On the bridge of the Endaara, Captain Rael'Zorah's eyes widened as countless Silent One warships crashed into view through the forward viewscreen. Every new arrival sent a sickening chill through his insides and was like a shadowy harbinger of doom and destruction, its approach vector aimed directly at Mindoir.
His heart pounded. A tactical game was also unfolding before him. The Silent Ones were using several Vortex Spiral Formations, arrayed in triangular patterns designed for maximum offense and defense. A direct assault would be suicide.
But thankfully, he had no such plans in mind.
Meanwhile, his ships were positioned in key, hidden locations within the local asteroid field and behind the shadow and environments of the local gas giants and their moons, operating on minimal power, with every stealth system engaged. Like predators in tall grass, they lay in wait, ready to strike. And the remainder of his ships in Mindoir's orbit, Guardian Squadron Val'Khasu, were on the side of the planet opposite to the armada's approach vector, guarding the safe corridors for the evacuation ships, of which two had already left.
Just eight more to go. His mouth went dry, tasting of iron. Now, he just had to wait for the perfect moment to spring his ambush and catch the Silent Ones by surprise. And undoubtedly, the waiting was the hardest part, with every second stretching out for an eternity.
Briefly, he looked at his bridge crew, at the disciplined and highly-trained men and women under his command fixated at their stations. And he had no doubt they felt the same.
Soon, after soft ping from the sensor grid broke the silence, informing him that a small asteroid had drifted a little too close to one of his hidden ships, he checked his tactical display once more. And finally, the Silent One armada was in the perfect position to be ambushed.
With their rear and flanks exposed.
A smirk touched his lips. Yes, now, it was time to remind the Silent Ones why quarian captains and sailors were the best in the galaxy. "All strike teams except for Zel'Naga, emerge from hiding and strike. Pattern Khas-Three."
With that order, those ships emerged from their hiding spots and adopted a Spiral formation before unleashing a flurry of missiles, energy lances, and anti-matter slugs in overlapping fields of fire that nearly encircled the enemy.
And the carnage was beautiful to behold. Under the onslaught, enemy shields flared and burst. Blinding explosions lit up swathes of space, and countless enemy vessels came apart in magnificent maelstroms of destruction, littering the void with smoldering debris fields.
On his tactical display, enemy markers vanished one after the other, and a triumph growl escaped his throat. Yes, he could almost hear enemy hulls screaming under the barrage, under such a devastating, unexpected blow!
But this was only the beginning.
Indeed, nearly as soon as he'd thought that, portions of the Silent One armada broke off and adopted a Counter-Spiral formation, dodging fire in evasive maneuvers.
They returned fire.
"Captain, enemy has returned fire! ETA to impact in two minutes! Enemy flagship and capital ships are launching fighters," his chief sensor officer reported.
He clenched his jaw. "All Strike Teams except Qal'Zara, Tol'Fara, and Zel'Naga, retreat into the asteroid field using the Rel'Zara Corkscrew maneuver. Qal'Zara and Tol'Fara, retreat to behind the shadow of the nearby gas giant. And all Strike Teams, activate point-defense arrays and flak canons."
Behind the gas giant's shadow, another trap awaited the enemy. As his orders played out, all but three of his Strike Teams executed the Rel'Zara Corkscrew maneuver, dodging enemy fire, spiraling back into the safety of the asteroid field, and luring the wings of enemy fighters into a deadly maze.
Meanwhile, Strike Teams Qal'Zara and Tol'Fara retreated to behind the shadow of the nearby gas giant, with enemy ships in hot pursuit. Soon, the pursuing enemy ships were in the perfect position to be ambushed.
"Zel'Naga emerge from hiding, then fire at will!"
At his command, Strike Team Zel'Naga emerged from behind the gas giant's moons, then fired a barrage of missiles, energy lances, and anti-matter slugs into the pursuing force's rear and flanks. And the barrage rent the enemy force asunder in a storm of death and destruction. Amidst the onslaught, many enemy ships even stumbled into the hidden mines placed around the gas giant's ring. And soon, the enemy force was no more, just a sprawling debris field of burned-out wrecks.
He couldn't help but grin as he relished the sight of so many enemy markers vanishing from his tactical display. Indeed, both of his ambushes were a success.
But the Silent Ones were far from finished.
And he still had one last secret weapon.
On his tactical display, he activated the decoy beacons and initiated the bootup protocols for the decoy ships still hiding amidst the asteroid field. "Qal'Zara, Tol'Fara, and Zel'Naga retreat back into the asteroid field."
At that command, the three Strike Teams began their calculated retreat. Using the massive gas giant's gravity well for a speed boost, they hurtled towards the asteroid field, each vessel weaving and dodging under a hailstorm of enemy fire from warships and fighters.
The void lit up with explosions and energy lances tearing through the emptiness of space. And soon, a few friendly markers blinked out from his tactical display. Each loss was like a dagger to his chest.
But there was no time to mourn.
With agonizing slowness, the three Strike Teams made it back to the relative safety of the asteroid field. Meanwhile, his tactical display showed a chaotic dance of ship markers, weaving between rocky obstacles. Finally, as his pulse began to slow, the decoy beacons began transmitting their signals, and the decoy ships activated, ready to emerge from hiding at his command.
Soon, the Silent One armada splintered and reorganized, with some portions breaking off into separate fleets and adopting defensive wall formations. What are you trying to do? Behind the defensive wall formations, unleashing storms of fire on the asteroid field, the Silent One flagship was releasing swarm after swarm of fighters to harass his ships.
And soon, the rest of the enemy armada reoriented and took a formation that was unmistakably aimed at Mindoir.
A cold, nauseating sensation settled in his stomach when he realized what the enemy was doing. The Silent One flagship and numerous breakaway fleets were providing the rest of the armada covering fire, allowing it to advance unhindered. If it reached Mindoir, he had no doubt that the ships defending the safe corridors would stand no chance. They were outgunned and outnumbered.
And he had no way to support them. Unless…
Thankfully, many of the breakaway fleets were targeting ghosts, thanks to the decoy beacons. And their capital ships were in just the right position for his last secret weapon.
"Evasive maneuvers!" he ordered, his voice like steel, as his fingers danced across his tactical display, activating each decoy ship's ram-protocol and highlighting certain targets on his tactical display. "High-speed attack runs on these targets. And Guardian Squadron Val'Khasu, you have an enemy fleet inbound on your position. Prepare yourselves!"
His orders played out like a symphony, with friendly ships in hunter-killer formations zooming out of the asteroid at blistering speeds, unleashing a storm of missiles and anti-matter slugs. At the same time, the decoy ships emerged from hiding and surged forward at full burn, at speeds too fast to be targeted, and rammed into three enemy capital ships in cataclysmic explosions like mini-supernovas. Soon after, the attack runs finished off any stragglers not caught in the blasts, leaving smoldering wreckage and molten slag in their wake.
And finally, he had the opening he needed.
"All ships scatter," he ordered. "Execute maneuvers around the asteroid field, and concentrate fire on the approaching force!"
Exploiting the temporary gap in the enemy's defenses, his Strike Teams zoomed out of the asteroid field at blistering speeds. And he held his breath as the destruction unfolded, as his ships laid waste to the enemy fleet approaching Mindoir, bleeding it dry in a death by a thousand cuts.
Meanwhile, Guardian Squadron Val'Khasu emerged from behind the other side of Mindoir and adopted two spearhead formations with the Ran'khaaro and the Az'Khaelon at each point before engaging. They clashed with the approaching enemy force, trading blow for blow. Amidst the ensuing carnage, missiles and energy lances crisscrossed the void. On both sides, ships erupted in blossoms of fusion fire, strewing the battlefield with space shrapnel.
And every loss was like a punch to the gut.
Soon, the whole universe seemed to hold its breath as the approaching enemy force was poised to land ground forces, as its capital ship launched projectiles towards Mindoir's surface.
Even as the approaching enemy force was completely routed.
"Captain, the enemy has just deployed ground forces to Mindoir," his chief sensor officer reported.
His mind raced and a torrent of thoughts and emotions threatened to overwhelm him. Ancestors, there was nothing he could do to help the defenders now. The battle was far from over, and until Han arrived with reinforcements, he was facing a prolonged game of space-bound predator-prey that the Silent Ones would undoubtedly win eventually.
But he would face the challenge with pride.
"We continue what were are doing," he ordered, his voice grim but determined. "At all costs, we deny the enemy orbital superiority and hold out until Captain Han'Gerrel arrives with reinforcements."
As the battle continued to unfold before him, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Where are you, Han? We need you.
Hannah Shepard awoke with a sudden jolt, only to spot Anderson nudging her.
"Hey, wake up," Anderson said. "Wake up."
Groggy and disoriented, she wiped the crust from her eyes, her vision blurry. "Wha…What's going on?"
"It's Zhoru," Anderson said. Briefly, Anderson looked at the ground and pursed his lips. "He wants you in the command center immediately. The Silent Ones…they're here."
Her eyes went wide. Her heart thrashed, and a cold, sickening sensation ran through her veins. Without hesitation, she launched herself upright, then scrambled out of her cot, her feet finding the cold floor. "Then there's no time to waste."
Anderson nodded. And then she followed him toward the command center. There, Zhoru was standing before a slew of holo screens and tactical holograms, along with Hairun'Vael, Jack Harper, Security Chief Akira, and even Governor Goto.
"Khanah…" Zhoru said, without even glancing at her, "You are just in time. The enemy is here."
She stepped up alongside Zhoru and the rest, her gaze glued to the holo screens. Initially, she spotted nothing out of the ordinary, only the familiar terrain. But then seven black, burning meteors speared through the nighttime clouds, their contrails cutting a fiery path, as they surged towards the planet's surface.
"And so it begins…" Jack said, his voice barely above a whisper.
The meteors struck the planet's surface in earth-shattering explosions that sent colossal booms screaming through the air. Titanic shockwaves followed in each one's wake and flattened swathes of forests for kilometers all around, kicking up thick clouds of dust that choked the sky.
Briefly, she checked the nearby tactical holograms and found that each meteor had landed almost exactly where Zhoru predicted. How did he ever know?
Again, she looked back at the holo screens, and the dust kicked up in the wake of each shockwave had settled, revealing towering, monolithic, and seed-shaped structures with an oily black surface that bristled with spikey protrusions and pulsed with hellish red light. Each was the size of a skyscraper large enough to carry thousands.
"What in Earth's name…"
A shiver crawled down her spine. Nausea twisted in her gut. The mere sight of these monoliths made her skin crawl. And her pulse spiked when giant tentacles sprouted from each of them that then burrowed into the earth and anchored the structure in place.
"Zhoru, what are they–" she began.
"They are feeding on this planet's minerals and microbes," Zhoru said. "Harvesting them to eventually create new constructs."
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Jack asked, his voice tight. "Let's hammer them with the artillery."
"Not until the bulk of the enemy is exposed," Zhoru said. Zhoru pointed at one of the seed-shaped monoliths. "Until they are outside the shields and anti-air defenses of each of these base constructs."
Soon, massive bay doors opened up on each of the base constructs. Their innards were as dark as the void of space – like a terrifying abyss no soul would dare peer into. Then, without warning, tides of biomechanical horrors came pouring out in orderly columns. At the same time, the base constructs poured out swarms of enemy drones.
Her stomach churned and her skin prickled as if bugs were crawling over her. On the tactical holograms, fresh markers denoting enemy units came to life and were rushing toward the outermost defensive line.
"Now," Zhoru said. On the holo display before him, his fingers danced, sending out a flurry of orders.
At Zhoru's command, the artillery fire and earth-shattering roars tore through the air. Tides of drones surged forth from out of numerous drone nests, and the massive AA guns nearby unleashed a hailstorm of missiles and plasma bolts toward targets kilometers away.
The ensuing destruction was cataclysmic. The artillery pounded the enemy positions in earth-cracking explosions that set swathes of forest ablaze, reducing them to hellscapes of scorched earth and molten slag. AA missiles and fire ripped through enemy drones before they engaged friendly ones in vicious aerial dogfights. As they raged, other wings of friendly drones raked the enemy positions in devastating attack runs, tearing them asunder with flurries of missiles and plasma bolts.
She could hardly move as she watched the carnage unfold, as she watched colossal plumes of smoke and ash rising into the air. She gulped. Never had she seen such devastating weaponry, advanced weaponry.
And she paled at the thought of what it could do to a human body.
Meanwhile, the Silent Ones were responding with relentless determination. In spite of the onslaught, they pushed on. And the base constructs only released more and more armored columns and unleashed their own AA defenses, tearing through scores of friendly drones.
On other holo screens, the lines of refugees were panicking and rushing toward the evacuation ships. Amidst the chaos, people pushed and shoved past one another. Families were separated, with children crying and mother screaming. And her volunteer soldiers were struggling to maintain order, along with quarian marines and the local militia.
Goodness…
Out of ten, only four evacuation ships had left the system so far.
Still so many to go. Yes, at this pace, would the Silent Ones breach all the defenses and wreak a bloody slaughter upon the people of Mindoir.
In a moment of decision, Jack Harper, Security Chief Akira, and Governor Goto exchanged determined glances. And immediately, she knew what they were thinking.
Words on a screen would not be enough.
Amidst the chaos, leadership had to be personal and visible.
Jack's voice rang out first, through the chatter in the command center. "I'm going out there. I'll rally our available men and get families together. We need order here, not panic."
Security Chief Akira nodded, his eyes steely. "For once I agree with you. I'll join the quarian marines at the checkpoints and help do whatever we can to fast-track the boarding process. It'll definitely save more lives."
Governor Goto, always the embodiment of poise and determination, spoke up. "I'll address the people over the public system. They need to hear from me."
"Not without a bodyguard," Zhoru said, his gaze still fixed on the tactical holograms, his fingers still dancing across numerous holo-screens, sending out a flurry of orders and commands.
Just then, Khaen'Gerrel approached, then nodded at Governor Goto. Meeting the Malukor's gaze, Goto nodded back.
She was about to speak up and say she wanted to go out and help bring order to the chaos personally as well. But then she remembered Zhoru's words.
'When the battle begins, I want you by my side, at all times. Understood?'
"Anderson," she said, her voice firm but trusting. "I need you to go out there and lead our men to help bring this situation under control. And whenever possible, coordinate with the quarian marines and the local militia." She gripped Anderson's shoulder and met his gaze. "Give them hope."
"You can count on me, Shepard," Anderson said. "I'll make sure everything runs smoothly. We'll make this work."
Soon, they all left the command center. Closing her eye, she took a deep breath. The situation was dire, but hopefully, their presence would make a difference and inspire courage among the terrified masses.
Soon, Silent One forces were in range of the automated turrets along the nano-assembled wall. And those turrets opened fire, unleashing flurries of missiles and torrents of heavy plasma bolts.
The destruction that followed was a nightmarish cacophony of death and fire, of blinding explosions that scorched more swathes of the forests to ash. Already, thousands of Silent One constructs had met fiery, explosive ends, but nonetheless, they advanced, with endless reinforcements at their backs.
Meanwhile, Silent One siege constructs – towering six-legged horrors – fired scores of plasma mortars that traced luminescent arcs through the air. As the siege constructs charged their monstrous, main canons, the rain of plasma mortars struck the wall's shields like the wrath of an angry god, making them flare and ripple under a barrage of devastating blasts.
Soon, the shields burst.
And then the siege constructs fired their main canons. Searing red beams speared through the air and struck several of the turrets in blinding flashes followed by bone-rattling booms, leaving the wall intact but the turrets reduced to molten wrecks.
Amidst this, Zhoru's fingers were once more dancing across a slew of holo screens, sending out countless orders, directing swarms of repair drones toward the wall. He then opened up several windows displaying the helmet cams of what had to be Malukros under Sergeant Nuro's command.
On them, she spotted what had to be enemy scout constructs rushing right past them, completely unaware of the Malukors were there. A thrill of anticipation shot through her. Goodness, was she about to see Malukors in action?
"Was that the enemy vanguard?" she asked Zhoru. "And did it just pass them without noticing Nuro or any of his men?"
"It was," Zhoru said, looking at what had to be Nuro's helmet cam. "And yes, I've just updated him on the battlefield situation and he and his platoon are ready to ambush the advancing enemy columns." Briefly, Zhoru paused. "But if I were you, I would not worry. I've known him for centuries, since before we became what we are, and he is more than capable of the tasks I have assigned him."
"What makes you say that?"
"We have survived worse," Zhoru said.
Like the Great Betrayal? "Worse?"
Zhoru nodded. Amidst the ensuing awkward silence, his posture tensed. Briefly, she recalled the portrait in Zhoru's quarters, along with the amulet around his neck, and she refrained from delving deeper. Now's not the time.
Zhoru huffed through his nose. "Anyways, watch and see, Khanah. Watch and see why even Krogan fear to face us in battle."
She kept her gaze locked on Sergeant Nuro's helmet cam, her heart pounding, every fiber of her being for what was to come.
Amidst a burning, alien forest with thunderous roars and booms roaring in the distance, Sergeant Nuro'Zorah lay prone atop a craggy ridge, his armor's cloaking system keeping him nearly invisible to all sensors. Right next to him, his lifemate, Vhala, lay prone and cloaked as well, their shields and stealth systems overlapping and supporting each other. And the rest of his squad was situated at key positions elsewhere along the ridge, ready to unleash fire and death upon the enemy once they passed through the road below.
Hours had passed in this deadly stillness, with his senses stretched and amplified through his platoon's quantum, neural link. With it, he shared tactical and sensory data with them, keeping track of the exact positions and conditions of everyone under his command, along with those of the enemy thanks to the live updates his Captain was feeding him. Together, they were one cohesive unit, held together through a silent, unbreakable bond that gave them an unparalleled ability to coordinate.
And now, his ambushes were ready. On several roads through which enemy columns would pass, his Demolition Specialists had set up numerous hidden traps, turrets, barriers, and automated mortars ready to be nano-assembled at his – or any squad leader's – command. His entire platoon was in sync and was more than prepared to harass and sabotage the enemy backlines once these ambushes were over.
As he lay in wait, his mind drifted back to the final battle of the Great Betrayal, to when Catyn's defenses had fallen, to when the last batch of refugees had been fleeing onto the evacuation ships. This campaign felt so eerily similar and he could empathize with the humans here, given how they were going to lose their home. However, as his Captain had told him on the way to this world, it was the overarching goal this campaign served – to secure the quarian people's new home and future – that was finally a cause worth dying for.
Just like how his Captain's lifemate had predicted in her last words, just before succumbing to her wounds.
Just then, he felt vibrations in the ground and in the air. It was the enemy. And they were approaching from the southwest. Through his platoon's quantum, neural link, he could also feel the enemy approaching along the other routes as well.
Ready up, he ordered.
Soon enough, a column of enemy constructs approached, moving along the road. Their disgusting, hideous forms never failed to make his blood boil like molten lava and arouse memories of their atrocities during the Doom of Calun'Saa, of the men, women, and children they had twisted into screaming, mewling horrors.
His lifemate squeezed his hand reassuringly, a tactile connection that grounded him. And he felt a calming warmth spread through him, quelling the rage and bloodlust that threatened to overcome him.
Control yourself, she said. Focus.
With those words and her gentle touch, he reined in his fury and bloodlust and centered himself for the perfect moment to strike.
And soon it came.
Heads down, aim true. Strike now!
At his command, his squad's anti-armor specialist fired his missile launcher, and the plasma warhead phased through the lead tank-constructs shield, then bore into its innards and denoted in a thunderous blaze of light.
Assemble, he ordered.
And his Demolition Specialist nano-assembled everything they had in place. Within seconds, the nano-mines exploded and reduced several troop-transport constructs to flaming wrecks. A barrier materialized before the ruined lead tank, blocking the column from progressing. Plasma mortars rained down from above and struck enemy constructs in blinding, earsplitting booms, kicking up ionized dust and debris. And the turrets opened fire and tore into the enemy column in overlapping fields of fire.
Open fire!
At his command, his squad unleashed everything they had.
And the slaughter that ensued put a wide grin on his face.
Every second, plasma bolts, particle lances, and missiles rent and burned and brutalized enemy constructs asunder into hunks of burning flesh and smoldering machinery. On fire, many constructs screamed and roared, their voices distorted and overlapping with one another in a cacophonous mess.
Together, he and his lifemate fired their plasma devastator rifles and shredded the enemy with torrents of heavy plasma bolts that tore through shields and armor like an omni-blade through soft flesh. In battle, they always bolstered each other's spirit through the quantum, neural link, and fought with prowess greater than just the two of them together. Indeed, with her by his side, he always felt so alive.
Able to face anything in the galaxy.
Soon, tank constructs released swarms of attack drones, which returned fire. A few plasma bolts flared against his shields and that of his squadmates, revealing their positions. And as the fire pinned them down, scores of assault constructs left their transports and began to climb a nearby hill.
Threatening to flank them.
Retreat, he ordered.
And at his command, he and his squadmates left behind a cluster of photon and nano-swarm grenades to cover their escape. And his Demolition Specialist nano-assembled several turrets kept in reserve for this exact situation. Together, they abandoned their positions and sprinted away into the burning forest, along one of several possible routes they had planned in advance, with the sound of the turrets covering fire echoing behind.
As he sprinted, with his armor's stealth systems dampening his footsteps, the other squad leaders reported their ambushes as a success. So far, his platoon had taken no casualties. And once again, the bond they shared had proven its worth.
But this was only the beginning.
Now, he and his platoon would offer the enemy no peace, no quarter, as they ravaged their backlines, sabotaging their efforts from the shadows.
And he had no doubt that victory would be theirs.
Meanwhile, back in Zhoru's command center, Hannah Shepard stood tense and laser-focused as watched Sergeant Nuro and his squad retreat into the burning alien forests, in the aftermath of their ambush. During it, demi-gods of war had wreaked a terrible slaughter upon the enemy, one that froze her insides to ice.
And yet she couldn't help but feel morbidly fascinated.
Indeed, the holo screen made it all seem so impersonal, yet the carnage was all too real.
"Once again, he's done it," Zhoru said, his fingers a blur as he sent out more orders or directed more swarms of repair drones toward the wall. "Never failing to make me proud."
Meanwhile, Silent One siege constructs were still pounding the automated turrets with their main canons and plasma mortars, making them explode in fiery eruptions. At the same time, the base constructs were disgorging more and more swarms of aerial constructs, along with various support constructs that were either recovering fallen allies, or building strange monolith-like structures at several locations.
"What are they constructing there?" she asked.
"Relay monoliths," Zhoru said. "Sergeant Nuro and his platoon will definitely need to target them."
Without missing a beat, Zhoru sent another flurry of commands on the holo-screens, and once more friendly drones shifted their formations, adapting to how the battle was changing.
As the enemy sent scores of assault constructs into the kill zones as canon fodder, tank, and siege constructs pounded the fortifications rending them to pieces, reducing them to burning wrecks one by one.
For every inch of ground, the Silent Ones suffered staggering losses, but gradually they pushed through the kill zones, taking full advantage of their overwhelming numbers and firepower, leaving behind a scorched, devastated landscape in their wake.
"They're breaking through…" she said, her voice catching in her throat. Her stomach tightened, and a cold realization dawned on her: things were about to take a desperate, horrific turn.
"Indeed," Zhoru said, his voice steady. "Now the true battle begins."
Her heart pounded as she watched the Silent Ones exit out into a clearing adjacent to the colony's outskirts. With the burning forests behind them, they looked like an army from the depths of hell itself, a nightmarish force of nature.
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. This was only the beginning, but no matter the nightmare to come, they would endure.
They would face them head-on.
