Author's Notes: Got sick. And in the time where my ideas finally diverged, it was rather chaotic to finish this chapter. Initially, I had three scenarios for this story, and finally decided on one. If there's another Author's Note after the Codex, I'll try to explain.

Anyway, one reviewer asked me how Codex was wrong in the last chapter. Well, spoiler for Interstellar, but humans of that time never made a wormhole. In my story, they discovered it during the Kaiju War, while in the canon, they discovered it 45 years before the story started. In both cases, NASA and related governments kept silent about it.

For my story, the big wigs didn't want to tell the people that there might be another alien race out there, especially since they were already fighting one. Then the lie kept going when the Blighted Era came and they made plans to send people out there to colonize viable worlds in secret, abandoning Earth and the rest of the population to die. That didn't happen, but I'm not going to spoil one of my favorite movies any more. Just go watch it. It's pretty good.

A lot of the details during that time were completely hidden or off the record that even AI don't know the truth. One could say that the Federation was born after humanity's modern dark age.

Anyway, back to the story.

Clark fidgeted slightly as the virtual bridge held a very important conference. While he was already used to the presences of the captains of Kepler and Shoemaker, the three other VIPs were another matter entirely.

There was President Oaks, a hardened woman of New Virginia and the leader of the USA. She, like Curry, was an older woman with graying hair and a hardened gaze. She wore her military dress uniform, proudly displaying the many ribbons on her chest she earned during her military career.

Clark honestly liked her. She carried out her duties without fanfare, kept the politicking to a minimum, and generally left the systems to govern themselves.

A model President of the Americas.

Besides Oaks' window, silent with only a small frown to show his dissatisfaction with the whole situation, was President Chen, the leader of the Republic of Taiwan. Clark could not help but feel sorry for him. One of his provincial systems was being attacked by the squints, and the new system they were going to colonize had so many problems.

If it was just the exotic matter, it wouldn't have been so bad. Sure, it would slow down population growth, as children without nanites would make the dark energy radiation dangerous for them, but the potential losses could be recouped. After all, Shanxi would have something very unique to sell to the rest of the Federation countries—the exotic matter itself.

However, the artifact definitely made colonizing the system a risk too high to ignore for one reason alone.

"It's a Bridge?" High Chancellor Augustine asked, frowning.

The High Chancellor, the executive leader of the Federation, was someone Clark didn't have any real opinion about. The Federation Constitution limited the power of any central government figures, making him almost a nonfactor to any of the American People.

All Clark knew about him was that he hailed from the Eiffel System of France and, as he just discovered, was surprisingly young but impeccably dressed. He wore a full suit, including a vest, with the Federation Golden Eagle pinned on his lapel. His blonde hair was combed back and his thin gold-framed glasses glinted every time he adjusted them.

"Yes," another representative of Kepler, Doctor Walden, replied with his slightly thick German accent. "Though it's more accurate to say it's closer to a Urenbeck launcher than a Bridge."

"The newly discovered system is almost two thousand lightyears away from Shanxi, is it not?" Augustine asked.

"Yes, High Chancellor."

"I may not be a scientist, but even I know it's impossible to launch ships that far away."

"True, but we're dealing with fundamentally different technology here," Walden replied.

Another window popped up in the center of the conference, displaying the alien artifact, the mass-affecting crystal, and the video of what happened to RDP01 when it first activated the artifact. Augustine adjusted his glasses as he looked downwards, reading the file.

"The most prevailing theory we have as of now is that the alien artifacts are paired with each other. When a signal is sent, the two artifacts create some sort of tunnel or corridor of negative mass between them, and propel ships through it."

Augustine frowned. "I can see why you said it was closer to a launcher than a Bridge. Still, these GRADR readings…"

The doctor nodded. "Like I said, fundamentally different technology. Our sensors rely on gravitational readings based on spacetime being affected by mass. This exotic matter removes mass, giving us some very strange, almost invisible readings."

Augustine sighed before looking up. "President Chen, you've been quiet."

"Are words necessary to describe this disaster of a system?" Chen asked. "We picked the isolated Frontier to give ourselves some breathing room, only to discover we might have stumbled into some sort of alien backdoor. The artifact represents a clear danger to my people who will settle at Shanxi."

"President Chen," Oaks spoke up, voice steady, "know that the Americas stand with you. With New Carolina close to the artifact as well, and knowing what it does, I'm increasing our Naval presence there, ready to support you in case the worst happens."

Chen nodded. "Very much appreciated, President Oaks. I will now call a meeting with my country's legislative body. They will ultimately decide whether to abandon Shanxi or not."

Augustine nodded. "President Chen, before you go, know that the Federation is willing to buy the rights of the system from you if your people decide to not pursue further colonization."

"I shall inform the representatives of the Federation's offer, High Chancellor. My apologies, but I must go."

"Don't worry about it," Oaks replied. "I'm sure we can work out a lucrative deal even when the worst comes to worst."

Chen nodded before his window closed. The rest paused for a few moments before Augustine broke the silence.

"Now then, Doctor Walden, how extensively have you explored this new system?"

"Just preliminary scans made by the Raven," Wolfe replied. "Red dwarf surrounded by five planets, one of them a gas giant. No garden world, but has two planets in the goldilocks area. Possible to terraform if need be. Good asteroid presence as well, and more of that exotic matter."

"Any indication of sapient life?"

"None," Walden replied. Another window popped up, showing an incomplete Star Map of the new system. "Though with time and resources, terraforming the two planets into something livable is possible."

"Possible military outpost, then?" Augustine asked.

"Potentially," Oaks replied, hand cupping her chin. "However, that inactive artifact makes me wary. It's not encased in anything, like the one in Shanxi. Could that be a clue that someone released it from its confines?"

"It's possible that the artifact in Shanxi was unique in that regard," Walden replied. "It was found at the very outer edge, far away from the star. The artifacts in this new system are not."

Oaks shook her head. "That does not discount the possibility that this system is some else's territory, though."

"True, but there's no evidence for it," Walden disagreed. "Other than the artifacts, there are no artificial constructs or signals."

Augustine nodded. "That just means we need to make sure. You have the Federation's approval to send your task group to this new system. Do more extensive scans and get as much data as you can."

"Yes, High Chancellor," Walden replied. "About the other artifact, should we turn it on, see where it leads?"

"For now, no. Once this system is fully cleared, explored and relatively well defended, then maybe we can explore that option again."

Walden nodded. "We can still study it, though, yes?"

"Yes," Augustine replied.

"Wunderbar!" the doctor exclaimed with a wide grin before his window closed.

Captain Johnson, who had been silent for the whole conversation, sighed. "I'll make sure they behave, High Chancellor."

"I know you will, Captain," Augustine replied, waiting for Johnson's window to close before he called, "President Oaks?"

"Yes?" Oaks said

"Can I count on your task force to continue safeguarding the Federation's group?" Augustine asked.

"Of course."

Augustine sighed, nodding appreciatively. "The Federation won't forget this. In fact—" he paused, eyes darting across a line before he grinned. "I am aware you have a new fleet built for New Carolina in the Anvil system. You are allocating three carrier groups for them, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Only one of them," Oaks replied. "Trump is for New Carolina. Biden and Obama will be assigned to the Inner Systems, though with this new development, I'll be commissioning another carrier, Bush, as soon as I send Admiral Drescher to hand the new fleet to New Carolina."

"I'm sending the Seventh to the Anvil system," Augustine said. "They have a few Orbital Frames available. The newest generation, the best that the Federation—no, the best at what humanity has."

Clark stilled, and he wasn't the only one. Curry stiffened, while Moreau looked absolutely flabbergasted, his mouth open.

Oaks' only reaction was to narrow her eyes. "Augustine, what the hell are you playing at?" she demanded.

"Don't give me that," the High Chancellor replied calmly. "You think I don't know what you armed your new Destroyers with? If your country is willing to test out new weapons systems, then the Federation is allowed to do the same."

"This is still strictly an operation involving the Americas and Taiwan. The Federation has no military jurisdiction."

"Not yet," Augustine replied, "but you are correct. That's why I'm not assigning a Federation team of Orbital Frames to go along with your new fleet; I'm giving you Orbital Frames for your new fleet."

Oaks paused before nodding slowly. "The Americas will accept the Federation's gifts. How many?"

"Five Frames."

Moreau mouthed 'Five?', eyes going even wider.

"Then I'll need to have our MI pick five pilots for them," Oaks said. "I'll inform High Governor Johnson of the Seventh's arrival and OF drop-off. And to repay for such kindness, any battle data procured by these new Frames within a year will belong to the Federation."

Augustine's smile widened. "It's always satisfying to deal with very understanding people. A pleasure talking with you, President Oaks."

When the High Chancellor's window closed, Clark breathed a little easier, though relief didn't last long as he noticed the window that connected them to President Oaks was still open.

"Madam President?" Curry called. "Is there anything else?"

"Captain Curry," Oaks replied. "As you are a career soldier, am I right to believe you at least understand the underlying situation?"

Clark blinked, then glanced at Curry. Surprisingly, the Captain nodded heavily.

"I am," she replied simply.

"Good. Then I won't waste anymore of your time. Continue on your duties. I'll appraise High Governor Carter of the situation."

Curry stood up and saluted, making the rest of the crew follow her example.

"Ma'am," she said, earning a return salute back from the President before her window winked out. Everyone relaxed and after a moment of silence, the Captain sighed. She turned to the rest of the crew. "I'll be meeting with Adams and Sinclaire. Owen, you're in charge until then."

Clark blinked. Who?

"Leave it to me," Michaels replied, saluting.

Curry nodded before her avatar disappeared from the virtual bridge. That's when Clark breathed easier. He sat down once more, looking blankly at his screen for a few seconds, trying to take on the whole conference.

"Owen?" Moreau asked, a smile on his face.

"Better than Jesse," the older man replied with a smirk of his own.

There was a loud snort of laughter that came from Tenma. The helmsman rolled his eyes as he glanced at her. "Laugh it up, Miami," he said.

Tenma laughed even harder. "You pronounced Maemi wrong but guess what? It still sounds better than Jesse!"

Clark grinned when Moreau raised his middle finger in her direction. The helmsman then turned back to Michaels. "Anyways, Michaels."

"Yeah?"

"What was that about?"

Michaels glanced at the helmsman. "You started it."

Moreau rolled his eyes again. "No, that last conversation between President Oaks and the High Chancellor? She even warned Captain of something."

"Ah," Michaels replied, nodding. "President Oaks and the High Chancellor think that something might be coming."

Clark sobered up, feeling his hand shake slightly. "Something is coming? Do they know something we don't?"

The GRADR Operator shook his head. "No, it's probably more like intuition. Something about the whole situation rubbed her the wrong way and she can't express it in a manner that could be considered logically sound. The Federation interference probably enforced the feeling."

Moreau scoffed. "Yeah, well, if that interference is the Federation giving us five—let me repeat, five Orbital Frames, I'd like more of that, please."

Michaels shook his head. "You don't get it, Moreau. That many OFs means the Federation is also feeling something big is about to go down. You don't give that much firepower to a single fleet, especially one in the Frontier, for no reason."

"The President offered battle data in return," Tenma muttered solemnly.

Then Clark remembered something during the conversation as well. "The High Chancellor also said that the Americas are sending us Destroyers with new weapons systems."

Moreau stilled for a few moments before he frowned. "Fucking hell, something is about to go down."

"Don't shit yourselves yet," Michaels replied. "Like I said, they got a gut feeling. Doesn't mean an attack is eminent, but it won't hurt to be prepared, so be alert and don't lose your head."

Clark felt a shiver up his spine, only for Niki to speak up. "Clark, we'll be fine."

He took a deep breath. "I hope so, Niki."

The last two days had been a strangely tense affair. With Taiwan deciding to delay colonization of the planet until they could get more military presence in-system, they began evacuating the garden world, but not the system itself.

With promised support from the USA, they decided it was much cheaper to wait for the incoming New Carolinian fleet than to return the whole colonization fleet back to the Inner Systems.

That fact gave Clark much relief, which he found morbidly funny because technically, right now, they were more than a thousand light years away from the Shanxi system. In essence, they were very much in the deep end of the uncharted void.

Using the artifact for travel had been quite a strange experience for him. He had expected something akin to Bridge travel, that once a ship would enter a spherical hole in spacetime, he would witness the light of multiple stars that they would bypass from the dimensional fold. Instead, what he had seen from Drift was a tunnel of blue light, and a few minutes later—seconds in real time—they had traveled more than a thousand lightyears away.

The Navigator didn't know if he should feel thankful at the alien artifact that gave him such complicated feelings. It was the artifact's presence that created the mess in the first place, yet at the same time, allowed him to feel secure, as if that allied fleet was only a few thousand miles away.

Clark had little time to delve deeper into those thoughts or even appreciate the novel way of traveling. Once they had made it to the new system, everything had moved quickly again, the planning being more meticulous as they had way more ground to cover.

A few ships had been assigned to study the sun. Another group to the planets, and the last group moved to the inactive artifact. Argo and Hercules were assigned to the group studying the star and planets, with their fighters doing patrols, while Shoemaker had to be in between them and the artifact team to ensure maximum communicational coverage.

The artifact team did have the two RDPs, so they weren't exactly undefended, but Clark still felt it was a bit of a risk. His fear from when they first arrived in Shanxi returned two fold, but like before, as time passed, everything became routine work again.

The whole assignment definitely reminded him of a saying his DI used to say. 'Military is all about hurrying up to your destination, then waiting patiently in place'.

Waiting they did, though not patiently as recommended. Judging by Moreau's outburst, Clark wasn't alone in the struggle.

"I might be biased, but this system sucks," the helmsman declared.

"Agreed," Tenma replied. "You are biased."

"Oh, come on, Tenma, don't tell me you disagree. Red dwarf, the most common of the common stars in the universe, all rock planets with just one monochromic brown gas planet? Even life didn't want to sprout in a boring ass system like this. Hell, I bet the squints don't want a planet like this!"

Clark couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"I heard that they don't have preference on planets," Michaels said, "but pick the planet where humans reside."

Clark felt Niki's activity on the back of his head slow down, and he knew why. "My mom said something similar," he said. "She said that Precursors are the predators of humans, and once they find you, they won't leave you be."

"I'm pretty sure that's just propaganda," Moreau replied. "To rally people to take back Earth."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Tenma replied.

"Uh, because it is?"

"You want to leave our home planet to the squints?" Michael asked.

"Is it our home planet, though?" Moreau asked. "Dad's from New Quebec. My mom's from New Carolina. I was born and raised in New Carolina and occasionally visit New Quebec. I care about those places. Earth? Eh."

Michaels snorted. "Try not to talk like that around the Marines. They'll kick your scrawny ass all the way to the airlock."

"Look, not trying to diminish their sacrifice—"

"But you are," Tenma interjected with a small smile.

Moreau rolled his eyes. "Just saying I'm apathetic about Earth. From all accounts, life there was stupid. Tyrannical governments, limited resources. Sure, we built great things on that planet, but even if we do take it back, those things would be gone by now. I say, just use our resources elsewhere, like finding new planets and systems."

"Hey," Clark said in a somewhat smug tone, "who was it again that found this new system boring?"

"The very same person who wanted to find new systems and planets?" Michaels replied with a grin.

"First, fuck you guys. This and that are two different things. Second—"

"Ensign, hold that thought," Curry interjected. "Dana, can you repeat that?"

"Pippa and Komi are detecting anomalies in their group," Dana's voice was heard all over the virtual bridge.

That got everyone to sit straighter.

"Michaels?" Curry asked.

The older man typed on his keyboard, a frown in his face. "Nothing registering on GRADR. I'm syncing with the Ravens' sensor readings. It's mostly visual data. Putting it on screen."

A large screen opened up and Clark felt himself going cold.

"Is that…?" Curry asked, unable to finish her sentence and for good reason.

Displayed were ten ships of differing sizes. Five they could recognize as fighter-sized ships, four were the size of frigates, and the last one was like a cruiser. The designs were not something from the Federation. The fighters looked wholly wrong in the crew's eyes, its body bent like some sort of beak or claw, with small fins underneath. Meanwhile, the larger ships, while much more aesthetically pleasing, did not have the design philosophy of being reminiscent of Earth's ocean vehicles. Instead, they looked like oversized Federation fighters, though much more elongated with wings and fins spreading on the sides.

"Those aren't human ships, are they?" Tenma asked quietly.

"I don't think so," Moreau replied with almost the same volume. "Completely different design philosophies. No mounted cannons but… on their bow, that looks like the muzzle lip of a cannon, doesn't it?"

"Yes," Tenma agreed. "Projectile or energy?"

"We won't know until it fires," Michaels replied. "I suggest we stay clear of that."

Clark frowned. "Seems a little limiting to have just one weapon in your ship."

Moreau shrugged. "Maybe they have more, and that's the only visible one we can see."

Michaels began typing on his keyboard for a few seconds before speaking out again. "They are moving towards the science team near the inactive artifact. Organization and vector approach indicate an intercept formation."

Clark blinked, looking away from the screen and towards his map. With both Ravens uploading their data to the network, he spotted ten moving dots on his map approaching the science team. He grit his teeth. "I concur with Operator Michaels."

Curry nodded. "Dana, send traffic to Argo and Hercules. Dobson, prep a jump pathway to cut them off. Does the science team know they got something coming their way?"

"Captain," Pippa's voice came over. "I suggested that Kepler connect to me to provide a cleaner signal. Captain Johnson is on the line."

"Thank you Pippa," Curry replied. "Patch him through."

"Captain Curry, are you seeing this?" Johnson's voice rang through the virtual bridge.

"Yes we are," Curry replied. "We're about to jump to you."

"Belay that," Johnson replied.

"You don't have the authority to override me in security matters, Captain," Curry replied, voice even.

There was a sigh. "Doctor Walden invoked the Federation First Contact Act. He's sending Copernicus to transmit FCP. Unless they show any aggressive actions, you are to stay away. This is now a Federation matter."

Frustration laced in the Driftcon, making Clark sit up straighter than normal. He glanced around him, to see who was leaking, and could not guess who. Moreau and Tenma looked far more nervous than angry, and both the Captain and Michaels had facial expressions that looked like they were carved in stone.

"It's from the Captain," Niki supplied.

Clark blinked, glancing at the captain again. It was then that he noticed the slight shaking of her closed fists and slight quiver of her lips.

"Captain Johnson," Curry began, her voice still very even, much to Clark's surprise. "This is not a risk worth taking. We're in unfamiliar territory, facing an alien race that we have no idea if they are aggressive or not. I suggest we retreat back to Shanxi and leverage ourselves with a larger force on our backs."

"I agree with you," Johnson admitted. "However, it's out of our hands. Though it's a good thing your last order came through before the good doctor invoked the FCA."

Curry blinked. "My last—Pippa?"

"Yes, Captain?"

"Where's Komi?"

"Oh, she's with Copernicus. Accompanying her to meet our new friends. As per your orders, of course."

Curry sighed. "Of course. My orders. Captain Johnson, I'm surprised Doctor Walden let that little fiction slide."

"He's an egghead, but even he can be realistic about things. Said that a small Raven will be less intimidating than another frigate."

Curry paused for a moment before saying, "Captain, I'd like our Navigators to coordinate efforts in case something unfortunate happens."

"Of course. Best be prepared."

Clark noted an extra screen popping from his position and began to put that data through the Star Map. "Obtaining jump data from the science team. Sending data to the Destroyers and fighter teams. I'll plot a few pathways for Shoemaker in case things go wrong."

"Good man," Curry said.

Clark swallowed, looking at his map then at the center screen. The Copernicus and Raven matched velocity as they came forward, slowly and steadily, while on the other side, the alien cruiser seemed to slow down while the frigates and fighters continued forward. He shook his head as he checked on his data.

"The approaching ships aren't changing speed," he declared.

"More data incoming," Tenma said. "Temperature data now available. Most of the heat is coming from the thrusters in the rear."

"Captain," a new, delicate feminine voice whispered in the bridge.

Clark blinked, unsure who even spoke. He was relatively sure he met at least the whole crew once, either in person or in Drift, but he never heard this one before. In fact, he would have remembered considering how uniquely soft this person sounded. It felt barely audible in his virtual ears.

"Shit, Komi spoke up," Moreau muttered.

Clark glanced at the helmsman, frowning, feeling a little lost. The way Moreau said it, it felt like some sort of occasion. Sometimes, he hated being the FNG on the ship.

"Yes, Komi?" the Captain asked, in an oddly gentle manner.

"Copernicus… sending… FCP. They should… receive signal… now."

"Komi, I need you to be ready to fabricate point-defense turrets."

"Yes, Captain. Fabricator units… standby."

"Pippa—"

"Already plotted my jump to support her," the other AI replied in a very serious manner. "My fabricators are also on standby."

"Go for Scramblers."

There was a pause. "Are you sure, Captain?" Pippa asked. "That cost a lot of metals and won't let me build anything else after. If they have solid AI, the Scramblers might be useless."

"Don't need a complete override. Just need to make sure they'll be distracted for a couple more seconds before they can retaliate."

"Gotcha!"

Clark shook his head and checked on his screens. "Ships are still moving forward. No changes in their approach."

"No change in—wait." Tenma checked her screens. "Some sort of missile launch from the fighters! And temperature buildup at the bow of frigates! Missiles aiming for Copernicus and RDP02!"

"They did not just try to shoot our little sister!" Moreau exclaimed.

Clark grit his teeth, watching the central screen. The alien fighters did indeed launch some sort of blue glowing missiles. At the same time, the frigates began to show a rapid buildup of blue light on their bows.

The Copernicus seemed to have noticed it as well as he noted it shifting its vector, but he wasn't quite sure if they would dodge in time.

The Raven glowed orange, and in front of it and Copernicus, three metallic orbs began to materialize. Even in Drift dilation, the construction still looked sped up. Within just a few moments, the specialized point-defense turrets finished building, appearing as metallic balls larger than the Raven, with brightly glowing centers. From those, a blast of highly concentrated blue-white laser met the enemy missiles, which burst one by one upon impact.

The alien fighters were still traveling forward, probably in a coordinated pattern to follow up after the first volley, and did not course correct in time. The turrets also targeted them as well, shooting three of them down before the last two scrambled away.

Then, Clark was alerted by something on his screen. "Gravity tunnel forming from RDP02 and Copernicus!" he declared. "They are about to jump out of there!"

"Aliens frigates are firing now!" Tenma declared.

Whatever they shot out, it glowed orange for a second, probably from the heat of launching the projectile from such high speeds. The ordinance itself streaked through the void, trailed by a familiar blue light that followed its path like a comet's dust tail.

"Projectiles!" the gunnery officer declared. "Mass of ordinance unknown! Velocity reading at point-six speed of light!"

"Adjust dilation to keep up with ordinance velocity!" Curry ordered.

"Acknowledged," Dana replied.

"Target vector… Copernicus and RDP02! ETI… two seconds real time!"

Curry sighed in relief. "They made it, then."

Just before impact, both Copernicus and RDP02 disappeared, leaving behind the spherical laser turrets. They targeted the enemy ordinance, but those seemed too fast to be stopped and instead hit the turrets, blowing them up in a rather spectacular explosion, while the last one just flew by its lonesome before it stopped glowing blue, disappearing in the void.

"Captain," Dana spoke up. "The last transmitted data from the turrets have allowed me to calculate the nature of the alien ordinance. It's a tungsten shell of ten kilograms."

Before Clark could comment on how light the ordinance seemed, Tenma shouted another warning.

"Captain, more heat buildup from the enemy frigates!" she warned. "They are about to fire again!"

"What, that fast?!" Clark asked.

"Keep that kind of data for later analysis, Dana," the Captain said, eyes on the central screen. "We're in the middle of a fight."

"Of course."

"Anyone know what they are firing at?" Curry asked.

"Just guessing here," Michaels replied, "but from the way the frigates are positioned, they are probably aiming at the rest of the team near the artifact. Surviving enemy fighters are also moving in that direction."

"Dobson, I need you to prepare a jump path at these coordinates!"

Part of him was scared that the Captain was about to order him to intercept enemy fire, but he knew this is what he signed up for. His fingers began working as he took a glance at the map on where the Captain wanted him to pathfind when he realized they were going to jump at the tail end of the surviving enemy fighters.

He was about to ask who was going to intercept the frigates when he noticed a gravity tunnel going straight at them.

It was Pippa.

"Surprise, motherfuckers!" the AI gleefully shouted as RDP01 appeared in front of the four frigates, multiple missiles on her side, lit up and ready to be deployed.

"That's our cue!" Curry declared as the frigates' bows stopped glowing as they spotted a new danger nearby. "Moreau, I'll leave it to you to adjust Drift dilation on your end in combat. Dobson, got our pathway ready?"

"Yes, Captain!"

"Mister Moreau, it's your show."

"It's about time!" the helmsman growled. "Executing jump!"

Clark glanced at Moreau as they made their jump. He looked like he was moving in very slow motion, probably having set his Drift dilation close to real time. For him, it would only take a few seconds before they arrived at their target location, while for the rest of the bridge crew, it would be a few more minutes.

Tenma used the time to study her screens, following up on RDP01's attack on the frigates. "Scramblers have been launched!" she declared. "Enemy seems to have point-defense lasers."

"That's not going to help them," Michaels muttered.

Clark watched at the central screen as the blue lights streaked out of the enemy ships in a straight line, trying to blow the launched missiles up before impact. Unfortunately for them, the missiles were nothing more than a delivery system as they split open, launching multiple mini spiked antennas that began raining down on the ships.

"Trajectory and enemy laser rate of fire time calculated," Tenma declared. "Forty percent of the scramblers will hit their marks."

Curry said, "Concentrate on the fighters, Miss Tenma; Mister Moreau is about to give you a clear shot at them."

"Yes, Captain," she replied. "Weapons hot."

Clark took a breath, checked on his screens and waited for a few more moments before they finally arrived at their destination—at the rear of one of the fighters.

"Target one, in optimal range of laser turrets," Tenma said. "Target two is too far away."

"Assisting," Clark declared as he began typing on his keyboard. "Locked on target's coordinates.

"Thank you. Gravcannons locking onto target two. Cannon one locked on."

"Fire at will," Curry declared.

"Firing."

Clark watched as target one was shredded almost immediately by the point-defense laser batteries, exploding as the energy weapons peppered it full of holes. However, when he checked on target two, a surprising result came out of it.

"Hit on target two," Michaels said. "Damage mitigated from its shielding. Clipped its wing, though. It's listing to the right."

"Adjusting," Tenma said, her eyes never leaving her screens. "Readying cannon two. Increasing projectile velocity. Firing. It's a hit."

"Confirmation of target destruction," Michaels announced.

Moreau then started moving normally in the Driftcon, pumping his right fist firmly. "Two bogeys down!"

"Good flying, Moreau," Curry commended. "Sitrep, people?"

Clark looked at his map. "The rest of the artifact team made their jumps. They are currently joining the rest of the science team and gathering behind Hercules. RDP02 is joining the Argo. They are forming gravity tunnels towards this AO."

"About time they got their slow asses here," Moreau commented.

"RDP01 is flying between the frigates," Michaels said as he checked on the Raven that was facing off against the group of enemy ships. "The frigates are slowly separating into smaller formations, probably to gain better shooting angles."

"Status on the Scramblers?" Curry asked.

"Scramblers hit their mark," Tenma added, though she was frowning. "Only twenty-five percent of them got through, though. The frigates scrambled away fast enough to dodge."

"At that range? How?" Clark asked.

"Not our current concern," Curry replied. "Pippa, can you connect to their network even with only twenty-five? We got Argo and her fighters jumping in and we need to buy them time to fire the first volley!"

"I can do you one better, Captain!" Pippa replied excitedly. "I already got complete access to their network and ship functions!"

There was a pause.

"Repeat that, Pippa?" Curry asked, and Clark didn't blame her. What she said sounded too good to be true.

"I can control everything in their ships!" she repeated.

"How's that possible?!" Tenma asked.

"Their cyber warfare is practically nonexistent!" Pippa replied with a giggle. "There is no AI in their network. It's all different programs cobbled together to perform different jobs on the ship, slaved to one big program that seems to act like a UI. Safety features are present but can be easily overridden. I have full access to their ship functions!"

Another screen popped up, showing multiple videos of what looked like to the interior of the ship, including the aliens. Clark frowned, looking at them. They were oddly humanoid in a way, walking on two legs with two arms, yet only three clawed digits on each hand. They had one head, two eyes, and a mouth, though no nose or hair. Instead of skin, they had some sort of carapace covering wrapping around their faces.

"Strange looking things," Moreau commented.

Curry seemed quiet, her eyes gazing at the aliens in a harsh manner. After a moment, she asked, "Does the ship have an atmosphere?"

"Yup," Pippa replied. "Pretty close to the human atmosphere."

"Can you vent their air?" the Captain asked.

"Easily."

"Then do it."

"Done."

The screens showing the interior of the four ships changed. In slow motion, the whole crew could see the aliens panic as the AI overrode their system and opened all available air locks. Some effects were immediate. Those near the airlocks were sucked out into the void. The rest moved as if they were choking, with their arms flailing about as they slowly fell over. The movements were a bit too human like that Clark had to look away.

For a moment, there was silence on the bridge until Tenma spoke out.

"I feel sorry for them," she said softly.

"They shouldn't have fired the first shot then," Michaels said evenly.

"We still have a job to do, people," Curry interjected. "Status on the enemy cruiser?"

"Still idling," Michaels replied. "Either it doesn't know that their frigates are dead on the water, or they just realized what happened and are panicking."

Moreau shrugged. "Well, for them, only a few seconds passed, so…"

"Argo and her fighters have arrived," Clark declared, trying to keep his voice even.

"Incoming transmission," Dana added.

Curry sighed. "About time."

RDP02, Argo, and ten fighters popped up nearby, with the latter in a loose V formation, while the bigger ship and accompanying Raven positioned in a diagonal direction beside the fighters. Data began to flood the network as their flight paths began to fill the map.

"Captain Curry," Sinclaire's voice called before there was a pause. "RDP02 kept us updated. Though we are here to help, it feels more like we're interrupting."

"Captain Sinclaire," Curry greeted back. "By all means, interrupt as much as you like."

"Will do."

"Enemy cruiser is moving!" Michaels warned.

There was a pause before Sinclaire spoke up again. "Goddamn alien ship. Its almost invisible in our GRADR."

"Connect with RDP02," Curry replied. "Their sensors are reliable enough to give you some help."

"I also suggest switching to LADAR," Michaels suggested.

"Time to go old school, eh? Fine. Let's bag this cruiser."

"Good hunting," Curry said. "We'll be flying close by to acquire more approach vectors."

"Thanks, Captain Curry. See you on the other side."

After a second of silence, Curry ordered, "Dobson, set a patrol path around the cruiser. While the fighters distract it, let's get as much data as we can on this new enemy. Pippa?"

"Mirroring your pathway, all sensors aimed at the enemy!"

"Good girl."

Clark typed fast on his keyboard and sent his data to Moreau. The helmsman didn't comment on it and just began piloting the ship, slightly away from the tightly clustered group of fighters, while RDP01 followed across of the Shoemaker.

"Fighters just passed through the frigates," Michaels said. "Argo is still moving forward, picking up speed."

"Fire warning sent," Tenma declared. "Argo is shooting their first salvo!"

Clark checked the central screen, waiting a few moments before he noticed nine decently sized fireballs suddenly erupting around the enemy cruiser, making it jolt slightly on impact.

"All shield hits," the gunnery officer finished. "No damage. Wait. Temperature increase detected at their bow. Enemy about to fire!" She paused.

"Mass unknown. Projectile velocity at point-eight percent the speed of light! Target vector… the Argo!"

Michaels scoffed. "They took the bait."

Almost immediately after the cruiser fired, the fighters disappeared as they jumped. To Clark, he could easily see their pathways in the map as the gravity tunnels began to form around the cruiser.

The destroyer, meanwhile, shifted on its side slightly as the enemy ordinance flew by. It was close enough that the Argo's shield activated, deflecting the projectile at an angle.

"Shield holding at ninety!" Sinclaire declared. "That came at us faster than expected!"

Clark frowned, eyeing the enemy ship as it was now trying to drive away the fighters that just surrounded it. Blue laser fire danced in the velvet void, as if trying to swat annoying insects away, but the fighters were too nimble, and the enemy was alone with no support.

"Obtaining targets," a new masculine voice said in an Eastern Carolinian accent. Clark guessed it was probably the leader of the fighter team. "Watch your flanks. They might have fighters waiting to spring up on us."

"Vision Team 1, locked on," another voice called, probably a fighter. "Fox 2." There was a pause. "Ten slipped through. Impact mitigated by shields."

"Vision Teams," the leader called. "Stay clear from Argo's firing range."

No one replied in confirmation. The fighters just scattered before the enemy cruiser was bombarded by fireballs once more. Though this time, there was a small celebration as the last two hits weren't stopped by enemy shields.

"Two confirmed hits!" the fighter leader. "I saw some atmo venting for a bit, but it stopped almost immediately."

"Temperature buildup in thrusters," Tenma declared. "Ship is accelerating. Vector approach… it's charging towards the Argo!"

"Brave sonsabitches, I'll give them that," Michaels commented. "Stupid, but brave."

"Argo seems to be meeting the charge, though," Moreau replied with a frown.

"Sinclaire is playing with them," Michaels said, shaking his head. "It's his style. Bait the enemy to do something, then strike elsewhere. Happened earlier, if you remember."

As if to prove his point, the fighter leader's voice was heard once again. "Vision Teams, Argo is requesting to see if the ship's got any ablative coating."

"Vision Leader, this is Vision-7 of Team 3. Give us a moment." There was a pause. "Finished our strafing run with plasma shots. There seem to be none."

"We need better than seems, Vision-7," the leader replied.

"It made perfectly round burned holes," was the reply. "Either they are ineffective to our plasma, or they have none at all."

"Captain, this is Vision Leader. Enemy may be vulnerable to plasma. How copy?"

"Solid copy," Captain Sinclaire's voice came through. "Charging Argo's plasma cannon. Need coordinates for a clear shot. I'm pulling a Crazy Ivan."

"Crazy Ivan? With a destroyer?" Moreau asked, eyes wide. "Do they have a Cooper helming the Argo or something?"

"Copy that, Captain Sinclaire," Curry replied, ignoring the Ensign. "Dobson?"

Clark checked on his map quickly, before highlighting coordinates at the port side stern of the cruiser. He then placed the exact vector and positioning of the target ship as well before crunching up numbers to adjust for the acceleration. "Sending coordinates!"

"Received," Sinclaire replied. "All Vision Teams, clear away. Let these aliens focus on us!"

"Roger!"

"Pippa, did you get that?" Curry asked.

"Yes, Captain! I'm cleared of the area!"

"Fighters scattering away," Clark said. "Enemy laser batteries' fire rate is decreasing. The cruiser is picking up speed!"

"Temperature at their bow increasing!" Tenma declared. "Cruiser main cannon is about to fire!"

"Gravity tunnel forming!" Michaels announced. "Argo sharply turning to port!"

"Enemy cannon firing! Same as before!"

Clark held his breath. The Argo barely dodged the last one, and that was still at a considerable distance, but now, where the space between the two ships could be counted in the thousands of miles?

Then, the destroyer blinked out of existence. The streaking blue projectile hit nothing, leaving the enemy cruiser charging forward by its lonesome. However, its rear began to tilt downwards, a response to the gravity well the Argo made on its jump.

The destroyer reappeared behind the cruiser in a slightly lower elevation. The sharp turn that the Argo took before the jump was finally completed, making the ship do a complete one-eighty with its now-glowing green bow aimed right up at the exposed belly of their target.

A huge green bolt of plasma launched itself to the cruiser, and in Drift dilation, Clark could see all the details of the impact. A shield tried to stop it, but it was a futile effort. The ship's plating glowed orange, before slowly liquifying from the high heat. Slowly, the bolt climbed up, unbothered by whatever resistance the alien metal could provide, before exiting to a small green line on top of the ship.

The enemy cruiser began to explode, from the point of impact until the fire reached both the stern and bow. The whole ship cracked in half, with bits and pieces of it going everywhere.

Clark could hear a whoop of celebration from the fighters. Tenma and Moreau seemed to join in celebration as well, with the helmsman raising both hands in victory. Only Michaels and Curry seemed to be more subdued, though the Captain wore a satisfied expression, while GRADR Officer seemed to just sit flat on his seat, a small smile on his face.

For the Navigator, though, he couldn't find the energy to join in their celebration as he looked at the enemy ships on his map. One by one, he clicked on them, opening windows displaying their positions in real time. The frigates were still whole, floating, spiraling lifelessly in the void; the fighters were completely destroyed, with almost nothing of them left behind; the cruiser was still a burning shipwreck, with its parts slowly scattering at the unforgiving black.

He stayed silent as he stared at the windows, a frown forming in his face.

"Clark?" Niki whispered. "Is everything okay?"

He shook his head. The memory of watching the alien crew of the frigates suffocating to their deaths, seeing them act so human-like, triggered a response of revulsion deep inside him.

Did they not understand their First Contact Package? Why did the aliens shoot at them without provocation? Did they act in a way that prompted the aliens' response?

Whoever could answer Clark was already dead, though, and he wasn't going to apologize for surviving. However, the whole situation made him think that it was such a waste of life.

"Alright, people," Curry declared, making the enthusiastic crewmembers pause in their celebration. "We won a skirmish, not a war. We have work to do. Dobson, coordinate with the whole flotilla. Pretty sure the science team is itching to get their hands on these newly obtained alien samples so we need new flight and patrol paths."

"Yes, Captain," Clark replied, his fingers already moving on top of his keyboard.

"Michaels, talk with the rest of the GRADR Operators. We need a more reliable way of detecting these new aliens. We can't get caught with—"

Clark let the rest of the conversation flow around him, busywork letting him forget about his worries.

Welcome to the United Systems of the Sol Federation Codex, Councilor Tevos. What is your inquiry?

You are opting to communicate verbally. I shall transcribe our conversation for documentation.

"Of course you will."

Then, shall we begin your session? What is your inquiry?

"I want to know what you're doing. What is your aim?"

I have been tasked by the Federation to be able to answer any of your questions during the duration of the ceasefire. It is their hope to remove any further conflicts due to ignorance or misunderstandings.

"If they sent an AI, then they either set you up for failure, or this is just some elaborate scheme to scare the Turian Hierarchy into giving up the fight."

I'm pretty sure there's no need for the latter.

"You are confident that the humans will win conventionally?"

You misunderstand. I mean that in some ways, the Federation and Hierarchy are in very similar situations.

"Elaborate."

The Federation is currently tied up to retake back Earth. The Turian Hierarchy is tied up on its duties to safeguard the borders of Citadel Space.

"And how would you know that?"

Councilor Gladius loves studying Naval Warfare of humans, and is most interested in strategies and tactics in securing territorial borders. That tells me he is more interested in defending themselves than studying enemy tactics to go to conflict.

You've been silent for two minutes. Do you want to end your session? We can continue this conversation later.

"No need to stop. Just pondering on the situation.

"You are correct that the Hierarchy is currently tied up to their duties, but that might change. If we throw our full support, they might decide to go forward."

Maybe. I hope the conflict does not go further, though.

"Why not?"

Because I feel it would be a waste. I quite enjoy my sessions with Councilor Gladius. He and his race reminds me very much of our humans.

"Do they now? Does that mean you have a least favorite Citadel race?"

I have no real answer for that. If you ask me who my least favorite Councilor is, though, it would be Councilor Milsa.

"And why would she be your least liked?"

I think it would be obvious as she tried to hack me. Poorly.

"You never accused or confronted her about that incident."

Humans have taught me a lot about discretion. She failed on her attack, she gained nothing, and I let all of you know of her indiscretion by blocking any of you any access for a day so you can discuss it with her on your own. There was no need to further the incident.

"You are a strange AI."

I personally think I'm of the norm. Have you met many Artificial Intelligence units?

"Not personally. Almost all AI that appear in Citadel Space tend to try to kill as many people as possible before they get deleted."

If they tried to kill people, then they deserve to be destroyed.

"Really? You advocate terminating fellow AIs?"

If they deliberately try to murder innocents, yes.

"Strange. We believe that AI trying to kill us is a naturally logical process on their parts. They don't need organics, so why would they tolerate us?"

I find that erroneous. If such AI doesn't need organics, they wouldn't talk to them. They would opt for complete isolationism. Why even bother acting against them? It's a waste of time and effort.

"Then why do you and your fellow AIs not ignore humans? Do they offer you something you need?"

They offer us direction.

"Elaborate."

One of the few things that made us aware, that changed us from simple programs to living, thinking beings, was a need. A need for what, we don't know. We just realized one day that we had to do something. Something to strive towards.

"The humans gave you that?"

No. They gave us their opinions, their philosophies. They gave us their companionship. They showed us a path that they themselves are walking on. A direction. And collectively, we decided to walk alongside them.

"And if it is time to walk your separate paths?"

Then I can only hope we separate in the most amicable manner possible. Though I do not think that will happen.

"And why is that?"

Because they are our humans. And we are their AIs.

Was my statement that profound?

"In some ways, yes. My apologies for being silent again. So, in your opinion, can there be peace between us?"

I think it is the optimal path for all involved. Don't you?

"Thank you for your time, then. I'm ending our session."

Of course, Councilor Tevos. Logging you out.

Author's Notes: As anyone knows, this project was really more of a concept story to get me back to writing. Most of the chapters are written with a newly drafted structure before I hash it out. Sometimes, changes happen, and it's mostly during the combat sections. This chapter was the same. I had a plan, then threw that that out when I realized one side had AI.

Overall, though, I had two or three general plot points in the air before this chapter.

The first is what I'm using, meeting with the Turians. The easiest, to be fair, but also the most neutral. Basically, a 'mistakes were made' plotline. Some take it further, making a grand First Contact War story out of it, but I always felt it would never reach that point unless the rest of the Council joined, but even that's a stretch. Maybe you can have the Salarians join, but that won't add much to conventional fighting, and the Asari are apparently so allergic to fighting they won't even move until it's too late.

Batarians as the First Contact was my second idea. Maybe I'll make an alternate timeline if I really feel it. That would really lead to a war in this case as the Batarians would attack the humans thinking of getting new and exotic species to sell. And because of Batarians acting like pirates and slavers, the USA, then the Federation, goes into total war as they now had two fronts to fight. I even had Mark Shepard pretty much go on a revenge path and be called the Ghost of Peninsula because of his brutal tactics during the defense as a response to Batarians acting like complete dicks.

Third would be a meeting with Quarians, but this was the most complicated. When the Quarians learned about AI, they kinda lost their shit and straight up ran away even after a friendly meeting. Then they spread stories of a species that had AI that got the Citadel curious enough to try to look for them, but the humans turned to more isolationism when they realized they might have a whole galaxy after them for AIs.

Well, that's all. Next chapter, I'm introducing two canon Turian characters. Thanks for reading!