Mass Effect: Guerrillas
"You've lost contact with the fleet?!" yelled Councilor Tevos at her turian counterpart.
Wincing at Tevos' outburst Councilor Sparatus continued on with what he was saying before her interruption. "Admiral Gaeus' last transmission reported that the pacification was…less than stellar. We lost contact shortly after that. His fleet is assumed destroyed."
"Gaeus said they had no ships." Said Tevos "How could they have destroyed the fleet?"
"Gaeus only reported there were no ships in orbit of planet." Said Valern "They most likely brought them in from other worlds. If they captured any of the fleet intact then they have the location of the Citadel. We must expect an attack."
"This is your fault!" yelled Sparatus pointing at Udina accusingly
"My fault?!" said Udina "How is this my fault?!"
"You should have warned us that this 'Red Faction' was this powerful before we blindly went charging in!"
"It isn't my fault you decided to charge in without gathering intel. Besides I'm as in the dark on the Red Faction as you are."
"You're telling us that since their independence the Alliance hasn't gathered a single shred of intel on them?" said Valern incredulously
"Any spying attempt would on them would have been seen as an act of war and I'm guessing they thought the same since they haven't tried to spy on us. We have sensors all over the Sol System. We detected their freighters going somewhere out of the system and some weird energy readings from Mars but that's about it. They weren't seen as a threat so they were allowed to go unnoticed." Said Udina
"Ambassador will the Red Faction be willing to negotiate?" asked Tevos
"N...negotiate?!" sputtered Sparatus "Tevos you want to negotiate with a group of terrorists that have most likely killed hundreds of turian soldiers?! The Citadel Council doesn't negotiate with terrorists!"
"Terrorists might be pushing it a bit. The Red Faction will have most likely formed some sort of legitimate government since their independence. Best case scenario is a democracy; Worst case a dictatorship. Either way it's a government and open to negotiation." Said Valern
"Well Ambassador. Will they negotiate." Asked Tevos
"It's…possible. The Faction might be willing to negotiate but from what I can guess they'll only do so if they're in a position of power."
Suddenly the entire Citadel shook as several explosions rocked the station simultaneously. Hurrying to the window just in time they could see another explosion. Unlike the others this one seemed to be an EMP device of some kind. Power in the entire station baring essential systems like air filtration were disabled. As if things could get any worse a fleet of ships which were larger than anything they've ever seen before dropped out of FTL directly in front of the station and immediately began opening fire on the Citadel Defense Fleet.
The Councilors instantly recognized the hammer sigil on the side of the larger ships as that of the Red Faction's. This attack was no doubt their retaliation but they never expected it to happen so soon. They could see fighter and shuttle craft being launched from the ships and heading straight for the Presidium. The explosions and EMP were most likely used to cripple the Citadel though how they got the saboteurs on the station so quickly was a question the STG & Spectres would have to answer. They did their job though. The Wards are most likely in chaos now and C-Sec is going to have a hard time fighting off the Faction and keeping the populace under control.
"Well it's probably safe to say the Faction is in a position of power now." Said Udina who withered under the glares from the unamused Councilors.
One Hour Earlier
Kyle Harris made his way through the labyrinth of maintenance tunnels in the deep recesses of the Citadel. Few knew about these tunnels since the only ones that made use of them is the Keepers. Well them and the organic maintenance staff. The Keepers only focused on the big things like hull breaches or massive power failure. The things that threatened the station. They could care less if an apartment's air conditioning stopped working or if the water pressure is too high or low. It was his job and that of the rest of maintenance to fix these problems. Which made him a glorified repairman.
He was way overqualified to be doing this job. He studied at engineering in the Alliance's most prestigious university. He thought those on the Citadel would appreciate his talent. Job after job was handed away to aliens over him. At first he brushed it off thinking they were more qualified than he was until that one day. He applied for work at this prominent corporation only to have the job handed to this young Asari. The more qualified argument wouldn't cut it since in the waiting room he and the Asari talked for a bit. She might have been 70 years his elder but in terms of engineering she was a novice. They both reached the conclusion that he was most likely to receive the job until the boss this Turian woman came out and dismissed him. She told him to leave and that his services weren't required. The Asari gave him a forlorn glance and awkwardly mouthed 'Sorry'. As he left he could hear the turian mutter 'filthy human'.
It was then he started taking Cerberus seriously. He went to a couple of meetings and he liked what he saw. At the meetings they dispelled any rumors people might have heard about Cerberus. While they mostly look out for humans Cerberus is not anti-alien. They'll help anyone that's been screwed over because of their species. He could get behind that because he's stood up for Quarians on more than one occasion. It's not like they wanted the Geth to go Terminator on them. After going to a few of them Kyle signed up. They got him a job here in maintenance. They explained while Cerberus needed engineers they needed ears a lot more and be willing to bump his paycheck once in a while. Eyes, ears, and even hands in the right places at the right times are worth more than a fleet of dreadnoughts. Like now. The Illusive Man contacted him and few others personally (!) for a big mission.
Cerberus is allying with the Red Faction of all people. The Illusive Man alleviated any concerns people had by telling them that the Alliance wasn't completely honest about the Faction when they rebelled. The Faction turned out to be the victims of the conflict and the Alliance covered it up. He wasn't surprised. Since joining Cerberus he learned stuff like this all the time. Like how the Alliance lets independent colonies get raided by pirates and slavers to pressure them to return to Alliance Space.
He and the others were being sent out to set explosives in key areas. Armories, Gun emplacements, and C-Sec Headquarters. He was given the most important job. An EMP bomb powerful enough to knock out almost every non-shielded electronic on the Citadel. The station will be in chaos for the Faction's attack. Skycars will be grounded, power out, and translators will be shut down. Most used omni-tool translators instead of going for an implant or actually learning the language like some humans and Asari do. The EMP will make cross-species communication impossible.
Kyle arrived at his destination. The tunnel he was in was completely unremarkable except for the fact it was the most centralized location he could find to detonate this thing. He gave the bomb one last once over before arming it. Everything seemed to be in order. It should since he was the one who designed the damn thing. Checking the time he set the bomb to go off in an hour. That would give him and his team long enough to get back to their safe houses and watch the show.
"Bet they didn't expect this from the filthy human." Kyle muttered before delving back into the tunnels.
"Shame isn't it?" said Bobby as they watched the Citadel burn.
"What?" asked Jake
"Shame that all those civies down there have to die and they don't know why…" he replied watching as the wreckage from destroyed Council ships and wayward blasts hit the station.
"It was a shame all the people on Keplar had to die and they didn't know why." Retorted Mason
"A wise man once said 'An eye for an eye and the whole world will end up blind'." Bobby replied watching this big cross shaped turn into a ball of fire.
"Oh no. Don't be that guy Bobby. Do not be That Guy right now."
"Relax Mason. Man gets philosophical and you go crazy."
"I know what you mean." Said SIRI "I have to speak slowly around him so he can understand."
"One of these days SIRI…" said Jake "What I want to know is why I'm not down there kicking ass?!"
"The Brass has a special mission for you Mason. You and a few of your Commando buddies are gonna get dropped off at that Tower over there. Then you are gonna take the Council. Alive. No need to start a war."
"I'm pretty sure we're already at war Bobby" Jake replied pointing at the battle raging outside the window.
"Still no need to escalate it. Oh yeah and the brass wants to avoid hurtin the Alliance's citizens. No need to give them an excuse to go to war with us."
"Fine. Anything else?"
"I will be staying here." Said SIRI "The alien 'VIs' are primitive but numerous. All of us AIs are needed with the fleet to repel their cyber attacks and do some of our own. Besides you and the other commandos is more crazy than I can handle…"
"Come on Mason." Said Bobby "You best go and suit up. You'll be leaving in 5."
Jake grimaced as the dropship shook violent for the 4th time in a row. Probably got hit by another shell. These Stone-Class Dropships were ugly, uncomfortable things but they were durable. They had to be since they were designed to fly in heavy combat areas. Their mission was simple. Get dropped off right in front of this 'Citadel Tower', kill any aliens in there way, and capture the Council. Oh and don't kill any humans or alien civilians. The brass was very insistent on that. They want to end this war not give them reason to keep it going and despite Cerberus telling them the Alliance's ambassador was responsible for the Council attacking Kepler it wasn't in violation of the treaty. Turns out it lacked a 'don't tell aliens to attack us' clause. Well it most certainly was going to be amended after this.
This was going to be tough. The Council was going to be heavily guarded especially since their usual area they would retreat to incase of an attack which was that cross-shaped ship was unavailable. The briefing told them to expect large amounts of C-Sec which was the station's police force and military. C-Sec has few humans so they won't have to worry about accidently killing one. Spectres were a different story. They were all alien so no worries there but what was a worry was their skill. Cerberus said they were the Council's elite able to go on the toughest missions and do the impossible. He couldn't wait to put that to the test.
Jake was lucky to have a good team to back him up. These guys were Commandos like him and just so happened to be friends of his. They like all Commandos had a few…quirks. Jake had his own which was his love of explosives and making things go boom. Not too bad when compared to some other Commandos. The worst ones are usually given some dead-end in assignment somewhere since kicking them out of the military back into Civilian life was a disaster waiting to happen…
Zap was the team hacker. He'd get them through any locked doors they happened to come across. He was a pretty nice guy. The kind you want to date your daughter. That's how nice he was. There was only one itty bity problem. Zap was a cyborg. He wasn't discriminated against but the length he went to modify his body is…unnerving. By this point he is only 40% organic having replaced all of his limbs and most of his organs. He said he won't stop until he's maybe 80 or 90% machine. When asked why he said why not? He's going to leave his digestive track intact since in his own words 'food tastes to damn good'.
Farsight was the team sniper. She was the best in the entire Faction. The only problem is how distant she is. He heard Farsight had always been a shy girl but when she took that knife to the throat on one mission severing her vocal cords leaving her without the ability to speak. She closed herself off from the world then becoming completely engrossed in her work. The cold, emotionless, silence as she brings down a target and her penchant for suppressed rifles led her to gaining the nickname the 'Silent Hunter'.
Private is the team's rifleman. He gained his name from his days in the Troopers. Despite his skill in combat his rebellious attitude kept him at the rank of Private. The Brass suggested he enroll in the Commandos and so here he was. His dad was a gunsmith and taught his son everything he knows about gun making. His personal weapon is a result of this training. The Red Rifle is a modular gun that he can easily convert to a rifle, shotgun, and grenade launcher modes.
Dakka is the team heavy. A tall friendly woman of colonist and marauder heritage. She is the most enthusiastic about combat and maintains her friendly attitude throughout even the fiercest of battles. She laughs with evident glee as she cuts down her enemies disturbing both them and her allies. Private modified her autocannon as a birthday gift making them instant best friends. The autocannon which she named Wilson Moe Down was her main weapon though she carried around a thermobaric missile launcher for special occasions.
The red lights inside the dropship suddenly turned orange signaling an imminent landing. The squad made final preparations for combat. 'Here we go.' Thought Jake
The lights turned green and the rear door began to open. Almost instantly a rocket flew through the crack in the door and exploded inside the ship. The ship wasn't harmed expect for a dent where the rocket impacted. Like he said these dropships were durable. The squad was shaken but also unharmed. That he attributed to their Commando Armor. It was a special kind of power armor trading in the strength increase for added protection which in circumstances like this was a blessing.
Dakka having recovered first was the first one out. "Come on guys!" she yelled spinning her autocannon "Do you want me and Will to kill them all?"
Dakka ran out to greet the two dozen C-Sec officers of various species already firing at her. She paid no attention to the rounds pinging off her armor already leveling her autocannon. Dakka pulled the trigger letting out one long continuous burst and slowly spraying the entire area. A normal autocannon would eat through ammo used like that but Will was equipped with an extra-large backpack ammo container ensuring she had plenty of ammunition. Jake noticed there were a couple of humans mixed in with the alien officers.
"Dakka remember what command said! Don't kill any humans!" he yelled over the noise of her autocannon firing.
"Alright I won't kill any Earthers today! Another day perhaps?!" she said while readjusting her fire.
The last alien fell leaving two humans standing alone in a field of bodies. They looked to be shell shocked not having seen such carnage before. Turians sawed in half. Asari with fist sized holes riddling their bodies. A mangled mess that used to be a Salarian. It wasn't all that surprising when one of the officers puked at the sight. Zap walked up to them and grabbed one of the officers by the collar.
"Unless you want to die too I suggest you leave." He said while his cybernetic eyes flashed.
Not needing to be told twice the officers ran off. The squad made their way inside the tower. They came across a couple of locked doors but with a gesture Zap had them open. When asked how he did that he went on about 'wireless uplink' and 'cybernetic implants' and other technobabble that made Jake wish SIRI was here to translate for him. Soon they got to an elevator. Cerberus intel said this elevator would take them directly to the Council Chambers. They approached the elevator only to have it explode. While they were disoriented a heavily armored Turian attacked them…by himself.
A well-placed shotgun blast from Private ended him. "Ok. Who was that?" he asked looking down at the Turian.
"I think that was one of the Spectres we were supposed to watch out for." Said Zap
"He attack us by himself?!" said Dakka in disbelief.
"Well the data did say they worked alone." Zap replied not entirely believing it himself.
"So let me get this straight. They let their Elite agents not only do whatever they want but send them in by themselves?!" said Jake "You would think they would work in pairs or in threes. You know so they can keep each other in line."
"Your dad worked alone back during the Revolution." Said Private
"That's different. He was a guerrilla which meant no big groups except for raids. But these guys are supposed to be like us Commandos. We are almost never sent in alone. The only reason I was on Keplar by myself was as punishment. What's these guys excuse?! Hey Farsight. You think this is bullshit too right?"
The mute girl nodded in confirmation.
"See Farsight agrees with me." Said Jake.
"I'm sure they have a reason for doing it but I do kinda agree with you. It is a terrible idea to have them go in alone." Said Zap to which the rest of the nodded.
"Not to mention what is one guy going to do?" said Jake "I don't care how elite you are. If you are outnumbered then you are outnumbered. Running dick first into combat isn't going to change that."
"This is a good debate my friends but aren't we supposed to be doing something?" said Dakka
"Oh yeah." Said Jake while looking at the flaming elevator "Guess we're taking the stairs."
"You know they probably have at least 3 ambushes prepared before we find another elevator?" said Private
"Has that stopped us before?" said Jake
Guerrilla Handbook
Red Faction Commandos- The Commandos are the Red Faction's elite soldiers. Easily recognizable from their black armor the Commandos are sent in to undertake the Faction's toughest missions. Anti-Terrorism was what they were mainly used for but after First Contact the Commandos were the Faction's counter to the Council's Spectres. Due to rising casualties Spectres are outright refusing to take on Faction related missions.
Motto: You must have really fucked up if they called us in.
AN: Sorry this took so long. I was busy with the other stories and lost interest to write this. You want to know the funny thing. You guys would have had this chapter a week ago but the thing didn't save so I had to rewrite it from scratch. It was for the best. This was a lot longer than the original work plus the story was going to end with that chapter. There is going to be one more after this and the story will be labeled complete. There will be a sequel though. Guerrilla Effect: Blitz will cover well the years after the peace and the Skyllian Blitz.