Chapter 4: Clamor belli
A/N:
Hello people.
Well, I'll be short, I need to ask for a favor of all of you.
You know that at the start of the history I said that the humans' ships were undetectable?
Well, now I have the problem that I have no idea of how to make the First Contact to happen with the turians, I had a few ideas but all of those collided with the quarian First Contact.
So please, please forgive me. But the human ships are going to be detectable (but not by heat emissions).
And what happened to the feedback? I need to know if you like the history.
Thanks
RedHood02
It seems to be weak when
You are strong and strong
When you are weak.
-Sun Tzu.
January 20, 2150: The quarians start to settle on the planet given to them by the humans.
January 31, 2150: All of the quarian fleets (except the civilian one, which is decommissioned) are sent to be upgraded with adamantium armor, the end time is undetermined given the size of the fleet. The location where the upgrades are going to take place is top secret, also has stopped the construction of ships; half of the Eighth Fleet is left to protect the planet.
September 15, 2151: High command decides to explore the relays connected to the Aurora System.
September 20, 2151: The results of the exploration of the relays:
"The Aurora System has two relays, the first one led to human controlled space, specifically to the Sol system, this relay is activated and monitored, the second one led to unknown space."
-Observations
"Is heavily encouraged to follow the trajectory of the second relay and know what is on the other side, after that it is recommended to add the other relay to the patrol route."
September 23, 2151: Following the recommendations, the 36º Patrol Flotilla follows the trajectory of the relay (with the help of the AIs) and arrive to the other side. The system is explored and the relay is added to the outside patrols. The relay is called XB-413.
August 30, 2153: The metal synthesizer is invented because the adamantium natural reserves are getting low.
September 1, 2153: The quarians end to settle in Aurora (the real name is unpronounceable in human or saryn languages, 'Aurora' being the closest translation possible) also the 30% of the former migrant fleet is now upgraded with the adamantium armor.
February 23, 2154: Two colossi and a garrison of 500 soldiers is left on Aurora to protect the planet.
Abril 17, 2157: A turian fleet finds Aurora.
"I still don't understand why the Hierarchy wants to explore this area of the galaxy," Admiral Lori Qu'ing's XO say, Qu'ing was the Admiral of the 6° Fleet.
"Because we need to find dextro-planets," he answered.
"Yeah, but why behind the Council's back? On the way here we've activated three relays."
"The Hierarchy needs more colonies," Qu'ing replied, "but the Council doesn't want to activate new relays."
"Besides that, why did they send an entire fleet?"
"Well, because if we find another race we can make them a client one," said Qu'ing as he stared at the next relay they were heading through. "Activate the relay."
"Yes, sir," the XO inserted the code to activate the relay, a few minutes later the relay was activate. "Relay is online."
"Good, contact the rest of the fleet, we are going through together."
"Yes, sir," said the XO and the rest of the fleet was put in position to make the jump together. "3…2…1, go!"
The fleet made the jump, when they arrived to the other side they were received by a sight they were not expecting.
"What the hell?" Qu'ing asked dumbfounded.
"Sir!" a scanner officer shouted.
"What?"
"Above the planet, the scanners have detected off the charts energy levels."
"What?" he asked in disbelief. "Make a visual scan."
In front of him a vid-screen appeared, 500 hundred ships could be seen moving in formation.
"Why didn't the heat scanners detect this?" he wondered confused, when suddenly a cruiser exploded.
"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?" Qu'ing demanded.
"We don't know," his XO answered. "The ship just exploded!"
"Is there any way to isolate the emissions for each ship?"
Another 45 ships exploded.
"Ok, let me see, " the officer started to work furiously. "Ready."
On the vid-screen, the enemy ships appeared as a white point.
"Sir, the rest of the fleet did the same."
"Good, open fire!"
A few hours later, the combat ended, 60% of the turian fleet was destroyed. The turian invasion of Aurora started, but when the turians arrived at the cities, they found fierce resistance from the quarians and humans (the turians didn't know about the last one) who fought for every inch of Earth.
Days later the last of the cities fell to the turians, but this was a bittersweet victory. The turians had to withstand heavy losses adding salt to the wound, a few platoons of humans and quarians soldiers escaped from the cities and hid in the forests nearby.
"How many losses?" Sergeant Alexander Shepard asked through a walkie-talkie.
"4% of the garrison is still alive, sir," a soldier answered.
"Dammit," Shepard sighed. "And the colossi?"
"Destroyed by enemy air support."
"Try to contact the other platoons," he ordered.
"Yes, sir," said the soldier and he turned off the walkie-talkie. Shepard then turned to face his platoon, or what was left of it, there were only four soldiers still alive, excluding the two quarian Marines they had found on the way.
"What are the orders, sir?" a soldier asked, Shepard took an old paper map of the capital from his pocket and put it on the floor.
"Why don't you use your omni-tool?" a Marine asked.
"An old rule when you fight the unknown, use as less technology as possible," replied Shepard.
They were using this rule because the archives said nothing more than the weakness and strengths of the turians but that information was from when they were a primal species.
"Ok, we need to go to the commissary, any ideas?"
"Why we don't contact the First platoon?" a soldier asked. "They're Ghosts."
"I've already contacted them," said Shepard, suppressing a sigh. "They're busy doing guerrilla strikes in one of the cities in the East, any other ideas?"
"We should wait dark," said a Marine. "Enter into the city and go to the commissary under the cover of night, sir."
"Ok, good one, any questions?"
"I have one," said the other Marine.
"Shoot."
"Why haven't the humans fleets arrived?" the marine asked, trying to hide the venom in his voice, failing miserably.
"Because we're in alpha protocol," snapped Shepard. "Look before you say anything more, today they were supposed to finish the construction of the planetary defense cannon. Besides that, the other half of the Eighth Fleet should have arrived today as well, because high command can't find another function for them. But the moment the crows appeared, everything was stopped in human and saryn space, even the relay was deactivated. If we want to be found, then the only way to contact High Command is with a code we left hidden in the commissary of the capital."
"What!?" the two quarians shouted, shocked.
"Shit," Shepard muttered under his breath. "Well… when we helped to build the cities, we hid a code in a security vault in the commissary of every capital. Anyway, when we enter the code in one of our omni-tools the communication's jam is overridden. The code erases itself after a few seconds, so we use that time to initiate oblivion protocol, or where they can send the fleets for help."
"Ok… I understand," said the Marine.
"Anymore questions?" asked Shepard and no one answered. "Well then, dismissed."
Shepard left the group and sat down, leaning his back against a tree, then he felt someone touch his shoulder.
"Hey Shepard, are you alright?" asked a voice and Shepard lifted his head to see one of his soldiers standing above him.
"No Jeff, I'm not alright," he said sadly.
"Why?" asked Jeff as he sat down beside him.
"I spoke with Hannah in the morning," he said softly. "She gave birth to our son yesterday afternoon."
"For real?" asked Jeff stunned.
"For real," confirmed Shepard.
After a time Jeff asked, "Where did she give birth?"
"On Arcturus station," replied Shepard. "I don't know what to do, I'm ready to die, all of us were trained for that, but... I don't want to leave Hannah alone with the baby."
"I understand, but—" started Jeff before he was cut off by a voice coming through the walkie-talkie.
"Sergeant?" the same soldier from before asked and Shepard grabbed the walkie-talkie.
"Yes?"
"Only the First, Sixth, and Eleventh platoons are still alive apart for us, the First platoon is the only one without casualties."
"Goddammit," Shepard muttered. "Understood, keep radio silence until further news."
"Yes, sir," said the soldier and then the link was killed.
He turned to face Jeff. "Tell the others to rest for a little while, it is going to nightfall in a few hours."
"Yes… Shepard."
A few hours later when the dark had set in, the small platoon left the forest with a course for the capital. After evading turian patrols, and killing some, they arrived to the commissary undetected, the only problem was that the commissary was heavily defended.
"Are they stupid or something?" a soldier whispered.
"Why do you say that?" a Marine asked in a low whisper.
"They use enemy structures like a headquarters, they don't know if they have explosives in them or something."
"You put explosives in your buildings?!" the Marine said, shocked.
"Mmmm… noooooo" the soldier answered, trying to divert the question.
"I've never seen a race this paranoid."
"Shut up," snapped Shepard stopping the conversation. "Listen up people, change of plans, there is no way we can get in undetected."
"What are the new orders, sir?"
"Anyone remember the lightning attack?"
"The one used by Hitler in the WWII?" asked a soldier.
The quarians didn't know what was the meaning of Hitler, lighting attack… or WWII, but for some reason the name gave them a bad feeling.
"That's the one."
"Yes, why?"
"That's the only thing that comes to my mind right now," said Shepard, an evil smirk on his face.
"Sir, you have to be kidding, that's suicide!"
"But that works for the pilots, right?"
"Yeah, but they have the Titans to save their asses."
"Wait a second," a Marine interjected. "What is a lighting attack?"
"To put it simply, we go and attack fast and hard before they can make an organized defense."
"What!?" the Marines were surprised and scared.
"Look, if you want, you can stay here," he then turned to his platoon "but we all go, right?" The soldiers nodded. "Good, take out the silencers and change to explosive ammo."
Everybody did as they were ordered.
Shepard looked at them as they changed their ammunition. "So, does anybody know something cool to scream?"
"What?" a quarian asked, confused.
"Why not 'Blitzkrieg'?" a soldier suggested.
"Really?" Shepard answered raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, why not?" the soldier asked with a shrug.
"Does anyone know another?" Shepard sighed. "Very well then, 'Blitzkrieg' it will be." Shepard readied his weapon, one reminiscent of the old M4A1.
Shepard took out a grenade, same that the rest of the platoon. "Three… two… one!"
"BLITZKRIEG!"
Shepard and the rest of the platoon threw their grenades at the commissary. When they exploded they started running to the commissary, the quarians staying behind to provide cover fire, shooting the whole way thanks to their augmented speed provided by their exoskeletons. They reached the front door in a less than a minute, when they entered they ran to cover.
"In times like these, I wish I could be a fucking Ghost!" a soldier shouted before throwing a grenade into a group of turians.
"And miss all this fun?" Shepard retorted. "No way!" He shot at a nearby turian, his explosive ammunition taking off the alien's face.
"No, I love the fun," said the soldier as he moved from one cover to another. "But don't you sometimes think that being a Ghost would be cool?" He received a few shots to his armor.
"Cool?" another soldier asked sarcastically. "Since when are stealth missions cool?"
"Yeah, you know what would be really cool? Being an N7."
"Yeah, that-"
"Shut the fuck up!" Shepard shouted annoyed. "You two know it's illegal to speak about the N7s." Shepard killed the last turian in the area.
"Sorry, sir!"
"Yeah, just… I'll let it slide this time," he said as he reached for his earpiece. "Falcon Eye?"
"Falcon Eye here," a quarian Marine responded, the codename referring to the leader of the quarian Marines remaining outside.
"What's the situation out there?"
"We have good news and bad news? Which do you want first?"
"The bad news."
"We've located and hacked into a turian omni-tool, at least five platoons are coming here."
"Dammit, and the good news?"
"All the turians outside are dead," said the Marine before he closed the channel.
Shepard turned to face his platoon. "Ok, the bad news is, at least five enemy platoons are coming here and should arrive at any second."
"Five platoons?" a soldier repeated shocked. "I mean, damn our instructor should be impressed!"
"Jeff follow me," continued Shepard. "The rest of you, assume defensive positions and be ready for anything."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers moved to defensive postures while Shepard and Jeff ran to search for the Code.
Meanwhile 150 Km under the Mars surface, an emergency meeting of the UTC and the SRM (Saryn Royal Military) was taking place.
"How's the situation?" Esteban asked, he was one of the six people who commanded the UTC.
"Very bad," Sofia answered, she was another of the persons who commanded the UTC. "The last report before alpha protocol was fully activated was that the enemy fleet has nearly 2000 ships."
"Goddammit" he turned to a saryn. "How is the situation in saryn space?"
"We have already applied alpha protocol."
"Good, so what do we do now?"
"Wait… for the best to happen."
In Aurora
Shepard and Jeff were still searching the code.
"Fucking idiots, why can they never leave the Vault in the same place?" Jeff asked, clearly annoyed.
"Security manner, in case-" he started but was cut off by his earpiece.
"Here Falcon Eye," said a soldier; gunfire could be heard in the background. "We need assistance, I repeat, we need assistance, the turians have found us, I repeat, the turians have found us!" There was a cry of someone dying. "We are heavily outnumbered-" the call was cut abruptly, a few minutes later gunfire was heard again.
"Sir!" said someone else, now using a different channel.
Shepard put his fingers to his earpiece, "Yes?"
"The Enemy platoons have arrived," Heavy gunfire was heard on the call and just beyond their current position.
"How many turians?"
"At least 60 turians, sir!" The explosion of a grenade was heard. "I don't know how much longer we can hold this position!"
"I found the Vault!" Jeff shouted triumphantly.
"Hold a few seconds more, we've found the Vault."
"Understoo-" The call was cut again, Shepard ran to where Jeff was.
"What happened?" he asked, opening the Vault.
"We lost the others."
"You've got to be kidding," Jeff said, incredulously. "The MK Armor is supposed to be impenetrable."
"They were heavily outnumbered," replied Shepard just as footsteps were heard outside. "Dammit, they've found us."
Shepard and Jeff ran into cover just as the the door was blown open, the first turians began to pour in and they emptied a mag into each of them.
"Shepard!" Jeff shouted. "Insert the code, I'll cover you!"
Jeff threw a grenade into the door, Shepard left his cover and inserted the code in his omni-tool, the alert that his omni-tool was jammed was changed by a com-link to High Command.
"HERE SERGEANT ALEXANDER SHEPARD, INITIATE OBLIVION PROTOCOL, I REPEAT, INITIATE OBLIVION PROTOCOL, EARTH IS NOT SAFE, I REPEAT, EARTH IS NOT SAFE!"
The code erased itself and the omni-tool was jammed again.
"What now?" Jeff asked, reaching for his pistol.
"You and I both know we won't get out of this alive," Shepard said calmly as he reached for a grenade.
"Yeah," Jeff reached for a grenade as well. "Do you know something cool to scream?"
Shepard laughed. "One."
"Two."
"Three."
"FOR TERRA!"
They took out the safe of the grenades and started to run to the turian position.
Mars
The main door of the Chamber opened abruptly.
"Gentlemen, we've received a call," the human soldier said rapidly.
"What's the priority?"
"Priority oblivion," said the soldier and when that word was mentioned, everyone was staring at him.
"Put it through right away."
The human nodded and turned on his omni-tool and the record of the call started:
"HE... SERGEA..."gunfire was heard in the background even with the static "XANDER...EPARD, INITIATE OBLIVI... PROTO...I REPE... INITI...OBLIV...TOCOL, EARTH IS... SAFE..., I REPEAT...RTH... NOT...FE"
"The call ends there," said the soldier.
Everyone in the room was left frozen by the call, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly Esteban stood up. "You heard him, initiate oblivion protocol now!"
Everyone in the room stood up and ran outside to give the order.
All human fleets began to mobilize to the home system. The N7s, pilots, colossi, and wolf divisions were deployed, while the evacuation of the mayor cities around the world started. The Oblivion Protocol was activated for the first time in history.
Meanwhile, on Palaven
"Sparatus."
"Yes, Fedorian?"
"We've intercepted a communication from the quarian world."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"What was the message?"
"It was: 'HERE SERGEANT ALEXANDER SHEPARD, INITIATE OBLIVION PROTOCOL, I REPEAT, INITIATE OBLIVION PROTOCOL, EARTH IS NOT SAFE, I REPEAT, EARTH IS NOT SAFE'."
"What do we know about this place called Earth?"
"Most like it is the principal planet the quarians now inhabit," said Fedorian. "That or they uplifted the race who lived there originally and took their planet."
"Those suit-rats," Sparatus muttered. "What do we know about this race?"
"They're very adaptable to our tactics and experts in urban warfare, besides, they're fanatical to boot, until now they've been fighting to the last man."
Sparatus snorted. "Do we know where Earth is?"
"Yes, we intercepted the message and are asking you to send the Destiny to it."
"We will, and you'd better send three quarters of the Navy, Fedorian."
"Three quarters!?" Fedorian exclaimed, shocked at the Councillor's instructions.
"Remember, they have fifty thousand ships."
"Alright," he said before cutting the call.
20 hours later, three quarters of the turian fleet, approximately 21,000 ships, arrived. They were then debriefed about the mission before they activated the relay that led to human space.
"So, Qu'ing , should we be worried about something?"
They were now passing next to a planet with several rings.
"No Vakarian, calm down," said Qu'ing. "We already destroyed their fleets at the quarian planet."
"Yeah, sorry-"
"Sir, we have fifteen objects coming from that red planet."
"Do you know what they are?"
"No, sir, they're too hot to be a ship or something-" the officer's mouth dropped open sharply.
"What's happened?"
"They've impacted some of our ships, they just skipped the shields."
"You mean-"
"This is not good."
The ship of Admiral Qu'ing was then destroyed by a planetary defense cannon.