12-25-2156, 0500 hours (Alliance standard time)

Alliance Military Headquarters

General's Quarters

New Denver

Shanxi

The holoscreen was flickering again; the erratic semi-static buzzing that caused the projected image to flicker was enough to wake up anyone peacefully sleeping. General Williams, commanding officer of the 67th System's Alliance Marine Corp Home Division, awoke feeling refreshed and renewed. Rubbing his brown caramel eyes, Williams looked at the digital clock on the wall, showing the standard time he usually awoke. He ran a hand through his short cut hair and the subtle growing beard on his face before stretching his muscles.

Soft orchestra music floated out of the speakers, positioned strategically around the room so that he would never be without the comforting strains of the trumpets as they ascended in volume. Getting out of bed, Williams made his way to the shower to start the morning as he always had. If there was one thing that General Williams had drilled into his men's head, it was that good hygiene makes a good soldier. A nice shower in the morning was great for removing any filth on one's body or simply relieving any stress. It was one of the many small things that an officer could do to ease the strain of leading hundreds of thousands of marines. It was also one of the few things capable of improving morale.

Turning on the shower, Williams let the hot water fall down his face, cherishing every contact it had with his skin. He enjoyed the warm and soothing falling water as it relaxed his senses. For seven long, luxurious minutes, Williams relaxed in the hot water, thoroughly soaping and scrubbing himself. The importance of personal hygiene in the life of a soldier could never be underestimated. After a few days, no matter how clean one was, the human body would start to stink and if the soldier stank so did their performance. The worst enemy a soldier could face was not another soldier, but bacteria. It was responsible for killing more humans than anything else in human history.

"Time allotted for bathing has expired," Vianna said. She was General Williams' personal artificial intelligence and assisted the general with his daily tasks. AIs were an invention introduced to the public fairly recently; being able to improve productivity by 213% they were highly sought-after assets within the military. Despite being machines they were capable of showing basic emotions and would often adopt their commanding officer's behavior, which was a good or bad thing depending on how one looked at it.

Rising from the water, Williams retrieved a towel and vigorously dried himself. Retrieving a white colored toothbrush, the Alliance's signature colors, and an electric razor he began taking care of the other aspects of his personal grooming.

"Vianna, time check." Williams said.

"The current time is: 0512 hours."

"Thank you, Vianna."

"Aye, sir."

Shanxi's day cycle was longer than that of Earth's, which meant some of the garrison marines grumbled at having to wake up two hours earlier than they would have to. Of course, Williams reminded them they could always do two more hours of work to balance out the day. Obviously, they decided to get up earlier rather than receive extra work.

Finished with his grooming, Williams stepped out of the shower, wearing nothing but underpants and a plain white t-shirt. The first stage of his morning schedule was dealt within 12 minutes, just like every other morning. Williams wasn't obsessive compulsive, but he did enjoy having a constant routine. Getting dressed into his Alliance issued uniform, he walked over to his desk and sat down crossed legged on his reclining chair.

Getting up earlier meant he had more time to finish additional tasks, the most important of which were always on the top of his list. Grabbing a small black thick book from his desk, Williams opened it and began reading. Like his family, Williams was a religious man, a Christian to be exact and started every morning with prayer. It helped add a perspective in his life, and he always appreciated the spiritual things in nature. Though Williams had been ribbed for his high expectations in his men, no soldier under his command had ever mocked him for his personal beliefs. He spent twenty minutes every morning completely focused in his prayer and meditation. Likewise, he offered his men the same amount of time, what they chose to do with it was their business so long as it did not interfere with their performance.

For Williams though today was a very special day, possibly one of the most important, right next to his anniversary and birthdays of every one of his relatives. December 25th, also known as Christmas, was a holiday he enjoyed spending with his family. Unfortunately, Williams was unable to return home this year and was instead stuck doing frontier work while his family sent him care packages and letters. Still he didn't let a little homesickness faze him. As a general, he had a vital task in ensuring the colony had some semblance of order. He continued reading his book, flipping page after page of white parchment. When he was finished reading he placed the book back on his desk, got up, and walked to his door. Exiting his quarters, he was met with the still dark sky of Shanxi. Williams made his way to the central building within the compound, walking at a moderate pace to where his work always began.

Overall the compound was rectangular in shape with some curves. An eleven-foot-tall wall surrounded the base with numerous guard positions and heavy gun emplacements on top of it. Several watchtowers with snipers and portable rocket launchers kept a watchful eye for any sign of trouble. Aside from the Comm. tower, the base had several QECs transmitters that would alert anyone with the proper channel of any signs of danger, though Williams had never had to use them and believed he would never have to.

The colony housed numerous Alliance bases, but also featured many from the UNAS, European Federation, Russia, and the New Chinese Republic. The four mega powers of Earth, or the Big Four as they were more commonly known, were each forced to cooperate and have training exercises with each other as part of a unity program enacted by the Alliance. Because of this there was a distinct lack of Angel satellites, High Energy Lasers, and Mother Land Guards in orbit with even less Thermobaric missile silos on the planet. But, there was still more than enough online to annoy the Alliance.

Walking past the base's mess hall, barracks, and airfield, Williams finally arrived at his destination. Stepping inside the base's central command, he was greeted by one of his co-workers.

"Good morning, general," Corporal Hackshaw said cheerfully. "Communications with the patrol detachment is up and Captain Wang reports no signs of trouble,"

"Good to hear. Once the men are up and geared, I want them ready to perform drills by 0600 hours," Williams ordered.

"Aye, sir. By the way, I think you should know, last night hurricane Colt was downgraded to a tropical storm. It is predicted to hit us tomorrow morning, possibly even tonight if it gains speed."

"In that case, I'll send a company of engineers to hand out supplies and make sure the city's infrastructure is secured. If the storm does look like it's going to hit us, then have all sensitive equipment powered down and the vehicles secured with a tarp. No sense in leaving our gear out to get soaked," Williams said, taking the threat of the storm seriously. While not as destructive as a hurricane, tropical storms were still powerful enough to cause significant damage and had done so in the past.

Looking around, Williams received a testament to humanity's progress. The building was decorated with some of the most advanced pieces of technology mankind had ever developed utilizing Element Zero. Several consoles, terminals, and computer screens surrounded the room, each geared to a specific task. Hundreds of cables ran underneath Williams' feet as they stored and transmitted data across systems. Considering the place was responsible for managing and communicating with all Alliance personal on the planet, it made sense that the facility be outfitted with the necessary machinery to serve its functions.

"Yes, sir. Anything else?"

"No. That will be all corporal." Williams replied. Since today was Sunday, according to the Alliance calendar, everyone had light duties and the troopers were more enthusiastic as a result. Already Williams could see some of the more experienced and dedicated marines running and jogging on the track around the field. Unlike most marines, a few actually enjoyed the drills against the opposing nations despite losing nearly every single time.

The UNAS's JSF would always win every single raid or infiltration exercise since they specialized in stealth and robotics. Europe's Enforcer Corps were unrivaled in urban warfare, often employing high tech weapons to win the day. The New Chinese Republic Army won due to one thing: numbers. No matter how many times Williams' men would think they've taken out the majority of the NCRA's men, they would often get a rude awakening when hundreds of more infantry and vehicles will flank or ambush them. And finally, there was the worst of the bunch, Russia's Spetsnaz Guard Brigade. Williams couldn't blame his men for the slight fear they had of the SGB. They were intimidating as they were ruthless. In fact, most of the time Williams had to deal with several of his men being seriously injured. The SGB's insanely durable and monstrous vehicles made any mock armored assaults one-sided. However, with a possible tropical storm heading towards the city those exercises might have to be put on hold.

Hearing the doors opened, Williams turned and saw his Chief of Staff, Colonel Albert Matthews, walking in. Compared to Williams the colonel was very young, barely thirty –five years old and showing no signs of elderly age. The men would often tease the colonel, claiming the general was old enough to be his father. Having a higher sense of professionalism, Matthews merely ignored the jabs and focused on more important matters at hand such as keeping the base secured. Prior to being a senior officer, Matthews had served in various tours as an N6 Marine and was more than qualified for his job as a result.

"Good morning, colonel," Williams said, holding out a hand as Matthews approached him.

Matthews shook it and gave a crisp salute before informing the general of any violations committed by the men.

"Any reprimands that I need to give out?" Williams asked.

"Sergeant Stenzke got herself into trouble again last night," Matthews said, handing the report to Williams, whom took it from the colonel's hands.

"I heard." Alexei Stenzke was among the most gifted biotic, inspirational, and daring sergeants Williams had under his command. This came about from the sergeant's dark sense of humor, exciting stories, and the constant thrashing of Alliance commanders and politicians. As a result, Stenzke's career stagnated, which seemed to suit her just fine. "Was it serious?" Williams asked.

"No. Just a mild case of verbally abusing a waiter at a bar, who advised her to call it a night," Matthews answered. "I really wish you'd listen to my reports and replace her, sir."

"Matthews, she is a good leader and well-liked by everyone at the base. Hell, the new recruits worship her. I know she is going through a divorce, but is it affecting her professional duties?"

"No," Matthews admitted. "But sir, she … "

"I'll have a few words with her," Williams cut him off. "But I am not going to put one of my best sergeants on a shuttle home over a few loose words."

"Yes, sir." There were times when the general's commitment to his men clashed with his commander's professionalism.

Williams was far too soft to be a feared commander, in fact he was a beloved one. True, he demanded and received high standards of training and discipline, but Williams saw his men as human beings with real-world problems not as machines. So long as uniforms were squared away, bunks were made, PT performances were above satisfactory standards, and proper respect paid to officers, then anything else went. Drugs, which impaired a soldier's psychosis, were an obvious big no, but safe ones like marijuana were allowed. Alcohol was also available once duty hours were finished. Garrison life was boring, so the troops needed some entertainment to pass the time.

As Chief of Staff, Matthews was responsible for making sure all officers and troopers in the division met and maintained the standards expected of an Alliance soldier. It was a huge undertaking, but one he was able to perform with speed, pride, and efficiency. A major downside was that sometimes he just couldn't do his job. True, Sergeant Stenzke was an above standard NCO, but her attitude was unbecoming of an Alliance marine.

Sighing, Matthews dropped the topic. "By the way sir, Captain Wang has informed me that the SSV Nagasaki will be departing from Arcturus Station with science research vessels to open the local dormant relay. Alliance Parliament believes that there might be more rich mineral worlds out there. The SSV Mars, Minotaur, Thor, and Poseidon will be accompanying the cruiser and science vessels as escorts." Matthews informed the general as they walked out of the building.

"I wish them luck," Williams said as he looked up at the early morning sky. The sun was beginning to shine on the horizon. "Activating a dormant relay would be a massive step forward in our colonial expansion. Who knows what new worlds it could open up?"

"I share your enthusiasm, sir. Just as long as nothing goes wrong."

"What can go wrong? At worst, the scientists would just make the Relay even more unresponsive."

"Or make contact with an alien race and start an intergalactic war," Matthews joked. "Something like that would make life here a whole lot more interesting." He said, looking around the lifeless base.

"No thanks," Williams responded, breathing in easy. "I would be happy not to do a job I am not being paid for. That's what the Frontier divisions are for."

"I guess you are right," Matthews said as they continued walking towards the barracks, intent on waking the men up.

SSV Nagasaki

Cruiser

Command Deck

Arcturus Station

"Arcturus control, this is the SSV Nagasaki, requesting permission to disengage airlock," the helmsman said, finishing all the preflight diagnostics.

Weighing in at over three million displacement tons, the Nagasaki was a well armored, ship of the line missile cruiser shielded with sturdy kinetic barriers. Armed with numerous broadside and point defense guns, the ship was an admirable foe in melee combat. The massive swarms of missiles the ship could unleash promised to overwhelm even the best of GARDIAN defense systems. It had matched speed and armor while maintaining a sizable complement of bombers, fighters, ground vehicles, and marines. Overall the Nagasaki was a formidable warship, one that normally wouldn't be sent on a babysitting run.

The Alrok Skrimish, the expedition's lead science vessel, was a sharp contrast to the Nagasaki's sleek and menacing design. In fact, it looked like a flying lumbering warehouse. The Alrok Skrimish was composed of a series of large cylinders arrayed around a central core with the drives and fuel cells on one end and the cockpit on the other. The sluggish ship was far from pretty, but it seemed to get the job done. Of course, one would think the lead science vessel that was considered the poster child for a new age of human colonization efforts would be designed with some anesthetics in mind.

"SSV Nakasaki, Arcturus control. Permission granted, starting demagnetization procedures of suckers from one to five. Be advised, there is a large number of freighters on route 275, it is advisable to divert to route 315," The flight traffic controller advised.

"Solid copy, inserting new route 315. SSV Nagasaki, out." The helmsman closed the communication link to the spaceport control and opened a ship-wide one. "Attention all crew, prepare for takeoff procedures."

From the reinforced glass in the cockpit, one could fully see the first maglock and half of the second firmly anchored to the hull as the element zero engines were powered down. This prevented the ship from falling or being pulled into a planet's strong magnetic field. With a whistle and the leakage of compressed air from the moorings, the suction cups began to tilt upwards to reach a ninety-degree angle. When the display signaled that both sides were free, the pilot activated the maneuver thrusters and guided the Nagasaki away from the station's docking bay, turning the ship and inserting route 315 with only half power to the engines.

"All hands, this is Commander Hackett." The light cruiser's CO stood on the bridge of his ship. "We have a very important mission assigned to us today. We are to guard the Alrok Skrimish and her accompanying science vessels. Today, we begin investigating the possibility of actually activating a dormant Mass Relay in over a half a decade."

Everyone from the engineers to the marines perked their ears up at the news. It meant something different to each of them. To the marines, it meant more worlds to find and explore. To the navigators, it meant untold wonders and challenges of deep space exploration. To the engineers … well they immediately started complaining about the extra workload.

"I'm not going to waste your time with a fancy speech," Hackett continued. "But suffice to say, this will be a great adventure that won't be forgotten by anyone here. If we find a colony you will be recorded as the discovers of it. I cannot tell you how imperative it is that nothing goes wrong in this expedition. Now any questions?" He asked.

An ensign raised his hand, and Hackett gave permission for his subordinate to speak. "Sir, what happens if we find nothing?"

"Then you get recorded for finding jack shit, sailor," Hackett answered with a devilish smile. Several crewmen laughed at the ensign's expense, who shrunk in his chair with his cheeks burning bright red.

"Any other questions?" Hackett asked, clearly amused from the last question he was asked. When no one raised their hands, he continued speaking. "We have four destroyers as escorts so don't get panicked over not having enough men or supplies," he said eyeing the command deck. "Now, I want everyone ready when we arrive at Shanxi."

Once he had delivered his orders, Hackett walked towards the pilot, who seemed to hear him coming.

"Commander Hackett." The helmsman greeted.

"How're you doing, Rostov?" He replied, ranking next to the helm.

"Everything is green and performance is at stellar standards. We'll rendezvous with the 98th scout detachment in less than half an hour, commander," Rostov informed him. Rostov's nimble hands danced on the holographic screens in front of him with remarkable accuracy. His thin fingers knew exactly which buttons to push to make up for the power or the weight of the ship. His assignment was possibly the most important task on the ship, after the CO's of course.

"Very well lieutenant. Call me when Shanxi's control contacts us."

"Aye, commander."

Hackett turned around and went back to the CIC of the ship. The crew was relaxed, the sailors were at their stations, and the officers were at the center of the room, analyzing data and discussing the details of the next mission, which everyone knew little or nothing about. A large board, showing various interfaces and data screens assisted the officers in rapidly sending data to each other and other crewmen. The commander was heading to his command post when he heard his name called on the ship's intercom.

"Commander Hackett, Admiral Spencer wants to confer with you. He's online in the QEC."

'Ah, fantastic.' He thought.

"I'm coming, tell him I'll be there soon."

"As you wish, sir."

The commander stepped off the podium in front of the galactic map and headed for the QEC room. The QEC was a system recently invented by the most brilliant scientists of the Alliance that allowed any settlement or vessel to remain in touch with their superiors at any time, even while traveling through a portal or in FTL. The only problem was that communications would only work if both contacts had the same frequency and channels. This meant that apart from Alliance ships or stations, no one else could send messages to the Nagasaki.

Hackett walked into a white-light room; having several wires trailed all over the walls, which were used to amplify the signal's strength. The walls were curved, having a silver color. He walked towards the exact center of the room, where on the floor, a circle with a diameter of at least two meters had been traced. Once in the center of the circle, he was enveloped in a dense, white, holographic grid that covered him from head to toe.

All of a sudden, he was no longer on just standing on his ship, but his hologram projected a dark room, lit only by the faint light coming from the windows, enacted by the rays of light reflected from a gas giant nearby. A single figure stood in the room, his stance showing high authority.

The commander ran his hand over the four silver bars on his uniform and settled his hat, then snapped to attention. "Admiral Spencer, sir!"

The figure, a man in his seventies grizzled and hard-featured, stepped forward and out of the darkness, allowing Hackett to see him in the light. He had the classic navy white uniform with four gold bars on the shoulders and numerous ribbons and medals on the right pectoral. He too stood at attention.

"Commander Hackett. As you were." Even though both men were separated by over hundreds of light years, Spencer's words were clearly heard by Hackett, almost as if they were in the exact same room.

Hackett relaxed a moment, spreading his legs and putting his hands behind his back while pulling out his chest, "I am at your orders, sir."

"Relax, Steven. You do not mind if I call you Steven, do you?"

Hackett shook his head, having no intention in making the admiral uncomfortable when the older man addressed him.

"I guess you want to know the reason for this call?" The admiral asked him.

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be frank with you, commander. During your Alliance training, you qualified as the best in your class, and it is still a mystery how you accomplished the test of the SSV Coulomb the way you did. Not to mention your impeccable record, with not even a breach of protocol. In short, you're a champion, one in a million soldier of the Alliance."

Hackett remained impassive from the admiral's praise, but inside he was smiling. Only four have ever managed to pass the test of the Coulomb and as a result, he had been guaranteed a rank promotion to staff lieutenant once he graduated from the Alliance Academy on Earth.

"I am honored that you think so, sir."

"You deserve it. It's just me. Even high command thinks the same and we've decided that you were the best man to lead this mission," The Admiral said. Beside Spencer, a map of the known galaxy appeared, with magnification on Shanxi's system. "This is Shanxi, your destination. Once you reach the system. Your job is to take the lead of the science flotilla traveling with you and cruise through the Relay."

Hackett was confused. Shanxi was stationed near a dormant secondary Relay, meaning that it was connected to an unknown number of other secondary Relays across numerous uncharted systems. He understood the necessity in ensuring the scientific vessels had an armed escort, but taking them through the Relay put them in unnecessary danger.

"I do not understand, sir. I have always believed that the Alliance had no credible intel on the system connected to Shanxi's Relay. Is there something beyond it that we should know about?" Hackett could sense something was amiss, whether he had the clearance to find out was a mystery.

"And there's the interesting part. By analyzing the Mars archives, our scientists and AIs have been able to begin mapping the locations of several primary and secondary Relays. The study of the Prothean data showed that the Relay at Shanxi is actually a primary Relay, as opposed to what we believed to have been a secondary one. This means that we can use it to further expand our territory." The admiral explained.

'It makes sense.' Hackett thought, soaking in the information.

"Why Shanxi, sir?"

"Because it was and still is the first dormant Relay that we found to be a primary rather than a secondary. The real reason for this expedition, unfortunately, is economic and political." The Admiral answered.

"Sir? Since when do we work for corporations?" Hackett asked.

"Ever since they threatened to cut the supply of military equipment and pass them onto national governments if we don't start a new campaign of expansion by the end of the fiscal year. By signing the Systems Alliance charter in 2090, national governments have accepted us as the United Nations' replacement as the exploratory and colonial organization of humanity. If corporations refuse to work with us and start addressing national governments to advance their own interests, then our role could be jeopardized. We have been humanity's referee for sixty-six years now. Our goal is to avoid a potential interstellar war at all costs. The third world war already fractured us too much and we don't need a worse one to completely destroy ourselves." The admiral explained, showing a rare moment of emotion and remembering the countless dead of the last world war.

What the admiral said was true, the old grudges of the third world war did not end alongside the war nearly seventy years ago. The four mega powers of Earth were just waiting for the right opportunity to jump at each other's throats for a second time. The UNAS and European Federation were eyeing the vast amount of resources the Russian Federation and the New Chinese Republic possessed, and the two giant countries were fiercely determined to protect their vast reserves. The discovery of the Mars Archives did manage to somewhat unite the human race while leading to the creation of the Alliance. It was all that kept the four powers from starting another war. In fact, it was this lack of cooperation between the four powers that slowed down human expansion as they would often bicker over who would colonize newly discovered worlds.

Up until now, the majority of human colonization had been focused on nearby systems around the Charon relay. Places like Terra Nova, Eden Prime, Benning, Demeter, and even Shanxi had already boasted growing populations. In addition to the eighteen garden worlds under the protection of the Systems Alliance Navy, there were dozens of other systems that held mining and industrial colonies, research outposts, and space stations. As of now, the Systems Alliance Colonization Agency had almost two billion applicants for colony ships and with the human population reaching forty billion, it wasn't hard to find the demand for continued expansion into other colony worlds. The current priority was to locate and claim any garden worlds expedition teams could find. Worlds that couldn't support human populations, but held an abundance of minerals were semi-terra formed and corporations began immediate extraction. Relay clusters weren't too high on the list, ironic as they were needed for long distance travel, however, the Systems Alliance navy would gain control of the area and begin construction of space stations and shipyards.

If there was one good thing the bickering between the nations on Earth did, it was that it had prevented the Alliance navy from being stretched thin. Following the terrorist attacks by the Hades Hounds in 2137, the Alliance became aware of the risks of being undermanned. As a result, colonization efforts had been slowed, the Alliance focusing on building up colonies rather than claiming every little world out in space.

Hackett understood the Alliance's concerns; the fleet back then was just over half of what it is today. Of course, corvettes and frigates made up over half of the Alliance combat vessels, but the navy did possess a considerable number of destroyers and cruisers for heavy naval engagements. Though now things had changed, with over four thousand combat ships under its control, humanity believed it was ready to deal with whatever threats lurked in the shadows of space. Hackett could only hope humanity's pride in itself wouldn't be its downfall.

"Hopefully one day the four nations can call a truce, but until then we have to make sure they play nice with each other." The admiral's words brought Hackett back to reality. Being an accomplished officer, Hackett made sure not give away any indication that he had momentarily zoned out

"Understood, sir."

"Perfect. Complete this mission successfully and you will probably have some doors opened for you."

Hackett melted in front of the prospect. He still needed to get experience under his belt, but if things went right he could be an admiral in the navy within 20 years.

Suddenly the light in the room dimmed and both men turned towards the large panoramic window on the brown gas giant. "Oh, just in time." Spencer said, waving Hackett to turn around without fear.

The darkness in the room was caused by the passage of a small portion of the Fifth Fleet, positioned to defend Arcturus and Earth. The impressive flagship of the fleet, the SSV Tesla supercarrier, was one of the most powerful warships in the entire human fleet. Built with the loose-characteristic delta shape of Alliance ships, it contained six element zero engines and three linear parallel hangars, the center one reaching the entire ship's length, housing several fighters, bombers, marines, supplies, and even smaller warships such as corvettes or frigates. It was the pride of the Fifth Fleet, and merely seeing it Hackett could already imagine himself in command of such a large and prestigious warship. Several smaller ships such as cruisers, destroyers, and frigates cruised alongside the flagship, serving as the super carrier's escorts and guards.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? They completed it only last year."

Hackett was stunned at the magnificence of the vessel. "If ... if we're done sir, I should prepare my ship."

"Of course, commander. I don't want to steal any more time. Spencer out." With that, Hackett saw the admiral reaching for a panel in front of him and seconds later his holographic image disappeared from the room.

The white grid was still disappearing from the body of the commander when Rostov called him on the intercom. "Staff Lieutenant Rostov to Commander Hackett, sir we have exited FTL and we have the 98th detachment in sight."

"Inform Shanxi Control and the 98th of our arrival and set course for the Relay at top speed."

"Yes, sir."

Hackett left the QEC room and made his way back to the bridge. Within minutes he once again back on the command deck. Walking to the command stage, placed before the galaxy map in the CIC, Hackett was stationed amongst his men while they continued working on their consoles. His assistant, Chief Petty Officer Martinez, was at his control desk and was analyzing some files pertaining to the mission. "So, we have a Relay to study?"

"Correct. ETA on the Relay?"

"According to Lieutenant Hendley's estimates, we should arrive within ten minutes maximum. We can try a short FTL jump, but drift is estimated to be 30,000 kilometers." Martinez said, referring to the ship's ability to bypass secondary Relays over short distances. This meant that while Alliance fleets weren't totally reliant on the Mass Relays, they were still needed to travel long distances.

"Too risky. Maintain course and speed." Hackett ordered.

"Aye, sir."

Despite their advancements, numerous conspiracy theories asserted that national governments already knew of methods for faster than light travel. There was some truth to it as both the UNAS and European Federation managed to create their own versions of FTL, however, this was after the discovery and decoding of the Archives. While some believed humanity could have avoided element zero technology altogether, the sad truth was that without the Prothean Archives, humanity would be in serious trouble by now.

In less than a lifetime humanity's technology had made a giant leap forward by at least three hundred years. Things that were once considered science fiction had become reality. Most of the diseases that had plagued the 20th century disappeared or were in the progress of vanishing. Gene therapy had eliminated many defects and managed to enhance human capabilities beyond any previously known limit. The fortunate discoveries of numerous planets with large element zero deposits during the first wave of colonization, led by Jon Grissom, had launched humanity to its true golden age. Hunger and poverty were low, wars were less frequent and shorter than ever before, and much of humanity had progressed through social prejudices. Flourishing colonies across the galaxy fueled humanity's progress.

"How are your relatives, Martinez?" Hackett asked.

"Fine, sir. Although I don't believe that one of the most influential families of Terra Nova took well to their eldest son enlisting in the navy, instead of getting a degree in economics," he joked. Like many crew members, including Rostov, Martinez was a colonial. Unlike Rostov born and raised on Belogorsk, a major industrial colony of the Russian Federation located in the Horse Head Nebula, Martinez was the son of the most important banker of Terra Nova, Hugo Martinez.

"But as soon as I get promoted to lieutenant, they'll rethink about."

"Wait and see, Martinez. The road to becoming an officer isn't easy." Hackett warned him, knowing all too well of the requirements and expectations.

"Your service record makes it look easy, sir. I'd give anything to have your abilities."

"Work hard and focus on your goals, that is the secret," the commander told him. "Though a little luck won't hurt."

"Yes, sir."

Hackett walked over his command chair in front of the podium and sat down. Tapping a few panels on the screen in front of him, the galactic map disappeared, replaced by a three-dimensional representation of the cruiser.

"The engine is running at full speed and the engineers aren't reporting any failures. The maneuver nozzles are working properly. Kinetic barriers are up 100%, emergency generators ready in case of any problems. Weapons systems online: GARDIAN defenses, missiles, and mass accelerator cannon are fully charged." A navigator informed Hackett as he read the status on the ship.

Hackett nodded at the navigator, satisfied with the ship's condition. He brought the galaxy map up again and eyed their location. As they approached the Relay, it enveloped more and more of the window in front of him.

'This is it.' Hackett thought as they closed the final distances between them and the Relay.

SSV Tampa

Cruiser

Command Deck

Obit over Shanxi

Space, the final frontier people called it. For some it was the greatest accomplishment mankind had ever achieved. For others it was another way to get rich. For Commander David Dain it was just another frontline, which he and several commanders had to fight in order to protect humanity. At thirty-two years old he was the youngest naval commander to operate a cruiser, which was usually reserved for captains twice his age. Holding such a position at such a young age was as rare as an enlisted Alliance sailor becoming an admiral. Most commanders received training at military academies before being offered such a position; however, Dain had proven to be an exception, displaying tactical ingenuity and swiftly rising through the ranks as a result.

Sitting in his commander's chair on the bridge overlooking his crew, Dain felt a deep sense of pride. Most of them had been in the Alliance navy far longer than he had and they still respected him as a captain would be despite only being a commander.

Dain was assigned to the 98th scout detachment, which consisted of 1 carrier, 4 cruisers, 16 destroyers, 8 frigates, and 10 corvettes from the 11th fleet. They were on constant patrol, jumping from Relay to Relay in the systems nearby ensuring that the four colonies along their route were safe and secured. Normally patrols would only last for a few weeks before being rotated, but being on the outskirts of Alliance controlled space meant they had to endure shorter patrol routes with longer durations.

"Shanxi Command, this is Commander Dain of the SSV Tampa reporting in," he said, taking a sip of coffee. To him it tasted like treated wastewater, bitter and nauseating, a sign of the Alliance stingy pockets. Aside from the taste, it did cause a person to become alert without being dehydrated as they would with higher quality coffee. It was designed by the ADA, Alliance Drug Associated, and contained several vitamins an individual person would need in the morning.

'I guess they forgot about flavor,' Dain thought to himself.

"SSV Tampa, this is Shanxi command reading you loud and clear over."

"What is the ETA of the SSV Nagasaki and its escorts?"

"They are about … whoa! SSV Tampa, the expedition flotilla has just arrived."

Dain, and several other crewmen, perked up at the news. "Shanxi command, can you confirm?"

"Aye, your radar should be picking them right about now."

"Commander, we have confirmation of the SSV Nagasaki's and its escorts' arrival. They're heading towards the Relay now," Lindholm said. Headstrong, determined, and calm under pressure, Lindholm was an outstanding ensign, one that any commander would be proud of.

"Sir, Captain Wang is on the line," informed Selene. She was the ship's AI and assisted with multiple functions pertaining to the ship's performance.

"Put him on," Dain ordered.

All throughout the ship's speakers the captain's voice rang out. "All ships, this is Captain Wang speaking. The SSV Nagasaki and its escorts have just arrived and are heading towards the Relay at top speed. This is it people, I want everyone ready."

The rectangular bridge of Commander Dain's ship was silenced as everyone held their breath. In front of him was a map of known human space, a 'star-chart', as it was commonly, was called. It was two-dimensions in appearance, unlike the 3-D holographic images found on more modern ships, primarily carriers. It was essential tool as it was responsible for notifying a ship where it was heading. On both of Dain's sides were walkways leading to the navigation center and to the elevator behind him. Next to the walkways were sections that held several communications, sonars, terminals, computers, and consoles all designed to receive and transmit data.

Commander Dain saw, on a screen directly in front of him, an image of the SSV Nagasaki and its escorts arriving at the Relay. The massive object made him feel small when he looked at it, even if he was in an Alliance cruiser, which had several deadly weapons to deal with threats.

"To all ships, we have arrived at the Relay. Science vessels are attempting to activate the Relay … standby," Commander Hackett said over the QEC.

A half hour later after the commander's detachment-wide declaration, the Relay in front of them began to activate, a massive blue orb erupting into a ball of energy. As the massive rings kept the energy contained, they began rotating around each other. Even though Mass Relays were the main source of long-range FTL, Dain still knew little about how they worked. He remembered something about dark matter being the fundamental property, but he knew even less about that. He stood, along with several crewmen, as the Nagasaki neared the Relay.

As the SSV Nagasaki and its escorts headed towards the Mass Relay, Dain felt a cold feeling run down his spine. When the Nagasaki entered the gate's radius, large swaths of blue electricity arced to the ship. As the ship continued down the gate's length, more energy connected to the ship until after a few moments, it was catapulted forward at several light-years a second.

It was hard to describe the feeling of going through FTL via the Mass Relays. It was a sensation that constantly filled one's head. There wasn't a particular feeling per say when jumping from one system to another … but the body, and mind all felt different in the span of a few seconds. If Dain had to describe how being catapulted from a Mass Relay felt, he would respond with vertigo. However, after a while, the feeling slowly begins to fade as you make more and more trips through them. It was very similar to adrenaline, once you feel it coursing through your body for the first time it never really feels the same again.

"Alliance 98th scout detachment, this is the SSV Nagasaki. We have arrived at the new system, safe and sound," Declared the Nagasaki's own AI. The crewmen on the bridge erupted into cheers and joy as they heard the good news. "Activating scanner for any sign of habitable planets or nearby systems."

"Selene, open up communications with the other ships in Hackett's flotilla. Make sure everything is okay," Ordered Dain as he calmly sat back in his chair.

"Alliance and scientific vessels are responding, everything is green." The AI responded.

"Are you receiving any data from Commander Hackett's AI?"

"Yes, commander. Receiving scanned data… wait a moment." Selene's tone made Dain a little worried.

"Selene, what is going on?"

"Sir, there is another Relay at the opposite end of the system's star. This one is showing active power signatures."

"What!?" Dain was suddenly alert. "What does that mean?" He asked, fear creeping up on his spine with all the subtlety of a water balloon.

"Aside from signaling that it is active, the Relay's state indicates it has been used continuously," Selene answered.

"Is the rest of the attachment getting this?"

"Yes, sir. Captain Wang has ordered Hackett's ships to fall back. He is contacting Alliance command as we speak."

"Good. Was there anyone else in the system with Hackett's ships?" What Dain really meant was 'Is there alien life out there?' It was then Dain realized that not only was the bridge deathly quiet, but every crewmember was also staring at Selene as if she were a deity.

"Hackett's AI detected no traces of radiation or active eezo signatures in the system. But nearby planets are showing signs of static electrical discharge."

"Sir, Captain Wang has just instructed all other navy vessels to be on standby and ready for combat at a moment's notice. He is also informing General Williams of the situation." Lindholm explained.

"Understood. Helmsman take us into formation," Dain ordered.

"Yes, sir." The pilot responded.

Five minutes later, Hackett's ships arrived and began falling back into position with the detachment. The captain specifically ordered the science vessels not to stray too close to the Relay, much to their dissatisfaction. Still, the scientists were able to deploy several probes, which would gather preliminary data on it. Though any Relay could have been used in other Alliance held systems, never had scientists managed to get data on a previously dormant one. Dain tried to read incoming data from a probe, but found his head spinning after the first few sentences. The young commander wasn't stupid by any means, however advanced particle and molecular physics were something far beyond his level of education.

Several hours passed by, the young commander could almost feel wrinkles on his face forming from the stressful anticipation. To say he was bored would have been an understatement, but he wouldn't say so or show it, maintaining his upright posture and stoic expression. He couldn't wait for his patrol to be over and take a vacation as a reward for taking this assignment.

"Commander!" Roared the synthetic voice of Selene, suddenly the commander realized there were several people calling his name; the AI had gotten through to him by using the phone in his pocket's speaker.

"What? What's wrong?"

"A dozen contacts have just exited the Relay, and have detected us. They are on an intercept course and Captain Wang has ordered all ships to power up their shields and ready their weapons." The AI informed him. "Update, new contacts, previous approximates wrong, estimated fifty vessels, two of which are battlecruiser class."

"You heard the lady, divert all engine power to shields and ready weapons. This may get ugly." Dain ordered. In front of him, several crewmen jumped on their tasks coordinating with each other and relaying new data.

"Selene, are they friendly?" Dain asked the AI.

"Unknown. They have shown no signs of hostilities nor do they match any known Alliance signatures."

"Wait, what?"

"They are not human, commander."

Several of the longest, most silent seconds in human history passed as the captain digested this information. "Are you saying … that this is … a first contact scenario?" He almost whispered, swallowing the lump in his throat.

"Yes. Captain Wang is hailing the ships and has delivered the first contact package." No human in history had ever been given an official order to prepare the First Contact package, drills had been run and scenarios tested, but never once in humanity's space-faring history have they ever truly had to execute it. Dain cleared his throat and waited for further orders, the bridge once again became deathly quiet.

As the commander waited for Selene to bring up the ship's scanners and any relevant information regarding the alien's ships, he thought of the First Contact package. In essence, it was a video greeting, recording a 'welcome to Earth ' on several key societal locations on the planet. It would have shown cheerful images of peace, friendship, love, and brotherhood so as to suggest the same to whatever aliens' humanity may meet. Literal years had been spent after the Alliance's initial extrasolar colonization on what exactly should be put in the message, some had argued to put mathematical formulae to show our advanced state, while others had stressed we show our military to represent strength and honor. In the end, the current FCP had been decided upon and once every ten years it was updated to show modern humanity.

'Good god … actual aliens!' Thought Dain as he sunk in what was happening: First Contact. The First Contact! It wasn't with just any primitive race, oh no it was with another spacefaring one. He couldn't believe he was among the first humans to actually discover another spacefaring race. Suddenly, Dain wanted his species to have a military five times stronger and larger than what it currently had. If the aliens proved hostile, he wished they would mistake Shanxi, having a population of two billion, to be their home-world. That would give any Alliance reinforcements the element of surprise.

Then he remembered that the First Contact Package included details of Earth. Mentally he placed a palm of his face while condemning the idiot who thought it was a bright idea to include information about humanity's home-world.

'I hate people sometimes,' he thought. 'Hopefully, the aliens might confuse Shanxi with Earth.'

Although it had been colonized for almost twenty years by all four mega-powers, Shanxi didn't boast much of a military presence from the System's Alliance Army, nor did it have a major naval base nearby. The colonists preferred to believe the presence of the Big Four and their WMDs were enough to deter any pirates from invading or raiding the planet, and it had worked since its founding. Alliance Parliament had tried to convince each of the Big Four governments to permit more than three Alliance marine home divisions and allow the Systems Alliance Navy to construct a rather large naval base in orbit. But the Big Four refused, stating that the six million soldiers between each of them and the Alliance were more than enough to repel a ground invasion and that their WMDs could easily decimate a pirate fleet.

Dain knew the Big Four weren't wrong, they each had an impressive force, but he'd be naïve to believe that their decision solely came about confidence. The sad truth was that the Big Four, partially in spite for being forced to cooperate with each other, were basically putting up the middle finger up to the Alliance. If there was one thing the Big Four did agree on, it was each of them hated the Alliance's interference more than they did each other.

'I can only imagine what the crew is thinking … ' He thought. Getting impatient from waiting on Selene to bring up the scanning data, he brought it up himself. Replacing the 2D map of the star system with scans that were currently available, Dain skimmed through it and only eyed the most important data.

A sea of yellow dots that spewed from the Relay was now holding position near it, the scans giving the commander a real-time layout of the system. In total, the Alliance had forty-four ships in the system, six less than what the aliens had. The 98th were outnumbered, but luckily not by a lot. Now outgunned was a different scenario altogether. The battlecruisers would be first priority if the opposing fleet turned hostile. Dain could only hope that their weapons would do serious damage to the alien ships if this became a massive naval battle. It was then that he realized if hostilities did break out, this would be humanity's first time standing against an alien force and would be the first of possibly many engagements.

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" He whispered to himself.

RCS Iron Clad

Battlecruiser

Command Deck

Enemies are temporary, but friends are forever. Let us embrace that which we do not know so that we may gain knowledge in it. Let us embrace the darkness of space so that our future may be bright. Let us welcome our enemies so that we may be friends. An ancient Raloi philosopher had once said.

Admiral Bane Talal thought of these words as his ship, the Iron Clad, hurtled towards the newly discovered Mass Relay at speeds never before imagined in Raloi science. Not even a century had passed since they've discovered a Prothean beacon on their moon, Aquar. It jumped their technological level by centuries, allowing them to create FTL travel and colonize other worlds in their systems. So far, they've only managed to colonize seven colonies outside of their local system, and the Raloi government was seeking to expand their territory in the hopes of finding another functioning beacon. Even if their sensors, armor, and weapons were primitive in comparison to the engineering marvel of the Relays, Talal hoped to one day live to see the day when his species would find other races and teach them the greatness of the Protheans.

The massive, looming Mass Relay seemed to cast an ever-present shadow over the raloi battle group. Whatever great marvels lay on the other side of the Relays, Talal would be the one to lead his race to the great discoveries. After jumping through several Relays, which lead them to this previously unknown system, they were disappointed to only find a few gas giants. It was just like the previous three systems, barren and lacking any garden worlds. But what caught everyone's eye was the discovery of yet another Relay and not wanting to return back to his people with empty hands, Admiral Talal ordered his ships forward.

"All great journeys begin with a single step," Talal said softly before his ship was catapulted forth by the Mass Relay, hope reigning deep inside that something of great interest awaited on the other side.

Talal stood at the helm of his massive expedition battle group of fifty ships, which was half of the 6th fleet, as it was among the first to enter the border-system between charted and uncharted space. From here, it was a single FTL-to-Relay jump to uncharted space, unclaimed worlds, and undiscovered secrets.

However, as the same Raloi philosopher had once said, The mysteries of space are only matched by their wonders.

"Admiral Talal!" Loudly, urgently, yelled an ensign.

"Yes? What is it?" The admiral asked, looking around the dimly lit bridge to find the junior officer that had spoken up.

"I've detected something on the scanner, upon second glance; it looks like a battle group composed of forty-four ships." The raloi officer reported.

"Did we send anyone ahead of the battle group to scout the system?" Talal asked calmly.

"No, sir. It's neither a raloi patrol nor merchant vessels. We were the only ones scheduled to survey systems for this quarter."

"Then who is it?"

"Hold on … I've pinged their ships, but the scans are coming up negative. They're not anything we've seen before." The officer looked up from his terminal to the admiral. "They are not built on Raloi specifications, sir. The scanners can only identify that the ships are heavily armed and their kinetic barriers are fully powered. Everything else is a mystery … what is this sir?"

The admiral was silent for many moments. All Raloi starships had a complete listing of the sensor data and information of every type of vessel in service. To find a battle group of unknown ships, numbering nearly as his known, meant only one thing … this was first contact.

Admiral Talal thought of the implications of this discovery. Statistics had once said that there could be anywhere from millions to billions of species out in space, but as raloi colonization expanded into other star systems and the only races discovered were plant and primitive wildlife everyone assumed that the raloi alone were the only space-faring race in the galaxy. He saw his crew, the bridge dead silent as he stared out in front of him, looking to him for guidance. A determined scowl was hidden by his stoic face. 'I will not fail my crew.'

"This is First Contact," Talal said out loud to his crew. The entire deck became engulfed in silence at his words.

"Have the VI plug my ship into the rest of the battle group. Send a message to Rear Admiral Mal, requesting a few cruisers to accompany us as we investigate. Approach the contacts slowly so as to not startle them. Have the barriers up just in case they are aggressive. I cannot tell you all how delicate this situation is."

"Understood, sir."

"Sir, Rear Admiral Mal said he can spare six cruisers, is that satisfactory?" Asked a new voice, this one feminine and younger.

"Yes, Noka. Thank Rear Admiral Mal for me."

"Yes, sir."

Several minutes passed, as the Iron Clad led a pack of six naval vessels towards the unidentified contacts.

"Admiral, we're being hailed; it's a video and an audio message."

"Bring it on screen." Ordered the perplexed admiral.

A moment later, an image appeared on the ship's main vid-screen, it depicted some sort of bi-pedal mammalian with two forward placed eyes and fur on the top of its rounded head. It possessed five fingers on each hand that lacked any claws.

"My name is Captain Wang of the SSV Einstein, of the Human Systems Alliance," the alien said in an unidentifiable language. "We come in peace, and we do not seek hostilities of any kind. I hope your species and ours can coexist." The bridge was silent, as the next video file loaded up.

"What do you think it said?" Asked one raloi.

"Is this really first contact?" Another asked.

"Tell us this a joke being played, Admiral." One almost begged.

"Shush, something else is playing!"

A new video appeared of different locations on a planet. Different types of architecture, bodies of water, buildings which seemed to be landmarks or places of importance played out. It changed to show different people within the alien society. Finally, it changed to show several other aliens coexisting with others. One showed a four-legged animal with paws, a tail, forward eyes, and short pointy ears. It stood at three feet tall on all four legs and several pictures showed it with the aliens, which appeared to be hugging and showing compassion for one another. Another picture showed another four-legged creature, but shorter, longer, and more menacing. Its entire body was armored with scales; it had several teeth and appeared to be able to walk on land and swim in water. It was a reptile of some sort, some appearing to reach twenty feet in length.

"What are they showing us?" The pilot asked.

"Their home-world and the creatures that live on it," the admiral realized as he saw the skyline of a beautiful, massive city. The image zoomed out and was replaced by an enormous statue, presumably an important figure in their society, made of some sort of green material, holding a similarly colored torch of some kind in its hand.

A new image appeared, this one depicting two of the aliens embracing each other in what appeared to be a way of showing affection or intimacy. One was slightly taller than the other, had shorter hair, and was more muscular. The words 'Male' appeared on top of its head. The other, smaller, more feminine alien had the words 'Female'. Finally, the word 'HUMAN' appeared on top of both of the aliens' head, indicating the name of their species. More images of other humans appeared, all of different shape, sizes, and colors, embracing each other in an affectionate way or making odd facial gestures that reminded Talal of some sort of greetings. The video cut to a new feed were members of several different types of humans appeared one by one, each speaking in a different language far different than the previous.

Next, the video cut to a small, silver dish. For a moment, nothing happened, but then a light blue holographic depiction of, what Talal assumed to be a female human, appeared. "Greetings," Said the hologram, "from the Systems Alliance."

Now, two uniformed humans appeared upon the screen. The one on the left, Talal recognized as the first alien he saw. The one on the right was holding a weapon and Talal quickly realized that it, or he based on his appearance, was some sort of honor guard, indicating that the humans were a militaristic society. That fact alone made the admiral wonder just how long the humans had been in the celestial stage of their evolution, or if this was simply a bluff. The man he was guarding had a plain white, ceremonial uniform with pieces of metal hanged on the left side.

"Greetings, from the Human Systems Alliance. I hope we can enjoy a peaceful coexistence, we graciously await your reply," said the being, in a deep, but not threatening voice. The video then ended.

"What … what was that?!" An ensign hysterically demanded.

"Are they going to attack!?"

"What did it say?"

"What are they?"

"Everyone calm-" Attempted the admiral, but things were slowly turning into chaos.

"We're headed straight for them!"

"What if there are more?!"

"Everyone, CALM DOWN!" Talal shouted loudly, silencing the room. "Noka, prepare the ship's transmitter for a response." He ordered, clearing his throat.

"Ready."

"Greetings, my name is Bane Talal and I am an Admiral in the Raloi navy," he began, speaking slowly and clearly. "I cannot understand your language, but I hope we can establish friendly relations with our species. We are not a violent race, but we will not hesitate to defend ourselves." He looked at Noka and gave a nod. She sent the message as instructed.

"Slow the flotilla's advance and send the alien's message to Rear Admiral Mal, he'll make sure the other ships get it. Tell them that we have a first contact scenario here and no one is to look threatening. Get a call back to the Raloi Confederacy; tell them what we have found here." The Iron Clad's crew began relaying the orders as the admiral issued them.

Apart from the video, Talal had no idea if these beings were peaceful and cooperative or aggressive and warlike. If they were peaceful, the Confederacy could very well have an alliance with another spacefaring race; if they were warlike then … Talal didn't want to imagine the implications. Deep down, he was hoping that he was doing the right thing for his species.

HSS Ultimate Authority

Corvette

Command Deck

Lieutenant Commander Toren inwardly squealed in delight. His being covered in excitement, no he was beyond excited, he was thrilled. He had discovered a new race activating a relay, possibly leading to their homeworld. Once it was confirmed that the ships were not of any known Council designations, he immediately ordered a message to be sent out to the Hegemony, the official government of the batarians. He told them of his discovery and to his joy they were not only sending a suppression fleet, but they had designated him as one of the respective leaders of said fleet. If everything went well, the Hegemony would find itself with a new source of labor and he could possibly be welcomed as a hero and be promoted straight to an Admiral.

"Ensign, how long before my fleet gets here?" He demanded.

"Sir, ETA is about two hours. They are being cautious to avoid any Council patrols." The ensign replied.

'Good.' He thought. The last thing he needed was for the Council to start interfering with the Hegemony's business.

"Excellent. Inform me every thirty minutes of their location." He ordered.

"Yes, sir."

'Everything is going perfectly as planned.' Toren smiled as he practically tasted the spoils of war this raid would bring. 'Let's hope this race's females are pleasing as the asari.' The man thought as he was consumed with his desires.

A/N: First Contact with the Raloi, but you didn't see that coming now did you!? Another original first contact scenario brought to by V-cringetorix, Andotrota, and yours truly.

Trivia:

1. The title is a nod to Steven Speilberg's classic. If that movie didn't pull at your heartstrings, then you are not a human!

2. There is a lot of foreshadowing and while there is also a lot of telling, this is a consequence of needing the cast to be introduced, future chapters will have more showing.

3. This chapter perfectly describes human nature, we hate being told what to do and will sometimes act petty even if it bites us in the ass later on.

4. While the batarians being the big bad may be a cliché, let me say that you will be surprised by some of its members while others will definitely play into the cliché.