"We are approaching Article station." Joker said as John walked up behind him wearing a modified version of his dress uniform with a cloak and breastplate.
John looked out at Article station. It had a circular look to it and was clearly modified from a mobile station and looked very utilitarian.
"Unidentified ship, this is Article station. Identify yourself or be shot." a voice said through the comms.
"This is the SES Normandy SR-3, we have Supreme Commander Shepard aboard." Joker said to the comm before turning to Shepard. "Sounds like the guy from Novaria."
"You never know." John agreed.
"Proceed to docking bay six, only Shepard and one chosen bodyguard may enter. Any one who is not Shepard or his chosen guard is to enter, your ship will be destroyed." the voice said making John and Joker look to each other with a smile.
OOOOO
John and Aria walked out of the ship. Given Aria's combat experience and training it would have been a waste to just use her for sex, so Miranda made sure to train her as a bodyguard as well. She was dressed in a bodysuit with blue armour and her face covered by a visor. She was armed with an asari glaive, unlike human ones, the asari had theirs with a sword on one end and a spike at the other. It was also very ornate with images and writing on it.
The two stepped out of the Normandy onto the main deck of the mobile station and three people came to meet them. One of them wore a white uniform while the two wore grey armour and had rifles in their hands.
"Commander Shepard, this way please." the main white said and lead the commander and his guard to the main meeting area.
It was a large round domed room with a circular table with several seats around it each with a flag set on the back rest of them. John saw his, a white lion's head on a blue background. He walked over to it and sat down, whoever was meant to be attending hadn't arrived yet. But he did recognise a few of the flags, The United Krogan clans, New Turian empire, New Battarian Hegemony and a few others that he did not recognise. But he was bound to meet them soon.
10 minutes passed before the second guest arrived. He was human and wearing armour that seemed to be modified to be made to look just like samurai armour. The armour he wore was black with a Japanese flower in the middle of it. He looked to the commander before taking his seat. The man with him was just covered in black and looked like some kind of ninja in just bodysuit. John didn't say anything, neither did the man as the next guest entered.
Shepard's blood ran hot with anger as Mikyle entered in a business suit looking smug as he did so. As he entered he saw John and smiled.
"Ahh Commander Shepard, back from the dead are we?" he asked as he walked to his chair and sat down.
"Yes, what of it? Hell chewed me up and spat me back out." he replied.
"To be honest I wish to stayed there, then earth could rot in peace."
"Rot in peace? You were born on that planet."
"Yeah, but after aliens set foot on it it was mine no longer. You cannot get rid of alien stink, thankfully the planet I have is mostly human. And all the aliens are slaves." he said with a smile on his face which infuriated John to no end. "After all, that is their rightful place."
"Racist ass wipe." John muttered earning himself a dirty look from the man.
Before he could say anything Balak walked in and just sat down at his spot eyeing John as if he wanted to fight. But they restrained themselves but just took a look at each other every now and again. As time passed Wrex then entered and sat next to John as more Warlords entered, three asari two humans and four Turian. Altogether there where 13 Warlords each one ready for a fight if needed. But before anything else could happen a Salarian in a white suit walked in and sat at the only free chair.
"Gentlemen, ladies welcome to Article station. Good to see that all of you have attended, that will make things easier."
"Well since Article one is about a Reaper like threat, I think it best that we all at least hear you out." one of the Asari said earning nods around.
"Very good, now recently I came across this." the Salarian said as a hologram came up with a cylindrical object. "This is what I found, it's not from this galaxy." he said making the warlords look to one another.
He then took the object and threw it onto the table. It rolled over to John who picked it up and looked at it. The object itself was an olive green with a yellow stripe down the middle. He turned it over and continued to inspect it.
"What is it?" Mikyle asked.
"It's a beacon, an extra galactic beacon." he said.
"Mordin, I'm sending scans of an object to you. Get Miranda and all minds you can on this, I want to know what this thing is." John said as he scanned the object.
"Scans received, will get to work on it Commander." Mordin said over the comm.
"If this is a beacon, who is it a beacon for?" Wrex asked.
"That's the big question." the Salarian said as the image changed to a map of the universe. "We tracked the signal to here, the Pegasus galaxy. Whatever is there is coming here."
"Where did you find it?" Balak asked.
The hologram then changed to a point of the galaxy that was the closest point to Pegasus. "Here," he said. "I detected it recently after I discovered a signal coming from this area."
"That's only a few planets in that system." the man in samurai like armour said. "Shouldn't be hard to find out which one it came from."
"I agree on that. If your planning to go me an Wrex will join you, we have experience in this sort of thing." John said.
"I would be honoured." the man said.
"I look forward to what you find." the Salarian said.
OOOOO
Back on the Normandy John sat with Liara, Tali, Ash and Miranda to talk about what had happened. He cradled his son, Leon.
"So there's likely going to be a new threat?" Ashley asked as her daughter, Sarah named after her sister, sucked on her breast.
"Yep, that's why we are going. However this guy, Oda Nobunaga, he needs to get a few things before he can go on this mission with us, and so do we. We're heading back to earth go get Mordin." John said.
"Sound's like the best plan. After all we need all the brainpower we can." Miranda agreed.
"We'll be meeting up with him at the location in three days, that will give us enough time to…." John couldn't finish as EDI came over the comm.
"Commander, Earth is under attack! Scavengers!" she yelled
"SET COURSE FOR EARTH! FULL SPEED!" he yelled causing the children to cry. "Ahhh no I'm sorry please don't cry."
OOOOO
Solar Empire forces moved as fast as they could to secure as many civilians as they could and get them to safety. The scavenger ship landed in the middle of the city which allowed for the scavengers to move out in all directions and grab whoever they could. But the Empire's soldiers were already reacting. Soon enough the blue and black armoured forces of the Solar empire fought against the red and yellow armoured forces of the Scavenger clan.
Hackett was already commanding troops from close to the front-line. During the first contact war he had plenty of experience in urban combat, and this was no different. A command tent was already set up so that he could command as best as he could. But he didn't feel right, inside his chest he could feel something wrong.
"At all other points around the ship are sealed tight, but this section is where they are focused to attack due to our wounded. This area is not that well defended and they know it." a soldier said.
"Get the troops and medical personnel evacuated from that sector, and get me there now." Hackett said.
OOOOO
Chackwas was nearby looking after the wounded. She moved from one wounded soldier to the next doing her best to heal them. But the scavengers were moving in fast, and people where being evacuated. As she looked over another soldier, she lost her balance and fell to the side. One of the volunteers got down and helped her back up.
"Doctor, are you ok?" he asked.
"I'm fine." she lied.
Her body was betraying her, the cancer was affecting her faster then anticipated. She was dying, as she got up and looked at the wounded she made her mind up. If she was going to die, she was going to do it saving people. As she moved to one of the more critically wounded Hackett walked in.
"Karin, the scavengers are moving to this location, you need to fall back." he said.
"The wounded are here, I'm not going anywhere." she replied and he just nodded as he turned to a soldier.
"Give me your weapon." he said.
Shocked the soldier nodded and handed him his weapon, a modified RPK. He cocked it and shouldered it.
"Get the ones who can move out of here. Leave the ones who are critically wounded." he ordered before leaving the tent and walked over to the barricade.
He walked over to it and got down on one knee. He was soon joined by another soldier.
"Get to the evac sight." he ordered.
"Sorry sir, but if this is your last stand, I'm here to help." he said.
Hackett just smiled and slapped the man on the back as two more joined.
'I wish Hannah and David were here.' he thought. 'At least I have some company to join me and Karin on the other side.'
As a group of vehicles began to move out the Scavengers appeared down the street from the barricade and began to fire at them. Hackett stood and opened fire as did the other three. As more scavengers began to appear the four of them did not stop firing until they ran out, at which point they reloaded and fired again. But the scavengers moved close and closer until firing at them was no longer an option and it was down to fists and blades.
One of the soldiers was a turrian, he grabbed his blade and began to fight with two of the madmen. Hackett however just switched to his pistol ans began to fire at them.
"NO SURRENDER!" he yelled.
In the tent Karin heard him as she attended to a wounded soldier as a scavenger came in. she jumped on him and drove a scalpel into his neck. He bled out and she stood.
"LOOK OUT!" one of the soldiers called but it was too late, a shot rang out.
She looked down to see a dark red stain on her uniform, it began to move downwards. She turned and threw the scalpel at the Scavenger but it bounced off his armour as she fell. He walked up to her and looked down at her with piety in his eyes.
"You're too old to fuck or eat." he said pointing his gun at her to finish her off.
Before he could pull the trigger one of the soldiers then lunged at him and stabbed the scavenger multiple times until he fell. Karin looked up and smiled before administering an application of medi-gel before falling down dead.
Hackett was tired and breathless. He had been fighting for so long that he just felt like collapsing as he faced the final scavenger armed with an axe. The bodies of the three that joined Hackett and scavengers surrounded the two, and they were the only ones left.
"Blood for the blood god!" he yelled and charged at Hackett.
He tired to move but a mixture of tiredness, his body aching and the speed of the scavenger the axe found itself in his shoulder and him on his knees.
"Your skull will make a fine addition to the throne."
"So will yours." Hackett grunted as he fired his pistol at the man's leg.
That made him yell out in pain and stagger back allowing the admiral to finish him off with a head shot. He then fell back and died of blood loss with a smile on his face. A bright alight appeared before him and six people looked to him with smiles on their faces. The three soldiers who stayed with him along with Anderson, Hannah and Chackwas. He smiled too and walked over to join them, to the next adventure.