HOLOCAUST:
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE:
COLD LIBERTIES PART ONE
July 4, 2186
0824 hours.
The Shepards' Quarters, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate SSV Normandy SR-2, Migrant Fleet, In Orbit over Haestrom, Dholen System, Far Rim Cluster.
Second Morning War.
Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Admiral Tali'Shepard oso Machina.
Warmth. It occupied his body like it belonged there. Encompassed him. It was a blissful, fantastic feeling, one that filled him with joy, love and contentedness.
His reentry into the real world was a quick transition, his eyes quickly opening and drinking in the light and environment of the world around him. Being a soldier, his training had long robbed him of his inability to wake up like everyone else did. Others woke up slowly and gradually; droopy eyes and aching muscles confining them to the bedsheets. But for soldiers like him, their awakening was rapid and instant; it so that they could be able to react to threats efficiently and quickly, especially if they occurred during his allotted bunking schedule.
His eyes were aimed up at the ceiling, able to look out the window situated there that gave him a clear view of space above. Before, the stars would have been warped and distorted and stretched, surrounded in the blue aura of FTL travel. Now they were steady and twinkling, meaning they had arrived in the Dholen System and holding position. And, he noted with relief, he could see the forms of quarian ships in stationary orbit in the distance, as well as one of the liveships, either the Rayya, Shellen or Bakara. It was quite a calming site, as well as relieving to see the quarians once again safe.
Whatever's left of their fleet. Foolish idiots. Gerrel was an idiot, Xen was an idiot...damn it, Shala was an idiot! How could any of them have thought an assault on Rannoch during a galactic war was a good idea? Fucking morons!
His negative thoughts were interrupted by the heat source ontop of him shuffling, and he could skin graze against his chest. It was then that his peripheral vision finally took notice of the strand of black hair dangling into his eyes, and he turned with a frown, nose brushing into an even larger mass of it.
Then it all clicked in his head. The warmth was a person. Lying ontop of him. Naked.
Her raven black hair was sprawled out across his face, her head neatly tucked under the crook of his neck. Her breasts were pressed against his chest, so much so that he could distinctly feel the nipples digging into his skin. The rest of her body was covered by the sheets, pulled up to her shoulders, while the person softly snored. Their skin was pale grey, and very human.
His mind was slow, but it was easy to remember just who it was, and he smiled dreamily, leaning forward to plant a firm kiss on her scalp, sighing in content. His wife. Tali'Shepard vas Norma-vas Machina, admiral of the Migrant Fleet.
As he shifted, he felt the presence of his manhood still inside her from last night's...activities. He had to chuckle slightly at that, the ridiculousness of it beyond reasoning. They were finally reunited, and what was the first thing they did? Sex.
Not that he was complaining.
He moved a hand up to begin running a hand through his wife's hair, which always had an odd smell about it; a good smell. One he liked. It was sweet; barely noticable, but you could if you really concentrated.
His chuckling, however, had done more than shift Tali's body. In moments, he heard a loud yawn escape her lips, and the quarian poked her head up to look into his eyes, smiling slightly as she propped a hand on his chest, and another to keep her head up.
"Good morning," she whispered, leaning forward to give him a light peck on the lips.
He grinned back, gently guiding one of the strands in her face to curl around one ear, another cradling her cheek gently, "How was your sleep?"
"The best I've had in a while," she seemed to cease movement at that, eyes moving in self-thought before she shook her head, correcting herself, "The longest I've had in a while. Being an admiral is hard work."
"An admiral, eh?" he asked, his grin only growing.
She groaned, burying her face in his chest, as if trying to escape the usage of the term, "Don't remind me. They appointed me for the position just before the call to arms. I chose it because...well..." she looked up, eyes innocent, "...because of you. I thought of what you would do, and thought to myself 'he would want me to do it.' So I went for it. I had a higher chance of making change if I was the head of the Admiralty."
He nodded, heart swelling with pride for his wife, "I'm proud of you. Not many would have chosen the position. If Hackett came here and told me he was promoting me to head of the UGC, I'd probably refuse. One ship and its crew is all I command."
She chuckled slightly, shaking her head, "You never were the political type."
"Neither were you, if I recall."
"And I'm still not," she made clear, "I hate politics. So much work and arguing and talking and more arguing. At least quarian politics is like that anyway."
"Sounds the same of human politics," Marcus pondered, "And pretty much everyone else. The Council is a sound example of that."
"Look at us. Becoming politicians," Tali giggled, "First Wrex, now me. You know, Hackett might just make you leader of the UGC. And the Primarch might just make Garrus his successor; who knows?"
"Garrus? The Primarch?" the thought caused him to chortle, Tali giggling quite loudly herself at the thought of the turian's pained expression, "He'd sooner find a love life."
"Said us," she replied.
"Oh...stop it you."
"Or what?"
"I'll..."
"I'm an admiral, you can't tell me to do squat!" she smugly declared, "Actually, I think I now officially outrank you."
"Ah, but quarian tradition states that on a ship, the captain holds all the power," he replied quickly, "So don't even think about it, Mrs. Shepard."
"Its okay, no need to fear," Tali smirked, sighing happily as she sunk into the crook of his neck, "I don't plan on stealing your ship from you anytime soon."
"I'm relieved," he concluded, the two of them sinking into blissful silence. They just wanted to spend a minute together, no sounds exchanged, just silence. Two bodies pressed close, relishing in the feel of their reunion. It was just one of those moments they would not get alot of.
Finally, Tali broke it, unmoving, "Its...been a long seven months, Marcus. Just...what happened while I was...gone?"
The moment seemed to turn solemn in a flash, Marcus' grin gone and replaced by a firm line, lips creased in a stance of seriousness, "Alot and not much. Its alot of details, Tali. Khar'Shan fell first, as did Earth, and I only just managed to escape on the Normandy. By then, the Alliance navy was battered, and we'd lost an entire fleet just trying to help the others escape. It was a bloodbath, Tali. Anderson stayed behind to coordinate the resistance."
"Anderson?" she asked, nodding slightly, as if uncertain, "Is...do you know if he's still alive?"
"Yes. He contacted us recently through QEC. He's alive, but not exactly well. Earth's occupied, and he's leading guerilla actions against the Reapers until the Crucible is completed. Which'll be awhile, so I just hope he can hold on just a little bit longer."
He noticed her frown at that, "The Crucible?"
"I'm getting there," he replied, before continuing, "After that it was pretty crazy. We discovered that the Illusive Man was trying to control the Reapers, so he's basically our enemy now. Discovered the plans for the Crucible, found Garrus on Menae while extracting a turian primarch, and cured the genophage. Oh, and a week ago, we repelled a Cerberus invasion of the Citadel."
By the end of it, Tali's jaw had dropped, let incredulous by the facts confronting her, "You cured the genophage? You mean, the krogan are free of that virus? The genophage is actually gone? And the Council just let you do that?"
He laughed slightly at that, having expected her to be interested by that the most, "I didn't give them much of a choice. This one bitch, this salarian dalatrass, practically read me the riot act. Did I give a shit? Nope. Went ahead and did it anyway. Besides, the turian primarch actually asked me for krogan support, and was willing to get it anyway he could; he didn't like it initially, but he got accustomed to it; he was a full supporter by the end. And you know who demanded it?"
"Let me guess," the quarian pretended to think, smirking, "Wrex?"
"What a guess!" he guffawed, only managing to speak when he had calmed down and regained control of his breathing, "Yep. We had this War Summit, and the krogan, salarians, batarians, volus, hanar, elcor, asari and turians were all present."
"Wait..." she frowned, "...the batarians?"
"Trust me, I was just as surprised. Even worse, Balak of all people was the representative," he groaned, rubbing his temple. The very thought gave him a headache, "Although I can understand his situation. His people got hit hard, Tali. Their race is a bitter shell of their original numbers. In the millions, but we're talking double digits, and if this isn't resolved soon, quickly to be a single digit."
"Keelah..." she exclaimed quietly, the usual hint of amusement missing from her tone, "What happened at the summit?"
"Balak pledged his forces to the UGC; that's our unified galactic organization. Think of it as a coalition of galactic species," he elaborated, "Anyway, there was also the hanar and the elcor, but that's as far as it got. The asari were on the sidelines, the salarians wouldn't help because of Wrex, the turians wouldn't help until the krogan sent troops to Palaven, and the volus wouldn't help until the turians signed up."
"Seems like a 'clusterfuck' as you so adequately would put it," she exasperated, rolling her eyes, "So how did it end up? After curing the genophage, I mean."
"Absolutely fantastic," he grinned, trying to keep a grimace from appearing. I never did tell the crew about Linron's secret deal...and how I almost followed through with it. Should I tell Tali? What would she think of me if she knew I had considered betraying one of my best friends and dooming an entire species to extinction? Could I handle her rejection? He decided he couldn't, and elected to keep silent, for now, "The krogan joined the UGC, followed by the turians and the volus. And to my eternal anger, the salarians, as the bitch promised, did not join. Although that changed with the Cerberus attack on the Citadel."
"Why is Cerberus involved at all?" Tali asked, face creased in anger and confusion, "I thought they'd be helping us. And just how would they pull off an invasion of the Citadel?"
"Don't ask me how Tali, but Cerberus has militarized. Big time. They have fleets now, and more ground troops than we can count, although even Liara doesn't know where the Illusive Man is getting them," he sighed, rubbing his jaw, "The man's just been causing trouble for us the entire way. He attacked Mars, Eden Prime, Noveria, the Citadel...its like everywhere I go, he's trying to halt our progress. And then there's the whole business with him trying to control the Reapers."
"He wants what?" she asked, fury in her tone.
One he reciprocated, "I know, you don't need to say it. The whole crew knows it, and I know it. Tali, there's a high possibility him and all of Cerberus are compromised, and all the evidence points to it: they're all indoctrinated. Reaper puppets. That's how they were able to attack the Citadel so efficiently. And why they came so close to succeeding. If it wasn't for us arriving at the last moment, I think it might have fallen."
"Cerberus bosh'tets," she growled, shaking her head, "I hated them before, I despised them after the Idenna, and now I'm going to do all I can to dismantle them. They've got to be stopped, permanently."
"You're preaching to the converted, Tali. All of us know they have to be stopped. Even if it means putting a bullet in the Illusive Man's head," he said in agreed, gulping, "Still, I guess its all rather moot now. Besides, Cerberus got the exact opposite of what they hoped. We repelled them, and their intervention..." Should I mention Thane? Damn it, no. That wound is still too fresh to talk about. "...indirectly aided our cause. Caused the salarian councilor to override the dalatrass and the salarians joined us. And the asari are still debating on whether they should or not. If that works, all we'll need is you guys and the geth, and we'll be set. The UGC will be complete."
"You still haven't told me what the Crucible is," Tali persisted, "You seem to put alot of importance on it."
"Its our one hope, Tali. We can't defeat the Reapers conventionally. I think we all knew that was inevitable," he stated, and Tali nodded in agreement. His point made, he finally explained just what the Crucible was and what it meant for the war effort. When he was done, Tali's eyes were as wide as saucers, and she seemed lost for words.
When finally she spoke, her voice was full of awe and hope, "This Crucible seems like our one and only chance, Marcus. The key to victory."
"It essentially is victory," Marcus stated, "Only problem is, once we finish it, we still can't use it without something called the catalyst. Something we have yet to find, or even identify. We have no idea what the hell it even is, but apparently its the main component of the Crucible; helps differentiate the Reapers from everything else so that when it fires, it only kills them, and leaves us alone."
"This catalyst seems like our main priority then," Tali declared.
"It will be, once I complete these alliances. Besides, for now, we have no leads to go on, and there's no point in a wild goose chase," he shrugged, sighing as he lounged back further, exhausted from his expositional diarrhoea, cracking his neck as he did so.
One question was left hanging in the air, one they both knew was going to be asked and answered at some point.
Finally, Marcus asked it, his throat suddenly dry, "So...Junior..."
Tali froze up, body ceasing all movement. Truth be told, she knew this was coming. Shala had promised to take her son with her to be safe, and if the Normandy had been the one to respond, it was logical to assume Junior would be onboard and Marcus, being the captain, would have bumped into him. But even then, it felt like such a sudden topic, one she was not prepared for. Motherhood was still new to her, and she was still coming to grips with it, let alone trying to explain to her husband just how she had come about with his child.
"I'm a father," Marcus whispered, catching Tali offguard. She looked up, seeing a slightly lopsided grin cross his lips. It was contagious, quickly spreading to Tali as she laughed, both of them speaking simultaneously, "We're parents!"
Giddy with happiness, the two of them grabbed ahold of each other, rolling about like people from an insane asylum. If people could see them, if the crew could see them, they'd wonder why they had suddenly turned into lunatics. Why they were rolling around like crazed spastics.
It was because they were reunited, and with that reunion, came parenthood.
It was a long half an hour.
{Loading...}
July 4, 2186
0908 hours.
War Room, Normandy-Class Stealth Frigate SSV Normandy SR-2, Migrant Fleet, In Orbit over Haestrom, Dholen System, Far Rim Cluster.
Second Morning War.
Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Admiral Tali'Shepard oso Machina, Admiral Daro'Xen vas Moreh, Admiral Han'Gerrel vas Neema, Admiral Zaal'Koris vas Qwib Qwib, Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay.
Half an hour later, Marcus Shepard walked through the conference room towards the War Room with more purpose in his step, and a slight smirk, his wife not far behind him, back in her suit and walking professionally, but no doubt with a big grin of her own. There had been a big change in Marcus' demeanour, and this was all thanks to Tali. There had been a hole in Marcus' life during the month this war had dragged on for, and now that it was filled again, he could once again feel like things were going back to normal; just with a war to win.
It was because of this new change of demeanour that the captain, and spectre, walked into the War Room with his smirk still present, a fact that wasn't lost on all the members present, and, to his chagrin, Daro'Xen.
"I trust you enjoyed yourself while making us wait?" Xen droned, looking mildly irritated, if her body posture told anything, "I certainly hoped you did. We wouldn't want you to be uncomfortable."
He ignored that particular jab, continuing to the other side of the table, his smirk sliding slightly off his face as he remembered just why he was here. The quarians attacked the geth. Idiots, every last one of them. But approaching this situation with that attitude just wasn't going to cut it anymore. Yes, the situation was FUBAR, but complaining about it wasn't going to solve anything. He knew that, they knew that, so he had start making solutions. I need the geth and the geth to work together if we're going to win the war. I can't have one without the other. It just won't work. The quarians have the numbers, the geth have the technology. Them working together...the possibilities are endless.
He wasn't foolish enough to think they could stop the Reapers conventionally, even with the geth and quarians. The Crucible was still their only hope. But having fleets from both sides would certainly help enact a bigger toll on the Reaper forces overall.
He turned to the group, leaning against the table before him, "I spent sometime with my wife, yes. And yes, I made you wait. But so what? The least you could do is let me have some time with my wife after you started this clusterfuck." Nice Marcus. Add salt to the wound. They aren't already aware that they've basically dug a very deep hole for their species.
Xen simply narrowed her eyes at him, unable to come up with a witty response. Which was a good thing for Marcus, because he wouldn't be able to resist the bait. He hated Xen as much as she hated him, and their relationship wasn't going to get any warmer anytime soon. Every moment she breathes air on my ship is another moment I feel like driving it from her lungs. But he kept those dark thoughts to himself, and seeing as there was no further objections, he stood up fully once more, hands clasped behind his back in the usual position.
Gerrel was quick to step up to the plate however, making his presence known with a puffed out chest and hands behind his back in a manner much like Marcus, which only caused the captain to grit his teeth in irritation, "I understand your anger, Shepard, but right now we need to concentrate on what can still be averted."
"That's the first smart thing you've said since this mess began," Koris grumbled.
Gerrel ignored him, looking to be desperate for any shred of good news, "Did the Fleet escape?"
Marcus sighed, rubbing his scalp as he nodded, EDI promptly bringing up the hologram of the Tikkun System on the table. It was largely the same, with the geth navy still positioned firmly in orbit, the same thirty thousand ships resting in defensive formations around the planet. The only difference now was the absence of the Migrant Fleet, which had thankfully escaped the system through the Tikkun relay. None of the geth ships had given pursuit.
And still, spearheading of the formation, was the monster itself; the geth superdreadnought, two standard dreadnoughts flanking it. They were half the size of the behemoth they protected, but were still just as fearsome. Still, nothing in the geth fleet could match the power of that main gun...not even the Reapers have anything capable of besting that. Getting our hands on that technology could really bolster our war effort. But even mass produced, it still wouldn't be enough. We need the Crucible. We need the quarians and the geth to work together.
He sighed inwardly. Yeah, well at least the first is under construction. The second...much more difficult. The look on Gerrel's face (he imagined, anyway) spelt murder, Shala looked indecisive, and Xen would refuse to do anything with the geth that didn't involve dissection. Convincing this bunch to work with their centuries-old nemesis will be like getting the Reapers to sign a non-aggression pact and leave us alone.
"The Migrant Fleet, for the most part, got out unharmed," Marcus stated, gritting his teeth once more. The losses. God, the losses..."Not everyone got out though. You're little charge cost you quite a deal of ships."
"How much?" Shala asked immediately, looking at him pleadingly. He looked at her immediately, trying to formulate a response when she got more fidgety, clearly craving a good answer, "Numbers, captain. We need-"
Get it over with. He opened his mouth to speak, but EDI beat him to it, noticing his hesitation, "Two thousand."
Shala just continued to look at the holo table blankly, while Gerrel couldn't even move. Xen, he noticed, finally sighed, hand over her mask, but whether or not it was out of sorrow or simple exasperation at the casualities, Marcus wouldn't know. Koris though, didn't take it as well as they did.
"So many lives lost. Innocent lives. Pointless slaughter," Koris mumbled. He braced against the table, shaking his head almost violently, as if trying to shake away the evil thoughts, like somekind of nightmare he wanted to wake up from, "Keelah, how many children did we just send to their deaths? Or was it their parents? For all we know, we just extinguished entire families. Clans."
"Two thousand is nothing," Xen droned, "We have a fleet of tens of thousands."
"Rust buckets and tin cans and floating dustbins with guns," Garrus declared. Marcu turned to see the turian leaning against one of the support struts in the War Room, eying the meeting with lucid interest. He said what he said without any venom in his voice, only a tactician's observation, "You have fifty thousand, heavily-armed trash cans, and you're trying to take down thirty thousand skyscrapers. This fight was lost from the beginning, upgrades or not. You should have known the Reapers would become involved at some point."
He has a point. Although Marcus didn't dare mention so, not infront of the admirals. The Reapers wouldn't have been able to resist the temptation to get involved in a war like this. Two of the galaxy's deadliest factions, and strongest if united, and they're trying to destroy each other? Just like the Cold War. The CIA gave guns to Bin Laden, and in return Bin Laden killed some Russians for the Americans.
"With our invasion stalled, we can't turn back," Gerrel stated, "We have full control of the Perseus Veil Cluster except this one system, which is the one we began this invasion for in the first place. I refuse to just let go. We came this far, we should press for home run."
Forgive the pun. Marcus added mentally, nodding, "As much as I hate to say it, I'm in agreement. Hundreds of ships gone, admiral, and for what? Just to run back, give up all the territory you captured and turn back to the galaxy with nothing? We have to press forward and make these deaths worth something, or it would have all been pointless."
"But how?" Shala asked, shaking her head, "You are just one man and a ship, captain. It is as Mr. Vakarian said. We are forty-eight thousand rejects against an armada of thirty thousand heavily-armed, technologically advanced, heavy armoured warships prepped with enough firepower to glass the surface of a planet. Against those odds, we are finished, I am sorry to say." Her voice was full of sorrow, and it almost broke his heart to hear it; she sounded defeated and fed up. The quarians would once again run back to the stars for a second time, defeated once again, and possibly for good.
But Marcus would not have it. The Reapers are controlling the geth through the upgrades. If we can disable the signal entirely, we can save the geth and make the alliance as planned. The geth cannot be a completely lost cause...I refuse to believe it, I won't...
He turned to her, steel in his eyes, "Because you have me, and my squad. I ain't to boast auntie, but I took on an army of ten thousand batarians single-handedly on team and I stormed a geth corps on the Citadel to take on Saren. We did it again, on the Collector Base and against a Collector horde, and came up victorious. We stormed the base of the Shadow Broker, and struck him down. Now, thirty thousand geth warships controlled by the Reapers is different, but nothing is impossible. You need Rannoch, and you've come this far; you cannot turn back now. All we need to do is locate the source of this signal and cancel it out," he turned to Xen, "Admiral?"
The quarian sighed, rubbing her mask as she opened her omni-tool, syncing it up with the data projector, "That is where our problem comes from, captain. The source of our signal is...rather impregnable."
And so it was. On screen, one item flashed a brilliant crimson and Marcus felt his heart drop almost instantly.
The geth superdreadnought. Of course.
"The signal seems to be emitting from its engine room," Xen stated, "It would be safe to say they are using the power of their drive core as a transmitter. What is odd though is that the signal isn't as strong as it needs to be to transmit on such a large frequency, especially to thirty thousand ships."
"With the Reapers, anything is possible," Marcus stated, turning back to the hologram and eying the super-dread with...well, dread. Is that why they called it a dreadnought? When sailors saw that beast sailing in the distance, did they feel such dread at the sight? Did they look at it, believe their efforts for nought, and dubbed it a dreadnought? It seemed more than likely. We can't engage it in combat, that's for sure. To do so would be too costly, and we can't draw it out from its fleet. The only other option would be a boarding action...to get physically inside the ship...
Just like old times, I guess.
"Wait," he stated, eying the hologram a moment longer. He did not elaborate, just continuing to examine the ship's hologram. The more he looked at it, the more convinced he was that his course of action was the only feasible option. We don't have to destroy the ship, only disable the signal. Yes, yes this could definitely work.
Always comes down to 'boots on the ground,' doesn't it?
"Admirals, I think I have the perfect solution for our superdreadnought problem," he declared, bringing the hologram closer with a flick of his fingers, enlarging it so it became the focus of the entire holotable, "The Normandy's stealth drive has remained the geth's one achillies heel. In every situation, the geth have been unable to detect us while using it, and that was proven when we entered this system; the geth never saw us coming. My idea? A boarding party. Small, but large enough to deal with geth forces onboard the ship."
"A ludicrous idea," Gerrel instantly rebuked, waving a dismissive hand, "A ship of that size would have a tremendous security force. Likely tens of thousands of combat capable platforms. Even if you did get onboard, there's no guarantee you'd come out aliv-"
"Please Gerrel, be quiet and remember who you're talking to," Tali defended, arms crossed and her eyes likely rolling, "Marcus has pulled off numerous feats that others said weren't possible. Boarding this superdreadnought will be another average day."
Marcus smiled slightly at that for a moment before entering business mode again, "EDI can find us a suitable airlock to attach to. Once aboard, we'll find the safest route to the drive core and disable that signal. Once we're through with that, we'll make best speed off the ship and make what amends we can to this disaster. Maybe diplomatic relations can be salvaged."
Gerrel eyes widened, "You can't seriously be suggesting-"
"I'm not only suggesting it, I'm stating that it will happen, even if I have to force you to the table," Marcus hissed, "This bitterness has got to stop, for the sake of every single one of us in this room. You've got learn to get over this stupidity and work together. The geth are more than willing. Hell, I worked with one. And it was a more loyal comrade than I had any right to ask for. The geth are more than willing to settle an alliance; they want you back on Rannoch. The only one who needs convincing here is you."
Gerrel shook his head, "I should have known you'd be broken. You're insane, and if seriously think any of us will consider this, you're a lunatic," he turned to Tali, half chuckling, half snorting, "Now it all makes sense; the sudden change of heart. I thought you were better than this, Tali."
"And I thought you weren't a moron," she snapped back, clearly not amused by his retort, "You'd rather wipe our people out than swallow your damn pride and acknowledge that the geth don't want war."
"You're starting to sound like-"
"You have an answer for everything, don't you, Gerrel?" Marcus growled, gaining the admiral's attention, who remained adamant in his stance, "If nothing will convince you, so be it. I'll find another way to make this alliance happen. But just remember this: I recently made the turians and the krogan work together. Tell me, how is that even possible? A thousand years worth of hostility and aggression? How did I solve it? Its one thing that'll send your mind spinning Gerrel," he eyed him with the look of a feral dog, "Its called unity. Its called getting over the past. And its name is Reapers. You want to wait until they find you? Fine by me. The Migrant Fleet can burn, for all I care. The geth will remain under Reaper control, becoming new puppets for their will, Rannoch remains forever lost, and we all die. If that's what you want, keep running your mouth. But while I still breathe, you will not continue this idiocy. Am I clear?"
"I-" Gerrel moved to respond.
"Good," he cut off, refusing to listen to the man's constant ranting. He turned to the rest of the group, "Anyone else oppose this plan? And don't you dare even mention peace talks with the geth, because I will seriously be pissed off."
"If you believe the plan will work Marcus, than so be it," Shala replied, "Perhaps we can provide teams of our own? It would greatly bolster your own force, and make the chances of success higher."
"Kal and Madi," Tali instantly suggested, "If they survived, I mean. Marcus knows them well, fought with them, and therefore wouldn't let their feelings on the geth impede their-"
"They are alive, and well," Shala replied, nodding as she crossed her arms, "I will have them transferred to the Normandy as soon as possible. Otherwise, I wish you good luck on this mission. It is likely going to be suicide."
"That's what we're good at," Marcus informed her, giving her a slight grin.
"Here here," Garrus attended, mandibles creasing into a large smirk, "Although the dying part always gets me. Prefer it if we don't...die, I mean."
"I will also accompany Marcus myself," Tali declared to the group, turning to Shala, "As of now, I am making you Chief Regent of the Admiralty Board while I am absent. My knowledge on the geth systems will be invaluable during this mission."
"I-I understand," Shala stated, taken aback by the declaration, "With this in mind, I will log this as Operation: Keelah Re'lai. Ancestors give you strength. Keelah Se'lai."
Gerrel made no protest, despite the fact that Tali had broken protocol by giving the position to Shala. Those who were on the Board longest would be the one it passed down to, which was Gerrel. But given his current stance with Marcus, he dared not object further, unless he find himself tossed out an airlock.
Only because he's my uncle-in-law...
Ignoring the grumbling man, and watching as the Admiralty shuffled out, he turned to Tali, frowning, "'Keelah Re'lai?' I haven't heard that one before. What does it mean?"
She smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and squeezing, "It means 'by the homeworld I have seen today.' Its...a sentimental phrase, yol'tiya."
"Well, it makes sense," Marcus supplied, smiling warmly, "We will be seeing your homeworld...in a sense."
"Yeah...I just hope we can set foot on it."
"Don't worry," he placed his hand over hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "You'll see Rannoch soon, I promise."
There it was, another promise.
He just better hope he keeps this one.
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July 5, 2186
1033 hours.
Airlock, GDS-659 Class Super-Dreadnought, Geth Fleet, In Orbit over Rannoch, Tikkun System, Perseus Veil Cluster.
Second Morning War, First Battle of Rannoch.
Captain Marcus Lee Shepard, Admiral Tali'Shepard vas Normandy, General Kal'Reegar oso Machina, Major Madi'Reegar oso Machina, Military Advisor Garrus Vakarian, Second Lieutenant James Vega, Second Lieutenant Imogen Keeling, Soldier Javik, EDI, Master Thief Kasumi Goto, Major Kaidan Alenko, Shadow Broker Liara T'Soni.
Space was silent. A deadly, silent killer. No noise thrived in its depth, no sound enjoying its colloboration. Space possessed no oxygen, no way to live in it. Space was just space. Empty, binding, the inbetween.
So when the airlock door infront of them opened without a sound, without a single sign of escaping air, spinning around on its axials to land vertically, before opening completely, Marcus knew that's all there was onboard that juggernaut; just space. No oxygen, no sound, nothing. The geth had use for none of them. They didn't need to breathe, so what was the need for oxygen? They didn't need to hear, so what was the use of sound? As it was, the first corridor to greet them was as silent as the grave, a vast emptiness greeting them ahead.
James was the first out. He stepped inside, clad in his heavy gear, almost unrecognizable behind his cobalt blue armoured plate, an armoured titan. His helmet was fitted totally on his head, sealed and clamped, a large bandolier strapped across his chest, laddled with grenades and thermal clips. His armor was caked with bullet holes and black smudges, a testament to its years of use. As he moved forward, he brought up his Revenant in a quick sweep, scanning to make sure their passage ahead was clear.
Quickly, in a whisper across the radio, he spoke, "Passage is clear. Moving forward."
"Copy," Marcus replied, shouldering his mattock more firmly as he nodded to Garrus, "Vakarian, take Goto and Keeling; triangle formation. Eyes on Vega." His orders were quick and clear, but precise to the letter.
The turian understood them well. His own mattock at the ready, he moved forward, Kasumi and Keeling quickly moving in behind him, one on each side in a triangle shape. Kasumi was well accustomed to military structure by this point, moving into position rapidly, her SMG making large sweeps across the terrain, watching for ambushes. Keeling did the same, but with much more professionalism and precision.
Next was Kal, leading Javik and Madi. When the vanguard had secured the area ahead, the rest of the team moved through at a jogging pace. Again, sound didn't travel, so they were free to make as much "noise" as possible, as it would seem like they were tiptoeing to anyone else. Tali and Kaidan brought up his flank, keeping well covered as he moved forward, keeping his mattock trained and ready. There was no telling where the geth could come from.
The end of the corridor split into another, much larger one. The ceiling easily sat a few meters above them, with piping and pulsing lights beeping down on them; data centers. On their left and right were doors, leading to different sections of the ship, all of them inactive, with no visible haptic interface. Infront of them was an elevated platform with a railing, with two ladders leading up to them. Ontop was another door, the one they wanted. Ontop of that platform was also a console, which would hopefully give them a schematic of the colossus so they could traverse it more. All this, and more, Marcus was able to analyze as he reached the area.
That, and everything was that sleek, grey color. Some of it had a tinge of silver, but from behind his visor, it was hard to tell what color it actually was. All looks the same, regardless. Geth aren't ones for artistic integrity.
He lowered his rifle, "Javik, Keeling, cover the left door. Kal, Madi, the right. Everyone else, keep an eye on that airlock. Garrus, Tali, with me. Up those ladders." There was no telling when the geth would detect them, or if they already had. Marcus had never actually set foot on a geth vessel before, let alone one of this magnitude. The ship would likely be a maze of passage ways, each one being monitored by the geth programs living within the warship.
As he climbed the ladder, he almost stopped from one particular thought in his mind, but when he heard Tali clearing her throat over the radio, he shook the thoughts away, continuing his climb until he was at the top. If the geth are software, that means this ship is alive. The geth could be watching us right now, and we'd never know. How do you sneak through an enemy ship when they are the ship?
Sure, he had been on a geth space station before, but all the geth there were dormant. These ones were likely in a battle stance, waiting for the quarian's to go back on the offensive, which would never happen. If Gerrel keeps his mouth shut, stays smart and does as he's told...I love him like a man loves his uncle, but what that man did was unbelievably, unacceptably stupid-
"Marcus?"
He shook his thoughts again, realizing he had been standing with his back to the console, eyes on the door infront of them which, to his annoyance, also had no haptic interface. He craned his head to the right, finding Tali tapping away at the console and Garrus on her left, also watching the door, mattock raised and body in a crouch. Now Tali had stopped typing, her eyes looking to him for an explanation for his behaviour.
"Sorry," he replied, taking a deep breath. Good thing I have lots of oxygen in this thing. Terminus Assault Armor was unique as combat armor went, as it came with four oxygen tanks instead of the usual two, giving the user a boost in oxygen. Instead of having oxygen that would last mere hours at best, he could spend a full two days in a oxygenless atmosphere, and still have enough for a few hours. God bless this armor. He didn't know about the rest of his squad, though. They're smart. They'll have brought their own.
She simply shook her head, continuing to type, "Distracted?"
He shook his head, sighing heavily, "No, just thinking of all the geth watching us. They are software, after all, and they're practically part of the ship."
"Now I feel very insecure," Garrus grumbled, seeming to square his shoulders slightly as he looked around alittle.
Marcus couldn't hold back his chuckle, "Just keep your eyes on the door, Garrus. I'll watch your back."
"Why thanks," Garrus deadpanned, tapping his helmet absentmindedly, "I feel safer already."
"Hey, beggars can't be choosers," Marcus quipped in response, tapping his sides to make sure his SMG and shotgun were still attached. His bandolier was still in place, strapped across his chest in a similiar fashion to James. Despite his teasing of Garrus, he genuinely felt insecure. Vulnerable. Like a geth assault drone could just drop from the ceiling at any moment and blast him apart with rockets. Best to be safe.
"Damn it," Tali cursed, bracing against the console and sighing, "I couldn't could get the schematics. EDI, can you help me with this?"
"What's wrong?" Marcus asked, raising an eyebrow at her. If Tali can't get through, then what the hell are we going to do?
"The security algorithms on this vessel are extremely powerful," Tali explained, pointing at the lines of code, "The system even have backups, who have their own backups, and those backups have their own backups, and so on. Break through one line of code, and the entire firewall shuts down. And there's thousands of them. So either the geth are stopping my hacking attempts directly, or their security software is extremely advanced onboard this ship. And that's just for the schematics. Disabling weapons operation, sending the fusion plant into meltdown, shutting down systems...impossible for even five thousand geth programs to break through."
"You are correct, Tali," EDI stated, accessing the console through Tali's open omni-tool, "Although this security software is far too advanced to be of geth origin. The systems are far too adaptive, and react much faster than geth technology. These firewalls also contain traces of fragmented security maniples, which are illegal by every article of the Citadel Conventions. Even the STG and black ops do not use them."
"Security maniples?" Marcus asked, almost completely lost, "Care to explain that one to me?"
"Adaptive and reactive assault software," Tali answered, sounding almost shocked, "Its technology that is usually used by hackers to brute force through firewalls; it completely ignores passwords and immediately locks on to the source of its target. Its been known to be used by hackers who wish to cripple entire networks. By networks, I'm talking galactic networks, such as comm buoys, the extranet in its entirety. Its been known to adapt unbelievably fast, which is why its been known as the 'incurable virus.' But this...this is five times faster in its adaptive capacity. Its fragmented, meaning it can latch onto other codes of software and enhance them. In actuality, the geth are using the code not to attack the firewalls, but to harden them. Its making them impenetrable. But the geth can't possibly have made this technology. Not even the get-"
"Because it is not geth technology, Tali," EDI replied, "Only one species has the technology capable of this feat."
Marcus didn't need to be an engineering genius to figure out who EDI meant, "Seems the Reaper code has done more than just make the geth more effective in combat and smarter. What else has been enhanced that we don't know about?"
"I don't think we want to know," Tali stated, her omni-tool beginning to beep loudly, "There! The schematics...they're uploading to my omni-tool!" the engineer seemed flabbergasted, "EDI, how...? I thought these were impenetrable!"
"To you, yes," EDI replied humbly, "But if you remember correctly, I am reinforced with Reaper code. This was not just to make me more dangerous; it allows me to directly interact with Reaper technology. I have given you the schematics, and I have opened the door. I recommend moving with haste. It will not take long before the geth realize someone has hacked their systems. The Reaper code will have also improved their reaction time."
"Wait, they don't already know we're here?" Garrus asked confusingly, Tali bringing up the schematics as a large, orange hologram floating above her wrist, "I thought the geth were part of the ship. I'm surprised we made it this far without being interrupted."
"The geth are currently in hibernation. They seem to believe that with the quarian fleet absent, they will have time to recharge their platforms, exchange data and communicate," EDI stated, "The Reaper code has allowed the geth to become individual platforms, which also means individual pieces of software. However, they still require a consensus to exchange thoughts faster."
Marcus nodded, switching on the team radio, "Everybody, get up here. We have the schematics, and we're pushing forward." Without a second look, he turned back, switching back to his radio to EDI. Suddenly, something came to the pit of his mind that he hadn't thought of before, "Wait, are you telling me that the geth are actually individuals? Like me and Tali? Like you?"
"That is correct. They also possess emotions in a limited form," EDI stated, "For example, they can feel achievement, triumph, happiness, dispair and anger. However, they cannot feel love, as that is a result of sexual reproduction, a process that geth are not capable of. They cannot cry, as they possess no tear ducts, ectera."
"That's...amazing..." Tali replied, "Do you think that's what's making the geth so effective? They're ability to work independently without a consensus link?"
"Yes, although it is more than that. The geth can still access the consensus and will still require hibernation, but they can operate seperately from other units. Platforms require less geth programs to operate, and this will continue to lessen as the Reaper code allows them to evolve past their previous boundaries. This allows the geth to formulate their own ideas, expand upon previous ones, and engage in combat to the same capacity as they would have required an entire platoon present to achieve. For example, a geth prime can operate on its own and still fight as well."
"Yeah, well as interesting as that is, I think-"
There was no sound in space. Which is why Marcus didn't hear the door open by itself.
Or seemingly so.
"Contacts!" Garrus roared through the comm, "Tali, behind you!"
Marcus was moving instantly. He was infront of Tali, his rifle raising as soon as Garrus muttered his first word. Tali would have had to equip her shotgun, spin, take aim and fire multiple shots to protect herself, all of which would have taken six seconds. Six seconds too long.
James and Javik were up the ladder as the door fully opened, revealing their arrivals. The first was a familiar sight; a standard geth platform, about the size of a quarian male (slightly taller than Tali was). The geth were odd as synthetics went. The quarians had deliberately modelled them in their image, which gave the geth similiarly arched, backward facing legs, angled back and similiar elongated neck. They had three-fingers on each hand, and three toes on each foot; after that, the similiarities were over. Their heads were literally one large oculi, which acted as a flashlight. Bits of wiring and piping lines their body, adding to their robotic nature. The geth trooper infront of him was jet black in color, a pulse rifle clutched in its hands, taking aim with impossible precision.
It still wasn't fast enough on the draw.
A maelstrom of machine gun fire from James chewed up its lightly armoured carapace, tearing through its shieldless platform and chewing up piping and wiring in a hurricane of broken machinery. White liquid spurts out from each individual puncture, looking almost like blood, if not for its synthetic quality, and the fact that it spelt like paint.
The geth fell backwards from the force of the blow, body falling to the ground. At least the ship has gravity. It would be hard to fight the geth if the dead just kept floating in your face all the time. The next geth that came through was also a trooper, while the second was milky white in color, a pulse rifle also in its grip. The trooper managed to raise its rifle in time to get a full rifle burst off at Garrus before the turian in question shot it through the head, its flashlight splintering and its light winking out. It stumbled backwards, but its aim remained impeccable, firing off another shot. Garrus cried over the radio as his shields burst, but James finished the geth off before it could continue, the burst tearing off its arm before finishing it off.
The shock trooper had its sights directly on Marcus. Without even thinking, he reacted.
He charged.
His shields were drained by half before he descended on the geth, bringing his arm down on its head, omni-blade coming to life.
Only to be met by a barrier of orange light.
His eyes widened, looking up to see the geth shock trooper with its arm raised, an omni-blade encompassing its wrist, having blocked Marcus' swipe. The geth's flashlight bore into him, somehow managing to look smug at Marcus' shocked expression, despite it being behind an opaque helmet. Before he could contemplate it further, the shock trooper took advantage of his shock, and he felt a fist slam into his gut.
Even inside his armor, he felt the blow connect, and all the air blew out from the force as he wheezed in place. The geth have never had the intelligence to engage in hand-to-
The Reaper code. Damn it!
Before the shock trooper could take advantage of Marcus' vulnerability, its body was wracked in tendrils of bright blue electricity, its body quaking as it fell backwards, omni-blade winking out of existence. Marcus looked up to see an orange combat drone come down to his level, facing the geth as it followed up with a flurry of incineration attacks. The shock trooper flopped like a rag doll when every shot connected, metal superheating and melting in some areas from the intense heat of the projectile.
Another shot connected with its head, and the glass forming the chasis of its eye shattered, pieces either melting or showering onto the ground. It must have done more damage than he thought, because shortly before the third shot could hit, the geth's upper torso exploded in a shower of white, slamming into Marcus like a tidal wave, soaking his armor in dripping, hot liquid; likely superheated due to the heat built trying to operate all the geth systems simultaneously.
The skirmish was not yet over. Another trooper appeared, bringing a new meaning to the term "come out guns blazing." The warble and hiss of a pulse rifle firing didn't trascend through the lack of sound, but the bright, purple flashes were enough to tell him that it had fired. These streaks of light impacted Tali directly, but the quarian quickly brought up her omni-shield, protecting herself from the onslaught. At that moment, the rest of the squad came clambering up the ladders.
Marcus didn't wait for them.
He brought up his omni-blade again, and lunged forward in a ferocious charge. The geth was quick to respond, pivoting on the spot with machine-only speed, its rifle in his face within a second. In response, he simply slashed upward, omni-blade curving upwards and cutting through the casing of the rifle, slicing it entirely in half. The trooper platform could only watch as the edges of the cut hissed a bright orange before dying, the heat cooled by the coldness of the empty space. The barrel toppled off, and Marcus spun on his foot, turned around, and then rammed his omni-blade into the geth's chest.
The geth seemed to think about what had occurred for a second before it looked downwards. Before Marcus was about to slice up to finish it off, the geth wrapped his fingers around his throat, and constricted.
It was trying to pull his throat out. And knowing the strength they possessed, it would probably succeed.
Then, all of a sudden, the constricting ceased, and the geth jerked. His throat free, he moved backwards, deactivating the omni-blade as he went. He simply watched as the geth fell to its knees. Not long after, a bright flash, and its head exploded. It slumped forwards, likely hitting the metal plating with a loud thud, bits of machinery and liquid pouring all over the impact zone.
"Only just got back and I'm already saving you? Tsk tsk," Tali chided over the radio, pulling back the chamber as her geth plasma shotgun pumped out excess heat from the shot, allowing her to slam in a fresh thermal clip before pushing the slot back into place, "I hope you don't make this a habit, Marcus."
He sighed, grinning as he retrieved his mattock, "Savor it while you can, Tali. Its a one time thing."
"Uh-huh," she dismissed, and he could hear Kasumi's titter. The thief, to her credit, tried to hide it, but hadn't done so well. Even James gave a slight chuckle. He rubbed his head, turning to the team.
"Okay, enough's enough guys. Its clear the geth know we're here now, so we'll have to double time it," he turned to his saviour in question, "Tali, you've got the schematics. What's the best route to the engine room?"
The quarian was quick to return to duty mode, and had her omni-tool up instantly, protecting a hologram of the colossal warship, a line of corridors outlined in blue, and the engine room itself, obviously located at the rear of the ship, was highlighted as bright red. The dreadnought itself was orange.
"This corridor is the fastest route there. However, there'll all narrow areas, which means it'll be a killing ground if the geth manage to pin us there. We'll need to be constantly on the move. If the geth pin us down for even one minute, it's over. They'll have reinforcements piling in by the seconds."
Marcus nodded, in agreement, "The geth were ruthless even without the Reaper code; don't underestimate them. These aren't husks, so we'll have to keep our tactics old school. We push through, no stopping, until we reach that engine room."
"There is another problem," Tali responded, tapping her omni-tool once more. Suddenly, a massive looking tube like structure, stretching from the front of the ship almost to the back, was highlighted in red as well, moving through the middle, "The main energy projector. We'll have to pass through it to the engine room."
Marcus simply shrugged, "The geth will have no reason to use it. The quarians aren't engaging the geth at the moment, so moving through that gun will be easy. Any other issues?"
"None that I can see," Tali stated, immediately sending the necessary directions to Marcus and setting a waypoint to the squad's HUDs, "But the longer we stay here, the more problems there'll be."
"Can't argue with that assessment," Marcus ordered, motioning to the door, "Everybody move through, move, move, move!"
They rushed through the doorway, weapons brandished and ready to engage. Marcus was about to ready his mattock when his eyes were drawn back to the geth bodies littering the floor. With a nostalgic smile on his face, he dropped his mattock, leaned down, and acquired a pulse rifle, testing the familiar grip. With a chuckle, he left his forgotten mattock behind and charged after his team, pulse rifle in hand.
A/N:
Well, it certainly has been a while. But I did say I was back, and here is the proof for it.
My writing might not be as consistent as it was in the past and might be a bit sloppy for the first few chapters as I get used to writing again, so just some warning there. It might or might not happen, but consciously? I feel like its sloppy.
In answer to why I dislike the Andromeda trailer? (Hate was a strong word, and used out of context). Its because it demonstrates why terrible trend Bioware has been exhibiting lately, and that's REFUSING to show any gameplay of the damn GAME. Every single time they have had an opportunity to show us gameplay, all they've shown us is fucking CGI or bloody cinematics, which in NO WAY helps me get hyped. "Oh look, pretty graphics! Hopefully that'll distract you from the suspicious fact that we haven't shown a single tidbit of gameplay! Enjoy!"
"Oh, but the trailer was representive of the gameplay, Reaper!" Yes, AND SO WAS THE WATCHDOGS TRAILER THEY SHOWED AT E3. Not only were the graphics in that E3 representation massively over exaggerated, but so were alot of the gameplay aspects. Point being? NEVER trust E3. EVER. Hell, the Mass Effect 3 gameplay on Rannoch and Sur'Kesh at E3 2011 showed far more content, RPG-elements and epicness than was present in the final game (fuck ME3 anyway. Hated it).
And Bioware's E3 was basically fuck-it-all, no-dignity-whatsoever hype farming. They thought they could whoo us with an N7 symbol, the fucking Mako (fuck that piece of shit. Unless they make it more tolerable to drive that rolly-polly refrigerator, then I hate hyped particularly for THAT) and music that would be more fitting in a Fallout trailer (Seriously, am I the only one who got a Fallout feel from that trailer?)
In other words, I'm pissed they haven't shown us any gameplay yet. E3 was their time to SHINE, and they wasted it. They were given a ticket to see Jurassic World, and they swapped it for a day of Twilight marathons and Fifty Shades of Grey reading classes. My point being? Bioware needs to get their SHIT together, and show us some damn gameplay! Noone cares about Star Wars: Old Republic: Knights of the Fallen Empire! Its basically just EA showing its true colors again! We want MASS EFFECT.
Fuck, they still haven't even told us who the main character is!
However, what I can say is that Andromeda has given me some ideas on how to end this story. I'll leave the rest to your imagination, but let's just say that the events of FABT may just tie into Andromeda well enough for a sequel franchise (that depends on how good the actual game is, and if the characters actually interest me enough to make me give a shit. No more Vegas, Traynors, Cortez's and Allers'. No more Coats).
Keelah Se'lai, troopers! IT FEELS GOOD TO BE HOME!
P.S: I don't know if you care or not but...HOLY SHIT, HOW MANY MULTI-PART CHAPTERS DOES THIS STORY HAVE?!
