Chapter9

C-Sec 3rd patrol fleet

Serpent Nebula, Around the Citadel space,

Patrolling the primary Relay of the Citadel.

Garrus Vakarian sigh as he settle himself into the sensor console seat. He was particularly unhappy with the recent reassignment after his little spat with Saren Arterius. The Specter was once again pulling strings to prevent him from getting any evidence and the little fistfight cause him to be sent to Citadel patrol fleet for the duration while Saren is still in the Citadel.

"No use fuming over that Particular incident" muttered Garrus as he focus his attention back onto the holographic console commonly used by every Citadel species. His sniper trained eye immediately pick out the reading of an incoming mass relay transit. "Sir, incoming unscheduled Mass relay transit" reported Garrus as he quickly tapped as his console.

The Turian sitting in the command chair nodded his praise to Garrus, detecting and tracking Mass relay transits are near impossible as the object in question are moving way faster than any wavelength that their sensors put out. But Garrus have managed to detect the pass 5 incoming relay transit without any problem, the young C-Sec officer is particularly talented.

"All ships, into formation, intercept the incoming transit" order Executor Pallin as the settle into the command chair of the Turian Dreadnought assigned to guard the Citadel.

"Contacts transiting now" Reported Garrus as he pointed the sensor towards the incoming vessels "Receiving IFF, it's the Hierarch 23rd patrol Fleet."

"That can't be right" muttered Pallin "That fleet should have a cruiser with them. Coms open channel to the lead frigate, something is not right"

"Aye sir," replied a Turian sitting at another console. "Approaching Hierarch fleet, this is Citadel 3rd patrol fleet, please respond." Static hiss back in reply...

"This is Captain Ruso Vallokius acting commander of the Hierarch fleet, Our ships have been decimated and we have lost the cruiser. Requesting immediate assistance, we have wounded onboard and our mass effect core are at critical levels." came a wary Turian voice.

Before a reply could be sent, a damaged Turian frigate detonated in a blue hued fireball as it core destabilized.

"Alert the Citadel" snarled Pullin "Tell them to prepare emergency crews, also have technical expert extract the video logs from the surviving ships. The being responsible for this will pay dearly for crossing the Hierarch."

"The acting commander of the surviving 23rd Hierarch Fleet has brought forth some disturbing…. video" muttered a Salarian councilor as he manipulated his Omni-Tool the main holographic screen in the council chamber.

The hologram shifted and displayed a video recording taken from one of the surviving Turian frigate. The image show how clearly how the blue whit plasma torpedo from the Covenant destroyer track the evasive frigate before it impacted the kinetic barrier of the frigate. The torpedo was deflected initially before it restrikes the weaken kinetic barrier, punching through and melting the hull beneath.

"As we can see clearly from this video, the beings show have highly advanced plasma weapons that are considerably powerful." Explained the Salarian before showing another video.

This one shows the Turian cruiser engaging the large assault carrier before being destroyed when the assault carrier fired its energy projector.

"They also have energy weapons?" muttered the Asari councilor.

"Impossible!" roared the Turian councilor "The energy requirement needed to power such a weapon will be impossible to achieve even with the most advance mass effect core we currently possess!"

"That's not the worst of it." Reply the Salarian as he manipulated the video a bit longer. The scene shifted once more and showed a view of the hull of the enemy hull when guardian lasers race away from the camera, heading towards the ship's engine cones.

"They will be dead in space" smirked the Turian councilor before the it was wiped of his face. The lasers impacted an invisible barrier that shimmer silver before the covenant destroyer returned fired with its more powerful lasers, easily burning through a nearby Turian frigate.

"There's more" quickly added the Salarian. This time the view changed and split into two, one screen shows the frond camera of the Turian frigate, the other was showing the side camera. It shows a dull grey ship in the distance.

"Sensor estimates the ship in question is around to be around two and a half kilometer long. In fact most of the ship detected by the sensor is longer than 2 kilometers with the exception of the 2 purple hulled ships at one and a half kilometer each. But that's not it…."

He continues to manipulate the omni-tool and the video fast forward slightly, the video paused and was played there was four sudden flash of light from the ship before one of the purple ships flashed sliver and detonated.

"What was that? Asked the Asari councilor as she tried to slow down the frame of the video with her omni-tool. The video replayed, this time much slower. The imaged was suddenly paused by the salarian councilor as soon as the flash appeared once.

"As you can see" said the Salarian to the other two councilor, "there are also using projectile weaponry," as the video continue "what reading our sensors can get before the rounds impacted is that the round is approximately 200tons in mass and was travelling at a velocity of 30 thousand meters per second with an energy release of approximately 3tetra joules. And this ship just fired four of them"

"Four three tetra joules shots? All within microseconds of each other? Impossible" replied the Turian. "Even with our mass effect technology that will be well beyond any power generation method any civilization we have come across."

"And yet, Valern, they do have the technology to do so" replied the Asari councilor with a clam expression even as excitement continues to build up inside.

"Still I must remind you, Tevos, the species that owns that ship has violated Citadel law in forbidding the activation of a dormant relay." Snapped Valern as his Turian pride suffered a minor bruised from the asari's remark.

"They may have indeed broken Citadel law" said the Salarian councilor Milos, "But I do not think they intent to activate the relay, they surely have another form of FTL"

"What makes you suggest that?" Growled Valern "Of course they use mass relay! What species don't?" Added the Turian as his mandibles flared with his temper.

"Calm yourself Valern, there's no need to act brash!" said Tevos, in an attempt to diffused the situation. Milos nodded his agreement.

"Very well," Growled Valern "So what should we do about the beings? By Destroying half of the Hierarchy fleet its considered an act of war, the Hierarch will not stand down from this violent confrontation" said Valern as he slowly cool down his temper.

"Indeed, their technology is very advanced, so much to say they have working large scale energy weapons" agreed Milos.

"War with such being will surely not end well for us" said Tevos "But there might be something we have overlooked" with that she started manipulating her omni-tool. "This last part of the recording doesn't make any sense" as she played the video. It shows the sudden appearance of several more purple hued vessels from white portals and opening fire on the first group of purple ships.

"Maybe they they're having a civil war" mused Valern as he observed the destruction of the large purple vessel before the camera was deactivated for the relay jump.

"It does seem to point that way" Agreed Tevos "I propose we send an expedition to try and find out more of these unknown civilizations, perhaps we can gain some knowledge of their culture and technologies. A vote is in order I think."

The other two councilor nodded their agreement and they each typed their decision into their omni-tool.

"The results are agreed then" Announced Milos "The STG will be sending some teams to observe the new species."

"Agreed, but…." Added Valern "I recommend a Spector to be on hand. Saren Arterius will be the one for this job."

"Very well" conceded Tevos, knowing Valern will not back down from his stance. "But Diplomancy will be done by the Asari Republic."

The other two councilor nodded their agreement before the meeting was adjourned.

Elsewhere in distant cluster…..

"High Prophet of Revenge, we have lost contact with the Assault carrier battlegroup in the 46th sector" Reported a huge and hairy creature at a com console. "We managed to obtain this from them before their destruction" add the Jiralhanae. The hologram shows a large vessel clearly of Forerunner origin.

The being sitting in an antigravity throne swirled the chair slowly and gaze on the Jiralhanae with intelligent and cunning eyes. "Send the fleet, the sign from our gods is at hand!"

Author's note, Sorry about long delay had an exam to deal with, hope this longer chapter makes up for it. The council will try diplomacy , somewhat and Covie loyalist are back. As a Spartan of team Black said" The Universe needs less uglies"