Chapter Forty-Two: Double Strike Pt. II
"God? He won't be watching you out here. Pray to the Marine snipers. Armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot rounds out to twenty-three hundred meters… that's as close to a religious miracle as you're ever going to get."
- UNSC Marine Corps Unofficial Handbook
SSV Normandy
Omega
"Standby. Decontamination in progress."
Arbiter Thel 'Vadam waited patiently in the Normandy's airlock as the decontamination cycle took place, arms crossed against his sleek black chest plate. It had been a long time since he had set foot on this ship...it had been back when they had met face-to-face with the Systems Alliance for the first time. That felt like ages ago with all the rapid-fire events that had taken place since then. The new galaxy, the Reapers, the Keys, the Flood… Slipspace jump after jump, battle after battle, death after death - body, mind, and spirit always on the move in pursuit of the next part of Her plan. To be forced to stand still while this arbitrary cycle progressed ever so slowly was actually a blessing in Thel's mind. A moment of peace in times of chaos.
Standing to his left, Fleetmaster R'tas 'Vadum was clearly thinking the opposite. One of his booted hooves was tapping the deck of the Normandy's airlock with rapid impatience, a reflection of the Sangheili's incessant drive to get to where the action was.
On his right, Ultra Rael 'Harum was engrossed in a datapad, and Thel peeked over to glean what he was reading. It was the intel packet he was reviewing on Rannoch, Quarians, and the Geth, put together by Levas and her Asari Commando squad.
Commandos…. Thel mused. It would be dishonest to say that he wasn't surprised when Levas revealed what her and her squad really was to him, but he had no real issue with it. It certainly made sense, with how these four Asari 'mine guards' were able to keep up with him and his Special Operations soldiers. Still, he wondered why that particular detail wasn't shown when Levas' Asari all melded with his team; when they shared their joint histories and experiences. They all must have somehow hid those facts from the Sangheili in a way he couldn't understand, since the Meld was the Asari's environment through and through.
Thel didn't blame them for keeping those cards close to their chests. Everyone had their secrets, including him. The revelation that Levas and her squad were actually highly trained special forces commandos was actually immediately useful to Thel, and was the sole reason why he had agreed to approach acquiring the Thessian Key through Levas' new plan. He still trusted her completely. Thel and the rest of his Sangheili likely would have all died on Noveria when they were first ambushed by the Flood if Levas and her Asari hadn't provided protective barriers at great mental and physical cost. They had all been through and seen too much to waver from their common goal.
He wondered how they and the rest of his Sangheili bodyguards were getting on, since there would be no way to contact them until the Arbiter was ready to make his move. It felt a little strange not having his two Special Operations Lances close at hand, it reminded him of when he had first been giving the title of 'Arbiter' by the False Prophets, forced to stand on his own. He was certainly not without allies though, like he was back then. R'tas 'Vadum and Rael 'Harum, two of his most trusted companions standing just to his right and his left proved that beyond a doubt.
The decontamination cycle finally finished its run, and the inner airlock door to the Normandy slid open. Standing on the other side were two female Alliance marines, whose eyes widened slightly at the sight of the three imposing Sangheili. The Arbiter recognized the pair from when he was last on the ship, back during their first contact meeting. The two marines had been manning the security station leading into the Normandy's War Room, and Thel remembered having a 'serious chat' with them about what would have happened if the weapons he were forced to surrender were damaged or misplaced.
The senior of the pair cleared her throat before addressing them. "Welcome to the Normandy. Commander Shepard is waiting with the rest of his team in the War Room, so if you would please follow us."
The two marines pivoted on their heels and started walking back into the depths of the Normandy. Their pace was quick, evidently the two were trying to get this escort duty completed as soon as possible, but with their long strides the three Sangheili were easily able to keep up.
The regular crew aboard the Normandy tried their best to concentrate on their duties, but the new visitors definitely drew a fair number of quick glances. The crew were neither unfamiliar with aliens nor with Sangheili, since they had seen the Arbiter back before the start of the Reaper War. But to see three of them all in full battle-dress, weapons attached to hip and back magplates, knowing now what they were capable of… it was certainly an intimidating sight. The Arbiter thought with some small amusement what the general reaction would be to seeing a pair of combat-ready Mgalekgolo standing at their full height of over twelve feet.
Thel nodded curtly at the few crew members whose gazes he caught. Ultra 'Harum met the eyes of anyone who looked to him, studying their expressions, reactions, and trying to gauge their thoughts. Fleetmaster 'Vadum just ignored everybody. It was just a short distance to the security station off of the CIC, and the three Sangheili strode through the holographic blue weapons sensor barrier without pause. The two marines had the foresight to turn off the sensor's alarm, and went back to their posts by the station table and readout monitors.
'Vadam led his two compatriots down the hallway past the glassed conference room on the left, and could already hear conversation coming through the War Room's open doorway at the end of the walkway on the right.
"... how old is this intel again?"
"Seventy-two hours."
"That's a lot of time. Things could look completely different down there now compared to when you escaped. They could be gone."
"I don't think so. Xen came for the Reaper tech, I bet she's set up shop there to try and study it."
"And Tali and the rest of her crew?"
"I hope they're still there. Tali knows more about Reapers than anyone else in the entire Fleet. Xen is probably going to try and use her to glean whatever information she can about the fragment."
"This is just giving me bad memories to the last time that Tali got into trouble with the Admiralty Board…"
The Arbiter, 'Vadum, and 'Harum were all standing just inside the War Rooms entryway by now, looking down into the space around the recessed holotable. Donned in his advanced Mjolnir suit, the Master Chief had picked up the three Sangheili on his motion tracker as soon as they had come onboard, and was looking right at them when they entered the room. Besides the Master Chief and Commander Shepard - whose silhouette Thel recognised even though he was facing away from the entryway - there was one more Human and three beings of different species, one wearing a full-body suit.
They were all was engrossed in what the holotable was showing, so the Arbiter decided to announce his arrival. "Commander Shepard," he said, and all present turned to look at the Sangheili.
Shepard smiled and quickly walked up the short stairways to greet Thel with a firm forearm clasp. "Arbiter Thel 'Vadam, I knew our paths would cross again. It's good to see you."
"And you Commander," Thel replied. "These are my compatriots."
"R'tas 'Vadum, Fleetmaster."
"Ultra 'Rael 'Harum."
Shepard turned towards 'Vadum and 'Harum and clasped forearms with them in turn as they spoke. "Come, lets gather round the table. We've got a lot to talk about."
The Commander led his Sangheili guests down towards the central holotable, and waved a hand at his own assembled team members to introduce themselves as well.
"Doctor Liara T'soni."
"Garrus Vakarian."
"James Vega. Alliance Marines."
"Kal'Reegar. Migrant Fleet Marines."
The Arbiter took a few seconds to examine this last individual, who judging by his deeper, modulated voice and broad shoulders, he assumed was a male. Thel always read the intelligence packets that were put together for him with thoroughness and an attention to detail, so he knew that this was a Quarian. After generations of living on ships following the Quarian's expulsion from their home planet by the Geth, Thel knew the Quarian had to wear his full-body exosuit at all times, lest he risk even the smallest hostile foreign body wreaking havoc with his weakened immune system.
Thel wondered what Kal'Reegar looked like underneath the armor. His body was proportionally similar to Humans and Asari, but the Arbiter couldn't tell what lay behind the opaque visor.
It was his first time seeing a Turian up close as well. Thel thought he killed one who was a part of a mercenary gang during the fight for Omega, but that was from a distance. This Turian — Vakarian, as he had said — looked especially weathered. He drew the comparisons to his friend R'tas 'Vadum quickly. Large scars marred the right side of his angular face, and his eyes had that same weary sharpness of an experienced combat veteran. His sturdy-looking armor was likewise pocked and marked from use, signs of someone who fought from the front.
Doctor T'Soni's curious apprehension was very evident to Thel, who had gotten quite good at reading human and human-like expressions the past few years. It was clear that she was studying the Sangheili, gaze racing up and down the three of them. Thel could tell just be looking at her that the Asari was razor-smart.
Alliance Marine Lieutenant James Vega looked like any other human soldier the Arbiter had seen. He was a large one at that, but still, Thel wasn't immediately impressed.
The Master Chief was, as usual, completely hidden beneath his all-encompassing Mjolnir. This newer version he was wearing was sleeker, more form-fitting, and more angular than what he remembered the Spartan wearing when they had first started fighting together several years ago, but the silhouette was unmistakable to him. Unlike the others on the Normandy, the Arbiter didn't have any curiosities about the Master Chief. Their bond had been forged long ago in the purest of circumstances - on the battlefield. He knew who the Spartan was, what he was loyal to, and what he was capable of. The Arbiter trusted the man more than anyone on the Normandy, or anyone else in the entire UNSC for that matter.
Thel could see from his posturing that Shepard was eager to get into the nitty-gritty, so he started their new group's roundtable discussion. "Commander, I see there is a planet displayed on the holotable here."
Shepard nodded. "This is B-1274, a barren, un-inhabited moon on the outer edge of Geth space. A close friend and former squadmate of mine, a Quarian named Tali'Zorah, was assigned to take her ship and investigate the moon."
"Investigate for what purpose?" asked Ultra 'Harum, who had approached the table and started studying the moon in closer detail.
"Because there were reports of Reaper tech on the surface," explained Kal'Reegar. "Tali - who is my Captain - was forced by her superior officer Admiral Xen to partake the mission, even though she heavily objected. Xen gave her a command, but threatened to take it away if she didn't go through with the orders. Now I don't know how much you three know about Quarian culture, but to become Captain of a vessel is an enormous honor and responsibility. Most Quarians try their entire lives to make Captain's rate."
The three Sangheili did in fact know that. Basic Quarian culture was well-covered in their intel packets.
"She was blackmailed," R'tas summarized succinctly.
Kal'Reegar nodded with clear frustration. "Tali is one of our best. She doesn't deserve this."
'Harum seemed to take responsibility for asking questions from the Sangheili. "What happened when she arrived at the moon?"
"She performed a scan of the moon and positively identified the presence of Reaper tech. She then started making plans to destroy it," Reegar said. He turned his masked-face towards the deck before continuing. "Just after we finished loading the assault shuttles with all of the explosive charges and detonators we could find on the Kael, Admiral Xen jumped in with ten ships. She had Quarian ships point their guns at us, and we were boarded. She saw the explosives in our shuttles and guessed Tali's intentions. Had the entire crew arrested."
"Under what charges?" asked 'Harum.
"Dereliction of duty. Disobeying a superior officer. Conspiracy to destroy Fleet resources," Reegar said. "Treason."
"Zealous..." R'tas muttered.
"Extremely," agreed Reegar, "Especially when she thinks she can use new tech to get herself an advantage. But she knew the sway that Tali had amongst the Admiralty Board, and she knew she would vehemently oppose any kind of research on Reaper tech."
"So this plot was designed to conveniently get her out of the way," said 'Harum.
The Arbiter took a step forwards and caught the eyes of both Shepard and Reegar. "You want our assistance in recovering the liberty of your friend and her ship," he said. It was obvious really - despite the capabilities of the Normandy and her crew, it was only one ship, and Reegar had said that Admiral Xen had ten.
Shepard and Reegar shared a glance, then the Commander answered. "If you have anything you can spare."
Thel paused for a moment, both for dramatic effect and to think. Should he tell Shepard and the Normandy's crew about their search for the Keys? They needed to get to Rannoch anyways, and with the world as heavily controlled and fortified by the Geth as it was, pure brute force wasn't going to help them retrieve the Key, not even with six Sangheili warships. Shepard and Reegar had been saying that this Tali'Zorah had quite the pull with the Quarian leaders, who also seemed to want to get to Rannoch as much as he did, given that it was their ancestral homeland ripped from their grasp generations ago.
"I can lend you one ship," Thel said after his ruminations. He decided for the moment, to leave the explanation of the Sangheili's mission for another time. "The Jubilance."
Fleemaster 'Vadam sharply turned his head towards the Arbiter, eyes widened. He didn't need to speak for Thel to understand what he was thinking. The super-cruiser? Are you mad?
The Arbiter continued. "I can only spare a single ship, because the rest of my forces will be needed for another operation that is taking place within the day. The Jubilance is one of my most powerful warships - I believe it should be able to provide ample support for a rescue mission."
R'tas stepped to Thel quickly and took him to the side. He spoke low and serious into his ear. "Arbiter, are you sure about this? If things go wrong on Thessia, the Jubilance will be sorely missed."
"The plan will work R'tas. I have faith in Levas," Thel said. He looked back to speak to the group. "The Jubilance will assist the Normandy."
The Arbiter then turned to his close friend. "R'tas, you will assume command of the ship. Shipmaster 'Goruum will temporarily transfer to the Intent. I want my most experienced commander at the helm of the Jubilance for this assignment."
'Vadam acted like he wanted to protest, but quickly thought better of it. "If this is my Arbiter's will, then I will follow."
"Good. Ultra 'Harum, can you tell me what ground forces the Jubilance could embark?" Thel asked.
The Ultra put a long-fingered hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "A DOS-Class Super-Cruiser is not exactly designed for ground operations. Most of the space is dedicated to the weapons and shielding systems… Hmmm. A battalion perhaps? It would have to be light on vehicle support however, not too much room in the Jubilance's bays."
"Your Ranger battalion?" Thel posed.
'Harum's eyes started to gleam. The promise of dangerous combat always got him going. "I will send the transfer orders to Talon Battalion right away." He took a step back from the center of the War Room and started sending rapid-fire orders through his wrist tac-pad.
Commander Shepard had gotten more animated knowing that a Sangheili Super-Cruiser and 'Harum's Battalion of Rangers we're going to be help the rescue operation.
Cortana, who had been listening quietly to the entire conversation from the Normandy's internal electronic systems, popped up for the first time on the edge of the War Room's holtable. Her appearance surprised no-one - the Normandy crew was quite used to her avatar materializing all throughout the ship.
"We've got more help coming to us," she said, and all assembled looked towards her small holo-body with inquisitiveness. "We've just received a communique from the Infinity. Apparently the Sahara-Class Heavy Prowler Jericho has been assigned to assist The Arbiter - along with three squads of embarked Spartans."
"More Spartans?" said Liara, who up to this point had been silent during the conversation. She looked towards the Master Chief as she said it. She remembered when Shepard came to save her from the research station in Mars, and how that had been her first introduction to the armored supersoldiers. Without the two of them - the Master Chief and another named 'Kelly' - Shepard and his team would have had a lot more trouble dealing with the Cerberus surprise assault.
"Which ones?" the Chief asked quickly. He had immediately perked up upon hearing Cortana say 'Spartans' as well.
"Fireteams Crimson and Majestic. Eight S-IV's." The UNSC AI turned to look at Chief directly. "Blue Team. Three S-II's."
Behind his opaque visor, only Cortana knew about the small smile that played across the Chief's thin lips.
"Eleven more of him?" Vega muttered, tilting his head towards the Chief. "Jesucristo..."
R'tas 'Vadum let out a short chuckle, nudging the nearby 'Harum with an elbow. "Did you ever imagine you'd be fighting alongside so many Demons 'Harum?"
The Sangheili Ultra took a hard look at the Master Chief. He remembered what had happened back on Omega. He remembered how close the Parasite had come to overrunning the station. 'Harum had heard rumors of what had gone on and what the Spartan had done beneath the ground, in those smuggling tunnels and buried warehouses, the Flood pouring in from all directions. "As long as we are fighting on the same side."
The Master Chief gave a slight nod of assurance towards 'Harum. He remembered encountering the Sangheili Ultra on Omega as well - he seemed as capable and confident of a leader as they came.
"Have the Jericho go with the Normandy and the Jubliance to this wayward moon," The Arbiter said. "They will be more useful there."
"Constru-" started R'tas 'Vadum, before he caught himself. "Cortana, can you find a rendezvous point a short jump away from the moon and direct the Prowler there for rendezvous?"
The UNSC AI raised a small eyebrow at the Fleetmaster in amusement. "Done. Sending coordinates to the Jericho and to your tac-pad."
"Thank you," R'tas said towards Cortana. He figured it was the least he could do to be respectful. He looked to his tac-pad and opened the data packet with the rendezvous coordinates, doing some quick calculations in his head. "We will know more when we get to the moon. The Jubilance will take just under twenty-two hours to transit, so we should be swift."
"Twenty-two hours?" said Shepard, a bit worried. "The Normandy would take over two days."
Fleetmaster 'Vadum just looked at the Commander, half-jaw raised in a mischievous grin.
CAS-Assault Carrier Shadow of Intent
Omega
As soon as the three Sangheili returned to the Shadow of Intent, Ultra 'Harum started off immediately to make sure that his Rangers were moving swiftly towards transferring the unit onto the Jubilance.
The Arbiter accompanied 'Vadum to the Fleetmaster's private quarters, where he was going to collect his gear before taking a Phantom over to the Jubilance.
"I always forget how sparse your quarters are," Thel remarked, looking about. There wasn't much to look at, a bed, a desk without a chair, and storage lockers.
R'tas waved him off, quickly finding a shoulder bag and rifling through the contents of his lockers. "I use this room only to sleep. No need to decorate."
"You know, the Humans have a word for scarcity."
"Do they? Are you going to make me guess?"
"Spartan," Thel said. "They would say that you live… spartan."
R'tas snorted. "Perhaps the Spartans live like me, ever think of that?"
The Fleetmaster had gathered what little he desired to take to his new posting. He shouldered his bag and stepped towards the Arbiter, halting in front of him. "Once again we part ways."
"Always another battle," Thel said, "One less than before."
"One less…" Rtas said, "Yes. Try and keep Thessia from turning into a battle as well. You trust Levas? After what she lied about?"
"A lie that ends up saving your life is better than the lie that does not," Thel said. He and his two bodyguard units of SpecOps Sangheili would have died on Noveria were it not for Levas and her Commander squad's biotic prowess. "How many lies did we use to justify our conflict against the Humans? That entire war was a lie. Those billions of souls on both sides, lost to eternity - for lies."
"And our path now?" R'tas said, voice quiet. "We have been led astray before on divine missions."
The Arbiter put both of his hands on his friends shoulders. "R'tas… our people are lost. Before the Covenant the Sangheili were proud, strong, and capable - the perfect traits to become the Prophet's loyal warrior servants. In the wake of the Great Schism we are having to learn again to be a civilization. We are having to learn agains what our mere purpose amongst these many stars is."
"And is our purpose just to follow the Librarian's fetch quest? Gather all of the Keys for her collection?"
Thel took a step back, removing his hands from 'Vadum's shoulders. "We thought the Parasite had been destroyed. We were wrong. Here it is, awake. If these Keys end up unlocking the solution to this mounting problem of potentially a galaxy-wide infestation, then we have a duty to follow that thread to the end. On Omega, when that Proto-mind died, it spoke to me. It said that there were more out there, in the black of space."
R'tas snarled, but not at Thel. "You know I hate the Parasite more than anything in this universe, or beyond."
"Then help me destroy them. Help me see if this path leads us there. Imagine the glory that would come to those who annihilated the darkest sin in all creation?
"I do not care for glory. The complete cauterization of the Parasite will be enough," R'tas said. He held out an arm to Thel, and the Arbiter took it at the forearm. R'tas pulled him forwards, bracing his other hand on the Arbiters opposite shoulder. "Arbiter, I would follow you into the maw of a Gravemind without hesitation. You are my closest friend and the leader of our people. If you trust this is the right path, then I will follow it as long as is needed."
The Fleetmaster broke his grip with Thel and stepped around him towards the exit of his cabin. He turned his head sideways to look at his friend before he left. "Good luck on Thessia. If there's even one scratch on the Intent when we reunite, you are buffing it out yourself. In an Unggoy's EVA suit."
Thel watched him go, exhaling mirthfully at that particular mental image. He took a deep breath, and started opening comms channels. It was time to jump for Thessia.
SSV Normandy
"My god. It's stopped. It's finally stopped."
Jeff "Joker" Moreau still didn't dare to open his eyes. "EDI? Are we dead?"
"Not yet Mr. Moreau. We have arrived at the rendezvous point."
Joker opened his eyes. They were still vibrating, as were his teeth. His bones were sore. Outside of the Normandy's forwards viewports he could see only two things: space, and the looming thirty-five hundred meters of the Sangheili Super-Cruiser Jubilance several hundred kilometers off of their bow.
In order to more than halve their travel time to the rendezvous point, the Normandy had followed in the Jubilance's slipspace wake. Joker had been against the plan from the beginning, but Shepard had given his orders, and he was the Commander after all. He was just a lowly pilot. A lowly pilot who wasn't that big a fan of new things - especially bootlegging FTL from another warship.
Fleetmaster 'Vadum had assured them that 'riding the wake' was perfectly safe and a regular tactic used by both the UNSC and Covenant navies, but what he didn't talk about was the goddam shaking.
As soon as the Jubilance's advanced slipspace drives had slipped through the portal it had gently caressed from the eleven non-visible infantesimal dimension, the Normandy had accelerated directly at the still-open rift — propelling the ship into slipspace for her first time ever.
'Vadam has conveniently left out the fact that the larger the size discrepancy in size between the ship opening the portal and the ship following in the wake, the more turbulence in the slipstream the following ship would encounter.
The Normandy — being more than ten times smaller than the Jubilance — shook steadily for the entire jump. Twenty. Two. Goddamn. Hours. Joker was on his second stim-juice, sleeping was a luxury he knew had been abandoned twenty-two hours ago.
"Well there's the Jubilance," Joker said, confirming the visual position of the Sangheili warship with the instrument readings on his haptic display. "See the Jericho EDI?"
"Scanning," replied the ship's better A.I., Joker thought. He heard the cockpit doors cycle open behind him, swiveling his pilot's chair to see Commander Shepard stepping in.
"Commander,"
"Joker. Still in one piece?"
"The Normandy says she's fine," he replied. "Me on the other hand… might need to limp on down to the medbay and knick some of Doc's Serrice ice brandy."
Shepard stepped forwards and gave Joker a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Better do that now while you have the chance. There will be a quick briefing in the hangar bay between the ground team leaders to create a rescue plan, and then we'll be moving out."
"Copy that," said Joker. He would go visit the medbay for some pain blockers, but he knew that Chakwas always kept that brandy under lock and key. He'd have better luck taking the Master Chief on in a boxing match than even setting eyes at that bottle.
Shepard had been scanning the sensor readings on the cockpit's haptic displays as well. "Still no sign of the Jericho? They were set to get here before us."
Joker shook his head. "EDI? Cortana? Either of you see anything?
"The sensor suite is still showing nothing but just the Jubilance and empty space," EDI answered.
Cortana spoke next. "Unless they make a quick diversion to do some scouting above B-1274?"
Shepard frowned silently, and Joker spun around to look back at his main displays. Late to the party, eh guys? Not like I haven't done it myself a couple times... Joker thought. He started going through his instrument readings again, because he didn't exactly have anything better to do.
Hull-integrity was good, internal temps were normal, and the cyclonic kinetic barriers were at full strength. Nothing new there. Weapons were green, sensors showed the Jubilance ahead of them and a two-hundred and eighty meter vessel two clicks off the Normandy's stern, comms were fine, and maneuvering surfaces were all responding. No changes there either.
Wait. He did a double take. Two-hundred and eighty meter vessel two clicks behind us?
"Holy shit!" Joker exclaimed.
"It's the Jericho," Cortana quickly exclaimed, putting out any thoughts of a hostile player.
Shepard had a begrudging smile on his face. "Neat party trick. Cortana, get the comms open and start getting them over here. EDI, ready the Hangar Bay to receive transports. Try and keep Joker from hyperventilating if you can."
Ultra 'Harum's Phantom was the first to arrive. He and his four company commanders would have been ready for battle the minute they stepped off of their dropship, with each one in full gear. Their armor was a motley mix of light and dark greys, photo-active armor panels preset to blend in to the expected environment on the moon. Even hidden beneath their suits and helmets, everyone in the Normandy's bay knew that these were hard, tested soldiers. Fleetmaster 'Vadum was there as well in his jet-black SpecOps wear, sticking close to 'Harum.
The Pelican from the Jericho was not a minute behind. In true ONI fashion, the Pelican was one of the angular stealth variants, just like the Normandy's own Viper-Heavy, minus the heavy armament. The Jericho's dropship had troop transport in mind before firepower, which explained how it had enough space for eleven fully-geared Spartans, led by one smartly-dressed ONI Captain, to come walking out of the troopbay.
From his spot towards the 'front' of the Shuttle Bay near the elevator, Commander Shepard could only look on the scene with a small amount of awe. This was the most packed his Bay had ever been. The Sangheili, the Spartans, his own squad, four different dropships… Don't say I never did anything for you Tali, he thought. You better still be there.
Shepard could easily tell the difference between the three UNSC Spartan teams. Three in the front were wearing sleek-looking red-and-white Mjolnir. The five in the middle of the pack were colored in matte blue.
The three at the very back of the Jericho's group, all a head or more taller than the other Spartans, had bulkier Mjolnir, more individually tailored to each of them. They made straight for the Master Chief, who had set himself up in a relatively quiet part of the bay. Shepard noticed something interesting they all did once they got close to one another - a quick two-fingered swipe across their helmet faceplates.
He noticed the ONI Captain waving at him, so Shepard stopped his observations and headed towards the center of the bay, where the Sangheili had concentrated as well.
"Commander Shepard, I'm Captain Drake, of the Jericho," he extends his hand to Shepard as they got closer, and they shook. He had those prying, hyper-intelligent eyes, scanning, analyzing, and filing away everything they saw.
"Welcome to the Normandy Captain," Shepard said, stepping back. He looked to the Sangheili, who were next to introduce themselves.
"Fleetmaster 'Vadum," R'tas said curtly.
"Ultra 'Harum, commander of Talon Battalion, 3rd Rangers. These are my subcommanders," he said, introducing himself and his company leaders. The four senior Majors all bowed their heads in respect and acknowledgement, but didn't say anything themselves.
Captain Drake withdrew something out of a uniform's pocket - a small holoprojector disk. "Shall we get started?"
Drake tossed the disk onto the deck in the center of their group and stepped back. Out of the disk flashed a burst of holographic particles that quickly resolved themselves into a large mage of about a quarter of B-1274 and the surrounding space above. All ground team members had paused their socializations at this point and had gathered around the holo-display in a rough circle, taking in the intel.
"The Jericho made good time in the slipstream, so we added a short detour to our route. We passed by B-1274 in the slipstream and slip-dropped an insertion pod of Black Widow spy satellites," said Drake. He pointed to the holo-image above them all, "This is the feed from than network. Near real time."
"The space looks busy," Shepard remarked quickly. Admiral Xen's ten Quarian cruisers were arranged in a loose formation not far beyond the moon's exosphere, holding in geosync orbit. Dozens of strike craft patrols flitted all around the cruiser's spheres of influence, in seemingly random flight paths.
"Those are not standard patrol routes," Fleetmaster 'Vadum said.
"No, they're not," Drake agreed. "It's anti-stealth tactics. Numerous, small patrols - two, three fighters each - directed to patrol in unpredictable patterns."
"Seems like they might have been expecting us," Shepard said. "Or at least the Normandy, I mean. Xen probably planned that I'd be coming for Tali."
"Nothing that some directed electronic warfare couldn't help with," Drake said. "And besides, if the Normandy couldn't see us two clicks off, what better luck might these Quarians have?"
"If it comes down to it," R'tas started, "The Jubilance can make short work of these vessels."
"How we approach the situation in space will depend on what we find on the ground," Drake said. He pinched his thumb and index finger together and widened them, zooming in the holo-projection past Xen's vessels in space and towards an aerial view of a small ground base.
The base was laid out like a compass rose. There was a large, recently-constructed dome at the center of the base, with four pre-fab building compounds three hundred meters out from the center, one in each cardinal direction.
"They've set up shop," 'Harum said. "This is several days of effort."
"The compounds to the north and south we are thinking are standard barracks facilities. Note the uniformity in construction," Drake pointed out. "The buildings to the east, research labs, admin maybe . The center dome had got to be covering whatever piece of Reaper tech is on the moon."
"That's a large dome..." Shepard mused. He wondered just how large a piece of Reaper tech this had to be.
Drake nodded in apprehensive recognition. "In the east here however, we think this is where the crew of the Kael is being kept. This building is almost as large as the dome in terms of volume, large enough to hold the crew of a cruiser perhaps? See these perimeter lines here? Fencing, and then guard towers dotted about."
"A prison." This was Kal'Reegar, who in the hubbub of the new arrivals to the Normandy had definitely blended into the crowd. Now all eyes were on him. "If the crew is still alive, if Tali and my Marines are still alive, we have to get them out of here. They're the only witnesses to Admiral Xen's crimes. Any sign of the Kael?"
"None. It's MIA."
"Do we have thermals? Infrared?" 'Harum asked, but Drake frowned and shook his head.
"No. There's some kind of interference, either intentional jamming from the Quarians or unintentionally from the Reaper tech. Visual imaging was all were able to get at the surface," the Prowler Captain explained.
"Is there a ceiling to the interference?" asked 'Harum.
"Yes. It extends from the surface to about four clicks up, in a rough hemisphere coverage, diameter of eight clicks."
"Could it affect our comms?"
"It's possible."
'Harum turned to his four company commanders and quietly ordered, "I want a supplemental tight-beam laser comms in each headquarters unit."
"Sirs."
All present turned towards the source of the voice. It had a gravitas to it that instantly got everyone's attention. Blue Team stepped forwards to the front of the circle, led by the Master Chief.
"Master Chief," Shepard acknowledged. "What have you got?"
"Sirs, we don't have solid intel as to the whereabouts of the principle or the rest of the hostages. We need to get eyes on the ground before we commit to our full operation. Using our advantage in stealth, I recommend inserting advanced reconnaissance and infiltration teams to scope out the situation on-planet and find the crew of the Kael, if they are still here."
"And if they are not?" asked Fleetmaster 'Vadum.
"Then the advance teams will pull back, and either the Jericho nukes the base or the Jubilance glasses it."
"Who did you have in mind for the advance teams?" Shepard asked.
"Fireteams Crimson and Majestic will locate and make plans to rapidly secure the crew of the Kael. Myself, Sierra-087, and Sierra-104 will find and secure the principle. Given her importance as Captain and her knowledge of the Reapers, it's likely that Captain 'Zorah is being held in isolation from the rest of her crew. Sierra-058 will establish a recon and overwatch position and feed the infiltration teams intelligence."
Commander Shepard took a long look at the Master Chief. "Find her, Chief."
The Spartan nodded slowly in return.
"Take Vakarian for the recon team," Shepard said to Chief. "He's our best shot. Vega too, for overwatch on his MG."
"Five-eight, will that be a problem?" Chief asked.
She paused for a second before responding. "I'll make it work."
Shepard looked to 'Harum. "The Normandy will jump in first with the Jericho, but my team will wait to deploy with your battalion. If we find the hostages, we'll have to set up and secure a landing zone to evacuate them to the Jubilance."
"I'll be waiting here, ready to jump in close, engage any hostiles, and rapid-deploy 'Harum's battalion to the surface," R'tas said. "Captain Drake, send the call through the slipspace comms, and we'll come."
Shepard, Drake, 'Harum, 'Vadum, and the Chief traded glances and quick nods. This was their plan. Time to execute.
"Let's get going," said Shepard.
They broke off quickly, the Sangheili jogging back to their Phantom to get back to the Jubilance. The Spartans were heading towards the two stealth Pelicans in the Shuttle Bay, in preparation of transferring to the Jericho for the jump to the moon. Gathering their weapons and gear, Vega and Vakarian hurried to catch up.
"Crimson, Majestic, back with the Captain," said the Master Chief. "Blue Team, Vega, Vakarian, we're in Viper-Heavy."
Garrus took his seat in the stealth gunship with the Master Chief in the seat to his left, and Sierra-058 was in the seat directly across from him. The turian sharpshooter took some time to observe this new Spartan as Viper-Heavy's engines powered up. She was looking right at him, which he admitted unnerved him just a little. This was the one that Cortana had told him about, the most legendary sniper in the galaxy. There were optical camera and sensor packages on the sides of her helmet, and she carried weapons with her. The one in her hands looked like a traditional rifle, with a box-magazine, a large scope, and a long, suppressed barrel. The weapon attached to the magplates on her back seemed to be just a longer, heftier version of the silver-sleek ACS rifles that the rest of Blue Team were sporting.
Five-eight reached into a supply crate that she had pulled out from underneath her seat, withdrawing an item and thrusting it across the aisle of the troopbay and into Vakarian's hands. Surprised by just how fast she had done that, Garrus took a second before he actually looked down to see what she had given him.
"A spotting scope?" he said, after examining the thing for a second. "So you're the lead then?"
Five-Eight didn't reply to him, verbally or otherwise. Instead, she looked down to the rifle in her hands and started calibrating dials on the scope. Garrus felt a nudge on his left elbow, it was the Chief.
"She usually works alone," the Master Chief said. "Word of advice - don't get in her way. She's the best sniper to have ever lived."
A/N: Hope you enjoyed. More to come soon. Getting some ideas already for what's next after this story finishes, and due to some recent media announcements, have maybe thought about going back to revisit something I haven't looked at in quite a long while…