…
"Even God cannot change the past."
(Agathon)
…
MFV Idenna, March 4th, 1:25 PM, 2185
...
Standing at attention in the Conclave with my mask on tightly around my face, I felt as if I was struggling to breathe, surrounded by all these people. While I had gotten used to large groups of people over the years, it could still be difficult in… certain situations. Even though I felt I was reasonably prepared for this meeting today, part of me would always expect the worst. The worst, of course, being a pointless, bloody war with the Geth. The same kind of war that could potentially cripple both sides as the Reapers moved in to finish them off.
To say I was worried was an understatement.
After the Normandy had arrived, Richard quietly took a shuttle up to the docked ship to talk to Lydia. After he explained what was happening and the situation regarding her "new body", she apparently leaped at the opportunity, even after having the risks explained to her. She removed herself from the Normandy's computers, having Richard take her down to his lab.
He'd spent the last three hours working on the transfer, and according to the last message I received twenty minutes ago, the procedure was nearly complete. By the time I was back on the surface, I'd finally get to see Lydia face-to-face again for the first time in years.
Behind me, Lenlo, Dan, Greg, Richard, and our two Raloi guests stood, waiting patiently for Hackett and Shepard to arrive. Even with their charisma, I believed that even with definitive evidence the majority of the Admiralty would refuse to take it seriously.
"I know I've mentioned tensions being high before, but this is much worse." Greg remarked, looking quite worried. "I think they're holding something back, this feels way too… preordained."
"Please stop." I asked in a hushed tone, trying to keep myself relaxed. "I don't need you exciting me any more than I am already."
"He has a point though, something doesn't feel right about this." Lenlo supported, getting me to sigh deeply. "The Admirals have never publicly entertained the existence of the Reapers before, something must have changed."
"These "Reapers", you mentioned they are powerful starships, correct?" Orontid questioned, his ill-fitting mask covering his face and muffling his voice slightly.
"Much more advanced than us, and millions of years old." I nodded, turning to face him. "I'm not going to lie to either of you, things might get very ugly here soon. All you need to know is that they are indeed real, no matter what the Admirals say."
"I trust your judgement as a fellow man of science." He bowed his head, giving me his full trust.
If I had to appreciate the Raloi for one thing, it would be that they never minced words.
As if on queue, the chamber went silent as Hackett and Shepard entered the chamber, followed closely by several marines. I could tell from the bulk of one of them that some were our guys from Fehl Prime. Tali was also with them, following closely behind Shepard.
"This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who've kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah se'lai." Raan began, everyone repeating "keelah se'lai" as they took center, standing at attention. "Admiral Hackett, Commander Shepard, welcome back. We're pleased to have you here as part of our Conclave today."
"Happy to be here." Hackett stated with his hands held together behind his back. "I'm hoping that today we can all come to a mutual understanding of our common enemy."
"The Reapers." Mal stated plainly as Shepard nodded to him.
"We assume you now have undeniable proof of their existence, Commander?" Gerrel remarked, coming off just antagonistic enough to be noticable. "We've been preparing for other… eventualities during your assignments in the Terminus."
"To be perfectly blunt, there's no reason why you shouldn't believe me at this point already." Shepard immediately shot back, also noticing Gerrel's attitude. "But yes, we've brought pictures and data recovered from the other side of the Omega 4 relay, along with some readings we recovered in Batarian space."
He handed an OSD to Admiral Raan, who took it with a single nod.
"What do the Batarians have to do with these Reapers?" Zadie questioned, leaning forward against her podium.
"We believe the leaders of the Hegemony were indoctrinated by a Reaper corpse known as the Leviathan of Dis." Tali interjected, holding up one of her hands as she stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Shepard. "The Reapers were planning on using a Mass Relay in the Bahak system to invade the rest of the galaxy, and the nuclear detonations and rebellion between the Hegemony and its people were a prelude to the first wave."
"Well, in that case, why haven't we heard anything about the Reapers invading other system?" Gerrel called out, not taking any of it. "According to your ambassador, this all happened days ago."
Hackett and Shepard gave each other a silent look, before Hackett nodded and Shepard turned back around.
"We were forced to destroy the relay in the Bahak system in order to delay their invasion." Shepard stated, causing murmurs to begin spreading throughout the Conclave chambers. "We've got three or four months before they reach another system and use it to invade the whole galaxy."
The murmurs grew to overlapping conversations, drowning out each other before Raan slammed on her podium, regaining their attention.
"We will have order in this Conclave!" She yelled, loud enough that I was surprised.
"You do realize by claiming you've intentionally destroyed a Mass Relay, you've indirectly caused the deaths of thousands of people, correct?" Zadie pressed, sounding completely baffled.
"It's… one of the hardest choices I've ever made." Shepard admitted, looking incredibly disappointed with himself. "Despite the Batarians not being the best of people to the rest of the galaxy, there were over three-hundred thousand innocent people living in that system… I had to make a choice between an unprepared galaxy and their lives. It'll haunt me to the end of my days."
The room fell completely silent as all five Admirals looked at one another, nodding without a word.
"In light of this new information, we require time to go over the evidence you have presented us." Raan announced, giving me a moment of pause. "We shall reconvene in ten minutes."
As the Admirals walked off to the room behind the podiums, people began walking off or joining into their own conversations. Our group made our way over to Shepard, Hackett, and Tali, looking to use the time afforded to us to speak with each other after months apart.
"It's good to see you guys." Tali exclaimed in an exhausted tone, slumping her shoulders. "We've been dealing with a lot the last few months."
"Yeah, I heard we lost some good people on the other side of the Omega 4 relay." I nodded, thinking back to Okeer and those loveable goodballs in James' team. "What kind of damage did the Normandy take?"
"Damage was minimal, though we took a fair beating from these smaller, sphere-shaped "drone" fighter things." The buff man explained, crossing his arms as his visor depolarized, revealing himself to be James, just as I predicted. "Joker made good use of the cloaking systems, but they were knocked out mid-fight by all the junk floating around on the other side of the relay."
"Yeah, those p-panels aren't designed for absorbing kinetic energy." Dan nodded, looking to me. "Improve panel durability in the f-future?"
"There's always room for improvement." I smiled, trying to inject some positive energy into the circle as I turned to Shepard. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help, Shepard. I wanted to be there more than anything, but… well, you know."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me, I understand." He acknowledged, cracking a small smile.
"Doctor, be honest with me… what are our chances here?" Hackett asked in a hushed tone, staring directly into my eyes. "Will they take this seriously or not?"
Thinking about it for a few moments, all I could do was purse my lips and shake my head slowly. Hackett raised his head, straightening his posture as he gave me a singular nod.
"What? You think even with this new evidence they'll still deny the existence of the Reapers?" Shepard narrowed his eyes, looking off put.
"The three "main" Admirals, Han'Gerrel in particular, have been pinning for war, looking to retake their homeworld." I clarified, feeling the stress of the situation boiling over. "He, in particular, is an idiot. He would have his people throw their lives away on pointless war only to have the Reapers walk in and destroy whatever remains."
"Unfortunately, I'd have to agree with Sean… Gerrel has galvanized the support of most of the Fleet." Tali supported, looking between Shepard, Hackett and I. "Admiral, I wouldn't expect any support from Shala'Raan, Mirna'Zadie, or Gerrel."
"So what are our options then?" Shepard questioned as my mind raced, thinking back to the meeting on the Rayya.
"Even if you can't get the full support of the Fleet, Zaal'Koris and Ysin'Mal still support our views." I replied, knowing this was a fact. "Talk to them, in private if you can, after the Conclave. They might have an idea on how to handle this if things get out of hand."
"I'll keep that in mind." Hackett nodded, his expression softening somewhat. "It's good to know there's some on our side for once."
"It's been years in the making, sir. That much I can tell you." I joked as the buzzer sounded, signaling that the Conclave was resuming.
We all quietly resumed our previous positions as the Admirals took their spots at the podiums. At this point, I didn't really know what to expect, but I knew from my gut that nothing good was likely to occur the next few minutes.
"This Conclave is brought to order." Raan resumed, looking down at Hackett, Shepard and the rest of them as the whole room stood in silence. "Admiral Hackett, we've gone over the evidence presented to us, and we have determined it is not enough to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that these… machines exist."
As usual, side conversations swept through the room as sour expressions slipped onto Shepard and Hackett's faces.
"Is that the truth, or are you too focused on the Geth to give a damn about anyone else in the galaxy?" Shepard immediately accused, causing an uproar in the chamber. "You're planning on going to war, aren't you?"
"The Geth have nothing to do with our conclusions regarding the data you've brought before us." Gerrel immediately defended as Raan banged on her podium, trying to calm the Conclave down. "You'd be wise to avoid such accusations, Commander."
"It's become clear to me that you never intended to be upfront with us." Hackett spoke in a calm, concise manner, hands still held firmly behind his back. "As of this moment, I'm pulling all Alliance support and ending this coalition. We refuse to have our resources funneled into these fruitless endeavors when the threat of the Reapers stand at our doorstep."
"In that case, you'll see no further cooperation from us. Once we've destroyed the Geth and reclaimed our home, you and all Alliance personnel will be barred and unwelcome in our space." Gerrel spoke with finality as I felt ice down my back, realizing my worst fears were coming true.
Gerrel then turned to the crowd, grabbing both sides of the podium as he prepared himself.
"Captains, we will be moving all resources to the Fleet beginning tomorrow in preparation for the reclamation of our homeworld." He announced as the room suddenly erupted, giving me the feeling that I was shrinking. "All civil projects are hereby postponed, and we will be moving the Fleet in the next few days to begin our attack."
With that bombshell dropped, the Admirals walked off of the podiums, leaving the Conclave in chaos. I turned to Lenlo and Dan, who could only shake their heads at the news. This was clearly the worst-case scenario that I was dreading. I almost couldn't believe it.
Before we could leave, Mal zeroed in on me through the crowd, making it through despite the commotion.
"Sean, I don't have time to explain, so you'll have to trust me." He quickly spoke, sounding far off from the calm, collected Mal I was used to talking to. "First, I need you to get on this comm frequency. Second, I need you to collect the physical research backups from CASTLE Base and take them to your ship. Make sure your whole team is accounted for."
"Sir?" I exclaimed, still reeling from Gerrel's earlier announcement.
"You just have to trust me." He reassured, giving me the frequency he wanted me to use. "You've got three hours."
"Uh… understood." I nodded, getting one from him in return as he walked off, leaving just us again. "Orontid, once we're back on the surface, do you mind returning to your ship?"
"It'll be no trouble at all." He agreed, making me feel somewhat better.
"Right then… Lenlo, I want you to find everyone and get them back to the ship. Dan, you're with me." I pieced together, trying to put a reasonable plan into order. "This just went to hell real fast."
"That's the un...understatement of the century." He sneered, just as unhappy as I was. "Why do you think M-Mal wants the physical copies?"
"Not sure, but at the moment, he and Koris are the only ones I trust to any degree." I went on, speaking as we all made our way back to the shuttle. "Be ready for anything."
"OK." He confirmed, keeping pace with me despite all the people around us.
I was right about one thing, however vague it was. Something major was happening.
I hoped it was for the best, whatever it was.
…
CASTLE Base, March 4th, 3:25 PM, 2185
…
Walking briskly through the massive door leading into the bowels of the underground complex, Dan and I moved with a purpose. While I had my vague orders, something kept poking the back of my brain, telling me this was the prelude to something big.
"I'll admit, even i-if Richard is a quack…" Dan started, pausing as he tried to find the right words to use. "If he pulled it off, I'll hug the bastard."
"Now what happened to the Dan I used to know?" I joked, enjoying even the smallest moment of levity in this atmosphere. "This could mean something big, assuming it works."
"It better. If something happens t-to my little sister, I'll kill him." He immediately shot back as we hopped in the elevator, taking it down several floors. "It just occurred to me, they w-wouldn't be attacking if they didn't have something to u-use against the Geth other than con...conventional weapons."
"Gerrel salvaged a damaged server from the ruins of Rael's lab, with some kind of electronic countermeasure on it his team was developing." I explained as his eyes widened, the elevator doors opening shortly afterwards. "If they've finished reconstructing the code, that might be it."
"Figures that b-bastard would haunt us from his grave." Dan shook his head as we reached Richard's lab, standing at the door before going in.
"You ready for this?" I asked, feeling a sense of anticipation as he quickly nodded. "Right, let's do this."
As I opened the door, we were immediately greeted by the sight of Richard talking to an upright Lydia, wearing the quarian envirosuit he had built for her. The moment they heard the door open, both turned to face us, Lydia having one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen.
"Hey guys!" She greeted, jogging over as we walked in and closed the door behind us. "Check me out!"
"I'd rather not. I'm married." I shot back, getting a sharp laugh out of her.
It was… odd hearing her talk and laugh. I had gotten used to the electronic "twinge" Powell had to his voice when using his platform, so hearing Lydia speak in her new body normally was slightly… jarring. Still, I couldn't complain. If she was happy, I was happy.
Dan must have been in shock, because he just stared at her, not saying a word. I had no idea what was going through his head. Looking at him a few seconds longer revealed something else, though. His eyes were watering up.
He was shedding a tear.
"This beats being cramped in a ship's computer all day, that's for sure." She spoke a million miles per second, flexing with her new arms and legs. "I only have one complaint, though."
"What's that?" I entertained with crossed arms, humoring her.
"The bust size." She immediately answered, cupping her "breasts" as a harrowed expression formed on Dan and I's faces, both of us looking away in embarrassment. "I used to be a C-cup, why am I a double D now?"
"One, I had no reference. Two, I had to fit a lot into that small frame." Richard defended, not even bothering to bat an eyelash. "Why? You think I'm some sort of pervert?"
"No, it's just that I don't need my hands to open doors anymore." She continued, getting a sharp, distressed groan from Dan.
"Listen, as much as I'd like to talk to my best friend's sister about her tits all day, we've got more pressing issues at the moment." I redirected, getting both Lydia and Richard to frown. "It's official. They're going to war."
At first, Richard didn't say or do anything, but before long he started slowly shaking his head faster and faster.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" He yelled, picking up the nearest object, a coffee cup, and chucking it as hard as he could at the wall, shattering it into several pieces. "Those stupid bastards!"
"We knew this was coming. All of us knew." I went on, crossing my arms as Richard forced himself to calm down, sitting down and staring at the wall.
"So, what comes next then?" Lydia asked, looking unsure about the situation.
"I think Koris and Mal have something planned, they want me to grab the physical copies of all our research data, and want everyone on the Discovery in about an hour" I explained as Richard flipped around to look at me with an odd expression.
"Do you trust them?" He asked, giving me a stern, serious look.
"I do." I supported, getting him to look away again.
"OK then… I'll grab a few loose notes I got lying around, and get Lydia here out the front door." Richard nodded, standing up and turning to fully face us. "It'll take about half an hour to download all that data, so you better get down there."
"Got it. Come on Dan." I urged running out the door with him following quickly behind.
I was starting to feel a little better about how my day was going. Lydia had been a small glimmer in the darkness for far, maybe things would be even better soon.
One could wish.
…
Fourty-Five Minutes Later
…
Back aboard the Discovery, Dan and I carefully stored the physical copies of our data in separate storage containers, ensuring they'd be safe. Everyone was crammed into the ship, even Biss, who had been reluctant to come for obvious reasons. Everyone kept asking questions as to why were here, and why, but I still had no answers for them.
"The clock's ticking, Mal… what do you have in store for us?" I said out loud to myself, standing in the middle of the crew quarters with everyone else, waiting for something to happen.
"Are you sure you were hearing what he said properly?" Mara questioned, obviously annoyed with the current situation. "I'd much rather be in our house than here right now."
"I agree." I nodded, staring at the frequency on my omni-tool, anxiety starting to set in. I was beginning to wonder if I was being pranked or something.
"M-maybe we should call him, see if he-" Dan began to say before he was interrupted by Mal's voice.
"Attention all ship Captains on this frequency, this is Admiral Ysin'Mal and Admiral Zaal'Zoris. As many of you likely already know, we have failed in our negotiations with the other Admirals, and are slated to begin their war with the Geth in a matter of days." My omni-tool rang out, overriding my caller ID as we all stopped to listen. "Keluaran Contingency is now in effect. We're calling on you to immediately leave the system with as many supplies as possible, and proceed to the encoded coordinates where we'll all meet before moving on. We need not repeat the same mistakes as our ancestors, and look forward to forging a new future with each and every one of you. Stay safe, and keelah sel'ai."
My eyes widened as the communication cut off, leaving Dan, Mara and I to look at each other in shock. True to the communique's word, I received jump coordinates for an unspecified location less than a second later.
This is why Mal asked me to retrieve the physical copies of our research data and designs. Koris and Mal were going split off from the rest of the Flotilla.
"Everyone, listen up!" I yelled out to the rest of the ship, grabbing everyone's attention. "We've got a situation on our hands, and a choice has to be made quickly. Admirals Mal and Koris are… breaking off from the other Admirals, along with ships loyal to them. They're leaving the system, and they want us to come with them. I know this is really coming out of left field, but I need a vote now. Who wants to stay and wage war against the Geth?"
Much to both my pride and shock, not a single person raised their hand, even with the various faces everyone was making.
"Right then… it's settled." I nodded with a smile on my face, turning back to Dan. "Fire up those engines, and keep them hot. Get whatever you can carry from your houses and return as quickly as possible. You've got five minutes before we take off. If you aren't here by then, you're staying."
All of us vacated the ship as quickly as possible, running for our homes. My only goal was my two dogs, and my bug-out bag with emergency supplies and other tools.
I should have been incredibly worried, even scared of the current situation, but oddly enough… as I ran, I felt a strange sense of freedom and exhilaration. I hadn't realized it until this very moment, but I was thrilled that I'd no longer be under the control of these Admirals anymore. We were finally in a position where we'd be able to choose our own path, even if we were still following someone else.
We were… free. It was strange to think of it as such, but this was freedom.
I ran into the house, plucking my bug-out bag from behind my couch as I quickly put leashes on Finn and Darcy. Seeing I still had time left, I grabbed some of my clothes and threw them into my duffel bag, smiling as I ran out of the house with my dogs.
"Mara, aren't you getting anything?" I asked into my omni-tool, worried that she might have gotten sidetracked.
"Elle and the dogs are the only things I'm worried about." She reassured as I smiled, running with my dogs towards the ship. "Get aboard quick, the comm frequencies are exploding all over the Fleet."
Before I could even close my omni-tool, another channel forced itself open. It was Gerrel.
"Sean! SEAN!" Gerrel shouted at the top of his lungs over the connection, getting me to smile as I ran up to the airlock, slipping inside. "I know you have something to do with this! If you leave, you'll NEVER be allowed to return! I'll hunt you and your friends to the end of the galaxy, do you hear me?!"
"Yep, I do." I snickered, letting a few chuckles slip in. "Here's what I have to say… fuck you, and have a nice day!"
"Sean Michaels, I will-" He began to speak before I cut him off, feeling positively giddy as I joined the rest of my friends back in the ship.
"Sean, what is happening?" Orontid immediately asked as I came through the airlock, sounding understandably distressed.
"I'm not even sure myself." I spoke with some truth, still feeling adrenaline in my veins. "It seems that a schism of some kind has formed after Gerrel's announcement earlier, and we're on the side that wishes not to have war."
"Should we remain here or on the surface of the planet? We don't want to be a burden." He asked, obviously worried.
"We'll get you back to Turviss, trust me." I reassured, quickly moving past him. "Lydia, keep our guests and these two safe."
"Sure thing." She nodded, taking the leashes as I ran back to the front of the ship.
"Get us out of here before Gerrel and the others stop us!" I ordered, getting a wave from Dan in his seat as he fired up the engines, propelling us into the sky as fast as possible.
"Uh, we've got contacts behind us! Three Vipers on an intercept course!" Dixon announced from his station, fully focused as I reached my chair, strapping myself in. "Damn, that was a fast response."
"Everyone strap in or grab onto something, this could get a little hairy!" I yelled over the ship's intercom, grabbing the armrests of my chair as Dan fired up the engines as hard as he could without melting them.
"They're firing on us!" Morgan announced, flinching as a small impacts could be heard bouncing off our kinetic barriers.
"Should I return fire?" Kirva asked, looking back at me as I weighed my options.
"Negative, divert power from weapons to the shields. We only need to break the planet's magnetic field." I ordered, watching the sky peeling away outside. "Dan, how we looking?!"
"We're n-nearly there." He reassured, another impact clearly heard outside as we went to black.
Outside of the atmosphere, I could see what had caused Gerrel to seemingly panic over the commlink. Small, but noticeable spatial distortions could be seen appearing and disappearing all through the Fleet as ships jumped to Koris and Mal's coordinates. Luckily, there didn't appear to be any fighting, but it was clear the Fleet was losing vast numbers of ships very quickly.
"Gravity Drive is charging!" Dimitri announced as we blasted our way towards the edge of the planet's gravitational influence. "Ten seconds!"
As yet another volley of gunfire streaked past us, Dan rolled the ship, avoiding what appeared to be a disruptor missile just barely as we blasted through the rapidly draining Flotilla.
"Five seconds!" Dimitri yelled again as I clenched my teeth, knuckles turning white as braced myself.
"Wait for it… wait for it…. GO!" I ordered loudly, shooting forward in my chair as we jumped away from Reach, leaving the Klenot Nebula behind us.
Seconds later the jump was completed, "dumping" us into an empty region of space. Well, it was empty aside from the several thousand ships that were now here, with more still jumping in.
"I can't believe they've managed to get this many people to follow them." I remarked out loud as I viewed the external cameras. "Morgan, how many ships so far?"
"Ten thousand, five hundred and twenty three. And counting." She answered, leaving me completely shocked.
"That's already a fifth of the Fleet…" I stammered, unable to believe it. "This is incredible!"
"Captain Michaels, is that you?" I heard Koris call out from one of the comm channels, as I quickly worked to isolate the signal.
"Yeah, it's us." I confirmed, another big smile crossing onto my face. "This is a hell of a gamble you two have managed to pull off."
"We're not out of the woods yet, Sean." Mal corrected, sounding quite stern. "In ten more minutes, we'll be moving to the next three locations. Anyone who isn't synced to the Idenna's transponder will be left behind, so make sure you're connected."
"Understood." I confirmed, feeling satisfied with our current situation so far.
"Did you retrieve the physical copies I asked for?" Mal cut back in, regaining my full attention. "They could be vital to our continued existence."
"Yes, they're being kept safe and sound in my ship's cargo area." I smiled, feeling somewhat vindicated after everything else that had happened. "What's our modus operandi once we've completed our jumps?"
"We'll travel to the edge of the Perseus Veil, and make contact with the Geth." Koris explained clearly with conviction in his voice. "You'll be there alongside us when we make physical contact, along with your friends. We'll put an end to this war together."
"Sounds fantastic, looking forward to it." I finished, taking a moment to breathe. "Michaels out."
With that, I cut the connection, turning to face Morgan.
"Make sure we're fully connected and synced to the Idenna's transponder." I ordered, getting a silent acknowledgement from her as she turned back around. "Double and triple check it."
"Woah, big contact just entered the system!" Dixon announced as the sensors lit up, nearly jolting me out of my seat. "It's one of the Liveships, the Shellen!"
"They have managed to get one of the Liveships too… this is beyond magnificent." Dimitri said with a huge grin on his face, looking back at us. "We might survive this after all, my friends!"
"This quickly went from one of the worst days in recent memory to the best." I smiled, feeling absolutely thrilled at the sight of the Shellen.
Before I could do anything else, my omni-tool rang again as Koris called.
"That didn't take long. What's up?" I asked, knowing something must have changed.
"There's been a small change in plans, and we need your help Captain." Koris began, leaving me a little up in the air. "Mal and I want you and your crew to link up with the Exploratory Flotilla above Turviss and inform them of what's happened. They're all loyal to the cause, so there shouldn't be any problems once you've explained the situation."
"You want me to give them our rendezvous coordinates, sir?" I guessed, feeling the weight on my shoulders again.
"No, first we want you to meet with the House Nakharars and extend a deal to them." He went on, piquing my interest. "Tell them that in exchange for their support and assistance, we'll share all our technology with them, including our weapons, defensive technology, and several of our ships."
"Sir? Pardon me if this sounds out of line, but is that wise right now?" I questioned, knowing that just the idea of giving away technology, let alone ships, wasn't in the quarian MO.
"Captain, I'm not going to… what's the human term? Coat in sugar? Nevermind." He attempted to start, falling over his words. "We don't have many allies right now, and even fewer places to go. Unless we secure proper peace and cooperation with the Geth, Turviss may be the only other place we can go that can give us legitimacy. If you can't secure their support, bring the Exploratory Flotilla to the following coordinates. We'll wait there for you."
"Understood sir. I'll start jump prep immediately." I agreed, getting a relaxed sigh from Koris on the other end of the line. "What actions should we take if the terms of this agreement are met?"
"Send one of the ships in the flotilla to relay the news. We'll send them back afterwards, letting you know if we've succeeded in our negotiations with the Geth or not." He clarified as I silently nodded, the importance of this assignment became fully realized in my mind. "Is that clear?"
"Yes'sir." I immediately replied, getting a moment of silence from the other side of the line before Koris came back.
"We're counting on you, Captain… or, should I say, Admiral." He finished with satisfaction in his voice, sending a hard shock to my nerves as his words finished processing in my brain. "Congratulations, and good luck on your mission."
"Thank you, sir." I thanked in a soft tone as he cut the communique. Everyone on the bridge turned to face me, looking at me as if I was a ghost. All of them, except for Dan, who smiled. "I assume all of you heard that?"
"We sure did." Dixon replied, a grin replacing the blank look he had sported seconds ago.
"What are our orders, Admiral?" Dan remarked in a sly tone, both hands still on the controls as he looked back at me.
"Prep for jump, we're going back to Turviss." I said, leaning back in my seat with an upright posture.
"Well, this oughta be different." I thought to myself, unable to keep the smile from crawling onto my face as the Gravity Drive charged.
We had an honest-to-god mission, one that potentially had lives in the balance. Here and now, there wouldn't be any failures under my watch. Too much depended on it.
I was an Admiral in this Fleet, after all. I owed it to these people to keep them safe.
…
A/N: Hello again, it is I, the man with too much free time on his hands. I'm sure plenty of you have questions about the explosion that was this chapter, so I encourage you to take them to the review section. I'll be happy to leave answers either in a PM or at the bottom of the next chapter. Who knows, I might even give you a shout-out if I like your work too. Don't be a stranger, I love feedback, and I mean feedback, not "Hey man, nice chapter, keep it up."
While I appreciate the simple compliments, they don't really help when it comes to improving my writing. Sorry, but that's the truth.
As always, I'm always up for suggestions or constructive criticism. Please leave a review telling me what you think of the story so far, and stay tuned!