Yeah I know, I ought to stop... still, I have free-time from time to time, and I refuse to just sit on my Lord-given behind when doing so. So... I write. It's actually pretty funny when people I know who don't follow the story ask me how long it is. The answer always makes them gape. Or just be really surprised.
We'll be kicking this here chapter off with something new, a song. Originally by the badass group "Sabaton", I changed a few words to make it fit the start of the chapter.
Also... well, the Council sorta fucked Humanity over, so... yeah, one can find their lack of manners... disturbing.
Enjoy.
Fast as solar wind
The Invasion has begun
Shaking the void
With a force of 1000 guns!
First in the line of fire
First into hostile space
Ships leading the way,
Leading the way!
Charging the lines with a force of a furious storm
Fast as the lightning phantom's swarm
2000 miles at nightfall taken within a day
Thus earning their name, earning their fame…
They are the Panzer Elite!
Born to compete!
Never retreat!
Ghost Division
Living or dead
Always ahead
Fed by your dread!
Sabaton - Ghost Division
…
How do we end this game?
Hawking Eta, Thorne system.
SSV Aachen.
12:40
"Coming out of Relay space in 3… 2…1, exiting transit." The crewman said, alerting Oskar to the end of their blue-hued, mass-less tunnel through space. The commander straightened up, grasping the railing near his chair with strong, old hands. Being in his late sixties, Oskar was easily one of the oldest commanding officers in the Alliance navy, though Hackett remained at the top of that one, with his seventy-some years.
"All hands, battle stations. Raise shields, power up weapons and start scanners. I want full knowledge of everything in this system the second we deploy."
There was no response, only the orders being carried out. The Aachen came out of transit first, its weapons powered up while it lead the rest of the cruisers and frigates. The 2nd fleet was called the 'Panzer Elite', as it possessed some of the single-most heavily armored cruisers to be found anywhere, in any fleet in any faction in the galaxy. State of the art ablative armor, Mithril shielding and cyclonic barriers protected their cruisers, giving them the defensive capabilities of a standard dreadnought. It was a lesson taken from how the Asari had managed to install an oversized drive-core in a cruiser, giving it the barriers of an Asari dreadnought.
"Herr, all ships are in system. Weapons are powering up and probes are being deployed. We are receiving scans in approximately ten seconds." Susanna said, bringing up the building image of the solar system they were in.
"Good work. Full speed ahead the moment we get a fix." Oskar said, then looked at the bridge before looking back to his comms-officer; "And see if you can raise the Centurion again."
"Turian ship Centurion, this is the Aachen, please respond." Susanna spoke through the communications, then waited a bit before repeating; "Turian ship Centurion, this is the Aachen with the 2nd fleet. We are in-system, please respond."
"Anything?" Oskar asked, discarding regulations in favor of knowing what he could.
"Nothing. Not even static. We're being jammed, that much is clear." She said, then looked over the additional displays; "Herr, we have their location. Ladar pings three remaining Hierarchy vessels, engaged in combat with… Gott in Himmel…We have… a four kilometer dreadnought-class vessel heading towards them. Hierarchy vessels are retreating from dreadnought, but losing distance."
"All ships, engage and assist immediately. Give the Turians time to evacuate and regroup. Remember your briefings, keep your distance at all cost. Attack from the rear and below, avoid frontal engagements and work as a team." Oskar barked out, his dry voice commanding respect from anyone who heard it.
The twenty-six vessels shot through space, Helios-thrusters giving them an edge in speed not even the Salarian spy-fleets could match. The Centurion slowly became more high-resolution on the displays, visuals becoming possible as the avian shapes of the cruiser came up on screen. Along with it, a frigate and a cruiser were fleeing, flying away from their enemy. It was a surreal sight, seeing Turian vessels running away from combat.
"Maximum range in ten."
"Standby everyone. Give as much as you can in the first volley. If we let it close, that thing will rip us apart!" Oskar commanded through the fleet's channels. A series of affirmatives came back, and railguns powered up, missiles were loaded and rockets prepped for flight. Turrets were either manned or turned on, loaded with Sabot-rounds and slugs. GARDIAN-systems were powered down to give juice to the main guns, and VI's took over control of non-essential systems.
"Five…four… three… two… one. All ships are in range, Herr Kommandant."
"All ships, lock targets and fire away. Don't stop for anything, keep shooting until either that thing or you are a wreck!" Oskar bellowed. The main gun of the Aachen caused the entire ship to vibrate as it charged fully, then dampeners set into prevent the ship from being shaken apart as the fourteen-kilo Ferris slug was sent away by the magnetic rails. The only sign the bridge had of it being fired, apart from the systems telling them, was the small streak of bluish light that sped away from the ship. Twenty-five others followed, accompanied by the longer, slower streaks of light that was the hailstorm of Mk-II plasma torpedoes, Archer missiles and Javelins with fusion-warheads. It looked like something from a dream, looking at the visual displays.
"Impact in seven… six… five…"
"Keep shooting!" Oskar shouted, interrupting Susanna. The ships kept up the fire, the constant streaks of pale bluish lights emerging form the fleet in intervals of two seconds per shot.
"Two… one, contact!" The woman kept on. The displays instantly highlighted the shape of the squid-like vessel, as enough megatons to level ever city in France impacted on its form. Bright blue flashes were replaced by explosions, then a purple glimmer as the barriers deflected every single projectile, followed by a golden sparkle as the torpedoes, being relatively massless, went through the kinetic barriers and impacted… something else. Oskar wasn't sure what it was, but it had deflected missiles, plasma even. Shields couldn't do that, not even the cyclonic barriers could do scheisse to stop plasma. Virmire, if anything, had proven that.
"Firing missile volley two." The cool voice of the VI came in. It was only hooked up as observatory, not partaking in anything critical. Petrovsky's engagement near Valhalla had proven that these things, they liked to hack VI's. Feldberg wasn't about to let his ship go dark.
"Don't let up the fire. If it comes within ten miles, engage thrusters and maintain maximum distance while laying down fire. Get close and we die."
"Jawohl, firing missiles. Torpedoes almost in place." Susanna said, maintaining a cool overlook of the situation. If it wasn't because she was young enough to be his daughter, Oskar would have married the brilliant woman already. She never lost focus and always knew what to do, a rare trait for the Alliance, sad as it was.
"What's the status of the Turians, and the distance between us and that thing?"
"Hierarchy vessels are turning about, firing at the vessel from behind. Current distance is fifty kilometers and closing fast. Estimated time before we have to move… a minute, at most." The woman said, a frown on her face.
"Acceptable. Do we have comms with them?"
"No, we're still jammed over long-range frequencies. Fleet comms is intact though, thank Gott."
"Verdammit, some coordination would have been nice… Have the wolf-packs circle around, good distance, and hit the thing from the rear and bottom. The cruisers will keep firing and pulling back. I repeat, don't let it get close." The fleet complied and the wolf-packs started circling the vessel.
"They are getting too close…" Oskar muttered through gritted teeth, hand over his mouth. The frigates were getting far, far too close for comfort. Luckily, the vessel had yet to turn at them, still focused on the cruisers.
"Vessel is powering up… Scheisse, the tentacles are armed as well!" Susanna cursed. Oskar glared at the displays as the squid lifted a pair of gigantic tentacles towards the frigates. The air stood still as a pair of red, intense beams of laser shot out from each point, shearing in half a frigate with each hit.
"Fire at those arms! Tear it apart, I don't care how just shoot it!" He barked, watching as the frigates broke off in wild evasion, another pair of them being cut to pieces, followed by brilliant nuclear explosions as their drive cores were compromised by the destruction of their hulls.
The fleet shifted focus, firing at the arms instead of the main hull. The vessel didn't seem to take notice though, as it simply kept carving up the frigates running for their lives.
"Komman-… we're… out here! We-…" Panicked voices of the captains of his frigates came in, one by one silenced by static as their ships were blown to pieces. The speed of the frigates were no match for laser, and Oskar pressed his eyes shut in prayer as the final frigate was struck at starboard, cut apart like a knife through butter.
"Wolf-packs are dead Herr; we're all that's left!" There was a slight note of panic in Susanna's voice now, and Oskar shared it. The frigates were faster than the cruisers, and without their diversionary fire-support, they would be sitting targets now. A trickle of sweat went down his neck as Oskar started going over their odds for survival. Even if the Turians helped, they were unlikely to survive this; "Herr Kommandant, orders?"
"Stick to the plan. All ships fan out and evade. Keep up the fire, but-" Oskar started. He was cut off when the displays suddenly blared out in alert. A brilliant explosion could be perceived in visual range through the exterior cameras, as well as a much more intense red color, revealed that the dreadnought was within firing-range of its own main gun.
"Kommandant!" Susanna shouted; "We lost the Berlin!"
"Are the Turians clear yet?" He asked, idly surprised at the calm in his voice. The woman was obviously taken aback by his question.
"N-No, Herr, they are firing at the vessels back. I can't raise them." Oskar growled, curling his fists at the response. If the Turians, the people they had come to save, died too, what was the purpose of having lost so many people already?
"Then it was all for naught…" He muttered, then straightened back up. There was no way they were going to take this thing out conventionally. Every volley they had fired had met with the same unwavering barriers and shields, not a single sign of it cracking down. There was one option left though, a method that had proven its worth as late as over Elysium and Valhalla; "All hands, abandon ship. All ships evacuate and get the hell out of here. Crew of the Aachen, it has been an honor serving with you, for the years we have had have been the best in my time. Sadly… they must now end."
Susanna stared at him in shock, her eyes uncharacteristically wide and frightened. She had figured his plan out, of course. She was always a smart one. She would know this would be the only way of crippling such a gigantic vessel.
"Herr- Oskar, you can't be serious!" She shouted, standing amidst the either stunned or evacuating crew. The commander gave her a sad look, struggling to keep the regret from his eyes. There was no way he could just send the ship forward, and she knew that too. It had worked over Elysium because the Dreadnought had been stuck in place, unable to move. Here though, it required… a personal hand.
"Susanna… you have your life ahead of you. You can have a family still, a better life than destined to die today. If you truly want to honor this, what we have achieved together over the years… name a boy after me, will you?" He said, trying to smile through the tears building up. Verdammit, he hated this. Hated knowing that he would never see her again. Hated… so much about the situation, yet he knew it had to be him.
"I- I- No, you can't! You… please!"
"Go, and don't look back." He said, hardening his voice to the point where he feared it would snap. The woman looked like she was going to argue, wanted to, no doubt, but complied and left the bridge as the last person, leaving the commander to walk down towards controls. He knew he was going to die now. Now, not in a year, in a few years or from old age, but now. Here. Today.
People who said there was a tranquility in that sensation, in the knowing, were lying or insane. Oskar felt his legs waver beneath him as he reached the stations, his hands tremble and his fingers grow cold with fear and dread, even as he sat down in the seat.
There was only one thing left to do now… plot the new course, and maintain the aim. Make sure the schweinhund of a Reaper, or the person controlling it, would not see this victory so cheaply earned. Oskar only prayed that whomever were left now, would take the hint and flee the system.
Systems set, he leaned back, opening the displays for the visual optics. Via the exterior cameras, he could see the menacing form of the Reaper vessel as it turned at his fleeing cruisers, an almost haughty look plastered over the ship.
"Warning, warning. Collision imminent. Distance to unknown vessel is: 2.596 meters. Advice immediate-" Oskar shut the VI down, admitting a weak chuckle;
"Never did like that thing anyway…didn't have a German setting." He sighed, then looked as the Reaper turned to look at him, if there was such as thing to say about a ship. He had always suspected this would be the way he would die. Not in his bed, but standing at the bridge of his warship, glaring at the Grim Reaper himself. How odd, that his killer really would be a Reaper. Oskar found he was no longer afraid. His lips cruised into a small smile, and a familiar hymn found his voice;
"Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit
Für das deutsche Vaterland!"
His words stopped briefly, throat dry from anxiousness at his own impending death. Glory, some would call it. Oskar wasn't sure. He could see the thing wanting to kill his men, having already claimed so many in such a short time. He could see, feel, how it had utter disdain for everyone alive in the galaxy. His words gained power once more;
"Danach lasst uns alle streben
Brüderlich mit Herz und Hand!
Einigkeit und Recht und Freiheit"
Red lights ignited, bathing the bridge in an eerie hue, while claxons went off, their ear-splitting noise adding to what stress was already coursing through the old German's veins. The Reaper now took up all of the display, the red light of its main weapon starting to sparkle to life. It was a hateful red glare, centered on the mouse who dared defy the cat. The small counter on the bottom of the display read below one kilometer now, and closing with hundreds of meters per second;
"Sind des Glückes Unterpfand;
Blüh im Glanze dies-"
When it was over, only the shattered wreckage of the Aachen remained. Nazara had already continued its hunt for intruding organics. She would not be defied by mere mortals, filthy sacks of unneeded flesh and tissue. Nazara had a much higher goal than those, her supposed brothers and sisters in dark space.
And the time was drawing near.
En route for Arcturus
SSV Normandy, messhall.
03:05 (ship time)
"I hate late shifts…" Thomas muttered, head buried in his mug of steaming coffee. When it was this late, he never bothered with appearing orderly. His hair was long enough now that he had to remove strands of it from his coffee. Across from him, Hillary yawned;
"Yeah well… Gotta admit, it's nice serving on a ship. Colony life got boring after some time, this is better." Thomas gave her a flat look from over the top of his mug;
"Are you saying being invaded by geth was boring?"
"Ah, well no, not really. That was more… painful and excruciatingly distressing. Also I spent the last four months asleep, so there's thát too." Hillary shrugged, diving into her own mug of coffee. Thomas looked at her for a moment, trying to get sense from her words.
"Right, I know." He said, pondering the possibility that his tiredness was simply dumbing him down. Not like thát would be the first time. Trying to avoid her asking if he even understood her, he took another sip from the mug.
"So… you and the Chief?" Hillary said, a smirk plastered over her face. Thomas palmed his forehead, dragging the hand down across his face.
"Not you too? Anna already gave me the whole 'ten questions' and then Nicolai did the same thing." Hillary furrowed a brow in confusion for a moment.
"One of the crewmen?"
"Right… you didn't get to meet… okay, on Arcturus, about five of our guys are hospitalized right now. There's Tali, John's… I think she's his bondmate-to-be, and then there's Liara. Asari, real nice woman, but… a bit… I dunno, distant at times. Then, we have Scorch and Boss, our resident commandoes, brothers actually. Boss is the serious one while Scorch is more fun to be around. You probably won't get to talk to Nicolai though. Would be awesome if we could, but…" He trailed off, remembering how badly injured his best friend had been. Valhalla had worked hell on the crew, killed some, hurt others.
"He's dead?" She asked with a sympathetic tone. Thomas widened his eyes in shock at the question;
"What? No, no no no… no. He's alive, though he's in a coma. Bugger had a real bad case of dragon-attack on Valhalla. Plasma-breathing fucker swept down, fucked over the Mako and killed the driver. That was Fixer, by the way, the driver. Another brother of the commandoes. Anyway, Nicolai is in the hospital too. If he's awake, I think he would like you, and vice versa." Thomas shrugged the last part, smiling a bit. There were similarities between Nick and Hillary, he had to admit. Both had a sodding sense of humor and could probably out-remark Joker, and both were… actually he didn't even know how old Hillary was and… was he really thinking about those things now? Sure, play matchmaker for Truck and Blondie… that's a great idea.
He missed Roku's comments already. The aspect, ghost or god would likely have agreed that it was a good idea. Now though, he would have to look for the bugger to get his opinion. So far, John hadn't shot at the geth platform, which was a good sign. Though, to be honest, Thomas hadn't seen much of his Quarian friend since the man stepped down and let the Normandy in Jane's hands. It was really odd, no longer reporting to a person Thomas had come to respect and care about. Sure, he respected Jane too, and liked her, when she was not shouting or trying to prove she had what it took to lead. No one doubted her, but her.
"It's a bit messed up, all of this, you know. Also, stop avoiding the question." Hillary said, emptying her own mug before pushing it aside, smacking her feet up on the chair next to her own. Presley would have a fit if he saw that, but the man had mostly stuck to the crew quarters or the CIC. Guy had principles, Thomas gave him that much.
"What question?" And he had honestly forgotten. Want of sleep did that to him, and for the life of him, he couldn't fathom why they had to stay up now, when they had had regular sleeping-hours while chasing Saren. Thát part over, it should have been even more sleep, not the other way around.
"You and Chief Williams. Ashley, Ash, whatever you call each other. How, and what happened between the two of you?" Oh, thát question. Thomas reddened. It wasn't shame, because he couldn't be ashamed of what he had with Ashley. If anything, he often wondered why she had chosen him, even if she had told him why. The reddening came more from the awkwardness of the subject.
"We… I… why do you want to know?" He said, trying to turn the table. Not literally though, as it was heavy, solid metal and nailed, welded and bolted to the floor.
"I've served under, and known her for almost two years. I think I can demand to know if the first man she's loved in years treats her well. Also I'd love details, but that can wait." Thomas was taken aback at the sudden seriousness in her voice. It was the first time since she had yelled at Jim to get back in cover on Eden Prime that he had heard her so bone-dry serious.
"Oh…" He breathed. The fact that he was this woman's superior didn't even cross his mind; "Right, of course… I don't really know how, to be honest. It just… happened." He looked back down into his coffee, suddenly finding the black liquid more pleasant to look at.
"Too vague Romeo."
"Well… It's kinda the best I can do. I don't know when it started, for her that is. Me, I suppose I sort of fell in love at first sight. I think…" Thát, or it had just been the hormones back then; "I suppose I just… went with it. Nothing happened at first, in the start. We were both hired for the Normandy, plus you, you know, when you woke up some day. Ash had a… breakdown, I suppose. I had too, and we just… comforted each other."
"Kissed?"
"No, not yet at that point." He found the answer made him smile a bit more, thinking back to how long they had come, how much his relationship with Ashley had taught and shown him. Also, there was no way he was going to give details of… the other stuff. What happened in the gym stayed in the gym.
"Then what?"
"You really have no decency, do you?" He asked with a wry smile. Hillary just shrugged, smirking back at him with that shit-eating grin of hers. For someone fresh out of a four-month coma, she really didn't let down.
"Not when it comes to this, nope."
"Talos dammit, I'm not even surprised, which is sad. Anyone liking Anna is bound to be without decency." Thomas grumbled, then sighed and looked around the room a bit before continuing; "We hugged, which really helped us both a lot. After that, we just spent time together, got to know each other better. After Therum, where we found Liara, we started dating."
"Just like that?" Hillary asked with shrewd eyes; "Something changed on Therum, didn't it?"
"… No?"
"Leave the bullshitting to me, Thomas." Hillary said, leaning back; "I've asked around, and most of the crew seems adamant nothing happened on that planet at all. They talk all fine and dandy, but when I say the word 'Therum', they shut tight. Well, except for your pilot, but he just starts talking perverted instead."
"Really?"
"Yep. So, what happened?"
"Nothing much, really. Went in after doctor T'soni, found a hellhole filled with bugs and shit, found Tequila and Jane in there too, along with Liara. We made it back out, had the AA-chat and went back to the ship." Thomas said. It was technically true, as the revelation could still be counted in as 'After Action report'. Also it would be logical, so there really was no reason she wouldn't believe it.
"That sounds logical. Still, it doesn't explain why the others won't talk about it. No one even died, so I don't see the need for secrecy… There's more to this, isn't there?" Gods be dammed! Why did she have to be so fucking suspicious? Shrewd was fine, but Hillary took it to a whole new level.
"Would you believe me if I said we didn't run into a new race of hostile aliens called xenomorphs?" He tried. Hillary's eyes narrowed, from her position leaned back in the chair.
"Like in those old movies? Yeah, the Chief… Ashley, she used to watch those. My first day in garrison, she had this movie-night with us. Forced me through the whole trilogy."
"Weren't there four movies?" Thomas pondered aloud. Anything to make Hillary forget about asking for details surrounding Therum.
"Dunno. Ashley only played three, said they were the only three actual movies." The private shrugged. In a way, it did make sense. The fourth movie was just… it wasn't all that good, and not seeing it…
"You didn't lose out on anything."
"I suppose not. Still… Xenomorphs on Therum? Must have been hairy." Thomas did another take at her.
"What? No 'That's impossible' or 'Stop bullshitting me'?"
"Meh, I read the official reports while waiting for the ship to arrive. Had to pass the time somehow, and it just said 'unknown, hostile alien life form encountered'. So, sure why not xenomorphs?" Hillary shrugged again, taking a deep, tired breath that ended in a yawn, one Thomas was forced to mirror.
"Seriously?" She was probably yanking him around or something, thinking she was fooling him into believing he had tricked her.
"It's fucked up, sure, but… I dunno, seems to insane to use as excuse. So I get that you found a fictional species on Therum. That's fucked up to be sure, and enough to make people lose sight of rationality." She muttered the last part; "So, after Therum, what happened then?"
"Well, Jane woke up in the Medbay. Turned out, she was an Alliance officer, commander actually. It's a messed up story, and she's better at telling it." Hillary just nodded, gesturing for him to go on; "Well… Ashley and Jane didn't like each other at the start, something about different views and such. So, the meeting ended with Ashley leaving the room in a fit, Jane reduced to tears… By the way, if you tell her I said that, I'll kill you instantly because she'll probably kill me right after."
"Noted, lips sealed."
"Right… I went after Ashley, then. Found her in the gym, taking her anger out at the punching bags. We talked, came to some realizations…"
"And kissed, probably." Hillary finished for him. Thomas gave a weak chuckle at that, rubbing his neck;
"I admit, it wasn't what I went down there for. Also, she kissed me first. I just went along with it." He said, grinning at the memory. It then became the memory of seeing it from within his own mind with Liara and Roku, and then the following mind-shit. The grin disappeared.
"Something wrong?"
"No, not… not really. After thát, we went to Feros… or wait, did we go on the date first? Hell, I can't even remember. At some point, either right before or after Feros, we went on a date, went to Flux on the Citadel, got drunk, danced a little, got more drunk… Ash challenged me to a drinking match, can you believe that?"
"She did that with Donkey and Jim once, too. Donk went down first, followed by Jim. Still, had to carry the Chief back to the barracks after that one. Who won, between the two of you then?" Hillary asked. Thomas just smiled and thumbed his chest. It was… strange, the things he was learning about Ashley from this conversation. Hillary had known her a lot longer, sure, so it was natural she would know her better. Still, it was a good sort of strange surprise.
"Donkey went down before Jim? Never would have guessed…"
"Yeah, they were a good group… too bad Saren had to pull the traitor-card and fuck us in the ass." Hillary started frowning, then shook her head and looked back at him; "A real date huh? How'd it end?"
"I ended up carrying a dead-drunk Ashley back to the ship. Then, this piss-annoying journalist, Kissa-Bissa something, stopped us and… wait, it was after Feros, I remember now. She asked about what we had done on Feros, how we whored out when aliens could keep their urges in check."
"Khalisa Bin Sinai al-Jilani, Westerlund News. Yeah I know her… wait, whored out? What exactly happened on Feros?" Hillary looked annoyed at being reminded of the journalist, though Thomas couldn't guess why. The entire memory of Feros came back instead, images of zombies, possessed colonists and… worse, jumping into his mind.
"Shit went fungal, that is what happened. A plant had taken over the colony, made a deal with Saren and now Saren wanted to destroy the plant."
"Sounds… weird."
"It gets weirder. At some point, the plant possessed me. Gave me spores or something, sent my mind through the toilet. It was only because Roku and Liara could… I mean, because Liara could go in and force the thing out, that I even lived."
"Liara and who? Didn't see a guy named 'Roku' in the crew complements."
"Right… Roku is… new guy on the team. Tech expert, I think. He's good with fire though." Thomas stuttered, cursing his feet yet again for having inserted themselves into his mouth at the worst possible time. It was just how shit had started on Therum, with him saying a word too much.
"Human?"
"Not… exactly." He really didn't know how to say it.
"Stop fucking around Thomas. If he isn't human, what is he? I don't know a lot of races where you can be named 'Roku' and get away with it." Hillary said, leaning forward. Whatever Thomas was going to say, and he really had no idea what to say, was interrupted by the sound of the elevator stopping in the hallway, doors hissing open. Please, Wrex help me! Tali- wait, Tali isn't here… Vega, Wrex or Garrus have to help me here!
Instead, the sound of light, metallic footsteps came from the hallway, and Thomas felt his blood, heart and piss freeze to sub-zero with each step the sound came closer. The sound of filtered humming came from the other side of the wall, the melody of a song Thomas knew. Then, came the actual voice, just before the person came into view;
"-Fight like a Krogan, run like a leopard, but you'll never be… what was it?… better than Commander Shepard, dum dum dumme dum dum dum…" Roku was for once back in a decent mood, having been pissed ever since being shoved into a synthetic, physical body he couldn't really operate out of.
"Who's singi…" Hillary started. Her face went pale and slack when the geth platform came around the corner, headed for the Medbay. Roku seemed to have heard her, because he snapped his elongated head and lens towards the table, visibly jumping in place at seeing someone unfamiliar staring at him with eyes full of fear.
"GETH!" Hillary shouted, hand going for a sidearm that wasn't there, luckily. Didn't stop her from jumping to her feet. Thomas followed her, grabbing at her wrist to stop her from sending the entire ship into panic by running up into the CIC.
"Hillary! Stand down, it's okay!" He barked, actually issuing a command. He hadn't done that since ordering the ensign out of the messhall, back when Miranda had planted a bug in the room.
"The fuck it is! There's a geth onboa-" Thomas clamped a hand over her mouth, forcing her to be silent. Her eyes went wide with disbelief as she tore the hand from her mouth.
"Talos! Hillary, I swear he's friendly." Thomas insisted, sending a quick glance to where Roku was still standing, obviously worried, at the end of the wall.
"It's a geth! It's never friendly." She sneered, pulling at his hand to make him let go of her wrist.
"You know, that is not a very nice thing to say when you don't even know me." Roku said, slowly walking towards the pair. Hillary started trembling with the approach of a geth, herself unarmed and Thomas holding her wrist.
"Let go of me, let go of me, let go of me!" She begged, realizing that she couldn't pull his left hand from her wrist. The bionic fingers were simply too strong for organic ones to do anything. Thomas didn't let go;
"Only if you calm down. Roku is our friend, he isn't going to hurt you. He was the one who went with Liara to save my life on Feros."
"But- but it's a geth!" She argued with a small, terrified voice.
"What you see is not all that I am, Hillary Pennyloafer." Roku said, coming to a stop next to them. Thomas had to admit, that when Roku was jutting a good ten centimeters above his own head, the platform could be a little intimidating. The only thing that really visibly made him different in appearance from regular geth, was the fact that he was painted green. Every part was painted a solid green color, with paint Thomas still had no clue as to where Roku had procured it from.
"It speaks! How can it speak? Geth can't talk, they can't talk, geth are machines, they kill, they can't talk."
"Reminds me a bit of Therum, doesn't it?" Roku asked with barely restrained annoyance. For whatever reason, his comment made Hillary snap towards Thomas.
"On Therum? You lied? You lied and said nothing happened there! What happened on Therum, and why do you have a geth on the ship?" She demanded, almost shouted again; "Also, just what the hell is that thing?"
"How come she has a worse reaction than John did? Is it a female-thing?" Roku asked, performing a pretty good imitation of a person scratching his head. Thomas glared straight into the flashlight; "Right, bad timing."
"It's really complicated." He started; "Can we sit back down at the table, and talk about it?" Hillary looked like she wanted nothing more than to put a slug through Roku's head, then possibly punch Thomas, but in the end she nodded, went to the table and slumped down with anything but a happy sound.
"See, this is why I hate a physical body… back then I couldn't even be seen. Now it's all 'Oh no, a geth!'… I swear it's messed up. Kalros gets way better reception, and she's a four hundred meter worm." The robot ranted, taking a seat at the table. If anything, that ought be a proof he wasn't a geth. Geth never sat down, as they never got tired. Thomas sighed, dumping himself in the chair across from Hillary.
"So… Roku, you wanna start?"
"Me? This is your old teammate. I'm glad she couldn't even see me on Eden Prime, given how she reacted just now." Hillary smacked her hands on the table, glaring between the geth platform and Thomas.
"That thing was on Eden Prime?"
"To be accurate, I wasn't in this form at that point. I resided in Thomas's head at that point." Thomas wanted to punch the platform, only stopped by the knowledge that the only one to hurt from it would be himself. Hillary just gained a completely passive expression;
"Tell, me, everything."
"'Kay…" Thomas said, rubbing his neck. He was not revealing the part with him being from a world where this was all a game. Though, considering Hillary already knew about the Xenomorphs, the 'Dimension-jumper' thing wasn't a half-bad story; "Well… you want the long, reality-raping version or the short one that just leaves more questions than answers?"
"Long one." She said, smacking her feet onto the table. Shoes were off, leaving her feet in black socks. Really an odd thing, given the situation; "I've got all night."
Thomas pondered what exactly he was supposed to say. It wasn't like whatever he was going to tell her now would change her life and view of him forever, would it? Nah… oh wait, it would. She was going to go from believing him a regular, if unlucky at times, soldier, to seeing him as, what? A freak? A messiah? A monster?
"Okay… so, this is going to sound completely insane, because it is… then again, you seem to accept the Xenomorphs easily enough, so… I dunno…" Gods he hated explaining stuff like this. The last time he had been through the whole "Look at me, I'm fucking unnatural!" speech, Jane had been reduced to tears, Kasumi had been smacked with a proverbial brick, Ashley had punched the former, John had nearly had a heart-attack… generally bad stuff happened when he broke science. A real shame, 'cause Thomas liked science.
"Point, corporal. Why is there a talking, cheeky geth on the ship, and what really happened on Therum? And on Eden Prime, for that matter? You said he was there too?" Hillary was getting increasingly impatient with him, that much was clear. Which, was also rather annoying.
"Quit trying to pull rank Hillary, I outrank you. You want the truth? Then be quiet." He growled. Hillary seemed to take the cue and remained silent, looking at him with the same, impatient attention; "Right… so, at the risk of you starting to scream again… I'm a dimension-jumper." He said, then folded his hands on the table, glanced at Roku before looking back at the private.
Hillary seemed to consider things, looking between him and Roku, a slight twitch to her eyes, as well as a weird smile on her mouth. Crap, did he break her?
"Funny… that's a new one." She chuckled, furrowing her brows at him; "Seriously though, the truth if you please."
"Seriously" Thomas just said, keeping her eyes locked on his; "It's a real thing."
"Right… and I'm the Queen of England, your aunt is actually your little sister, the Krogan downstairs is your dad and I'm your daughter." Despite the chuckle in her voice, there was no happiness in it.
"I'm taking that as a 'I don't believe you' type of answer." Roku muttered from next to him. Hillary glared at the platform briefly before looking back at Thomas.
"Sure, you're a dimensional thingy. What more?"
"I make fire with my hands?" He tried. Might as well get it all out there while Hillary was between disbelief and stupor. Also, she was likely still pissed there was geth at the same table as her.
"And I piss gold. Wanna see?" She asked, the start of a sneer forming both on her face and in her voice. Dragging a palm over his face, Thomas held his right hand in front of them, palm upwards.
"What-" Hillary started. Thomas stopped whatever she was going to say by, quite simply as it had become over time, sending energy into the tips of his fingers. The glassy emerald flames sprang into being from each fingertip. He then collected the fire in his palm, one small orb of green flame dancing above his skin.
"-are you?" The woman ended, all color drained from her face. Her eyes locked onto the flame as if it was the philosopher's stone itself. Thomas held the flame for a few more seconds, then extinguished it, leaving them in the usual lighting.
"Hillary Pennyloafer, Thomas Fisher. Twenty-first century orphan, former Homeland Security and apparent firebender. Also, Hillary, meet Roku. Aspect of fire, divine being and currently a spirit trapped in a geth body." Thomas said. The woman stared between him, his closed hand and Roku for a solid minute. Then, she started laughing.
It wasn't the hysterical laughter one might hear from insane people. Instead it was just a low laughing, almost just a chuckle that went on for minutes while she looked between him and Roku. The aspect was simply sitting there, flapping the pedals around his flashlight.
"I… don't think that went well…" The aspect of fire said, decreasing the size of his flashlight, likely focusing on the laughing woman. After a few more minutes, Hillary stopped laughing and looked at them with a worrying smile on her face.
"I think I have to throw up…" She said in a perfectly normal tone before getting to her feet and went to the sink. There, she quite simply reeled over and emptied the contents of her stomach into the basin. After a few seconds of the sound of vomit hitting the bottom of the sink, Hillary's voice came back; "Yep, I had to throw up… might be some more coming… no? Alright then, I'll just go to bed then."
"Hillary?" Thomas said, getting to his feet. Something was definitely wrong. He wasn't sure why, but her reaction scared him more than Ashley's had; "Hillary, are you alright?"
She stopped and looked at him with a smile on her face; "Yeah sure, why wouldn't I be?"
"Because… you are smiling?" He tried, honestly starting to grow more nervous than before. Great Job moron, mentally scar the only other person who survived Eden Prime…
"Oh, that's just because I'm waiting to see when I'll wake up." She replied. Her expression then got a bit darker; "I am dreaming, right?"
"Believe me, I know that you don't want to believe all this and… that sounded weird. From the start…" He sighed, breathed in and looked at where Roku still sat, head shifting between the two of them. There were times when Thomas wished Roku was still in his head, simply so that he could curse at the bugger without people starting to stare at him.
"Right, because people in real life can make fire from their hands." Hillary chuckled again; "I have to admit though, this is one of the more lucid dreams I've had. Everything is detailed, and you even have a face. Usually people don't have faces in my dreams."
"You are not dreaming. I'll gladly pinch you to prove the point." He said, stepping forward, towards her. Hillary's smile faltered, and she took a step backwards.
"Yeah… right. Next thing, the Krogan will show up in a pink dress and dance." She grinned. It wasn't a happy grin. Thomas shrugged, took a few quick strides towards her and pinched the skin on her arm as hard as he could. The reward was a yelp of pain, as well as a punch to the jaw. Fuck, that hurt!...Not my best idea to date.
"Mortals…" Roku muttered, heading back for the elevator. Whatever he had originally come up there for, the possessed geth no longer saw reason in remaining on the same deck as Thomas and Hillary. Thomas though, rubbed his jaw, surprised at how hard the woman could hit.
"Ouch… fucking ow. Okay, so I had that one coming. Still, feel the pain? Means you're awake." He muttered, glaring at where Hillary was rubbing her arm. A whole new light of realization appeared in her eyes, as if she had finally seen reality for what it was.
"Oh Hell… this is real?" She exclaimed, though it was done in a hushed tone. Then she widened her eyes even more; "And… I just punched a superior officer."
"Who asked for it. Jesus Christ, Thomas, couldn't you have informed me before starting to break her head?" Ashley's voice suddenly spoke from the direction of the Medbay. Thomas snapped around, while Hillary just looked past him.
Ashley was dressed in the uniform she used to sleep in, a tired scowl on her face. Her hair was a mess, and she looked nothing close to pleased at having been woken up. Thomas couldn't avoid noticing she was favoring her natural leg, leaving the bionic one to almost hang.
"Ma'am, please tell me I'm either just high or dreaming right now." Hillary begged, looking at her superior with desperate eyes. Thomas scowled, hating the fact that people always had to ask and ask and ask, and when they knew the truth they feared him for it… or wanted him as a weapon, in Anna's case.
"Dammit…" Ashley muttered, looking at Thomas; "You just had to start talking about it, didn't you?"
"Hey! To my defense, she started losing her shit because Roku found it fucking smart to waltz in here, singing the fucking Shepard theme song. I had to hold her mouth to make her stop yelling." He exclaimed, pointing at the private.
"You… wait, John has a theme song?" Ashley said, then shook her head and looked at Hillary, a new look of sympathy; "Oh Hill… I know it seems fucked up, and it is… we all just… have our own backgrounds here. I love Thomas for who he is, not where he comes from. Knowing you, I'm guessing you started prying about our relationship?"
"Maybe a little… but, how? I mean, he just had fire in his hand, it isn't possible… is it?" Hillary's look of embarrassment turned back into one of disbelief and frustration.
"Are you okay?" Ashley asked, placing a hand on Hillary's shoulder.
"A little shaken… also I think I'm hyperventilating… and maybe a bit stressed… could be the adrenaline from seeing a talking geth and a guy who lit his own hand on fire." The woman replied, her voice slightly edged.
"Yeah… I had about the same reaction when he revealed it to me on Therum. But I knew even back then that he was who he was, a good person, so his past didn't make a difference."
"Standing right here… also, you did freak out a bit Ash." Thomas said, gesturing at her. She just sent him a look that basically said 'shut it, I'm being supportive. Girl stuff'.
"Even the fact that he made fire?"
"Well…" Ashley said, offering Hillary a small smile as she gently, ever so gently, guided the younger woman back to the table; "Back then he couldn't."
Thomas sighed, taking that as a cue that he was officially out of the conversation. He then went to clean up the sink, knowing that he was going to get the blame if the morning crew found puke in the basin.
Gods, did he hate night shifts.
Galactic Senate, Coruscant.
Kasumi's office.
11:17
The warm rays of the sun washed in through the large windows, bathing Kasumi in its rays. It was a comforting sensation, a familiar feeling that gave her a sort of connection to the Milky Way galaxy, even from this place.
The last few days had been utter frustration, to put it mildly.
First, she had tried getting clone officers to come to her meetings. She wanted their view of the case. The only one to actually show was Commander Fox, not to be confused with her somewhat-friend Fox. And he had never been outside Coruscant, therefore effectively knowing nothing of the hell war was. She had been forced to dismiss him, in her very most friendly way of course.
Next, she had tried finding Ahsoka. She had hesitated with contacting the young girl because she already worried she might have ruined what friendship she had with Padme, at least from the view of the Senator. She didn't want to also estrange the young Jedi padawan. Odd, how the person who had been most adamant about chasing her down on the ship back then, had become her dearest friend in this God-forsaken Republic.
Turned out though, Ahsoka was on a mission for her Jedi Order, helping out the resistance on a far-away planet along with Kenobi and Scarface. Anakin had yet to apologize for nearly choking her, so she had yet to address him by his name. Usually she went with either 'Broody', 'Scarface' or 'Sulky', because she knew it pissed him off to no end.
"Ambassador, you have a guest by the door." The voice of the Senate guard posted outside her door said through the intercom. She couldn't remember his name, and she had the feeling he didn't much care. She was probably just another suit-n-tie, a high-end politician with no idea how real life was.
"Who is it?" She asked, pressing the physical button. God, these people had plasma and laser weapons, but they still used physical buttons and keyboards?
"Clone Commander CC-5052. Are you expecting a visitor?" Again with the damnable numbers. She hated the fact that the clones themselves just went along with being labelled numbers in an expendable army of expendable men. Also, she was not expecting a visitor, and certainly not from someone she had no idea who was.
"What is his name?" She asked, making sure her voice indicated just what she meant by it. There was a short pause before the guard spoke back;
"Commander 'Bly' ma'am. Of the 327th Star Corps."
"Send him in, please." She said, ending the transmission before adjusting her seat. Finding she could sit properly, she opted to instead stand and go to be by the window. She had to admit, the view was nice from here… too bad so many lived in squalor on this planet. The hiss of pneumatic doors brought her eyes to the entrance, where a clone… a man, in yellow and white phase-II armor, though with modifications, stepped inside, his helmet respectfully kept under his right arm.
The man stopped and snapped to a salute before her, remaining that way until the point where Kasumi realized she had to order him to settle down. Baka, were these guys indoctrinated from birth or something?
"Commander CC-5052, 327th Star Corps, ma'am." He said with military precision. Okay, Kasumi had to admit Keji had some competition in looks from these guys. The Maori traits were very desirable. She indicated the soft, cushioned chair across from her desk;
"Please sit." She said with her friendliest smile. The man looked momentarily surprised, though he nodded and placed himself in the chair, back straight, hands on his knees; "Now, what is your name?"
"CC-5052. The men call me Bly, ma'am." He said, his voice remaining the same precise articulatory example of the hard drilling his kind went through from birth to the point where they were shipped out to die.
"Bly it is then. You may call me Kasumi, even the Admiral does, so why shouldn't you?" She said, smiling at him as she sat back into her own chair. Opening the cabinet beneath her desk, she pulled out two small glasses, then proceeded to fill them both with what she had come to know as a light alcoholic beverage. As she offered one glass to Bly, he once more looked utterly surprised; "Is something wrong?"
"No ma… Kasumi. Thank you, but I don't drink on duty." He said, a small smile appearing on his lips. She sighed, pulling out a new container, this one non-alcoholic. Bly accepted it with a nod, as well as slightly widened eyes; "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. I respect if you prefer to be sober, considering your job is pretty important." She said, twirling the liquid in her glass.
"Exactly." Bly still seemed… astounded, somehow.
"You serve in the regular army, right?"
"Yes I do. Under General Ayla Secura, Jedi Master and leader of the Corps since ist forming." He admitted. There was a more visible smile now, as he talked about this Ayla Secura. Kasumi made a note to ask who she was, or simply find out herself.
"She's a good leader, I take it?"
"Very. She takes great care all men serving under her are comfortable and she treats us with respect. Actually… that was why I sought you out today, Kasumi"
"Really?" Now she was curious; "How come?"
"Word has spread throughout the army. That you think differently about us than most others. See us as human beings, not just numbers." There was an edge to his voice now. It wasn't negative, more like defensive if anything.
"I do, yes." She said, taking a small, polite sip of her glass before continuing; "Where I come from, soldiers are respected, valued and free. I want to at least try doing the same for you and your brothers, even if I'm the only one of the mindset." The smile of approval she received from him, coupled with the disbelieving eyes, confused her. Not because she hadn't expected him to like the idea, but because she got the impression he was testing her somehow.
"Not the only one, Kasumi." He said; "General Secura shares your views, as do most of our Jedi Generals."
"Really?" Now it was her turn to be surprised. Kasumi leaned forward in her chair, just enough to betray her immense curiosity.
"Yes. However, the power lies with the politicians, so the Jedi can't do more than be nice to us." He admitted. Kasumi nodded;
"And… how do you feel about Ayla Secura?"
"On a professional basis, she is one of the most competent and compassionate leaders I know of. She takes risks to ensure the safety of her men, and often so. She is a skilled warrior, and she knows when to pick a fight." Bly said, seeming and sounding proud.
"And, on a personal basis?" She said, knowing the man would be forced to be honest. At least that was one good thing about the training. Bly hesitated a moment before he spoke, looking down at the beginning;
"I like her. She has a kind heart, she's brave and she sees me and my men as equals, different people. If we were stuck with a regular officer, like the ones from the academy, we would just be faceless soldiers. Ayla she… she sees through that. I suspect in the same way you want to make people do."
"Sounds like a good woman." Kasumi agreed.
"She is." Bly said, then added; "And I think she would like to meet you, when you have the time. We're on Coruscant for the next few days only."
"I would love to. I'm actually free until Ahsoka Tano returns from her mission, so anytime would be fine." Kasumi said, giving the officer a warm smile. If she had to pick one aspect of the codes and laws and what-not of this place, she would pick the intrigues and secrets of taboos and forbidden emotions that seemed to flourish. It was evident, with the speed and conviction, as well as warmth Bly spoke of Secura in, that she meant a lot to him.
"I am glad to hear that. Do I have your request to arrange a meeting then?" He said, then added; "I sort of need it since it would be trouble if she went by my wish alone."
Kasumi grinned at his repressed embarrassment. Not because she liked seeing men being embarrassed, but because it was really sweet; "Of course. Commander Bly, I hereby request that you ask Jedi General Ayla Secura to meet me here at her convenience."
"I'll deliver the message, Ambassador. Thank you for your hospitality." He said, saluted and then left the room. Kasumi was left with a considerably better mood than she had had before the visit. She rather liked Bly, even if he wanted to hide the fact that clones had emotions.
The next day, Kasumi was surprised by finding she had a new visitor. In truth, not surprised that she had, but surprised said visitor had arrived already the day after the meeting. The intercom sparked to life, and Kasumi was once more greeted with the calm voice of her door-guard. Honestly though, she was perfectly capable of defending herself, so she didn't see the need for a guard.
"Ambassador, Jedi Master Ayla Secura is here."
"Please send her in." Kasumi said, then deactivated the intercom and stood. She knew, or at least suspected, that some more formal and proper manners were required in order to greet a Jedi Master. Offering booze probably wouldn't go over well. Kasumi stood by the windows once more as the doors hissed open, revealing a person she had to do a double-take on to recognize.
"Ambassador Goto. I am Jedi Master Ayla Secura. I am glad to see you have proven as interesting as I anticipated at our first encounter." The woman, green woman with head-tails said, offering Kasumi a light, respectful bow. Kasumi was quick to return it, though upbringing rendered her own a lot more Japanese in style.
"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine Master Jedi." She said, then stood straight again; "I am glad you wanted to come here."
"Your views on clones are unique amongst politicians. Far too unique to pass up. My commander had a very pleasant discussion with you, from what I understand." Ayla said with a smile. Kasumi gestured for the chairs. Not the ones used for quick meetings at her desk, but rather the pair of red, stuffed armchairs positioned by the windows. It was high noon, which meant the sun was warming them through the panes of glass between them, and the thousand-foot drop.
"I'd offer you a drink, but Fox told me Jedi don't drink. Have to wonder why though, I get my most compassionate ideas when tipsy." Kasumi said. She decided that she might as well lay all cards on the table, if she wanted Ayla to do the same.
"It is not frowned upon, but rather because it disturbs meditation. As it happens, I do not have more meditation planned for the day." There was a quirk in the Twi'lek's expression, and Kasumi realized there might be more than 'Warrior Nun' to this woman.
"I'm guessing that means: Yes please, I'd like a drink, in Jedi language?" Ayla just smiled and nodded. Kasumi, being the good host she was, picked out a mild beverage that would lighten the mood, though not enough to ruin seriousness. It tasted remarkably much like smoked honey from Earth.
"Now… I'd like to know about, well, why the Republic treats your soldiers the way they do." Kasumi said, taking a small sip; "Honestly I just don't see the need, though Senator Amidala disagreed with me..."
"As do most leaders of the Republic. They never interact with the soldiers, they don't see the humans in them. To most, the clones are simply useful numbers to send against the Separatists." Ayla said, copying Kasumi's own motion with her glass.
"I still don't see why the Republic cant sustain a regular army, made from citizens, give the clones citizenship after service ended… or hell, even make droids like your enemies do." Kasumi exclaimed, putting her glass down on the small table set between their chairs. Ayla nodded;
"The waste of lives troubles you greatly, I can see."
"It does, yeah." Kasumi admitted. She took a moment before continuing; "This is probably real bad diplomacy skills from me, but I think I'd better give some context…"
"Your own people has experience with costly wars, staggering amounts of dead caused by politics and incompetent leaders" Ayla stated more than asked. Kasumi blinked, looking at the azure woman with increased respect.
"We do. We called them World Wars, because they happened when we all lived on one planet. Tell me, how many soldiers have died so far in this conflict?" Kasumi asked. It was odd, how she took an immediate liking to most Jedi she came across, and generally all women she met here.
"It is difficult to be accurate in numbers… but around sixty million have died so far, these two last years." Ayla said, causing Kasumi to gasp, though both in shock and less negative surprise.
"Sixty… over the last two years?"
"Yes. Most casualties are sustained when inexperienced or careless leaders send their men into battle on open ground."
"I'm… I am not sure what to say. How can so many die over the course of just two years? It seems surreal, just plain insane."
"How many were killed in your world wars, Goto?" Ayla asked with genuine curiosity, looking to the Japanese with friendly eyes. Kasumi could see why Bly had reacted the way he had when asked. The woman in front of her was definitely beautiful, even with alien features instead of hair. Or, maybe that was what made her so attractive, that streak of exotic beauty… why was she considering that stuff again?
"World War One lasted about four years… thirty-seven million died in it. In World War Two, around twenty years later, fifty million soldiers were killed, over six years. In both wars, the soldiers were citizens and paid servicemen." There was a hint of realization in Ayla's eyes, followed by something that looked like sympathy.
"I see now, why you are so passionate about this. In two years, we have dwarfed the number of dead your world suffered in six." The Twi'lek said, looking from Kasumi to the city stretching far beyond sight on the other side of the window.
"Yeah… it's a mess alright." Kasumi muttered.
"Would you feel differently if I told you why the clones are better suited for the war than civilians?" Ayla surprised her by saying. Kasumi snapped around to regard the General. Stopping herself from saying anything though, she simply nodded; "The clones are bred from birth to be faster, stronger, smarter and more resilient in every way than the average human being. Emotions like fear and the flight-instinct are not eliminated, but lessened in them genetically."
"That's… inhumane, to breed people to be soldiers."
"At the start of the war, armed forces of civilians and regular soldiers tried opposing the droid armies. All resulted in defeats, with few casualties to the droids. The clones are the only one strong and fast enough to fight them, which is why any and all talk of disbanding or lessening the army is a taboo." Ayla explained. Kasumi felt a bit like she was being corrected, which would be incredibly annoying were Ayla in any way patronizing. She wasn't, though, which made it all seem more like a school class.
"I think I understand why you need the clones, but what about the mass-assaults, lack of pay and the general view of them as expendable?" Kasumi said, scratching her hair beneath the hood. Although it didn't have the dark color her original one had, the material was much more comfortable.
"The mass-assaults mainly happened in the beginning of the Clone Wars, where we had yet to master commanding an army. Jedi aren't trained for leading armies, but for keeping the peace. We do our best to minimize casualties today though, but they still remain high, mostly due to the droids outnumbering us vastly."
"You lead armies even when you aren't trained for it? Why?" Kasumi asked, not seeing the logic, if there was any.
"Jedi have been leaders for the past thousands of years. It is only recent that we became leaders of soldiers, through the belief that this new charge was the same as leading minds and tasks. It is… difficult, sometimes, to see past initial arrogance." Ayla admitted. While not really the answer Kasumi had been looking for, she felt it would be improper to press the woman further on the subject of Jedi leading. To give herself a moment to think, Kasumi picked her glass up, took a slow sip before putting it back down and look to Ayla;
"Then what about the lack of pay and proper treatment?"
"That… is only forgiven if the Republic is in desperate need of funds. The men I fight with every day, Commander Bly included, are courageous and brave, noble and just. I know I make them out to be something unrealistic, but that is the truth. Even just in behavior, they are what all humans, all sentient life, should aspire to be. The fact that they are treated like slaves, by a Republic that denounces slavery, is…" Ayla stopped herself as even Kasumi could see she was passionate about the subject of her men's wellbeing. Taking a small drink from her glass, the Jedi continued; "It is often difficult to remain neutral in this subject. I would prefer my men to be rewarded for the sacrifices they pay, however it is not the place of the Jedi to argue politics."
"Seriously? What would happen if a Jedi, say you for example, argued in the Senate that the Republic should start giving the clones basic rights?" Kasumi asked, leaning towards the Jedi.
"We would be taken into account, but ultimately ignored. There are those with power who gain much from the fact that the clones are a free resource." Ayla said, evidently ashamed; "They want the only expense being when the soldiers are bought, and those money are given to the Kaminoans, not the clones."
"Just how corrupt is this Republic anyway? I keep hearing 'Those would gain on that' and 'they would gain on this' as reasons for laws and regulations. Honestly!" Kasumi was growing annoyed at the seemingly endless amount of corporate control and underhand politics. It was even worse than the Citadel Council, which said a lot.
"At some points? Very. This is not how things are done on your worlds, I take it." Ayla said. She sounded longing, as if she wanted nothing more than to escape war, death and corruption in favor of living in a peaceful, just society.
"Not really, no. We're still under the thumb of some corporations, but the military is big enough to overrule those people when it comes to the safety of the populace. Also, the Alliance Parliament tends to care more about the people than reelections, meaning they make sure corporations can't decide what happens in the big picture." Kasumi hadn't even realized she knew those things, though she had no intention of complaining.
"Your 'Alliance', it is like the Republic in its role, yes?" Ayla said. Kasumi nodded, but felt Ayla wanted more context. Understandable, and fair enough seeing how the Jedi had just badmouthed her own Republic to Kasumi, the sole link to the governments of the Milky Way for the Galactic Republic.
"Kinda, yeah. But our military is a lot more integrated with every aspect of life than here. You remember the Admiral on the file I presented to the Jedi Council?"
"The auburn woman, Admiral… I'm afraid I have forgotten her name."
"Anna Fisher. Along with A man named Stephen Hackett and Oleg Petrovsky, she rules the military branch of Humanity. And she does a good job of it too." Kasumi said, unable to hide her smile from pride that she worked for said woman.
"Will you tell me about her, and your home?" Ayla said with a cautious smile. Kasumi returned it with a warm one of her own;
"I'd love to."
December 7th
Arcturus station, Arcturus Stream.
19:41
"Admiral Fisher, I am glad you would meet with me." Daro'Xen said. Anna nodded and leaned back against her desk, a mug of steaming coffee in her hand. She hadn't slept since sending out a search-mission for the 2nd fleet, and that was yesterday. She had no idea what had happened, and no idea if either Decarissa or Oskar Feldberg, commanding officer of said fleet were even alive. Melatonin and assorted drugs had not helped her sleep at all.
"You are Alliance now, Xen. You are an admiral. We're colleagues, so of course I'll meet with you." She said, taking a deep look into her mug; "Now, what is it"?
"I have taken the liberty of going over some of the computing technology for your new flagship. Imagine my surprise when I found you have your AI's filling in when neither humans nor Quarians can work." The younger woman said, luminescent eyes occasionally darting for the projector on Anna's desk.
"Let me guess: You want it stopped because you disapprove of free AI's?" Anna said, scratching her hair in annoyance. People always said she was weird, but Xen was on a whole other level. To her surprise, the Quarian chuckled, a sharp and bright sound that stood in contrast to the behavior Daro'Xen usually showed.
"By all means, let him continue. Your 'Price' is a marvelous machine, one I hope to gain understanding in later, when we are done saving the galaxy. Ah, such a noble goal that all regulations disappear."
"If your 'understanding' even involves loosening one bolt or a single chip in him, the answer is no." Anna was not going to let the technophile woman touch Price without twenty Marines pointing guns at her head, at least.
"Not at all. It is his behavior, not his programing I desire to understand. He is as organic as you promised in regards to his thinking. I can learn more from conversing than from taking his data apart. Which, would also be a futile attempt, I know." The admiral said. There was a short pause, only interrupted by Anna slurping down her coffee; "Regardless of personal interests, I also came to inform you that the engineers are finished with calibrating the main guns. I cannot wait to see them perform in a real combat scenario."
"Oh? That's two days ahead of schedule, how come?"
"You'd be surprised how much even overtired workers can perform when they have the choice between sleep and the end of the world. Marvelous performance with the Citadel Council, by the way."
"That's one way to put it. Udina has changed, and although he's coming closer to my way of thinking, it was easier when he was warmer to the Council, there to take the brunt of their bullshit. Now he talks back, which is annoying because that leaves me as just as viable an option as him for the Council to bitch at."
"A shame though, that your prime vessel was relieved of duty. The Normandy is soon to be here, is it not?"
"Yeah it is, and yeah it is. Now, you mentioned the main guns?"
"Indeed, the interlocked railings were difficult to merge, but, being the unrecognized genius that I am, we solved the problem." God this woman went on Anna's nerves, brilliant or not; "The only problem is that the power-drain is too big for them to be fired simultaneously. Our best simulation gives you a zero-point-five pause between shots."
"It still fires twice the megatons of kinetic power available to an Everest Dreadnought, so I can deal with that. Anything else?"
"Yes, actually. The Asari Republics have refused to share the secrets to producing their famous Silaris armor since your ambassador went against the Council last month, which leaves us without a properly armored hull." The admiral said. Anna frowned, mentally making a note to send some hate mail to Thessia.
"Fuck…"
"Profanities excluded, your own scientists came up with a rather… interesting solution last night." Xen went on. Anna looked hard at the Quarian woman. Had Cole made something and not informed the woman responsible for her paycheck?
"Why wasn't I informed?... and what sort of solution?"
"It's a completely new integrity-reinforcement." Price said, his visage suddenly appearing in the projector. Daro'Xen looked at him with wide, drilling eyes, though the AI did his best to ignore her.
"Does everyone but me know something that I if anyone should know of?" Anna remarked, the sleep-deprivation taking her annoyance up a few notches.
"Not everyone. Cole came up with it while trying to fix the issue with long-range Turbolasers. We're still stuck on that one, by the way. Instead of overlapping the hull with a new set of armor, nanotechnology can solve the bitch for us."
"I'm still not following here, Price." Anna grumbled.
"We spray the hulls with a mix of semi-organic carbon fiber molecules in multiple layers. The eggheads have managed to make a small sample grow by subjecting it to the right mix of Hydrogen, Palladium and Oxygen molecules, then subjecting it to intense heat." Anna cocked a brow at that, thinking the AI had to be joking.
"Price… are you telling me we're going to farm armor? What, you want me to stroll the hull with a ewer, singing about flowers?
"You need Palladium for this shit, don't see it used much in gardening… but the farming part is about right." Price said. Anna rubbed the bridge of her nose. Was this even real science or had he just hit what he said was rampancy, AI's dying, a little earlier than thought?
"Still… Price, I'm not a scientist, or a biologist… but how does this even work?"
"It just does. Ask Cole if you want the specifics, woman's a damn genius if ever I've seen one." The AI said, shrugging. For some reason, the shrugging was what made Xen step a little closer to Price's projection, as well as his disk; "And please keep Xen a good meter from me."
"Easily done… and I don't know if I would understand the science of this shit anyway… how far are we with the 'Vengeance' now?"
"I'd say give us a week, she should be as ready as we can make her. Won't have the Turbolasers though, but the main guns, regular turrets, broadside weapons and armor should all be ready." Price said, pulling his hat a bit; "Remember, this is new science, a lot of it, so we're effectively dealing with a prototype here."
"A week? As in less than eight days?" Anna said, genuinely surprised.
"Plus minus one day, depending on delivery of resources and such. Everything needed is in place, we're really just installing the last things, plus the paste. Cole wants to call it 'SOSNSA-3' armor, since it's the third batch to fully work out." Price calculated, then shrugged as if he thought of something odd.
"SOSNSA?" Xen asked, giving the AI, behind her helmet, a raised brow. Price nodded;
"Semi-Organic Synthetic Nano Ship Armor."
Well, seems like Humanity was on the receiving end this time around. Bugger, I liked Feldberg...
Oh well, this story is shaping up. The Goliath is nearly complete, Hillary now know of Thomas and Roku, the Normandy is bound for Arcturus and Kasumi plays hard-ball with Republic politics.
All in all, this story has progressed further than I ever would have expected. Hell, when I started I thought it would be max 300k words, and in 1st person all the way. Granted, it was 1st person up until Virmire, but that was where things needed to change. So, we will remain with the 3rd person. I also got a review from a Guest, so I'll try answering it here:
Roku is... a difficult entity to fully describe. He's so far beyond comprehension at times that even I have trouble keeping up. In most stories with a spiritual helper that I've read, the helper is either fully mysterious or fully revealed. I wanted to make Roku so that, while now even being physical, he still fucks with logic.
His stunt with the Dragonborn takes place now, and yet not. Time moves like... leaves, drunk leaves with jet-engines and a teddybear at the wheel. It's really the best way I can describe it, and he wasn't even supposed to be allowed to mess up thát timeline, seeing how it got him punished with entrapment in a geth body.
Remember to review, and if you haven't yet, go back and read the first seven chapters again.
See ya :)