Chapter 6

Follow the standard that flies from Terra. We ride on the wings of glory for the Emperor of Mankind and for the Imperium of Man!

-Death Hussar battle cry, M 3

Show the enslaver the halberd and the gun. Show them our fury unleashed, because we are the Army of the True King of our people and of Yonval. Show the enslavers that we are the talons of rage for the tens of thousands lost from their famines. Show them the screams of their people who will be thrown off our world in vengenace.

-Officer of the Kings Guard to their troops. M 3

Become the hero you want to be. Join the merc company that has morals. Join us the mercs who don't want to be the regular scum of the galaxy. Join and be true heroes come again.

-Eclipse Mercenary Advertisement, M 3

Know no fear! We are sick of bombs in buildings and family members being taken by the crazies! We will have none anymore. Show the status quo you don't either.

-Adaptive paid advertisement, M 3

Thessia

The polls opened in the Republic of Astona. The maidens were ready to show their desire, as were the matrons. The voting booths were jam packed with Asari who were shocking officials in the republic because this was the first time in three hundred years that there were this many people at the polls, out in the open and online. Quidith was preparing a victory celebration speech and an after party, because they were beyond confident this was an easy victory.

The polls ended, and the president of the republic read the results. Her mouth dropped to the floor. She had been ousted from her position, and all fifteen major matriarchs had switched to the new majority party of the Adaptive. The new president smirked heavily at the old one, who had bullied her in school so long ago. She spoke to that bully.

"The maidens and matrons are ready to be like Salcava. We want to know no fear, too."

The Adaptive didn't throw a party. They threw ten new reforms onto the floor and immediately started to crush the few remaining Quidith matriarchs in the congress. They presented police reform, more security guards for places that held large numbers of people who gathered, and more funding into a new program that would start the process of the colony getting voting rights on Astona. Some of the new matriarchs were hesitant about that last one, but the new leader reminded them of their slogan.

"Know no fear. We can't deny them the vote, either. It's time to change more."

That strengthened their resolve, because they want to be like Salcava. The bill passed, and the colony was amazed when news reached them. They were now able to vote, something that no colonial possession of a Citadel species had ever been able to do. The colony's streets and cities flooded with maidens and matrons, as they got to vote in two months for the next leaders. They would vote Adaptive, because they gave this to them. The police reform and guard bill that had passed applied to them, too.

The other colonies of the Asari were hopeful that they might receive the right, as well, but realized they would need to fight Quidith to get this. The colonies realized, finally, that the Adaptive was trying for them, and was walking the walk. They backed the Adaptive fully now, because they too wanted to know no fear. Cults on the new voting colony started losing more often.

Illium

Galter was working on a complaint that was filed against the company. It was an extremely stupid and petty complaint. An Asari matron was claiming that the company sold her faulty medical supplies that had injured her children. It was a serious claim If it was real, but it wasn't. It was just a Quidith supporter who was from Thessia that was pissed about the recent results of her republic voting. Galter was used to that, but he was curious about something new.

The boss lady here at Geno Conglomerate was very weird. She made references to things Galter could not understand. She called herself Alpharius a lot and was an outcast in many things. She did not use the extranet at all. She refused to visit clients on the Citadel, refused to go there period. She made many angry, but Geno had good medical service, so they swallowed that and came to them. The boss had many other weird quirks, and a seemingly endless supply of credits.

Galter did not understand how they had enough money to back the Adaptive on Thessia with sixty million credits, and then ninety five million for a merc company. Where was that money coming from? Why were the incredibly smart second and the financial guy now calling themselves Alpharius, too? It unsettled him, because it was smelling of something that, through his legal eyes, could get worse. Maybe the mercs also funneled money into them. They did use that group a lot for private protection for their products and premises.

Eclipse was a good merc group, however. Galter respected that they were not shitty at cleaning up the cults. They honored contracts to the letter and did not break them. That made his legal self-happy. His nephew was thinking about joining them, as was his niece. They could get paid consistently after ending their five year mandatory service in the legions. Their family always had loyal upstanding people in professions that did good things. The company was weird, but Galter was making good money. Despite the boss and her strange habits, she was an extremely good person. She had freed him.

Galter had been in a dire situation two years ago. He had lost his wife to a cult that had blown up a building. That same building was a bank, and that had also destroyed his financial situation, because the whole bank was destroyed. The scandal of its destruction had destroyed that banking system forever. He had lost everything trying to stay afloat. Eventually, he had nothing left to sell. The planet he was on was not in need of much legal advice. He'd moved his last credits to Illium. Then he'd sold himself to indentured servitude. He had been desperate, but then the boss lady had come looking for workers.

Galter was picked, along with twenty others who were indentured servants. They all expected to be treated badly, but were surprised once they reported to their posts, they were told that they were free. The boss lady had forgiven their debts and that they had money waiting for them for whatever they wanted. The Salarian who delivered the news had said that they could stay and work real jobs for Geno. That had made three of the other former servants weep openly, because they had been, like Galter, desperate. Nearly all the freed workers stayed with the company. Two had taken the money and left, but one had come back and now worked as a security guard on the Citadel. Galter loved the boss for that. He didn't regret that decision, because he had been given this. It's why he stayed and was loyal to a person who could have abused him but didn't.

Galter was working when the boss and Cetum came into the room with Dollen. Cetum had asked the turian.

"The complaint is dealt with, Gal?"

"Just about. A very piss poor attempt to extort us. She hates you, boss."

Eve smiled happily, moving to the other side of Galter's desk to look at the computer that held the report.

"She can hate me all she wants. Doesn't mean that will change reality. Besides, I'm not worried."

Galter was wondering why she was doing that, but Cetum pulled his attention once more. Eve got behind her legal man.

"I have a few questions for you after this is over, Galter."

Galter was extremely put off by that. After what was over? Then, he felt something enter his body from behind him. It was not an omnitool blade, or a regular mass effect round. Galter froze completely and then felt something leave his body. His eyes widened, as a ghostly form of a Turian jumped out from his sitting position past his desk towards Cetum. It was horrific to look at. It had a million eyes, and blew a horn that hurt Galter's head badly. His soul felt like it was on fire. What the fuck was going on! Eve had come from behind him, and then patted Cetum.

"Explain stage one to him. I'll be sitting down. That takes a lot out of me. I'm a medium scale one and not my bro."

Cetum smiled at Eve.

"You're going to have to tell me the scaling system for that. What level is your brother?"

"The strongest that has ever been produced for his people. He can do things easily that I can't even attempt to do, but it's got drawbacks. I'm actually safer than he is, but he will never fall, only rise."

Galter finally stopped freezing, and lowered his subharmonics to deathly pissed off levels.

"What the fuck did you do to me, Eve. I stayed because you're a good person who helped me, but that felt horrible. Explain or I will gut you with my claws."

Cetum asked his first question.

"Relay age. Why have we never tested that?"

Galter growled, because he wanted Eve talking, not Cetum, but he saw something. Dollen helped the Asari to a couch nearby. She looked more tired now. He faced Cetum, and stared into the Salarian's eyes, then heard the question fully. He considered. His rage began to leave him as he sat in thought. His eyes widened further and further. That was a damn good question. Why hadn't they done that? That was a massive thing to overlook. He kept thinking, and couldn't find a reason he knew of to answer. Cetum started his next ones.

"Why do we not consider other forms of FTL? Why do we not try and investigate the cults more?"

Galter was feeling shell shock. Why, indeed on the first one. He wanted to say it was because the relays were the only way, but he thought more. Were there more ways that the Citadel didn't know of yet? There must've been, because the universe was vast. Relays were not everywhere. The second question made him pissed again, because that was an extremely good question. They should've stopped the cult problem a century ago, stamped down more on the laws of Citadel space that gave groups too much wiggle room for that shit. That hadn't happened at all. He was now feeling dread, because that was a bad thing that was simple to answer now. Cetum didn't look smug, he just felt pity because Eve had asked the same things to him. Dollen had been the same. Galter, finally, after ten minutes of thinking about this answers, replying in a very tiny voice.

"I don't know."

"We have been made into puppets, Galter. I was there too, two weeks ago. Eve shot me and Dollen with the weapon that makes you one of the freed, because we were in deep shit. The thing that screwed us is called a memetic hazard."

Galter froze. He had not learned much in science, but memetic hazards were popular trash science stuff, like being a psychic. He thought about that, and quickly searched up the meaning on his computer to double check. His eyes widened more than ever, because the definition is bad. He finally spoke after five more minutes.

"Who?"

"They are called Reapers, and they are In everything. It's the reason Eve and I are staying off the extranet. It's why I will never go to ground zero at the Citadel, and why the cults are always forming. It's them. Galter, you must do whatever you can to keep this silent for now. We are going to be in trouble if we don't take extreme action. If we don't keep asking questions, if we fail, it's the end and the death for all of us."

Dollen spoke up now.

Huff. "They are very real."Huff. "They are indeed in everything." Huff. "We don't question things. We four are now outcasts." Huff.

Galter was scared, badly. He feared the new unknown, but Eve softly said her mantra of life.

"Know no fear. We don't."

Home Tau, Centii system

Tissul was feeling something completely new, like she was complete. Hisslef had continued acting weird, continued doing strange things like making her dinner every night, making her happy and always asking questions about herself and her work. It was something that made her wonder things, but Hisslef was being almost addled. Tissul didn't care about that, because she was now like him. He had a new job. His body paint showed that. He was now a doctor assistant of behavioral studies.

Hisslef had visited Jussla every day for the last few weeks. He asked to work with her, because he wanted to understand this new uncharted ground for him. He didn't know what love was, but this thing he felt for Tissul must've been love. It was amazing. Jussla had finally figured it out. She salivated at what was history for her, a Race couple. That had never happened before. This was science, and she was down for science. She asked millions of questions. Hisslef answered what he could. He was definitely addled, and that made him feel strange.

He felt pride, because he was a pioneer of something. He felt shame because, it went against social norms, but Tissul was worth the possible ridicule he would receive. She had stayed with him. She didn't have to do that. It had helped the dreams of the golden one. The dreams had changed. The Race was still getting slaughtered, but no longer to extinction. The Race was now being shown new things, new ideas that were extreme. They would shake Race social norms, and make them wonder more.

Hisslef had made dinner again for Tissul, and that night had been the dam breaking for her.

"What has come over you, Hiss. You're so strange now, but I can't say much about that because I am almost there too. What has caused this?"

Hisslef had taken the plunge now, because he didn't want to regret not saying this.

"I'm doing this because I love you, Tissul. You're the one I most want on all of Home. I am new to this, but I don't want to miss out on what we could have. I won't mate with anyone but you. I will fight it when the next season comes, and only do it with you."

Tissul dropped her mouth to the floor. That was definitely addled behavior. What was love? She asked. He explained to her what he knew. She realized that his feelings and hers were the same. She trusted him utterly. He was always building her up. He was there for her recently when she had work troubles because the communications for Hallessi 1 were always a pain to read. Five years ago, they'd filed requests for things that were difficult to fulfill, including a call for a new soldier time from Home to help the colonists. Hisslef had listened to her vent her frustration that night. He was doing this for her because of love? She couldn't say it, not till she thought about this.

Galve

The drill abbesses were watching as the Gaimian prepared their Oath of Moment before they deployed. More groups were getting ready to sabotage the Race's power grids. Blackouts were becoming more and more common in the single city the Race had on Galve. It was easier to defend the females if there was only one point.

Five Gaimian soldiers in the city prepared their plan. While engaging in sabotage, they were practicing new tactics and squad based work, moving as one. Their sergeant was a female Gaimian, and she wanted to make a stand, to show enslavers that they knew no fear.

Mark 001

Two males of the Race were patrolling this power junction box station. They were getting ready to leave in half an hour for their well-deserved break. They were nervous. The Hallessi had been attacking the power grid nonstop. One of the males was a veteran of a tiny rebellion that had been crushed ten years ago at a small village that had fought back. The male had gunned down multiple Hallessi. He was worried, because he had read the records and seen the vids of the last big rebellion. They were bad reads and watches. The other male was new, one recently called up in the last soldier time five years ago. He had not seen action. He'd been here in the real city and done no actual combat yet.

The two were holding their guns when they heard a noise. Visif, the veteran, hissed to his junior.

"I'll check that out. You stay. Watch the central control switch."

The junior lowered his eyes to the floor.

"As you will."

Vislif went to check the noise and opened the door of the control room. He passed by another male who was watching the grid power computers. Once outside, Vislif saw that it was almost evening. His eyes were adjusting well. He heard the noise again and moved towards it with his gun raised.

He found the noise and was relieved. It was just a Hallessi outside the fence that had been moving several boxes to a nearby business. The male Hallessi glared at Vislif with hate, but there was something strange about that. The usual fear of the Hallessi when seeing a gun was gone. Instead, there were more emotions on its face. Smug joy was swimming beneath that hate. Vislif pointed the gun at the Hallessi.

"Stop making so much noise, or you get this."

The Hallessi didn't stop. He made more noise and didn't show fear again. Vislif pointed the gun up and put a claw on the trigger. He was done with the paranoia that all the males, and especially the females, had been feeling.

"Do what your superior says, or else."

The Hallessi spat to the ground disrespectfully. This was part of the plan. Four others had prepared themselves behind a wall in a nearby alleyway. Their halberds and armor were on. They silently moved to their next position as the exchange was made by their comrade. He was wearing his armor underneath his worker's clothes.

Just as Vislif was about to shoot, the stupid primitive cry was sounded from the new four.

"Death to the famine makers! We know no fear!"

Mark 002-004

Vislif was shocked by the cry, and the foes coming at him with the traditional weapon that the primitive ones here used, a halberd. Fucking savages. He turned to face the attackers and fired at the first one. The bullet zoomed out of the gun and slammed into the first primitive, but the primitive didn't go down. She kept charging, and her comrades took more heart. She snarled in pure hate back at the enslaver.

"Death to the monsters trying to steal our world! I will never know fear again!"

The male fired more bullets, but the enemy were taking cover and zig zagging forward, not acting like the primitives did during the last action he had been a part of, or the first rebellion. He couldn't understand this at all. People didn't change that fast! He was so focused on his four new foes that he didn't remember the first. That foe had brought out his own halberd and then charged and hit his halberd activation button.

The crack of the power halberd was the last thing that Vislif ever heard. As he was turning to face the next foe, he saw the blade at the end of the weapon sticking out of his guts straight through his body armor. The male coughed up blood and saw the smug superiority in the Gaimian face. He then kicked the male off his blade. Vislif saw the black encroaching in his eyes. The Gaimian stabbed down again, ending the light for this male.

The other four King's Guard members entered the chain link fenced area and stormed the building holding the controls. The rookie male and the technician both went down and felt deaths embrace. The five then destroyed the station. The female sergeant was hurt from being shot, but she thanked the Great Eagle that she was alive. Her over eagerness had almost screwed this up, but her comrades told her that it was okay. They were all new to modern warfare.

The grid for six neighborhoods of the Race females fell apart. They wouldn't have power back on for eight hours. When the bodies of the three males were found by more military males two days later, they found them pinned to a wall, and a new slogan written in the dead's blood.

"We know no fear anymore. You are next."

The problems had been many. The bodies had been hidden very well to the Race, piss poor for the Gaimian. Many more of their people in the city who were slaves to the invaders who'd seen it. The People had cheered because this was their sign. Many of them fled the city and moved to join the resistance again. The Race saw that this would get worse. They were definitely facing a new rebellion. This attack had been different. This was not a factory where they could watch everything. This was not an isolated power box. This was a power station. The entire group of males was dead. The rebels were doing something new. The general of the males ordered double the males at each power station from now on. The outage had scared the females badly. They were only safe because of the gated communities they lived in.

The attacks continued mounting. Three big, true Hallessi informants were found murdered in their homes. They had been pinned to the walls of their buildings. The slogan has been seen by more. More laborers were now fleeing the city. That was hurting the businesses. More raids happened in those two days before the bodies from the power station were found than ever before against more factories and more power boxes. The Hallessi still in the city were now more open with their hate. They spat more at the Race males. Shouts of death to them increased. The males were unnerved by how the civilians had not tried killing them yet. They were just being even more inefficient than ever before. That was not how the vids had shown they would operate when a revolt was getting ready to kick off. They were worried more, because this was getting worse all the time.

It was a surprise for a Race scientist when he was spoken to by one of his former research subjects. It was a female who he had made a connection with sought him out due to curiosity five years after they had stopped talking. The scientist was extremely nervous, but the female Hallessi just said to him,

"You are not as bad as the rest of them. You tried to understand us. I don't like you much, but that's more than anyone else has tried. You are safer than the rest of your kind. I say this to you because you wanted to learn, and I understand that is not extremely common with your people. Don't try anything stupid."

The scientist was now both relieved and scared. The power station was near his home, but this Hallessi, who had trusted him, said that he was safe. This female was the sergeant of the station attack. He didn't know that, but she was ok. He, however, considered if he should move from his current place to a gated community. He didn't know more.

The sergeant told his story to her comrades. They reluctantly saw that the male was fine. Still an ass, but okay. He tried to learn, and that was something the newly reinforced religious thinking of the Gaimian could respect. The Race didn't learn. They preached their way and only their way. They stepped up their raids. Five more power boxes were sabotaged that day by them.

Phenex station

Kiryuu smiled more as her porn was getting good. She would get the Dawnbringer something wonderful, as she had gotten them access to the extranet and thus her porn. She had done more besides watch the vids, however. She had identified thirty corporations with ties to the Shadow Broker and saw the ads for Reaper Cults. The key word was plague. She passed that along to the arbites. Their computer crimes division had immediately added the information to their computers.

Elmemhidle had begun to take lunch with her fellow head acolyte more. They had become fast friends seven years ago. Their Xenophile natures, along with their desires to serve mankind, had made them the best of friends. They did debate, like many humans and others did, about which of their perverted desires were better. Elmemhidle was winning by two points, but Kiryuu had been winning more often now. She would get her Turians and her bird harem! Elmemhidle just wanted one. Her waifu would be interesting, hopefully. Aegon was regaling Sesar with a tale of the other him. Sesar was listening, fascinated. He remarked when the tale was finally finished.

"That would be a kick ass game! Why can't they make that instead of another damn remake of High Rock. I liked the game, but they are just milking it now."

"Don't know. I just want Summerset so I can butcher the Altmer. They fucked my people up! It's their turn, and for my other self because I agree with him. Fuck Elves. He didn't go far enough."

Sesar shook his head. He liked playing as an elf.

"The Bosmer are not bad, Egg. They just want to be corpse eaters in the province and pet their trees, like you do with your sword. I wished I could learn that type of thing, but I am not built that way, like my las pistol. Modded it so I can hunt underwater. Was nice when I and my sister did that."

Aegon then began to sing the praises of melee combat, and how he would destroy the damn goat people when he saw them, because they didn't have fucking chainkatanas. Why have mech suits if you're not going to use them for melee!

Elmemhidle was enjoying her blood smoothie, listening as Aegon ranted about the Tau. She was ok with the Tau. She didn't like melee either. She'd rather send a bolt pistol shot down range. She did ask Kiryuu who had finished her vid.

"What's the latest on the Tau? You're higher up than me and you have actually spoken to the Emperor. I'm curious about the goats."

Kiryuu shrugged.

"They are still exploring their star system, so I heard. They don't have warp drives. They are preparing to settle the moon they began terraforming. The dad says we might meet them in a few more years at the rate they are going. They are in the galactic southeast. Them joining our new federation seems more and more likely."

Elmemhidle tuned out Aegon, who was saying that the Tau were blueberry cowards who just needed chainkatanas and more melee weapons, because then they would not get destroyed as badly. Sesar was sweat dropping as the rant continued. Elmemhilde was happy about the news she was hearing from the Xindi.

"The Xindi really are talking tall on that. They do want it, because they are realistic and understand we are stronger together. We might have the fleet and the military arm, but they are going to maybe be the Salarian equivalent with us. Maybe the Gaimian will be the Asari equivalent. They are decent with trade. Not masters, but they can easily surpass us once the thing they are calling the "Dawn War" happens and we leave the planet. Their people might be amazing traders. Hell, Phenex station might get built up more, make us a new Citadel."

"I don't know about the new Citadel. We would be better than them. Hell, they are being weird about so much thanks to the hazard, but possibly. Humanity has the army and navy and that makes us the hunky Turians! We are finally getting closer! Soon, Elm, soon! Soon we shall have our husbandos and waifus!"

The two temporary mood kindred laughed together perversely. Aegon continued his rant. Sesar sighed. He should never have brought up swords.

Terra Sol System, Imperial Palace Underworld

Magnus and Celestine played a game of tag in one of the hallways set aside for playing. Celestine was happy, gliding around on her small wings. Her mom had taught her how to fly a bit. She and Magnus had become so much closer. They had inside jokes. It angered every other kid but Horus. Horus was let in on some jokes. He and his new white hair understood only a little, but Celestine explained a bit to him.

The two were playing more when they ran into Uncle Akio. He was being his usual grumpy self and spoke to them.

"Hold up, kiddos. It's not like I'm going to disappear anytime soon. Where's your dad? I have to talk with him. Have some great news for him."

Magnus chuckled and spoke up while Celestine kept hovering.

"Dad is with mom Kuroka. She is with cousin Naruto and he's playing with Corvus and Fulgrim."

"Ah, I see. Want to lead me there, Magnus?"

"Yes!"

The two children lead Akio to another room that was next to the kitchen for this part of the palace. Celestine knocked loudly, and the door was answered by Corvus. His hair covered his gold eyes. He let them into the room.

The room was Naruto's. He lived in the palace, too. He was weird and liked being alone a lot. He had a sweet tooth, just like his older sister and cousins. The nekoshou boy was with his sister, cousins, and uncle Issei. Issei was reading to them about the Astartes. Naruto was extremely curious about them. They sounded cool. Issei saw Akio and the others and smiled.

"Hey Akio. How's Akeno? And is it one or two?"

Akio sat on a chair, and was looking for Kuroka. He didn't see the bad cat before he spotted her sleeping lazily on an awning and snoring snot bubbles. Akio prepared to lower his voice, but Issei shook his head.

"She sleeps like a rock. We're fine to talk, just don't poke her. She never really lost her minor sin of sloth. Nar, are you ok? I know this is interrupting reading time with you."

The nekoshou shook his head.

"It's okay, uncle. Please, when you're done, tell me about that one big man. The one who was brave to the end."

Issei knew who Naruto was talking about.

"I'll tell you about Saul Tarvitz. He was someone who should always be remembered. You like him a lot, don't you?"

Naruto nodded heavily. Magnus remembered Saul, the captain who was an Emperor's Children to the end. He was one who should have been Equiry to Fulgrim. Magnus had asked his dad if everyone would return. Issei had said it was possible for everyone except for Konrad and The original Horus. Magnus learned that Jaghati would be his blood brother through his mom. Magnus would be a good older brother.

Akio smiled to see the young ones so curious. They were all like that now. The Age of Earth ending had kick started so many children to dream of things they were told of. Generation T had already started showing their parents in the millennials and the early Zoomers that they were building up, never down.

"It's two. We captured Georg. He was planning to do three and we got him and his tried improving upon ones at Hong Kong. They were going to do that and hoping they got the power plant. He had the brand that started it all. They are doomed. Akeno is good, just wants to be home with me."

Issei smiled bigger than ever. The Serpents of True Earth were a horrible shadow of their former selves. They continued their terror campaign without pause. Five bombs had gone off this month but Georg being captured was amazing. The brand maker kept trying desperately to refine his work, but the dwarf knew his work. He knew the paths that could be taken, thus the ever shrinking pool of recruits. That's why the attacks lessened every month. Their end would be incredibly soon. The next month, in fact.

"That's wonderful to hear. Hey kids, let's get ice cream to celebrate."

The kids cheered, but something happened that made Akio sweat drop. Kuroka woke up, popping an incredibly large snot bubble.

"Ice cream? I want ice cream, nya."

Issei patted his mate's shoulder.

"Of course. You want that special one I got for you?"

The still mostly asleep Kuroka just slowly got up, leaning on Issei as they all went for ice cream. The banana ice was Kuroka's new favorite flavor provided by the Valner. Vaknei bananas were amazing.

Medcora

The Death Hussars were now back up to Unification Wars standards, as were the nine other regiments. The testing of the digital weapons had undergone many trials and multiple problems had been identified quickly. The weapons were very inefficient in their power consumption. The gun had scared the mounts a lot, too. The final glaring problem was that the heat from the cannon had burned the test mount twice. This made that demigriffon hate the device. The Captain now carried the regimental colors. The next marks of the weapon had been swiftly made thanks to the forge world and its tech adepts.

Two squads of Tempestus Scion detachments for the muster were being loaded onto Roks to be transported to Galve. They were dedicated anti-tank forces, because the Race had more than first expected. Six more Exorcist tanks were being loaded, too. Two regiments in the muster were mechanized regiments, and they were bringing more mastodons and griffins. The twelfth and the thirteenth Krieg. Its crews were mostly humans, but six squads of them were fully devils. Their commanders were hoping that they could gain the experience needed, because they were siege tank regiments, and their griffins would eventually be replaced with a new tank being developed on Mars. It would take time, but it was an interesting idea.

Jane was busy coordinating the two thousand sisters of battle that had been mustered. The tales of the famines for the Gaimian have pissed them off badly. Many of them were from the African Union or India. The Indians were especially mad, because this was their famine again. The British Rajh had done horrible things in the first and second world wars, and the knowledge that the Race would have done that to them again made them more determined than ever to gut the Race males. Their chainswords were made here on Medcora. The steel was better than Terran or Martian by far. It had caused pirates to quiver, because they knew the Imperium was extremely harsh on that.

Five gangs had tried to once they had bought ships at good prices, refitted them, and then started trouble in Sol. The Sisters and a new regiment of the Guard had stepped up and crushed them. The Abyss Troopers were from Saturn and their specialty was void war. They were extremely good at it, and they had begun to help other imperial systems with their piracy problems. The Water Dragons had developed an extremely close relationship with the regiments raised from the moon colonies that formed the regiments. They both were getting ready to deploy into the traverse after first contact to show the Turians that the Imperium were mood-kindred. They hated pirates, because everyone suffered from that. The Imperium was also getting ready to explore the traverse. Two more warrants of trade had been drafted by Ingvild and Sona, with Issei saying he backed their decisions and choices.

Tomoe had considered whether they should commit a knight to the muster, but the knights were mostly busy building up colonies. She had decided against that, as had Kiba when they learned Vali had two knights ready for deployment.

Some of Team Vali were here on world. Fenrir was happy chasing the goats there with Louis. The two had tried to form a goat chariot, but the space marine was too heavy. It made Louis sad for just a second before he had started making the new regiments of soldiers sweat drop, as he was hailed by the Kriegers as their aspect's champion of the holy shovel. They might have been tankers, but they carried the holy weapon too.

Balamund had enjoyed a talk with a tech adept that had said that the blank had a new gun. It was a weapon that fired blank rounds that could make warp beings and psykers scream in agony. It was still experimental, but the adept said they were working on possible mass production. It would be an extremely good idea if they faced a species that was a degenerate warp spawn race.

Blanks were still very rare, but they were popping up slowly. They were never as strong as Ellen, but those who did pop up were still having problems, especially the new children, as they were making their parents doubt for the barest hint of a moment before the system kicked in. That had destroyed two families already. The parents could not get past that second of pure disgusting feelings. They hated that immediately. That had made Galen step up his work there. The two children had been given by horribly regretful parents to the Ordo Silence, but the Ordo had told the parents that they still had full custody still, along with the rights to see the kids whenever they wanted, and that they could speak with the Order of Soothers for the memory work. Momo had become their head. She had been extremely happy with that. Saji may've been head ambassador on Phenex station, but she was still mostly on Terra.

Ren, Frola, and Valeria were enjoying a vacation on Venus and would join soon. Vali and Percy were busy with something fun, knight duals. They would deploy when the second wave was ready.

Galve

The Gaimian launched six raids in less than two hours. They were getting good at group tactics. Each attack was another blow against the Race. Blackouts were now so common that the females were getting used to only having three hours of electricity a day. They now longed for two days ago, when this was not happening.

Race males were starting to fear going out of the gated communities. They were being harassed heavily. The soldiers were now six per power box or factory. They were getting more and more paranoid.

Mark 001

Six males were watching a factory that was currently shut down because of an outage. They were incredibly nervous. The Hallessi had continued their attacks that week nonstop, and even the threat of reprisals has done nothing to stop them. If anything, they became more pissed when ten Hallessi were gathered and hanged. The Race had considered doing that again, but the last raid had led to all the males there being hanged in remembrance of the ten. The lead male was a veteran, but his five juniors were not. They had served, but the lead male had been in soldier time for ten years.

The factory was outside the city, far outside the city. The enslavers would know fear. Ten Gaimian Guard were getting help in this raid.

A sister and her spotter set themselves up as a sniper team in a very well hidden spot. They were covering the reinforcements route, because the males had been reinforcing the raid points and that had been rough. Two King's Guard members had died in the last raid. Bullets had taken them down, but their bodies had been recovered after the Gaimian had slaughtered the males brutally.

The sisters were using a sniper bolter. The two were from India, newly arrived yesterday. The sniper prepared her bolt. She was a good shot.

The Gaimian were hidden in a wagon that they hijacked from the Race repair team that was bringing repair tools and a small power generator. The repair team was killed easily. They were some of the few non-combat males. The wagon, pulled by a Faljev, a beast of burden on Galve, stopped at the gate entrance to the factory. The driver was a Gaimian who was wearing the badge of a Yevnish, a simple circle with a trapezoid in it. The lead male and his second and third moved towards the wagon. The other three males were watching, vigilant. The lead male hissed to the driver.

"You are late. Explain."

The driver hated that he was using the slave tongue, but knew the plan.

"The primitives attacked a small checkpoint, and they killed a wisdom giver there. Security was extra tight. Apologies, superior."

The lead male couldn't get mad for that. That was a good story, and the Race didn't understand lying. Thus, the male accepted the story. The Race male repair team must've been in the wagon relaxing. He and his males went to check. As they opened the back flaps, three cracks were heard, and the lead male and his subordinates went down with stabs of the halberds. They died because they didn't question things.

Mark 002-010

The three males saw their comrades go down and immediately opened fire with guns. The male, who was the fourth now, took command. He radioed to a nearby checkpoint for help. He would get the reinforcements. The Gaimian moved out of the wagon and zigzagged their way towards the males. They were veterans, now. They practiced until it became unconscious. They continued their push, but a male Gaimian got shot and he went down, heavily wounded. Two of his comrades dragged him to safety and began to administer first aid. Medi-gel was slapped onto the wound, and the Gaimian thanked the Great Eagle that humans had shared this with them. Again for, free. Medi-gel has saved lives, both on the field of battle and in the field of peace. The human that represented the medicae was weird because they had long, pointed ears. They were helping give medicine and aid to the Gaimian, who visited the secret town. The elf had said he was once like them. Afraid and at the bottom, but he had risen. They could too.

The Race males were not having fun, but they did slow down the advance by cover fire. Then the fear hit. A male who had been about to make a kill on a Gaimian, exploded into a million pieces and showered his comrades with gore and mini bone shards. The two other males were looking at where their comrade had once existed in clear horror and the very beginning of mind numbing fear. What the fuck? The Gaimian were not scared because the Race were bullies. Now they were seeing true predators. The Gaimian continued their advance.

The sniper took great pleasure in the kill, but redirected to the reinforcement route. They had come fast. Six more males ran to help their comrades. The sniper took aim.

The lead male for the new was desperate trying to reach the others. They were getting more males ready, and they were about to enter the battle when a male exploded into a million pieces. The five males immediately took cover and were deathly afraid. That was their radio operator, a deliberate choice. The males needed to learn not to show the ranks of their soldiers so openly. The males didn't know what happened, but tried to move again. A second male exploded, and there were five Hallessi coming towards the new.

The last male of the first six fired, desperate to kill as many as he could. He was doomed because the enemy was not going down like normal. How? They were primitives and the Race had the tech. The Race had nukes. How were their bullets not killing them at all? The male went down under stabs and slashing from two Gaimian. The light left him. The Gaimian didn't take the guns. Their guns were better. They didn't need enslaver shit. The enslaver guns broke their bones, anyway. The two went to help their comrades while the wounded Gaimian was lifted by his two comrades. They would move to the wagon.

The new males were desperate to get away. Another one had died to the unknown thing. The three left were being pushed by the primitives. The lead male realized, finally, that this was a trap, a new example. He hissed and saw the truth. The Hallessi had not been idle. They had adapted. He had only reached that conclusion because he had become addled. He tried to get his males away.

The three tried to run, but another male exploded, and that sent the last two to the ground in a crawl. They didn't get away, but the final addled male was not killed. Instead, he was taken alive. The Gaimian wanted to kill him, wanted to make him scream, but their feather pendants burned. They knew what that meant.

The sisters packed up their sniper and then retreated under an illusion spell. They helped with the plan by getting more intel. That was the whole purpose of the raid. The ten Gaimian and a bound and gagged male were then ushered off, and the sergeant of the ten did something that made the male of the Race freeze. He watched as the sergeant had gathered energy in his hand and then the noise dampened to complete silence. The Gaimian had enjoyed the next part. The sergeant extended his new gift, bat wings of a devil. He was the first Gaimian to be reincarnated as a devil, because magic sounded bad ass and he wanted to do that! He was Antoinette's first pawn. He had made the wagon invisible to the eye and to sensors, because magic, bitch! The Gaimian then knocked the male into unconsciousness.

When the male awoke, he was strapped down in a chair with chains. The chair did have a tail hole, so that was a plus. He groggily looked around the room he was in. It was dark, but his eyes turned on their stalks and he saw two primitives standing guard in the corners. His eyes widened. They had guns and armor like the ones the Race used. Then, two more beings entered the room. Another primitive and something else entirely, a very weird thing that was pale skinned and had fur on its head. In the male's opinion, it was incredibly ugly. The primitive was a female, and the unknown was wearing a badge that made the male of the Race immediately feel fear. It was an eye with a skull in the center. The two sat across from this male named Ussmek in chairs.

Ussmek was more scared when the unknown person spoke to him, in perfect Race.

"I'm your best friend here. My comrade wants to torture you. She lost her family to your people. It's understandable, but I am above her and her teacher. She will be my opposite. My name is Conner Venkman, and I am an Inquisitor of the Ordo Xenos. I serve the Emperor of my species, and my power is limitless. I serve the Breaker of Chains, and your people have lost."

Ussmek was deathly scared, because this thing was extremely alien to him. It was scary, and the symbol it wore was showing the worst fears of the many humans who had seen that symbol and died to it. The psychic feedback of the warp made Ussmek compliant, because this was what being near a true predator was like. Ussmek was a small fish. The unknown one spoke again.

"Talk ,and answer everything you are asked, and I promise you won't get tortured. Don't talk, and then my friend here will rip off your eye stalks and damn you for your people an Emperorless after life. My Emperor is a million times better than any yours have ever been. Now, what are the numbers of land cruisers at the main base near the city?"

Migrant Fleet, sector unknown

Ralis Zorah had come to regret his demand. Zaria had not cut him out of her life completely, but she resented him deeply. She wanted her Cog that continued to help them from his end of the galaxy. Ralis was worried that when they made first contact Zaria would abandon the fleet immediately just to see him. He wanted to repair the damage caused by his demand, but didn't know how. His wife had supported him, but she had talked more to Zaria. She liked her likely son in law a lot, because he and she talked in dreams. He was not angry with Ralis, just a bit disappointed.

Zaria knew that it was less than three weeks before the contact. Her plan was working. The fleet was moving towards the imperium's border, and they were making good time. Relays towards the border had been activated by the Imperials and the Quarians were not connecting that these were once inactive. They were on, so someone had used them before.

The last fight had been bad for her at the Board meeting. The two admirals were against her and her ally now. They didn't like the fact that she was standing up to the division. They didn't know she was a reconciliation Quarian, but they thought she was like this with them because of her family and their priesthood past. Zaria had lived so many of their ancestors' lives during the nights not with her Cog. Her family had been an extremely important part of their people's past, moral crusaders that had been deeply divided by the Morning War. Life, like always, was continuing.

The Mechanicus Quarians had grown slowly. They numbered six hundred now. A new ship of fifty joined them, because it had been a tech priest that had saved it from a horrible air ventilation failure and the ship's machine spirit fought to save its occupants. The tech priest had prayed to the spirit without fear as the engineer guild members had struggled to save the ship. The occupants saw that, and when the prayer ended, the spirit had sung loudly enough that the occupants heard it. They had believed at the very end, and that, plus the prayer, had saved the ship. The tech priest had smiled and not regretted becoming one, because the Mechanicus was right. The machine was immortal.

The engineering guild members had watched in amazement as one of their former own saved the ship where they failed. Half had asked her their questions. The other half had been shaken badly. They doubted now if the crazies were actually that. They had tried everything, but prayer had saved the ship, not their science. They would keep doubting.

The new members of the Mechanicus began to believe more than ever. That was a miracle, a true miracle. The fifty new ones had all been shot by Zaria. She had saved psychic rounds for this. She was getting better at making them. She was like her Cog, a higher scale psyker. He was still here with her, having long stopped building walls, but stayed because she was fun, a nice break from nobles and politics. He could be relaxed with her, and Zaria enjoyed that immensely. They would play Cards Against Humanity with Ravel, Asia, and Ingvild.

Asia was too pure. Ravel was a pervert. Ingvild had a surprisingly well hidden sense of humor. The five of them had been joined by a bird man and his bae who also had fun. The bird was funny, and the woman who had joined him was still very sorry for her temper tantrum. Issei reassured Valeria that he was fine with her, and asked when the vampire and Ren were getting married.

Omega

Liara gunned down a reaper cultist with her smg pistol. The cultist gurgled and choked on his blood. He was a Salarian, and he had almost killed Liara's sister of battle. Aessny Nosi looked to her friend Liara with a relieved smile and now another look. It was lust, because Liara had faced the foe with no fear and stood tall like the Goddess Athame once had. Aessny was a pureblood Asari. She was raised in that deeply, but her mother was an Adaptive. Her dad was a Quidith. They had kept politics out of their family life. Then, the hostage situation happened, and Aessny saw her dad switch camps. The Hero of Thessia was Aessny's hero. The young maiden had been one of the two hundred hostages.

She wanted to be like her hero in everything, but Aessny was now the one out of place, and Liara advanced and shot two more cultists.

"I am a warrior of the sun. My actions bring light between the stars. I am a warrior. Know no fear in your heart."

Liara now understood the battle lust, the blood pumping in her body, the adrenaline, the endorphins of her high of victory. It was why Jeanne liked battle, and why the Krogan part of her roared for battle. The feeling of wanting to ravish a partner after in celebration was overwhelming, but the mantra kept her in the real, the true and the light. She brought the light of her goddess to those who served the night.

Liara threw a singularity that made the four remaining cultists get sucked up by the black hole. A throw biotic was made, and that detonated the singularity. Three cultists died and would never return. The final one, a fellow Asari, hit the floor hard, and was finished off by the second of Liara's friends. Kalun Daius fired her scout rifle, and the shot put down the cultist. Kalun respected her friend more than ever. The soft spoken Asari who had said she wanted to be an archaeologist before something happened was a true commando. Liara had led the group of five Eclipse mercs sent in for the clean up. The other two members of the squad were a Turian and a Batarian. The two others looked at the Asari they had ribbed before this mission with open awe. Liara had killed most of this mega cult.

Two cults had done a new thing here on the station: merged and then attacked a power plant. Aria's men had been hurting badly from the suddenness of the attack, then Eclipse had brought help to them for free. Aria had been desperate, because this was a very bad situation. The station going offline would vent a third of the station's population. She had demanded the merc gangs do something, or else. They didn't care. Eclipse had not been approved by Aria yet, but Liara had stepped up without any fear. She fought with her squad and was now a hero to Omega.

Aria had reluctantly asked what the hero wanted. Liara, while standing tall but still nervous, said she wanted more food delivered to a struggling neighborhood here on Omega and nothing else. Aria granted that, and said to the maiden Aria could respect more.

"Consider it granted. You're a brave bitch, a good fighter according to my men who you saved. You ever want a job with more freedom and much better pay along with hookers galore, just tell me. You are going places, and I'm looking for a third."

Liara had been extremely flustered about that, but softly declined.

"You honor me, Pirate Queen, but I'm happy here. I have what I want coming soon, but maybe one day when my role is complete."

Aria was somewhat pissed by the rejection, but Liara T'Soni was definitely going places. Maybe a new captain of a potentially good pirate gang. Maidens couldn't resist the urges forever. The two other Asari with her looked at their friend with increased respect, as did the Turian and the Batarian who now asked to work with her permanently. Liara was Krieg reborn to them.

The Turian had been a slaver before Eclipse. He wanted redemption, and this was how he would get it. Krieg made him sad, because they went to the grave millions at a time. He saw Krieg fully, just not the species they were. It was the reason why he fought harder than ever and made his Batarian friend join too. They both wanted redemption for their years of slaving.

The Batarian was the most outcast of outcasts, a noble abolitionist. He joined the slave trade for easy money. The ten years of slavery he helped propagate had been the years he saw the suffering, saw the abuse and the terror, the deaths and the misery that he helped create. It broke his world into pieces over that decade. He had tried to treat his slaves better when he returned home for two years, but he was not satisfied with that. He secretly wanted to do more. He began smuggling them out and deactivating their chips. The slaves had been scared, because this was something they heard the masters did for fun, give you hope then blow your heads off, but this noble son had let them go truly. This made him the one they truly loved, not the false love the masters demanded of their slaves.

The Batarian named Brahmak Ghasdebar had been discovered by his father and older brother. They tried to kill him. They had taken one of Brahmak's eyes and made him more of an outcast, but Brahmak got away from them. The eye, however, doomed him. Even among the Batarians outside the Hegemony, you were weak if you lost an eye. He had nowhere to go but Eclipse. He stayed friends with the Turian, who was his only remaining friend. Caso had made life better. He'd said last month to Brahmak that they should join Eclipse. There were rumors going around that there was a cell of Batarians who were anti-slavery in the company. Brahmak had simply signed up to be with Caso. He was an outcast forever; nothing was going to change that.

Liara felt nothing but pity for Brahmak. The Batarian was prickly, but was a good engineer. Caso was a good shot, just a bit grim. Her friends were happy for their best friend and the looks of admiration she received as they returned to the new barracks. Aessny had softly asked for help with shooting and biotics on the way there. Liara had smiled and said she would help her friend out with that. Kalun had asked something different.

"Teach me the mantra. I felt weird when you said it, like it was a Falvinfa. You know the ancient stuff we used to do, before the Citadel. Don't give me that look, I went to college!"

Falvinfa was the Asari word for battle oaths, something the very old Asari had done before planetary unification. Kalun was from Salcava and wanted to embody the words of her thought camp totally. She had been one of the first maidens in Salcava to visit a rally. She was just there for free food being between jobs, but the rally had touched her heart deeply. So deeply that she had been a volunteer to pass out flyers and speak to more maidens the slogan. Liara saw what Kalun was truly, a psyker. Not a powerful one, but she could become a good battle psyker.

Jeanne had gushed over her brave Asari who was growing to be her mood kindred. Tsubaki praised Liara for having a good heart and being better than the other her earlier, and this was without Shepard, without them there. This was her deed of light, her glory that she earned. Liara blushed badly, but was so very proud of herself. Jeanne promised her that there was fun coming. That made Liara nosebleed badly because she liked the idea a lot. It was interesting and depraved.

Kalun and Aessny sweat dropped massively hearing Liara perversely giggling in their barracks on Omega. Aessny was down for a pervert. She was one too. She started giggling perversely, too. Kalun was now horribly sweat dropping, because why did she have to be the normal one? Yeah, she went to college, but they didn't train her for this! She had a degree in computers, not perversion!

Caso and Brahmak were just playing cards when they heard the new perverted duo. Brahmak sighed before playing his next card. Caso was just more amused.

"Damn Asari, but this is better than being wanted. Told you you wouldn't regret this Brahmak. Now, hand over your credits. Easy clap."

"Fuck you, too."

Brahmak handed over the credits, but was happier. He was still getting the looks of disgust from other Batarians, but another one for the soon to be established center here had seen something in him. Then said softly that they were sorry. He didn't get that, just was grumpy. Still, being paid to beat up cults and pirates was nice.

Thessia

Benezia was amazed by her daughter's actions on Omega. The news channels were hailing Liara as a true hero, an Asari that maidens should look to and be inspired by. Liara had thanks to this the beginning of a fan club forming. Eclipse didn't take credit for the act, simply saying that heroes were made by choice, not by the organizations they were part of. They didn't do that. Liara did that herself. Atheyta loved the admiration that Benezia got from even Quidith matriarchs.

Her Nezi deserved more credit. She did the hard work of the Adaptive. She managed everything and was the one who kept money flowing to the Adaptive. She'd convinced several more matriarchs to flip to them. Their victory in Astona was nothing short of a miracle. Their camp had two republics now, because the Asari were ready for change. Their friend in that medical corporation was truly a life saver, because they got the backing they needed at their lowest. That slogan saved their camp in so many ways. It made Asari question. Athyta had heard the humans had more new ideas from Athame. Many were beyond radical even for her.

An.