Reckoning of the Reclaimers (Being Rewritten)

by metts101

The Great War turned Humanity into something ugly. Their species' brush with extinction left a bitter taste in their mouths and they sought to rectify that the only way they knew how. Revenge. With the the subjugation of the Former Covenant species Humanity vowed never to fall to the alien again, but will an Alliance of Alien species change their outlook on the galaxy?

3. Chapter 3

Hey everyone back with another chapter. Thanks to everyone who followed and favourited really giving me the inspiration to power through.

Also big thanks to everyone who reviewed. Appreciate what you had to say.

This will be a longer chapter but everything is still just set up towards the main story arc so dont get too disheartened.

Aboard the UNSC Pride of Elysium in orbit over Frontier

Safehold system

August 12th, 2229 C.E. (3123 UNSC Calendar)

Admiral Herman Gantz sat in his bridge chair glancing over the various datapads he had been handed in the last 3 days. Most of them were to do with the excellent progress that was being made in regard to turning Frontier into a fortress world; progress that was almost complete. The Colossus had begun by constructing the valuable space elevators first, although Pelicans from the colony ships could of course land on planet none of the UNSC's naval assets bar the Prowlers were able to do the same. Once they had been completed the preliminary colony pods had been brought down, stark and barren in nature they were only the first stage on the road to turning Frontier into a bustling megalopolis. The wildlife, as predicted, had caused significant problems attacking the automated defences of the colony pods without delay as soon as they were set up. Nasty, vicious carnivores ended up being targeted by the automated Plasma weapons on sight so that they could not bring further damage to the valuable colony. Slowly over a period of weeks the attacks lessened in frequency and ferocity, the Colonial Governor was informed that this was due to their even dwindling numbers in the face of the colony's weapons. As the predators were eradicated that also brought a whole host of problems with it, as predicted once the predators in the region were slowly eradicated their prey species began to blossom in number significantly. The Office of Colonial Affairs could not have anything else nature related delaying the development of the colony, so they sought to rid themselves of the problem once and for all. In an area surrounding 100km sq. of the colony flora and fauna were exterminated using chemical defoliants and pesticides. Although the methods were archaic, they were extremely effective in removing the problem entirely, with the flora and fauna no longer an issue it allowed the colony to branch out beyond its narrow confines.

Within 2 months the colony below him looked unrecognisable, the originally miniscule hub had been turned into the bustling city of New Caledonia; easily visible from orbit the spires of the A.I. controlled arcologies broke the clouds easily and with some of the towers reaching 6km they almost broke into space as well. They were a marvel, when they had first been introduced on Earth in 2735 the arcologies took the UEG by storm, no longer would Humans have to live in a wide spawled out space, an entire city accommodating 50 million people being able to be contained into less than 2 km sq., they had everything they wanted at their fingertips. This is why it was possible for Earth to have a population of 122 billion and for Reach to have just hit the 100 billion-mark, space and resources were no longer an issue for the citizens of the UEG. The number of colonists had been growing steadily from its original 10 million, New Caledonia could now hold a population of over 50 million. When citizens of the UEG had heard of a new colony being set up across the expanse of dark space they flocked to registration offices, all eager to experience life in a different galaxy and to venture into the unknown. A meritocratic system was implemented, the UNSC and ONI were explicit in their aims that only the best would be able to settle there, in order to facilitate Frontier's growth and prosperity. Obviously, the citizens of the UEG were not informed of the purpose of the colony, nor were they privy to Operation Veil in any way, many just wished for a change. It is predicted, with the construction of 2 additional cities that the population of Frontier will exceed 1 billion within the year. This is alongside the construction of hydroponics towers all over the planet, the hope is that Frontier will become the primary agriculture world when the UEG eventually expands further into Andromeda.

Soon the world would be akin to the likes of Lemuria or as Ellis put it, Jericho VII, it really was a beautiful planet. He'd only been down once, to walk around a staging post on the Southern continent, but what he saw was breath-taking. The sloping hills smattered with trees looked serene in the temperate mist that blanketed the south during its day cycle, the vivid greens of the coniferous trees mixed easily with the reds and yellows of the various flowers, it was stunning. When this chorus of colour gave way to pristine blue water and golden white sands, he imagined himself living in such a place, to wake up to a view such as that for the rest of his life, he doubted he would get bored of it, who could? With such a gorgeous bedroom view. He missed Ballast obviously, but his home had long been turned into one of the many worlds that fed the industrialised heart of UEG space, there was no room for nature. Of course there were the resort worlds, left untouched to fuel tourism and promote preservation but it wasn't the same as living in such tranquil surroundings. He had visited Eremus countless times, the terraformed moon of Jericho VII was kept as a wildlife preserve after the UEG began to destroy the ecology of the world to make space for population centre's and industrial facilities. Much like Luna they were special, but you couldn't live there, with the amount of tourism in the UEG at its highest rate ever, some planets had years of waiting lists before you could travel there in order to preserve their environments. Luna itself, having been terraformed into a wildlife preserve in the 2800s had a waiting list of over a century for ordinary UEG citizens, only allowing 50 million visitors annually. People needed it, Earth didn't even have its oceans anymore, the world was just one giant city. He grew sombre when he remembered what Earth used to be like, a brilliant blue and green orb visible beneath the whites of clouds and angry weather systems. Its majesty befitting the Home World of Humanity. When the President announced in 2840 that Earth would be turned into the UEG's first Ecumenopolis there was outrage amongst the UEG's citizens. The planet at that point already had a population of 50 billion but was unable to accommodate anymore; however there were many in the UEG who did not want to drain the oceans and destroy the last of the rainforests in order to do so. But it had happened, Earth had, in his opinion, gone from one majestic vista to another, it wasn't the same type of majesty, not the one created and encapsulated by nature but it was breath-taking, nonetheless. Now it was the planet that never stopped turning, the vast sectors of the planetary megacity were always bathed in light, an ethereal glow that seeped into space much like the enormous arcologies, a testament to the advancement and progress Humanity had achieved since The Great War. So as Gantz sat in his chair lost in his thoughts he wondered what it would really be like to retire, unbound by mortality only few UNSC Admiral's had done so. Gantz knew his time would be up soon, he wanted a change and after the completion of Operation Veil he hoped to live on the southern continent before Frontier followed the rest of the UEG in its march for power and prosperity.

Gantz smiled at the idea as he read the report, everything was proceeding perfectly, Osman's plan was almost too good and was being followed to the letter. He knew her reputation wasn't unearned but the fact that nothing had gone wrong during the opening stages of Veil was a miracle and a testament to her sharp mind. With the Star Hold operational, siphoning energy and heavy elements from the systems star, and the shipyards around Frontiers moon ready for production, Operation Veil was at a precipice, now the real work would begin.

"Chops bring up the resource inventory list for Operation Veil if you would please." He said not looking up from his work.

"Of course sir, is there anything in particular you wish to examine?" The A.I. was on his pedestal, his choice of attire was somewhat interesting, going with the outfit of a Scottish Highlander, kilt and all.

"Yes I want to know the progress of strip-mining operations, we've just finished construction of our off-world storage facilities and I need to know how long its going to be before they're filled."

"Of course sir, although by my calculations it will take a further 6 months of strip mining before they are, considering were still in the process of constructing the intergalactic relays defence net."

Gantz look was incredulous. "We've still not finished that yet? What an Earth did we bring a Colossus here for then?"

"Sir the Colossus was requisitioned in secret by ONI over 2 weeks ago, its current location is unknown."

Gantz inhaled a sharp breath through his nose. "You mean to tell me the spooks have something as valuable and dangerous as a Colossus at their disposal? Who ordered this! I want you to find out ASAP, and as you're doing that get me a line to Fleet-Admiral Kasimov."

Gantz began to furiously comb through the resource and requisition data to find out who ordered this shit show, ONI having control of a Colossus could only end in disaster, the most likely target being the aliens they were brought here to subdue.

"Admiral I have Fleet-Admiral Kasimov on the comm would you like me to patch it through?"

Gantz huffed. "Yes Chops do it immediately."

Kasimov appeared on the holo-screen, the crisp white of his uniform was flawless, his shoulders were wreathed in gold, the signature of his rank and the medals that adorned his left breast glinted in the artificial light of Stronghold station. His face was permanently decorated by a stern frown, almost as if he were poised to dish out a good scolding to his subordinates. Gantz knew that wasn't the case. The man was the most respectful person he had ever met, despite being his superior Gantz was a competent and loyal sailor, and to Kasimov that is what mattered most. He was unmatched in terms of strategic planning and battlefield prowess; it was clear from day 1 why Hood chose him to succeed him as the head of the UNSC.

"Admiral Gantz, what is it, I am extraordinarily busy at the moment. Sangheili insurgents are causing trouble on the southern frontier and I have little time to spare." Kasimov didn't even look up from his datapad as he answered Gantz's call.

"Fleet Admiral, sir. I am contacting you regarding some troubling developments in relation to Operation Veil."

That got Kasimov's attention immediately, his sharp grey eyes flicked upwards and narrowed instantly.

"Explain."

"Sir, I have just been informed by my A.I. that 2 weeks ago ONI secretly requisitioned the use of the Colossus class star forge without mine or Admiral Richardson's prior knowledge, its current location is now unknown and I am uneasy as to what purpose it is currently serving."

This made Kasimov lean back in his chair, head held high in contemplation as if debating whether to tell Gantz something of importance.

"There is nothing to worry about Admiral, Vice-Admiral Osman contacted me 2 weeks ago in order to explain her need for the Colossus. Its use being merely a contingency plan should negotiations fall through with the System's Alliance and their allies. Its location is being kept secret because I ordered it, due to the sensitive nature of its purpose. You needn't worry Admiral; I know that you have reservations about ONI, but they have been nothing but loyal since Paragonsky's betrayal. Osman has kept me updated on all progress regarding its use so take solace in that fact."

Gantz exhaled the breath he didn't know he was holding in. To hear that from Kasimov was a great relief, although the vague nature of his description did cause a spike of anxiety to run through his chest.

"Thank you for informing me, Fleet-Admiral, that is a great weight lifted off my shoulders."

Kasimov acknowledged his statement with a nod. "Now if there is nothing else Admiral I must be going."

"Nothing else sir. Except to say, give them hell." He saluted with all the respect he could muster.

Kasimov chuckled at that and cut the comm.

Gantz went back to combing through the reports regarding resource development and inventory. Although it was a soul-destroying read it was also one of the most vital parts to the success of the colony, and that meant consequently, to the success of Operation Veil. The intricacies of the plan had all been worked through by Osman with a fine-tooth comb, but it never hurt to double or triple check the numbers to make sure everything was on schedule.

'Chops' spoke up. "Admiral I am receiving a communication from The Dauntless, its Rear-Admiral Ellis sir."

"Ok Chops bring it up on screen." He said passively while still combing through the data.

Rear-Admiral Ellis appeared, the recently promoted Commodore wore his new uniform well, the grey's highlighting his olive skin and short dark hair, although he seemed to have aged significantly in the past 2 months, Gantz put it down to the stress of his new command. When Ellis saw the communique had been received, he immediately stood to attention and gave a quick salute.

"Ah, Rear-Admiral Ellis to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Admiral Gantz sir, I have been just been given orders by Vice-Admiral Osman and I am to start following them at once, I have called to inform you of the development."

Gantz raised an eyebrow at that. It surprised him to no end, he was not aware of any new orders being dispatched by ONI so why had Ellis received some and not he?

"And what, pray tell, are these new orders exclusively for you Rear-Admiral? I have received nothing from Osman in over a week, so I am curious as to why she has contacted you personally."

That got a grimace out of Ellis, Gantz almost felt bad for him. Whatever was going on between Ellis and Osman must not be pleasant for the man.

"I will be temporarily relinquishing command of the 2nd FRF in favour of Rear-Admiral Li effective immediately, for the foreseeable future I will be at the helm of my old command, the UNSC Sahara to take part in a covert mission deep within enemy territory. I will be acquiring a number of Mass Effect powered vessels procured by our puppet corporation, Weyland-Tyrell transportation. This is to better facilitate our movement and integration along their galactic wide transport network. Additionally I shall be acquiring Mass Effect weaponry and armoured vehicles, ONI has some big plans to sow chaos in the Systems Alliance and must be seen as separatists rather than a separate entity entirely. To that end, under the direction of ONI I must request for a single Spartan X fireteam to accompany me on this mission and I would prefer it to be Fireteam Talon."

Gantz's eyebrows hit his forehead. What Ellis had just outlined sounded extremely mundane and by the book, what an Earth did he need a Spartan Fireteam for? There must be something Ellis was either unable or unwilling to tell him, 'Damn ONI spooks, first the Colossus and now this bullshit' he thought.

"Very well Rear-Admiral Ellis you shall have what you need as soon as I have confirmed your orders with Osman herself."

Ellis blanched but nodded in the affirmative, he gave a salute and cut the comm.

Chops piped up "Well that was most certainly very interesting wouldn't you say sir?"

"Indeed Chops, indeed. I wonder what Osman has in store for the poor man, I thought that promotion was too sudden. Make sure to keep an eye on that one for me, will you?"

"You've got it sir." The A.I. said as he flashed out of existence and began working on contacting Osman.

UNSC Dauntless stationed around the Intergalactic relay

Acropolis System

At the same time

Ellis sighed as he cut communications to The Pride. That was certainly not the most pleasant conversation he had ever had that's to be sure. Although he knew the specifics of Operation Veil, Ellis did not like leaving Gantz in the dark about certain things that could now only be traced back to him and his crew. Jordan, as usual was his conscience.

"That didn't look pleasant, lying to your direct superior must not have been fun."

Another sigh. "Well I didn't lie to him explicitly, just didn't inform him of the entire truth, going this deep into enemy territory is going to pose a huge risk, I just hope it pays off."

"What are we doing again? I got the gist of everything but wasn't really interested, did you see that the Rubix corporation released a new 2000x2000 Rubix cube for A.I.s to complete in their spare time? It's pretty marvellous, although I have already completed it 6 times it just never gets old!" Jordan said enthusiastically.

Ellis grimaced. "Jordan please, if there is a time to be serious then now is that time. Could you at least pretend to be a professional? I know you don't like doing it when it's just us, but I'm stressed enough as it is without your unnecessary idiocy."

"Ok James, fine" The A.I. said with an obvious pout. "I know you're stressed about the mission but it's not like I don't know anything, I mean, I got the simple details. Plus I can just gleam any necessary information from your memories later on." That response earned him an icy glare from James.

"What I said to Admiral Gantz was true, we are going to be collecting cargo vessels and weaponry from our puppet corporation in the Antaeus system, but that comes after the main objective is achieved. We're going to be travelling to the Alliance colony of Terra-Nova to meet with the leadership of the Terra-Firma party. I use the word 'meet' loosely mind you, they don't know were coming or who we even are, but Admiral Osman was clear in the objectives, she wants to speak to this…" He glanced down at his datapad "Mr Charles Saracino personally to gauge whether he is a worthy candidate to throw our weight behind."

"Oh so that's why you need the Spartan's, I wondered why you had requested them. You want to put the fear of god into him, don't you?"

That got a smirk from Ellis. "Yes, put simply. Although as usual Osman used far more articulate and colourful language. I believe her exact words were 'He will fall into line; he will see that we are superior and that he has no choice but to accept our patronage and control. If he refuses to do so simply eliminate him, we can't have weaklings stalling our advance' Jesus Christ, am I an ONI hit man now?"

"I believe the correct term would be 'Handler' because it's definitely going to be one the Spartan's doing the killing if any is to be done at all. But congratulations you're almost a Bonafide spook, your mother is going to be so proud." Said Jordan, feigning distaste.

"Hey, you leave Lucille out of this, she's a lovely woman and has been too good to you on occasion if you ask me." Ellis grumbled

"Oh you don't need to tell me that, although ill let you in on a secret-"

The sigh that emanated from Ellis eclipsed his partners yammering.

"What?" Jordan asked innocently.

"Jordan you say that like there are any secrets between us. Just because you can see inside my head doesn't mean that same cant be said for yours, you do know that right?"

"Well I was just trying to make a joke, maybe you should try it sometime, you know link a few words together to form a sentence and make people laugh?"

Ellis's reply was scathing. "Alright Enough! I get you're just trying to cheer me up Jordan, but we've got a mission to prepare for. Contact Rear-Admiral Li and prepare my transfer to the Sahara immediately."

Jordan's expression was stony. "At once Rear-Admiral, although I would be remiss to inform you that you have a communication coming through from The Pride of Elysium, Admiral Gantz I assume." And with that the A.I. winked out of existence.

Ellis schooled his features; he hadn't meant to get angry but the stress of being an ONI puppet coupled with the high-risk mission he was about to embark on had him on edge. He'd apologise to Jordan properly later. He stood to attention as the holo-screen activated.

"Rear-Admiral Ellis, I have just been in contact with Vice-Admiral Osman, she has confirmed your orders and told me you are not to be hindered in any way. She has informed me that your mission, while secretive, is vital to the success of Operation Veil so I will not encumber you with questions regarding the matter. However, do make sure to be careful, you know what ONI is like and id hate to see a good sailor like you go down because of their machinations."

Ellis huffed in relief. "Thank you for saying that sir. I had hoped to avoid any malpractice by not informing you of my explicit orders as Vice-Admiral Osman ordered me not to reveal them. I will work diligently to make sure that I do not overstep the bounds of my rank. The mission I am currently assigned to is only expected to take a month at the longest so hopefully I will be back in command of the 2nd FRF by the months end. If that is all Admiral, I have a mission to prepare for."

"I just need to inform you that Fireteam Talon is being transferred from the Unshakable and will be en-route to your location momentarily. The Sahara is being prepped for a long-range incursion with supplies to last for a month and fuel to last even longer, I don't know what you've gotten yourself into son, but I wish you luck. That's all for now."

"Sir!" Ellis gave a salute and the comm was cut. Ellis gave one last look around his quarters and went to prepare for his mission.

UNSC Sahara, in slipspace en-route to Terra-Nova

4 hours later

Having Spartan's aboard his old command was laughable. It made the Prowler feel like more a tin can than it already was, their massive forms roaming the hallway's making the already tall crew members feel like children. Ellis had chosen Talon for his mission because he knew of their service record, having received the Sword of Humanity commendation for flushing out the remains of the Kig-Yar on Kaelarot during Operation 'Swift Retribution' following the end of the Covenant war. He knew what they were capable of back then, as Spartan IV's but now with their further genetic upgrades and advanced armour and weaponry they were more than a force to reckoned with, they were unstoppable. In the 500 years since the end of the Great War and 'Swift Retribution' only 2 Spartans had been listed as MIA, a rather staggering statistic considering both of those Spartan's had been arrested for treason, and not killed in action.

"Fireteam Talon, please report to the bridge, the Rear-Admiral wishes to speak with you regarding the mission objectives." Jordan said.

Ellis was sat in his command chair when the Spartan's arrived; he could never really get over how big they were. He was not a short man by any stretch of the imagination, taller than average he stood at a hefty 2.48m and usually towered over his female bridge crew but the Spartan's were another breed entirely. The four in front of him were almost a metre taller and boy did it show, he didn't know how much of it was down to armour but he'd once seen Major-General 117 out of his and he was at least over 3m. They moved with a sharp precision, having been elite soldiers for almost 600 years this was no surprise to him but even on the safety of a UNSC Stealth Prowler they looked ready to pounce.

"Ah Spartan's glad you could join us, if we could move this to the briefing room that would be appreciated, please follow me." As he stood and started leaving the bridge.

James heard the tell-tale clunk of heavy metallic boots follow him towards the centre of the ship and had to stop himself from peering over his shoulder at the giants behind him. As the last Spartan entered the room, he set the anti-spy software on and began his briefing.

"Spartan's have you been informed by either Vice-Admiral Osman or Admiral Gantz about your role in this upcoming mission?"

A collective chorus of "No sir" boomed across the room.

"Ok well, that is not an issue as I have the means to do so myself. Jordan please bring up the schematics for Mr. Saracino's residence." As the A.I. complied the centre of the conference table was bathed in the blue light of a holo-screen.

"Our objective is to infiltrate the residence of the Terra-Firma party leader on the outskirts of Scott, the planetary capitol. We will be using standard stealth insertion techniques and will be dropped from the stratosphere by a stealth pelican. We will land approximately 1 kilometre away from the residence, from there we will make our way on foot until we reach the compound. The residence is surrounded by a 4m high reinforced concrete wall, the only points of entry are that of the main gate and a small service entrance at the back, both are heavily guarded. We will make use the Mjolnir Mk XXXII armour set to get around these obstacles with little to no hassle. Due to the active stealth function installed in the armour we will remain undetected until we reach Saranico's office, at least that is the hope. I will ask Jordan here to infiltrate their security systems as we reach the compound, cameras will be placed on a loop and the external sensors will encounter unknown interference for the duration of the mission in case our stealth systems are not enough. Once we have reached the office you are under no circumstances to reveal yourselves unless I say so, is that clear Spartan's?"

The Spartan, Frank spoke up in a gravelly voice. "Sir if you don't mind me asking, why are you coming with us? Does that not present an unnecessary risk to the mission?"

Ellis sighed. "Because Spartan, while I agree with you Vice-Admiral Osman was very adamant that I be there to facilitate the meeting between her and Saracino. I know it is not ideal but before becoming a naval officer I did train as an ODST if that makes you feel any more at ease."

"While not ideal, it does sir." The Spartan answered candidly.

"During this meeting Saracino's second a Mrs…" he glanced at the datapad "Camilla Bugoni will also be present. She is the deputy leader of the party, that is why it is imperative that this mission run smoothly and on schedule, we don't know when these two are going to be in the same room as each other again. Admiral Osman has a very tight schedule for Operation Veil and with elections to the Alliance Parliament a mere 5 months away we cannot afford to delay. Admiral Osman has ordered me to eliminate Saranico and bring Mrs. Bugoni into the fold if he is unwilling to see things our way, obviously that particular act will be performed by you. If all goes to plan you wont even have to reveal yourselves, but we have contingencies in place should the primary objective fail. I need to remind you, these Humans we will be meeting are not like us, they aren't even like you during Swift Retribution, before you received your genetic enhancements courtesy of ONI and the absolute record. They will be surprised by our presence and even more surprised by our appearance, I will most likely either be threatened or told to leave, the only circumstances you are to reveal yourselves in are if my life is in immediate danger or I order you to. The former is unlikely as you already know but it does not hurt to plan for every eventuality." The 5 Spartan's nodded in acknowledgment, it was almost eerie how in sync it was.

"Now before we end this briefing do any of you have any questions?"

The Spartan in the jet-black armour and yellow visor stepped forward. His name was Kojo, James vaguely recalled.

"Yes sir, how exactly are we going to be facilitating the meeting with Admiral Osman and this Mr. Saracino?"

"Ah I'm glad you asked. Jordan here has been kind enough to lend me one of his holographic interfaces for the duration of the meeting, Osman shall obviously use that to project her image in order to speak with Mr. Saracino. The resolution on the hologram will be so crisp it will be as if Osman is there in the room with us, how pleasant for us." He chuckled nervously.

Frank stepped forward next. "What are the aims and objectives of this mission? What does Osman hope to achieve?"

James sent him a pointed glare. "I am unaware of that Spartan, but even if Osman had made me privy to that information it is unlikely that I would be able to share it with you. Although I will say the general hope is that the leader of the party will accept our support during the upcoming elections, that is enough for you to know."

He stepped back, sufficiently cowed. "Of course sir, I apologise for overstepping my bounds."

"If that is all the questions you have, this meeting is adjourned. We will be arriving in the Asgard system in 12 days, take that time to study the layout of the compound and the surrounding area, if you have any suggestions regarding the plan bring them to me immediately and I will think them through. I will take them to heart, as you're the experts when it comes to covert ops so do not hesitate to. You're Dismissed Spartans."

As he left the room the Spartan's stood to attention before following him out in an orderly fashion. He meandered through the narrow metal corridors and took a moment of solace thinking of the mission ahead. It would be the first time he had ever done anything like this. It was going to take still and determination to pull this off perfectly, he just hoped that he could. When James got back to his quarters Jordan was there waiting for him, a grin on his face.

"You just talked down to a Spartan and lived to tell the tale, I honestly didn't think you had it in you. Where has this newfound attitude come from, finally grow a pair?"

Ellis huffed indignantly. "I don't know, maybe being ONI's only henchman during Operation Veil has gone to my head a bit, but then I like to remember that I'm certainly not the only one; that shrinks my ego right back down to size. Sorry, by the way, I didn't mean to get angry earlier."

"Eh, don't worry about it. I get that you're stressed so its not a big deal, nothing you can do about it." He said with a nonchalant shrug.

James smiled widely at that. "You're too casual for your own good sometimes, you know that?"

"I think I've heard you say it on occasion, but who's keeping count." Jordan said, voiced laced with humour.

"Certainly not me. Oh, and before I forget, you're certain you'll be able to disable the compounds security system before we enter?"

Jordan tutted. "Ye of little faith. Of course ill be able to, the cyber defences of this civilization are shoddy at best and woefully inadequate at the worst. Ill have disabled their entire apparatus before you even get into the compound, so don't sweat it."

"Ok that's good to know Jordan, I'm going to get some sleep, don't wait up."

Residence of the Party Leader, outskirts of Scott, Terra-Nova

Asgard System

24th August 2229 C.E. (3123 UNSC Calendar)

When Charles Saracino asked Camila Bugoni to become the deputy leader of Terra-Firma just 6 months ago he thought he had made the clever and rational decision. The daughter of a prominent industrialist with ties to Henhe-Kadar, a mother of two and an extremely intelligent woman in her own right, with a Masters Degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics she was the perfect person to help change the image of his failing party. After the Reaper war he and his party lost significant traction, with the end of the provisional military government in 2194 C.E. his party was decimated in the elections of the spring that year. The citizens of the System's Alliance just didn't identify with what he believed in anymore, that is not to say that nobody believed in Terra-Firma anymore, just that not enough did. In January 2194, his party achieved a paltry 3% of the national vote, the showing was woeful and had almost cost him his job, whereas in 2184, just a decade earlier he and his party could claim as much as 11%, for Charles, it was a devastating blow. Obviously 11% was not enough to form a government, even one in coalition with others, if any other party were even willing to do so, but it was enough for his voters to have a voice in parliament, to express their concerns that alien integration was moving too quickly and would be the ruin of the Human race. They had become too reliant on their oh so benevolent overlords on the Citadel and it made Humanity weak, how long would it be before they made demands so outrageous that the SA couldn't meet them, but would have to, in order to keep the movement of people and trade flowing, for capital to be invested in the declining industries of Earth and for Humanities standard of living to keep rising.

People used to identify with that position, but the coalition victory over Earth and the new location of the Citadel above Humanities Home-World put a stop to that completely. Now Humanity were eclipsed only by the Asari as the champions of integration, Earth's population was now only 65% Human, it had become the new hub of the galaxy, and that brought with it all the benefits and woes it would entail. He despised it, Earth was the Human Home-World and there were predictions that within two centuries they would become a minority on it! Their own Home-World! That is why he installed Bugoni as his second, to try and bring a more moderate voice to his increasingly out of touch and xenophobic party, and it had surprisingly worked, for a time. Terra-Firma rose in the polls, hitting 7% on one Reuters poll just 9 months ago, their more moderate message of lessening integration to preserve Human culture and history, the suggestion that Terra-Nova, the SA's second largest colony, not Earth, be the hub due to Earth's status as the Home-World pulled with more voters than cutting off integration entirely. Saracino now recognised his original political message was now an impossibility, the SA was already in too deep, but he hoped to minimize the damage before it was completely irreversible. But the resurgence in popularity was but a fleeting moment, with 8 months till the election Bugoni's father was arrested on indictments of fraud and tax evasion, severely restricting funding for his political campaigns, his diminishing reach with voters meant they were more easily won over by the Liberals and the Nationalists, both of which had almost unlimited funding for campaigning.

Then there were the problems Saracino had with Bugoni personally. He, for lack of a better word, despised the woman. She was uptight, garish and utterly dull, she came from a family of old money that originally started their fortune in the merchant town of Parma, in what was once Northern Italy. She made sure to let Charles never forget that fact, as if he even cared about where the money was coming from instead of the money itself, but he suffered her grating personality for that reason and that reason alone. However, once the money had stopped flowing in, he couldn't seem to be rid of her. Her moderate message had won over members of his own party and she had too much support for him to oust her in any politically sound way, he had considered having her assassinated before, but he wasn't able to without making sure it came back to him. Paper leaves trails and everyone knew how much contempt he held for the woman.

So as he made his way into his office with her in tow, he prepared his mind for 2 hours of unbearably dreary and crass conversation. But as he opened the door he stopped in his tracks. There was someone standing with his back to him, gazing out on the Dulon mountain range in the distance, or something he should say, it looked Human in shape but was impossibly tall, at least a metre taller than he was. The armour that it was clearly wearing was unlike anything he had ever seen, red in colour with strikingly sharp edges and what looked almost ludicrously like a jet pack on its back. It looked professional, that much he was certain of, yet he knew of every mercenary company from here to Omega and he had never seen armour like that. Just as he was about to call security it spoke in a gravelly modulated voice.

"Lock the door and sit down or your entrails will be decorating the walls before you have time to call for help." The tone was forceful, laced with the authority of someone who was listened to at all times and didn't take no for an answer.

Charles gulped, he knew that his actions in the next few seconds would determine his fate for life, he was only 78, and had a lot of living left in him, so he quietly complied, gesturing for Bugoni to do the same. That was when the thing spoke again.

"Jordan, soundproof the room and lower the dimmers on the windows, make sure no signals leave until I say so."

Jordan? Who was Jordan? And how was he doing all of this? Charles wondered as the windows tinted and a strange hum began emanating everywhere. Charles was violently taken out of his wonder when the thing took of its helmet and smiled at him, it was not a happy smile, it was the cruel intentioned smile of someone who knew he had gotten what he wanted. It was now a he, and unmistakably Human. But how? He was bigger than any human he had ever seen, taller than any human in existence Charles guessed. His features were striking, his cropped Jet-Black hair definitely looked military and he carried himself with the bearing of a military man as well, a high ranked one for that fact. His olive skin was unblemished, odd for someone who increasingly appeared of a military disposition, and his piercing green eyes bore holes into his very soul. Charles gulped as he waited for the mystery man to continue with what he had planned.

"Mr Saracino, Mrs Bugoni, I do apologise for startling you like this, I also apologise for the threat I have just made, I believed the menace necessary to continue without any…" He paused as if looking for the tactful word to continue "complications shall we say. My name is James Ellis. I represent a special interest group that has taken a great interest in your party's fortunes, we hoped that your prosperity in the polls would continue to endure but alas, we have been disappointed of late. To that end I have someone who wishes to speak with you."

As the man stopped talking, he withdrew a small disc that was attached to his armour and placed it squarely on the floor in the centre of the room. Charles was still dumbfounded, the guy was fucking massive, his head almost reached the roof of the room and he knew that it was 4m from floor to ceiling. What the hell had this guy's mother fed him growing up?! He was once again violently cut out of his thoughts and left even more dumbfounded when a blue light illuminated the room, a blue that eventually took on a perfect colour 3D rendering of a Human woman. She glanced at him first, her penetrating gaze making him feel increasingly more uncomfortable, before turning to the behemoth.

"James, I trust everything went according to plan?" The casual tone of her voice shocked Charles, it sounded as if this was a standard activity for her.

The behemoth nodded. "Yes mam, our insertion onto the planet wasn't detected by the Alliance, neither was our infiltration of the compound. Only these two" he gave them an extremely pointed look, as if to suggest something "know were here. I have secured the room best I can so we will not be interrupted."

The woman smiled coldly. "Very good James, once again I'm impressed with your efficiency, I knew bringing you in was a good tactical move."

"Thank you, mam." Was all he replied.

The casual conversation, just after he had been threatened with violent dismemberment was enough to shock Charles into mustering up the courage to speak.

"Excuse me, but who the hell are you people? You come into my home and threaten me and my colleague and then proceed to have a casual conversation? What the hell is going- "

Charles was jerked out of his speech as the armoured behemoth crossed the room with inhuman speed and wrapped its hand around his throat. The pressure was overwhelming, even with his enhanced muscles he could hear his windpipe slowly being crushed. He chanced a look up and wished he hadn't, the man was looking down at him menacingly, as if he were an ant to be crushed.

"You will speak when spoken to or you will never speak again. Do I make myself clear?"

Charles nodded furiously and the behemoth released him, the woman, who was obviously in charge was giving him a few moments to painfully inhale a few deep breaths of precious air.

"Now that my colleague has made your position very clear Mr Saracino allow me to introduce myself. My name is Serin Osman, I represent a special interest group called the UEG. We have taken a great interest in your party and have been disheartened to find its fortunes to be woefully lacking of late, for lack of a better term. We have political ideals in common Mr Saracino, although we do find yours to be far too… moderate shall we say. But we know the times we live in and won't begrudge you for seeking to increase your lot in life. Tell me this Mr Saracino, do you truly believe in the more moderate approach your party is taking? Or are you doing that as a logical move, a quite brilliant one I may add."

He glanced at the behemoth who had been strangling him mere minutes ago and it gestured for him to speak.

"No Miss Osman I do not, this party was founded by myself and a colleague almost 50 years ago because we were opposed to the integration of the System's Alliance into citadel space, we believed it made humanity weak. The majority of my party still believe that message to be true, we have only adopted a more moderate outlook in recent years due to the original message being ineffectual with voters. Mrs Bugoni here is the champion of that message and has swayed elements of my party to its cause. It has helped increase our polling numbers significantly, but it is still not enough."

Osman took a minute to consider this, but it was clear she approved of what she had heard if the smile on her face was any indication.

"A very good answer Mr. Saracino. We as a group also agree with your original message but recognise that it would be extremely ineffectual for your party to campaign on a platform of overt xenophobia when popularity for integration is higher than ever. Tell me Mr Saracino, do you believe Humans to be inherently better than the other races of the galaxy?" The question was extremely pointed, as if to indicate a test, Charles just hoped he wasn't about to fail it spectacularly.

"Yes Miss Osman, I do fundamentally believe that Humans are inherently better than the other races of the galaxy, our leadership of the Reaper war is just one obvious indication."

The woman smiled again. "That was a good answer."

Charles couldn't help himself, but he asked a question of his own, regardless of the deathly consequences.

"Are you and your group Human supremacists or something?"

His quite tactless question elicited a small chuckle from the woman that stopped the behemoth from moving towards him. "You could say that." She replied with what seemed like genuine mirth in her voice. The answer put Charles on edge, memories of Cerberus flashed through his mind.

"Look, I don't want to make accusations but the galaxy has had trouble with covert human supremacist groups, Cerberus didn't exactly do a good job of it and ended up betraying Humanity along with committing a number of heinous crimes against their own fellow Humans."

The woman nodded in understanding. "Well Mr Saracino allow me to put your fears at rest by saying we are nothing like Cerberus. For one, we are much better at what we do than they ever were, you are the only two people currently outside of our organisation who know that we even exist. So count yourself lucky, or a loose end, either one, I do not care. We also do not experiment on our own, no Human has ever been on the receiving end of inhuman scientific examination under our care. We are also far better funded than Cerberus, if you can believe it, and to that end would like to support your endeavours in acquiring a far larger stake of the Alliance parliament than you currently have."

The only word Charles heard in that entire sentence was 'Funded'.

"How much better are you funded?"

That elicited an even larger chuckle from the woman, but this time it was cold, calculating, like the smile she was currently giving him. She looked at him like a shark who had just caught the scent of blood and was closing in on its prey.

"Well Mr Saracino I trust you have heard about the acquisition of Weyland-Tyrell transportation by Heyuan Genomics?" Saracino nodded in affirmation. "Good that will make this simple, the UEG is now the new owner of both companies, I trust you are aware of their of the approximate profits in the last fiscal year?"

Saracino nodded in affirmation again. "Weyland brought in around 188 billion credits while Heyuan was closer to 2 trillion credits. How did you acquire both? Not even some governments are that well-funded?"

The woman's face was flat. "That is not for you to know Mr Saracino, perhaps if this meeting ends the way I want it to, you will become privy to more information regarding our organisation, but for now you will remain on the outside. Now Mr Saracino, can you tell me the approximate amount of funding the Liberals and Nationalists receive?"

Charles knew it off the top of his head. "Latest figures have the Liberals at 42 billion in campaign donations, with the Nationalists slightly ahead at 46 billion."

The woman nodded. "Very good, I would like to make you a proposition, we will match the Nationalists campaign donations credit for credit and deposit them into your empty coffers, you will be free to do what you wish with the money so long as it increases your polling numbers. This will of course come with many conditions and stipulations, but surely you can see the benefits."

Charles's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. 46 billion credits in campaign donations from one source?! That was unheard of, it was insane, it was impossible, but somehow it was his. How had his fortunes turned around so greatly? Half an hour ago he was about to be saddled with 2 hours of conversation with a woman who's personality was the equivalent of dry wall. Now he and his party were about to become the wealthiest in the entire Alliance parliament.

"And what are these stipulations?" Charles licked his lips in anticipation, he guessed what was coming and didn't have a problem with it, all he cared about was the cash.

"Firstly you and your party will answer directly to us, we wish to have a voice on how Humanity is ruled but we cannot do it openly, so you would be our eyes and ears in parliament. Obviously, we will not dictate to you like subordinates, we just want to help you achieve the highest vote share deemed possible without breaking any election laws which would cause your party to receive undue ire and attention. But you would still answer to us, your party would be the external face of our organisation allowing us to project our influence while still retaining anonymity. Is that agreeable?"

Charles had to stop himself from nodding furiously. "Yes that is quite agreeable, I suspected as much and have no qualms about it, as long as I keep control of the party. However you mentioned election laws, Alliance parliamentary election laws stipulate that it is illegal for any one organisation to donate over a billion credits to one single party."

The woman smiled. "Yes Mr Saracino we are aware of that. To circumvent the problem we have acquired a number of other small corporations to act as fronts so that these donations do not draw too much suspicion. The largest donation you shall receive will be from Heyuan genomics to the tune of 800 million credits, you can see the list of potential donors if you wish, it is quite extensive. James, hand him a datapad."

When Charles was carefully handed the strange looking device his eyes almost bulged out of his head again. On the list was an extensive inventory of over 200 corporations listed in citadel space, next to each corporation was also the majority stakeholder for each, and almost everyone was different. The work was so professional he was in awe, he was unaware of this massive acquisition of firms and given how confident the woman was he was sure that neither was the STG nor Alliance Intelligence.

"As you can see Mr Saracino you are in quite safe hands, the majority of those conglomerates are owned by extensively different parties, from high ranking Asari Matriarchs to Salarian Dalatrass's, it will never be traced back to either you or us and will all look legitimate in the overarching eyes of the law. We would also like to make another suggestion if you are amicable to it."

This time, Charles did nod furiously, whatever this woman had left for second must be the true icing on the cake.

The woman smiled again. "We have the means of artificially inflating your share of the vote without detection, it will be subtle and you will only receive a small increase in votes from it so as not to arouse suspicion, but we are perfectly capable of doing so."

Charles sat there in cold contemplation, he knew he would do whatever it took to bring his party back to the limelight, but actively rigging an election without being caught? It was a tough sell, even if these people's organisation did seem far more capable than he assumed at the beginning.

"How exactly would you be able to do such a thing?"

The woman turned to the behemoth. "James, introduce Jordan for us, will you?"

The name Jordan being mentioned again shot Charles's interest through the roof, he had heard it being uttered at the start of the conversation but didn't know who or what the man was talking about. Now he was about to find out. Strangely the man took another circular disk off his armour and placed it on the coffee table directly in front of him. When he did so it activated, and the blue tinged image of a human male appeared in front of him. He was not prepared for when he spoke.

"Greetings, my name is Jordan, I am currently one of many controller A.I.s in service to the organisation designated U.E.G., it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Saracino, how may I help you on this fine evening?" The A.I.s manner was cheery and betrayed emotion, an obvious plan to make Saracino believe that it was in fact what it said it was.

Charles was awestruck, he had been more and more surprised as the meeting went on. First was the armoured giant that turned out to be a giant man, then there was the picture-perfect rendering of a hologram of a human being, technology the citadel did not have. Then there was the professional and obviously secretive way they had acquired corporations with a combined gross income of the planet of Benning without alerting any galactic intelligence agencies and now there was this. An A.I. shouldn't exist within citadel space, it wasn't illegal anymore it just Shouldn't. The Crucible had seen to that when it had destroyed the Reapers, yet one was standing, well projecting, right before him. Just who in the hell were these people.

"You're really an A.I.?" Charles himself was surprised how steady his voice was.

"Yes" it answered simply before continuing. "I am the reason you will be able to rig the election slightly in your favour. Due to the inadequacies of your governments cyber security programmes I will be able to artificially inflate the vote your party gains on several highly populated colonies while deflating that of your rivals. This will, of course be done without detection. It will only result in a 3% change but that, coupled with your vastly increased funding should shoot your total share of the vote to 15%, making Terra-Firma the 3rd largest party represented in parliament, one of the main parties may even have to form a coalition with you if the polls are anything to indicate. More than enough don't you agree?"

Charles had a predatory smile adorning his face. "Yes I do agree. In fact I agree to any and all stipulations you present me if you are able to provide all you have just stated. However I will only do this on one non-negotiable condition."

The woman's eyes narrowed instantly. "Oh?" She said in a mocking tone. "And what condition would that be exactly?"

Charles turned and glanced at Bugoni, who had been sitting there silently for the duration of the unusual meeting, her facial expressions a mixture of awe and disbelief. Expressions that quickly turned to horror as Charles stated his condition.

"You remove her from the equation; permanently."

The woman contemplated it for only a second before agreeing. "That is acceptable, in fact we were going to do it had you not suggested it anyway, Although in order for this to look like it wasn't your doing we will need to harm you as well as killing her."

What happened next was an intense flurry of activity. When Bugoni started to scream and run for the door that was when Charles's mind was well and truly blown, because a figure decloaked in front of the locked door. He was even bigger than the behemoth and had been in the room during the entire meeting without Charles or Bugoni even noticing. The massive being, Charles assumed it was a man, raised its weapon and fired at Bugoni once, right through the head. Once she was dead it turned, stalked over and glanced down at Charles, who was shrinking under its gaze, he raised the weapon and fired at his shoulder and arm, glancing shots that wouldn't do too much damage and that he would most definitely survive, but the pain was immense. As he slumped in his chair, vision fading, he watched the Woman wink out of existence, followed by the A.I., then the last of his awe was used up as he watched the two armoured men disappear from view and leave through the open door. He screamed out in pain, hoping his servants had heard his commotion, as he lay on the floor smiling, despite the bullet wounds his last thoughts before blacking out were of how good the future looked for him.