Chapter 5. Born Ready
13. August 2387 AD, Utopia System, Eden Prime, HSASV Hawking
Eden Prime, the first world settled by the HSA after its founding in 2151, was chosen to be the rally point of the first human-turian joint exercise. Following the veto by Councilor Ioventus, the Hierarchy had been approached by the Human Systems Alliance to conduct several ground and space exercises. Here a turian fleet would meet up with Carrier Battle Group Hawking and the two formations would embark on a journey throughout human and turian space, conducting specific exercises on several planets within their territory. The official aim of this event was to learn from each other. However it also sent a clear message to both the Salarian Union and the Asari Republics, who had recently shot down the earlier possibility of a four way exercise between all council members and the HSA. These exercises were not only supposed to strengthen diplomatic ties between the HSA and the turians, they wee also supposed to show that the Hierarchy would not join its fellow council members in all of their decisions. It was as much a military drill as it was a political message.
As the two fleets moved over Eden Prime, the side of the first ground exercise of their toor, the recently promoted Rear Admiral Gates was well aware that he was being used as a political pawn. He was the man that had made the call to land on Parnack and the Sun Tzu, his last command on which the decision had been made was part of the carrier group as well, now being commanded by its former XO. It wasn't a coincidence that both the ship and its former commander happened to end up in the same carrier group. Not that he minded, Gates had planned to catch up with his last crew anyway, at least once he had time to do so. Having been given command over a carrier group had made him a very busy man. Gates effectively commanded the Hawking itself, an Einstein-Class carrier, the Sun Tzu, eight additional cruisers and their corresponding eight frigate wolfpacks. He also had to worry about the several support vessels, of both logistical and medical kind, that came attached to such a massive naval formation.
But he knew that he wasn't the only one with that much work on his hands. The turian fleet was not very different from their own, the biggest difference being that their flag ship was a dreadnought. It was an impressive sight to say the least, and as turian naval doctrine dictated it was escorted by twelve cruisers and well over thirty frigates who were most likely tasked with protecting the dreadnought just as much as they were tasked with protecting the combat support vessels. The turian space craft all shared a very similar design. They had a white, hawk-like look, wings being attached to the main hulls, and it was far easier to identify the different classes through their size than through optical differences such as the differently coloured highlights on their surface. For all intends and purposes, on the outside the ships ahead of his formation all looked just about the same, at least in Gates' opinion. The thought that the turian admiral probably thought very much the same about his ships crossed his mind just as he had finished the thought. While their fellow exercise participants followed a design philosophy that reminded him of birds of pray, he couldn't claim that the narrow, elongated green hulls of the HSA's fleet were very diverse either. There was a uniformity to their design as light rays of Eden Prime's sun reflected of their hulls, making the red highlights and finer details on their surface clearly visible from his position on the bridge.
"Turian fleet reports being ready to enter orbit, Rear Admiral Gates," a crew member informed him as he threw one final glance through the bridge's frontal window before turning around. Time to earn his living.
"Tell them to follow our lead. Helmsman, bring us in position over the designated training grounds," he took a sip of coffee, the life blood of people that had to work as much as he did. "Inform Major Alenko that he can prepare his man for rapid deployment."
The communications officer relayed the orders and all around the fleet, especially on the Sun Tzu, marines were starting to enter their Kodiaks, ready to put on a good show for the galaxy.
2129 CE, Utopia System, Eden Prime, THS Silus
"All ground forces, prepare for deployment." Admiral Quentius voice rang through the room as the young turian checked his Phaeston again, just to make sure. He was currently aboard the dreadnought 'Silus', named after one of the turian spirits standing for comradeship, suspecting that the Primarchs' decision to sent this particular ship was meant as a message for the Salarian Union and the asri. After all, they could've sent any other fleet with any other dreadnought. named after any other spirit of his people. It was clearly intentional on their part and it wouldn't be the first time that the Turian Hierarchy used the name of something as a political provocation.
Not that he minded a jab at the two governments. It had been their choice not to take part in this particular event.
Around him one of the vessel's hangars was full of turian soldiers as they climbed into the transports that would deploy them into their area of operation. As his unit followed the markers on the floor, several of the regular turian soldiers threw suspicious glances towards them as the shock troops passed by them. He suspected that he'd experience this from now on. The purple markings on their dark-grey armor tended to bring out a sense of uneasiness in most turians as they remembered what these markings stood for in the past. As one of their own turned his head ever so slightly, the NCO to his left came to life.
"Eyes up front, cabals" Kabalim Vitallion ordered as the turian biotics ignored them and boarded the vessel.
The formation of the Cabal Corps was a cultural reaction towards the use of biotic soldiers during the Unification Wars. During the bloody period of turian pre-council history, black ops units would recruit turian biotics as infiltrators. They'd be planted in regular infantry legions to observe their behavoir, their orders being to report any anti-Hierarchy sentiment within the units they were attached to or find themselves employed as professional assassins, committing unspeakable acts for the Hierarchy. Because of their past purpose within the military, regulars did not trust biotic turians. To avoid this mistrust from causing great harm, the Hierarchy had decided to isolate every turian that had a degree of biotic potential in the elite units of the Cabal Corps. Working in squads lead by an NCO, a Kabalim with years of experience, the soldiers were not only trained in asymmetrical warfare but also filled the role of shock troops, a role they gladly took upon themselves because their unique abilites, for example their biotic barriers, gave them a better chance at surviving such a high risk assignment. The soldiers drafted into these units felt no resentment towards the Hierarchy, instead seeing their isolation as a way to uphold unit cohesion in regular formations and serve the Hierarchy as best as they could.
"Who invited you to the field trip? Got lost on the way to basic?" a cabal asked him in a joking voice as he sat down next to him. It was a justified question as the sixteen year old turian could certainly be seen as an anomaly among his older peers. He was the newest and by far least experienced member of the squad, having arrived to his assignment on the Silus literal hours before it left the Trebia System.
"I got fast tracked out of boot camp," the white plated turian, who lacked facial marks, replied.
The mandibles of the cabal clicked into the turian equivalent of a smirk, probably remembering a similar situation. There were two distinctive ways one could find their way into the Cabal Corps, either they knew they were a biotic before boot camp or they involuntarily found out during it, the later of which would see them removed from the other regulars before being sent to a cabal specific training camp.
"Who's mandible did you rip of with a biotic punch?" the older turian chuckled.
"He had it coming," the younger one simply shrugged.
"I know, I know. I've been there," the other cabal replied. "I don't think we've met yet," he turned towards him, "I'm Bassilo Kandros." he offered.
"Saren Arterius," he gritted through his teeth as the turian shuttle shook upon entering atmosphere. He had experienced some training drops during the last year and they had been nothing like this. As his spine felt like it was being forcefully pressed together, he wondered if the training pilots had gone easy on them or if the inertial dampeners of this particular craft were simply dysfunctional. Just how the people around him seemed completely unaffected by it was a question he'd love to hear the answer to.
"Pleasure to meet you, Saren," Kandros chuckled, probably as a result to Saren's reaction. "Ready for this?"
"Born ready," he nodded as the shaking mercifully grew less intense and a quick look to the screen on the ceiling confirmed that they were almost on the surface already.
"Ready up, cabals," it rang through the back of the shuttle as the turian next to him undid his harness, an action Saren quickly repeated. Not a moment later all of them rose to their feet as red light engulfed the crew compartment. The pilot was signaling them of the immediate deployment. The shuttle doors opened as the craft slowed down some meters above the ground, several other white shapes flying next to it which were keeping their distance from each other so they'd avoid being shot down by the same anti-air missile. The rain poured down from the sky and dripped down the side of the shuttle, a few droplets hitting his visor. Then everything happened almost mechanically. Once the green light became visible, their Kabalim shouted the order to jump.
So Saren jumped.
He fell to the ground, shielding his head with his arms and rolling exactly twice before rising to his feet, surprised at having executed the maneuver as flawless as he had just done. He rose to his feet and quickly fell into formation with the other cabals, looking up just in time to see a turian frigate deploy two Jiris IFVs from it's hatch. The green vehicles fell unchecked for a few moments until their Element Zero engines kicked in, causing them to gently hover to a stop just above the ground before the small ramps at their back were opened and regulars started to pour out of them, securing the area while their transports moved to their ordered positions.
While the regular turian infantry began doing their part of the operation, the cabals moved up to a grassy hill. Coming to a stop, Saren threw himself to the ground before awaiting further orders, a cabal of another squad lying down next to him as the shock troops linked up in preparation for the next phase of the exercise. They'd lead the charge towards their objective alongside a human platoon, the mechanized regulars and other human forces providing cover for them along the way. Once they had eliminated the first human defenders, who were also acting as their opponents during this exercise, the rest of their forces would follow the path they had cleared while they provided overwatch. He was torn from his thoughts when a human, most likely a messenger sent to link up with the turian commanders on the line, quickly dashed past a lower part of the hill and planted himself between him and the cabal, his forest green armor getting covered in mud as he touched down on the wet soil.
"Where's your squad leader?" he questioned, his breath slightly faster than it probably should have been.
"Further down the line. Kabalim Vitallion, big guy with red facial marks and three dots on his collar," Saren explained, making sure to describe him in a way that would make him recognizable for the human. The fact that few cabals wore helmets, preferring the usually non-standard issue eye pieces given to selected units within the Hierarchy, made that easier. Had they been normal infantrymen, they would've looked just as indistinguishable from each other as their current allies.
"Thanks. Stay sharp," the human nodded before he pushed himself back up and moved along the line, doing his best to stay hidden behind the hill because across the elevation lay their target. Build to train human marine units in urban warfare, as far as the briefing had informed him the mock city would be defended by units of the HSA army, trying to defend against the attack mounted by the two species until they were either defeated or the exercise ended.
"Alright Cabals, listen up," his commander declared as his voice came through Saren's own visor, "We're going to be part of the first wave," his HUD started to show him an aerial display of the combat zone as the Kabalim went over the plan gain. "We'll move up towards the edge of Building Three. For those that failed to update their visual translators, that's the three story one with two red half circles on top of each other," the turian elaborated as Saren realised that he was among the cabals that the NCO was referring to, cursing under his breath. "On our left human mechanized forces will cover our advance and move up with us. We'll sweep the building of enemies and take position on the roof. From there on out, we'll provide biotic support. The grand objective of the exercise is to capture the town center, regulars will take care of that." he stopped a second. "Remember, this is an exercise. If your HUD says you're dead, you're dead. Watch your biotics and get ready," he finished.
The word of caution was justified, not because the cabals lacked control over their powers but because because the humans were far from familiar with the dangers linked to biotic powers. Something a cabal recognized as an impending biotic detonation may very well look harmless to a human grunt. Killing the people one was training with was hardly the purpose of an exercise. He flicked off the safety of his Phaeston, which was loaded with an ammunition block that created harmless training rounds and checked the small attachment at its front. The projector would create a focused beam of light and the small sensors they had attached to their armor would register every time they were hit. If they died, their gun would lock up and they'd be out for the duration of the exercise.
It wasn't quite like the tranquilizing rounds turians usually used for training but due to their incompatibility with the human hardsuits, they had to settle for this less realistic approach.
The human mechanized support, large combat suits called 'Paladins', were piloted by specifically trained soldiers. When they started to open fire on several buildings, he heard his Kabalim give the signal to advance.
"Alright, go. Watch your spacing," it rang through his ears as the NCO shouted through their squad intercom and just like that, Saren and the cabals resting alongside the hill began to climb upwards, clearing the hill and breaking into a dash towards the wall of Building Three. The turians, slightly faster than the human platoon following their charge, rushed across the open field between the hill and the building. His legs carried Saren forward as he saw one cabal stop in the corner of his eyes, probably being declared dead by his suit, several of the humans doing the same when they caught up to them, revealing their position to be in the vision of a capable marksman. The young cabal kept running as another member of his squad 'flat-lined' on his HUD and Saren almost expected to be next right until he touched the wall of the building, having made it to safety for now.
"We'll breach through the windows," the Kabalim of his unit said to a human that had made it to the building as well. "We can use our biotics to soften them up from behind while you break through the front," he explained as the man nodded.
"Copy that. We'll take the main entrance." the human marine said in perfect Pallian even if his mouth was incapable of creating several of the language's sounds, the miracles of translating software at work. He made a gesture with his five-fingered hand and one of his comrades moved up to the door. "Just give the signal," he clarified as he placed a hand on the shoulder of the man next to the door.
"Cabals, stack up," Vitallion ordered. "Kandros, you're on point."
The cabal moved up to the window and started to be surrounded by a purple light as he decreased his mass to reduce the time it would take him to execute the breach. A regular turian soldier would take a few seconds to climb through the window due to the weight of his gear, being biotic meant that a cabal could put that time to shame.
"Breach," the turian ordered and Kandros jumped through the window in a single leap, a feat that would be impossible if not for his reduced weight. Gunfire broke out inside as the Vitallion followed the pointman just as Saren saw one of the human soldiers kick in the door on the other side of the wall. The human team leader slapped his hand on the shoulder of the man in front of him causing the soldier to throw a grenade into the room. After a bright explosion, the marine in front of the line rounded the corner and started to fire just as the cabal in front of Saren cleared the window.
The young cabal flickered with biotic energy as he too jumped through the window just in time to the final defender of the room 'die'. The man dropped his arms in frustration and stood still in the corner he had been using for cover, signaling him to be 'dead'. Vitallion instructed his squad to clear the adjacent rooms as human gunfire echoed through the building. The cabals split up into three groups and Saren found himself taking point for the second group. He walked towards his assigned door and peeked through it, only to see one human defender look back at him. The turian turned the corner and his Phaeston and the human's SR-7 both started to fire at roughly the same time, his biotic barriers giving him the edge. The human 'died' as his gun locked up and Saren moved through the room up to the other door inside it, the two cabals of his group covering the stairway to his right. He took a few more steps towards the door and when a human figure appeared from within the room, Saren was about to pull his trigger again until his HUD informed him that this one was part of the friendly human forces that had entered through the main door. They walked towards each other, meeting just shy off the hallway centre. The marine in front of the human team stopped shortly in front of the one room in between them and gave Saren the signal to move up to the opposite side of the door. After a moment of consideration, he complied and looked at the human.
"You're biotic, right?" the human asked as he readied his rifle.
"Yes," Saren answered truthfully. "You want me to take point?" it made sense. His barriers made him more resilient and would buy him a few precious seconds should the hostiles inside appear from an unexpected position.
"Can you place one of those barriers on me?." the human surprised him before explaining his intention. "You're more vital to the job than me."
"That I can do," Saren said as he flared in a purple light, casting his hand towards the human. The marine next to him shifted a moment, probably unfamiliar with the feeling before looking at the purple field now surrounding him.
"Much appreciated," he nodded before he and the humans behind him rounded the corner and Saren heard the blanks fire. Shortly afterwards the marine declared that the room was cleared and returned outside again.
"Let's move up to the second floor," the soldier said as Saren followed him to the stairs.
"Kabalim Vitallion?" the human corporal questioned.
"Yes?" Saren's squad leader replied.
"Place barriers on us so our guys can take the heat. We need as many of you on that roof as possible." he stated. "No point in biotic support if half of you are too dead to deliver it."
"Good call," the Kabalim nodded. "Cabals, barriers up." he ordered and shortly afterwards the remaining human marines were embraced by mass effect fields as several of the turians glew with a purple light, casting mass effect fields around them. The squad moved up the stairway and the cabals followed, the two teams swiftly becoming one unit. When the mixed formation reached the end of the stairway, the next room just around the corner, the first human that turned around it started to fire his SR-7 at a target that had been waiting for them to get this far. The shell casings of the gunpowder weapon bounced off the wall and fell to the ground, still smoking as the rolled won the stairs. The marine turned around back to the people behind him and started to describe just what was pinning them down.
"Machine gunner at the other side of the hallway. He's got good cover," he paused for a second before looking at Kabalim Vitallion. "What else can you do?"
"Lift his cove,." the turian quickly suggested. "You're up Arterius."
Saren squeezed past two cabals and the humans until he was right next to the pointman, standing shoulder to shoulder with him as the tight stairway left them little room to maneuver.
"You shoot, I lift," he told the human who nodded his understanding of Saren's 'order'. The human rounded the corner again, still protected by the turian barrier and his armor. His rifle barked as Saren appeared next to him, spotting the green figure, machine gun in his hand, at the end of the hallway. Saren threw his hand forward as a ball of purple energy seized control of the metal shield the machine gunner used for cover. It started to move to the side, leaving the human human shocked and exposed to the SR-7 rounds. The man, realising he wouldn't get away in time, instead continued to fire to buy his comrades time to for further preparation. After a few seconds both the pointman and the machine gunner were declared dead at the same time, their weapons locking up and putting an abrupt end to the orchestra of gunfire that had occupied the hallway.
"Don't sweat it," the human said to Saren, officially breaking the rule of no longer talking after 'dying'. "Just win this."
Saren nodded at him as another human, this one too protected by a turian barrier, moved past him to replace the fallen pointman. The group fanned out from the stairway and started to secure the second floor of the building. Resistance appeared to be less stiff than on the level below them as the cabals found many of the rooms to simply be empty. As he and Kandros moved up to the last room on this floor, the rest of their unit and the human squad that had joined them began their advance towards the third level. Kandros opened the door and Saren spotted a human defender inside, dropping him with precise fire from his Phaeston while once more profiting from his barriers buying him more time. While Kandros continued to use the sturdy door as a way to block fire, slowly inching it to the side, Saren adapted to the tactic and eliminated another human that had been moving to counter the move. This one was obviously more frustrated as he mumbled something about the 'bloody space magic' before leaning against te wall. Kandros, deciding that the time for caution was gone, threw the door open and very quickly dropped the last remaining defender, taking one final look before nodding towards Saren.
"All clear."
The cabals joined the push up the stairs and to the third story which would lead them to the roof. As they climbed the stairs, Saren looked out of a small window at towards another building being cleared by an all human team. Lacking biotic support, the group moved faster than the one he was attached to because speed was just about their only advantage. Next it stood one of the imposing human Paladins, its gun firing at a target across the 'city' as it used the building itself the same way he'd use a wall for cover. He moved up the stairs and ahead a human kicked open the door towards the roof. The group spread itself out as they walked outside only for the man to fire a burst from his rifle before hitting the ground and rolling sideways, a motion everyone on the roof repeated either out of training or out of instinct.
"Across the street, there's a sniper on the roof," he explained as he leaned against the wall of the roof.
"Went right through the barrier," a cabal explained as he cast his hand towards the human once more. "We're pinned, the rifle's too strong. He got lucky."
The human corporal looked first looked at the roof and then at the Kabalim, repeating the motion until both of them seemed to have a realization at the same moment.
"That might just work," they agreed.
13. August 2387 AD, Citadel, HSA Embassy
"Alright, why are you this happy? It's really starting to weird me out," Goyle said to her security advisor as he rocked on his heels within her office.
"Why? Can't I be happy?" he cracked a smile.
"You are always cheerful, but this is just so extreme. We are facing the backlash of a joint-military exercises and the asari and salarians might as well hate us right now. As my security advisor you should be worried about some activists attacking the embassy right now, Alec."
"I can't help it. Sorry," he chuckled.
"Did you get promoted lately?" she replied.
"Nope."
"Scored higher on a marksmanship test?"
"I always score a perfect one hundred."
"Beat up someone in a bar fight?"
"Not in the last two month, no."
"Got an assassination job?"
"Nah. Haven't had one of those in a long time actually."
"Then what?" Antia questioned. "What could possibly make you this happy if not the application of violence?" she joked.
"I'm gonna be a dad," he stated cheerfully.
"Really?" she dropped the tablet on the desk and walked over to him. "When?"
"April," he said, not being able to be anything but happy right about now.
"Congratulations," Goyle hugged the man she had befriended over the last two years. "I'm so happy for you two!"
"Just don't tell her I told you before she told her parents. Otherwise I'm done," he rubbed his hand against the back of his neck.
"Do I sense fear in you, Specialist Shepard?" Goyle joked. "I think I do feel the sudden desire to talk to Hannah."
"No, please. Mercy!" he pleaded in a mocking tone.
They laughed, ignoring the diplomatic pressure for the moment.
2129 CE, Eden Prime, HSA Urban Warfare Training Center
As he was thrown through the air, being protected by the barriers of half his cabal squad all the while the the other half accelerated him, Saren wondered how Kabalim Vitallion and the human Corporal Hackett had both gotten this idea at exactly the same time. While it was arguably ingenious, it was beyond insane. Aiming his Phaeston at the equally perplexed sniper team lying on the roof he was currently flying toward,s he cursed the spirits for the fact that he was the lightest member of the two squads. Firing a precise burst of blanks at the spotter, the man didn't even have the words to complain about what had just happened while his sniper actually managed to land a hit against Saren's barriers, shattering them instantaneously. But being protected by six additional one's, it didn't make a difference. The sniper was declared a casualty as Saren hit him just before landed with surprising grace, kneeling down on the roof. The man and just looked at his spotter in disbelief before both of them decided to simply walk away from their equipment, the grey covers that had hidden them from prying eyes falling of their backs as they got up.
On the other roof another human was equally speechless.
"It actually fucking worked?" the marine looked at his corporal. "How did that just work?"
"Don't care," Corporal Hackett dismissed him and looked at the Kabalim. "Throw me over there. We can use that rifle and we can't just leave him alone."
After a moment of preparation, the process repeated itself and Saren saw another form flying over the gap. The human landed with less grace than the first 'projectile', only somewhat breaking his fall by rolling before stumbling to his feet and rushing towards Saren.
"Are you crazy?" Saren questioned. "What are you doing here?"
"Can't just let you sit around here now can I?" he said as pointed towards the sniping equipment before nodding towards the door, "let's lock that door and put that PR-74 to good use."
The young turian cracked his mandibles into a smirk an they got to work barricading the door of the roof, crawling to the sniping equipment after making sure no one would surprise them from behind. He was starting to like these humans, even if they were certifiable insane by turian standards their ideas seemed to be just the right kind of crazy to actually work. On top of Building Three the turian cabals started their duty of applying biotic support as the main assault started to gain a foot hold on the outskirts of the city. He could see a Jiris IFV moving up to a single story prefab building before it fired a shot at a target designated to act as an enemy APC. The anti-tank missile flew through a narrow gap between two buildings and penetrated the simulated enemy vehicle, taking it out of the fight for good. Then the Jiris deployed a smoke screen as it withdrew behind the cover of the prefab. The advantage of it being a hovercraft vehicle was that it could actually make itself smaller than other means of transportation. By lowering the output of the mass effect fields repulsing the Jiris of the ground, the turian vehicle could very literally 'take cover'.
"How good are your eyes?" Saren recalled the briefing he had gotten on working with humans.
Humans, like turians, evolved as a pack hunting predator. However unlike turians, human hunting wasn't based on speed or natural weapons like sharp teeth or talons, instead using crafted weapons, scavenging tactics and their natural endurance to get through the day. Due to the conditions of their evolution turians were blessed with the ability to judge distance incredibly well thanks to their fantastic binocular vision, Humans however were better at spotting contrasts and unconsciously completed shapes that were partially covered by each other, a mechanism useful to turn parts of the image of a predator lurking behind tall grass into the actual predator. Since the spotter needed to be able to make out targets and give the sniper information on both its location and distance, it was only logical to let the turian do it.
Furthermore Saren doubted that he could accurately work with an unfamiliar rifle designed for not three but five fingers. The sniper actually needed to hit what he was aiming for, that required familiarity with the weapon and the anatomy it was designed for.
"Better than yours at spotting," he crouched down towards the device as the human next to him picked up the rifle and adjusted the scope to his needs before pressing its stock into his shoulder.
"Building with the two blue lines next to each other," he informed Hackett, once more cursing himself for not updating his visual translator.
"That's an eleven," Hackett replied as he rested part of the rifle on his left forearm to balance it.
"Building Eleven," Saren corrected himself.
"450. Rifleman," he stated the distance. Translators usually converted range numbers into whatever measurement unit the species one was talking to used,"Second floor, left of the 'eleven', bottom of the window."
"I see him," the newly promoted sniper replied. His finger slid towards the trigger and slowly began squeezing until it found its pressure point. The rifle fired of a blank as a beam of light let the rifleman know that he had just died.
"Same building, roof. Right side from the 'eleven'. Same distance. Rifleman."
Hackett placed the sights on the HSA soldier but as his finger began closing in on the trigger a message appeared in Saren's field of view, informing him that the objective of the exercise, securing the town center, had been completed by a turian mechanized platoon with the help of their own IFVs and human Paladins. The human next to him let go of the rifle and threw a look behind him.
"Please tell me you didn't barricade the door excessively." Hackett joked as he and the slightly taller turian stood up.
"Hey I could always throw you back to the other roof and jump down. Works for me," Saren offered.
2129 CE, Citadel, Presidium
"In other news, the Turian Hierarchy and Human Systems Alliance continue their joint military exercise on Taetrus, practicing fire support maneuvers in the Diluvian Wildlands. Now joining us is Colonel Adrien Victus, who has already taken part in multiple ground exercise with human forces," the asari moderator introduced turian with white facial marks and dark grey plates sitting next to her. "Thank you for being here, Colonel Victus. As I've been informed you are missing out on the exercise on Taetrus just so you could talk to us?"
"That is correct, thank you for having me though," the characteristic metal flanging of a turian voice echoed through the recording room.
"Colonel Victus,", the reporter began, "to start of I'd like to ask you a question most of us have been wondering since the start of these joint exercises. How is the Hierarchy benefiting from training with a technologically inferior race?"
"Tactics, creativity and a new perspective are not linked to the technological development of a species Miss T'vani. Let me give you an example. The fleet we are exercising with is a carrier battle group. Its flagship, the HSASV Hawking, is a so called 'carrier'," he stopped for a moment as he collected his thoughts. "It is a vessel the size of a dreadnought but without a main cannon running along its spine. Instead it relies on releasing large amount of fighters armed with torpedoes and interceptors to protect said fighters. Upon completing that task, the carrier withdraws back to safe distance and the fighters swarm their target, devastating it with their weapons at close range."
"This doesn't sound very useful," the reporter said, "Nor reasonable. Quite dangerous actually, weren't guardian lasers designed to prevent exactly this from happening?"
"On the contrary, naval exercises have revealed it to be an incredibly effective design." Victus disagreed. "Due to military restrictions and out of respect for the HSA, I won't go into detail as to how exactly they are employed but our naval commanders are impressed."
"Thank you for your opinion on this subject. So would you say that the HSA could benefit the Council in the long run?" the reporter questioned.
"Definitely. Ever since contact the HSA has been nothing but cooperative with the Hierarchy. We fully intend to do everything in our power to strengthen this relationship," he nodded. "They could also make a fantastic addition to the Council in the future."
The asari seemed perplexed. "I think you mean a fantastic associate, correct?"
"I meant exactly what I said, Miss T'vani," Victus insisted. "But since I'm no politician I'd prefer not to go into this subject."
"As you wish. Now I'd like to ask you something of your expertise. You have taken part in multiple ground engagements and trained alongside human ground forces. Have there been signs of racial tensions or was there trouble with working together? Two new races meeting each other for the first time is always tricky."
"None that I know of. The beauty of the military is that you are working with people who think exactly like you. Turian and human forces have worked together fluidly and I'm not aware of any discrimination occurring. In fact turian and human soldiers are getting along great," Victus stated before sounding more excited. "As a personal example, I've quite enjoyed discussing the advantages of entrenched positions with human field officers. Unlike salarian and asari forces, the HSA still equips their ground troops with the means to build improvised fortifications," his mandibles twitched. "It is nice to finally be able to talk about fox holes with someone that isn't turian. Being an infantryman at heart, it makes me happy."
His face gave away his excitement as he recalled digging countless of trenches with his very own entrenching tool back in his youth while T'vani seemed to be a bit caught of guard at the turian rejoicing over the act of digging a hole in the ground, taking a moment to reclaim her composure. "You seem to have taken quite the liking towards their tactis," she said, somewhat confused. "Anyway, let's get to our next que-"
The screen turned off as its owner decided to be done with this subject for today.
"This isn't good," the soft voice of Councilor Tevos stated to the visitor in her office.
"I didn't think something like this would happen in my life," the visitor replied. "I am sure there are plans being put in place to contain this situation? It's clear that you don't like where thi-"
"Of course there are," the councilor assured the person sitting in the couch placed in her councilor office, interrupting her to avoid hearing her own opinion on the matter. "Our huntresses and the salarian STG are already gathering intel, but they don't have the same reach you do-"
"I am a Spectre, I don't serve the asari or the salarians alone. I serve the council. A council includes the turians."
"Do you now?" Councilor Tevos sent a data package towards the omni-tool of her visitor. "We both know you like to find other employers in your downtime, employers like the Shadow Broker. Don't you, Agent Vasir?"
Even though decades of being a Spectre had made her a calm person, she still flinched at the revelation of her sporadic deals with the galaxy's biggest information broker. One kidnapping here, an assassination there. Nothing big. After all she did it to better serve the Council. Intel was half the battle in the opinion of her late salarian mentor who had introduced her to the Spectres and no one had better intel than the Shadow Broker.
"Do you have nothing to say for yourself?" Tevos pressed on when she remained silent. "There could be severe repercussions should my colleagues or C-SEC learn of this."
"Could?" Tela had worked in her profession long enough to catch the hint hidden in her tone.
"As I am sure you only betrayed the Council to one of it's biggest enemies to ensure you could complete your assignments," she wouldn't exactly call it treason. Pragmatism had always been Tela's strong suit. A trait she seemed to share with Councilor Tevos if this was going where she suspected it to go.
"I believe that this won't require an investigation, should you be willing to cooperate." Tevos offered. It was definitely going where she suspected it to go. "There is something that would require your attention, Agent Vasir."
There it was.
"You want me to take care of the pro-human voices in the turian government?" she sighed.
"Goddess no, nothing that drastic." Tevos countered. "I believe that the 'Shadow Broker' and especially your ties to him could help us to learn more about the inner workings of the HSA, maybe we could find something they don't want others to know.."
"Can't have the turians make friends with the new kid," Tela concluded, doing far from her best to hide the sarcasm in her voice. "After all we can't have them drift away from the Council."
"Agent Vasir. I am ordering you to gather any form on intelligence the Shadow Broker has collected on humanity," Tevos stated as she looked at the skycars passing through the air of the Presidium, her back turned towards the Spectre.
"I'll depart at once," Tela stated as she left the councilor office in a hurry, only slowing down to pin a small, seemingly insignificant chip a friend of hers had once gifted to her into the gap between the wall and a piece of furniture. Tevos wasn't the only one who could blackmail people.
She walked out of the office as her omni-tool connected itself to the salarian-made device.
"Hello Huntress T'val." Tevos voice began to sound through it. "There is a matter of great importance that will require the talents of your commandos."
"It shall be done, Councilor Tevos."
After all, Tela hadn't been made a Spectre for her looks.
17. September 2387 AD, Briefing Room of the HSASV Budapest
"This 'Shadow Broker' has something we need," the man next to the projector said as the blue light of the device revealed the yellow hexagon on his chest. "and you are going to get it."
The projector displayed the image of a small drive."On this device we will find all the information he has gathered on the HSA up to now. If he sells it to the highest bidder, they'll know too much," the data drive didn't look any different from others Holderman had seen. He shifted in his seat and focused on his superior. "We can't allow that to happen. HSAIS has pinpointed the position of the drive on a remote transporter drifting in orbit around Illium," the projector started to build up the image of the planet. Illium was one of the richest worlds in the Terminus Systems and while originally an asari colony, the planet had soon become a paradise for corporate crime and other shady business. As far as HSAIS had informed them, the vessel would be guarded by a group calling itself 'Eclipse', officially a proactive security company. They'd most likely be fighting against mechs, asari biotics and salarian engineers.
"Full commitment on this one. If we can't get the disk, you jump ship and the Budapest will blow the freighter out of the sky with disruptor torpedoes. You'll have to wait for extraction via Kodiak if that happens," he switched the projector off. "No one can know we're here, we don't exist. Don't get captured and don't leave any witnesses. Questions?" he paused for a moment to give any soldier of the strike team the opportunity to voice said question. "None? Good. Get to the armory. You'll deploy in 20."
Holderman rose from his chair as the lights of the room turned on. He stretched his arms and began to walk the grey corridors of the Budapest along side the other seven members of the strike unit. They'd insert in two teams of four men each. His team would breach through the hull of the vessel and use the following vacuum exposure to kill as many of the crew as possible. The other team would plant explosives on the ship's communication gear and breach through the ceiling of the vessel's bridge at the same time. Then they'd clear the freighter together and secure the package. His strike team entered the elevator towards the hangar and armory deck. The doors of the cabin closed before it shot down. When it stopped, the members of the strike teams went straight to their lockers to retrieve their hardsuits. Unlike most normal human forces, the strike teams had already been outfitted with the kinetic barriers delivered by the Turian Hierarchy. Until the project to combine both shielding technologies was completed, they'd have to suffice.
Holderman began the familiar process of putting on the armor plates of his hardsuit. He locked the chest piece into place and grabbed the white helmet of the table. The hardsuit bore no marks besides a singel yellow hexagon on its shoulder, it was a clean slate. Holderman attached the combat rigging with grenades, breaching charges and other equipment to his upper body and he checked the lock on his magnetic boots, finding his feet stuck to the floor the moment he pressed the button on his wrist. Satisfied, he repeated the process several times and when the test was completed, he turned his attention towards the oxygen system of the armor that would keep him alive in the vacuum of space. The armor gave the all green to that system as well and he put on his helmet, the blue HUD inside lighting up.
Next he grabbed his gun. The SR-8x was one of the first research programs Cerberus had moved into the field-testing phase. Being a hybrid between the already proven SR-7 and mass accelerator technology, the gun would lower the weight and in turn increase the muzzle velocity of the round it fired as long as it was still in its barrel. This would lead to a higher acceleration and increase the force with which the bullet impacted in its target. The HSA was not yet fully convinced of mass effect weaponry as the guns required a 'cool down' should they fire too many rounds in too little time and as such it still used magazines and could be fired without the mass effect fields should the situation recall for it. Until a solution to the problem that kept them from fully embracing the concept was found, the SR-8x was deemed as a suitable alternative.
The soldier left the armory, his strike team close on his heel and made his way to the hangar of the Budapest, all but the most essential personal absent due to the upcoming opening of its main doors. Saluting the flight deck officer, also clad in a white hardsuit, the Cerberus operative walked up to the modified Kodiak. The shuttle was now capable of stealthily approaching most targets and would carry the two strike teams to the hull of the Eclipse freighter, departing the moment the strike teams left its crew compartment. The rest of his strike team entered the shuttle and when the doors closed, they sat in silence while the craft slowly started to leave the safety of the Budapest. The journey to the freighter was a silent one. Unlike the ride to Parnack almost four years ago no one felt the need to joke in order to relive an uneasy tension in face of the danger. They weren't grunts anymore, they weren't nervous. They were among the best soldiers humanity could produce and every last one of them knew it. The knowledge of being as prepared as they possibly could put their minds at ease as the craft soared through space, the sudden blinking of green light marking the end of their journey.
The doors of the crew compartment opened after the Kodiak had vented its atmosphere and Holderman was greeted by the darkness of space and the freighter floating in orbit around Illium, merely one among hundreds. In the background small dots rallied around one of the major space stations around Illium and the operative was well aware that Eclipse could probably sent a quick reaction force to the freighter. He jumped out of the Kodiak, slowly flying over a distance he could never hope to clear in reasonable gravity, and touched down gently on the hull of the freighter. His magnetic boots connected with the metal plating as he saw his team leader place a demolitions charge on the red surface before putting some distance between him and the explosive.
The charge stayed in place thanks to magnetic forces doing their bidding and now the only thing they were waiting for was the signal. As his HUD informed him of the impeding destruction of the freighter's communication's array, he prepared himself for the breach. He only saw the orange flash of the explosion, its crack not audible as sound didn't travel in space, and an instant later the hull was torn apart. An asari and two salarians were sucked outside immediately, their faces full of surprise as they flew past Holderman, condemned to die upon being exposed to the vacuum of space. Another asari, this one having decided to put on her helmet, probably as a reaction to the strange sounds echoing through the hall and into the ship's interior, tried to hold on as the air escaping the vessel tried to suck her out, the cable she had grabbed failing to support her weight just as the last volumes of air left the breached area. She drifted outside but with no ability to move in Zero-G, she was one of the easiest targets Holderman had ever been presented with. A single round smashed into the back of the asari's neck and purple bubbles started to appear in space as she not only choked but also bled to death, the force of the round causing her body to be propelled away from the craft. He followed his team leader into the vessel, small maneuver thrusters on his armor allowing him precise movements even without gravity right until the artificial gravity of the freighter itself pulled him to the ground. He stepped inside as another member of his unit executed a salarian that had managed to magnetize his boots with the SR-8x in his hand. Green blood started to leak from the head wound and the team moved on, paying no mind to the fact that he had been unarmed and presumably terrified.
Their orders were clear after all.
Forcing open a sealed blast door was no easy task, after all they were supposed to prevent hull breaches from destroying entire ships. For this reason the team had been given enough breaching charges to blow up the entire freighter if the situation required it. Holderman floated placed the magnetic charge on the door and took his position right behind the pointman, forming a neat row just outside the soon-to-be hole in the wall. Shortly afterwards another detonation exposed another section of the ship to vacuum. The deck beyond the now destroyed door looked like a makeshift barracks and due to the small time frame between the first breach and the follow up breach, Holderman was once more greeted by asari in various states of armor getting sucked out of room, the attraction of artificial gravity proving itself weaker than that of the vacuum. One asari smashed into the door and parts of her skull spilled on Holderman's armor as her head gave in to the sharp metal edges the blast had created. Another particularly young looking, blue alien flew past him with a shocked expression, a quick shot into the face stopping her from ever expressing anything again. They moved into the room and met no resistance as most of its inhabitants hadn't survived their short encounter with decompression and the few that did were in no shape to fight back when white armoured figures executed them before they could even lift themselves of whatever part of the room's floor they wee lying on.
"Bridge cleared, commanding officer secured. Get up here," the leader of the second team stated as the doors to another corridor opened and the first team walked inside, the untouched, red blastdoor sliding closed behind them. "Re-pressurising," a voice declared and after a moment Holderman's armor informed him that he was no longer within a vacuum, marking the completion of the process. The door in front of them opened to a hallway, lights on the ceiling guiding them to an elevator.
"Go to Deck Three, Room Five," a voice informed him as Holderman joined the three members of his unit within the cabin. "The package is a small, blue chest located inside."
The elevator transported them downwards and as the doors opened Holderman immediately raised his rifle to dispatch the lone salarian that had been waiting in the corridor, purple blood already visible on his armor, betraying what would happen next. The door of the room they were looking for was already open as his team leader signaled for one of the team to move up and investigate. The soldier complied, walked to the door and pressed himself against the red wall. He slowly walked towards the opening and when he had arrived, Holderman moved up uder his cover. He placed his hand on the back of the soldiers helmet and the two rounded the corner after he gave two distinctive taps.
It happened fast. The first soldier came flying out instantly as Holderman ducked to avoid a collission with one hundred fifty kilograms of armor, muscle and equipment. He spotted anasari in blue armor, still purple light of recent biotic activity dancing over her arm as he closed the distance. His fist smashed into her barriers once but had no effect. Holderman's next punch followed and connected at the same moment a biotic fueled strike passed by his kinetic barriers and sent a wave of pain through his chest. He ignored it and threw himself against the smaller asari, tackling her to the ground seconds after she managed to seal the door behind them with her biotics, throwing a box against the locking mechanism and triggering it in the process. They fell to the ground but she wasted no time being shocked, instead using her biotics to give her enough force to turn the bigger human on his back. Now sitting on top of him she started to beat down on his helmet. As a visible crack appeared in his vision, Holderman caught one of her punches and drew the alien towards him. When she was close enough he smashed his helmet into her face and purple blood started to drip on his visor. His helmet was reinforced and if the pain in his neck was anything to go by, it had been a very powerful collission. No one should've remained conscious after it. Yet the move just seemed to piss her off as he felt himself get heavier and heavier.
"Normally I'd love to go a few rounds with you," she said in a suggestive voice as she sat up from his body and drew a weird looking pistol. "But I'm afraid I can't right now, sorry," she trained the gun towards his stained helmet.
Holderman wanted to fight back but no matter what he tried, he couldn't move a single muscle in his body as his own weight became too much for him. He exhaled as he saw her trigger finger move, about ready to justify his life to his maker when an explosion tore the door open behind them, the asari being thrown into the room behind him as a purple field around her took the brunt of the explosion. The three members of his squad shuffled in and one moved to assist him only for them to all freeze in place as well.
From the corner an aggressively glowing asari rose while both of her hands placed a stasis on the four members, the strain evident on her face. Holderman, in spite of a bloodied and cracked visor, could see the blue box attached to her back. Damn.
"Better luck next time," the asari stated as she rushed out of the room only for tracers to fly past the door, a white figure stepping past it
"Is the package secure?" the second squad leader asked as three soldiers in white armor entered the room.
"Package not secured. Over."
Codex: Eden Prime
Discovered and settled in the year of the HSA's founding, 2151, Eden Prime has since grown from a planet-sized urban planing experiment into one of the most important human colonies. Located in the Utopia System, the planet, like many other human colonies, borders the Terminus Systems. Being incredibly suited for life forms native to Earth, Eden Prime saw a large wave of immigrants flock to its gates when the human race was unified . While most of the world is used for agrarian purposes, it also serves as a military stronghold in the region, being the location of the UWTC/HSAMC, the Urban Warfare Training Center of the HSA Marine Corps, one of the most advanced exercise grounds in human space.
As such Eden Prime was selected as the first site of a joint turian-human ground maneuver in 2387, with the maneuver having become something akin to a tradition between the two civilizations. Bi-yearly exercises are now regulary held at the UWTC, with human and turian forces working together but also competing with each other in sophisticated urban combat scenarios.
Eden Prime's capital, Constant, was the first city that was constructed in accordance to the HSA's urban planing system. Every centimeter of Constant was planned to the last detail and while far more expensive than a regular colonial city, it remains far more effective than the cities of Horizon, Terra Nova, Earth or Acardia. Being the model for most major colonial cities established after its founding, Constant, and Eden Prime as a whole, is sometimes dubbed as the 'crown jewel' of the HSA.
A/N: First of, sorry for the delay. I attended tests for the military and passed them. That also meant I couldn't write since I wasn't home for the last three days.
Anyway, doesn't really matter right now. I hope I managed to make this chapter good enough. I hope you aren't bothered by the fact that it's 95% combat and that certain parts don't just seem silly. Not much plot in this one, just set up.
Again sorry for the delay.
By now we have 111 follows and 84 favorites. That's crazy.
Review guys, let me know what you think. I wanna know!
See you around next time.
Edit: As of 28.7.17 Chapter 5 has been remastered
I actually didn't fix that much really, just fixed a lot of odd phrasing.
