook it before letting go.
I recognized that handshake. It was the exact same one she gave me and Dan four years ago back on Aldrin Station.
"I see you two are expecting. Congratulations." He remarked, likely trying to diffuse the tense air that had formed.
"Thank you." I replied, nodding to everyone that they could go. "Our esteemed colleagues Richard and Powell are currently not here, so I'll show you to your quarters."
"Very well." He agreed as we both walked through the gravel path that led to Jack's old colony prefab. "This unit used to belong to a colleague of ours, Dr. Jack Windham, though he is unfortunately no longer with us."
"What happened to him?" He asked, a look of seemingly genuine shock crossing his face.
I debated how to respond for three seconds, know knowing if I should ignore his question or if I should just tell him. I decided to tell him, thinking that his reaction might give me a better idea of his character.
"He was shot and killed during our escape from a Cerberus facility known as The Barn." I answered without holding anything back, walking up a few more steps before stopping. "Those monsters just shot him in the back, an old man in his 80's. He was like a father figure to all of us, and then he was suddenly gone. Just like that."
Greg looked down at the stairs as a somber air formed around us. I walked to the top of the stairs, leaving Greg behind for a few moments before he quickly jogged back up to me.
"He's buried over there by the ridgeline." I said, pointing at the spot where we laid him to rest.
We both stared out at the valley for a few moments, with nothing but the howling sound of the winter wind to fill the void.
"I'm sorry, I can't imagine how hard that must have been." He remarked as I turned back to face him.
"It's alright. He's in a better place now." I finished with a nod as I took out the keycard to Jack's unit and waved it over the scanner. "Well, we're neighbors now. Here's the card. If you need anything in particular, either ask us if we have it or put in a request to our suppliers. They'll usually have it for you in about a week."
I opened up my omni-tool, sending our list of supply runners to him before giving him another handshake. I pulled him slightly closer, leaning towards his ear.
"I'll tell this to you once, and only once." I began in a grave tone while our hands were still clasped together. "If you do anything to threaten me, my wife, friends, crew, or any of the quarians, we'll make sure you never leave this planet again. Understood?"
He looked into my eyes for a few seconds, a conflicted expression clearly plastered on his face.
"I understand." He confirmed in a slightly softer, surprised tone.
"Good." I said, letting go of his hand as I leaned by head back and took in a deep breath. "We're having our weekly group dinner at Dimitri's quarters tonight. He'll be cooking up some vat-grown burgers and a few potatoes we grew in our hydroponics lab. You're invited."
"I'll be there." He said quickly, already knowing what I was getting at.
"Sounds good." I declared, beginning my walk back down the stairs. "See you, Greg."
With that, I left him to his own devices as I made my way back home. I was fairly certain he had gotten the message. While I felt it was important for me to say, I honestly had a good feeling about the guy and felt slightly bad about my threat.
That's didn't matter now. What was said was said.
I couldn't wait for dinner tonight.
…
A/N: So, an interesting series of developments! Trade deals, ambassadors, new ODP and new ships, the list goes on! I think things will begin to get more interesting very soon. I know the political stuff isn't that interesting, so I tried to further flesh out Sean's personality to make up for it.
My new semester starts up again in a week, so my writing schedule may become slightly more spaced out. Luckily, I'm only taking two courses this time, so I'll have a lot more free time open to writing and job-hunting. Also, we've reached chapter 30! Huzzah!
I'd love to read any reviews, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism! Stay tuned!