Authors note: welcome to chapter two….
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my plot, and storyline, BioWare owns; everything else.
Going through the Rift is more torture than it is a, mode of transportation. Imagine that all of what the universe is, was dropped in a blender put on liquefy and thrown from a second story window, now imagine you're tiny and, inside of it, and have no idea if you're going to come out where the map says you will. That's taking it lightly if you were going from a star to a neighboring star, much less another galaxy, other than that it's usually fun as hell, and it can be full of lovely surprises. (That's why the toilets are closed before a jump)
The first chance he got, he sent a message to the lab, about where they were going, and why.
He didn't get a reply.
"This is COMMS, all decks reporting in, only one injury." COMMS broke in a few seconds after we entered the rift"
With things still shaking, like they were, Jarud held tightly to his chair. One of the green engineers spewed breakfast, onto his desk.
"COMMS, this is Jarud. When we get out of this I want medics to the injured soldier, but only after we get out of the rift, I don't want to risk losing a medic too." Jarud ordered, hoping an over-achieving medic wouldn't charge out trying to be a, badass.
Although he got the feeling, that the SpitFire was going to need a LOT more doctors
|\_/|
After a few more minutes of shaking, crewmembers vomiting, and a data-pad landing in Jarud's face, the SpitFire emerged from the Rift.
Almost immediately after they stopped, lock-on warning klaxons started blaring.
"Sir, we have fighter's incoming! They sport Kirshain markings, but they aren't any known model!" Leyte shouted, more as re-assurance for herself, than as a report.
Jarud stood up "Get the shields up! Tell Engineering to shut off the DSE!" turning on the ship wide warning systems, and activating the intercom "get to battle stations! This is not a drill! I repeat, get to battle stations, this is not a drill!"
Jarud only had time to register the fact he was on the floor, as a handful of missiles slammed into the ships shields directly above the Command Room.
Jarud was dazed, but for a second that could not be lost.
"Get me some info, on what just hit us! And someone, tell the gunners to do their job!" said Jarud as he climbed up and into his Command Chair, as more blasts rocked the ship.
"Shields at 85%, sir!" an engineering officer reported, shortly before Jarud strapped into his chair.
"How many targets are there? Get me info people!" Jarud was shouting at his officers, as he was still in the dark on what the hell was happening.
A few officers started reporting on some unimportant things, such as engine output, something about water recycling, and then he got what he wanted.
"There reverse engineered GFEN ships, sir! The scientists must have traded them for a rite of passage!" "We need to hit the fighters with more than bullets, sir!" Leyte had finally given Jarud the info he needed, spirits bless that asari.
"We have taken two, fighters out already, sir! But there's more headed our way!" Zhephod, the combat engineer formulated. That was the good news that Jarud needed, if they could take tow down they could take down…. Why didn't he know that?!
"Get me a count on the number of fighters!" Jarud yelled to one of the combat engineers, who immediately started typing furiously on his keyboard.
"Looks like, we have twelve fighters to deal with, sir!" the engineer replied all too late, as another barrage of missiles hit the ship.
"How are our shields holding up? How many of those fighters are left?!" Jarud was afraid, he'll admit that, but he wasn't going to allow a few reverse engineered fighters get the jump on a, Ukairn.
"Sir, Another fighter is down! Looks like they're retreating!" they must've found out who they were dealing with, damn right they were retreating.
"Radio High-Com, and tell them to send more of the navy! Let them know that the Kirshain have reverse engineered some of our fighters." Jarud was pissed; shouldn't the scientist know that giving a young race modern technology was against EVERY rule in the rulebook?
Well, the Kirshain are anything but "young" now.
"Get me a damage report, as soon as all decks give a report, start towards the science facility!" Jarud said as he left his seat and headed out of the Command Room.
"Send down the reports to my room! And Leyte, have all marines meet in the CAC, and I'll need a, brief written up!" he said as he made his way out the door, and started jogging towards the lab.
The lab, where all the science happened on the ship, was run by a mid-age asari, and as he made his way into the lab, he saw her.
"Ah, Mrs. T'Soni, I was just about to call you. We're going to a science station, I sent you some mail-" before he could finish, liara cut in.
"I know, they found something valuable on Thetes. I understand that you want me down there, as the station is run by Asari." It surprised him how much she knew already, he had told her nothing, other than that they were heading towards Thetes.
"I used to work there, the administrator there is a close friend of mine. She told me that she would tell us everything, as soon as we got to her." Liara continued.
Jarud would finally get some answers, he was sure about that… but he probably has to fight his way into the facility….
As if on cue Liara responded "she said, that the entirety of her facility was surrounded by a few legions of Kirshain. And… if you were wondering, no she doesn't know what ticked them off. All she knows is that they came in force, not to long after they got the 'valued item'." So they were going to fight without knowing who was right or wrong.
After a few seconds of a mutual silence, as they both delved into their thoughts, Jarud's Omni-tool let him know he had a waiting call.
"Sir, were five minutes out from the facility, you should get up here and give a quick brief to the marines." It was Leyte's voice, so he knew that she needed to talk to him as well.
|\_/|
While on his way to the Combat Actions Center, he heard a ship wide call, for all marines to go to said place. So, Jarud picked up his pace.
When he got to the CAC he immediately saw that, Leyte was waiting for him.
"Commander, everything you need to say, is on this Data-Pad. Just let it do the talking." She said jokingly, but he knew she was being serious, she handed him the Data-Pad. Jarud was terrible at giving improv speeches; he could never find the correct words… for anything.
"Thank you, Leyte." He said scrolling through the six paragraphs of High-Com-approved gibberish.
|\_/|
After a few minutes of editing the brief, a large amount of marines, medics, and the ships CAC (combat actions consultant, the A.I. was designed to answer any questions the officers had)
Once everyone was seated, Jarud began.
He started things simple, where they were going, showing the design of the facility, and last but not least, the people they were shooting at. Then he went into, how they were getting there, which consisted of, dropping tanks and, men inside the grounds (after blowing a hole in the Kirshain siege) which would then help the Asari by, helping to close gaps in the station/facility's defenses.
They would then proceed to send every fighter and, gunship the SpitFire had currently docked inside of her, and if all else failed, evacuate the station… and detonate it; to an effect… it was martyrdom.
Authors note: well, LIARA IS HERE. There's an obvious connection between Jarud and, Leyte… let me know if it's okay or not….
See you next chapter