The ride back to the Spirit was on yet another Kodiak shuttle. The issue with Kodiaks at FTL speeds, is they aren't purpose designed for that. They rattle and shake like an old pickup on a back-woods dirt road. This makes getting any rest on one nearly impossible unless you're dead tired. After the last few days of cramped quarters and manic running around, I was desperately looking forward to my little coffin-bed in the enlisted barracks.

We came through the last FTL leg into the Spirit's exclusion zone and took the normal route in front of her main gun. "Spirit Approach Control, this is GTS-011 on vector 2-7; requesting docking clearance, how copy over?"

"GTS-011, Spirit Approach Control; maintain current vector for overflight and escort, over."

I frowned and looked at Min and Rambro. "That's new. We get actionable intel that EA was making a play at the Spirit or something?"

Min just frowned while looking ahead, though Rambro sent me a tired look. "You remember how Command had the idea to find a way to fully man the Spirit?" I caught a glimpse of something flashing in the distance. I expected one of the Halo inspired Mantaray gunships, but instead two Systems Alliance interceptors zipped up to us. "Well Lannie Grant did it, and now The Spirit is an official Systems Alliance Military post; complete with all the politics that go with that. Prepare yourself Boet."

We were escorted towards one of the rear docks, and I could see most of the Star-Bugs nestled under the ship's frame. I also saw several Kowloon freighters in station keeping alongside the Spirit, while swarms of Kodiaks and Themis' ferried what I assumed was material and personnel over to our home. It was the most activity I'd ever seen around the Spirit. The escort peeled off and we were grabbed by the ship's automated docking system and brought on board.

The aft bay was much more crowded than I remembered; the bay floor was a constant shuffle of shuttles being loaded, unloaded, serviced for quick turns or moved to the elevators up to the maintenance bay. As soon as we stepped off, Sykes, the Drell Deck Boss waved us over just before a crane snatched our shuttle and moved it to the elevator.

"Welcome home," he yelled over the din of the hangar floor. He nodded at Min and Rambro. "Lucky Number Seven has your supplies and is getting topped off. You've got an hour and a half before your launch window." The Ghosts smiled in thanks and headed towards the crew-rest area we all called the USO Lounge.

He turned to me and glanced at the tablet he was holding. "You're needed in debrief."

I gave a tired smile. "I'll head there after-"

Sykes shook his head. "Not 'after', now. Word from on high is Arc and Shultz are shitting kittens over what's happening, so do not pass go, do not collect $200. Just head straight to Personnel."

I put up my hands in surrender and walked deeper into the ship; if this was more of a priority than turning my new toys to the armory, then so be it.

I felt a little bit like I was seeing the Spirit for the first time as I headed deeper into the crew areas. The ship felt crowded, and everywhere I looked there were new faces, all human. It was odd to think about, but only a quarter of all travelers came over as human. It still made us the largest single demographic, but not the majority by any stretch. I was drawing equally odd looks as I was still in the Turian overalls and leather trench coat get-up.

A pair of MPs started following me as I approached the Intel Center. Thankfully most of the access security on the ship was handled biometrically, since all my effects were either in quarters or sitting as trace evidence in the hold of the Bright Talon. I rested my palm on the recessed scanner and waited for the DNA profile match, then left my shadows behind.

The Personnel Tasking center was no less crowded, though there were fewer new faces. I still received a few aside glances, but the number of 'Hey Hiram' and 'Welcome back' greetings I got kept the questions at bay. I headed into the debrief office myself and the rest of Jawa usually used, sat down, rested my hands on my lap, and waited.

I didn't wait long, but the man who came through the door wasn't Bene Said or any of the other handlers I was familiar with. He was nattily dressed in a current chic turtleneck and sports coat that looked to have an omnitool integrated into the cloth of the sleeve. It was actually very nice.

He sat down, tapped his Omnisleeve and brought up a holographic file. "Alright, my time is important so let's get through this quick." He absently swiped through pages before settling on one in particular. "Well, haven't you been a naughty boy? Failed to return from your last mission unlike the rest of your Goffer fleet, turned up in a C-Sec holding cell, then finally drifted in from Illium of all places." He swiped the screens closed and finally looked towards me, but not actually at me. "So what do you have to say for yourself?"

After about five seconds of silence, he finally looked over. I don't know what he expected to see, but my disinterested stare was probably not it. He leaned forward to glare at me. "I asked you a question." His posture and tone of voice spoke of someone who was certain of their uncontested authority.

I gave my best patronizing smile. "I know, I heard." I waited for the inevitable scowl, and there it was. "What I didn't hear was one of my superiors telling me you had a need to know."

The way he shivered at that confirmed he was someone unaccustomed to being challenged. He was like one of those, 'the rules get in the way of justice' TV and movie cops from the old life. The fact that he was here and knew I had been on the Citadel led me to believe he was IAA, or closely aligned with them.

I shrugged. "Maybe a little professional reciprocity is in order. You answer one of my questions, and I'll do the same." He started to relax slightly. "How's Goodman doing? Last I saw him, he was scurrying off clutching a credit chit that Salarian tossed him like Gollum and the One Ring."

This guy must have exclusively dealt with EA or people from the Caliphate systems, because he had no poker face. He actually gritted his teeth. I almost wondered if he was actually a very good actor, because he was comically easy to manipulate. On the off chance he wasn't a good actor and just a bad spook, I palmed the Heavy-Saber.

Before either of us could act, the door opened again as Bene Said and Colonel Schultz came in. "That's quite enough Herr Pietro. Herr Abiff, guten tag." He extended a hand and looked at me meaningfully.

I stood and handed the Saber, the pistol and it's ammunition over, much to Pietro's growing alarm. "In my defense, Sykes was rather insistent I come here first."

Schultz gave me a deadpan look, then sighed and pocketed the weapons. "That he did." He gestured for me to sit, then extended a bench for himself and the IAA Agent.

Once I was seated, Bene passed a tablet to me with a list of legaleze. "Agent Pietro and others you will be formally introduced to later are now assigned to the Spirit of Fire as part of the Joint Service operations against Ehyan Allah. They are authorized access to intelligence pertaining to those operations, and may have their Need-to-Know expanded on a case by case basis."

I read through the list, then pressed my thumb on the acknowledgement and handed the tablet back. She opened a second page and set the tablet back on the table. "Very good. Tell us about your last operation."

I reported everything that had happened to us and the Marvin, the sighting of the second BoP, the EMP weapon, sabotaging the Batarian Frigate, and our subsequent 'rescue' by the Turian Frigate Bright Talon. After that, I crossed my hands on the table and waited patiently.

Agent Pietro had remained silent during the report, but began fidgeting as the quiet dragged on. He looked about to speak when he finally noticed Schultz giving him, 'The Look(tm)'. He actually growled as he realized we were all waiting for him to leave. He stood up stiffly and stormed out. Once the door closed, I gave both Bene Said and the Colonel my own look.

"Is IAA picking these people off the streets or something? Between Petie there and Goodman over on the Citadel, Harkin's people do not impress."

Schultz seemed nonplussed at my assessment. "There is a great deal of internal politics involved in the postings. All of IAA's better veteran agents are on missions in Caliphate space or analysis centers on Arcturus and Earth.

"Speaking of Agent Goodman," Bene opened a new page on the tabet, "how did you end up in C-Sec custody, and where is the rest of your crew?"

I spared no details in recounting the remainder of my recent adventures.

Schultz pursed his lips. "Compromising Drisk is unfortunate, but you had no need to know and therefore no way to know." Left unsaid was the possibility of having an in with the STG through Varn if Ezio came through. "We should have the rest of your crew released in short order. We have some new resources on the Citadel, and push-comes-to-shove we can have the Alliance put direct pressure on the Council."

Bene shut her tablet off and stood up. "In the meantime, get a meal, a shower," she wrinkled her nose at me, "and some sleep."

Schultz stood as well. "When you're up for it, head down to the armory with Capplan. She'll be very interested in this." He gently tossed the pistol back, along with the ammo and the sword.

I secured my kit, saluted, and headed out. As Bene had suggested, my first stop was the Galley. While the Mess for engineering crews was closer, the one for portside drop operations was a more direct route. Once there, I experienced something I hadn't since first coming to the Spirit: waiting in line for a meal.

Once again, my odd attire earned me some strange looks, but there were at least two Retrieval Teams and one Ghost Team who were also between missions, and therefore out of uniform. Teams 'Golden Snitch' and 'Where's my Car' were huddled around a holo playing on someone's Omnitool, while Ghost Team Kieje looked like they hadn't slept in a week. Metiko in particular had a gauze bandage wrapped around his head, covering one of his ears. The only other traveler was Case Officer Broyles, though he was in uniform and shifting through hard-copy reports.

The menu that night was an attempt at Salisbury Steak made from what we Travelers had taken to calling 'bird-chuck', since the digitally printed protein slabs kicked out by the galley food processors had a consistency we all agreed must be similar to whatever it was momma birds regurgitated for their chicks. The Army GROPOs reacted like it was the height of decadence. I wondered how they'd react when the Holiday Season rolled around and we broke out the stores of imported Elysium farm geese and Elcor Whurlok steak.

I wandered to a table near enough to the other Travelers to make our association clear, but not so close as to intrude. I received a few nods, and we all settled back into our routines. I nibbled on a fried starch stick, then sprinkled some salt on it and nibbled some more. I gave up at that point and just glared at the offending foodoid.

"Just dip them in the gravy; it's there to mask flavors anyway."

I looked up at the faintly british accent to see an SA NCO wearing a Sikh's Dastar turban, there were several other soldiers hovering behind him.

I tried as he had suggested, and found that while the texture was still off, the sauce was the only thing I tasted. I smiled as I chewed and gestured to the table. "Have a seat; you've saved my dinner, so the least I can do is play host. Technical Sergeant Hiram Abiff." I extended my hand.

He nodded in thanks and shook my hand. "Staff Sergeant Karanverr Singh Raja." He sat, and the rest with him followed suit. They weren't all Sikh, but their uniforms all had the same badge: a pair of crossed lances with a crown on top, and the number three over the intersection.

I nodded to the badge worn on the Sergeant's Dastan. "I don't know a lot of unit insignia, but the design of that one looks familiar."

Sgt. Raja's face lit up. "Ah! This is the insignia of the 3rd Madras Lancers. We will be celebrating our 400th anniversary this year!" For the next hour, I relaxed at the Sergeant extolled the heroics of his storied unit. I learned a great deal, including that his was one of two mechanized regiments assigned to the Spirit, the other being the Armored Reconnaissance Regiment out of Accra, Ghana. There was also an Aerospace wing from Benning in the Arcturus system.

After nearly an hour, a chime sounded from his Omni. "Oh well, it appears I am needed elsewhere." We all stood as he extended his hand for me. "I hope we meet again."

I shook his hand and smiled. "I hope that meeting is not work related." He gave a booming laugh, then led his troops off to their next destination.

I looked at my empty tray, and decided that aside from one more thing, it was time for bed. I headed over to the personnel comms center, and placed an audio call.

"Hello?"

"Is this Kala D'Lano?"

She gave an exasperated laugh. "You're going to worry that joke to a nub, aren't you?"

I smiled and leaned into the privacy booth. "Until the day it stops making you smile."

A benefit of being on one of the Special Duty Teams, was our operational hours were not particularly fixed; especially after a mission. We generally had 24 hours to decompress, shower, eat, sleep, and visit the Chaplain if needed. I thought about it, and a part of me said I didn't need to.

I was at Capt. Dube's office 20 minutes later.

Once my head was clear again, I went to the armory to see Warrant Officer Capplan as the Colonel had suggested during my debrief. We spent the next eight hours tackling the basics and math of my design, as well as ways to improve its utility and functionality. The weapon we came up with was, in a word, scary. It lacked the sheer punch of the Beowulf, but not by much, and its ability to ignore Kinetic Barriers was a major advantage. Combined with it's simple mechanical design that could be electronically enhanced, it promised to be a major advantage in engagements with more technically savvy opponents.

"Definitely a boon to not have to worry about someone hacking our guns." I admired our prototype LR/C-1k: Laser Rifle/Chambered, 1 Kilowatt.

Sarah huffed in satisfaction. "That or shut them down." I glanced over at her curiously, and she looked back both sheepish and pensive. "You didn't hear it from me, but it looks like the EA figured out how to disable any Mass Effect technology."

"Isn't that the same thing as hacking?" I had a sinking suspicion, but I wanted it confirmed before I made any assumptions.

Sarah Capplan huffed and leaned on the work table. "I don't understand coding, but that isn't really the issue; it's the hardware that's the problem. It's all meant to be compatible with Eezo based electronics: every computer, gun, ship, all of it."

"So when their device goes off it's, what; primed to some universal signal?"

She walked over to a collapsed ME Rifle. "Yeah, the one given out by energized Eezo. And since all Citadel tech came from the same basic design source, and we just happily built on that base design..."

I looked at the Eezo tech all around us. "We fell for the fucking trap."

She nodded and tossed the rifle back onto the bench. "We fell for the fucking trap."

Everyone was gathered in one of the amphitheaters, every one of the amphitheaters. As part of the Special Duty Team section, I and all the other Retrieval and Ghost Teams, as well as all the duty section leaders and senior staff were all in the main auditorium as the new Command Staff gave their first joint brief.

"Room! Aten-hut!" Every attendee snapped to their feet. Captain Maureen Firnan marched up to the dias at the front between Colonel Schultz, and the recently arrived General Hiram Grant. The last to mount the steps were a Persian Systems Alliance Army Brigadier General, and a lean Asian woman in the Long Coat and jackboots of the IAA.

General Grant stepped up to the podium. "At ease; take your seats." There was a general shuffling as everyone settled in. "For those who don't know me, I am General Hiram Grant: Systems Alliance Special Operations Command. You all have been assigned to this Joint Service Operational Command, the SSV Spirit of Fire. The purpose of this operational command, is to answer the expanding threat posed by the Ehyan Allah terrorist organization, and any other macro-galactic threat which may arise in the near term."

He began pacing the dias. "The core of this program is the Group for Special Tactics, or GST. You will have encountered some of them in your inprocessing and acclimation to this ship. At present, about half of all operational teams are deployed, so you will see more new faces as time goes on.

"You will see strange things while on board; this organization lives up to its name, and emphasizes novel tactics and strategies. We welcome fresh ideas and new perspectives, so don't hesitate to step forward if you have a crazy idea." I caught a glance Schultz sent my way.

General Grant continued. "Because we are both on the cutting edge, and the tip of the spear, we undergo regular material shifts as new technologies are developed," he paused and looked out over the crowd, "both by us, and by our adversaries."

He leaned heavily on the podium. "At present, we are actually on the back foot in this regard. We have actionable intelligence from multiple sources, both from deployed teams and allied intelligence services, that Ehyan Allah has developed a system which is capable of neutralizing any Eezo based system, both technological and organic."

The crowd shifted nervously and looked around. "We have seen examples of this technology used both on a tactical infantry scale, and in a limited space engagement. Thankfully at present, we have had no enduring casualties. However complacency kills. Through our economic partnership with Skell Tech, we are in the process of developing Eezo hardening systems for our fleet and mechanized assets. That unfortunately leaves a gap in infantry coverage, and there are no indications at this time, that biotics can be effectively shielded."

Grant pushed off and began pacing again before the crowd could become any more agitated. "We are not however, without our resources. There is demonstrable evidence that these effects are temporary, and limited in scope. Additionally, the GST has a sizable arsenal of weapons systems which have proven insensitive to these Eezo Disruptor Devices. Attached infantry units will receive a full issue of new Exoskeleton Armor Carrier Frames, as well as our own Beowulf ChemRail and LR/C weapons systems, as stocks become available." I raised my eyebrows at the sudden turnover in mine and Sarah's design, though I expected command would limit the issue of the 'Lurky' guns until they were more field proven.

"Beyond this ladies and gentlemen, I will only say welcome to the fight. Dismissed."