On the surface of Mindoir, inside a sturdy, prefabricated building lying in the heart of the colony, Captain Rael'Zorah gazed through the armor-glass window ahead at the stirring throng in the vast town square. Outside, storm clouds above cloaked the colony in a veil of melancholy, raining a steady drizzle. And even from his position, the crowd's collective angst and apprehension seemed to permeate the air.
He sighed. To the people of Mindoir, Governor Goto's upcoming address was a harbinger of doom and turmoil, one that would shatter the peace and tranquility which they had been enjoying for so long. Yet, with the looming threat on the horizon, this call for unity was not just timely, but crucial.
Now more than ever, humans and quarians had to face the coming crisis together.
As if echoing his thoughts, his omni-tool buzzed with the an urgent message, and the sender ID made his heart plummet. It was from his executive officer, Kharo'Gerrel, and the urgent ping had a dire undercurrent.
He let out a shaky breath. This can't be good. Steeling himself, he opened the message and Kharo's voice filled the room.
"Captain, we've intercepted an urgent transmission from the Khargos. The Silent Ones…they've shattered Captain Han'Gerrel's defenses and are advancing toward us. Their predicted ETA is twelve to twenty-two hours from now. Keelah Se'lai, and may the ancestors be with you."
The message left an echoing silence, a chill shooting down his spine. Ancestors, help us. The worst possible scenario was unfolding. With less than a day at hand, he and his forces had to evacuate tens of thousands of humans while a Silent One armada bore down upon them. Keelah, Are Han and Shala still alive? Did the Silent Ones completely rout his fleet and leave no survivors? He swallowed the bitter truth that no matter his choices thousands – both human and quarian alike – were going die.
Yet grief and despair were luxuries he could not afford.
Without a moment's hesitation, he began issuing commands on his omni-tool, ordering Kharo to deploy the evacuation ships, and to get Hannah's volunteer soldiers, Zhoru's Malukor Company, and Hairun'Vael's Battalion of marines down to the surface of Mindoir immediately. Time was short, and the people of Mindoir had to be prepared for the horror coming for them.
He approached Khanah. "Khanah?"
"Yes?"
"We need to talk," he said. "The Silent Ones…they've breached Captain Han'Gerrel's defenses near the relay. They're heading this way."
For a moment, Khanah stared at the ground, the color draining from her face. She swallowed hard, then pursed her lips before meeting his gaze once more. "I see."
"How long?" Zhoru asked, his voice echoing like distant thunder.
He weighed the words on his tongue, as the fate of Mindoir bore down on his shoulders. "Less than one Earth day. I've already sent the necessary orders. But the people of Mindoir…they have to know."
"Agreed," Zhoru said. Briefly, Zhoru paused and gripped his chin, as though deep in thought. "Perhaps this urgency could be used to spark some courage within them."
"Whatever it takes, Zhoru. Whatever it takes," Khanah replied. She exchanged a resolute nod with Governor Goto.
Soon, Hannah and Governor Goto stepped outside onto a platform overlooking the town square, with he and Zhoru following them at a respectful distance. As Goto approached the podium, aerial drones with shiny, blue-eye lenses began broadcasting his image on the surrounding holo-screens.
"Citizens of Mindoir," Goto began, his voice carrying a somber tone. "I know all of you must be wary and confused, wondering why arranged this gathering on such short notice. But today, we stand on the precipice of a historic moment, one that threatens our very survival, yet holds the potential to catapult us into a golden era unlike anything seen before."
Tension rippled through the crowd. They murmured, and the air was palpable with the raw fear of the unknown.
"Many of you have heard rumors," Goto continued, his voice steady. "Rumors about strange ships in orbit, alien transmissions, and whispers of some looming threat. Well, today, I am here to confirm that those rumors are true."
The crowd let out a collective gasp.
"Humanity is not alone in the galaxy," Goto continued, his gaze sweeping the crowd. "Just weeks ago, the people of Seti'a Prime became the first in history to ever contact another intelligent race. And these beings – known as the quarians – have come to Mindoir to warn us about an existential threat to our species – an ancient, unknown menace known only as the Silent Ones."
Above, the evacuation ships were descending from the clouds, casting immense, ominous shadows.
And the crowd erupted into a frenzy.
Goto raised his hands, as though urging calm. "Rest assured, we are not alone in this. The quarians are here to help us evacuate, and we must cooperate with them and board the evacuation ships descending from the sky. Time is of the essence. The Silent Ones will be upon us in less than one Earth day. So I urge all of you to leave behind all of your possessions."
The Governor's revelation struck the crowd like a meteor, and all descended into chaos, with numerous drones recording every second.
"Why? What do the Silent Ones want from us?!"
"How can we just leave everything behind?!"
"There's no way I'm leaving my home!"
The crowd hurled questions and accusations at the Governor in a tumultuous wave. Meanwhile, the local colonial militia struggled to maintain order, their ordered formations and disciplined efforts crumbling under the weight of so much panic.
Oh, ancestors help us…
His heart sank. As best he could, the Governor was addressing their concerns, but he could hardly hear anything over the noise, over so many overlapping voices. Keelah, somebody had to take control of this situation now.
Or all would be lost.
As the questions kept coming, Goto gestured for Hannah to step forward. And the crowd stilled and went quiet as they focused their attention on her. On the holo-screens, Khanah's face was a beacon of composure amidst the turmoil.
"People of Mindoir," she began. "I am Hannah Shepard, the Governor of Seti'a Prime. I know all of you are scared. And that's okay. When the quarians came to my world, my people and I were just as terrified. But rest assured that the quarians have shown my people nothing but kindness and respect while living amongst us." She leaned forward, gripping the edge of the podium, sweeping her gaze across the crowd. "That they have come here to help you and are willing to risk their own lives in the process."
"Why should we trust them? We've never even met them!" a man cried out.
"Yeah! What if we're jumping out of the frying pan and straight into the fire?" a woman asked, her voice trembling.
Khanah sighed. "I know it's difficult to trust a bunch of aliens you have never met. All of you have every right to be wary and suspicious. But one thing is guaranteed…" She pursed her lips, then huffed through her nose. "If you stay here, then the Silent Ones will slaughter every last one of you. Trusting the quarians is your only hope of survival."
In the crowd, some loosened up and seemed ready to cooperate. But others remained no less defiant.
"But let me make this easier for all of you," Hannah continued. "I don't expect all of you to just take my word for it. So let me introduce you to an actual quarian in the flesh – to the one that started this all."
A murmur coursed through the crowd. Meeting his gaze, Hannah nodded and gestured for him to step up to the podium. And as soon as he did so, the crowd stared at him in silent awe, his frame lit in the artificial lights of the nearby drones, which displayed his visage up close on the nearby holo-screens. He could practically feel every pair of eyes in the crowd watching his every move, waiting for him to speak.
His pulse spiked. Closing his eyes, he exhaled. Ancestors help me now. "People of Mindoir," he began, his voice clear and steady. Many in the crowd jumped in shock. "I am Captain Rael'Zorah, of the Migrant Fleet. Our peoples may come from different stars, from different cultures, but fate has given our species a common destiny in which we must depend on each other for survival. The Silent Ones are not a problem confined to a single world or species. They are a threat to all life as we know it. A threat that has terrorized all of galactic civilization for seven centuries, that has scoured countless star systems bare of all life. And now they are coming for you."
Using his omni-tool, he projected a hologram of the Silent One armada, a vast force of shadowy, crescent-shaped warships abound with red lights and spikey protrusions. The crowd gasped and whispered to each other in terrified, hushed tones.
"We did not come here to bring terror and despair, but to warn, to protect, and to lend aid to our new neighbors and allies. The Silent Ones are coming, and we will not let them harvest every human colony and strip your homeworld bare of all life. No. We will drive them out of this region of space and ensure they never attack either of our kind again. But to do this, we need your cooperation. We need you to trust us."
The crowd was silent for a moment, until one man near the front stood up, with a look of fear and defiance on his face. "Why should we believe you? "
Taking a moment to collect his thoughts, he sighed. "I understand your fears," he said, addressing the crowd once more, "but know that it is not in the best interest of my people to deceive or coerce yours into anything. It would gain us nothing and only put us in a worse situation in the long run, against our common foe – which my people had been fighting for centuries, long before your species even thought about life beyond your own solar system." He leaned forward and gripped the edges of the podium, sweeping his gaze through the crowd. "We never asked for this responsibility. But we chose to bear it nonetheless, because we believe that our species can not only coexist but thrive together and stand firm against anything that might threaten us both…"
As he trailed off, he couldn't help but notice the crowd's wavering focus, of so many of them still stinking with fear and uncertainty. Keelah, he had to do something now.
Stepping off the podium, he nodded at Zhoru, who was standing tall and firm nearby. As Zhoru moved forward and took his place, inputting a few commands into his omni-tool, the Malukor's helmet sunk into the neckline of his battle plate, revealing his face.
Keelah, he had only heard rumors about how Malukors didn't need suits, about how their arcane enhancements gave them immune systems beyond that of most krogan.
But apparently, those rumors were true.
For a moment, the crowd watched Zhoru with a mix of awe and apprehension, as if they were looking upon an avatar of the ancestors themselves.
"People of Mindoir," Zhoru began, his voice an amplified boom that cut through the air, resonating with authority and power. As he spoke, his body language exuded an unshakable confidence that commanded the crowd's attention. "Just like you, my kind is more than familiar with the fear of the unknown. And we understand that it is the greatest fear of them all. But behold…"
Just then, a low hum echoed in the distance, and the crowd turned toward the noise. Soon, that hum became a drone, which grew louder and louder…
Until a phalanx of armored hover vehicles came into view.
Their hulls glossy with rain, they zoomed across the square with an air of silent authority. And with synchronized grace, they came to a halt around its perimeter. Their side doors slid open, and out stepped a myriad of figures from Hannah's volunteer soldiers, Zhoru's Malukors, and Hairun's marines, their armored forms standing tall and firm.
Zhoru looked across the sea of faces. "This is the unity we bring. Not just in words, but in actions." He pointed towards the newly arrived soldiers. "Humans and quarians, standing together, ready to protect and serve. We are here for you and will gladly give our lives to see all of you evacuated from this planet."
The reinforcement's presence resonated with Zhoru's words. As the crowd absorbed the sight of humans and quarians working together, a spark of hope seemed to ignite in their hearts. Once more, they looked back at Zhoru, who then passed the podium back to Hannah. As she stepped forward, the crowd fell silent.
"I know that asking you to leave your homes and possessions behind is a lot," she began, her voice resolute yet compassionate. "I understand that likely all of you gave up everything on Earth for the chance of a better life here, and that your homes, your possessions, are not just material objects but parts of your history, of your memories, of your new lives."
She paused, looking over the crowd. "But right now, your priority is not what you own, but who you are. It's about your community, your friends, your families, your lives, and the future of our species." She leaned forward and gripped the edges of the podium with both hands. Her eyes blazed with passion and resolve. "So I ask each of you here to please choose your lives over your possessions. To board the evacuation ships and ensure the safety of everyone you love." Khanah took a moment to catch her breath. "Because in the end, it's not the things you own that define you, but the choices you make and the people you care about."
When Khanah finished, her last words echoed in the ensuing silence, broken only by the pitter-patter of the rain. Soon, a Malukor officer in the distance barked out clear, precise commands. And the crowd complied without hesitation. With human and quarian soldiers escorting them, they broke off into orderly columns and began their march towards the waiting evacuation ships.
A tangible wave of relief washed over him. The sensation was like a cool wave coursing through his limbs, making them feel invigorated. He exhaled deeply, then whispered a heartfelt, "Keelah…" under his breath.
Finally, the evacuation had begun.
Soon after, Khanah approached him. "So, did I do alright?"
"Exceptionally well," he said with a nod. "Your presence here, along with Zhoru's, made all the difference. Ancestors, I do not want to imagine what would have happened here without your aid."
Khanah chuckled nervously. "You can say that again."
Governor Goto, having been standing to the side, now joined them. "It all went a lot smoother than I had anticipated." He ran one hand down his weary face. "And I must commend how you handled the crowd. But now, I need to make sure my family boards one of those evacuation ships. Once they're safe, I'll definitely stay behind and assist with the rest of this operation."
"And I need to oversee our defenses," Zhoru added, stepping forward. He looked at Khanah. "Khanah?"
Khanah stirred. "Yes?"
"When the battle begins," Zhoru continued, his helmet sliding back over his face with a soft hiss, "I want you by my side, at all times. Understood?"
"Understood," she said with a nod.
"Well, since we all have our roles to fulfill," Zhoru said, looking around at the group, "I suppose we will all see each other soon."
As everyone dispersed to carry out their duties, he sighed. So many tasks ahead. Yes, first, he had to check in with Han and Shala, to see if they had survived, and to hopefully devise some last-minute backup plans. And then most importantly…
A cold sensation gnawed at his chest. Yes, he had failed to stay in contact with his lifemate, and contacting her now would only stress her further. But after checking up on Han and Shala, perhaps he could delve into some old holo-picts and vids of them, especially the ones that included Tali.
He clenched his fists. He would fight with everything he had to come back to them safely. But just in case…he wanted his last memories to be pleasant and filled with love.
