It had been decades since the War for Sol and years since the activation of the Alpha Gateway. The Broken System, as some who reside within Sol call it, had seen an influx of immigration from Earth and its Solar colonies due to the gateway's activation. The thought of hoping to expand our territory along with starting a new life out in the new frontier had led to the Colonial Federation activating every Gateway they could find. This was the new dream for the unfortunate.

But all actions don't go unnoticed.

And all actions never have the best outcomes.


Act I: Contact

Chapter One: A New Challenger


CNMS Stars of Liberty, In Orbit over Shanxi

May 1, 2169

"Status report!"

"Shields are holding at 75 percent and holding sir!"

"Captain we're getting reports of the enemy boarding the orbital elevator! Staff Sergeant Zhukov and his troops are trying to repel them off but they require assistance!"

"Athens Station is getting swarmed by enemy fighters!"

"The Odysseus is venting atmosphere!"

The ship shook as another volley from the enemy ships hit the Liberty, the crew desperately trying to stay in their seats. Captain Henry Davis of the CNMS Stars of Liberty, a Wyoming-Class Heavy destroyer stood firm in his captain's chair, giving orders and commands to his crew.

"Maximum energy to forwarding shields, Spin up the Mag Guns, and fire Vulture Pods 10-23!"

The crew hastily followed the orders that were given to them. The K-45 Vulture pods launched their computer guided missiles at the enemy fleet, in which thoroughly destroyed an enemy frigate and crippled an enemy destroyer. "Weapons Control. Focus primary weapons on that destroyer!" he ordered.

Weapons control followed said orders, lining up the Ship to fire upon the enemy destroyer. The Stars of Liberty fired off a Salvo of missiles towards the enemy, upon impact the alien ship ignited, creating a short-lived explosion that inevitably shattered it's infrastructure. The crew cheered at the sight of another gutted ship, but the celebration was short-lived as an enemy cruiser fired another volley of its ordinance at the Liberty.

"Brace for impact!" A bridge officer yelled. Two hits rocked the ship, causing many once again to fall out there seats or lose their balance.

"Status!" Henry yelled again. This time a holo-projector lit up, displaying a golden hologram of a woman wearing a pure white dress, had long black hair and a flower crown on her head. "Shields are down to forty-three percent, if the enemy keeps this up, we'll be breathing space vacuum in no time."

The young captain gathered his thoughts for a moment, analyzing the situation that lied before him. He looked towards the bridges holo-projector, seeing the information being displayed for him. Ironically, the odds looked like they would be in their favor, as their ships outmatched them in terms of firepower. Their Magnetic Accelerators and advanced missile systems proved superior against the enemies Kinetic shielding, but the vast amount of ships that they were up against…The Defense Fleet wouldn't last long without help.

"Captain, I think it would be best for us to jump back to the nearest colony to inform STRATCOM of what's happening." The AI said in a worried tone.

"I appreciate the advice Star, but turning tail and running is something I don't plan on doing right now."

"It's not advice Captain. It's an order." She rebutted.

"On whose authority?"

"Admiral Wittenberg sir." Henry paused for a moment, thinking about what she just said. "He says that if the Defense Fleet should fall, there should be someone that lets STRATCOM know what happened here".

Davis became conflicted, He didn't join the Navy just to make fast escapes. He didn't want to leave his comrades behind to an unknown threat that endangered the colonists below. There had to be another way.

His conflicted thought process was broken as the holotable began to flash red. Orbital Defense Platform Seoul was showing signs of unknown units attempting to board, the CNMS Aegis Fate had lost all hands in a fiery explosion, and the Coast Guard forces were taking heavy casualties on Orbital Elevator Alpha.

"Captain!" Star yelled.

"Goddamnit!" He cursed. "Diane! Set a course for Vernan. We need to get word of this back to STRATCOM. Pull all remaining power to the engines and the Slipstream Drive. All hands prepare for fast travel!" he yelled.

"Understood!" the Navigation Officers replied.

Soon after, all remaining power that remained in the Stars of Liberty went to the FTL system. The increased energy output began to build up, revving up the engines and making the propulsion systems exceed its normal speed and then, within a split second, the destroyer was slingshotted from its current position and into the black void. Becoming non-existent to those who remained.

Not too far from where the Liberty stood before was the CNMV Lunar Nemesis, a Toyome-Class Assault Carrier and inside the bridge stood was Admiral Wittenberg of the Shanxi Defense Fleet; a veteran of the War for Sol. Now, the esteemed Admiral stood face first towards the enemy while his crew moved up and about the bridge. "They're away sir." the ship's resident AI Zero told him.

"Excellent." Wittenberg nodded. "Zero, give me an update on all remaining assets we have at our disposal."

"Orbital Defense Stations are functioning at moderate operating capacity, several ships are either crippled or outright destroyed, leaving us with only five Heavy cruisers and 4 heavy frigates. Lieutenant Zhukov at Orbital Elevator Alpha is currently preventing the enemy from using the elevator to reach the planet's surface. Current survival probability peaks at fifty-nine percent and dropping."

"What are the chances of reinforcements reaching before the defense line falls?" Wittenberg interrupted.

Zero remained silent for a few seconds, calculating the numerous fluctuating variables that ran through his processing core.

"Unknown, Admiral."

Wittenberg continued to look at the enemy fleet. He took a deep breath and calmly exhaled. "No matter. We will get through this." He said. "It is our duty to protect this planet and we will uphold said duty until the Relief fleet gets here. We will send them back to where they came, crying to whatever empire or gods they worship!" he spoke aloud for his crew to hear. "It is our duty as part of this defense fleet that we protect mankind from the evil that lies both within and beyond. So, by God's gracious light, if we die, we will make sure that they will remember how many of their pathetic ships we took to the grave!"

The crew responded with a roar of enthusiasm and encouragement. "Now ladies and gentlemen, let us show these pathetic creatures who we are and what we are made of!"

-XXXXX-

Orbital Elevator Alpha

45,000 km above Shanxi

Lieutenant Alex Zhukov and his men were clearly unprepared for an event like this. Sure there were times when SetDef sympathizers would commit acts of terror to the colonies in Colonial space which resulted in the quick retaliation of Federation Forces. But he and his men knew nothing about this new enemy they're currently facing. He fired his ERAD-Energy weapon at the enemy. taking out a few that were coming down the hall. He quickly reloaded his SMG before firing another burst. He quickly got back into cover as the enemy began firing again. A CDF Coast Guard by the name of Leonard threw a frag grenade down the hallway, killing the alien soldiers that occupied the hallway. "Tell me again how we managed to get this deep in shit?" he asked.

"I have no idea, my friend. All I know is that these people aren't friendly. Not one bit." Zhukov replied.

"So what now?" Leonard asked as he reloaded his NV4.

"We round up what's left of our forces and stack up in the CIC. Once we get there, we shut down the lift, preventing them from reaching the service."

"And what's preventing them from sending in drop ships through the atmosphere?'" Leonard asked skeptically.

Another Guard member answered his question "The AATIS Guns were built for the prevention of a protracted Orbital Siege. Even though the big motherfuckers are strong enough to disable a fully armored carrier, we don't have enough to actually prevent an orbital siege. We only have the ones within Khuvi City, which is where they'll most likely land since it's the only major city on the continent.

"He is right. Shanxi is still a young colony. The AATIS Defense Network isn't at full strength." Zhukov added. "The AATIS Guns are there, the ones that are fully operational are located within the city."

Leonard had entered a fresh magazine into his NV4. "In that case, let's hope the Defense Fleet can do their part in this fight," Leonard reassured. Zhukov was about to say something when the Battlenet went off.

"Hello! Is anyone still alive on this frequency?" He opened his Comlink. "This is Zhukov. What is happening?" He responded.

"We got enemy forces trying to access the main elevator! We're encountering heavy resistance! I don't think we can hold them for long!"

"Hold tight. We'll be there!" Zhukov primed his SMG. "Let's move out!

Zhukov and the rest of his men began to make their way towards the main elevator, coming across small pockets of Coast Guard Forces that joined Zhukov on the path towards the Main Elevator. The journey to the main elevator seemed to be the longest that they've taken, not knowing what lied around each corner the group had to remain cautious of their surroundings. As they continued further, they started to discover dead Coast Guard Members and alien forces along the sounds of distant gunfire. Not wanting to waste any time, Zhukov motioned to push forward towards the gunfire.

As they continued, one Coast Guard member was spotting engaging one of the aliens in hand to hand combat. The engagement soon turned in the aliens favor It managed to trip the Guard member to the ground. The alien pulled out a jagged knife, showing an intent to kill its captive. But before it could plunge its jagged knife in her throat, a burst of high-velocity rounds went through its helmet, splattering gray matter all over the wall beside them. "You alright there, Small?" Leonard asked the Australian native.

"Yeah... I think I'm all in one piece. Visor's cracked though. " Alice Smalls took off her helmet and tossed it aside. Her face was pale, but her blue eyes and short blonde hair made up for that. Leonard pulled her up and gave her a pat on the back. "Come on. We need to keep moving."

The group kept moving to their objective. The signs of them getting closer was getting more evident as the sounds of gunfire were getting louder and louder. Zhukov held his fist up, signaling his group to halt. He then slowly moved up the hallway, tightly hugging the wall. Zhukov peered around the corner, seeing the ongoing firefight between the aliens and the Coast Guard troopers defending the main elevator. From what he saw, the Coast Guard were slowly being picked off as only a few were still firing at the aliens. Zhukov turned back to his group and gave them orders to stack up on the other side of the hallway. Half of the group quickly made their way to the other side of the hallway and stacked up with Leonard taking the lead. Zhukov made a gesture with hands, counting down from three, both sides got ready to make the assault. Before Zhukov started counting, Leonard pulled out a flashbang and primed the grenade. As Zhukov counted down to one Leonard threw the primed flashbang and waited.

BANG

Both sides moved into the hallway, firing their weapons into the crowd of aliens, effectively taking them down. One Marine by the name of Albert got hit the arm but was still able to eliminate his would-be killer with his Kendall-44.

Zhukov fired a burst of weaponized energy into the dying corpse of an alien soldier, killing it instantly. Zhukov and his group strode their way to the cornered Coast Guard member. "You can come out! We're friendlies!" Leonard yelled. Hearing this, the Guardsmen gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank god. I thought we were done for." He said as he began to calm down.

"What's your name trooper?" Zhukov asked.

"Lance Corporal Joseph Devens." The Guardsmen responded. "As you can see sir, you came in the nick of time. Most of our guys either wounded or dead. Made me believe we wouldn't be able to hold them off for much longer.

"Well… you should be thanking us. We did save your asses." Small commented.

"Copy that, thanks for the assistance." James expressed with a mixed sense of gratitude.

Within the moment, Zhukov looked among what remained of Joseph's' team. The dead were laying against the wall while the wounded writhed in pain as the medics of the team tried to stabilize them. Zhukov felt sorry for the ones who had to suffer through this as he was the one who wanted to keep his men safe and bring them home to their families.

"Percy, Edgar. Stay here and assist the medics. Ricardo, Devon, Smalls, Garret. Stay here and assist Joseph in keeping elevator secured. The rest of you, with me."

The ten remaining Guard members nodded, immediately heading towards their assigned tasks.

"You got a plan, Sir?" Asked a Guardsmen named Luca Foy.

"Yeah, it's called defending the elevator." He stated. "We're going to continue heading towards the CIC and prevent these things from reaching the surface. Is there a problem?" Zhukov replied in a serious tone.

"No, sir!" His remaining Guardsmen yelled in Unison.

"Good. Now let us not waste any time. hooyah?"

"Hooyah!" They yelled in

At that moment, Zhukov smiled a little as saw that his men; knowing that they were virtually outnumbered, still showed the strength and will to fight for what was theirs. This was what motivated him, what gives him the passion to bring his Marines back to their families. With that noted, Zhukov signaled his men to follow him into the unknown.

"I would do anything for some Bots to be with us right now." A Guardsmen named Harold said.

"Shut it, Harold." Another female Guardsmen said.

An unknown they'll never forget.

-XXXXX-

Hierarchy Cruiser Resolute

Orbit over Shanxi

In all years of the galactic community, the denizens of the galaxy had been through thick and thin, ups and downs, and love and loss. Wars have been waged, treaties have been signed, and survival has been a key factor in most ways. From the Unification Wars to the Krogan Rebellions, the Hierarchy has always had the role of being the acting military and peacekeeping force of the galactic community. All was well for them. Until this discovery led to another. The discovery of primitives using the deactivated relay was against council law. So as punishment, the primitives needed to learn their place in the galactic community.

Onboard the Resolute bridge stood Derrius Titus, a well-respected Admiral in the Hierarchy, an outstanding veteran of various conflicts, and the commanding officer of the 12th Citadel Patrol Fleet. He stood silently on the bridge, looking at the ongoing battle between his fleet and the enemy fleet they encountered; analyzing the ships and space stations that lingered in the planets gravitational orbit.

To his left, a Turian Bridge Officer walked towards him.

"Sir, our boarding parties have reported that the enemy is similar to the ones we've encountered a decade earlier." She announced.

Adrien turns to his fellow crew member with an interested look. "Is that so?" he asked her.

"Yes Admiral, several teams have sent images of captured and deceased enemy combatants. They match the one's surveillance had got back in Haran. The only difference seemed to their military hardware and overall design. They appear to be more organized than before."

"If these are same people we encountered in Haran, we must not hold back in terms of warfare." He replied harshly. "We must contain them here to prevent other colonies from suffering the same fate."

"But sir." The ensign countered. "There could be a possibility that these aren't the same group we encountered before. They clearly seem to-" Before he could finish, Titus made a ninety-degree turn towards him, getting in his face

Derrius Titus, standing tall as he approached his ship communications relay told his CommOfficer these exact words.

"Attention all Ships, for all who may not know, the enemy we face today isn't some new species that have discovered the ways of spaceflight. It is in the fact the very same species that destroyed the peaceful frontier colony of Prudence. The very same ones that slaughter every man, woman and, child that lived there and stripped the planet's resources for themselves. They are cold-merciless killers that deserve no mercy from us. Let it be known today, that the Hierarchy quelled a growing fear that has plagued the galaxy!"

Adrian then heard the various war cries as the continued forth into the oncoming flames of war. As he stood back, He could hear one phrase that stuck with him like an incurable disease, scratching at the back of his mind, haunting him forever.

"Death is no disgrace."


Colonial Navy Military Vessel Stars of Liberty

In route to Colonial Fortress World Vernan

2 days after departure

"How much longer until we reach our destination?" Henry asked.

"We'll be coming out of the Slipstream Network in a few minutes, sir." A Navigation Officer answered.

Henry shifted in his captains' chair, feeling the emotions of impatience leave his body. Ever since he ordered the Stars of Liberty to jump out of the system, Henry was ardent about informing STRATCOM on what was going on over Shanxi. The thoughts leaving his fellow Naval men behind sickened him. It made him want to vomit.

"Captain?" a voice called out. Davis turned his focus to the Liberty's XO. "Are you alright? Star says that you vital are currently above normal readings.

Larissa Sotomura, a Japanese Native and the descendant of the notable Sol War veteran Evelyn "Boats" Sotomura. Like her grandmother, she graduated at the top of her class and has provided service to both the United Earth Colonial Federation and Solar Allied Treaty Organization throughout her career as a naval officer

"I'm fine. I'm just cross checking the information that's going to be relayed to STRATCOM once we arrive at Vernan." He told her.

Larissa raised an eyebrow, evidently showing that she could see through his bullshit. "Captain, in all my time serving in the navy. I can assure you that looking over reports doesn't cause excessive amounts of stress."

"Maybe for you." Henry sarcastically replied.

"Everything is a joke to you isn't it?"

"If the terms of stress aren't amicable, then yeah."

Larissa rubbed the bridge of her nose, notifying slight irritation. "Sir, as you assigned XO, I have to inform you that if STRATCOM finds out that a naval officer is unfit for duty, the first solution is to find a suitable replacement until said individual is deemed fit for duty."

Henry stared at Larissa for a moment, gathering his thoughts until noticeable anger was shown across his face.

"Are you telling me that you won't hesitate to report your superior officer?"

Larissa smirked. "Just making sure that STRATCOM won't replace you with some posh Naval officer to take command of the Liberty." She remarked.

After hearing this, the ill-minded captain was reminded of the thought of some West-Point NCO taking command of his ship and ordering his crew; the same crew that he's bonded with over the last half-decade. He shivered at this dreadful thought.

Henry gave a heavy sigh. "You know how hard this is for me. This could be the last time I see those I've bonded with during my time at the naval academy."

"We all have to make sacrifices Captain and…"

"…No sacrifice is too great, yeah, yeah. But what is the cost of each sacrifice?" he interjected. Larissa was about to respond when the NavOfficer stated that they were about to exit transit.

"Remember what I said, Captain" Evelyn begged. She then returned to her post as the ship escaped the gravity-defying space lane and into the range of Vernan's Orbital Defense.

"Vernan Orbital Defense is hailing us, sir." A CommOfficer called out. Henry once again gave a deep sigh.

"Patch them Through." He ordered.

Not wasting any time, the CommOfficer patched through the Commanding officer of Vernan Orbital Defense.

"Attention CNMS Stars of Liberty. This is Admiral Emma Tindall of the CNMS Buenos Aires; Commanding ship of the Vernan Orbital Defense Fleet. State your reasoning of an unscheduled arrival or you will be fired upon."

Henry cleared his throat before speaking, for this was the moment that would create a chain of events that not only affect Humanity.

"This Captain Henry Davis of the CNMS Stars of Liberty, Wyoming-Class Heavy Destroyer of the Shanxi Orbital Defense Fleet."

"Captain Henry, what is your reasoning for leaving your post?" Tindall Commanded.

"Admiral Wittenberg gave me orders to alert Fleet Command of an invasion of Shanxi."

But the galaxy at large.

"We've made first contact."