Mass Effect is the property of Bioware. 20th Century Fox owns the Alien/Predator franchise.

A short chapter this time, mainly to bring a couple of plot-lines up to date. Also, I wanted to create an excuse to have Saren go down to the planet. I'll try to have him run into a predator. Ground combat will start in the next chapter. Thanks everyone for the reviews

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Shanxi, in orbit around the planet

"So, brother, you want to join the groundforce? Commanding a frigate is not good enough any more?"

Normally, a general and a lieutenant would not be sharing a drink, but there were exceptions for family, even within the strict confines of the hierarchy. So, when Desolas had read his brother's request for reassignment he had invited him over to the flagship. Now the two of them were sitting in Desolas' quarters, looking out over the shattered remnants of the human space station. Originally the plan had been to seize the facility intact, but after the ambush that the fleet had suffered when entering orbit, Desolas had changed his plans. Chances were that the station was either ready to open fire on approaching ships, loaded with booby-traps, or set to self-destruct upon being boarded, most likely all three. Instead, the turian fleet had opened firre from a safe distance and torn the station apart with mass accelerator slugs.

"Frigate command is fine," Saren's mandibles twitched in the turian equivalent of a grimace. "or it would be, if I actually got to use it for combat."

"I see. So, chasing the humans out of the system doesn't qualify as combat?"

"Hardly. That old fool Oraka ordered us forward twice, then called us back again. We never got in more than a few long distance shots at their ships. The cruisers and dreadnoughts did all the real work."

"Perhaps you should count yourself fortunate, Saren. Look at what happened here in orbit: one frigate gone completely, one cruiser nearly gone, and lot of other ships damaged. Consider that, before you criticize general Oraka." He studied his drink. "Still, it seems that we are done with space battles for now. I don't see a reason not to approve your request. To be honest, I never fully understood why they would waste a strong biotic like you in a command chair. Your talents wil be a lot more useful on the ground."

"So, I'm going planetside?"

"Yes. Not with the first wave; they are already fully loaded. You'll go down with the second wave, as soon as the landing sites are secure. We need to hurry this up, before somebody gets it in their head to intervene."

Saren stared at his brother in shock. The last time they had spoken, shortly after the fleet had come through Relay 288, Desolas had been confident, full of resolve. Now he seemed nervous.

"Who would dare? We're here on orders of the hierarchy. No-one short of the primarch can stop us."

"I'm not worried about someone stopping us, Saren. I'm worried about what happens afterwards. We're out here to safe face for the hierarchy and for Fedorian in particular. For that we need to do more than just win, we need to win quickly, with minimal losses. Already our losses are more than just 'minimal' and we haven't set a foot on the ground yet. If the invasion goes according to plan, everything will be fine, but if their ground-side defence does as much damage as their fleet, support for our actions will evaporate and the primarch will be too busy answering questions himself to cover us. After all, it was his foolishness that put us in this position."

"His... foolishness?" The hierarchy encouraged people to evaluate the actions of both subordinates and superiors, after all how else could society be sure that the right people ended up with the right responsibilities. Still, to say something so scathing about the primarch himself, supposedly the pinacle of turian capability...

"Try to imagine what would have happened if Fedorian had been a little less eager to show off. After Livestian and his ships were lost, the council was informed, and I'm sure they wanted to send in a diplomatic team-"

"And make us look like weaklings and fools?!"

"Let me finish, brother. If Fedorian had let them, it would have been the council who asked for peace, not the hierarchy; the council who negotiated; and ultimately the council who would have been responsible for the outcome. It would have been perfect. If the humans refused, it would be the council that lost face, not us, and they would have had no choice but to support our war effort; and if the humans were willing to negotiate, we would still be seen as the reasonable ones. After all, we stayed our talons when the council asked us to. In the mean time, the border would be secure and the council would owe us a big favour." Desolas took a sip of his drink. "Instead, our esteemed primarch decided that this was the perfect opportunity to show how independent we are. So, no council involvement. That meant that there would be no negotiations, because if we asked for peace ourselves, it would look too much like a surrender. And it's not like Fedorian had a better plan; or any plan at all."

"Until you provided him with one."

"Exactly! So, if everything goes right, it will be the humans that open negotiations, not us, and we will look quite magnanimous for giving back their precious little colony world. Fedorian will be in my debt for giving him a way out, and the rest of the hierarchy will remember that I was the one that gave them peace with honour. But for all that to happen we have to take this planet first, and if things go wrong..."

Saren stared at him. "Are you seriously suggesting that the invasion might fail?"

"Fail? No, but already our losses are above my initial projections and it will only get worse. If we suffer a setback, even a minor one, there will be plenty of people ready to pounce. Do you really think that the citadel council is just going to accept this? They may not feel strong enough to challenge Fedorian directly, but that doesn't mean they cannot make plenty of trouble."

"The council?" Saren scoffed. "What are they going to do? Write an angry memo?"

"Be careful with your judgements, little brother," Desolas chided. "The council's power may be more symbolic than real, but they have something that is almost as good: they have access. When they call someone, that person answers. When they talk, people listen. Even if they cannot harm us directly they can do a lot of damage, simply by 'voicing their concerns' to the right people."

Saren nodded. "And you think they will?"

"Oh, yes. I know Sparatus quite well. He has a vindictive streak and good reason to dislike Fedorian, especially since he is now our councillor, so any slight to the council reflects on him. I don't think he will deliberately undermine the hierarchy, but if he can find a way to make Fedorian look bad personally, why not?"

"And the other two?"

"I don't know Milnori at all, but remember that we have an STG vessel in system right now, so clearly the salarians are keeping an eye on us. Everything we have done so far goes against salarian doctrine. They never act without full knowledge. As for the asari, Tevos has been a councillor for nearly two centuries. So, she's had almost two hundred years to build up resentment at her lack of actual power. Any opportunity to exercise influence must be welcome, especially after Fedorian basically slapped them all down." He downed the last of his drink. "So, we have to move quickly, hit their strong points with everything we have, and pacify this planet. Don't worry little brother. You'll see action yet."

-o-o-o-

Shanxi, second Lagrangian point

The danger of the approach was over. They had had remained undetected and now the ship was locked in its orbital position, hidden by its stealth systems and with its engines shut down.

"Commander, the turians are preparing to land."

"Then we must be ready to move. The window of opportunity will be small. Are the hunters ready?"

"Yes. The young ones have been briefed on the layout of the human facility. But..."

"What?"

"How sure are we of our information?"

The commander would have smiled, if his facial structure had allowed for such an expression. "Quite sure. Humans are easy to bribe and their banking system is ideal for anonymous transactions. Besides, we managed to acquire several individuals with personal knowledge of the facility. They talked extensively before they died. Our schematics are generally correct. If there are minor differences, well, then the youngsters will just have to deal with the additional challenge."

"And the substance?"

"It's there. Several of the researchers from the human organization Weyland-Yutani fled after the great serpents got loose. At least two of them sought refuge with this 'Exogeni' group. They took the substance with them as bribe to gain protection. When the humans founded this colony Exogeni took the samples here, as far from the central government as they could get."

"I understand. I will make sure that the shuttle is ready to depart."

"Good. Keep an eye on the salarian vessel. Their sensors are better than the turians'. It does not matter too much if they get a look at the shuttle, but they must not discover our ship."

-o-o-o-

As they watched the first wave of turian cargo shuttles, accompanied by a swarm of fighters, broke from orbit. On the planet below the defenders, a mix of colonial marines, local militia, and corporate security were waiting for them.

Presidium, the Citadel

"Troubling. Very troubling." A wheezing breath. "We should have been informed."

Norlin Dem, ambassador of the Vol protectorate, studied the data he had just now received.

"Two cruisers lost, one damaged. The cost..." wheeze "... will be considerable. The profit..." wheeze "... so far: none."

"Indeed." Councillor Sparatus had been reasonably sure that the Volus had not been informed of either the incidents at Relay 314, or of general Arterius' little adventure. It was quite gratifying to see that this was true. The ambassador's reaction was also everything he could have hoped for. Normally, reading Volus' body-language was nearly impossible through their rotund encounter suits, and analysing their voice patterns was perhaps even more difficult. However, ambassador Dem's annoyance was almost tangible.
"And that," Sparatus continued. "is merely the cost so far. I think we can be reasonably sure that these humans are not going to welcome Arterius with a bottle of dextro-brandy. So, even if his little invasion is successful, there will be additional costs. Probably quite a lot."

"Yes. Invasions are expensive..." wheeze "... reparations may be more so."

"You expect that the hierarchy will have to pay?" Sparatus carefully kept his tone neutral. Better to let the ambassador draw his own conclusions, rather than attempt to persuade him. Besides, while they might think in terms of costs and benefits, rather than conquest and retreat, the Volus were good strategists. The ambassador was a veteran of decades of financial scheming and political infighting; his take on the current situation would certainly be worth listening to.

"Possible. Your squadron was first to fire..." wheeze "... in clear violation of first contact protocol." Wheeze. "This new clan's strength and resources are unknown, but their tactics are effective. Fight when strong..." wheeze "... evade when weak. Seems tactics dictated by practical considerations..." wheeze "... not pride." Unlike some turians, he carefully left unsaid. "General Arterius' plan may work..." wheeze "... but it relies on the humans acting as expected." Wheeze. "What if they simply refuse to negotiate?"

What indeed?

Sparatus left the embassy shortly afterwards, his task complete. Undoubtedly councillor Tevos was having a similar conversation with the Elcor ambassador. That left the Hanar to councillor Milnori. By the end of the day, all senior diplomats on the citadel would have been briefed. A simple courtesy, though rather overdue considering that the galaxy might well explode in total war at any moment. If all went well, the council would have lost nothing, having simply done its duty towards the non-council species. And if something went wrong, well, then having briefed the ambassadors in advance could only work to the council's advantage. At the very least it would safe a lot of time.

Geneva, earth

"It is with great sadness, that I must inform you, that the navy has been forced to retreat from Shanxi. Despite a valiant defence, they were simply overwhelmed by the aliens' massive advantage in numbers. Casualties have been very heavy, including a twenty-five percent loss of fighters and pilots and the loss of three destroyers with all hands. Among the casualties, I regret to say, was admiral Johan van Buren, the senior naval officer at Shanxi, who died heroically on the flag bridge of USM Osawa as his flotilla covered the retreat."

General Spears looked up from his lectern and let his gaze roam over the assembled press corps. Hammerstein and her flunkies had made a spirited attempt to silence him, by simply drowning his voice out with the noise they generated, but they could not succeed completely. After all, there was a war going on and, with a battle underway, too many reporters were hoping for some gory details to boost their ratings.

"This is the greatest military disaster humanity has faced since the great wars of the twentieth century. It will only be compounded by the loss of Shanxi itself, with its millions of inhabitants, as they inevitably succumb to the alien invasion. Ladies and gentlemen of the press, to you, and to all those listening at home, I can only say that this is a betrayal, the likes of which I had NEVER imagined to see. Even as I speak to you, millions of human colonists look up at the sky and wonder why it is filled with alien warships, wonder why they have been abandoned to the enemy. Even as I speak, thousands of brave soldiers, our men and women, prepare themselves to fight a battle that they KNOW they cannot win, while only one relay-jump away we have enough firepower ready to smash these aliens and scatter them across the cosmos; enough firepower to ensure that not a single alien EVER sets foot on human soil."

He took a deep breath. This was it, the moment he had been anticipating with equal excitement and dread, the moment of commitment. he had held off as long as he could, waiting for Harper to move first, but he had run out of time. With the news of Shanxi's fall still fresh, he could push the press in the direction he wanted, but only if he seized the opportunity right away. Any delay would inevitably reduce the impact of the message.

"I call upon charirwoman Hammerstein and upon those who have followed her lead to resign their positions in the Assembly and make way for new leaders, leaders who will act, rather than speak, leaders who will work with the United Systems Military, rather than hamstring us, leaders who will redeem this terrible betrayal and lead humanity to victory!"

Pandemonium reigned.

-o-o-o-

Patricia Hammerstein cursed under her breath as she watched the life broadcast from her apartment. Spears had proven himself to be a better public speaker than she had anticipated. On top of that, he had the considerable advantage that he looked the part that he portrayed. A big, burly man, square-jawed, with silver-grey hair cut close to the skull, he was almost the archetype of the touch military leader, and with people in a panic over the latest news from Shanxi, he was the ideal figure for them to look to for guidance. Already there were protestors demonstrating in the streets. So far, those had been primarily pro-peace activists, but that was changing.

Things were developing too quickly. Hammerstein had hoped to have a few more days to get rid of Spears, preferably by forcing him to resign, or, if that failed, by getting him off earth and back to Arcturus. Unfortunately, the aliens had moved faster than expected and Shanxi's naval force had thrown in the towel earlier than she, or her advisers, had anticipated. Now she'd have to move quickly to stay on top of the political situation. So far the delegates had stayed in line, even most of the colonial ones, but, if they thought that supporting Spears would provide them with a reasonable alternative to Hammerstein's demands, that might change. She had to neutralize Spears.

Hammerstein picked up her communicator. She needed to give a press conference first thing in the morning to answer Spears' call for her resignation. That meant a speech, and a good one. Her staff would be working through the night. She placed a call to her personal assistant to give him the necessary instructions.

Nothing happened.

She tried again.

Still nothing.

For the first time, chairwoman Hammerstein actually looked at the small screen. The status bar that showed her connection to the nearest transmission station was gone. She had no signal at all.

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A/N The lagrangian points are places where an object can maintain a constant position relative to both the planet and the central star without using any engine power. Today, we use the L2 as a place for astronomical satellites that need to be far from earth in order to function properly. It's also a good place to hide, because it allows a ship to maintain a constant distance without using thrusters while still being close to the planet. The wikipedia page shows the location.

killroy225: I agree, peace was the wrong word. Humans will always fight. However, I would expect the wars to be very asymmetrical. Mainly guerilla and urban terrorism. That doesn't present the sort of targets that you use tactical nukes on, especially if you want to avoid breaking a contained environment, such as a domed colony on another planet or a space station. I'm thinking of the sort of military situation we now have in Western Europe. Many of the stockpiles of small nukes have been withdrawn and some countries are retiring heavy weapons such as tanks, artillery and warships in favour of the sort of light vehicles, helicopters etc. that you need for counter-insurgency. (Nor necessarily a good idea, but people want to reduce costs.) So now the USM navy is equipped mainly to bring the colonial marines to their destination and support them from orbit and with fighter cover, not to fight large space battles.

Panzer4life: The xenomorph would not be that big a threat in open combat. As long as you see them coming you can slaughter them with gunfire. The problem is, they're like cockroaches: no matter how many you kill, there are always some left. So, once planet gets infected, it becomes this endless circle: civilians start disappearing - soldies move in and kill the xenomorphs - few weeks or months of peace and quiet - civilians start disappearing again. The soldiers could win every battle, but in the end still lose the war. Steve Perry's Earth Hive books showed this really well. Not sure how easy it would be for them to sneak aboard a ship and move to the next planet, but Varren and pyjacks seem to manage.
Also, the ME style weapons have a drawback for fighting them: lack of sustained fire. Except for the Cerberus turrets, there is no real equivalent of a belt-fed machine gun. Even the turian gun turrets from ME3 only hold 50 shots. A sort of Zerg-rush attack, the way they show in flashbacks in the first AvP movie, could overrun the defenders.