Council Chambers 5 days before the incident
Tevos couldn't help but sigh as she listened to Spartus's rant about "finding the Quarian scum, and putting them in their place.
She as well as councilor Valern were becoming exhausted at the wasted resources sent to find the Quarians.
"…hunt down those treacherous thieves before they unleash another Geth threat on the Galaxy"
Seizing the opportunity to stop this pointless argument, Tevos cut in, "You mean a threat that hasn't been seen or heard from in centuries? Or the fact that the Quarians only stole because they were desperate? Listen to yourself Spartus, you have been obsessed with finding the Quarians for over 2 years now, and it is time to focus on more important matters!"
A little-known fact about the councilor it that he can be quite reasonable when it is necessary. He had a personal grudge with the Quarians after an… incident 10 years back that involved a would be Turian colony. And miners. And several thousand thresher maws.
The Salarian councilor spoke up, "Yes. To many STG agents have been diverted. It would be optimal to return to watching the terminus systems borders."
"Valern is correct", said Tevos
"We will listen to the specters final report on this matter, and then reassign them."
"Very well" Spartus sighed, taking his seat looking 3 times his age as he did.
The councilors didn't have to wait long.
Incoming message from Specters
"Send the message through"
Before the councilors appeared the holograms of two turian specters Glavius andKalen, an Asari specter Seera, and a salarian specter Jesslen.
Tevos got straight to the point.
"Report"
"Terminus systems show no sign of the Migrant Fleet, there have been no sudden increases of Quarian slaves, nor any rumor of terminus warlords refitting the fleet."
"Similar results in the Batarian systems councilors"
"All border relays have been checked, non-remain open"
"Nothing to report besides elevated ezzo levels detected around the formerly dormant relay 314 2 years ago."
That last report caught Spartus's attention, "Why are we only receiving knowledge of this now?"
Jesslen didn't hesitate despite Spartus's accusing tone, "Because relay 314 was marked as low priority for investigation due to it's proximity to Turian space."
Tevos spoke out before Spartus could go on another rant, "You are dismissed. Return to the Citadel and await further instructions"
"Yes councilors"
"Now let us get down to more constructive bruises"
"The Hanar have recently picked up a signal of Prothean origin emanating from deep within the Atican traverse. What is more concerning however is the contents of the message. Valern would you please explain?"
"Yes. The signal is most curious. It repeats several hundred times a second for 30 seconds before corrupting and cutting off. That signal speed is only used by either advanced Prothean VI or AI. The contents of the message revealed that to us." Bringing up his omni-tool Valern played the message.
"{Unknown AI detected in system} {Begin Awakening protocol} {4 life signs detected} [Prothean's have survived] {Begin Metacon/Reaper protocol} [This is data center under observation of Prothean AI 434 of the Line, unknown AI has infiltrated my systems. To any listening Prothean survivors I repeat data center 434 is compromised]"
The councilors sat in silence.
Spartus asked quietly "How old is that message?"
Valern responded, "Since we received it? 2 days. Since it was sent? Almost 5000 years"
Tevos was able to get out "We must find this station as soon as possible then".
"better deal with a threat now rather than later"
All councilors looked at each other and agreed to send the Hanar the rights to colonize systems and open relays in the traverse. But only with a Turian fleet tagging along nearby.
2 days before the incident
The Hanar that was the captain of the vessel looked out apron the holy one's creation, this dormant relay that could hold behind it the origin of the signal they had found. All the Hanar were over joyed to hear the report by one of the Holy one's creations that 4 still lived. "This one says open the holy artifact and send through a probe."
The Hanar at the communication station sent the activation signal and the probe was quickly hurtled across space at unbelievable speed.
When the probe made it to the other side the Hanar waited for data. It had barley sent back 30 seconds of footage before the signal was cut off. The Hanar that commanded the vessel opened up the footage that had been sent. The Hanar cried out with joy and sent the video onto the hangars private channels for all to see. Hanar all over the galaxy cried out in celebration. For that little probe saw something in its short life span that would change the galaxy forever. It saw a simple ring. A ring the size of a star system. In side the solar system the ring encompassed they're was a planet. One with ships around it.
"Holy ones, we have found you"
2 hours before the incident
Garrus sat at on the bridge of the cruiser Swift Judgement as his crew readied for their departure. He couldn't believe how much his life and galactic life had changed since the Quarians disappearance 2 years ago. With the Quarians gone the council decided now would be the time to expand, since "It is better to deal with threats now rather than later". "Ha", He thought, "More like you finally have an excuse to get more territory". And it was true, over 40 new systems had been taken by the council and 10 relays opened. No new species had been found though.
As for how he a low-ranking investigator had become a flotilla commander… It was no secret that Garrus had been "transferred" (Read banished) from C-Sec a year before for his more outspokenness against the council. But things could have been worse than being given command of an exploration flotilla. He could have been sent to guard a Skyllian Verge world, taken prisoner by a Batarian slaver group. He was only transferred here because of his father, and because of his tactical skill.
He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't realize his ship was under way for a relay, until it lurched in to conventional FTL.
In this new age of expansion this wouldn't be so exciting but this was a Primary relay, meaning it was most likely connected to a garden world. As for sending a citadel flotilla… there were rumors but the most prevalent was 3 civilian probes had been sent through and non-reported back. Were the rumors growing worrisome is that the STG was possibly involved, and that the probes were actually monitoring a remaining Ranchi colony.
Pushing these thoughts aside, Garrus brought up a tactical display on his omni-tool to check on the fleets condition. His fleet of 2 frigate wolf packs and 3 cruisers, should be more than enough to deal with any species they came across so long as they weren't completely outnumbered.
"All stations report's
An Asari officer announced the fleets condition, "We have green all across the board. Engines, reactors, and Ezzo core are functioning within standard parameters"
Garrus was pleased to hear his fleet was in prime condition, but given the circumstances of his mission to investigate the disappearing probes he knew they had to be ready for anything.
"When we arrive at the relay sound General Quarters, and prepare the internal audio, so we can brief the fleet on our mission.
"Aye Captain"
The first officer, a Salarian began a count down
"Entering real space in 5
4…
3…
2…
1…
We have arrived at the relay captain"
"Captain", the comms officer called out, "We have the Hanar colony ships on sensors"
"Hail them"
"Hailing them"
On Garrus's omni-tool appeared the projection of the Hanar in charge of the colony fleet,
"This one gives thanks that you have come to assist us."
"I am glad to be of service to you, though I am afraid we must make this quick as whatever is on the other side of that relay, be it primitives, Ranchi, or a supernova we must know. So, tell me what information you have gathered from your probes"
"This one has seen what little we could through the three we sent. We could not see much before the destruction, though we did see large metal bands."
"Bands?"
"Yes. This one believes the Holy ones have a defense system on the relay."
"The Prothean's… Thank you Hanar we will try to investigate this matter"
"This one asks that if you find the Holy one's artifacts you notify this one"
"I will do my best Hanar"
Cutting the communication, Garrus began to give orders
"Sound general quarters, Helm take us through the relay, warm up mass accelerator cannons and guardian lasers, bring all Barriers up to full."
As the officers followed their orders, the Judgement passed through the relay followed by its fellow cruisers and wolf packs.
The first officer once again began a countdown
"Entering real space in 3
2
1
Arrive…. That's impossible"
If Garrus could speak he would have agreed.
For before them was an enormous metal ring, twice as tall and wide as the citadel. But the real kicker was its length. Over 500 million miles in diameter. The worst part though?
Over 10,000 guns were locked on them.
On Newley refitted Geth dreadnought (Now re-classified as a cruiser)
Enroute to New Rannoch.
3 light minutes out. 3.14 minutes before The Incident
Geth platform 2453566-3
[We…I am no longer just Geth] [The Goddess has uplifted our programming and promised us our creators return]
[Yes] Another unit responded, its new emotion programs making it sound… hopeful
[The creators will finally return to Rannoch and both our species will prosper under the Goddess]
6-3, Looked out as raw dimensional energy, coursed over the ships hull. Though the Geth were undergoing upgrades this particular ship was using a hybrid manner of transport so that they didn't startle their creators and the Morning war begin anew.
A Geth prime walked over, and said before the delegation "we must choose names."
[The prime is correct] Out of habit the Geth spoke in unison though it was unnecessary
"Consensus achieved: Search for appropriate names for Geth envoy"
They 5 Geth that would be the envoy pondered for several seconds as they went through Skynet's historical Archives.
The Geth Prime chose the name Nexus,
The other three units chose the names, Builder, Fighter, and Negotiator as they had yet to completely step aside from their purpose when created.
6-3 took on a name too. Legion
Earth-Sentinel- Richard, stood watch un-moving over the controls of heavy plasma cannon #70385-quadrant 4. The entire ring had been ordered by Skynet herself, not to open fire once the Geth ship arrived in system to meet with the Quarians. The Geth Ship exited from their new hybrid FTL; nicknamed hyperspace due to the lighting like aspect it shared with its fictional counterpart. The ship came out of FTL 60 km from the mass relay and 33.8 km from the defense ring. {Geth ambassadors have arrived in quadrant 4} Richard alerted his over watching Sky-Sentinel-Daniella of the incoming ship. Upon receiving an orders Richard raised the ship on his comms. "Attention Geth Ambassadors, make way on our pre agreed flight path to new Rannoch so that negotiations may commence."
The Geth responded in kind.
[Making way to pre designated flight path]
With his orders fulfilled Richard once again entered Sentinel position to watch over ship as it made its way toward his cannon.
Everything was as it should have been, when the relay activated. A quick scan was enough to reveal a group of ships in transit to the system.
Alerting his superior Richard armed the cannon and began to coordinate with the others in his firing array. The other 99 cannons in the array all turned to optimal foreign positions, as their hangers launched several hundred though it saved the majority of the 1 trillion fighters this ring quadrant held in reserve. As the thousands of other arrays came online with the lighter turrets warming up to repel fighters, the ships came through the relay. At their head a single cruiser flanked by 4 more like its w on each side, with 10 frigates in 2 wolf pack formations.
Richard detected no activity coming from the center ship for 2 mine tuts but the other ships were a flurry of activity.
The AI sentinel only had seconds to hear a broadcast from one of the starboard cruisers, to open fire on the Geth diplomatic ship, before 14 mass accelerators bore down on the defense's vessel.
The lead cruiser finally began to communicate with the rest of the flotilla after the third round left the ships, and all the T-3000, 800, 5000, and few 1 million's that heard the order to cease fire knew it was to late. In the 10 second span that this all occurred in the first of the 42 rounds slammed in to the Geth ships engines. Enormous chunks of light armor blew off the ship, taking many of the crew with it. In the diplomats area of the ship a hole had opened up, and shards of metal escaping with the atmosphere had pierced Negotiators head, and Fighters power pack. Builder was sucked out of the ship whole but was exposed to extra dimensional and dark energy from the ruptured hyperdrive. Legion and Nexus were ejected as well but thanks to quick maneuvering on Nexus's part both itself and Legion were shielded by a piece of the ship's amour. As they were pulled toward the rings gravitational field, they watched their own ship explode in a plethora of color, ripping open the fabrics of reality for a split second before closing as if it were never there.
Tilting its head to the side Legion could see several thousand plasma cannons atomize the cruisers and frigates that dared to fire upon its allies. Only the lead ship was spared.
Though the troop transports heading for the vessel begged to differ.
Many Turians in Garrus's position would have led their flotillas in to battle regardless of the consequence. It was a good thing that Garrus didn't immediately jump to violence as most would have, and as his captains had. He actually was in the midst of tackling his own weapons officer to stop them from firing on the Geth ship. His crew looked at him like he was insane. He spoke back in a calm and commanding voice though on the inside he was terrified, "The Geth never let one of their kind go off alone! Did none of you think about this? They beat us to this artifact, whose to say they don't have complete control over it!"
As his crew looked down in shame for, they realized he was right, Garrus raised the other ships on comms.
"Stop firing you pyjacks, or you will antagonize th…"
With a flash of light his flotilla ceased to be. The frigates were completely atomized and if not for the windows polarization the bridge crew ofthe Judgment would have gone blind.
The cruisers fared a little better, rather than instant atomization, their hulls turned to slag, and they were irradiated by the plasmated iridium that made up the beams.
Only the Swift Judgement was spared.
As many of the crew near windows or sensors tried to process what they had just witnessed, the sensors officer spoke up. "Sir, I am detecting dozens if not hundreds of corvettes all 50 meters long"
Garrus looked out at the destroyed flotilla, and every nearing corvettes, with the first now hovering next to the ship's main airlock.
"Tell all crew to stand down"
Some of his remaining officers started to protests but he cut them off, "Would you rather die pointlessly to a station more advanced than any ever seen before, completely out-classing the citadel?".
There arguments died in their throats. Soon the sound of plasma cutters could be heard.
Garrus could only wait and pray top the spirits everything would be ok.
6 months after the Incident
Dark Space
Nothingness surrounded the area outside the galaxy. It's silence only broken by the rare rouge planet. It is here the Reaper armada, waited. Among the millions of silent hulls, one awoke.
Harbinger listened to the call of the Intelligence.
{Awaken Harbinger}
[What do you command Creator?]
{Something has occurred}
{Something has endangered the cycle}
[My Creator, what could challenge Us? Are we not perfection? Have we not conquered every race and guided untold trillions to their final forms?]
{Though our minds are perfect our bodies may yet be destroyed}
{I fear we may have a new enemy, one who may yet stand against us. 31 relay pairs have been destroyed}
{Send Sovereign with a fleet, begin the cycle}
{Till all are one}
The armada spoke back.
[Till all are one]