Author's Notes:
Sorry once again for the length of time between updates here. I wanted to originally get this up before the New Year, but the holidays interfered with that. Followed by my reworking the sections I had already written, followed by a death in the family, kind of put this off.
Everything's relatively fine at this point, so no worries there. As such, here is the next chapter (along with an updated summary) which will move the plot along somewhat. Finally we're one chapter out from the historical chapter I promised, which will cover 3 events.
Also, the characters I introduced last chapter will make appearances here and there, but they are mostly in place in case I need someone for something. With humans living 300 years due to nanotech, I can count on them being alive for the future (barring death by Spectre stuff). Probably not the salarian and turian Spectres though.
I don't own Mass Effect, Bioware does and I thank them for creating the universe.
April 5th, 2087
Nos Astra, Illium
"So where are we meeting this contact of yours?" James asked as the pair made their way through the port.
"A local bar." Avictus said while a group of asari split to let them through. "He has an apartment on Illium. Probably because of its role as a port of entry between Citadel Space and the Terminus systems."
"Well given he's a krogan, I doubt its because he appreciates the view." James stated simply as even more asari began to ogle the only human in the port.
"Is that a comment on the scenery or the locals?" Avictus had noticed that while the Republics and Alliance relations were somewhat tense, most humans got along rather well with individual asari.
"A bit of both I suppose." James stated simply as he gave a small bow to a pair of asari who stood aside. "Though I have to say, I could find myself retiring here if I ever get the chance."
Rolling his eyes, Avictus couldn't help but feel a little exasperated. During the three day trip the two had talked a fair bit about missions and tactics. They had even discussed the relations different species had with one another. But so much for professionalism when something or someone 'pretty' wandered in front of him.
"So what's this fellow's name anyways?" James finally asked as they reached the bar entrance.
"Urdnot Wrex." Avictus replied with a sigh. He even managed to get a few steps further before he noticed that James had stopped cold in his tracks.
"Urdnot Wrex? You're joking with me boss."
Turning to face James, Avictus put a questioning expression on his face. "You've heard of him?"
"Well, he's been in pretty much every conflict since the Rebellions. Can't open a history book without finding him."
That response came a little too quick. And while it wasn't inaccurate, it was a bit embellished. The fact that James knew who he was referring to however did raise some questions though.
"Yes. Well let me do the talking. He tends not to trust people, unless he's been in a good fight with them. And I'd rather not have to pay for the damages you two could probably create in a fight."
"Woah, I'm not going to pick a fight with a krogan." James said with a smile, "I may like a good fight now and then, but fighting a krogan? That's just asking for a headache and a half."
"Good. Now lets not keep him waiting any longer than necessary."
It didn't take long to find him. The other patrons were wisely giving the massive figure a wide berth. And judging by the glasses in front of him, he'd been here at least a little while.
"Wrex. Good to see you again."
"Avictus." the large krogran growled. "Who's the pyjak? He one of those humans I've heard so much about?"
"James Traynor." Extending an armored hand, he continued, "Avictus here is letting me tag along on a mission or two. See the sights of the galaxy and all that."
Eying the human warily, Wrex grabbed the offered hand and shook it once, "So what you're saying is that the new kids on the block are getting their own Spectres."
"I suppose that's the long and short of it." Glancing at Avictus, James continued quickly. "Though I think our mutual pal here would like to get to the heart of the meeting."
"Right, you had information on that Eclipse group I asked you about Wrex?" Avictus asked with a scowl on his face.
"Hmmph, bunch of dolled up rich girls playing soldier if you ask me." Wrex said with a grunt, "Yeah I've got the information you wanted. But I'm sure you know you don't get it before I get paid."
Typing a few commands in his omni-tool, Avictus quickly cleared the credit transfer. Almost immediately Wrex's omni lit up with confirmation that the transfer had occurred.
"Ok, so you wanted to know where they got to. I can't tell you that precisely, but I can tell you who knows that information." Pausing briefly to input the right commands, Wrex continued, "Erisa Hajask. She's the information and money broker for the band of Eclipse who hit that supply ship. Lives a couple minutes away if you take a cab. Your omni-tool can tell you the rest."
"Thanks Wrex, we'll leave you to your drink." Turning to James, Avictus motioned for them both to leave.
Once outside the two located a cab and punched in their destination. And while Avictus was prepared to discuss how to approach the forthcoming situation, James apparently had a different idea of what would be a constructive use of their time.
"So how'd you manage to pay Wrex? I mean, no one actually covered whether Spectres are paid or not."
"And of all the times to ask that question, now seemed to be most appropriate?" Avictus asked with an amazed tone. Humans definitely had a different sense of priorities it seemed.
"Well, we won't really know the lay of the land until we get there. So yeah, how do we get paid?"
"I suppose you do have a point. As for where I got the funds to pay Wrex, the Council does provide a decent remuneration for our services. Though all Spectres tend to supplement their income in various ways."
Snorting, James gave a chuckle, "How? Rifling through pockets and searching through crates?"
That earned a glare from Avictus, "Badau might engage in that behavior from time to time. Though he also draws a paycheck from the STG still. No, I actually own stock in a couple of weapons manufacturers and have my own bodyguard service. Fiora operates an advanced biotics school she provides lessons at when she has the time. It depends on the interests of the individual Spectre really."
"Huh. I guess I better start taking a deeper look at my own maple syrup farm plans."
"Maple syrup?" Based on the fact it came from a farm, Avictus assumed it was something you ate. But some things didn't always translate well.
"Yeah, it's basically sugar that you pour on things. Makes 'em taste sweeter." James licked his lips at that, "It comes from a couple species of trees on the North American continent where I'm from. Though, a lot further north, and considerably colder. We've only managed to find four other planets that are able to grow the trees that it comes from. The synthesized stuff just doesn't taste the same, so the price has pretty much skyrocketed."
"So it's like jrask then? It's a spice from one of Palaven's deserts."
"Sure."
"Huh. To each his own I guess." Avictus settled back in his seat as the cab raced towards their destination. He had already begun thinking up several ideas on how they were to actually go about the next step in their mission.
"So any ideas on how to go about securing this information broker? Good cop, bad cop routine? Guns a blazing?" James said with an inquisitive tone.
Ignoring the obvious jokes Avictus began explaining, "Considering she's a biotic, surprise will be important. Though given that I'm supposed to be observing you, how about you come up with something?"
"Sure thing boss," Glancing out the window as the cab began maneuvering itself towards a landing pad, James began eying the terrain. "Depending on which building she is in precisely, I'll have a better idea of how to approach the situation."
"Building 525, she's on the 2nd floor above the landing pad."
"Right then. Here's what I figure, she's probably expecting a turian to come asking about a hit on one of their transport ships. So if you go in, she'll probably try to make a break for her vehicle. So here's what I'm thinking, you go in alone." Glancing at the skeptical look on Avictus' face as the cab began settling down, James continued, "You'll flush her out, and with her attention focused on you, I'll be able to get the drop on her. Of course she might not even run, in which case I hope you'll call me up to join the chat."
"I can't say I'm particularly excited about the plan. But it should work." Exiting the cab, Avictus made his way towards the office complex entrance.
Erisa was having a bad day. No, that wasn't a period of time long enough to describe her misery. For the past two weeks, since those idiots had attacked that turian supply convoy, Erisa had been worried sick. First Eclipse leadership had railed at her, asking why the band she supplied information and money to had been so stupid. Then she'd gotten reports that the turians were investigating the matter. Given what those ship had carried, it was no wonder the turians were furious.
Fortunately it appeared as though the Hierarchy hadn't uncovered who it was precisely that had attacked their convoy. But dammit, those idiots shouldn't have even gone after that convoy in the first place! She could have procured those weapons with no problems at all from one of the legitimate dealers who had set himself up on Illium in the past month! But no, Larsa had been gung-ho on acquiring that tech without any channels tracing it back to them.
Which was stupid! Erisa could channel the funds through nearly two dozen shell accounts, and Illium law made it so difficult to trace purchases if the buyer didn't want to be found that you would have to be an asari just to see the first hearing! Goddess, those dense idiots might bring the might of the galaxy down on Eclipse just because they wanted to steal something!
Erisa found her mental ranting brought to a halt as the door to her office opened. And found herself cursing Larsa's newly found ineptitude as a turian walked through the door. But it was just one turian, which was good! He might just be trying to sell some information.
"Miss Hajask? I'm Avictus Aurensus. I'd like to ask you a couple of questions."
Crap. Suddenly she understood why there was a single turian. If he wasn't from one of the innumerable elite turian units, then he was probably a Spectre. Which was definitely not good news. She could stay and just give him what he wanted, it might not even be related to Larsa's band. But just from the look on his face she could surmise that wasn't the case.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in the habit of selling information, not simply giving it away. So unless you're willing to pay, you can politely remove yourself from my office."
"Miss Hajask, this is Council business. Which you are suspected of being involved in. So unless you start answering my questions, this is only going to get worse for you."
Dammit, he was a Spectre. But she wasn't sensing any biotics energy coming off of him, so she might be able to at least get to her aircar. From there she could get to an Eclipse safehouse and plot her next move. But first she had to get past him.
"Of course. Come in then." Just get a little closer so that I can get away from you.
Erisa had to resist the urge to prep her biotics for what she was about to do. If he was a Spectre he'd probably be able to notice if she were to do so. This was so stupid, but it might be her only chance to get away.
Just as he reached her table she unleashed a biotic throw at him, arcing it so he would be pushed away from her path. Fortunately, despite his attempt to dive out of the way and despite the relative weakness of her attack, it managed to connect and send him flying.
She had already started jumping over her desk when she had launched that throw, and soon found herself crossing over the threshold of her office. Turning back, she saw the damn turian getting up already, so she tossed another throw at him. Hopefully the fact she wasn't throwing lethal attacks at him would mean something if he caught up to her.
Launching herself off the balcony overlooking the entrance, Erisa used her biotics to slow her descent. Once she felt the ground beneath her feet, she took off running for the entrance. Looking back she saw the turian at the point where she had jumped off. Strange though, he was just standing there with something close to a smile on his face.
She had barely taken one step out the door when she ran into something. Whatever it was, it caused her to bounce back almost a meter from the door. Before she could move, she found herself being hoisted up with some sort of restraint being slapped onto her wrists soon afterward.
"Going somewhere darling? I think my friend and I would like to talk to you first."
Well at least the wall she ran into had some manners it seemed. Looking up at it, she was surprised to see one of those humans. Apparently they were getting their own Spectres now. Joy.
"Okay then, how about we have this discussion back in my office?" She gave a slight grin through the pounding headache she had developed. "I guess I shouldn't have run then, huh?"
"Not the brightest plan, no." The human stated simply. And then he proceeded to lift her up onto his shoulder and carry her up the stairs.
"Thank you for not actually trying to kill me Miss Hajask. Though your attempt to run does make me feel that I'll have to corroborate what you say." Avictus said while rubbing his neck.
James had bodily carried the young asari back up the stairs in a rather humorous manner. And after dealing with the office complex security, who were not happy to have a Spectre on site, they had entered the office. Once there Avictus had promptly overridden the door controls, while James had placed the information broker into one of the chairs spread throughout the room.
"I doubt I could actually kill you Spectre. As for my cooperation, Eclipse probably won't shoot me if we're about to discuss the attack on that Hierarchy convoy two weeks ago. So you don't have to worry about me holding back there."
"And why is that the case?" Narrowing his eyes, Avictus pressed forward with his questions. James seemed to be enjoying the show if his leaning against the wall was any indication.
"Because Larsa, the leader of that particular band, did it against Eclipse leadership's express orders. And because she ignored the much safer ways I offered to get the tech for her. Goddess, there are already two human arms dealers on Illium who would be more than willing to sell weapons to anyone who asks for them." That was unusual. While Eclipse wasn't necessarily legitimate, they did tend to avoid causing too much trouble for themselves.
James spoke up from across the room, "So why did they decide to be stupid and attack a turian convoy?"
"I don't know!" Erisa exclaimed, turning to look at the large human. "They're not even supposed to be a combat branch. Until two years ago, they had basically just gone around the frontiers looking for base locations and mineral deposits."
That appeared to grab James' attention, as he suddenly pushed off the wall and strode forward. "And what happened two years ago?"
"I'm not sure. They found some artifact or something on an uncharted world and decided to build a base there. I'm the only one who knows where the base is located, up until now our leadership didn't really care about it."
"What type of artifact? Prothean?" Avictus asked. Looking over at James, he noticed there was an odd look on his face.
"No. It's older, much older. That much was clear."
Before he could continue to press the asari, James interrupted forcefully. "Describe it."
"I don't know what it looks like!" Scrunching her face up, the asari focused her thoughts for a moment before continuing, "From what I gathered, it looks organic almost. And purple. A deep purple."
That got a reaction from James, and it wasn't a pleasant one. "Jesus Christ. Have any of the members of this band brought anything back from their base site or been transferred out of that group? Quickly!" He was practically shouting at this point.
That terrified her, and alarmed Avictus. If that description unnerved someone who dropped from orbit in a small pod into the center of a battlefield, how dangerous was it?
"Uhhhh, let me think for a second." Once more she paused, though the large human aggressively tapping his arms in front of her obviously was upsetting her train of thought. "No. No one has been transferred to any other group. And they haven't brought anything back from the site as far as I know. Actually, that's another reason our leadership was getting annoyed with Larsa."
"Though one of the new girls did visit the hospital on her last trip back here. She was complaining about voices in her head." She continued after a moment.
That last revelation was apparently the nail in the coffin for whatever train of thought James had going. "We need the coordinates to that base immediately!"
Ignoring the now sputtering asari, James turned on his omnitool and opened up a communications channel. "Alliance High Command, this is Captain James Traynor. I have a Code Black-Beta situation. Repeat, Code Black-Beta. Requesting orbital support to handle the situation, with rendezvous in Illium space for transport to the target location."
Avictus wasn't expecting an immediate response, so when the dispatcher responded he couldn't keep the surprise off his face. "Captain, 2nd Fleet is dispatching the Harbinger of Songs to Illium space via wormhole transit immediately. ETA to Illium is estimated to be one hour, twenty minutes at these coordinates. Good luck Captain. Alliance Command out."
"Well, the coordinates?" The Alliance soldier turned and glared at Erisa.
"Uh, I kind of need these shackles taken off of me to use my computer." She responded meekly.
Undoing the shackles, James turned to Avictus as Erisa moved over to her computer. "Can you secure us transport to orbit?"
"Of course. Though I would like an explanation with regards to why this is bigger than a simple attack on a supply convoy."
"When we're on board the Harbinger." James glanced over at the asari, indicating that it wasn't something he wanted to discuss in front of her.
At that moment Erisa found the coordinates, "Here you are. I'll transfer them to your omni-tool. I, uh, don't suppose you'll be leaving my office now?"
Both of the Council agents turned to look at her. James was the one to answer her. "Of course. I'll see to it that the Alliance reimburses you for the information you provided. Also, we'd appreciate it if you did not let anyone know we were going to be arriving."
"Of course!" She said a little too quickly, "I don't think my superiors will mind given how Larsa's group has royally messed up! Just, please leave now."
At that she collapsed into her desk chair. Overriding the door controls once more, Avictus and James strode out. And Avictus was now unusually concerned about what exactly their mission had turned into.
April 5th, 2087
En-route to AEC-2085
At least the human ships were fast Avictus thought to himself. He'd managed to both secure transport and some supplies for himself given his dextro status on a levo ship. Though he still hadn't found out why a crusier had been diverted on what was previously a simple mission in the hour he had been aboard.
And then the shipboard AI popped up. "Greetings Spectre Aurensus. I'm sorry for Captain Traynor's delay, he has been informing Captain Alexopoulos of the situation and likely composition of Eclipse forces we will be facing. My name is Janus by the way, a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, though I would like to know why your Alliance decided to dedicate a cruiser for this mission?" Avictus asked a little testily.
At least the AI squirmed a little at the question, "Ah. I suspect that Captain Traynor would like to give you that explanation. He will be here momentarily however."
At that, the human Spectre candidate entered the room, alongside one of the shipboard marine sergeants. Before he could even ask a question, the sergeant fiddled with some sort of program on his omni-tool for a few seconds before it gave a clear chime.
"He's clear Captain."
"Good," James replied somberly, "Sorry about the wait Avictus. I had to clear some things with the higher ups, but we have a plan of action now."
"What does he mean when he says 'I'm clear'?" Avictus was scowling at this point.
"That... is a long explanation. But that's what we're going to clear up. Do you remember what Apollo said the other day about the possibility of other civilizations existing before the protheans?"
Avictus nodded, "I seem to recall a quick answer before Captain Cole changed the subject."
"Well that answer was a lie. There have been tens of thousands of civilizations that predate the protheans." That was not the answer Avictus expected. But now his curiosity was piqued.
"And what does this have to do with the artifact Eclipse discovered?"
"Absolutely everything. You see the creators of the artifact also created the Relays and the Citadel. Hell, their progenitors were the ones who initially discovered the possibilities that element-zero allows." Pausing momentarily, James dropped another bombshell. "They are also the ones responsible for the cyclical destruction of galactic civilization."
That was certainly a bold claim, "You have evidence for this claim? I find it hard to believe that the same species that created the Relays would proceed to destroy everyone that used them. Or that they are still around after millions of years."
"Humanity has uncovered clear evidence that at least 5 civilizations existed in our region of space at varying space in the past. And surely you've heard of other long dead ruins scattered throughout the galaxy?" James paused waiting for an answer. Avictus had heard of several ancient ruins predating the protheans, but the idea that they had been systematically wiped out was preposterous.
"Let us say that I have heard of such ruins. Why would the creators of the relays destroy everyone who followed them?"
"Because they believe that synthetic life, like myself, is a threat to all organic life." Janus spoke up once more. "Or at least, that's what we believe. We aren't working off much of lead on this point."
James spoke up again, "Though they don't completely destroy us. They take us, melt us down, and turn us into another Reaper. All in an effort to 'preserve' us."
"Reaper. That's your term for these beings?" This was almost unbelievable. But at the same time it explained a number of unsettling things. Like what had happened to the protheans themselves.
"No, that was the protheans' term for them. They never even learned why they were being culled. All they knew was that they were being destroyed by these almost unstoppable juggernauts."
"So how do you know all this then?"
James looked up at the ceiling for a moment before shrugging, "We don't actually know. Our understanding of wormhole theory precludes changing the universe. And things have deviated from our... source of information. Like when we discovered the Mars ruins and our technological capabilities. But so many other events have been accurate, specifically those that we could not interfere with, that we've accepted the source as true enough."
Avictus frowned at that. It wasn't a particularly good answer. But the possibility of these Reapers existing did explain the extent to which humanity had armed itself, beyond the levels needed to protect themselves from the other races of the galaxy.
"Wait. You said they melted individuals down to turn them into more Reapers. How is that possible and why would they do such a thing?"
"We're not sure about how they do it. Probably some form a disassembler nanomachine. But as for why, a Reaper is a star ship. A gestalt of representatives of the constituent species. We think there are two classes, a two kilometer long dreadnaught and a couple hundred meters long destroyer. We're not sure of the genetic requirements that determine whether a species becomes one or the other though."
"So these Reapers are incredibly powerful is what you're saying." That was not an answer he had been expecting. Even if they utilized element-zero technology exclusively, the fact that they created the Relays marked them as being extremely advanced.
"Yeah, they are powerful. But the real strength they possess is in their ability to subvert individuals to their cause." James jerked a thumb towards the sergeant standing in the corner of the room, "We call it indoctrination, and its what Rajesh scanned you for when we entered the room. Basically, they have the ability to control you; your thoughts, actions, and even your memories. To humanity, it's the most dangerous weapon in their arsenal."
"I understand now why your government dispatched a cruiser to deal with this situation. Does this indoctrination have any range limits or treatment options available?"
At that question, James frowned. "We're not sure about a lot of the specifics of indoctrination. Mostly because we can't study it without risking becoming indoctrinated. And because indoctrination may allow the Reapers access to an individual's memories, its something we can't risk, especially since every human knowing of their existence." James shrugged before continuing. "We are reasonably certain that the Citadel itself does not possess the capability to indoctrinate individuals, mostly because of its nature as the centerpiece of the Reaper trap. They didn't want it to become a target seeing as how it's the backdoor into the galaxy."
James noticed the odd look on Avictus' face after that comment and continued the explanation, "See, the Citadel itself is also a relay. We're not sure where it leads to, somewhere in the depths of space outside of the galaxy we think. Fortunately, the protheans disabled that particular function, so they can't remotely access it and usher in the apocalypse."
"So I take it that the possibility of these Reapers coming back is the reason for your species' level of military development then. What should we expect when we hit this base then?"
James grimaced for a moment, "Hopefully we'll just encounter indoctrinated Eclipse agents. Indoctrination is supposed to weaken an individual's mental faculties depending on how far along it has gone. Given the description we got of this band's actions, it might be a fair ways along."
"But we could be unlucky. If they've been enhancing their selves with Reaper tech, it's possible that one or more of them could have been turned into husks. A sort of bio-mechanical monstrosity. The asari version is particularly nasty; capable of short-range biotic hops, powerful warp fields, and biotic novas. Best advice if we encounter one of 'em, keep moving."
Locking eyes with his turian counterpart, James continued, "Also, if you come into contact with the artifact or get hit by a pulse or anything from it, I put a shot into your skull. The same goes for me and everyone else who goes down there. If we all become compromised, Harbinger has orders to launch an orbital strike on the facility with us inside it." Pausing, James chuckled darkly, "Though given the nature of the artifact we're after, that's the endgame no matter what. Hopefully we'll be able to steer clear of it."
Avictus couldn't say he was thrilled at the prospect of having a round passing through his skull. But given the sheer panic that the Alliance showed at the possibility of this being connected to these Reapers, he couldn't blame them for the precautions they were taking. And he had to admit, the thought of being controlled like this band of Eclipse possibly were was unsettling.
"You do realize that I'll have to inform the rest of the Council of this information of course? Despite the somewhat sparse nature of how you know all this, they will have to come together and discuss how to proceed."
"Yeah, we realized as much. Publius has already been informed of the Code Black scenario and will be informing the rest of the Council in more detail after we complete this mission." Grimacing James paused for a moment before continuing, "Hopefully he'll be able to convince them to hold that meeting off the Citadel."
"If the Citadel really is a Reaper construct, then I sure hope that's the case. How long until we reach the target location?"
"About 14 hours. Which gives us enough time to figure out how we're going to tackle a base full of mentally unstable asari commandos."
Codex Entry:
Alliance Planetary Classifications
While all species colonize worlds which are capable of supporting life, the Alliance differs in its method of classifying the colonies it has already established. While other species classify their colonies on the basis of economic development, the Alliance focuses on the defensive capabilities a colony possesses. This is not to say that the Alliance is unconcerned with economic development, simply that it does not factor into government planning.
The first level is the Frontier World level. Colonies at this level have only been recently established, and thus rely on Alliance Navy detachments for orbital defense. On the surface, defenses and towns are based around armories where much of the militia's weaponry is stored. The primary means of defense at this level is from the planetary militia, made up of the adult population, supplemented by small numbers of marines.
The second level is classified as a Standard World. At this stage, orbital defenses consist of both orbital gun emplacements mixed with local naval detachments. Surface defenses include both the militia, still supported by local armories, and permanent planetary defense forces. Cities and towns have local shelters which are protected by automated defenses and shield generators.
The third level of classification is Core World status. Orbital defenses at this level have advanced to include manned defense stations and hangars accompanied by unmanned gun emplacements. At this stage a planet has developed its own local defense fleet and does not rely on naval resources to protect its space. Planetary defense forces are large and well equipped, now supplemented by militia forces rather than the reverse. Cities and towns have developed staggered defense lines centered around armory locations and are protected by powerful defense shields.
The final level of classification consists of Fortress Worlds. At this stage, orbital defenses are extensive, with all approaches to a planet covered by staggered defense shells. While a planet at this level has extensive local defense fleets, naval assets are often devoted to their defense as well. Surface defenses are extensive as well, with all cities protected by shields and military bases. Twelve worlds are confirmed to have this status, foremost among them: Earth, Chiron, Haven, and Altera. Rumors exist of a thirteenth world with this status, but those rumors are unsubstantiated at this time.
Author's Note:
Originally I was going to have Apollo and Badau encounter the merc base with a Reaper artifact in it, but this chapter evolved to cover this plot point so it was moved forward. And I know I didn't cover everything about the Reapers, but the dialogue feels particularly stilted there.
So the next chapter will cover the attack on the Eclipse base and the Council discussion. I know I'm kind of ruining the surprise there, but what else would I cover? Also I forget, is Eclipse the merc band that has salarians in it as well?
Also, I hope this codex covers somewhat why humanity isn't particularly concerned about the other powers gaining access to hyperdrive. Most colonies are well protected, so its too much hassle and cost to attack a comparatively sized human world relative to another power's world. It typically takes 2-5 years for a colony to move from Frontier to Standard status, dependent on economic factors and immigration, and the surface defenses are the first things set up alongside housing. Haven was special due to its resources and the presence of a Relay leading to another galactic power in the system.