NOTE1: Hello, folks! I know, long time no see. But I have too much faculty and job work taking most of my time. Once I have my bachelor's degree this summer you can expect more frequent updates on all my chapters. But until then… just hang in there. Oh, and stop asking when I will update through anonymous reviews. I won't post them. As said on my profile, I don't know when I will update. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
NOTE1bis: I believe you all see the metaphor behind the name of this and the previous chapters' name.
The attack at Shanxi was an ugly wakeup call for me and the AIC. I thought we had secured every lane of infiltration. Obviously, that was not the case. The enemy was clever and imaginative, using crates with life support capabilities to smuggle the terrorists into Tianxia. Then, they attacked Mindoir. The alien thought we would stumble, fall, and not get up from a mere shadow operation. The alien underestimated me. The alien has shown what it was willing to do to harm Humanity and our galactic interests. The alien was oblivious to the fact that two can play that game. And the alien did not know that the very embodiment of our wrath did not give a shit about their opinions.
(Jack Harper, Director of Alliance Intelligence Command, personal journal entry after Operation PAYBACK)
Chapter 23: Dark Beyond the Blue II
Citadel, Presidium
Presidium C-SEC Station, Pallin's Office
"What have you been able to ascertain?" Sparatus asked. He did not sit down on the chair Pallin offered him. Pallin himself stayed in his office on the Presidium only 3 days of the week, during rotations from the C-SEC HQ, a.k.a. C-SEC Academy, in Zakera Ward. It was during one of this rotations that Sparatus came to see him.
"Are you sure you want to be talking about that here?" Pallin asked in return.
Sparatus began to pace around, his patience grinding down. "My office is bound to be bugged by Fedorian's lackeys in the Embassy. My apartment is definitely under surveillance by Hierarchy Intelligence. And I sure could not plan a dubious meeting in some dark alleyway," he explained. "This is the only place we can use. So, have your officers discovered anything?" he reiterated his question.
Pallin put his talons on the desk and looked directly ahead, not at Sparatus. "Not much I'm afraid. Half a dozen dead Salarian engineers, a missing Salarian – presumably kidnaped, and a missing signal analyzer. It could have been anyone for all we know. Only clues my men were able to uncover are the munitions that killed the Salarians."
"And..?" Sparatus prompted him to continue.
"Most were gunned down at the entrance to the tunnel. Ballistic tests identified the gun as an M-9 Tempest, a pretty common sight anywhere in this galaxy," Pallin explained. "Two others were killed by a weapon C-SEC doesn't have any experience with. The slug is heavy for a pistol. And it must have been shot at higher speeds than normal for a pistol. It's almost as if it is a low end assault rifle. But nobody could sneak an assault rifle there. And the results on the bodies are nasty."
"Anything else?"
"They escaped with one of the Salarians and a sensor with a skycar. Fragments of a skycar's fuselage have been found nearby. One of the Salarians had a gun and put a few holes in it… investigators have been able to deduce that much from the metal dust and paint left on the ground."
Sparatus stopped pacing and fixed Pallin with his own eyes. "Venari, you must find whoever it was that did this, retrieve the sensor and the Salarian or terminate him."
Pallin growled something to himself before voicing his thoughts. "So you want me to turn my officers into hitmen?"
"The fate of the Turian people is at stake here, Venari! Saren has done his part. Now it is up to us to do ours," Sparatus tried to persuade him. "At least keep whoever it is away from disrupting our work. This is a matter of survival of our species…"
Pallin stood up from his chair, his blue eyes glaring into Sparatus'. "Don't you think I know that? No night passes by without me thinking about it. About how everything could go to hell, just like that."
"Fedorian is hounding for me and our friends in the Navy and Legionary Corps are grounded… your men are everything we have left. Spirits, he even granted those Humans their investigation and started a formal investigation of the military high echelons. So crack the Citadel and have your men find out why the Citadel Relay and Keepers are not responding. We don't have much time left," Sparatus instructed Pallin.
He skipped the part where Saren was already building his assurance policy if subtlety failed in the end. Sparatus was aware that Saren had approached Matriarch Benezia and Jona Sederis with… gifts similar to what he had received from the SPECTRE.
"They will find out," Pallin assured Sparatus. "I'll assign Chellick to investigate this attack. He's the best I've got right now. Hope he finds out soon enough who's behind it all… or I'll have to continue justifying putting armed officers by tunnel entrances. And I don't have to tell you how this could easily spiral out of our control, against us, if the wrong people feel like stirring trouble."
Shanxi, Fenli
40 kilometers from Tianxia
Fenli began as a resort ever since plans were being drawn for Shanxi. Situated 40 kilometers north of the capital city of Tianxia, it is an escape from regular life in Shanxi's alpine outback. But few were here for quality time away from daily life. In fact, there was the staff of the small resort and hotel, a few Human tourists, Atelas Razea and a bunch of AIC agents part of the Protection and Guard Service – the AIC branch designated to protect and defend dignitaries and other VIPs important to the state.
Atelas' room was larger than expected from a hotel. On the Citadel, there is no hotel with rooms larger than 20 square meters. That is unless you are willing to pay a hefty price. And even the small rooms were twice the price of other hotels on the homeworlds. She leaned against the balcony's railing and filled her lungs with the cold winter air. It was beautiful out here. She couldn't believe that 40 kilometers south of here the greatest slaughter in recent galactic history happened. And she couldn't believe General Arterius invaded this place, even bombed it with the dreadnought's main cannon in a few locations. And, as those thoughts flashed through her mind, she was suddenly reminded of her failure to prevent it all.
The number of people buried in the Shanxi Military Cemetery was a grim reminder of her failure. She had the power to prevent it. Why did she not act then, before Eudorian went through the relay? Or Admiral Kaevus Eudorian, the CO of the Turian naval forces, for that matter? In her opinion, her inaction created a major rift in galactic politics and interstate relationships when they could ill afford it. At least the Alliance and Turian leaderships were willing to move ahead. On the surface, that is. She is totally unaware of what lies beneath Montgomery's façade of friendliness and wishful cooperation with the galaxy. Nor Fedorian's intentions, which she guessed were not very much in line with the Council's if she considered his record so far.
A powerful wind blew a bit of snow in her face, thus prompting her to go back inside the room. She closed the door to the balcony, sliding the door by the handle. It looks like the Humans don't have automated doors everywhere, like it is common place in Citadel space. In the Republics every building had automated doors. Well, this is one thing she will suggest the Alliance to implement. She slid onto the bed, falling on the white sheets. Nothing better to do until tomorrow morning when she leaves for Arcturus Station, might as well take a nap before dinner.
She closed her eyes and bathed her ears in the silence of the room, only the faint howling of gusts of wind reminding her that she was not deaf or dead yet. Her eyes snapped open when muffled noises came from the main hallway, almost as if someone was either running around or fighting in hand to hand. The door was designed to isolate sound from outside, but the bumps and thuds into the walls could not be masked by it.
She jolted up, her instinct screaming danger to her mind. "Secure the VIP! I'm calling for reinforcements!" she recognized the voice of an AIC security agent part of her security detail. Then gunshots followed. Nothing could mask their sound, that much is clear. Decades of training had her biotics flare to life, a barrier ready to be put up to shield herself. The door to her room opened. This was enough for her to raise a biotic barrier. But it was not needed, for it was an AIC agent.
"Ma'am, we need to get you out of here! Right now!" he told her.
"What's going on?" Atelas questioned.
"Hitmen," he said the one word sufficient to describe the situation.
Another agent slipped into the room, a SIG Sauer P650 pistol in his hand. He had pronounced Asian facial characteristics. His clothes were stained with blood and his bulletproof vest looked like it took two bullets. He released the magazine of his pistol and loaded a fresh 9x19mm Parabellum clip. Despite the fact that the AIC normally issued the M11 pistol to its troops, it was still a military firearm. The nonmilitary supporting services and organizations are issued lower impact firearms. Although there is great variety in the firearms in service with Systems Alliance state organizations, the beauty of them all is that they were designed to be compatible with each other and had upgrade kits if one wanted to chamber another standardized cartridge. The P650+ series incorporates magnetic acceleration technology, while the P600 – P650 models do not integrate magnetic acceleration and fire "old school" cartridges. Each generation of SIG pistols iterates the name by 100.
"We've lost contact with the outside. Comms are scrambled. They must have a jammer," he reported.
"Did we get a message out?" the first one asked.
The second agent shrugged. "I hope we did. Can't tell with this mess."
Atelas walked to stand right beside the two. "Who is trying to kill me?"
"We'll find out after this is over, ma'am. We must act under the assumption that the whole location has been compromised and vacate the premises," the first agent informed her. He looked like the leader of the agents assigned to her.
"How many assailants?" she asked while dressing for a cold walk.
"Three dead on the corridor, unknown number downstairs and on their way here."
"It's safe to assume that they have the area under lockdown," Atelas commented. She was ready to go. "We can't head out the corridor."
"No other way than jumping off the balcony," the second agent commented. "Watch that door!" he instructed his colleague as he opened the door to the balcony and peeked over the railing. "Seventh floor… that's some 30 meters…"
"You aren't seriously considering jumping, are you?" the first man asked, his pistol pointing into the hallway. Atelas glanced through the door and saw the bloody body of their third colleague, a knife in his side, right below the armpit, and a bloody hole in his chest.
"…this way! Herrera's team is dead!" they heard chatter from the hallway. Atelas used her biotics to pull the body of the dead agent to her. The corpse was engulfed in blue mass effect fields as it slid on the floor. This did not go unnoticed by the interlopers that were hunting her down. "There!"
"Shit! What are you doing!?" the first agent after he recovered from the brief shock of seeing biotics in action, or, as some agents jokingly put it, "space magic". There was a score of Humans with biotic capabilities as a result of exposure to Eezo during the mother's pregnancy.
"I need a weapon to defend myself!" Atelas replied.
"Ma'am, you're not allowed to carry firearms," he retorted.
"I'm not about to sit by and die!"
The body was in the hotel room now. She immediately took the P650 pistol and inspected it for a brief moment. The Humans kept the galactic tradition of placing the magazine release button on the right side of the grip. It was a bit heavier than what she is used to. The sights were similar.
One of her wannabe attackers came into view. He was armed with what she guessed to be a submachine gun. The security agent aimed his pistol at him, using the small time advantage to put two bullets into the man. He fell face down. The ones behind him, still out of Atelas' and the agent's sight, fired their own SMGs at the door. If the loud noise they made was any hint, then they were not sporting weapons with magnetic acceleration technology.
"FUCK!" the first guy cursed as splinters and concrete flew around. He retreated. The Asian man that was by the balcony had flipped over a solid table to use as cover and aimed his gun at the doorway.
"We've found her! Seventh floor, room 712! Get her!" she heard one shouting, most likely into a radio to call for reinforcements.
"They must have killed all our boys downstairs!"
Atelas knew they'd have no time to jump out the balcony. She could use her biotics to safely lower everyone down. And the two were preparing to put up a fight, not truly considering vacating the premises.
"Secure the VIP!" the Asian man shouted over the cacophony of gunshots. The Caucasian man grabbed her hand and dragged her away from the door. But Atelas protested and retracted her arm.
"Let them come! You take cover! I'll take them out," she told them.
"Ma'am, you're n-"
"I have hundreds of years of combat experience as a commando and as a flag officer of the Asari Unified Fleet!" she retorted, sensing what the Human's doubts. "Take cover!" she instructed them. With the help of her biotic abilities, she flung a chair through the glass door of the balcony. The sound of broken glass prompted the assailants to storm the room.
Just as the first crossed the door frame, Atelas produced a shockwave that threw him backwards. The enemy's reply were two fragmentation grenades that bounced from the wall. A horrified expression crossed her face when a grenade came to a halt right in front of the overturned table the two agents used as cover. She charged out of the room, her body shielded by a biotic barrier. The grenades went off inside.
Atelas took note of the number of enemies. Three attackers were standing against her. All of them carried small automatic weapons. A barrier protected her for now, but, knowing how strenuous the fire of Human designed bullets would be, she reasoned she better reduce the number of guns firing at her.
"KILL THE ALIEN!" one ordered and the angry tirade of gunfire spilled all over her biotic barrier.
The strain to keep the barrier up against this hail was too much to keep it up until they had unloaded their magazines at her. She projected a singularity right behind her opponents. The gravitational pull lifted them off the ground and slowly dragged the hitmen towards it. Atelas lowered her kinetic barrier once their weapons stopped firing, leveled the P650 pistol in their direction. She put a bullet in their right hands to make them drop the weapons.
"Who sent you?" she asked.
"Fuck off, you dumb bitch!" the dark skinned man that was in the middle answered. He was repaid with two bullets in the guts for his troubles. Atelas shifted her aim to the one on the right.
"Who!? And why!?" she demanded again. But only a defiant glare was her answer. "How many of you are at this hotel?"
"Enough to kill you, bitch!"
"May you find peace in the embrace of the Goddess," she said before killing them. The singularity died and their bodies fell on the floor, the bloody mess all too reminiscent of her days in the Terminus when fighting Batarian pirates and mercenaries.
"Echo Team, report!" the radio on every single one of them cracked to life. "What is your status? Did you get the xeno? Teams Fox and Gamma have secured the perimeter. She couldn't have escaped."
Atelas did not waste any time. She looted the pistol magazines from the first killed AIC agent and thought of a way to leave. Her situation was not fantastic. She was being targeted for termination, reasons still subject to debate. She had no way to contact the outside due to jamming equipment scrambling standard communications. An unknown number of armed hitmen were after her and the AIC personnel at this resort. And they had her position.
She heard boots rushing up the main staircase of the building. 'No way out but one…' she thought as she sprinted toward the balcony and jumped. She used her biotics to slow the descent to the snowy ground. She was halfway to her calves deep in snow. With all the energy and willpower she could muster, she leapt forward towards the wooded mountain slope. The chances of survival in the harsh, cold forest were better than fighting an unknown number of well armed assassins. She activated her omnitool's broadcaster to broadcast on the AIC frequencies she was assigned exactly for situations like these.
'Goddess help me!'
Reach, Intelligence Command HQ
Director Harper's office
"Harper! How the fuck did this happen!?" Montgomery thundered on the phone. "It's on goddamn TV before I heard anything from the AIC!"
"I'm sorry, mister president, but I was busy dealing with the situation. Plugging holes in our security and detection system, coordinating counterintelligence operations, compiling findings…" Harper answered, his voice carrying the tone of frustration and annoyance.
"I want every single report you have on my desk in an hour!" Montgomery commanded. "This is a goddamn PR disaster. Find the perpetrators, who and how smuggled these terrorists to Shanxi, and shut them down!"
"We're already investigating. All I can tell you right now, sir, is that they had help from inside the Alliance. From Humans," he spat the name of his species with disgust at the thought that fellow men and women would betray their race like this. "I already have counter terrorist units being deployed to the Shanxi OCA office."
A long sigh escaped Montgomery's mouth on the other end of the line, from Arcturus. "What about the Asari, Atelas Razea? Is she secure?" he asked. Harper didn't answer, his lips closing and forming a straight line on his face. "Your silence is unnerving, Director."
"We've lost contact with the resort where she was staying. I have Marine platoons en route to Fenli and Kodiak shuttles searching the area."
"Keep me updated," was all that Montgomery said before hanging up.
Harper put down the phone and reached for the cigar he left in the ashtray since he answered the president's call. His lips fixed the cigar and he inhaled deeply. Thumb and index finger take the cigar out of his mouth. Harper's eyes linger on the burning end for as long as he felt that taste in his mouth and exhaled the smoke. Harper mastered the art of smoking cigars through the years. Although half of it was still good, Harper smashed it with force in the ash tray. 'I'll show you, bastards!'
He pressed a couple buttons on the small computer keyboard mounted in his desk and the generic dialing sound greeted his ears. A woman answered the call soon enough.
"Sir?"
"Agent Brooks, status report," Harper demanded.
"Eh…" she was caught a bit off guard, "…sir, we are investigating every possible lead. Our intelligence network is not large enough to efficiently infiltrate and retrieve required intel in short time."
"Then fucking expand your division faster! What are your leads?"
"Every single AI we have is infiltrating through the extranet. Possible leads: the Shadow Broker, General Ka'Hairal Balak, and someone on the Citadel," Maya Brooks reported. "Requires further investigation. Our suspicions are based on interception of heavily encrypted communications through alien inter-relay communication buoys and background profiles."
"Explain in one hundred words or less."
"The Shadow Broker's agents used known Batarian codes to bounce multiple message packets from the Citadel to the Nemean Abyss. Ka'Hairal Balak, commanding officer of the Batarian External Forces, operates in the area with the mission to suppress a major armed uprising on Anhur, furthest territory administrated by the Hegemony. Cross referenced the faces of the terrorists at the Tianxia OCA bureau with what was available on the extranet, all of them are part of the Batarian External Forces," Brooks summarized.
The preliminary finding was thoroughly incriminating the Batarian Hegemony if Harper gave it a single second of thought. The line of thought was pretty straightforward – Hegemony contacts on the Citadel sent out the message to their 'enforcers' to do a number on the Alliance. The Hegemony was quite vocal at the start about the territorial dispute in the Verge. Was this their method of gaining the upper hand? It certainly wasn't a practice new to the Hegemony.
But why push the matter? Jath'Amon was quite glad they settled the matter with the Verge Treaty. And there weren't any unusual long sessions of talks between Ambassador Jath'Amon and High Hegemon Dorcador Dhothan. The sessions were held as usual and lasted for around 30 to 45 minutes, most likely briefings on the latest developments and deliberations. Ever since the Alliance hacked into the Citadel's communications hub, they've left behind a dumb AI that keeps track of official communications, but not to their content. The only means for the Batarians to send word of this operation to their contacts on the Citadel was via messengers. There were plenty of Hegemony ships that arrived from Batarian space to the Citadel, so trying to narrow it down was nigh impossible.
"How do you know the Shadow Broker's agents were involved?" he suddenly inquired.
"Only explanation we can come up with is the agents being sloppy. My agent at the Alliance Embassy had picked it up some time ago, but the intel did not seem relevant in any way at the time. We've even been able to identify one of the agents, and that tells quite a lot about how sloppy they were, considering our network isn't well established at all."
Harper tapped the desk with the fingers of his right hand while his chin rested on his left palm. "Brooks, I want you to pursue your leads starting from two different premises. Assign two different teams."
"One teams goes off the basis that the Broker is involved in this issue and his agent really was sloppy and the other team starts from the premise that this is a diversion and there are ulterior motives?" she asked.
"Exactly!" Harper exclaimed. "Somebody as good as this Broker wouldn't screw up on this level with, especially not with sloppy agents. I want to know what his stake is in this whole matter. Don't necessarily assume the Hegemony is involved in the second option."
"Understood. Anything else, Director?"
"No, you're dismissed. I want constant progress updates from your team."
"Roger that. Agent Brooks out," she said and closed the call.
Harper dialed the number to Cerberus HQ, Tartarus Installation, ready to give out orders. In his opinion, the ringing tone graced his ears for too long. Finally, Miranda answered. "Sir?"
"Status report!" he demanded.
"Working at 110%, sir. We have a situation developing on Eternium that might be linked to the current situation," she answered with a neutral voice. "Intelligence and Bureau of Investigations have reported movement of known former Insurrectionists, suspicious movement. Nothing illegal as of yet, but suspicious. We will keep monitoring them."
"And how are they linked to the Shanxi situation?" he asked.
"A young woman, Rita Riley, born to a family of known sympathizers to the secessionist cause, emigrated to the Citadel with the first occasion. Rented an apartment in the Zakera Ward. She was spotted by Captain Bailey, CO of the Marine security detail on the Citadel, on the Presidium. She sent multiple coded messages through the extranet and internet to unknown receivers. Code not cracked yet, still tracing the message, but it ended on Eternium. Our theory is that she gathered alien support to support a separatist reemergence and the Shanxi situation is part of their plan."
"We could be fighting a battle on two fronts," Harper said. "Anything pertaining to the Shadow Broker?"
"Negative. The Salarian arrested by Averescu at Magna is not giving in. We do know for sure that the Shadow Broker wants somebody to infiltrate the Alliance."
"And a time estimation until you find out who that message is meant for and its contents?"
"Less than a day until we find the recipients. More than a day to crack the code. It's a new one, nothing like the ones used during the Insurrection or post Insurrection period," Miranda answered. "We're also monitoring Kharak, but nothing remarkable so far."
"Good to know," Harper said. "And the status of Fireteam Viper?" he inquired about the N7 team he just got his hands on to work for the AIC.
"Still undergoing mental training against indoctrination," Miranda replied.
"I want them ready when this whole mess is over," Harper instructed. "Keep me updated. Harper out."
Palaven, Cipritine
Palaven Command HQ
While the wider galaxy was unaware of what was happening on Shanxi, Fedorian was dealing with his political issues and learning about the dubious scheming and works in the shadows that he had Garrus investigate. He would learn soon enough about Shanxi and face the consequences for the decisions he would make in its wake.
Fedorian just started his meeting with Flavian to talk about the political, military and economic status. And, off the official records, about what Garrus discovered.
"Vakarian, please start with the usual," he instructed his advisor.
"Yes, sir," he said and presented Fedorian a datapad synced to his own. "Politically, it is mostly the same situation. The Hanar are not doing anything different than the past centuries. The Elcor are strengthening ties with the Humans, with Ambassador Talin visiting Ambassador Goyle to discuss export of Alliance VIs to the Elcor. It would be in the Hierarchy's interests to pursue a policy of reconciliation with the Courts of Dekuuna, least we allow the Systems Alliance to spread its influence so far into Citadel space," he proposed to Fedorian.
"Councilor Sparatus made sure to send a squadron of ships that could have started a war. Then the Council had to beat the nail in the coffin…" Fedorian remembered. "Those good for nothing Asari matriarchs, I can smell their scheming somehow meddled in all this greater picture."
"Sparatus' wife died in that skirmish with the Quarians in Elcor space," Flavian pointed out. "Moving on, the Batarian Hegemony is still busy dealing with the rebellions. Most curious is the fact that they have pulled the vast majority of known loyal mercenary and pirate bands out of the Nemean Abyss. Thousands of troops and, if estimates are correct, just over ninety ships have arrived in the Attican Traverse."
"Curious indeed," Fedorian spoke. "Where are these forces concentrating?"
"Intelligence has uncovered Torfan as the location where they are concentrating their forces."
"Torfan, eh?"
Torfan was known to be a haven of lawlessness, full of cutthroats, pirates and bold mercenaries. When the Turians had joined Citadel space, Torfan was the frontier where only the strongest could survive. When the Batarians joined, Torfan became their turf and was used by the Hegemony to conduct black ops against the Citadel and as a safe harbor for privateers. But time made it more and more irrelevant as the waters gradually calmed down in the Traverse, culminating with Primarch Hortenraka's militarization of the area that drove away or killed many pirates. Now, Torfan is mostly used by smugglers and some shady factions, all paying a fee to the Hegemony to use it. Its importance has only arisen recently, with Humanity entering the galactic premises. Although old, Torfan's surface hides many strongholds that nobody has stormed. Hortenraka himself applied Tyraeus' strategy of prolonged siege and isolation of the moon instead of giving tens of thousands of Turian lives in an assault. Torfan would be free of Turian pressure only with Hortenraka's untimely death, only a shadow of what it once was at its peak. But with thousands of new occupants… well, it might just be the start of something. Hierarchy Intelligence kept tabs on Torfan ever since they found out about it more than a millennia ago.
"Has Intelligence identified their goals?" Fedorian asked.
"The report submitted by Intelligence indicates that at least 30 ships have been spotted moving out from Torfan to the very edge of Alliance – Hegemony border. Their last known position was in the Kogrom System," Flavian answered.
"This is a mere 120 or so light years from Relay 344," Fedorian noticed. "Don't tell me the Relay leads into Human space…" he thought aloud.
"It might, but nobody can be 100% sure of it. If they are planning on using the Relay…"
"It's a massive breach of the laws!" Fedorian nearly thundered. "I will dispatch elements of the Seventh Fleet immediately into the area," he said and tapped away the orders. Flavian watched him give orders in less than a minute. Fleet Admiral Coronati, Chief of Naval Operations for the Hierarchy, would receive the order and necessary details in seconds and act upon them.
"We also have to consider the fact that the Relay might lead to Alliance space, in the Verge," Flavian pointed out. "If they are planning on attacking the Humans… we cannot stand by when this is the most likely scenario."
"Are you suggesting we warn them, Vakarian?" the Primarch asked. "It could make us look like we are up to something."
"Well… perhaps Ambassador Quentius could visit the Alliance Embassy and discreetly forward the warning," he suggested. "We want to be on friendly terms with the Humans. This will earn us a lot of good will. And we will carefully observe their military in action."
"I know…" Fedorian continued to read from the datapad. "It will take them a few days to reach the Relay… Seventh Fleet will take longer than that to arrive in the area of operations. Why is Dhothan attacking the Humans? Is he that idiotic?" Fedorian tried to rationalize what he thought was happening. "He is stripping the Nemean Abyss of their assets for a crazy attack? It could also be something else…"
"Sir?"
"You know, Vakarian, perhaps Quentius should pay a visit to the Human Embassy?"
Flavian gave the Turian equivalent of a smile. "Most certainly a new trade deal must be discussed."
"I will take care of this in the shortest time possible," Fedorian said. "What is the next item on the list?"
"Right, sir," Flavian resumed his part as he brought the topic of the Volus, "The Vol Protectorate is happy for now to finally contend with the Humans on the galactic market, with not much complaining from them. All our operations are going smoothly there. However… they are concerned about lending aid to the Krogan. As long as nothing changes drastically, the Volus will not be a matter of concern."
"New developments on Tuchanka?" Fedorian asked.
"Negative, sir. Urdnot Wrex is keeping his part of the deal, focusing the resources on reclaiming the land and improving living conditions. Aralakh Company is still operating outside, but more and more are returning as they finish their contracts. The situation is as stable as it can be on Tuchanka. 22nd Fleet has not reported any issues, neither with the Krogan, nor with Alliance forces present in system. The 23rd Fleet reports nothing unusual either. The Krogan DMZ is safe and stable, for the first time in many years."
"Alright, nothing suspicious on Tuchanka. Now we get to the big three."
Flavian nodded shortly. "The Salarian Union is still refusing to contribute to the Krogan oriented humanitarian efforts. Not a slice of bread, not a piece of cloth, not a scrap of metal. In fact, the only help comes from the few sympathizing Salarian individuals. The Union's agenda seems to revolve around securing breaches in their security, which reflects on their sudden halt on every colonial venture and increased expenditure on military projects. High level talks have been observed between some dalatrasses and Asari matriarchs in the past weeks. If I may voice my own opinion, I believe they are concerned about the stance of the Hierarchy right now."
"I have already committed and will not change," Fedorian said.
"I know that, and I just want to point out that since the conclusion of diplomatic talks between the Council and the Humans, the Asari and Salarians are strengthening ties and leaving us with fewer and fewer options to maneuver in such way that could harm their interests. We could very well be vetoed out of every agenda we might want to push through the Council. We risk marginalization the level Primarch Tyraeus did in his days when he went against the Council. Our safest option right now is to pursue more and more friendly relations with the Humans. That could also backfire on us if a xenophobic group comes to power in the Alliance, a distinct possibility considering the fact they're a democracy and we've been at war last year."
"Indeed. But I tend to believe those xenophobes won't see many years in office. Once their population starts to see how their economy took a turn for the worse, they'll demand replacements or restitution of the previous working state of business," Fedorian contemplated. Turians don't have that problem. What the Primarch dictates, the Hierarchy will execute.
"It takes only so much until they tilt," Flavian warned. "For the Republics, they are not doing anything useful at all."
"Meaning?" Fedorian asked with hesitation.
Flavian put down the datapad and looked down at it, at the gentle light its display emanated. Then he leaned back on the chair and exhaled a long breath. Fedorian was waiting for Flavian to gather the words and put order in his thoughts, but his patience wasn't long now.
"A full slander campaign is going on in the Republics," he started. "It is everywhere, on every major and minor news outlet. Fewer and fewer posts bother to ignore the campaign or point out the ridiculousness of it."
"And who are they slandering?"
"It's mostly us and the Humans. The picture the Asari press is painting about them is extreme, even for them. They make the Humans look like the monsters of the galaxy, all of them under the leash of the Quarians who wish nothing but revenge and ruin on galactic society. Monsters with nukes aimed at them, ready to lash out and murder every Asari mother and their child. I'm not even going to mention the gas the Humans' world wars and nuclear arms race was for this fire. Their extremely large fleet of vessels larger than dreadnoughts… And the increasingly oppressive Turian Hierarchy with a radical at its helm. And it's starting to spill over into our media."
A growl of annoyance escaped the Primarch's throat. "They must think us the stupid of stupid if they think we won't notice this. Their hubris will one day be their death," Fedorian said. It was no secret to any of the more knowledgeable people that most of the Asari media was controlled by the matriarchs. What most of those more informed people didn't know is that there is not a big number of matriarchs who have the press under their thumbs. Through internal politics and economic maneuvers, the most influential matriarchs within the Armali Council were able to take control of the mass media. God forbid if you were the head of a company that activated in the media and entertainment and you refused to do what the ones who had you at their fingertips say. It was this that enabled the Armali Council to steer public opinion in the direction they wanted and, during the democratic processes, obtain the results they desired.
"Although it is interesting how quick they are to start this slander campaign," Flavian pointed out.
Fedorian considered his advisor's observation. Indeed, it was interesting. Hierarchy Intelligence of the Asari Republics tell that such a maneuver would take time to be put in motion. Normally, the matriarchs would take their time – for they have plenty of time – to adequately set up the stage. Start with the minor stuff and slowly build it up in the image of their political agenda. Such a process would take a few months at the very least, but they were a mere month into this PR stunt and things could not get more vicious in the media.
"They are up to something," Flavian concluded.
"They always are," Fedorian scoffed at his conclusion. "Considering the message we've received from Tevos…"
The message he referred to was about his orders to pull back the senior officers discovered to have forged their medical examinations, same as the ones who were Sparatus' political support. He felt like going to the Citadel and personally bitch slapping Tevos for her audacity to stick her nose in Turian internal affairs. But she surely does not know what the real situation is. He recounted the formal letter's content in his mind and felt angry again. He did not interfere in other states' internal issues. Perhaps he did when he offered minor support to Batarian rebels during the latest uprisings.
For his part, Flavian fixed the Primarch with his blue eyes. "This is even more serious than we could have imagined. The matriarchs are trying to pull off something and it will not be pleasant for anyone involved. If I have to put my money on a bet, I would say the bar fight on the Citadel, the one that the Citadel News Network blew out of proportion, was staged by them. I would even say that they are aware of the pirate concentration at Torfan and want to put everybody into a poor political spot so that they can use their political expertise and leverage us and the Humans, least we face losing faith with the whole galaxy, our peoples included. They lost Atelas Razea to the Humans just recently… think of how much she can compromise if she wishes to. That must have also been a catalyst."
"Old hags…" Fedorian cursed under his breath.
"Excuse me, sir?"
"Nothing," he waved a hand dismissively. Fedorian stood up from the chair, feeling the need to thaw his rigid legs. Old age was starting to take a toll on him. "And what of the Humans? What are they doing?" he asked as he thought of a strategy to counter the Republics' leadership move.
"The Systems Alliance is not doing anything special. At least according to our reports. They have put up a network of defensive stations around the Shanxi mass relay and the colony itself. They are still keeping true to the demilitarization of the Magna – Relay 314 corridor, with only a dozen warships around 314. We know next to nothing from inside, only that they are focusing again on colonization and working with their companies to enter the galactic market in force. And they are starting to make waves on the market with what they have already. They're on very friendly terms with the Elcor and President Montgomery seems to have a thing for Ambassador Irissa, and I mean it in the wrong sense of the word. They still haven't agreed fully on a trade treaty with each other, other than mediocre products," Flavian summarized. "And the Quarians are very invested in building their economy and developing New Rannoch. What are you thinking, sir?"
"If the Humans are at odds with the Asari, perhaps we can use this to our advantage in the longer run. And we will start by warning them about what might happen to them in the Verge. It's important to build a bridge of trust before further… more delicate matters can be discussed," Fedorian said. "But we must proceed with care. What of our other operation? Is your son well?"
"He's recovering well," Flavian answered. "He got lucky. Again."
"Perhaps luck is his second name?" Fedorian replied with humor.
"I certainly hope so. About what they were able to uncover…" his advisor began to explain what they knew so far. "Well… Intelligence performed an analysis of the captured device. That device has been built with accessible materials, but the science behind it is beyond our communications knowledgebase. If we can understand what makes it work, we could improve interstellar communications and electronic warfare to a new level."
"And what was it doing in Citadel maintenance tunnels in the hands of smugglers and drug dealers?"
"This is the thing. According to the attached report, the Salarians were checking the signals broadcasted by the Citadel. For what reason? We can only speculate until the captured Salarian breaks under interrogation. But it cannot be good. First the sabotage of the Citadel's communications at the outbreak of the war? Now somebody is looking into the quirks of the station's native comms? All of it under C-SEC's protection? This does not bode well…"
"Indeed, it does not…" the Primarch grumbled. "Anything else the investigation turned up? Anything about the sums of money that have been paid?"
"Yes, the specialists from Cybernetic Warfare have found a lead on that," Flavian began. "No conclusive lead on the accounts that have made the payments for the bailouts of the Salarians, but we have identified one of the owners of an account that deposited 250,000 credits into one of the anonymous accounts used to pay C-SEC. It belongs to Saren Arterius."
Fedorian stood still for a moment as the name turned a light in his mind. "Let me guess: most successful Turian SPECTRE of the century and relative to General Desolas Arterius?"
"The one and only," Flavian confirmed. "SPECTRE operations are classified by the Council, so the only things we know about him are through Hierarchy Intelligence keeping tabs on him. He seemed unaffected by his brother's death and carried on with his work. In fact, when the officer officially delivered the news to him after he returned to the Citadel he barely reacted. He simply accepted it. No emotion shown according to the officer. The past years he's been active in the Terminus and the Traverse, from Omega to Triginta Petra. Overheard some chatter between him and SPECTRE Kryik that he was dedicating some of his time to investigate claims of Collectors in the Terminus aside from his assignments."
When Flavian said overheard, he actually meant having an Intelligence agent follow them and have a drink just two meters from them at the same bar. With microphones hidden in his clothes, Intelligence was able to learn what they were willing to disclose outside of official records.
"But his trace has been lost periodically," Flavian continued, "with periods of whole weeks of him going missing and reemerging in the quadrant of the Far Rim and Perseus Veil."
This piece of news visibly disturbed Fedorian. "What? The Far Rim? There are Geth in that region of space. Was he trying to start a war with them?"
"We don't know. Our eyes and ears in the region are almost nonexistent. He could have an outpost in the area to go off the grid and fulfill his tasks," the elder Vakarian theorized. "Or it could be something else entirely. All we know is that it was there that he disappeared and, most of the time, it was the same area where he reemerged."
Fedorian sat back down on his chair. "I don't want to give them any more time. I could order a crackdown, but, without proof, it will be an exercise in futility. They will get away. No. As soon as we have something that remotely incriminates them… I will arrest them. So your son better give us that proof before-" he stopped as a priority call came on his omnitool.
Flavian waited a full minute, perhaps more, for the Primarch to redirect his attention to him. Fedorian stood still as a rock from the moment he began reading whatever message he got until he shifted his head just enough to talk to Flavian.
"Perhaps Quentius should pay a visit to the Alliance Embassy within the day."
Fedorian had just learned about the Shanxi Hostage Crisis and linked the dots in his mind.
Citadel, Presidium
Alliance – Quarian Embassy
Ambassador Octavius Quentius felt tense. The feeling was not as intense as the time when he was informed about the outbreak of hostilities with another alien race – the Humans. Even more so when Fedorian had him depart the Citadel for Magna to negotiate a ceasefire. No matter how much the conservatives (with the Asari in lead) wanted to deny and discredit it, Humanity's ascendance to the galactic scene was one of the pivotal moments in galactic geopolitics and history.
He left the skycar behind, the driver going to find a parking spot for the time being. Contrary to mainstream practice, Hierarchy preferred to use skycars with drivers for its dignitaries, not automatic driving vehicles. Quentius passed through the entrance where two Marines stood guard.
The atmosphere inside was not pleasant as he was used to. The staff was stiff and the reception area was empty. There were plenty of people at the desks were documents are deposited for travel permits in Alliance space. He spotted Captain Bailey doing rounds of the embassy. The man looked grim. Quentius remembered the scandal that involved Alliance Marines in a bar brawl that resulted in multiple people hospitalized. Some were treated at the General Hospital on the Presidium, some at the Zakera Hospital.
"Esteemed applicants for travel permits in Alliance space, please note that no permits will be issued until March 1st. Please check our extranet page for further details. You can still apply for one without issues. We apologize for the inconvenience," a female voice came through the embassy's PA announcement system.
'Must be about Shanxi. Fantastic!' Quentius thought. He approached the woman at reception. "Good day," he greeted the woman at the reception, Emily, if he remembered correctly. "Ambassador Quentius to see Ambassador Goyle," he told her.
"Of course. Please wait in the lounge for the time being. She is in an unscheduled meeting with Ambassador Jath'Amon. I'll inform her right away. Please excuse us for the mild inconvenience," Emily informed him.
'I can hazard a guess what they are discussing.'
"It's no problem. Thank you," and he went to sit own in one of those fancy plush seats that Turians felt very comfortable in. He had a small suitcase with two datapads inside which he put down near his feet.
He took the time to relax a bit and think how exactly he should formulate the words to Goyle. And how much should he disclose? If he thought better about it, Fedorian wasn't sure on whose side he wanted the Hierarchy to be. He wanted good relations with the Humans, but his reactivation of the PATRIA Project showed that he was not going to get all comfortable with them. That project was still a state secret only a handful knew about. It had been put to sleep for many years after its initial draft by Primarch Callatis Hortenraka. Various administrations have worked at it, with moderate success. But no live test had been conducted. They never finished the prototype. And the day the Turians will test the first PATRIA prototype… Spirits help them.
In the end, Quentius remembered that Fedorian wanted a strong and independent Hierarchy. Strong it was. Especially if PATRIA was finished and produced in significant numbers. It would be a strategic deterrence against the galaxy. But most importantly, it would be a deterrent against the Humans. Independent? Not so much from an economic point of view. "Speak softly and carry a big stick," the Turian remembered a Human saying that seemed to go very well with Fedorian's current moves.
After 5 more minutes or so, the door to Goyle's office opened. He saw Jath'Amon to be the first to come through the door, shortly followed by Goyle. He knew enough about Batarians to tell he was extremely upset and that frustrated. Neither of the two noticed Quentius in the small lounge. They passed by, Goyle seeing the Batarian dignitary to the reception. They must have been very distracted by the topic they were discussing not to spot him. Or she knew about him being there and chose to ignore him since Jath'Amon had definitely not seen him, which was the most likely scenario. After all, they didn't really want the people to learn about Quentius being here right now. Not in detail, they'd know anyway, but only on higher levels. When she was returning, Quentius stood up to make himself more visible.
"Ambassador Quentius," Goyle half exclaimed, her tired features showing through. "I am sorry for keeping you waiting. Ambassador Jath'Amon's request for an immediate meeting was unexpected. More than yours, I might say."
"It is no problem, Ambassador," Quentius assured her, having to look down at the shorter Human female. "I am aware of the situation developing at Shanxi. But time is of the essence right now. Can we take these to a more private setting?"
Goyle nodded and indicated with her left hand toward her office. She quickly followed Quentius inside, the door closing behind them. The interior hadn't changed at all. In fact, the only difference from the norm was the presence of another man. A Human male in military uniform. The clothes were overwhelmingly black in color. 'The Alliance Marines,' he reasoned. He had a single star on each epaulet and either side of the collar. There was also a small N7 pin on his chest with various decorations.
The man turned his attention from the portable computer, a laptop he recalled the Humans calling it, to Quentius. Laptops had evolved very much, but there were still the military models that resembled the old designs. They were the highest end laptops in Alliance space and could also take a beating, having been made to be used in the field where exposing it to the elements was inevitable.
Quentius took in his appearance. The man was above the average height of a Human male, somewhere around 180 centimeters tall. He was pretty broad in his shoulders and looked like he still kept in shape. His arms were also much larger than average and were made of muscles. Nothing like that one Human Marine that was part of President Montgomery's escort on the Citadel during the peace negotiations. 'What was that monster's name… Vega?' he asked himself. This man came nowhere close to that man. In fact, only a Krogan came close to him. He was a mountain of a man. Back to the person before him, he noticed the… 'beard they call it? Yes, beard,' on his face that linked to his sideburns. In fact, it reminded Quentius of Fleet Admiral Ahern, only that one had brown hair and the other black that was starting to fade to white. His hazel eyes were contrasting with his white skin and seemingly tare eyebrows. He maintained his hair of medium length and laid back.
"Ambassador Quentius, I guess?" he asked as he extended his arm for a handshake.
"Indeed. Who do I have the pleasure to talk with?" the Turian diplomat replied as he accepted the customary Human handshake. The man prolonged the handshake a second longer than it would last usually. His grip was also significantly stronger. Something Quentius will learn is unique to the N7 Special Forces.
"Brigadier General Alec Ryder, Systems Alliance Marines Corps, military attaché to the Citadel," the man introduced himself.
"Military attaché? Ah yes, we've received a notification at the Hierarchy Embassy. Nice to meet you, General. Considering the unfortunate evolution of events at Shanxi, I'd say your timing is impeccable."
"Yeah," Ryder dryly said before resuming his work.
"So, excuse my bluntness Ambassador Quentius, but what is it that the Hierarchy wants at this point?" Goyle inquired. "I would think it is about Shanxi. Trade lanes have not been closed. It's just the travel permits that won't be issued due to a temporary investigation of the Bureau of Investigations and Intelligence."
Quentius put the suitcase on Goyle's desk and opened it as he spoke. "Nothing as trivial as that, Ambassador. And I do believe bluntness is most welcome right now. I have to apologize for requesting this meeting on such a short notice, but Primarch Fedorian ordered me to."
"Primarch Fedorian? Must be mighty important," the baritone voice of Ryder chimed in. He stopped whatever he was doing on his laptop to focus on Quentius' next words.
He produced the two datapads. The first one he simply discarded like it wasn't even worthy a moment of attention. "This one is my excuse for being here – some miscellaneous trade proposals, ridiculous if you ask me, but it was the best we came up with in two hours before making the appointment. You can skim over it later," he informed them and pulled out the second one. He handed it over to Goyle. "This is the true reason why I am here."
"What is on it?" Goyle asked.
Quentius brought up his omnitool and was searching for something in the menu. "It is no secret that Batarian terrorists have found their way into Shanxi and what they're doing right now. It's starting to spread on the extranet. If I may ask, what did Jath'Amon want earlier?"
"How does this relate to what you're about to tell us?" Ryder asked.
"It simply is, General. Please tell me."
Ryder looked at Goyle. The woman sighed before saying anything. "It was about the ongoing situation at Shanxi. The Hegemony wanted to make it clear to us that these terrorists' demands do not reflect the Hegemony's opinion and that they will uphold the Verge Treaty. The ambassador will try to reason with them soon."
"Well, I wonder how much truth is in that. Look at this," he brought up a map of the Skyllian Verge, the Alliance – Hegemony border and some solar systems highlighted. "Hierarchy Intelligence identified tens of thousands of pirate forces concentrating around Torfan," he said and a system pinged. "Long story short, Torfan has been a major base for cutthroat activities in the region for centuries. It lies not very far away from your borders. The more pressing matter is that a significant naval force has been spotted moving on a route that will bring them to a mass relay that we believe is leading into your space."
Ryder stood up from his laptop and analyzed the map. The perspective was different from the Turians' POV. But Ryder had studied the galactic maps and was able to tell roughly where the Alliance colonies in the Verge were based on the shape of the border. The colony of Mindoir, the second largest after Elysium, was in their way.
"Shit!" he cursed just loud enough for the diplomats to hear him. Goyle was distressed, she too realizing what Ryder realized. "What else do you know? How far are they?" his military mind kicked in.
"They're close," Quentius answered. "All we know is on that datapad. The sooner you send it to your analysts, the better."
'More like what you are willing to disclose,' Ryder suspected. "Opening mass relays is against the laws of both states, even if you are somewhat sure of where it might lead. At least without official approval if I remember my laws correctly. Is the Turian Hierarchy taking measures to prevent this?"
"Torfan is in space claimed by the Hegemony right now. We used to police it from time to time when it was in unclaimed space. But, as you might guess, we don't have any significant presence in Batarian space. The nearest fleet we have is the Seventh Fleet which is much more preoccupied with securing our borders. We have elements of the Seventh Fleet en route, but they are days away."
Ryder nodded. "Understood. If you will excuse me, I have a few calls to make," he excused himself and swiftly left with his laptop and the datapad. Goyle knew she'd find him in the room with the QEC communicator.
Quentius didn't move from where he stood. He closed his suitcase once Ryder left Goyle's office. "My job here is done. Put that information to good use. And we will leave the matter of this trade proposal for another time."
"What, are you just going to leave like nothing happened?" Goyle questioned him. "Hold on there for a moment!" and she grabbed him by the right hand to stop him from leaving.
Quentius jerked backwards. He turned his head just enough to see her hand grabbing him. He then made eye contact with her, a questioning look in his eyes. "What are you doing, Ambassador Goyle?"
"What do you want?" she put forward her question without thinking.
"What do you mean?"
"What's your gamble in this? Giving us this information out of kindness? While the other governments do nothing? This is politics we're doing here, not charity."
Quentius freed his arm from her grip. "The Primarch is right – it is unfortunate that we had to meet by shooting each other. Consider this as us trying to make up for Shanxi," he answered, giving her just as many answers as new questions to ponder. "Have a good day, Ambassador."
'Into what gamble of yours do you want us to play?' she wanted to ask loud, but just addressed the most important question to her own mind. 'Fucking shit keeps getting better and better!'
Citadel, Presidium
Councilor Tevos' Office
She was simply sitting on the sofa while watching the Citadel News Network live feed from Shanxi. Or what could be passed as live. There was still a significant delay of a few hours, effectively showing her the second day of the crisis, but the feed was uninterrupted by drops in the frame rate. The Turians and the Humans had been quick to establish a conventional communication network of buoys with high speed of data transfer. This was how Tevos was able to follow the ongoing Shanxi Hostage Crisis as it was dubbed by the media.
"What is the situation, officer?" the Asari reporter asked the Chinese policeman of the Tianxia Police Department. The plan to undermine the relations between the Humans, Turians and Batarians and put a much more favorable spin into things for the Republics had begun well. Tevos had called a favor from Benezia to have the reporters arrive conveniently in time to show this. The Humans haven't established yet a news network outside their space and this was the only way for her to follow the situation as it was happening, not what the Alliance officials would tell her.
"Not much has changed since yesterday," the officer started his answer. "We have six armed terrorists who are holding roughly 100 civilians hostage in the office and they refuse to negotiate."
Fantastic so far. No deviation from the plan.
"Did they make any demands?" the reporter inquired.
"We can't tell for sure their end goals. Right now, they're demanding cession of all Human territories in the Skyllian Verge to the Batarian Hegemony. Usual extremist behavior."
Tevos made sure to pass the orders down the chain of command so that the six Batarians would last as long as possible. They will start killing hostages if their demands were not met. They wouldn't leave the office until the Alliance gave up the Verge – not that it would ever happen, but the longer it lasts, the better. The local authorities will supply them with food. If the food was poisoned or anything like that, heads will start to drop. The hostages will be the first to eat as test subjects to make sure the food wasn't messed with. The terrorists ate the last after making sure the meals weren't injected with anything funny. The same strategies with water.
The Batarian diplomat to the Citadel, Ambassador Jath'Amon tried to talk to the terrorists, his conversation broadcast on live television last evening. Tevos wasn't even surprised that they chose this channel of communication, making sure the galaxy does not think of them as the perpetrators. But, as expected of the pawns, they did not buy it, dismissing him as an Alliance hoax to have them surrender. Jath'Amon told them to lay down their weapons and exit the building with their hands in the air, going as far as to invoke the shame they brought upon the Batarian people.
She wondered if Ka'hairal Balak was aware about how much of his network had been compromised, or if anyone actually knew. Part of her deal with Aria was to be informed if the Hegemony discovered the massive, yet still veiled breach. And even if they did discover it, it was too late anyway. The bulk of the Hegemony's pirate force was about to be annihilated soon enough. With them gone, Anhur would be left with no reinforcements in due time, and, with the military force the Republics have prepared to covertly land there in support of the rebels, the former Batarian planet will fall to them. She had promised the colony to Aria, but nobody said anything about allowing her to keep it.
The Hegemony will follow in the next 50 to 100 years, being boxed in by the Hierarchy, Alliance and with their Terminus holdings stripped away. The politic makers of the Asari were confident that the Fedorian episode will be over just like the Tyraeus episode was, returning to the much more pleasant and stable situation they desired. And the future generations of Humans will open more and more to the galaxy, thus slowly being assimilated and, sometime in the not too distant future, join the Citadel.
The reporter on the screen was pushed back by a dozen new police officers geared in black body armor with black clothes underneath. The cameraman was able to capture a few shots of the weaponry they seemed to openly carry. Tevos spotted what looked like military grade rifles and scoped weapons made for very long range engagements if the resemblance with the firearms carried by the Marines from the Alliance Embassy were any hint. They had the OCA Tianxia office surrounded by lawmen, some Shanxi Militia troops and a good number of Marines and Army soldiers.
One of the men in black whispered something to the cop that was talking with the reporter. The man immediately left the scene, most likely having received orders. "Back off to a safe distance, madam," the same man told the Asari and the cameraman. One with his back to the camera had the words COUNTER TERRORIST written on his upper back.
She didn't know, but they were part of the hastily dispatched Alliance Intelligence Command Counter Terrorist units. They had just landed. Multiple teams arrived. Some were ready to storm the building from air, ground and underground. A few sniper teams were taking positions in nearby buildings that offered the best shooting lanes into the office. Others were undergoing full dive VR training with simulations and an accurate rendition of the building's interiors.
"Step back to a safe distance," he repeated and started to slowly push the reporter back. Other officers were doing the same thing. The crowd always tried to get closer and closer only to be pushed back. The camera caught three trucks that just came to a halt on an adjacent street, militiamen disembarking from them. Tevos could tell that there were a few officers among the militiamen who were coordinating them. The troopers were quick to form a cordon between the crowd and the police perimeter.
She waited for it to happen. She watched with great interest and satisfaction. She waited for the first casualty. This stunt must pull the Alliance's attention from the part of the operation that will decide the immediate future of the Attican Traverse and Citadel politics. The most important part. The greater the surprise, the bigger the effect on popular opinion, the stronger the response.
A brief moment of chaos settled over the large crowd and two officers were arguing behind the militia. Tevos checked the time and smiled. The first hostage was shot dead. Exactly according to schedule. Perhaps soon enough she'll hear news about Atelas Razea's unfortunate demise at the hands of Human xenophobe extremists. One more day and the Verge would catch fire.
She did not know it at the moment, but the top dogs of Asari politics and their accomplices have awoken a sleeping monster.
CODEX UPDATE
THE PATRIA PROJECT
Planetary Annihilation Trans Relay Independent Armament, or PATRIA for short, was a secret project of the Turian Hierarchy with the aim of building a weapon of mass destruction capable of hitting targets at very long range from an astronomical point of view.
Initially Primarch Callatis Hortenraka's brainchild prior to the Geth Rebellions, PATRIA was to be a strategic deterrence against the Asari Republics and Salarian Union when relations between the Hierarchy and its colleague Council governments were at their lowest. The Primarch's untimely and suspicious demise gave way for reconciliatory administrations that put a stop to the project. The project has been revitalized multiple times for brief windows of time with moderate progress made every time, predominantly in the aftermath of the Quarian exodus from Rannoch.
It would not be until the year 2180, shortly after the peace negotiations in the wake of the Human – Council War, that PATRIA's dossier would be dusted off for good. Primarch Tiberius Fedorian and the Hierarchy Chief of the General Staff, General Auvus Corinthus, would oversee the project's completion and the prototype test shortly before Saren's Betrayal and the Geth incursions into the Traverse, Hegemony and Alliance space. Though the prototype was not capable of opening dormant mass relays, the test was successful, the former minor planet Baeponia IV testimony to its destructive capabilities.
The PATRIA missiles were very large missiles, close to a light frigate in dimensions, and they incorporated limited stealth capabilities that rendered them invisible to most sensors. The missile had an advanced VI command suite capable of extremely advanced decision making, possibly bordering on Geth neural networks. The VI was so advanced that, among many other tasks, it could open dormant mass relays, detect habitable and colonized planets with its long range sensors and decide if it was a viable target, and pick the best target after accounting for multiple factors. They were extremely fast, having latest generation element zero cores for fast sublight travel speeds and FTL capabilities, making them very hard to intercept if detected. The missile belongs in the category of fire-and-forget weapons, meaning that once launched it is outside the operator's influence. The destructive capabilities of its huge nuclear warhead enhanced with Eezo to poison the atmosphere was only surpassed by the Human made NOVA bomb, though the latter necessitated delivery by ship.
Although initially directed against the Human Systems Alliance, Asari Republics and Salarian Union, PATRIA would be one of the Galactic Coalition's most effective weapons against the Reapers during the Reaper War. Due to the very small stockpile at the start of the war, the PATRIA missiles were reprogrammed and employed in operations of major strategic significance. The largest number of these missiles was launched during the Rolling Thunder Campaign.
Knowledge about the PATRIA missiles would lead to the accelerated development and production of the Saint Helens, Atacama and Robert Oppenheimer classes of nuclear annihilation stealth destroyers in response by the Systems Alliance.
See also:
Comparable WMDs: the NOVA bomb
History of Turian nuclear weapons
Strategic deterrence
Galactic Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
Systems Alliance nuclear arsenal
NOTE2: Wow, a hell of a chapter? Well, I would have loved to add at least five more scenes, but I think they will be making it in the next chapter. I was looking forward to showing more of Averescu and of Hannah Shepard, but hell… they will be there next chapter. What's up with Atelas? How will the Shanxi Hostage Crisis end? What is up with Garrus? I will show a lot more of him and the secret plot he's trying to uncover in next chapter. Suffice to say that the Hierarchy is slowly building a picture based on what they're uncovering. Wanted to show you about the Blue Suns too. But their plot will develop in Chapter 24. And how will the political tension created by the matriarchy's proxy agents manifest in the geopolitical arena? Stay tuned to find out in late May or June (maybe even later, in July).
NOTE3: In the next chapter: the conclusion of the Shanxi Hostage Crisis, some Torfan stuff, fire and fury, Archangel rising, a bit of Liara and the build up to Saren's arc, more Reaper related plots that will involve Cerberus and we shall see what else comes.
A STORY BROUGHT TO YOU BY Apollonir