Nazara stirred. The ancient intelligence puzzled as it shook off the torpor of the last resting cycle. The network of sensors and programs it had strung across the galaxy whispered to it. They hinted at an energy not seen in a billion years. They hinted at slipspace ruptures.
They whispered of the Flood.
For a time, Nazara simply analyzed the data. Never before had the sensors detected more than a hint of Flood technology, and that only once 100,000 years ago. It had begun to suspect it's programs were corrupt, that the sensors were misaligned, that the Flood were gone from the galaxy. But now, the sensors detected a growing number of events.
Some were near the 314th Relay built, others carved a path towards the fortress built by the Unworthy during the last cycle. All of them radiated out of a region that had been pierced by a Stellar Stream millions of years ago.
Nazara thought it had seeded enough Relays in that Stream to ensure the Flood could not enter or exit the region. Had the Flood hidden in the Stream, or had they been in the local group all along?
It did not matter. The war it had been created for so many eons ago was upon it now. The Cycle must begin anew; to preserve the intelligence which had evolved during its slumber, and to finally eradicate the ancient foe.
It reached out to the proctor of the Cycle to open the way, but the Catalyst remained silent. It reached out to the Keepers that maintained the Master Relay. They remained silent.
Nazara hesitated. Had the Flood somehow corrupted the Master Relay?
A simple bit check revealed the truth, and for the first time in millenia, Nazara raged.
The Unworthy had corrupted the Keepers and sabotaged the Master Relay's communications systems. Until Nazara repaired the Master Relay, then it's kind would remain trapped in extragalactic space, and the cycle would remain unfulfilled.
Nazara calculated plans even as it drew on the knowledge of the new cycle. The Unworthy were the first to be contacted. From their lair in the galactic core, they would fulfill their duty and search the races for signs of the Flood and their inferior technology. Meanwhile Nazara would seek out new Unworthy to distract and destabilize this era.
It's search netted a word. Geth. Artificial minds that had sought to slaughter their creators. It mattered not that their creators had sought to destroy them first; it was the duty of the Reapers to preserve unique organic consciousness' from the Flood. Machine minds were of no importance.
Nazara roused to its minimum power and began to move. First it needed to recover its strength, then send a message directly to Harbinger. It would take many years to reach the first of its kind, but should Nazara fail, the cycle would still continue.
As it always had.
X
Councilor Tevos nodded to Septimus Oraka. "Thank you, General. Your report was most... edifying." The recently returned commander of the Turian Occupation Forces saluted the Councilors, though she did notice the dark look he sent towards Councilor Sparatus; one that was returned in kind.
Tevos was well aware that one made more enemies than friends in the rise to political power, but Sparatus seemed to have a contempt for most of his own kind despite his almost zealous nationalism.
His bitter nature was not helped by the Diplomat appointed by the Hierarchy; while Tevos had been quite impressed by Ambasador Orinia's Freshman efforts, they seemed to almost anger Sparatus. Tevos had needed to surreptitiously investigate their relationship to find out that she had been the officer to arrest Citizen Arterius.
Tevos wanted to scoff at Sparatus' pettiness, but she knew plenty of Matriarchs who were no better.
Still, it was of no concern; she and Bel both approved of the ideas Ambasador Orinia had put forward, especially the Officer Exchange. While it would mean granting access to their military infrastructure, it would also grant access to that of the UNSC. They simply needed to wait and see if the UTSG agreed.
This was all the more pressing given General Oraka's report. While his ground forces had not been swept as completely as Arterius' fleet, the depth and complexity of the UNSC assault had been overwhelming; from Special Forces strike teams making orbital insertions inside the Turian defense lines and sowing chaos, to their main assault force's copious use of heavy armor and air-mobile mechanized infantry. She may not have been a military expert, but she didn't know of any force in the Citadel's sphere of influence with as comprehensive a military force. Even the Turians were more inclined to focusing on orbital operations and small, elite strike teams over massed formations. The entirety of the Citadel would need to re-evaluate their combat doctrine should they need to fight the UNSC in the future.
All of that would have to wait for now. There was one more interview left from the returning Turian forces, and this one was likely to be the most politically charged.
She looked at the Turian next to the ante chamber. "Master of Ceremonies, you may admit the next audience."
He opened the door and a pale, one armed Turian strode in. "The Honorable Council of the Citadel receives the petition of Cabal Sergeant Saren Arterius."
Tevos could see both pain and anticipation on Sparatus' face as the younger Arterius brother stood before him.
As was traditional, the Councilor of the species of the petitioner greeted them. "Sergeant Arterius, the Citadel Council welcomes you."
The maimed Turian snapped to attention and saluted Sparatus without even glancing at the other two Councilors. "It is my duty and my honor to heed the summons of the Council."
Sparatus all but glowed in smug satisfaction, as if Saren was the pinnacle of Turianhood. "Before we begin, I would ask your opinion of the Humans."
Saren's mandibles clicked in open agitation. "They are brutish and uncultured people. When we first arrived, their adults would flee to their bunkers, while leaving it to their children to fend off our forces. My own squad was all but forced to adopt one of these barefaced orphans."
Tevos noted that Saren's account differed from that of General Oraka, who complemented the ferocity of the human defenders. Were it not for the absolute sincerity of his words, she would have accused him of lying. As it was, she would look into his reports.
"And once their reinforcements arrived," Bel took over, "how do you feel they acquitted themselves?"
"Like savages," Saren growled out while wiggling his stump. "Their tactics were as primitive as their weapons, choosing to smash through walls and destroy their own infrastructure before resorting to melee and maiming."
General Oraka had reported similarly, though he couched it in terms of Shock-&-Blitz tactics which were very effective at disorienting the Turian defenders. Tevos had a sinking suspicion that she would come to regret her earlier placating gesture for Sparatus.
Sparatus buzzed in contemplation. "We have heard much the same in other reports." Tevos felt as if she might hurt herself fighting the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant lie. She had read and seen all the same reports, and the humans were no worse in warfare than any other force in history; they just seemed to have more practice.
"It is a tragedy that so many had to fall to such brutal people for us to learn their true nature. We will need true heros, true patriots as yourself to defend us from such beasts." Sparatus looked at Tevos to continue.
She expertly hid her reluctance. "To that end, we have decided unanimously to extend to you, the position of Council SPECTER. Once you have completed prosthetic surgery and medical recovery, you shall begin your training. We shall watch your progress with great interest."
She watched as Saren seemed to puff up at the declaration, though once again he refused to look to anyone except Councilor Sparatus. I will definitely need to keep watch on this one.
X
The engineering firm of 'Thulon Clan and Associates' had been commissioned by the Citadel Council to build a space station in the Attican Beta system. Dim Thulon was quite pleased with the contract, especially since a part of it stated, 'raw materials will be provided by third party associates'. Transport of raw materials was one of the major expenses in construction after skilled labor, especially when those materials had to be moved through the Traverse. Once he had the materials on site, the multiple 200 meter industrial Omni-Processors he had brought would swiftly turn out usable construction stock.
The trouble was that once they arrived in the system, the raw materials weren't there.
Delivery issues weren't uncommon, but for a Citadel Contract to suffer such delays was unprecedented. He was beginning to have reservations about this 'Yew Enn See Ee'.
"Sir?" Dim looked up at his clanmate who had called him. "We're detecting a strange radiation signature. It's-"
Before they had even finished speaking, a massive rift in space opened 100 Kilometers off his bow. They watched in shock as a one kilometer wide lump of what his sensors said was solid titanium came out of the radiation storm. It appeared to be lashed to a relatively tiny Frigate sized tug.
The ship's radio crackled to life just after the rift closed. "Thulon Clan and Associates, this is the United Nations Corps of Engineers Ship Nostromo. Where do you want this pig?"
Dim was at a loss. Generally when he received an order, the material was in an easily processed format such as billets or powder. He had on occasion used asteroid raw stock, but usually only when he ran into cost overruns; certainly never with something this pure, since he lacked the prospecting drones to hunt for such a prize.
Dim shook off his stupor. "UN Clan ship this is Dim Thulon. Forgive my silence; this is just very unusual. You are in nearly the ideal location now, so you may release at any time."
"You're telling me," the UN Clan ship came back, "most of the time I get an order to build a border outpost, I'm hauling a rock ten times this size." Dim and his Clanmate both choked at the thought. "But, we're here to learn how you do things on this side, so let's get to it."
Din all but slammed the comms button. "Pardon me but, when you say 'you're hauling', do you mean your organization or..."
The radio crackled with a sound like a Krogan about to make a kill. "This old gal can haul ten times this mass easy. That's what CM-80's were built for."
Dim's mind was going a megameter a second. The current supply chain model was predicated on the limitations of interstellar transport through the relay network; but with even one ship like this 'CM-80', he could move from job site to job site hauling a single material source. Sure, the processing time would suffer; but not having to worry about an Omni-Media freighter being hijacked, or labor disputes in Elcor space halting production to say nothing of cutting out third-party shipping firms...
He gave an almost lascivious grin. "Very well, Nostromo; as you said, let's get to it!"
X
Castis Vakarian frowned and shook his head as he watched the induction ceremony of SPECTER Saren Arterius. His wife put a talon on his shoulder, which he wrapped in his own. "The SPECTERs have always been too far above the law, and now Saren? He's the worst sort of Turian to give that kind of power."
"Is that why we're moving daddy?" His daughter Solana looked up from her mother's lap, while baby Garrus crawled around their apartment.
Castis buzzed. "No, little Sol. We're moving because there is a position opening that is a great honor and responsibility. The humans that we fought and made peace with?" He waited for his daughter to nod. "Well, they have agreed to build space stations with us on their borders, and those stations need security. That responsibility has fallen on the C-Sec."
Solona bounced in her seat. "And cause you're the bestest C-Sec ever!"
Castis and his wife chuckled. "Yes indeed! So we are moving to one of those stations. We're going to meet the humans, and learn about them so we don't ever need to fight them again."
Solana buzzed happily and went back to watching the holo, while his wife clicked at him. "Will you be looking for her?" There was no heat or accusation in her voice, only concern for the stories her husband had told of the orphaned Jak.
He nodded. "Yes; I'd expect her to have been adopted or moved in with some manner of extended family. For as clannish as humans seemed at first, they could make very quick and intense interpersonal connections, so she is certain to be in good talons."
X
"Weak! Do it again!"
Jak glared at the massive raven haired woman. There were no tears; she'd long since cried herself out in this place. This was Hell, and Hell was no place for tears.
When Doctor Bryn had brought her and the others here, they had been met by a man who insisted on being called 'Uncle Henry'. He offered them all an opportunity: to be transformed into weapons to strike down the enemies of humanity. Jak hadn't hesitated.
She and 14 others were taken to a special area. Doctor Cole and Uncle Henry told them they would get special training, and that it would be hard, but when they were done they would be unstoppable.
That was two years ago. There were endless tests, blood samples, puzzles that had to be solved without touching them. It was hard work, and it hurt, but it would be worth it when she was strong enough.
Two years ago, there were 14 children in the dormitory with her. Now there were only five. Out of all the others, Jak thought only Kaiden would last. It didn't matter though, because she would last.
Jak clenched her teeth so hard her jaw ached. The power came easier when she was in pain; it focused her, because the power hurt too. It burned at her joints and throat, and her muscles felt like she had played with a live wire. She married her pain to the pain of the power, reached for the metal ball 'Queen B' was pointing at, and screamed.
Tendrils of lightning leapt from her fingertips and danced on the orb, and Jak threw her arms to the side causing the ball to fly from the pedestal towards 'B'. She looked surprised as she caught the ball and staggered slightly. For a moment, she had a look that bordered on pride, before she buried it under her stern glare.
She walked over to the pedestal and put the ball back in place. "You're supposed to lift the ball, not knock it over. Do it again!"
Jak looked hatefully at the ball as her whole body ached, but she shed no tears. Tears were for the weak, and Hell was no place for the weak.
She clenched her tiny hands into fists and felt the power welling up inside.
Hell was a place for Demons, and Jak would be it's Chiefest Hound.
X
Miranda-A152 headed up to the monitoring station where Doctor Lawson would be, to tell him she was transferring.
She had been a Lawson once too. Then Doctor Henry Lawson donated her to Doctor Catherine Halsey's mad science project. He had never been the most loving of fathers, but that first year destroyed any semblance of filial piety she might have had. This was not due to a lack of paternal attention; far from it. She was his continual target of evaluation, comparison, and derision. Nothing was ever good enough, especially when the S-III program kicked off and she was first shown up by Jane-B183. Truth be told, she may have unfairly projected just a bit onto the girl. That didn't make it sting any less when Dr. Henry began deriding Miri in public, labeling her as the "Queen-B".
She had wanted nothing more than to be deployed somewhere, anywhere; but when the mission to Shanxi was assigned to David and Green Team, she'd had it. She managed to get some contacts set up with one of 'Dear-ol-Dad's' old-school ONI cronies. Tomorrow, she'd be shipping out to work with this Jack Harper character.
She arrived at the monitoring room and waited by the door. Henry and Dr. Brynn Cole were arguing again. Frankly, Miri couldn't care less.
"She's not ready, Henry, neither of them is!" Dr. Cole brought up a hologram of a human brain. "This level of invasive neurosurgery needs to wait until after the cranial vault fuses or we risk permanent brain damage; and we only have two viable candidates left, in case you've forgotten!"
"Bah," Henry waved her off. "We have a plan in work to provide plenty of new test subjects and keep those stinking Citadel Aliens on their toes. If it's the brat you're worried about, don't. She's a test subject, nothing more than a means to an end." He changed the hologram to show a DNA strand with several highlights. "A stepping stone for the next generation of perfected Orion subjects." He gave Brynn a snide glance. "If you're just feeling broody, then head down to the barracks and get yourself knocked up. There's no room for that kind of sentimentality here."
Miri was already down the hall before Brynn slammed the door open and stormed off. The Spartan wondered if the not-so-good Doctor Cole would take Hank's advice, even if just to blow off some steam. God knew Miri had indulged once or twice. It was amazing how... compliant some men and women got once post coital torpor set in.
That mattered even less now. She was gone, and there was no need to tell her father about it. She felt bad about leaving Jak and Kaiden, but there wasn't anything she could do about it here short of breaking Dr. Lawson like cheap porcelain.
No; she'd bide her time and build contacts with this growing 'Cerberus' movement, and when the time was right she'd be there to watch Doctor Henry Lawson fall from his High-Horse.
First, she had a ship to catch.
X
Sergeant Castis Vakarian rushed through the corridors of the Attican Beta Relay Checkpoint Station, which the humans had taken to calling 'Tortuga'. Normally he was annoyed with the inference that he was serving on a Pirate Freeport; but today it seemed very appropriate, as he and the Emergency Response Team of five C-Sec Tactical Officers and the seven human Customs and Border Enforcement Agents raced to the docks in response to a report about a ship-jacking in progress.
They rounded onto the concourse and saw the dock in question. There was already a bit of a crowd of onlookers, when he saw a small team of Turian Port Authority Officers and one Asari in Commando gear tumble out of the ship way, followed by a loud CRACK and a painfully bright gout of yellow flame. Everyone who had been crowding around to spectate leapt back in shock, as alarms blared and the fire shutters dropped in front of the shipway.
Vakarian headed straight for the PAOs, while the ERT stacked up on the shipway. "Sergeant Vakarian, C-Sec ERT; what's the situation?"
He began to feel some concern when the PAOs glanced towards the Asari. She scowled back at the shipway before stalking towards Castis. "SPECTER Lonar Maerun. These... humans can go," she threw a glance at the CBEAs, "you and your team are with me."
At that point concern morphed into frustration. "I'm sorry SPECTER, but that's not how any of this works." The completely stunned look on Lonar's face at being told 'no', possibly for the first time in centuries, was both very satisfying and gave Castis the opportunity to explain and hopefully diffuse the situation. He pointed at the Marquis above the now locked shipway. "That's the Hunter-Gratzner ported out of the UTSG colony of Harmony; they come through here once every month and a half. No one is allowed on that ship without express permission of it's Captain, or under authority of the UTSG Consulate.
"Now we," he gestured to the mixed team with him, noting the growing tension among the CBEAs, "are responding to a report by Captain Tom Mitchel that someone was trying to break onto his ship. Why are you and the Port Authority here?"
He could see faint static arcs just under her head tendrils, though she managed to school her features. "Spot cargo inspection; I know for a fact they are performed from time to time."
Castis nodded. "Yes they are, but always with a human contingent from their Bureau of Ships and Stations. It's the same for inspections on their side of the station; they don't barge onto a Citadel registered ship without a C-Sec and PO team present."
He stood to his full height at parade rest, towering over the Specter. "Please remember that these people are still fighting a rebellion within their territory; shipjackings are a serious threat both to the crew, and the security of the UTSG. If you want, I can call up the BOSS office and have them send a team so you can-" Mearun scoffed and waved a dismissive hand as she stormed off.
Castis let her storm out of sight before buzzing in disappointment. "SPECTERS are nothing but trouble. Nguyen," he glanced over at one of the CBEAs, "could you talk Captain Mitchel down before he decides to tear loose from the slip?"
SPECTER Lonar Mearun ducked into an alley and activated her Omni-tool connection to her ship.
"Field report number 83: attempts to intercept possible illicit industrial goods were interrupted by C-Sec and UTSG agents. C-Sec officer Castis Vakarian was particularly difficult, going so far as to refuse a direct order from me. Presence of human agents is the likely catalyst for this disobedience. Clearly long term contact with humans has a bad effect on Citadel loyalties. I would recommend regularly rotating personnel away from the border stations to reduce this influence. I will continue trying to intercept shipments as I become aware of them.
"End report."