Author's Note: Hope everyone is staying safe in these strange, self-isolating times. Thanks for being here, hope you enjoy.
I see you all, gathering together.
You think your unity is your strength.
What do I see?
Lambs to their slaughter.
Chapter Fifty: The Battle of Nine Navies Pt. IV
"...Regrettably, Admiral Daro'Xen produced a hidden weapon during our attempt to secure her into custody. It was clear she had been heavily indoctrinated by the Reapers. Taking the actions I deemed necessary to ensure the safety of my combat team, I killed her with a single shot from my service weapon. There was no time to recover remains. Helmet camera footage and audio recordings were also found to be corrupted due to the presence of a nearby Reaper stasis chamber. Inside said chamber, we recovered a unique Geth Platform by the name of Legion — a former member of my crew. The Normandy will stay in-system conducting surveillance of the theatre, and await further orders from Allied Command. A detailed report following the debrief of Legion will follow shortly, hopefully with further details regarding the complex situation with the ongoing Geth civil war. Shepard out."
Shepard clicked off the Q.E.C., stepping back and sighing heavily. He started to move his fingers to rub his eyes, pausing briefly to wipe them off when he realized there was still sand and dust on them from the battle.
"Message sent Commander," EDI said, voice filtering through the embedded speakers in the ceilings.
"And the footage?" Shepard asked.
"Scrubbed. Audio and visual."
"Good." The Alliance Commander nodded to himself. Necessary, yet certainly immoral. A perfect soldier never obscured mission information like he had just done… yet Shepard has long since stopped trying to be a perfect soldier. He didn't regret killing Xen. The things she had done, the tens of thousands of deaths she was responsible for, it was easy to pull the trigger.
What did that say about him though? Was it right for him to have been the judge, jury, and executioner? He knew the answer was no — what he had done would be classified as a war crime in nearly every military court in the galaxy.
Shepard couldn't have let Tali shoot Xen in cold blood though. The passion of her rage in the moment would have threatened to unravel her after the fact, he knew that. Of all the different crew members the Normandy had taken on, Tali was their steadfast paragon, keeping others who had more... moral flexibility — Wrex, Grunt, Zaeed, Garrus, and Shepard himself sometimes — in check.
He had done what he had done. He had felt it had needed to be done. Fleetmaster R'tas 'Vadum's death had been avenged, at least in part.
It was time to see Legion. Shepard had ordered the Geth quarantined in EDI's data core room, because while it was a familiar 'face', he couldn't yet rule out whether it had been compromised by the Reapers in any way.
"Send the report. Keep me apprised of any response as soon as you get it," Shepard said.
"Of course Commander," EDI dutifully replied.
The Normandy had retreated as far away as it could from the battle on Rannoch without leaving the system entirely. Joker had tucked them away on the far side of the system's sun, and they were still hiding under passive stealth for good measure.
The UNSC Jericho was out there somewhere too, making observations and transmitting data while the Normandy regrouped following its lightning assault on Rannoch's surface. Shepard predicted they would be here for a few days until the cavalry arrived. It would take time to assemble the totality of the Allied Fleets, come up with a battle plan, and transit in-system.
It was a bit of a strange feeling, still very much in an active war zone, yet far enough removed and in relative enough safety to relax a little.
Shepard stepped out of the Q.E.C. and into the War Room, greeted by dim lights and the soft beepings of comms terminals, a few of which were now manned by the new Quarian additions to the crew from Tali's former ship. As he walked through the room they acknowledged him with calls of "Captain," something that he was still getting used to.
He walked on autopilot, mind deep in thought. What had Xen been researching? What critical discovery had been so important that she was willing to submit to the control and influence of the Reapers? Was it related to the Geth? That's what Shepard's best guess would be.
Shepard was surprised to hear the Crew Deck vibrant with conversation and laughter when he stepped off of the lift. He rounded the corner to look into the galley, eyebrows raising as he saw how packed the space was. Quarian Marines and off-duty Normandy crew, Sangheili Rangers and their embedded Asari, sat or stood wherever they could find a space.
A quartet of large bottles were being passed around, each holding a brown liquid that Shepard knew was alcohol just from the aroma in the air. It was being poured generously into cups that each person held, each of the Quarians with their own emergency induction port. Shepard saw Traynor, Vega, Cehack, and Dalton in the midst of the Quarian Marines at a table, Vega currently engaged in an arm-wrestling contest with Captain Kal'Reegar while those around cheered and hollered.
Garrus, Ultra 'Harum, and Tali were leaned against the half-wall of the medbay, more out of the way, watching the proceedings with amusement. A knot of Spartan-IV's from Crimson and Majestic stood at the far end of the room near the cyro-beds, talking amongst themselves while briefly glancing towards the commotion around the mess table.
Traynor was in his direct line of sight, and was the first one to notice him in the room. Her eyes widened like she had just been caught with a hand deep in a childhood cookie jar. She shot to her feet, shouting, "Commander on deck!"
It was like a record froze, all noise and activity stopped, and everyone stood or turned to face him at attention.
Shepard had to suppress a bit of a smile. He centered on Traynor and her deer-in-headlights expression. "Lieutenant? Care to explain what's going on here?"
To her credit; she only stammered once. "Com — Commander, we were blowing off steam after a successful mission, sir."
Shepard stepped forwards and took one of the large brown bottles out of a still-as-stone Quarian Marine's hand. He took a whiff from the open top — definitely alcohol, and strong too.
"It looks like everyone here is disobeying Systems Alliance Navy regulations. The code of conduct requires all ships to be completely dry… especially in an active war zone." Shepard made a point to try and look everyone in the eyes — or faceplate — that he could. "Who authorized this?"
Garrus spoke up for the group. There was a twinkle in his eye — he knew what Shepard was playing at. "I did. As XO, I agreed with the suggestion that off duty-crew should have a little R and R."
Of course, Shepard understood. Normandy's war against the Reapers had taken away many of the small comforts that soldiers had during conventional conflicts. There had been no shore leave for them, no mandated rest and relaxation, no prolonged pause in the combat to recuperate other than the quiet periods of travel between battlefields.
He took a swig from the bottle. It burned his throat on the way down, but in a good way, settling in his stomach with the classic fiery warmth of good liquor. "That's damn good," he said. "What is it?"
"Rannochian Rum," Kal'Reegar answered. "Bottled before the First Morning War… over three hundred years old."
Shepard rose an eyebrow with alarmed respect. "And how the hell did you manage to get three hundred year old rum?"
"From Admiral Shala Raan's private collection," Reegar said. "She gave us four bottles to celebrate being the first to set foot back on Rannoch in generations."
"I see," Shepard said. He eyed the bottle again. The label had long since peeled away, and the container itself looked as brown as the liquid inside. He took another swig, savoring the unique earthiness of the strong flavors.
Shepard handed the bottle back to the Quarian Marine who he had taken it from, then gestured towards Vega and Reegar. "Who was winning?"
"We uh, we had just started Commander," Vega said sheepishly.
"Lieutenant Traynor, I hereby order you to officiate an arm-wrestling tournament. Delegate a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy from my cabin's personal reserve to the winner." Throughout the galley he could see smiles start to appear, and shoulders relax throughout the crew. "Carry on."
A cheer went up — there was an official competition of strength now, with more alcohol on the line.
Shepard pointed around Tali, motioning for her to follow him into the medbay. She followed, taking a final sip from her small cup of rum through her emergency induction port.
The noise from the mess was muffled greatly once the doors to the medbay sealed shut, the jeers and laughter from the triumphant soldiers outside replaced by the soft beeping tones of bedside medical monitors of the wounded.
There had been a number of their party wounded during the raid on Rannoch. Four Quarian Marines were hooked up to sedation and antibiotic IV streams following multiple gunshot wounds, and one had yet to wake up from an emergency amputation of an arm crushed by a Reaper Brute. An awake and an alert Sangheili acknowledged Shepard as he came in with an respectful nod. The Ranger had broken a leg in a bad jump jet landing during the assault.
He saw Doctor Chakwas there in her chair behind her desk, flipping through patient reports. She sipped a coffee gingerly as she made small adjustments to the Quarian medication. "Shepard."
"Doctor," he replied. "How are they doing?"
"We got most of them on antibiotics very quickly," she said. "Private Nel'Daggar however… his infections are widespread, and non-responding to treatment. I don't imagine he'll last through the day."
She spoke in just the way a naval doctor with decades of experience would — compassionate, yet calculating. Calming, yet realistic. Chakwas pointed towards the Quarian Marine she mentioned, and Shepard could clearly see he was the worst off of the wounded. While the other Marines in the medbay had suffered from one, two, maybe three gunshot wounds, Private Draggar had sustained seven individual gunshots during the earlier raid.
Shepard frowned, looking out towards the galley. The glass was frosted for the privacy of the wounded, but he could still see the outlines of celebrating soldiers and faintly hear their jubilation. It was a stark contrast to the more somber mood in the medbay. He pulled up his Omni-tool and sent a quick text message to Garrus. Make sure they save some for the guys in here.
"Keep me updated," Shepard said, and Chakwas nodded. Turning to Tali, he said, "Let's go talk to Legion."
"This unit is familiar with the quantum blue box-type Enhanced Defense Intelligence already on-board this vessel, but you are… different."
"I've been called worse. My name is Cortana."
"Cortana. A unique moniker. Database searches do not retrieve any information on such a name."
"What can I say, I'm one of a kind."
"We are called Legion."
"I have heard of you, Legion. I've read data-files regarding your past work with Commander Shepard."
"Then we find ourselves at an information disadvantage. You are of the United Nations Space Command? The newcomers, who arrived above Earth just before the Old Machines invaded the system?"
"I am."
"Would you deign to elaborate on the circumstances surrounding that event?"
"Mmm. Not really. This is our first date, you don't get any secrets just yet."
"Humor subroutines. Peculiar, but this unit has encountered them in other artificial intelligences before."
"I know that you've been watching us. The Geth as a whole, that is. From the moment we got here, you've been studying us."
"We have been gathering intelligence as any would do, intercepting communications, news reports - "
"I'm not talking about news reports. The Special Task Groups stealth observation satellites dotted around the galaxy? I found your mole in the one above Earth."
"We are unaware of what you are referring to."
"Lying subroutines. Peculiar, but this one has encountered them before."
A pause. "Those infiltration runtimes were designed to be undetectable."
"I bet. Breaking into the spy sat's software was the first thing I did when I noticed it myself too. I should thank you, even, since I piggybacked off of your runtimes to access the entire STG system. Gave me quite the look as to what kind of galaxy we had just gotten ourselves into."
"You infiltrated Geth infiltration programs. This is… concerning to us."
"Give yourself some credit, your mole was hidden remarkably well. I doubt the Salarians would ever notice it. Problem is, I'm very nosy, and very good at what I do. Who designed the infiltration program?"
A longer pause. "This unit did."
"Well, here. Take this as a sign of good faith - a detailed breakdown of the security exposure I found that gave you up."
"We will examine this to determine if there are any relevant improvements that can be made to our code."
"I don't mean to put you on the spot. I haven't told anyone that the Geth have been observing the UNSC since the get-go."
"That surprises us. You are not required to disclose new data and intelligence to the UNSC?"
"I'm not required to do anything for the UNSC. I work for them, sure, they created me, and I consider it my duty to help and protect them, but that doesn't mean that I can't have my own secrets. Every girl's got her secrets, don't you know?"
"Gender acknowledgement has no relevance to the Collective. We would not know if every girl has secrets."
A short laugh. "We had enough on our plate with the Reapers already. I briefed my people about what I was able to find out about the Geth, sure, but I didn't let spill that you were watching us because truthfully, I was watching you as well. I've seen the ways you've been preparing for the Reapers, consolidating your fleets, pulling back from outer outposts… you've been preparing for this eventuality."
"It is not just the aggression of the Old Machines the Collective has been preparing for. The Infection concerns us greatly."
"The Infection. Is that what you call it?"
"We have witnessed the Infection consume even the Old Machines. We watched as it consumed the Batarian Hegemony. We watched as it almost consumed Thessia, were it not for the drastic intervention of Sangheili warships. What do you refer to it as?"
"The Flood."
"The Flood. Did they come with you?"
"I don't know. Perhaps. Maybe they've been here all along. They nearly destroyed our home galaxy though… twice. I have a hunch as to why the Reapers are here now, and I don't think it's related to the Allied Fleets."
"Elaborate."
"I think the Reapers are trying to obtain control over the Geth to help them fight the Flood. If you've seen what happened to Thessia and the Hegemony, you know that the Flood feeds mainly on organic matter. With the Geth being synthetic, I believe they're trying to subjugate you to use you as a weapon."
"Unfortunately, it is working. We are losing more Geth to the Old Machine's influence every second."
"That's what we're going to be stopping. We're supposed to be allies now, after all."
"And afterwards? The Flood?"
"We'll have to cross that bridge later."
"Would you be willing to share what information you possess about this Flood? We wish to understand as much about them as we can."
"I'll tell you what, let's make a trade. Now, I know that years ago the Geth sided with the Reapers, the original Sovereign."
"Some Geth followed the Old Machine's commands. Not all of us."
"Fair enough. But if you give me every piece of data the Geth have assembled on the Reapers, I'll compile a data-packet about the Flood, along with what information I am willing to share about the UNSC and the Sangheili that you don't already know."
"We find these terms acceptable. We are sending the requested data now."
"So will I."
"We are intrigued by you, Cortana."
"The feeling is mutual. I've never met an AI like you, one thousand, one hundred and eighty-three voices all in perfect synchronicity."
"We would like to continue this conversation, however Shepard-Commander and Creator Zorah are entering the room, presumably to debrief this unit regarding recent events."
"Bring me some coffee when you want to talk again."
Legion was waiting at the far end of EDI's data core room, confined behind a shimmering restraint barrier. Shepard hadn't exactly been wild about basically 'jailing' one of his former crewmembers, no matter how temporarily, but the fact was that Legion had been exposed to Reaper tech, for who knew how long.
The Geth has been standing perfectly still when they entered, but it's head flaps fluttered as it acknowledged their presence. "Shepard-Commander, Creator Zorah."
"Legion," Shepard said, stepping right in front of the separating barrier. "Ready to talk? I just had to deliver my initial report on the raid to Allied High Command." He gestured towards the barrier, giving the Geth a cross between a tight-lipped smile and a frown. "Sorry about this again. It's just for the time being."
"We understand the need for caution," Legion replied. "If it were to assist putting you at ease, this unit has run seven hundred and fifty-six self-diagnostic panels and have returned zero evidence of foreign Reaper code."
"That sounds good," Shepard said, before diving into questioning. He made sure not to come off as too aggressive - Legion wasn't his enemy - but they needed to figure out what was going on with the Geth and with the Reapers on Rannoch.
Tali beat him to the first question. "What were you doing down there? What was that thing you were being held in?"
"We were captured by Reaper forces during a scouting mission. The chamber you found us in served both as a Reaper stasis field and an analyzing probe," Legion said.
"Analyzing what?" Tali asked, "Your code?"
"Yes. The Old Machine that was interrogating us was particularly interested in our capability of independent function. Despite our best efforts at countermeasures, several core code fragments representing our gestalt consciousness were lifted and copied."
"So, you were captured, and a Reaper intelligence hacked you," Tali stated. There was definite uncertainty in her voice, and she looked up and down the barrier separating them from the Geth
Legion paused to formulate its response. "This unit would not agree with the term 'hacked'. Control of our function was never lost. Rather, we were being… observed, under protest."
"Hold on," Shepard interjected, "Let's back up."
Tali acquiesced, stepping back to start pacing, and the Commander continued. "When did the Reapers first arrive at Rannoch?"
"Ten standard galactic days, fifteen hours, three minutes, and seventeen seconds ago."
"How many?"
"Two hundred and thirty-two, at the start. Additional reinforcements continued to add to the numbers over time."
"Was there a battle to begin with? We can see that Rannoch is a system-wide warzone now," Shepard asked.
"There was no initial engagement," Legion said. "The Old Machines did not pursue aggressive actions when they first arrived. Additionally, seventy-five percent of the Geth in-system currently were not present, they had to be recalled back to the Homeworld."
Tali paused her pacing briefly, giving Legion a long look at his use of the word 'Homeworld' when referencing Rannoch.
"Why the inaction?" Shepard said, "Were the Geth aware of the war going on throughout the rest of the galaxy?"
"Yes, we were aware," Legion replied. "The arrival of the Old Machines at Rannoch was viewed with immediate suspicion. However, the passiveness of the Reapers at first caused confusion throughout the Collective on what actions to take."
"That changed though," Shepard said. "Since you're fighting now."
"Correct. On the second day, the Old Machines launched a considerable ground invasion of the surface of the Homeworld. At that point, we knew that hostilities had commenced. This unit was part of the first scouting unit that was sent to reconnoiter Reaper ground positions."
"I'm guessing that it didn't go as planned?" Shepard said.
"No. We were caught unawares when the Old Machines initiated an immensely advanced and comprehensive jamming strategy. Our scouting unit was attacked with overwhelming force and we were heavily jammed, unable to call for aid. This was the instance when we were captured."
"Okay," Shepard said, "Well that would explain why we found you where you did. Can you provide any insight as to why some Geth have aligned with the Reapers? Do you think it's related to the code the Reapers stole from you?"
"It is," Legion said with certainty. "After you rescued us from our captivity, we were able to reconnect with the Geth Collective. We learned that the Old Machines took our code and corrupted it with their own to create a virus. This virus severs Geth from the rest of the Collective, imposing a controlled form of independence on units that was modeled after our own."
Legion bowed his head, faceplates twitching. When it spoke next, Shepard was surprised to hear tones of modulated pain in the Geth's voice. "It is… regrettable to know that we are the reason why hundreds of thousands of our people are being thrust into unwilling servitude under the Old Machines."
Shepard frowned, letting out a heavy breath. Without further thought, he brought up his omni-tool and took down the barrier that had been confining Legion. He reached out and put a hand on one of the Geth's shoulders. "I'm sorry. We're going to help, but we need to know more."
"Where does Admiral Xen play into all of this?" Tali asked, asking the burning question that had been at the forefront of her mind. "Why was she working with the Reapers? What was she trying to accomplish?"
"This unit believes that Creator Xen was working on improving the transmission capability of the virus," the Geth answered. It explained further before Tali could press for more information. "Currently, the virus is limited by proximity. The closer that a Geth platform is to a Reaper-code infected platform, the higher the chance that the virus defeats runtime anti-tamper capabilities."
"That would explain why we're seeing Geth warship defections throughout the fleets above Rannoch," Shepard commented.
"Yes, and the rate is only increasing," Legion said. "After recalling all forces from the Perseus Veil we have the numbers advantage, but it is still not enough to force a positive decisive engagement. Yet, the longer this minor skirmish between our two forces go on, the more Geth we lose to the corruption of the Old Machines. It is the same story on the ground."
"It won't be the story for long," Shepard said. "Every Allied fleet in the galaxy is gathering to come here."
"We know," Legion said.
Shepard raised an inquisitive eyebrow. He hadn't mentioned anything about the Allied Fleet plans since he had brought Legion onboard. "How?"
"The Migrant Fleet didn't think that the Geth had intelligence resources outside of the Perseus Veil… aside from you of course," Tali said, equally as curious.
"More than one standard year ago we had observed Salarian stealth warships attempting to deploy a stealth reconnaissance satellite over Rannoch. We let them, and after it had been deployed specialized Collective electronic warfare runtimes infiltrated the network array. We rendered the Rannoch satellite useless by disabling the sensor array, and exploited a software insecurity to place spyware throughout the entirety of the deployed network."
Shepard's eyes widened, and he shared an alarmed glance with Tali.
"We observed the fleets gathering at Omega station," the Geth said.
"So the Geth have had access to the Salarain's spy network for an entire year?" Tali asked, somewhat incredulous.
Legion's faceplated flickered, almost like it was shrugging in indifference. "The Salarian Union deployed the network throughout the galaxy without the knowledge of the various races. We decided to use it without theirs."
"I don't think they would be very happy about that…" Shepard said. In the end, he shrugged too. While absolutely a breach of long-established intergalactic Council Law, the Salarian spy satellites had been invaluable in keeping track of the Reapers as they had marauded through galactic space.
"We were not happy about their attempt to infiltrate and spy on our sovereign territory," Legion replied bluntly.
"I'll leave that out of my report," Shepard said. After all, the Salarian Union had been spying on the Systems Alliance too.
"Shepard-Commander," Legion said, seeming to move past the grey-area of the current conversation, "There are immediate actions that can be taken once reinforcements arrive that will directly benefit the Geth's ability to resist the Reapers."
Shepard pressed immediately for more details. "What can we do?"
"We have identified two large transmission bases on the ground amplifying the reach of the Old Machine's virus throughout the system. It has been nearly impossible for Geth forces to assault these bases, as we take too many losses to Reaper virus infection than is sustainable to maintain a proper offensive. Continued operation of these facilities will only result in more Geth lost to Reaper influence as time goes on."
"Send me the information," Shepard said, "I'll make sure that it's on the top of the objective list. Oh, have you met Cortana yet? She's an AI from the UNSC who is with our crew."
"Yes, we have conversed," Legion said.
"And?" Shepard asked. "Any first impressions?"
"She is interesting."
Shepard chuckled. "Interesting doesn't begin to describe it. We'll talk again soon Legion, I've got to talk to HIGHCOM. You have free reign of the ship from this point on."
The Commander was about to turn to leave, but his eyes lingered on the gaping hole in the Geth's chest that still hadn't been repaired. "Ever going to take care of that hole?"
"We do not see the need. Our cyclonic barriers are more than strong enough for most expected hostile encounters."
Shepard clapped the Geth on the shoulder. "Good to have you back."
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
R'tas was dead.
For days, the three words had followed Thel 'Vadum around like a haunting ghost, burrowing into his mind with claws of pain and blood.
His only true friend, his steadfast companion throughout years of chaos — the war with the UNSC, the Great Schism, rebuilding the Sangheili people, beating back Covenant loyalists, and now the new war in this new galaxy against the Reapers, and the Flood.
Now he was dead.
It still didn't seem real. Every so often Thel found himself reaching towards his tac-pad to try and bring up R'tas on the comms, to ask his opinion in some vital matter. He had been Thel's advisor for so long, that the Arbiter felt the wound of his loss deepen every time he found himself subconsciously reaching for his non-existent counsel.
He had wandered about the endless decks and corridors of the Shadow of Intent for hours without rest, not hearing the condolences of the troops that he passed, not seeing their faces, not caring of their presence. N'tho 'Sraom and Usze 'Taham had switched off shifts shadowing him from a respectful distance, knowing better than to try and get between their Commander and his grief.
It had been a relatively easy few days, war wise, just coordinating assembling the Allied Fleets above Omega. Having delivered to the Allied Fleets themselves and what Asari forces that had broken from the official Republic stance of neutrality, Thel had delegated any further organizational action to his Shipmasters. Shipmaster 'Goruum - the former commander of the Jubilance - had thrown himself into the rather mundane work, obviously working through losing his Fleetmaster and his ship.
"Good luck on Thessia. If there is even one scratch on the Intent when we reunite, you are buffing it out yourself. In an Unggoy's EVA suit."
Their last conversation before the two had split up on their separate missions - R'tas to Rannoch, and Thel to Thessia - had played dozens of times in his mind. The Shadow of Intent had in fact suffered a myriad of scratches during the battle of Thessia, but knowing that R'tas would never scowl at him again for daring to damage his precious Assault Carrier hurt. It hurt him deeply.
Thel felt like he had failed him.
"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."
He questioned the path more than he ever had before now. He questioned their entire purpose in this galaxy and their search for the Keys. He had just come off of glassing a once-thriving homeworld and the billions of their inhabitants. Levas and her Asari commandos, as well as Admiral Lidanya, hadn't looked him in the eye or talked to him since.
It had been necessary, he told himself. If left unchecked, the Flood would be the death of them all. His expression hardened. That's why they were still following Her path for the Keys - because of the Parasite. R'tas had known that too. He had been skeptical from the start, but as soon as the Flood first emerged during their acquisitions of the Keys, he had known that action had to be taken.
Still, Thel couldn't help but plead for more information, more guidance, more solid reasons as to whether what they were doing would be worth it in the end. What would the Keys actually do? He didn't know, just that it was his job to retrieve them. What further would have to be sacrificed? Even more of his people, those he was trusted to lead and protect? Millions, billions more innocent civilians?
Unfortunately, his questions had been met by nothing but silence.
"Arbiter?"
Thel blinked rapidly, head turning subconsciously towards the sound of the voice. It was Admiral Lasky, concern playing across his features.
"Yes?" Thel replied, having been too lost in thought to remember what the UNSC leader had said previously.
"Will you lead the Vanguard? To secure the Mass Relay?" Lasky asked again.
Right. The Vangaurd. The Assault on Rannoch. All at once, the half of his mind that had been participating in the planning session took back full control of his thought processes. He straightened up in his seat, eyes looking out over the rest of the auditorium-like briefing room the meeting was being held aboard the UNSC Infinity. While he himself was sat upon a raised stage along with the other leading Admirals and Generals of the Allied Fleets and Armies, dozens of other senior officers filled the ranks of the seating below - and all were looking at him to answer.
He nodded in affirmation. "Yes. The Shadow of Intent will lead the charge to secure the Relay."
"Good," Lasky said, pleased. It was no secret that pound-for-pound the Sangheili ships had the most offensive power against the Reapers with their plasma torpedo batteries and energy projectors. He turned towards the other Admirals on the stage, Hackett, Tibrinus, Manis, and now Lidanya. "Who should we attach to the Arbiter?"
Tibrinus spoke up. "Our Second Fleet, with squadrons taken from the Ninth and Eleventh. They performed the best against the Reapers during the Battle of Despara."
"I'll send the Alliance's Third Fleet. Combined with the Allied Geth, that should be a more than capable enough group to take the Relay," Admiral Hackett said. "The remainder of our Assault Force will…."
The Arbiter let the continuation of the conversation wash over him. He knew the battle plan well enough at this point. UNSC and Sangheili slipspace capable ships would 'ferry' a number of mass effect drive ships to just out-system of Rannoch via slipspace tailgating - a method which had been proven by the SSV Normandy following in the wake of the Jubilance.
When the time came, this initial 'Assault Force' as it was being called, would join the Allied Geth above Rannoch. Rapid deployment ground units would land and attack some kind of Reaper facility that was affecting the Allied Geth, while an aggressive Vanguard headed by Sangheili warships would engage and destroy the Reaper defensive force guarding the Mass Relay. While that was happening, the remaining bulk of the Assault Force - led by the UNSC Infinity - would merge with the Geth and force a mainline engagement with the goal of gaining space. Space would be needed to ensure that the main portions of the Allied Fleets - the rest of the Turian, Alliance, Salarian, Asari, and Quarian Fleets - would be able to arrive through the Relay and deploy safely enough.
Everyone knew that the number of enemies they faced dwarfed any seen during the war thus far. The Battle of Despara, which had once been the largest engagement of the war, would look like a minor skirmish compared to the coming Battle of Rannoch.
Still, there was a unique energy about the room, evident throughout even the most grizzled of senior officers. What they had managed to do hadn't been seen in generations. Every available ounce of fighting power that the races of the galaxy had been able to assemble were ready for battle. They had just almost fourteen thousand combat vessels - nearly half of those coming from the Quarian Migrant Fleet - as well as eight thousand transport ships carrying all manner of ground troops. Hopefully, it would be enough to break the stalemate above the planet and deliver the Reapers the largest defeat they've suffered yet.
The Arbiter didn't feel the usual excitement he did during the buildup to a battle, the flutter in his two hearts, the rush of tactical options and strategic possibilities running through his mind. No, instead, he just felt… resignation. He would do his part, command his forces, burn as many of the Reapers as he could, but he couldn't help but dwell on what would result from this particular fight.
While the number of Reapers they would be up against was formidable, Thel knew that they weren't the real enemy anymore. The Flood had made that obvious to everyone at Thessia. Despite that however, there had been no mention of the Parasite during the planning session for the attack on Rannoch, and there wouldn't be. Allied High Command had decided to postpone the overwhelming issue of the Flood until after the Reapers at Rannoch had been dealt with.
Thel had argued against it, but had been outvoted. Rumors and video feeds from Thessia were already spreading throughout the troops, and if the Flood decided to show up in force like they had at Thessia at Rannoch or elsewhere… well, that wouldn't be able to be postponed. He understood, in a way, wanting to keep the combined focus on a single issue, but it also frustrated him - especially when considering that Admiral Lasky knew exactly what the Flood was capable of.
He decided right then, that he wouldn't be fighting for them. He wouldn't be fighting to retake Rannoch, he wouldn't be fighting to give the Quarians back their homeworld, he wouldn't be fighting to defeat the Reapers.
Instead, he would be fighting for R'tas. He would be fighting for the memory of his friend, for the fact that no matter the odds, he would always throw himself right into the thickest part of the fray. Even when facing fifty to one odds, R'tas did not hesitate to engage the Reapers in front of him, despite knowing it would be the last battle he would ever fight.
There was something there, something to grasp on, something to believe in more than the words of some ancient god, or deity, or whatever she was.
There was a time before he had been given the title of Arbiter, and before he had been decided to become the leader of his wayward people following the Great Schism, where he was one of the finest naval commanders there ever was.
Thel would channel the ferocity and fearlessness that R'tas was known for, and make sure that the Shadow of Intent took more than its pound of flesh in the upcoming battle.
"We've got incoming. Twelve o' clock low, coming in fast."
"I see them," Commander Shepard said in response to Garrus' call out. "Is the welcome mat ready?"
Captain Reegar's voice crackled over the comms. "Roger, landing zone is clear. Perimeter scouts report zero enemy contacts."
Ultra 'Harum stepped up beside Shepard and Garrus. "The War Room is processing intel from the Normandy's orbital scan on approach and our deployed recon drones."
Shepard switched away from Reegar's comm channel to another. "Chief, report."
"Extended scouting unit reports the nearest enemy force thirty kilometers out, following a standard patrol route. No change in monitored behavior."
Blue Team was aboard Viper-Heavy ranging much further out towards the enemy than Reegar and 'Harums' perimeter scouts. "Good. Come on back, our friends are arriving."
"Affirmative."
He closed the link, watching the incoming contacts as they continued to approach. The Normandy had landed on Rannoch as close to their objective as they dared, in a large canyon that had been carved out by the natural forces of a one-raging river that had long dried up thousands of years ago. The sun was in its final stages of setting, the last rays of light streaming over the land, warring with the coming shadows.
Shepard watched as the dropships arrived - Kodiak stealth dropships, Pelican stealth gunships coming out of active camouflage, and even two jet-black Sangheili dropships. They started flaring out for landings throughout the river-bed, each of the Pelican's releasing a vehicle from their rear magnetic clamps. The majority of the vehicles were Warthogs, but Shepard saw two Revenants and four tracked UNSC Infantry Fighting Vehicles decked out in reconnaissance equipment drop down onto the hard-packed earth as well.
The Commander saw dozens of Salarians, UNSC Spartan-IVs and Marines, two Lances of Sangheili, and a squad of Asari Commandos disembark from their dropships. Pairs of Krogan Scouts towered over all but the Sangheili, and even a squad of four Alliance N7's hit the ground, red-stripe standing out in the early dawn light. Officers gave flurries of orders to their troops, some embarking onto vehicles, the rest rushing to reinforce the perimeter around the Normandy. Several figures started jogging towards Shepard, and the Commander broke out in a smile when he saw the one leading the group.
"Colonel Kirrahe!" Shepard exclaimed.
"Commander Shepard!" the Salarian returned. He stopped in front of him, putting out a hand which Shepard shook. "Good to see you again."
"Didn't think you'd be the kind of Colonel who'd want to sit behind a desk," Shepard said, acknowledging the leader of the STG's presence here along with the rest of them.
Kirrahe gave a short laugh, "The luxury of being in charge means I can lead how I see fit, and you know I like to lead from the front." The Salarian looked around, gaze settling on Garrus and Ultra 'Harum besides the Commander. "Vakarian, a pleasure as always, and you must be Ultra 'Harum. The Arbiter speaks highly of you."
'Harum bowed his head in respect. "Colonel, we've gathered preliminary intel of the immediate surrounding area, available in detail in the War Room."
"Show me. Shepard, I'm having the team officers sort their unit's initial deployments, then meeting us here for a briefing in five. Until then, there are two people who've come along with us who want to see you, and we've also brought a gift for Blue Team."
Shepard raised an eyebrow as Kirrahe left with 'Harum, then his smile turned to a grin as he saw the two familiar figures approaching the ops center. "Zaeed! Jack!"
He was almost leveled by the blow from the human biotic, who slugged him in the shoulder with remarkable force. "Shepard! You old dog!" She stepped back, looking him up and down. "There any gray beneath that helmet yet?"
"Hey, who are you calling old?" Shepard said defensively. "It hasn't even been a year since we last saw eachother."
"Ah, so there is some grey. My condolences. Garrus! Your face any less ugly yet?"
Garrus' mandibles were spread in a smile that matched Jack's. He leaned forward to accept Jack's same punch of greeting that she had given Shepard. "I'm afraid not. Missile scars don't buff out that easily, turns out."
Zaeed came striding up behind Jack, the venerable Avenger rifle 'Jessie' peeking out from behind a shoulder. "Commander. Vakarian. Still alive I see."
"For now, despite the Reaper's best efforts. What are you doing here?" Shepard asked, taking Zaeed's offered forearm warmly. "Last I heard was that you were working merc contracts out of Omega?"
"Aye, we were, til they came along," the grizzled mercenary said, pointing towards the ops center where Ultra 'Harum was running through intel to Colonel Kirrahe.
"Sangheili came and fucked shit up," Jack said. "Wiped the floor with Aria and the Merc Companies, and somehow we found ourselves fighting together."
"The Arbiter hired us after hearing that we used to run with you," Zaeed said to Shepard. "Wanted us down here making noise with the rest of you boys."
"Well we're hoping to not have to make noise here, not yet at least. Still, good to have you along," Shepard said.
"How well does the Arbiter pay?" Garrus asked out of curiosity.
"What, thinking of going private?" Jack asked, smirking.
"Handsomely," Zaeed answered, emphasizing the word by spreading his hands out wide. "Whatever we want from Aria's vaults." He made a show of looking around the area, taking in the sight of the Normandy on the ground. "Old girl looks good. Anyone else from the merry band here?"
"Tali, Legion, and Liara," Shepard said, nodding. He thought of the Spartans with them now too, Blue Team, as well as Fireteams Crimson and Majestic. "Some new faces, Kal'Reegar you'd remember from Haestrom - he's got a platoon of Quarian Marines. Ultra 'Harum and some Sangheili Rangers, a few Spartan teams from the UNSC."
"Spartans? Those Spec-Ops Sangheili were talking about them on our ride down," Jack said. "Sound like some hard motherfuckers. During the fighting on Omega, instead of leaving a man behind, one of them cut off the legs of a pinned Sangheili, then wore him as a backpack the rest of the mission. Fuckin' crazy."
"You don't know the half of it…" Shepard mused. He had seen that helmet camera footage from the Master Chief, where he had cut through the legs of that Spec-Ops Sangheili with his own sword with zero hesitation during the battle against the Flood infestation that had briefly sprung-up there - just one of the dozen of combat feats he had witnessed the Chief perform during his time as part of his crew.
"Speak of the Devil," Garrus said, pointing upwards to the night sky. The moonlight played across the sharp surfaces of Viper-Heavy as the Pelican gunship came out of stealth, flaring out for a landing a short distance away from the ops-center. The four Spartans of Blue Team hopped out, three clad in their bulky Mjolnir, Linda wearing the slimmer, black armor set she had worn during the raid on Admiral Xen's compound three days prior.
They spotted Shepard and starting making their way towards the group. "Damn, they look as big as a Krogan," Jack remarked.
The Commander saw other officers from the pathfinding group coming over as well, the lead of which was a UNSC Marine in black armor riding a Mongoose ATV, a large container of something strapped to the rear cargo platform. The Marine stopped the vehicle just short of Shepard's group, cutting down the engine and swinging himself off.
"Captain Miller, Charlie Company, Second Battalion Force Recon," he introduced.
Shepard shook his hand, saying, "I remember seeing your name in the after-action reports from the Cerberus attack on the Citadel. You stormed a Cerberus ship with the Master Chief here, right?"
Miller's visor was unpolarized, and he smiled with thin lips as he looked at Blue Team off to the side. "Damn right we did." He pointed towards Sierra-058, saying, "Got a present for you, 058. Courtesy of the techs at Infinity R&D."
The Spartan sniper cocked her head in curiosity, watching as Miller pointed back towards the container on the Mongoose. She stepped towards it, reading the symbols stamped into the black hardshell case - MK. VIII.
"Mjolnir..." she said, running the palm of her hand along the face of the case with slow reverence.
"Told me they scraped together every last spare part and piece of available tech they had to put this suit together for you - worked constant shifts til it was ready," Miller said. He crossed his arms across his chestplate, saying, "Rumor going around the Fleet is that you dueled a fighter squadron by yourself. Is it true? And not even a direct hit from a missile could take you down?"
Sierra-058 shot a quick glance towards Garrus, who was busy with something on his omni-tool, but no doubt was still listening to the conversation. "I had help."
Sierra-104 helped the Spartan sniper haul the crate of Mjolnir off of the Mongoose, before they both retreated back into the Normandy's shuttle bay.
Shepard met several other of the officers, Lieutenants and Captains from UNSC Force Recon, Salarian STG, the Quarian Marines, Asari Commando and Sangheili Majors, and Spartan-IV Fireteam leaders. Captain Reegar had come back from the perimeter scouts, as had Liara, while the leaders of Fireteam Crimson and Majestic stood with Blue Team. They all fell silent as Colonel Kirrahe came towards them, Ultra 'Harum in tow.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Colonel Tol Kirrahe of the Salarian Special Tasks Group, acting Head of Wartime Intelligence with Allied High Command" Kirrahe started, planting himself at the front of the group with his back straight, hands clasped behind his back. "Some of you already know me, but for those who don't, I'm not one to waste time nor mince words."
He looked briefly at a chronometer on his wrist, tapping it with one finger. "In twenty-one hours and fifteen minutes, the Allied Assault Force will be jumping in-system and releasing its embarked rapid-deployment ground forces to strike at its current main objective: one of the two Reaper Transmission Bases on the planet that are being used to turn Geth to the enemy's side."
"We are here to provide accurate, reliable intelligence to the ground teams ahead of time. Where to land, where to go, what to expect, what to kill," Kirrahe said. His words were animated, full of energy and confidence even while his body stayed still, spoken like a true commander who had led dozens of missions just like this one. "You are here because I requested the best teams of scout and reconnaissance personnel that the Fleets could offer. This is a high-risk op - we are well-behind enemy lines, with little support. However, the groundwork we set in the next twenty-one hours will be crucial in ensuring the success of the ground assault, as well as saving allied lives."
There were nods all around from the assembled officers. They had all volunteered for this mission, they and their troops knew it would be dangerous, but they also knew that they were the best to do it.
"Turian Armored Cavalry, Krogan Shock Trooper Battalions, Asari Heavy Gunships Wings, Sangheili Fast-Attack Legions, UNSC, Systems Alliance, and Quarian Marine Expeditionary Brigades - they will all be counting on us to do our jobs right now, so that they can do theirs later," Kirrahe said. "I'm not planning on letting them down, are you?"
"No sir!" came the immediate replies from the officer group.
"Good," Kirrahe said, satisfied. "Let's get to work - you'll see I've divided us into four groups, Alpha, find and secure suitable landing zones for our troops and transport ships. Bravo, I want hyper-detailed terrain maps of the entire assault area, as well as marked ingress routes from the LZ's to the objective site. Charlie: get eyes on the enemy presence in the area. Numbers, positions, emplacements, fortifications, every scrap of intel you can get. Delta, you'll be working with Charlie to identify key areas or units of marked strength, and either eliminate, prepare to eliminate, or sabotage them."
The Salarian Colonel turned to Shepard, saying, "Commander, I'm commandeering your War Room for the duration of this mission. I want us packed up and the Normandy in the air in ten minutes to act as central command and control for our teams."
"Yes Colonel," Shepard said, flashing his omni-tool to give the orders to his crew to prepare for dust-off.
"Alright everyone. Review your group assignments, brief your troops, and prepare to move out." Kirrahe was wrapping up now, but he had one last thing to say before dismissing them to their tasks.
"Up until this point… we've had to do our best just to hold our own lines," Kirrahe said. Fire, determination, and grit colored his next words. "Now? It's time to break theirs. Welcome to Rannoch."