Well I's sorry for the time delay between chapters
I hope this one is better...its been a long time since I've written any thing more than a page...
Well here's to hoping right?
~EzeikelShepard
Choosing a Specter
The conference room had a sterile look about it with the military style clean and shiny metal walls as well as the stench of mechanically scrubbed air. The room had one set of old fashion metal double doors and a large floor to ceiling window that looked out over the purple tinged nebula and the fleet of warships that guard it. Around the long rectangular conference table sat five men shuffling through papers and data pads. Three of the men were dressed in some blue and black military dress uniforms complete with gold trim. The fourth was dressed in a white and red fancy business suit and had the air of a politician. The fifth man had a heavy old western style duster that completely concealed his body, which had a matching hood that covered all of his face except for his mouth and chin so that you can see any quirks of his mouth.
"So who's next on the list?" asked the political looking man.
"There's this Major Jones…he has won the Star of Terra for excellence under fire." Offers up an admiral with a faded Russian accent.
"All he did was sit in the back barking orders at the fleet after his ships CO was killed. Does that really make him eligible for this duty?" asked the grizzled old soldier in a gravelly voice.
"What are you implying? That he isn't capable of inspiring the masses?" asked the Russian accented admiral.
The man in the duster started to shake uncontrollably as the room was filled with a thick, rich laughter. "Well…now Mikhailovich, it appears that you already know his shortcomings."
The politician and Mikhailovich both glared at the man in the duster as the gravelly voiced solder started chuckling at the exchange. "I believe that it's unanimous when I say that his candidacy has been denied."
"Well that just eliminated the last candidate…" grumbled the politician as he double checked the list.
"Actually," the third and youngest of the three military men spoke up with a British accent. "There are at least two more candidates."
"That's true captain but I should leave if you are going to discuss their candidacy…" the duster wearing man sighed out as he got up from the table.
"What could possibly be the reason for you having to take leave of this deliberation?" questioned the now fully irritated politician.
"Well…as young Captain Anderson will no doubt inform you I raised the last two as my children and as such my opinion will be classified as biased…anyways I bid thee fair well." As he passed by each of the military men he nodded a fair well. "Captain Anderson, Admiral Hackett, Admiral Mikhailovich."
"I'm going on record saying that since they are not on the list I compiled that they should not be considered in any way." The politician intoned after the man had left the room.
"You haven't even read their dossiers! So what makes you think that you know who's best for the specter candidacy?" the captain asked in a strained voice.
"And this is a military decision not a political one," intoned an irate Captain Anderson.
"It is as political as it is military…" the politician paused long enough to review the dossiers. "Hm…this one…this one is almost too young to hold the rank and prestige she does…how did this happen?"
"She was serving under that man in the defense force of the Wolvendon systems before she was transferred to the Alliance as a liaison between the two factions," came the gravelly voiced reply.
"And why is this the first time I'm hearing of this?"
"That was because it was top secret…but since you now know it'll influence your decision," grumbled Mikhailovich.
"Damn right it will! But…she will satisfy both the political and military needs for this position," contemplated the politician aloud.
"How so?" asked Admiral Hackett.
"If she is picked she then comes to represent all of humanity and our ongoing efforts to correct the wrong doings of our past." With a smug look he pushed her dossier to the center of the table. "She has my vote."
"I hate to say it but for once I agree with Ambassador Udina…she has my vote." Captain Anderson tapped a few keys on the tablet he was holding to cast his vote.
Without uttering a word Admiral Hackett cast his vote making the total three in favor and one undecided.
"Alright already she gets my vote," grumbled Mikhailovich as he cast his vote.
"So it's been decided…by the way what is her name? I can't seem to find it anywhere…in her dossier or on the duty roster of her assigned base…" asked a thoroughly perplexed Udina.
"You won't find her name on any list…all I've found is her serial number 5923-AC-2826…"
"That's not entirely true Amiral…" Admiral Hackett gave Anderson a quizzical look. "Look up "The White Haired Demon of the Skyllian Blitz" and you'll find her name in the second paragraph."
"Why is that the only record that you know of?"
"Well, Udina, that's where I first learned her name after serving with her for 2 years. She still refuses to be acknowledge by her family name…so everyone just calls her Crimson Lyall…"
"Wait you mean THAT Crimson Lyall?" asked a thoroughly outraged Udina.
"Well now that it's been decided we will leave it to you Udina to tell her," chuckled Admiral Hackett.
"I am going to die!"
The sound of bullets impacting the low wall next to Mai greeted her as she clawed her way back to full consciousness. "-Ake u- -ake up! Wake up damn it! Marine wake up now! Marine wake up this instant that's an order! Damn it Mai wake u-gack-"
"Never use my name! Besides you try to stay awake after being nailed point blank by a reave and remain conscious…" Mai had the marine captain by the throat and was lifting him off his feet with one hand. With a sigh she dropped the soldier, "I'll finish this in five seconds flat…"
"Um…did she just-" as the soldier peaked over his cover what he saw cut his comment short.
There was a constant red mist over the battlefield as Mai punched and shot everyone in her way. Her once white hair now shone crimson as the blood flowed off of her helmet into it.
"You SOB's will all pay for my damn headache!"
Mai ran through the debris field left over from the initial attack of the pirates spinning gracefully around a grenade explosion to squeeze off three shots into the owner of said grenade. Diving for cover to avoid a sustained burst of machine gun fire she managed to lift the gunner into the air with a Lift, leaving him completely defenseless. Which she took advantage of by unloading into his chest spraying his innards in his comrade's face causing them to stager blinded for a second. And that second was all she needed, she took the chance to charge forward and slam her fist through the pirate's chest plate and out the back plate. Her momentum alone carried her and the pirate, she had just skewered on her arm, into the pirate's comrade's faceplate denting it severely and disabling all of its internal electronics. Just as Mai was going to strike another pirate her head exploded with enough force that it knocked Mai over.
"Really!? You could have warned me that you were going to shoot Jinx!" fumed Mai as she got to her feet brushing bits of bone and brain matter off of her armor.
"Hahaha just doing my job don't want daddy's little girl to get hurt now do we?" chuckled Jinx through the radio. Right after he finished laughing a rock smashed through his scope.
"Don't you ever say that again!" Mai yelled at the top of her lungs so he could hear her without his helmet radio.
She then grabbed one of the pirates by the shoulder and shoved her pistol into the juncture of the chin and the neck squeezing the trigger multiple times spraying the pirate's brains over the entire side of the shuttle they had crashed in an attempt to take out the control tower of the Alliance base stationed on Talvor Scara. After she finished with the last of the pirates in the immediate area she walked over to the nearest barracks and marched strait into the showers.
"WHAT?! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!"
"Crimson Lyall you are now pulled from all active duties and you are to report to the Citadel for your new assignment." The hologram of Ambassador Udina visibly flinched from her outburst.
"If you have forgotten I'll remind you," Mai visibly shook from her efforts to not yell at Udina again. "You cannot order me around because A. you are not military so you have no say in what I can or cannot do, B. I do not serve the Alliance and its needs I serve my own and am here only because of papa, and C. because I fucking hate politicians with every fiber of my being!"
"Good to know you still hold onto your ideals little one," the owner of the voice stepped onto the holo-terminal, he was dressed in silver armor with a black leather old western duster over it and a matching black leather hood that covered all of his face in shadows save the lower half of his face. "But what he says is true… this comes from the top little Vigdís…"
Mai stares at the holograms as if she was dreaming, "You can't be serious!"
"Sadly I am…the Jordargi have decreed to let this pass… Get to the Citadel a.s.a.p. and the rest will be explained." The duster wearing soldier turned to leave. "Oh and you father would like to have a word with you when you get there."
The shuttle to the Citadel was filled with an aura of utter distain causing the half of the shuttle that Mai sat on to be completely devoid any other passengers. Taping her booted foot loud enough to drown out the hushed chatter that had sprung up when she had removed her helmet, she muttered to herself, "What could papa be thinking letting those assholes from the Alliance have their way…" Turning her head towards the window she sighed as she began to study her reflection for the seventeenth time that trip. Her white hair framed her face in just such a way that her ears were completely hidden no matter how she moved. Her eyes were a few shades lighter than gunmetal gray, but not by much, giving her a natural cold and calculating look. Mai's face also had a white leather guard that wrapped around her neck framing her face and hugs her chin. With a sigh she gently prodded the bruise forming on her cheek from when she fell down after getting nailed by a reave.