Log 6
Date: 4TH SEPT 2186
Location: UNNAMED BUNKER, VANCOUVER, CANADA
The meeting went exactly as I feared it might. To be honest I hate going up to the operations center at the best of times and this certainly wasn't one of them. The Reapers are still blaring away like fog horns up above us every day. In fact if anything it's gotten more frequent, a constant reminder of the occupation on the surface (I'm sure the Reapers could write a book on psychological warfare if they were inclined to). There have been days when I came down from the top level with a headache so bad it was like an elephant trampling on my skull. Not that I can really make too much of a fuss. Compared to what's going on outside it's a minor complaint.
As I headed in, the general was already waiting at the table along with a NASDF military Colonel and several Alliance captains whose ships had been destroyed even before they could reach them. I hadn't had a chance to meet most of the leadership in the base but I recognized Alexander Chernov, an old shipmate of mine now serving as captain of the SSV Stockholm. I guess if he was here that meant the ship was destroyed but I was glad to see Alex was OK.
I greeted the room and then took a seat opposite the General but he was turned away from me looking at a screen on the far side of the room. When he eventually 'noticed' my arrival he asked his subordinate, Colonel Travis to fill me in. Determined as I was not to get dragged into a pointless confrontation with the General I ignored the implied insult and turned my attention to the Colonel. She was slightly younger than I would have expected (early 40's at a guess) with blonde hair that was cut to shoulder length. In contrast to the General's dress uniform she wore the standard urban camouflage gear of the NASDF.
"What's the situation?"
"That's the problem sir, we don't know. Our satellites and Comm Buoys have all been destroyed by the Reapers and our only quantum entanglement device links to the Citadel."
"So what intel do we have Colonel?"
"Our only source of information right now is word of mouth from the people we take in sir. We're doing our best to collate the various reports into a picture of the outside world."
I was aghast at the news; I'd stayed behind to lead a global resistance on earth but I couldn't get word from anyone more than a few miles away! Clearly my efforts would have to be on a far smaller scale than I had originally hoped. Still with no other options open to me I forced myself to focus on the task at hand. Like almost all resistance movements throughout history we would have to do the best we could with the resources we had, regardless of the circumstances.
"Very well, brief me on whatever we've got."
"Yes sir. From what we've learned we're now the only military base in the city still holding out against the Reapers. We were forced to evacuate Major Harrison and his men from their position near Richmond, about 5 klicks south of here last night. That was the last base out there."
"Why isn't the Major joining us for this briefing?"
"His unit suffered heavy casualties during the evacuation and he himself was injured. He's being treated in the infirmary, I'm afraid they haven't been able to tell us if he'll make it."
"We'll have to hope that he will. Especially if we're all that's left to oppose the Reapers in this area."
"We're not exactly the only ones still fighting. All the other bases have fallen but we're still getting reports of open rioting and occupation resistance in several areas. Moreover many of our own forces weren't able to evacuate fast enough and are currently engaged in fighting behind enemy lines. Most of the city is now a battleground."
"Most of the city?"
"Our scouts report the Reapers have begun methodically clearing the city block by block. So far they've managed to secure approximately 30% of the city under their complete control."
"Is our position here secure? How long will this offensive take to reach us?"
"From what we've seen of the Reaper forces they don't have the numbers in this area to break through our defenses, not yet at least. We have to focus on protecting as many people as possible so the Reapers can't turn them into soldiers to throw against us."
"That's certainly true enough. But that said don't underestimate the Reapers Colonel, we've only just begun to see what they can throw at us."
"They have begun sending a new type of soldier at us that's proving highly effective." She admitted.
I frowned. "What can you tell me about this new type?"
She showed me a picture of the latest monstrosity the Reapers had come up with. It was humanoid in shape but had spiky bone ridges on its forehead and stood about seven feet tall. It took me awhile before I realized I was looking at one of the first Turians to be converted into a Reaper foot soldier. I was told that these new troops seemed to serve as commanders to the rest of the Reaper ground forces; coordinating their assault. They were armed with surgically attached assault rifles and were proving highly effective in leading the Husks and "Cannibals" (What we've started calling the creatures that I encountered on my first day. According to DNA tests run on the Citadel they're actually mutated Batarians captured from the Reaper conquest of Khar'shan).
"So what are we doing about these err new Turian Reaper units?"
"The men have taken to calling them 'Marauders' sir. As they seem to act as leaders for the other Reaper ground forces we're marking them as priority targets. We've begun deploying snipers to areas we're expecting the Reapers to target. The general has put a thousand credit bounty on every proven Marauder kill."
I frowned, mildly disturbed by the implications
"You might get a few mercs helping us that way general but in my experience you get far too many kids gunning for glory by trying something like that. This isn't Illium or Omega, most of the people out there have never even held a gun in their lives before today. And the war going on, on the streets out there is no place for the inexperienced."
"As I understand it, Admiral the Reapers will kill civilians whether they're holding a gun or not," Coberg stated flatly before turning his attention back to the monitors.
I fell silent at that remark. He had a point but it still didn't sit well with me encouraging teenagers to go out and play trainee assassin. Shrugging it off for the time being I turned back to the Colonel.
"Alright what about outside the city limits, have we received any refugees from that far afield?"
"I don't think we've had anyone come in from the North or East of the city but the Reapers have a strong presence in that area so it's not that surprising. We've received brief radio communications from temporary bases on the Vancouver and Graham Islands just off the coast. Reaper forces have landed on the southern shores and are fighting their way north. Most of the bases we heard from reported being under siege before we lost the signal."
"Is there any way that we can evacuate those islands?"
"The general is working on something he thinks will relieve the pressure on those bases."
"We'll get to the general's plan in a moment. You haven't mentioned anything to the south. What's happening on the Western Seaboard?"
"That's a little more complicated sir. We don't have much intel I'm afraid. We know the Reapers have occupied Portland and Seattle and we were receiving a steady stream of refugees from the city until about five hours ago. Since then we've heard nothing. I'll just check the reports again now…" She accessed her PDA and started scrolling through it. When she accessed the latest report I could see the fear in her eyes before she even said a word.
"I don't understand… why would they?"
"What's happened Colonel?"
"We've just received a report; eye witnesses are claiming that Seattle has been destroyed. The entire city is just… gone sir."
I closed my eyes; Seattle had a population of just under nine hundred thousand. Hopefully some would have fled the city before the destruction but... not nearly enough. When I turned my attention back to the room I could see the haunted looks on the faces of my colleagues.
"It makes no sense; why would they destroy a city they already control. We need to get these reports verified they must be exaggerated."
I glanced at the PDA in her hand.
"According to your report that intel was verified with five separate groups before it was sent to us. We have to assume it is correct."
"But why would they- "
She was in shock, hardly a surprise given the circumstances but she needed to be made aware of exactly what we were up against. Hell they all did.
"The Reapers intend to wipe out all sentient life in the galaxy and every action they make is carefully calculated towards helping them achieve that goal," I explained.
"They don't care about capturing territory or forcing our surrender. Destroying Seattle helps the Reapers prevent civilians from escaping north from the rest of the major cities on the Western Seaboard. That makes it easier for them to harvest the population. I know it's not easy to accept, but we'll be hearing a lot more bad news before this war is over. Focus on the living who still need our help, remember your training and you'll have as much chance as any of us of making it out alive."
The general finally turned his attention back to the meeting. "Nice speech. Now if we're all up to date, perhaps we can start discussing how to destroy these 'Reapers'."
"You can't. We need to focus on- "
"Yes, thank you for your opinion Admiral but I will decide where to focus our efforts. Colonel how many of these things are still within the city?"
"Three sir, the others took off and headed south yesterday."
"You see? There's only a handful left to contend with."
"It took several fleets to bring down Sovereign and that was just one Reaper."
"That was the one that attacked the Citadel a few years back? As I recall the reports claim it was what? Two kilometers in length?"
"That's right, but-"
"Colonel, how large are the ones currently in the city?"
"Less than two hundred meters sir."
"Then these little ones don't seem quite as much of a threat to me Admiral. I never have paid much attention to ship design, not really relevant in my line of work but even I know that size and weight matter in these cases. We have a plan to use our Makos to ambush them and eliminate them one by one."
I sighed, however simplistically he had put it he did still have a point. Ship weight was a good indicator of strength as it gave a good indication of the level of gun recoil it was rated to handle (a serious consideration in space). Still I had considerable doubts, Reaper technology is far in advance of anything we have.
"How many Makos do you have for the assault?"
"Fifteen plus our heavy artillery pieces that will be able to cause some more serious damage. I'm planning to use three of them as a distraction to draw the Reapers into the trap. According to our calculations if we hit the targets individually with that level of firepower, it will be enough to destroy them."
I paused for a moment before replying, despite growing tired for the General's constant rhetoric I had to admit he had a keen strategic mind.
"It's not a bad plan but I'm guessing there's not much margin for error, how many Makos have to maintain bombardment of one of the smaller Reapers- "
"Destroyers sir" The colonel interrupted.
"Destroyers? Fitting enough I guess. How many Mako's will it take to bring down one of the Destroyers then?"
"We calculate at least ten minimum."
"And you're sure of those calculations?"
"They're based on data sent by the Citadel sir. Apparently the Turians managed to gather some intel about a Destroyer they shot down."
"Well... it might work but it could also go horribly wrong. If there's a problem on the day those tanks don't have the maneuverability to evade enemy fire. The enemy will be able to pick them off like fish in a barrel. Last time I was here it was mentioned you have another weapon available? Could it be used as a contingency?"
"That weapon remains classified and you shouldn't even know about it. It is only to be deployed when the Reapers gather in sufficient numbers to warrant its use."
"So you're already preparing to the retaliation of this plan? You're waiting for more Reapers swoop in to eliminate all resistance thanks to us killing several of them?"
"That's right, we'll deal them a heavy blow for trying to invade our planet."
"And what happens general when the next wave arrives after that? And the next? They'll wipe out your weapon along with the entire city if they think we're really challenging them."
"And your alternative would be?"
"Focus on protecting civilians, not fighting Reapers. We can't win this war, not without help. We have to hold out here, save as many lives as we can and try to make sure there's still an Earth left once this war's over."
Looking around the room I could already see I was in the minority this time. Colonel Travis had a somewhat thoughtful expression but several of the other officers looked mutinous. They were in the mood for revenge right now not survival and the General was leading them by their hearts. He didn't even try to hide his disgust.
"And what are we holding out for, Admiral? The Alliance abandoned this entire system so now the Earth militaries stand alone. If we want to get rid of these machines we have to kill them ourselves. Few occupations of human territory have ever been maintained for long."
"You're deluding yourself General, the Reapers are a threat unlike any we've ever faced before and they have plenty of practice in subduing populations. Our only hope is to hold out until Commander Shepard can bring the fleets of the Council to Earth and kick out the Reapers for good."
"Bullshit, you're the one who's delusional Admiral. Putting all your faith in that so-called 'hero' that just so happens to be a member of a goddamn terrorist organization! Frankly I have more faith in my weapons."
"That's crossing the line, Sheppard's done more to protect humanity than you'll ever know."
"You're forgetting that this is my base Councilor. I'm sure you're used to relying on the Council up on the Citadel to pull your boots out of the fire when things get tough. But down here, on my base, I decide how we fight this war."
"If you've no intention of listening to my advise then you don't need me here," I said formally as I stood up and started to walk away.
"Best of luck with your mission general."
He would certainly need that luck and possibly a miracle in order to pull off what he was planning. It was just about conceivable that Coberg would manage to pull this thing off but the if any detail of the plan went wrong it would rapidly snowball into a catastrophe.
I had briefly considered staying to argue my case but looking around the room I had known it was a lost cause. I knew some of the ship captains stationed here but the rest are army personnel who've worked under the General for years. They're used to obeying his orders and worse they're out for blood as payback for the invasion. Don't get my wrong, I wanted revenge against the metal bastards as much as anybody. But even with the deaths and the evacuations I figured there still had to be at least three hundred thousand people living in this city. If we killed as many Reapers as Coberg intended it was those civilians that would bare the brunt of the retaliation. It seemed it would be my job to try and get at least some of them out of the line of fire.
Hopefully it was not a job I'd have to face alone and so after I left the meeting I went to the infirmary to check on Private Daniels and the other injured survivors I'd brought back from the Police Station on my first day. I was surprised to find Maria was down here too.
"Checking up on the troops?" I asked.
"Just making sure my officers are being looked after properly, they're my men you understand? My responsibility."
"You don't have to explain it to me, how's Daniels?"
"That useless lump you insisted we drag all the way here? He's alright, very quiet though, spends most of his time sleeping."
"Just getting some rest while I could." I looked up to see Daniels approach and returned the salute he gave me. "Wanted to be fighting fit by the time you needed me for something. Just say the word and I'll be there."
"Shouldn't you be taking your orders from the General, Private?"
"People around here seem to have forgotten that you're the ranking officer in the base but I haven't. Besides I owe you for saving my life."
"It was Corporal Hetford that saved you, I just lent him a hand."
"What happened to Hetford sir? They won't let me see him."
"I afraid he didn't make it son. I'm not sure how much you remember but he was hurt pretty bad when the husks attacked us."
"What? Couldn't, couldn't you have done something sir? I mean-"
"There was nothing to be done Private. I'll remember his face until the day I die alongside the faces of every man who ever died under my command but we have some work to do before we can start mourning."
"Yes sir, sorry sir. What do you need me to do?"
"The General's frozen me out of all major operations following the meeting earlier today. I need you to keep me up to date on what Coberg is up to."
"Of course sir, where should I start?"
"If you're feeling up to it go and report for duty with the military forces here. They'll be suspicious of you at first because I brought you in but just make it clear your loyalty is with them and you support this crazy mission Coberg is planning. Don't be afraid to imply that you think I'm a coward for not getting involved, the General should like that."
"You want me helping the General sir? I thought that-"
"I need eyes and ears inside his operation. Can you do that for me?"
"I'll do my best sir."
"I know you will, dismissed Private."
"What about me then?" Asked Maria.
"If you're willing to help me out try talking to the civilians here, try and get a sense of their morale and what they think of the General."
"That all?"
"Actually I need you to start working on an evacuation plan for the base too."
"Evacuation? Are you saying we might not be safe here?"
"The General assumes we are but somehow I doubt the Reapers could take the entire planet and yet be completely thwarted by this one base."
"Where are these people meant to go if we evacuate them? The whole city's under occupation. The whole world even."
"Right now the Reapers are only focusing on the major cities. If we can get people out into the country they might have a better chance of staying out of harm's way."
"Alright, I'll look into it but it won't be easy getting people out with those walking death machines still out there."
"I'm working on that; just find us an exit. When the time comes we may have to leave in a hurry."
"Fair enough then, Mr Alliance I'll leave that part to you, almost makes my job look easy."
"Mr Alliance huh? I'm flattered."
"Don't get too excited I call all you big Alliance types that."
"Alright but is it Miss or Mrs Police Chief I should be calling you?"
She flashed me a brilliant smile and left just saying she'd leave me to wonder about that. I stared after her for a few moments questioning if I wanted to pursue this. I'd only met her twice but both times had been struck by her beauty and her strength in the face of all this death. With everyone else I could see the fear in their eyes, I could see they were struggling to hold on. She seemed completely fearless, driven only by a desire to help others.
As usual at times like this my thoughts soon turned to Kahlee Sanders again. We weren't together but she still meant a great deal to me, we'd just never been able to find the time for ourselves in all the madness of the last few years. But now I'm stuck on Earth, with no idea how long and Kahlee could be dead for all I knew. She is or was currently based at Grissom Academy station (a military school for people with special skills). I don't know if the war will have reached that far yet or not. I hope she's OK but I realize I'm going to put all thoughts of Maria out of my head. In another life we might have worked out but I can't think about her while I'm still worrying if Kahlee's alright.
I'm not how future cycles will see this if things end up going that badly wrong. At the end of the day this is my record of the war and I'll write it from my perspective. But if we fail and this is being read by some alien thousands of years in the future looking for ways to fight the Reapers just remember that life shouldn't just stop, not even for them. You've got to find things to hold on to or you'll go mad from despair. That cheery thought got me through the rest of the day.
Tried to contact Udina again via the quantum entangler but he was unavailable and the General was keeping me out of strategic planning so I found myself at a loss for things to do. It's a strange feeling being unable to help during a war. I wanted desperately to be doing anything to help, to take charge and start putting my own plans in place. But this was the General's base and sticking to my principals had cost me. I don't regret my decision even so the frustration of being stuck out of the loop is getting to me. Word is that tomorrow the General puts his plan into action. If this winds up being the last log entry you can assume it went badly.