Chapter 51: Numbers Game

Rah looked around the war room of the Normandy at the assembled leaders. All of them had sworn their loyalty to him, all of them represented their race in the coming assault on Tuchanka.

"Listen up people, I'm only going over this once, so pay attention." Rah barked, causing the few muttered conversations around the room to stop and all attention be focused on him.

"Today, We're going to take back Tuchanka from the Reapers and give the Krogan the Cure. The Reapers won't make this easy for us." As Rah spoke, The display in the center of the room showed the objective for the assault, a single tower known as The Shroud.

"At the base of The Shroud, is a lone Reaper Destroyer. Thanks to how close it is to the structure, we can't risk simply nuking the thing from orbit with the Infinity. The only way we can deal with this thing, is by a combined ground and air assault. We will be using both Alliance and Turian fighters in the air, along with Alliance tanks and Krogan troop transports. We get in close enough to hit the Reaper and we hit it hard. No one stops hitting it or the ground forces around the Reaper itself. We let up for even a moment, and our ace wont be able to destroy the Reaper for us."

"General, sir, what do you mean 'ace?' Do we have something that will actually kill a Reaper from the ground?" Kal'Reegar spoke up, voicing the concern that Rah expected.

"Nope, this is only something that will be able to be used on Tuchanka. Eve, the female clan leader, informed me that there is a device in the ruins at the base of the shroud right under the Reaper. This device is a massive Maw Hammer." Rah grinned. taking in the stunned and even angered faces around him.

"Why is this relevant General?" Shepard grit out, hoping she didn't know the answer to her question.

"Because we're going to use it. The entire plan revolves around us getting someone to trigger that hammer. Tuchanka is a planet known for only letting the strongest survive. The strongest on this planet will not be the Reapers. It will be us, and the mother of all thresher maws. All we need to do is trigger that hammer and we are golden." Rah looked around him to the faces of those that would have to carry out his plan, his orders.

"We will lose men in this General." Garrus pointed out. "We can't control a single Thresher Maw, we will lose men from the mother of all of them, maybe more than we will lose from the Reaper itself."

"We can't put that many lives at risk General!" Kal agreed, giving the human an accusing glare. "Do you want our men to throw their lives away?"

"We can't sustain a war effort relying on forces that we have no control over." Liara pointed out, nodding in agreement with the others.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do I need to remind you that we are at war?" Rah growled, his face contorting into one of dominance and anger. "We are fighting the single unbeaten force that has ever existed in this galaxy. We do not have the luxury to debate about what will and will not work."

Looking around the room, Rah found that everyone around him was stunned at his outburst.

"The Reapers are not a force that will be beaten by any means we races deem 'conventional.' the only way to beat them is to take the box we're used to, burn it and make a new box. We take this next box and proceed to ignore that it even exists! The Reapers are a force that must be beaten at any cost. The only way we can win, is if there is someone left in the galaxy.

"We are soft people. Everyone in the galaxy, from Admiral Hackett down to the child just born today wants to save everyone. That can't happen in this war. If the only way to save twenty billion is to sacrifice ten billion, they ten billion souls are damned. This is a numbers game people. That's all there is to it. Everyone aboard the Normandy and the Infinity all signed their lives away for the greater good. if the greater good needs them to give up their life so that others can live, I damn well expect them to say 'Thank you take it.' Anyone that doesn't does not have what it takes for us to win.

"I expect the same from all of you. I will do it myself. If it would take my life to save one other I will keep my life. If my life saves the lives of two other, I know how the math works there. No one person is more important than any other. All this war is, all that the Reapers know, is numbers. If any of you are unable to lead following this method, then leave now and get the fuck off this ship."

Silence reigned around the war room. No one dared to break the tense air that followed Rah's tirade. No one knew how to counter him. After several minutes of harsh silence, a single throat was cleared and a single man stepped forward out of the stunned leaders.

"Valid points. Equally acceptable to any other way of leading. Reapers cold, unforgiving. Numbers required to stand chance at winning." The calculating voice of Mordin spoke out and the Salarian stepped towards Rah. "Method may be harsh, but necessary. Will begin work to see my end of the mission is a success. Thresh Maw idea intriguing, deal with results after Reaper is dead."

With that, Mordin left the war room with all eyes on his back.

"You heard him. Last chance for anyone to drop out of their position is now." Rah growled. When no one replied to him he grunted and turned his back to the others. "Dismissed. We begin our assault when Mordin gives the go ahead."

Rah didn't need to see the others in the room to know they left, the thunks and thuds of boots on the deck were enough for him. When he thought the last member of the war council had left, he let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders slumped.

"Too much. Too much for one man." Rah muttered to himself.

"I know what you're talking about." Garrus' voice replied. "It's not easy. I've been around Kate too long for the Turian way of waging war to sit well with me. I can't imagine what it's like for you."

"Turian way?" Rah asked, glancing over his shoulder to the other man.

"Turians belief that in war, as long as somebody is left standing after everything is done, the war was worth it. Every other race wants to save everyone, Turians get what you mean when you say this is a numbers game. It seems I'm not a very good Turian." Garrus admitted.

"You're a fine being, that's what counts in the end Scarface." Rah chuckled softly. "Just be ready to face the people when this is all over. I doubt many will like the means to get to the end."

"I've told Kate, so I'll tell you too. I get why the galaxy needs a dictator every once in awhile." Garrus mussed.

"We just don't give a damn about the results." Rah nodded, looking away from the Turian. "I know, I don't like it, but at this point, I don't give a damn. The people can suck it up and deal with what I'll do to win."

"You have other people to share that burden with." Garrus pointed out.

"And none of them will be dragged down with me while I embrace Hell. Scarface, just promise me something. No matter what happens. Take care of Sarge. If I don't make it to the end, make sure Jack is never alone. I accepted my death on Elysium. I don't think Jack can stomach that about me."

"We're in-laws. I'll make sure our family is waiting for you when you get us through this thing."

Rah didn't trust his voice to respond to the other soldier. Thankfully, Garrus didn't expect one and left the war room, leaving Rah alone with his thoughts.

Rah closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down. In the very back of his mind, he could hear music playing, music that he would never have thought could exist, music that wrapped his soul in a warm blanket. He could faintly hear voices accompanying the music, but there were no true words, just voices that eased his mind.


A/N: Hey all, sorry that this took as long as it did. So I've been sitting on this monologue since I introduced Rah and Am finally glad to get it out of my google docs and out into the story.

Massive apologies for taking the ridiculously long time in getting this out, even more so with how short this is. I will not be able to say that the next chapter will come out sooner than this one did, but it will be out at some point. I am not done with this story in the slightest, and I very much intend to take this story into a few years past the ending that I have planned.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Thank you everyone for reading. Thank you even more to have stuck with the story, you guys are the best.