Normandy-War Room
"Arcturus." Cameron muttered under his breath.
Abigail arched an eyebrow and glanced at the Commander for a split second wondering what his problem was.
"Problem?"
The former Spectre from another universe shrugged, "Just in my universe we had not gotten around to rebuilding it yet. I think they were…well…expecting me to do it."
Abigail smiled lightly at that, but of course.
"Still, it is the logical first step. As long as we know…don't attack the Citadel or something." General Beck commented also staring deeply at the hologram rotating over the holo board.
"Which, isn't really an option, and wouldn't solve the problem." Cynthia commented sarcastically.
"True, we need to hit this conspiracy where it lives."
"Which, wouldn't that be, by now, the Citadel?" Garrus commented his mandibles twitching.
Abigail shook her head, "no, even if we could take control and depose the current Corrupted Council the enemies are on the home worlds. They are dug in there."
"Besides," Cameron stated, "if I were them I would be expecting an attack there and reinforce it for just such an eventuality."
"Not to mention," Ashley opined joining the round table, "there forces are thin, they should be focusing on one place to protect right now, and right now the Citadel is still the center of Galactic Politics. Such as they are." She added the last sarcastically.
"Still," Abby said silencing debate, "Arcturus is a focal point. For logical reasons it will be the first step to retaking the rest of the Galaxy. Agreed?"
It took a moment but slowly everyone nodded their head or did some other form of confirmation, Beck looked at her last, shrugged, and then nodded. The entire room was silent for a few moments after that, Abby and the gang probably thinking of what they were going to do next.
"Alright, so now that is decided what are we likely to face, EDI?"
"Long range sensors still haven't been able to detect anything from the Archtrus relay or the surrounding space. We have no idea what we are going into." EDI reported
"Communications are likewise down." Traynor supplanted. "The entire system has gone into radio lock down as soon as we hit the Tuchanka relay."
"Anything else? Miranda?"
Miranda frowned, "my sources tell me that the Alliance has pulled many of their ships off of the front line services throughout the Galaxy, I do not, however, know where they are, and my intelligence within the Alliance itself is spotty."
Abby sighed so much for that.
"We also have to consider the Arcturus ground contingent; it is the center of the Alliance Government. An Alliance Government that knows it may be unpopular by a military sect, we might need ground troops."
"And our anti Leviathan devices cannot penetrate hulls," Palin finished.
Cynthia snorted, "Good thing we brought the Krogan."
Abigail nodded, "alright then, the best way for us to get information then is to charge in and gather it ourselves. We'll be cautious, but if we are going to do this, then we should get to it."
The group nodded again, more determined, more eager.
"Dismissed," Abby finished.
Shepard's Cabin
Abigail Shepard sat down at her desk reading a report pad and stroking Cameron behind the ears absentmindedly. The report indicated the total number of forces she had at her command to retake Earth, Arcturus, Palaven, and the whole damn Galaxy and wrestle control of it away from the Leviathans.
The report read Independent Earth Alliance Forces, 4th division, associated Ships, 14,700. Krogan Expeditionary force, 20,000, Free Turians, 97, Batarian Enforcer Brigade 500, Unaligned Terminus Forces 1,000, all other forces 1500.
Shepard frowned at the results, not a lot of people to save the Galaxy with; her cabin door beeping interrupted her train of thought.
"Come," She said to the door, and turned to face it.
Cameron entered carrying a wine bottle and two glasses; Abby arched an intrigued eyebrow and smiled at the brother.
"End of the line?" He commented to her look.
She nodded and smirked, "you know, back in the old days, before high risk operations I had a tendency to engage in 'contact sports' with my squad. This stopped as soon as I was assigned to the Normandy, well I guess except for James, but I always wondered about that."
Cameron froze, and shook his head, "Yeah, I was the same way."
Abigail frowned, "oh really?"
"Yeahhhh." The man breathed, he eyed her, "where is James?"
Abigail smirked, "he is looking at and going over the inventory of weapons and supplies we have in stock. Also meeting with the Krogan and going over their weapons."
Cameron poured a glass and offered it to her, she looked at it dubiously, but he started off, "What weapons do the Krogan have?"
She shrugged, "A few of their own, Claymore, Eviscerator shotguns and Spike Throwers. Apparently they picked up a few pallets of Phaeston Assault Rifles during the war that the Turians were quite happy to provide them during the war. As well as Krysae snipers and Kishock harpoon guns."
"Not to mention their fists."
She snorted, but did not allow herself to become distracted for a second time, "What is this stuff?"
Cameron glanced at the bottle a twirled it so the label was right in his eyes, "A rare Terminus System port."
"The Terminus has ports?" Abigail said with mocking incredulity, "what will they think of next?"
Cameron shot her a look and frowned, then shrugged, "Still, I doubt it's poisonous."
"You don't know?" Abby snorted.
"Well, I have not thought to taste test it." He grunted.
She snorted again, "I guess if we pass out the med bay is just down the hall, then I can sick Cameron on you."
The ocelot meowed.
"Right." Cameron muttered. "Bottoms up."
Downing it in one go her eyes bugged out and her throat didn't burn so much but felt like someone shoved the Normandy's exhaust port down her mouth and turned it on thinking she made a convenient launching pad.
Cameron and she went into a mutual sputtering fit and Abigail gasped as she wiped her mouth on her sleeves. She felt like her guts were coming out and was going to spill all over her cat and her communications tab, the cat that was giving the both of them a narrow look.
Finally, the coughing passed and Abigail looked up to regard Cameron. "Cameron." She hissed.
"Yes?" He coughed once and then looked at her wearily.
"The next time you feel the need to buy any beverage from the Terminus systems…don't." She said.
"Fair enough."
They reached mutual agreement with their eyes and a nod.
"Captain, we have arrived at the Arcturus system, ETA to the station, fifteen minutes." Joker reported.
They decided to head on to the CIC.
CIC
"Report." Abigail Shepard ordered.
They were hanging just outside of the sensor envelope of the station, and any ships were waiting. Their energy emissions could still give the fleet away but they could jump out if a large contingent of ships decided to come poking around. The Normandy was at the lead of the formation.
"There are no ships and the station's defenses are powered down." EDI reported dutifully monitoring the feeds from her probes.
"What?" Abby uncrossed her arms and turned to face EDI. "Confirm that, could they be using stealth drives?"
"How could they build that many stealth ships?" Miranda remarked incredulously.
"There are no ships in the vicinity, and there is no evidence of stealth drives in operation. Also, we are being hailed."
This should be interesting, "Put them on."
"What the hell." Cameron murmured.
"To the probes we assume belong to the SSV Normandy, this is Major Roth on Arcturus station. By the power invested in me by Alliance authorities we surrender to you and your forces, and turn control of the station and its resources over to you."
Abby felt her eyebrows arch up in surprise as she looked around in the well of the Galaxy Map to her assembled squad.
"Also," The voice continued, "we are open to you and your forces if you want to make use of our facilities and resupply. We await your decision."
The Captain, the one whose 'decision' this technically was jutted her chin out and rolled her head around from side to side. Her brain was once more racing.
"It's a trap." James remarked simply.
"What?" Abigail turned and smirked to him, "no 'could be'"
"Well, it could be a trap." Cameron echoed sarcastically turning to Vega.
"EDI?" Shepard asked.
"I am not detecting any signs of activity within a One AU distance from the station with active sensor scans and probes." She reported.
"Hmm, alright, we dock, get General Beck up here, Cameron, James, Miranda, you're with me. Joker keep the ship primed for FTL, just in case." Abby ordered.
"Right, plotting a course now." Joker reported over the intercom.
Arcturus-Docking Bay D 24
The Kodiak they traveled in sat docked in the berth behind her as they walked down the whole connecting bridge leading to the airlock joining Arcturus to the lesser gravity smaller atmosphere part of the station.
Abigail led the procession of human, rogue Alliance Officers, she in full N7 body armor, and carrying her Valkyrie to where it was placed across her chest. She was the only one who had her weapon out, but considering Cameron and Miranda were biotics they weren't exactly defenseless.
The airlock door rushed open and the air rushed to equalize briefly as they stepped on through to the airlock, it snapped shut behind them.
"Captain Shepard." A voice called. "One moment please."
"Decontamination in Progress." The VI's voice whirled above them as the process began.
The barely visible laser screen washed over them slowly, painfully slowly. Abby's hairs prickled on her neck annoyingly as they were 'decontaminated' by the process, their bodies being 'washed' in radiation which was rumored to be harmless. How primitive Abby thought, given the other processes that were now standard on the Normandy.
Finally the process completed and the door opened in front of them, Abby still stopped up short as a man, Major Roth?, stood in front of them with his hands folded over his chest. He was swarthy looking, darker complexion, and a very clean trimmed beard staring at her clearly with dark brown eyes.
"Major Roth I presume?" She asked stepping forward.
"That's me." Major Roth nodded. "Captain Shepard, I guess I can't blame you for being armed. Unknown situation."
"An unknown situation on the Capitol space station of a Government which has declared me and anyone associated to me renegades from the law. Yeah, have to assume that this could be some carefully executed trap."
Roth smiled, "if it was, then I'm caught in it too." He stepped away from the tunnel and gestured down the hall, "please."
She got in line next to him, they started walking and the squad filled in behind them slowly securing the area as they went. They went slowly, taking their time, and the scenic route, they passed very few other officers on the way through the station.
"So," Abby stated folding her arms behind her back, "I take it since you are here and Soren isn't that he left?"
Roth nodded, "indeed he packed up and left about three days ago, in the middle of the night, with what we assume is anyone who was officially loyal to his cause. Didn't tell anyone other than the inner circle about it. Took most of the Alliance Parliament, and then destroyed the vessels and our long range communications suites, stranding us here."
"Without supplies?" James asked.
"They actually didn't take those; they left us enough supplies for two or three weeks' worth."
"Hoping the crisis would end by then?" James asked rhetorically.
"Crisis?" Roth stopped and knitted his brows turning to James.
"We stopped an attack on Omega, took out most of the enemy fleet that were harassing us." Abby explained.
"Wow," Roth whistled, "I take it that these are survivors?" Roth gestured to the General.
"Actually we defected."
"Wow," Roth blinked, "so that means they are…what, consolidating their forces?"
"That is a good enough explanation as any."
"But that means…the entire fleet has been consolidated around Earth?"
"Which actually complicates the situation instead of making it easier," Abby sighed.
"You don't have a fleet?" Roth asked.
Abby looked at him, "right around a few hundred ships, doesn't sound like enough to punch through, especially when we are trying to liberate Palaven as well."
Roth nodded but stayed silent as he led them down the winding corridors, to where Abby was not exactly sure, having not been to the new center of the Alliance government, at least not for a while, and not since the coup. But she had a good idea.
She eyed the Major next to him, and his Battle Dress Uniform, he looked competent and honest. Even though this could have been a trap Abby had doubted it.
Instead her mind began working on their current tactical problem, they had fled to Earth, why? If Earth was the center of Soren's operation and power base then why fall back there? After all the fact that Arcturus were a choke point still applied even to today's circumstances, it made no sense for him to fall back there when he could just engage any fleet coming on after him here. Unless he has something on Earth?
"Tell me, Roth, did Soren spend much time here?"
"He did, spent a lot of time in his office."
"And you haven't been…indoctrinated?"
"Hmmm?" Roth grunted, "Not to the best of my knowledge, but Soren kept us isolated from news throughout the rest of the Alliance. Instead of normal leave he has been tracking people and cycling them out. He has had a very select group of people that visits him from Earth."
"Interesting," Abby mused.
"But not helpful." Cameron added.
"Well," Abby agreed, "It does raise more questions, why come here so much, only to retreat to Earth when pushed?"
"We'll find out eventually." Cameron shrugged.
Abigail bit her lip as she stopped, the crowd filled in around her, looking at her. "Right," She finally chopped her head, "lead on."
They reached their destination quickly, the Arcturus war room, simply a large version of the Normandy's whole table in a depression in the center, stairs leading down to it, and computer banks along the walls. Still about two times the number which were in the Normandy's mounted along two levels, ladders leading up to them, only about half of them were currently manned by techs and officers.
Right now the central table showed the station whirring in it, status reports racing along the display board.
Abigail eyed it, "everything seems to be in working order, got anything from Earth?"
"Hold on," Roth nodded to one of the techs, "Sorren kept a classified file in here, but we can access it."
The image flickered and changed, now showing Earth, in all its glory.
Abigail's smile instantly dissolved into a furious scowl, as it hit her what she was seeing.
"What the hell have they done?" James asked aghast.
Huge industrial blooms coated swaths of the continents, shanty towns were established at the edges of industrialized major cities adding new meaning to the term 'urban sprawl.' Reports indicated everything from weapon and warship production, to the slave camp health, to even the sex rings operating and how efficiently they were going and what the numbers was. But the final number was the most telling, the subordination index, which, was very high almost planet wide.
"We are running out of time." Abigail murmured, she activated her Omni-tool, "EDI, get everyone down here now. We need to talk and work out a plan."
Several hours later the entire staff of the Free Alliance fleet had gathered in the war room. A flat representation of Earth hung over the wall behind them as they continue to file in, some of the guests looked at it sideways, and the Alliance Marine contingent shift around nervously at their posts as they watched several violent and aggressive species mull around their CIC.
When it looked like she had everyone Shepard stepped forward, "if I could have everyone's attention please."
Instead of silence the talking ad chatter only seemed to grow louder
"Hey!" Cynthia bellowed "shut up! Shepard is trying to speak here!"
Abby flinched as the Blond was standing right next to her, and thus the main thrust of the assault went into her ear. But yet it had the desired effect as the room quieted.
"Alright, that's more like it," She shot Cynthia a smile, the Sentinel beamed back at her. She turned back to the crowd. "As you all have observed the giant Alliance Fleet that we were expecting didn't show up to their party." Chuckles met that pronouncement, "which means, they are probably waiting for us at our final destinations."
The crews nodded and glanced at each other.
"It matters not!" A Krogan voice bellowed from somewhere in the back. "Wherever our enemies hide we will find them and we will crush them!"
His companions roared in support, Shepard smirked at their bravado and waited for them to quiet down.
"Alright, maybe so," She finally started when she felt she could be heard, "maybe so, but we still need a plan, to breach their defenses, and deliver our payloads to the planet's surface."
The room grew thoughtful. Looking at each other, waiting for someone to make a suggestion.
"We should use probes, they will mimic our ships power signatures, they will go and attack them, and we will jump in from behind them." EDI suggested.
"Interesting" Abby murmured, joining in several other proclamations across the fleet, "it could work, but the question is, how?"
EDI's expression looked insulted, at her pronouncement; Abby smirked wryly at her, but nodded for her to continue.
"I have advanced Reaper detection and deception protocols." She replied.
"You have never done anything like this before," Cameron pointed out.
"I can." EDI insisted.
"It will take some minuscule arrangements and manipulations from you." Abby cut in.
"I can manage it, and do you have a better plan?"
"No," Abby admitted.
"Then it is settled." EDI smiled.
"I guess if it works," Cameron muttered shrugging.
"It should, just hasn't been used before." Abigail shrugged, "because no one has had a super awesome AI to work with or probes capable of finding the targets. Anyways," She clapped her hands together, "bring up a map of Earth."
The map went from the global sphere to a two d representation of the planet surface, as well as cities, political boundaries, and geographical features. It was still colored in the blue like all the other maps he had seen on this subject.
The room studied the map for several seconds, drinking it in, observing the seven continents.
"Alright, so then what?" One of the Krogan asked.
"We need to attack the planet at once, go in once the confusion sets in, and secure the planet." One of the Batarians suggested.
Abigail thought about it then chopped her head, "exactly. What we need to do is attack them all at once to take out the sting of their attacks, same for Palavan. Fortunately Soren has made this easier by concentrating the population in the Major Metropolitan areas, we take those, and we can take the planet."
"But that sounds like a lot of forces, and we need to assign group Commanders to each area." Garrus pointed out.
Abigail felt her stomach constrict, but again, nodded.
"Major Roth, where are you from?"
"The United Kingdom, London." He muttered.
"Alright, you have London and that area of the world. I'll take Los Angelas." Abigail slowly started.
Slowly they went over the list of assignments and haggled and dealt with anything else that might provide an interest. Cameron was tagging along with her to Los Angelas, they would have two squads representing them there, they figure that is where Nathan and his gang would engage them anyways, knowing her.
Garrus decided to join them putting another Turian on Palaven: "I figure someone has to keep you out of trouble Shepard."
Zaeed took Chicago, the fourth division command took New York. Liara took Madrid, Palin Paris, EDI drew Berlin for her tender love and care. The Krogan were assigned the entire Middle East and Egypt, the Batarians got Beijing, the Geth meanwhile drew Moscow for their attack, and the Quarians Migrant Marines assigned to invade down under and take Australia.
With everyone having a mission, at least for Earth, Abby left the room and let Garrus consult with the delegation and draw up additional forces for the invasion of Palaven.
It's going to be close.
But she bumped into Admiral Jameson out in the hall; the older woman looked tired and uncertain.
"Admiral," Abby nodded.
The old woman smiled wanly, "I am surprised you are still calling me that."
Abigail arched an eyebrow, "why? It's not something that I resent you for."
"I could still be betraying you." Jameson pointed out. "Under the Leviathan control."
"True, but if you were, you would have used it by now, and what could you do? I can take you in a fight, my shields will hold on an assassination attempt, and EDI is monitoring all outgoing traffic."
She smiled, "Very well."
A little while later found them back in the central war room, at least the leaders of this little cabal they had against the governments that had destroyed their freedoms and liberty and had twisted human and alien morality. The Galaxy was now aligning to say no.
The assignments were doled out; the leaders talked to their officers, their officers to their subordinates, and their subordinates to their men, now it was time for Abigail Shepard to give one final speech.
She stood, in dress uniforms, on the second level, overlooking the entire room packed with the multi species envoy.
Her mind was lost for words, but only for a quick second, as inspiration struck her, a wry smile spreading across her face.
"The last decade has been busy hasn't it?" She started, to chuckles. "Batarians attacking humans, humans attacking Batarians. Geth, Collectors, Cerberus, Reapers, and Disciples." She clenched the rail looking down, rocking in a bemused gesture, her smile transforming into a grin. "You'd think the universe would give us a break don't you?"
The Krogan roared in challenge as the rest of the group laughed and chanted and stomped their feet.
"Well it hasn't!" She yelled drawing them out even more; they were so entranced by her voice. "Because now the Leviathans are challenging us, now they want to come forward to take our freedoms and liberties, our lives and our very souls. They hope to divide us, they hope to conquer us. Like the Reapers and Cerberus before them. All they want is to control us, because they have the audacity to believe they can, that they know best how to run our lives."
She let the words sink in, and then pounded her fist, "Well they don't! Here we stop them all and say enough! That only we are in charge of our destinies. Today we make our stand, for the right of free people everywhere to self-determinate, for future generations stretching out into untold generations."
Cheering, clapping, and roaring Krogan, now she had them, now they knew what they had to do what they were fighting for.
What they were all fighting for.
"Good speech!" James yelled in her ear over the commotion.
"You know how to please a crowd Shepard," Garrus trilled in her ear clapping.
She blushed but nodded, "Thank you, I guess you do this often enough, you get used to it."
But with that, they left, and so did the other officers, back to their commands, ready for the war.
…
"And with that, the war for Earth begins."