Two Hours Later Aboard the Warship Enterprise

Shepard is at her locker on the Enterprise prepping herself for the upcoming assault on an Quarian Orbital Platform. Phoenix has been gathering intelligence on the mercs who took the platform. It was quickly deduced that they may be mercs, but they are following Alliance orders. Shepard reviewed a few minutes of vid from inside the platform. The mercs killed the Quarian Marines and captured the Platform personnel. Shepard can still hear some fighting. She figured it was the Geth troopers stationed on the platform. The merc detachment is very large so she has to play it smart. Luckily, Normandy is not here yet, but they can't just sit around and wait. Shepard grabs her SCAR Variant Rifle and her enclosed helmet, and makes her way to the shuttle. Her team is sitting next to their shuttle. Karin is sitting on a crate overlooking her own SCAR. Next to Karin, Gibson is going over his tech gear making sure it is in working order. Aubrey is finishing cleaning up her rifles. Sara is sharpening her prized combat blades. As she gets to the shuttle she saw Tali walking to her with five Geth troopers in tow.

"Ready Tali?" Shepard asked as she walked onto the shuttle.

"Yes…I will be in the second shuttle. You will lead your team on the main concourse and head to the control room. While I and my men will head to and take engineering." Tali stated. Shepard remembered a time when this particular Quarian would never call Geth hers in a leadership role. Shepard saw and acknowledged as three other Quarian Marines walking quickly to their admiral's shuttle.

"Solid copy Admiral. Good luck, I will see you in the command center." Shepard said as her own team entered their own shuttle. Once inside and the doors shut she starts her briefing. Tali may have provided the broader objectives, but Shepard is going over the specific details of what needs to be done. The Conclave and the Geth have all agreed the mercs are to be killed and only those in charge are to be taken alive. Phoenix has agreed to this. Knowing this could lead to something grander and Phoenix has decided to broadcast the Phoenix assault live. All members of the Phoenix assault team will have helmet cameras. Shepard grabs a magazine from her pouch and slips it into the magazine well.

"Sixty Seconds!" screams the Phoenix Pilot. Shepard turns to her team.

"Jack, Aub. head left and take the main Security room. Sara, Karin with me. We will take the Command Center. Once we take the center we will have to hold." Shepard ordered as the light in the shuttle turned red. Shepard put on her helmet and turns on the camera and the rest of team does the same. Shepard pulls back the bolt loading a thermal clip as the shuttle light turns green. A few moments later the side door opens and slugs start to slam inside the shuttle and all around them. The shuttle hovers just above the ground. Shepard and her team jumps off the ledge and lands behind some crates.

Shepard crouches behind the crates as the mercs continue to fire at her and her team. Shepard starts to hear the crack of a Widow Sniper Rifle. Shepard sees many enemy mercs hit the ground as Widow shot after shot crack loudly all around them. After a few moments Shepard sees the mercs start to target Aubree. Shepard does not waste this opportunity. Shepard raises her rifle and starts to fire at the mercs who were now shooting at her sniper. Karin along with Shepard move forward slowly as they press on their advance. Shepard sees the mercs pull back. Shepard's bolt latches open as her last clip in her magazine flies out. She quickly reloads another magazine. The merc's pull back and move out of the hanger. Shepard and Karin stack up against the hanger personnel door. As Gibson and Sarah stack up on the other side. Aubree quickly stacks up next to Gibson. Shepard has Gibson open the door with his padd as the mercs locked the door from the other side.

"Anything?" Shepard asks. As he detaches his padd from the door.

"Yea… Main Security is heavily defended. The main command center is not as heavily defended."

"What?" Shepard asks confused.

"Tali…why is Main Security more defended than the command center?" Shepard asks as the door opens and slugs start to slam next to them.

Unknown. Main security has high security protocol. But MCC has overall command." Tali clarified. Shepard shoots at a merc and he goes down. Shepard thinks this over as she and her team fight on, trying to clear the hallway of mercs.

"Sara! Go with Gibson and Aubree." Shepard orders as the three move to the main security center. Karin follows right behind Shepard. Both fire their rifles as they make their way to the MCC. Both soldiers bring down merc after merc.

"Shepard. We just took Main Security. Nothing of importance here. At least by what we can see. Sara is going through everything here." Aubree says as Shepard make their way to the reach the Command Center. The fighting died down but remained intense. Shepard stacks up against the door, Karin on the other side. Shepard and Karin both replaced their current magazine. Shepard is on her last magazine while Karin has two mags left. Karin places a breaching tape charge around the door.

"This is Shepard, we are just outside MCC. Breaching in five…four…three…two…execute!" Shepard orders as Karin sets the charge off and the door bows down from the frame. Shepard tosses a flashbang into the MCC and both rush into the room. Shepard and Karin with raised rifles storm the MCC. Shepard fires her rifle along with Karin. Ten mercs fire their varied weapons at both of them. Shepard kneels behind a work station as Karin does the same. A single merc moves to stand over the work station. Shepard moves to grab the merc and pulls him over the work station.. Shepard activates her Omi-blade, and stabs him in the neck.

Karin fires her rifle at two mercs hiding behind their own work stations. Shepard moves to rest her rifle's barrel on the work station and fires, taking out two mercs. Karin drops the magazine in her rifle and quickly replaces it, as Shepard drops two more mercs. The mercs fall back firing their weapons. Both Shepard and Karin press their advance. As they advance, Karin drops one of the retreating mercs. Shepard's rifle runs dry and she lets the rifle hang as she brings out her pistol.

"Shepard… Tell me you have the CC!" Sara says as the last merc falls from Karin's rifle fire.

"Yea, just took it.. what's up?" Shepard asks.

"I need you to find Work Station 3-4…78C." Sara orders. Both Shepard and Karin move to find the Workstation. Karin calls Shepard over as she finds what they are looking for.

"Got it Sara. Talk to me…" Karin says as she logs onto the work station.

"Go to main security drive." Sara says as Karin does what she is told as Shepard provides security.

"Got it…what now? What is going on?" Karin asked.

"I will tell you once we are done. Now go to orbital controls…input. ECHO, SIX, HOTEL, NINE, SEVEN, FOUR… Afterwards, input orbital correction Bravo eight, niner." Sara says as both Shepard and Karin are at a loss for words.

"Done, anything else?" Karin says as a screen with the stations projected path comes up. The Orbital Platform previous projected path shows where it was going to drop. Near the main Quarian settlement. Now the screen shows the platform going back into a stable orbit.

"My God…Commander." Karin says stunned at what they just witness.

"I know…Tali…"

"Yes?" Tali asked after she heard what was happening on the radio.

"We need to talk…"

One Hour Later

Shepard and Karin along with the rest of their team, including Tali, are back at the main hanger. Quarian and Geth troopers are securing the last of the station. Shepard is talking with the Admiralty, the Quarian Conclave and Geth Consensus. Phoenix are in on the meeting. After the live broadcast it is a matter of formality. The Geth unanimously agreed to join the rebellion according to the Geth who are with them. It is a first for the Get to be unanimous on anything.

The Quarian's are in special session. The Admiralty Board has brought before the Conclave a document which will send the Galaxy back to war. Right now Shepard is smiling as she sees every member of the Conclave vote yes, hesitantly, but yes. Once the last member of the Conclave votes the Speaker rises as he is handed the document and signs it. It is then presented to the Admiralty Board. Every member of the board on Rannoch signs the document. A padd is then presented to Admiral Tali'Zorah vas Normandy or soon to be Enterprise. She signs it with a little hesitation, but signs it. It is sent back to the Conclave.

"It is done then…We the people of Rannoch in conjunction with the Geth Consensus hereby declare war on the Terran Systems Alliance of the Sol System. For acts of attempted mass murder of two Races: the Quarian people and the Geth…" The Speaker continues to speak. Shepard has tears running down her cheeks. She wipes her tears away as Tali walks over to her.

"Shepard…you have your war." Tali says as Shepard looks to her.

"I am so very sorry Tali. I never thought the Alliance would do this." Shepard said with sincerity, she had hoped for aid in the coming war just never this.

"Yes… after what your Shadow found hidden deep in the mercs files and a few vid calls between them and Alliance covert operators. We really had no choice." Tali said as a Phoenix shuttle landed and a few troopers disembarked.

"Can I ask…how did she know who they were?" Tali asked.

"Simple…The Shadow used to head Alliance Intelligence for a few years. She recognized him as he was once, one of her agents in the Alliance… Once the war ended, she disappeared. Basically, giving the Alliance her resignation. She contacted me before she disappeared letting me know how to contact her. We are lucky she was here Tali." Shepard clarified.

"Yes we are. With Phoenix, the Turian Rebels you have your army." Tali says as more Phoenix and Quarian Shuttles enter the hanger.

"Not yet…we still need to pay a visit to Urdnot Wrex." Shepard says with a broad smile plastered on her face.