Rising from the Embers of Sera

by thehappy

The people of Sera rebuild, spreading to the stars. Wars will be waged. Peace will be sought. The Coalition has risen from the ashes to take their right to exist in the galaxy. They will survive...no matter the cost.

6. Chapter Five: The Second Front

The sheer amount of ideas didn't slow down at all since the last chapter. In fact, they've only grown more intense as they pushed to the forefront of my brain. All I know, most people tend to enjoy this crossover which brings a smile to my face. So read and enjoy!

Chapter 5: The Second Front

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Widow System. Citadel Council. Forty one days before Asari Contact at Reach.

Tucked among the stunning Serpent Nebula inside the Widow Star System, elements of swirling yellow, blues, purples and other gases drifted among the cold blackness of space. Beyond the shroud of drifting nebula cloud was the massive space station known as the Citadel. Stretching over forty four kilometers in length, the massive construct of shimmering silver, glowing blues and warming yellow lights of civilization glowed among the bustle of constant commerce and shipping. Shaped like an open starfish with its arms stretching from the central construct, the seat of galactic power was home to nearly thirteen million inhabitants of varying species including a growing population of the new-coming humans.

However, problems were rising among the sitting government stationed in the upper floors of the central tower.

Councilor Tevos had finally started getting used to her position. Still in her first six months of office, it had been relatively calm by all appearances. The Relay 314 incident had been resolved by her predecessor and the other councilors a few years prior, and despite the animosity caused by the brief war, the Turian's and Human's were making efforts to get along.

Of course, not even the most competent and skilled diplomat could prevent the Batarian's from leaving Council space. They wanted the human's off worlds promised to them nearly a century prior, but the System Alliance had settled those systems years or in same cases, decades ago without anybody's knowledge.

In all honestly, she was glad they left. Decades of their arrogance and crimes, the constant piracy and smuggling. Their argument about how slavery was part of their culture and any efforts to eliminate was offensive and racist.

But now an Asari colonization fleet was missing. They were supposed to report in once they arrived at Nueva Thessa. And that window had passed nearly three weeks ago.

Tevos feared the worst. She was fully aware that the Batarian's had increased their piracy and raids in that sector, attacking lone freighters or tiny outposts near the Terminus Systems. But they had stayed confined and content with those wild systems, not daring to cross into Asari space.

"They know we would retaliate. Along with the Turians and possibly the System Alliance. That's why the Batarian 'Pirates' have kept a wide berth, they know that we know their piracy is state sponsored and would lead to war"

"Councilor Tevos?"

She had been staring at the Salarian Agent in the center of the room from her elevated podium, casting the beings into an uncomfortable silence. Turning her head toward her Turian counterpart, Council Tuvea Procus.

He was older, having served in the Hierarchy Navy for most of his adult life. His face was a dull grayish-silver, marked by several tattoos proclaiming his family and colony. The only reason he had left the navy was by the simple fact he was promoted out due to his natural understanding of politics.

Tuvea Procus had been the driving force of bringing an abrupt halt to the recent war.

"The agent was about to brief us"

That was the Salarian Councilor speaking, Vokok Junisa. At twenty three years, he was already past middle aged for his species.

Tevos cleared her throat with a cough before looking downward at the agent. "My apologies. I was thinking of the lost colony fleet and what could have happened"

The Salarian agent spoke quickly, her black and bulbous eyes shuttering rapidly while uploading information from her secure omni-tool to a handheld datapad with a flurry of slender fingers.

"No more need to wonder. Nearby stealth ship entered relay to Nueva Thessa. Full Batarian fleet has taken control of system. Communication jamming and several debris fields match Asari hull signatures. Believe they have fully seized garden world as well"

Tevos felt like she had been punched in the gut. She had hoped that it was some communications error or some sort of spatial electrical storm. But her deepest fear had come true.

"Are they mad! Don't the Batarian's realize how the Council will respond!?" Procus yelled, slamming a clawed hand to the podium before him.

The agent blinked, slowly hitting a few more keys as she uploaded all the ships findings. "Current hypothesis is Hegemony will hold world ransom, believing the Asari will pay full price for a garden world. Possible aggressive settlement another outcome for their believed humiliation by Council and humanity"

"What about the colony fleet? Did your agent's find them?" Tevos inquired with a shocked whisper. The agent looked down once more, narrowing her eyes. "No. Debris field of destroyed ships doesn't match total tonnage of Asari fleet. High probability of capture and enslavement"

Tevos breathed deeply, the air of the station filling her lungs as her chest rose beneath her purple dress. Her first instinct was to summon the Batarian ambassador, but she immediately squashed that foolish notion. "There is no ambassador anymore. And even if there was, he'd lie through his teeth claiming they are the victims of racism and cultural aggression"

No. There was only one possible solution to this blatant and unwarranted attack against the Asari Republic and the Council.

War.

Entwining her fingers, she gave another look to her fellow councilors with her tone remarkably devoid of emotion. "I'll be advising the High Matron immediately for a declaration of war against the Batarian Hegemony. Can I count on your support?"

"The Salarian Union will continue to gather intel" Junisa peered at the screen embedded in the podium, bringing up the locations of the Union's six fleets. "Second Fleet is closest, but will take nearly three months to join with Asari fleets for retaking Nueva Thessa" He paused, looking at Tevos with a blink of eyelids. "Assuming the Dalatrass willing to join war effort"

Procus had been looking up available assets, but gave an audible click of disappointment. Nearly half of the Hierarchy's fleets were along the System Alliance Border or near the South-Western borders of the Hegemony. While some of those fleets could move against the Batarian's there, the main goal was to retake the Asari colony. "The tenth and Twelfth Fleets can reach Nueva Thessa in approximately fifty three days. Or fifty six if we wait for transports. We will need two legions to secure the planet properly"

"Take the extra time to ensure a strong response. And I'll inform the System's Alliance ambassador in the next hour as well. They share a border with the Batarian's and need be advised of military operations in the area" Tevos advised as she stood up. Leaving the podium and the others, she walked briskly to her nearby office.

She had hoped the Turian's had something closer. But she knew the reality of interstellar space and the movement of fleets for war. Despite the Mass Relays, it took time to resupply, assemble, and move across the distances to the systems not linked with relays. With most Council vessels reaching a top speed of 0.15 light years per day, a reaction force could take several weeks or months to reach their target system outside the relay system.

Spread that across several thousand light years and it's a miracle they could respond as quickly as two months.

"Goddess Athena. Please guide those poor souls" praying to herself, Tevos hated that she almost hoped the colony fleet had been wiped out instead. At least that way they wouldn't suffer.

Sliding behind her desk in the secure office, Tevos wasted no more time as she opened communications with Thessia and the High Matron.

Reach System. 7th of Rise

Ganil Sea pushed away from Reach, her engines flaring a harsh blue as eight Longshot Cruisers, twelve Battle Cruisers and one hundred ninety destroyers followed the lone Battleship toward the hostile fleet. The four repair vessels slipped around behind the colony, their usefulness in battle negligible.

Standing at the tactical holo-display, Commander Jayde Strand could feel the embers of excitement and fear scratching at the back of her mind. Immediately squashing the voices of doubt, she studied the dispositions of the hostiles.

One hundred fifty of the vessels had hung back, guarding that strange, alien sky key, most likely as reinforcements or a rear guard which made tactical sense in her eyes.

Unfortunately, the rest of the hostile fleet had maintained itself as a whole, moving across the system like a spread out wave as they destroyed outposts, attacked the outer mining vessels of the third belt with zero compassion or mercy to those slain.

"They know they have superior numbers, and plan to use that. But what of technology or weapons?" Jayde mentally asked herself. There were so many unknowns, but she would have to make due.

The thought of running against such overwhelming numbers never crossed her mind. Not with over three hundred million Seran's living on Reach depending on her ships to protect them. The sheer industrial capacity along with the Kuat Shipyards made the notion of retreat an impossibility.

"How long until we intercept the main fleet?"

A nearby crewman quickly worked out the calculations, giving the commander an update via holo-table.

"Fifty three minutes, Commander"

Brushing a few green strands of hair away from her eyes, the woman tried to see the possible reactions and counter-reactions of the four-eyed aliens. "Of course, they could be like that first Klor'vian fleet and attack in a straight line, but I doubt that would happen twice"

The biggest worry is how close they would be to Reach by the time battle ensued. Stray Mass driver rounds could easily strike the planet by accident. Or on purpose if these aliens decided on that.

And there was little Jayde could do to prevent that. Planets were large object's and it didn't take much to strike one with ship weapons.

Comms stirred once more, the young woman sitting taller at her station. "Commander. I'm getting another communication from the female aliens"

"Put it on screen" Jayde ordered seamlessly as she studied the nearby visual screen. The same female appeared, talking in her strange language, the words rather animated as her very human eyes studied Jayde Strand with a pleading urgency.

"Receiving visual telemetry"

The commander gave a simple nod, accepting the visuals.

It was a video, depicting a joining of forces to fight the larger, hostile fleet. While nearly one hundred of those vessels would move further into the system, presumably the transports, damaged and non combat ships, the remainder would fly along side Coalition vessels.

Simply put, it was a call to join forces against a common foe, and Commander Strand would not turn away an additional two hundred ships.

"Commander? Even if those aliens support us in a combined effort, we will be outnumbered by nearly three to one" the tactical officer informed, his voice heavy with concern and worry.

"Then it is an even fight. We'll strike the four-eyes from the flanks, push through and sow devastation. Now have the squadron form up into a standard assault formation to burn these bastards from the sky!" Jayde exclaimed with savage urgency as the Coalition vessels continued to push through the void toward battle.

Captain Celeste V'toll breathed a small sigh of relief as the colony ships, the supply vessels, and her most damaged combat ships fled sunward to try and hide. Although, damage was relative as most of her ships had take some over the past few months of desperate flight. It had been patched for the most part, but even her Dreadnaught, the Justicar Vali still reeled from damage.

Celeste found herself praying to the goddess Athena once more, thanking them for a sampling of good news.

The lost human fleet understood her message, the tactical update from the female commander showing a double enfilade against the Batarian's among the void between planetary orbits. Her ships would take the left flank, laying down a massed volley of driver shells while trying to maintain a protective envelope.

A thought occurred to her. "What types of weapons do these lost human's have?"

"Unknown Captain. Working assumption is mass driver technology, possible missile or torpedo based with defensive grids. After all, they don't appear to have discovered FTL, being a lost colony of the Alliance"

It was understandable. The human's only had two hundred vessels, most likely all they had built to protect this hidden sanctuary.

Celeste prayed once more that it would be enough as the time to battle ticked away. Taking one more hard look at the holo-display, the captain could see that they were still outnumbered by triple the Batarian ships as they raced toward the flank. Which had been noticed by the enemy minutes ago as they prepared for combat themselves.

"Sixty seconds until weapon's range. The human's are attacking with a destroyer force along the far right-flank, appears to be to simple torpedo technology. A massed volley of nearly four hundred warheads. The Batarian's are shooting them down"

Visuals of the distant battle sprang to life from exterior camera's, the pinpricks of green lights stabbing the weapons from the coldness of space.

It only took a few seconds for the first artificial suns to bloom, the energy and heat shattering Hegemony shields as armor buckled and cracked among their escort forces.

"GODDESS! Those are fusion warheads!" tactical exclaimed as the Asari frantically input new commands. "Preliminary estimates place twenty eight enemy vessels destroyed! Another thirteen heavily damaged!"

A searing beam of harsh, orangish light burned across the void, supported by eight glowing tendrils of super heated thermic lances that smashed the armor of three light cruisers, melting armor and shields like a hot knife through rancid butter. The Asari external camera's couldn't pick it up, but the tumbling corpses of Batarian's were sucked into vacuum, the personal shields doing little to save them from such overwhelming damage.

"The human Dreadnaught and Cruiser's are using some sort of laser beam weapons" A flurry of more keystrokes vied for information, but the incoming driver rounds of the Batarians's drew attention away from the human's. "We're in weapons range, Captain!"

Celeste prayed that she would be alive to ask the human commander about that strange, almost impossible technology later. "Return fire! Target larger vessels and maintain distance!" She shouted as her ship took the first hits, the tremors vibrating against the barriers.

Ganil Sea lightly trembled as fifteen kilograms of tungsten tipped steel fired at the air leaking light cruiser that tried to extract itself from battle. Having taken the full brunt of the H.O.D, it's shields had shattered and armored buckled, cracking and disgorging air, water gases and the occasional corpse. The shell slammed into the lower port-side, ripping the hull open like a rusting can.

Incoming mass rounds left streaks of light, most colliding with Sentinel Defense Batteries as flashes of blue, yellow and reds bloomed. Impacts against several destroyers flared shields, five of the vessels taking several hits that broke their own shields. The lighter armor of the destroyer Murray S. Clemm shattered under two rapid hits, destroying the starboard torpedo launcher, killing at least fifty of her crew as embers of twisted metals and gasses flowed.

The officer in charge still had some fight apparently, loosing another fusion warhead into the roiling madness of space as the main driver fired.

"Enemy ships are moving to enclose with us, Commander!" tactical informed with a shout. A stray shell hit Ganil Sea, the shields flaring under the impact as the hit was felt through the crews bones.

"Then let's make them regret it. All units advance until we're surrounded!" Strand ordered with a growing fury fueled by war. Another few hits smashed against her vessels shields, and she was fully aware of how badly her own ships were outnumbered.

Commander Jayde only had one chance to pull off this surprise before the attrition became too high to sustain. After all, the S.D.B's could only shoot down or intercept so much.

The destroyers maintained their wedge attacking shape, firing another massed salvo of fusion torpedoes at this newest enemy. The Seran ships didn't miss the opportunity to fire en-masse as Ganil Sea's H.O.D. began to glow a harsh orange once more. Eight thermic slugs glowed hot from the Cruisers, racing in unison with the devastating particle beam while the battlecruiser's lent their own salvo of 10kg munitions raced forward. Firing with rapidity, the Cruisers and her fellow ships unleashed a follow-up attack hugging the tails of the first.

Leading Batarian ships knew that they would most likely die, but they fired anyway as the right flank squadron of two hundred and seventy three vessels did their utmost to beat and sunder the humans and protect the main fleet as they unleashed volley after volley. Shells flying at one percent light speed smashed against Coalition shields, many of them breaking past the Sentinel defenses even as the clusters flared with bluish laser light.

The Battlecruiser Abyss was the first to take direct damage against her hull as the shields broke, paving the way for devastating impacts that shattered her frontal armor. Four decks were ripped open to space, the sections becoming vacuum as humans died in a silent scream among the dancing crystals of frozen air and superheated metals warped by damage. Still, she fired another shell, the officer in charge knowing that retreat was impossible.

In another thirty seconds, her twin, the Sorano Trench took nearly a dozen full strikes against her bow and port side despite the desperate firing of defensive laser grids. Shields flared a dying blue, then the last four Batarian shells ripped into the ship's interior before emerging from the starboard side in an out-blowing of twisted armor at a devastating angle. Hundreds of crewmen died from the passage of those rounds, even more from exposure as the vessel staggered and streamed air. Emergency crews scrambled as passageway's sealed, leaving the ship in dire straights. A cruiser moved to provide much needed cover with a grouping of destroyers, hoping to buy a reprieve as the stricken vessel pushed further into the roiling battle.

Nearly forty eight destroyers had taken serious damage by then, many leaking air or with flickering emergency shields trying to maintain stability as jagged rips and tears furrowed along hulls glowed hot.

But the Seran's own volley had finally reached the despicable alien fleet in that span of seconds, and proved devastating.

Of the three hundred and fifty six torpedoes launched from the battered destroyer line, fifty eight broke through the flaring defensive grids of light cruisers, frigates and destroyers. Seven of the light cruisers took numerous hits, reducing the vessels to billowing fields of scrap and ruin as sixty artificial suns flared into existence. Simply put, none of those lighter vessels had the shielding or armor to protect against such devasting weapons. Of the thirty nine destroyers struck, all were destroyed in flashes of light, vaporizing the crews. Out of the twelve frigates that bore the brunt of fusion fire, only one escaped with its life.

Another seventeen vessels took varying degrees damage, their proximity to those fading suns battering down shields to critical lows.

Engines flickering and sputtering, B.H.S Piracy was a gutted shell of open decks, discharging gases and ravaged bodies flash frozen in the spillage of open space. She would be destroyed by conventional accelerator rounds in the next ten seconds.

Light cruisers of the Hegemony Vi'shan, Rich Merchant, Ownership, and Tesh'an melted under twin lances of superheated thermic slugs, the 4,000 degree temperatures eating through shields, hulls and armor alike as nearby crew simply burst into flame from the proximity. Leaking air and having armor constantly melting from the heat, all four vessels were quickly struck again by the next wave of Thermic lance slugs and conventional shells, ripping those helpless ships asunder into spinning flotsam.

The pocket battleship, Owner's Greed had targeted the largest human ship, seeing it as the most powerful. But the constant battering of incoming munitions had beaten its shields to the point of non-existence.

15kg of high velocity shell struck the Batarian battleship near the bridge, killing the vital crew and officers in a flash of light mere seconds before the Hammer of Dawn burned its way through the ravaged opening. Tearing through the length of the ship with a sizzling heat that ate away flesh and metalwork alike, the ship split in half along the length, leaving the halves to spin away in a fresh spillage of horror and death as the laser beam continued onward, killing a small corvette before dissipating into the void of darkness beyond.

All told, the Seran fusillade of torpedoes, mass drivers, and super heated beams killed another sixty three vessels on top of the confirmed kills, bringing Batarian ship losses to over one hundred in a mere ten minutes of action.

Admiral Bi'shan slammed his fist into his armchair, his four eyes betraying his rage at the audacity these humans displayed. Their defiance was an insult to his race's superiority, and they dared to attack and destroy his vessels?

"Admiral! The human's have destroyed nearly one hundred of our vessels, the Asari have heavily damaged or destroyed another thirty so far with parallel losses"

"I don't give a damn about the wounded Asari! They're half dead anyway! Order sub-commander La'shen to surround those human ships and destroy them!" the admiral screamed with a frothing of his lips.

His crew spurned into renewed action, fearing the wrath of this wealthy and powerful Batarian. Well respected among the first caste, his leadership skills were top notch for ordering around second and third class Batarian's of lower social castes.

So far his flagship and the vast majority of his central group, approximately four hundred and fifty vessels had not yet tasted battle, his flanks taking the brunt of action. Slaver's Might was safe, and the politically appointed Admiral knew he had to safe guard his Dreadnaught for the conquest of the human world in the next few hours. He could not risk battle with the main squadron.

"La'shen will handle the humans. Despite the losses, he still commands a force of over two-hundred fresh vessels and the humans are faltering. This battle will soon be over" Savoring the coming victory as his third squadron moved to surround and subjugate the humans, the Admiral briefly thought of the coming riches and slaves.

Ganil Sea took more hits, the ship constantly shuddering under multiple impacts despite the constant burning of laser defenses shooting down even more of the incoming munitions. Strand heard a report of shields falling past twenty percent, but she barely acknowledged it as the enemy squadron did exactly as she hoped.

"Commander! The enemy ships are moving to surround us!" Another shell struck, overloading a nearby terminal and showering a nearby bulkhead with sparks. A few crewmen tumbled from their chairs, but none were hurt thankfully as several more sparks showered the deck.

"Current losses?" Jayde inquired as the flaring lights of another burst relay showered against the wall. Another hit battered her vessel's shields, dropping them further.

"Twenty two destroyers lost along with three Battlecruisers! Another eighty seven vessels with medium damage with the rest to varying degrees!"

Commander Strand took the news in stride, knowing full well this fight would be bloody. Staring at the holo-display representing the roiling fleets, the woman grinned like a wolf as the nearest enemy squadron finished splitting their forces to surround and destroy them. The ship bucked again, pitching the woman lightly forward before she regained her footing.

"Full broadsides from all ships! NOW!" Jayde bellowed, knowing that the window was rapidly closing. The young woman at comms relayed the order, passing it along to the remaining vessels as the Sentinel defenses burned the vacuum night with constant beams of blue and green against incoming shells.

The Batarian's had approached in two parallel lines, enclosing the human's in a crossfire of broadside launchers, which were basically smaller, lighter versions of their main, mass acceleration cannons. Riddling shields and hulls with fresh impacts, none of those vessels could anticipate the sheer destruction about to visit them.

Coalition destroyers had burned hard in the last few seconds at the outer flanks, swinging to point their bow's at the lines of hostile ships. Some of these ships were pock-marked with cracked or missing armor, others having hull open to the harshness of vacuum as the embers of ruin glowed hot.

But they launched another full spread of thirty kiloton fusion torpedoes despite their damage, then quickly reloaded as three hundred and forty one of those slower weapons slid through the silence of space.

Of course, this counter-attack only followed the staggering expulsion of sprint missiles from the secondary port and starboard batteries of the remaining Battlecruisers, Cruisers, and the lone Ganil Sea. The Boomshot and Lightmass cluster batteries fired warhead yields of ten and five kilotons respectively. Or twenty kilotons for the lone battleship.

While some batteries had been damaged or destroyed by enemy fire, leaving them mangled wrecks and unable to operate, it would prove more than enough.

Leaving their launchers in a burst of flame and fuel, approximately twenty four hundred of the high speed, short range missiles poured from the Coalition ships to surge toward the twin columns of the Batarian squadron with the heavier torpedoes in their wake.

Of course, the Batarian's combat computers and anti-shipping defenses surged to overdrive, the searing pinpricks of purple lights stabbing and claiming hundreds of the tiny missiles as they burned closer to the enveloping battle line.

Those defenses became overwhelmed by the sheer numbers as the first five kiloton warheads broke against the shields of a heavy cruiser, beating them down and paving the way for another thirteen to smash and melt hull plating. Hundreds of overlapping suns soon bloomed among the silence of space, the targeted vessels breaking apart into half melted slag. Some of the smaller ships simply vaporized, leaving nothing by a few spinning shards of melted armor and warped bulkheads.

Sub-commander La'shen's pocket battleship at the front of the assault broke in half, the vessel taking no fewer than eighteen warheads to her starboard hull that simply shattered under the nuclear heat. Batarian corpses spilled from the wounds, flooding the battlefield with detritus as the second wave of torpedoes sprinted in to finish off the slagged and heavily beaten ships in renewed flares of fusion fire.

At the start of the battle, the right flank of the Batarian fleet under La'shen's 2nd squadron had been comprised of three hundred and nine ships.

Only two survived that horrible onslaught of massed munitions, and judging by the twisted and gnarled wrecks those two frigates had become, it was highly doubtful any of the crew survived. Not that it mattered as a few enterprising destroyers quickly finished the job with standard mass drivers, finishing the job.

Admiral Bi'shan blinked, his silence mixing in with the stunned bridge crew of the Batarian dreadnaught. Lights blinked, reports and updates still flooded tactical as the 3rd squadron facing the Asari forces still fought on a more equal footing in terms of weaponry and abilities.

Bi'shan blinked once more, the stunning turn of events playing behind his four eyes before his rage and fury finally caught up with him, blinding him to the coming mistake.

"Target the colony! All ships make that world burn and break the human's spirit! They can't handle heavy casualties in any conflict!" He raged, pointing toward an image of this hidden, garden world on a nearby screen. "They dare destroy my ships? Humiliate my status and ravage my fleet with cowardly attacks!? They could barely fight the Turian's and pleaded like varren from a mere ten thousand dead! Let's see them continue the fight when their cities burn!"

The command went out to the 1st squadron, three hundred and fifty seven vessels pointing toward that bluish, green world hanging silently among the void and her sister moons. Still forty eight minutes away by sub-light, the world was smaller, but the calculations were very simple for targeting.

"Calculations complete, Admiral" the officer at tactical informed, his voice rough with his own rage at the human's cowardice in battle. Didn't they know they were supposed to be defeated by their superiority? After all, humans only have two eyes and low intelligence.

"FIRE!" Admiral Bi'shan practically screamed, flecks of spittle flying across his uniform.

The command was carried out, and three hundred fifty seven mass driver rounds ranging in size from five kilograms to twenty kilograms flew at 1.1 percent light speed to the world of Reach.

South Pole of Reach. Island Thirteen.

Covered in ice, the island hugging the barrier of the frozen ice cap was part of a small, inhospitable island chain with no resources, life, or viable land. Just frozen ice, snow and rock covered this mountainous island along with the small military post.

This military post was vital however as the construction and labyrinthine tunnels dug into the island stretched far below sea level. Housing one of numerous back up sites for the Hammer of Dawn defensive command network, this installation was special due to the recently installed A.I. overseeing the system with the supporting military technicians.

Daisy sprung to life on a console mounted holopad, taking the form of a ten year old girl in a sundress of yellow and flower petals. Surrounded by screens, the clacking of keys and service men and women of the Coalition bathed under the soft blues of their screens, the A.I. could feel the alarm and distress of the incoming bombardment.

1st Lieutenant Daniel Combe over-rode the commands of several observation satellites, pointing them toward the incoming streaks of light speed munitions. Another technician nearby was already bringing the defensive platforms to full power, their standby mode forgotten when the battle started.

"Daisy. Can you shoot them all down?" Combe inquired, a bead of sweat dripping down his nose, a result of fear for his wife and two young children. They lived in Varo City on the smaller subcontinent located in the northern hemisphere, but the fear was still there for their safety.

"I predict approximately twenty eight percent will make it past our defenses to strike the planet. The kinetic impacts will strike the continent of Tavin and the surrounding ocean, creating addition destruction from tidal waves along the majority of nearby coastlines and island chains" The pixels swirled slightly, the young girl adding more computations. "Emergency measures and shelters will help reduce casualties, but current estimates will place coming death toll in the millions"

Combe passed the override to the A.I. giving her the capability to target and fire as required by the recent update of regulations and command directives. Simply put, Daisy could target and computate against incoming fire faster than the most advanced super computers.

The little girl spun on the holo-pad, her normally cheery mood replaced by very human emotions of coming loss. "Control achieved, beginning counter-fire" The A.I. unleashed a small giggle, a quirk of her personality when she became nervous. After all, this was her first action and no matter what happened, people would die.

In the skies above as the sun warmed the day-ward facing surface, the Hammer of Dawn satellites began to fire searing beams of orangish-yellow light toward the incoming shells as they began to enter the extreme range of weapon effectiveness. They worked in a staggering fire, beams of particles vaporizing those incoming streaks of steel and high velocity tungsten.

Having to travel nearly three and a half light minutes from the location of battle, there was advanced warning for once, but it simply would not be enough. The Hammer of Dawn platforms fired and fired, their aperture's glowing hot while claiming dozens of those streaking shells.

The first five made it through the satellite net, slamming into the urban sprawl of Lentra City hugging the western coast of the Tavin continent. Slamming into the cityscape with the force equal to several nuclear explosions, Lentra City, home to nearly three and half million disappeared in a flash of light. More bombardment shells broke past, leaving a trail of impacts across the width of Tavin. Over a dozen cities were obliterated while firestorms raged across farmland and forest alike. Twenty of those impacts slammed into the Halycon Ocean, creating towering tidal waves that would push across the planet and simply wash away smaller towns and communities.

Of the three hundred and fifty seven mass driver rounds fired, ninety seven made it past defenses to sow death and destruction among the Seran people.

In the coming weeks as emergency crews and volunteers tallied the rising toll of the dead, the numbers would push well past twenty-five million…and bring the wrath of the Coalition to Batarian worlds.

That ill-logical and terrible decision by Admiral Bi'shan would go down as one of the worst military blunders in galactic history.

Captain Celeste V'toll stumbled, another hit striking her wounded dreadnaught. Another hit impacted half a second later, throwing the Asari to the floor. She cried from sudden pain on her forehead, reaching shaky fingers to the wound. Bluish blood came back slick, but the Asari commander couldn't be bothered with that now as she retook her place at the holo-display.

"Goddess…What have the Batarian's done?" she asked nobody in particular as her command continued to fight a stand off action. They couldn't afford to get surrounded, and she had already lost nearly a third of her ships due to damage or full destruction.

But retreat or running was impossible now. Not after the genocide the Batarian's had just committed. Not after she had led them to this hidden world in a desperate bid to escape enslavement. It was her fault this had happened, and Celeste couldn't live with herself if she cut and ran.

Recentering her focus on the tactical display as blood seeped from the gash along her forehead, it was painted with the tiny icons of blue, green and red ships among the roiling darkness of the inner system and nearby worlds.

The Human's had pulled off a staggering feat of arms, destroying nearly a third of the Batarian fleet by employing a mass missile and torpedo volley that shattered the right flank, which had been shocking in itself.

And in retaliation, the Batarian admiral had launched a full bombardment strike against an inhabited, garden world. A military action that was strictly forbidden by the Citadel Council except under the most extreme circumstances. The council required a vote before any such action could be carried out.

But the Hegemony had just broken that rule, and any ghost of a chance to seeking a diplomatic solution for this war was gone. The Alliance would want blood. The Turian's would consider it cowardly and push for full war once this became known.

"Assuming they haven't declared war already"

"Keep firing at the enemy" Captain Celeste ordered, watching another of her vessels blink out of existence.

Admiral Bi'shan was practically preening with pride. The bombardment had been a success, sowing sorrow and death among the future slaves. It would be a great warning to them not to resist their masters. While he didn't know how many had died, he could assume it was in the hundreds of thousands or low millions. And those losses would break the resolve of this lost Alliance world.

"Open communications to the Asari and Human's. Tell them I will now accept their unconditional surr-"

"Admiral! The human's haven't broken off their attack! They'll be inside weapon's range in thirty seconds!"

"WHAT!?" he roared, disbelief cracking among his surprised rage. "They were supposed to break with such losses! Their people are weak and lazy!" Scrambling over to the nearby tactical display that wavered in a light brown, the Batarian could easily see the impending problem.

The human's would cross the 'T' in terms of naval matters, the bows of their ships pointed to the wide and lengthy port sides of his central fleet. And even Bi'shan could see how terrible that would be based on the weaponry these human's possessed.

"Turn dammit! By the flames of Debios, TURN OUR SHIPS AND DESTROY THOSE MONGREL'S!"

Slaver's Might began to turn toward the new threat, her engines burning a harsh blue while the Dreadnaught's escorts did the same.

Only twenty percent had managed to bring about a rapid, high speed turn when the human's fired from extreme range, a staggered wall of mass driver shells, thermic slugs and a searing pillar of orange light that cleaved a light frigate in half, spilling tumbling corpses into the cold.

"FIRE EVERYTHING! KILL THOSE SHIPS!" Bi'shan screamed, his slamming fist fluctuating the holo-display.

"All ships have opened fire, Admiral!"

"Good. Let these wounded vessels burn under our might" the admiral sneered, his four eyes reflecting the data of his fleets outgoing, massed volley.

Commander Jayde Strand was filled with unholy rage. These four eyed beasts had just committed genocide against the Seran people of Reach, which had completely changed how this newest conflict would be fought.

And she wasn't the only one. Most of the vessels under her command were crewed by men and women who had family's on that nearby world of humanity…and now it burned. No doubt some had just lost wives or husbands, children and parents to this new enemy.

Reigning in the fury clawing at her mind, her words and commands were un-naturally calm. "We slaughter them all. Not a single enemy vessel survives" Grabbing a light pen, she circled the central fleet even as Sentinel Batteries sprang to renewed life, spitting out lances of blue light to strike down those incoming shells.

Both forces had fired from extreme range, meaning the effectiveness of both was minimal as respective defensive grids intercepted nearly ninety eight percent of those shells. The exception being Thermic Lance's or the Hammer of Dawn as they burned through a few escort vessels of little consequence, claiming five ships.

"I want a full torpedo run from the destroyers as our own vessels lay down another volley. After that, all ships are to make a short jump above the enemy and curve downward to strike from their exposed rear"

"Relaying commands now!" the man at tactical bellowed, his fervor for revenge burning his blood as both forces fell within effective weapon range. Shields and hulls began to flare and crack from hits, many vessels shuddering under renewed hammer blows as defensive lasers burned the night sky.

Her beaten destroyer line launched a renewed mass of fusion warhead torpedoes, even as enemy shells ripped apart Avery Numan, killing the entire crew complement in a flash of kinetic forces. Battlecruiser Emulsion, in support of her wounded sister ship, Torrent, took numerous strikes along the bow, the enemy shells breaking past beaten shields to rip open five forward sections, spilling more hapless souls into the void. Both vessels fired in unison along with the remaining Battlecruisers in line, adding their weight of war. Half a moment later, a fresh launch of Thermic Slugs burned across space from the longshots, surrounding the crackling pillar of destructive light as it raced toward distant targets.

Ganil Sea staggered three seconds after firing her mass driver. Shields already sitting at barely thirteen percent, they broke like paper under the kinetic hammers of the Batarian's flagship main gun. Tearing a furrow along the port flank, hull plating and armor ripped open from the ship length gouge. Two of the Boomshot Batteries were simply torn away, the manning crews killed instantly as four Sentinel clusters became ravaged, twisted hulks of metal, wiring and warped bulkheads. Air and crystalized water poured from the grievous wound, taking men and women into the dark as they silently screamed. In an instant, nearly five hundred of the Ganil Sea's crew was killed, leaving even more wounded.

Commander Strand was thrown to the floor of her bridge, a sharp crack coming from her left arm as the bone broke. Relays and electrical sparks exploded from the ceiling, showering her face in light burns.

"Commander!" a crewman cried out, the young man staggering from his seat to assist his wounded superior.

"SLIPSPACE! NOW!" Jayde screamed in an agonizing bellow, her ears barely noticing the flaring klaxons and bathing red of the bridge. Cradling her arm with a groan as the fresh burns grew more painful, the emerald haired female was assisted to her feet while a young ensign scrambled to open a med kit.

Beyond the bow of the ravaged and air leaking hull of Ganil Sea as she steered upward above the planetary elliptical, a spinning hole of blue and purple formed, errant with light swirls of yellow. Following the flagships example and previous command, the remaining one hundred and sixty one vessels formed their own slipspace windows and flew through, leaving the following Batarian bombardment to fly harmlessly into the void of space.

The munitions fired by the Seran's continued to fly. Many were intercepted, others were not as the frontal groups of ships bore the harshest punishment. Thirty frigates and destroyers were claimed by fusion suns exploding in the void, another two light cruisers ravaged by the Hammer of Dawn and burning lances of light that shattered shields and burned through slagging armor.

Justicar Vali burned under fresh hits, her shields barely flickering as numerous hull breaches glowed. The remaining Asari ships were desperately holding on with over half of them disabled into air streaming wrecks or fully destroyed. Shaking under a fresh bombardment as the defensive grid failed, Captain Celeste could only stare in complete shock at one of the few remaining screens. Blue blood still dripping down her face, she felt the light tremor of her Dreadnaught returning fire, killing a light frigate as her ships made a desperate, final stand.

Having kept up visual and tactical updates of the human forces, she fully expected them to finally wither and die under the full weight of the Central Batarian fleet. Instead, the human's disappeared. Not destroyed, but flying into what could only be described as holes in space.

Which was impossible.

"Report! What the hell happened to the human ships!?" Celeste screamed as another relay blew above, showering a nearby crewman with second degree burns that resulted in horrible screams and the stink of flesh.

"I…I don't know! They're just gone!" the Asari at sensors yelled back, as the ship shuddered, another hit impacting the hull and claiming more lives. The remaining sensors and external cameras pinged, no doubt the same results seen by other Republic vessels as one hundred and sixty one holes in space formed above and behind the main Batarian fleet. Zooming in on the impossibility, the human vessels re-emerged and promptly began a half-circle dive to attack from the exposed rear.

It was a short jump. Barely five seconds of travel time in slip-space. But when the Coalition vessels re-emerged into normal space, they wasted no time. Taking her place at tactical, Commander Strand let the crewman rest her broken arm in a sling. Batting away any further treatment to her burns, the woman let out a sneer as her ships tore through space.

"Shoot them all in the back. And make sure that Dreadnaught dies first"

In less than thirty seconds, the Coalition would be behind the main fleet, firing into exposed engines and sowing death without quarter or mercy.

"FIRE!" Strand screamed out, her forces complying with gusto. The remaining one hundred and thirty nine Destroyer's had already used half their torpedoes, but they fired again, a full spread of warheads leaving some ships so damaged they had to fire manually. With her flagship smoldering with glowing fires and shields offline, the commander almost willed the vessel forward to finish this battle.

Ganil Sea, directly supported by the Crusier's Strassburg, Flenton, and Ephyra City targeted the exposed engines of the enemy flagship, knowing that for any vessel of any species, it was the most vulnerable of weak spots. The Hammer of Dawn burned from her aperture, silently crackling across the void while three lances of thermic heat joined to visit devastation against the four eyed butchers.

Admiral Bi'shan went silent, the realization of what was about to happen tearing through his black soul. The human's had developed something impossible, something that would change war forever. He supposed it was an honor to be the first to face such a tactic, but it wouldn't change the outcome.

His left flank was still embroiled in combat with the Asari, none of them close enough or capable of extracting themselves in time. His own ships would never be able to turn in the few seconds they had left, even if they disabled inertia protocols.

"May the Hegemony emerge vic—"

The Hammer of Dawn tore through the engines, paving the way for a trio of Thermic slugs. Melting bulkheads and crew alike, the superheated weapons continued through the Dreadnaught even as the engine went critical in the span of moments. Tearing through the bridge, Bi'shan saw a glowing, orange light for a brief moment before he and his crew became nothing but ash. Punching through the main windows of the bridge, Slaver's Might split in half length-wise as her storage of element zero went critical, destroying the remains in a flash of blue.

The slaughter continued as fusion warheads, mass drivers and repeated firing from the capital ships ravaged the Batarian line. Some tried to escape, but their fate was already sealed as sprinting torpedoes homed in on exposed engines. Impacting as a staggered line with no interdictions or interceptions, nearly two hundred sixty fusion suns bloomed into existence, consuming vessels of all sizes. Many became vaporized flotsam, others vapor spewing wrecks exposed to vacuum as their crews died to exposure.

Thermic slugs melted through hulls at the temperatures of stars, paving the way for mass drivers to crack armor and sow internal damage.

In less than five minutes, only the burning, broken remnants of eight Batarian ships remained, their crews trapped among the labyrinth of collapsed hallways, exposed spaces, and sheer destruction.

They were quickly exterminated by the Coalition, none of those vessels harboring the thought of taking prisoners.

Commander Strand gave a small smirk, her teeth bared like a predator even as the burns of her right cheek and forehead flared with agony. Nodding to comms as they opened the channel to her command, the woman slammed a palm against the holo-display. "Now. Let's go rescue those blue women and make these four-eyes fear the wrath of the Coalition! All ships fire on hostiles! Make sure to check your crossfire for friendlies!"

Turning in a high speed arc, none of the Seran vessels had escaped damage. Some were missing armor with buckled hulls glowing from impacts. Others had smashed decks and hulls ripped open to space while others had numerous gashes, splitting the vessels open to show the interlocking latticework of their structures.

The Cruiser Mantle had lost nearly the entirety of her bridge crew, the only survivor a young, female ensign giving commands behind the emergency shielding of the gnarled and twisted ruin of the smashed bow. Open to space in eight different sections, the ship had last nearly seventy percent of her weapons, leaving only her main gun and two Lightmass Batteries operational.

Nearly a third of the crew had perished.

But none of the ships faltered or ran. No, they wanted vengeance for the fresh hell of genocide visited upon their home. Entering renewed weapons range, the humans opened fire into the exposed flanks of the roiling battle, claiming fresh kills as the Batarian command began to collapse between two forces.

Sub-commander Av'sher knew that when Slaver's Might had fallen, the battle was lost. The human's had not only wielded devastating, massed volleys at his comrades, but had used a new form of ship engine to transport them into tactical advantageous positions. Not only that…

"They fought like enraged Krogan after the bombardment" he muttered. His battleship, Savat'tah City was only one of four capital class vessels remaining, and she was beginning to take damage as the vice began to close. An escort at the starboard side burned away, victim of that horrible particle beam, leaving nothing but spinning flotsam and debris.

Av'sher did not want to experience that horrifying heat first hand. Opening communications to the remnants of his squadron, his body pitched forward across the holo-table that was a staple for all space sparing species. Savat'tah City had been hit in the middle hull, the armor buckled and barely holding while shields failed.

They were out of time.

"All ships retreat through the Relay! The battle is lost! Don't stop for anything or anyone! Any vessel that falls behind will be abandoned!" Turning to the pilot, the Batarian officer sneered with growing fear and dread. "Get us out of here or I'll feed you to the flames of hell!"

The pilot complied hastily, inputting fresh commands as the battleship turned, breaking off combat with the Asari. More of his vessels followed, their defensive laser clusters flaring green and purple while they tried to intercept fresh driver rounds.

Captain Celeste V'toll couldn't believe it. She was alive, her command had survived…barely. And the Batarian's were running. Fleeing across the void to race toward the Mass Relay.

"Goddess Athena…we won" A crewman whispered, the shock evident as combat finally broke off, leaving the beaten, shattered, and bleeding command hanging among the open spaces between the garden world and the nearest asteroid belt.

"Captain! The human's are pursuing!" Sensors exclaimed, the shout like a thunderbolt in the silence of thankful beings. Brining it up onto the main screen, Celeste finally had time to study how badly the human's had been mauled by battle. Not a single vessel had escaped damage. And some were so critically wounded she wondered how they could even fly, let alone fight. Hulls still glowed from impacts and sheering forces, others limped along with sub-light barely functioning while others had shields flickering in places. Even more had ragged gaps a mid-ship, Asari exterior camera's able to see through those half dead vessels of gnarled bulkheads, shattered armor, and leaking gases.

The human flagship fired once more, a searing, burning pillar of light that tore through the engine room of a wounded frigate, leaving nothing but spinning corpses and hull pieces as the other ships joined in. They fired everything they had, not content to let the Batarian's escape their vengeance.

"Captain? Should we try to stop them? Shooting a fleeing enemy could be seen as a borderline warcrime" the pilot informed in a crisp tone, her eyes betraying a thankfulness just to be alive.

Normally, most Asari would have a very serious problem watching an ally shooting fleeing enemies in the back. It went against their peaceful and diplomatic nature…and against a few laws of warfare. But the Batarian's had hunted them…committed grievous sins not only against her people, but the System's Alliance as well.

Celeste shook her head in a very human manner. "We barely survived our engagement and most of our ships are badly damaged, not to mention those vessels dead in space in need of rescue. Let those monsters suffer for the crimes they committed against the human's" she finished with finality.

Moving to take a seat at her command chair, the alien woman stopped as a bulkhead had crushed the fixed piece of furniture, spilling sparking wiring where she would normally sit. Sighing, she kept standing as the running battle continued to unfold. "Begin search and rescue, prioritize critical ships first" she ordered, weariness and exhaustion flooding her tone. Wiping more of the blue blood from the leaking wound of her scalp, Celeste V'toll gave another silent prayer to Athena in thanks.

By the time Sub-Commander Av'sher reached the Mass Relay nearly two hours later, Savat'tah City was one of twenty three bleeding, broken vessels remaining in system. The Rear guard had already fled, the cowardly officer in charge seeing the hopelessness of battle.

The pilot sent the proper signal to the relay, the Prothean technology surging to life around his battered and half dead flagship.

Another beam of searing yellow burned through the last light frigate, breaking the ship into two spinning pieces as Batarian's spilt into the void, their bodies thrashing as glowing, azure illumination from the relay reflected across dying eyes.

"GET US THROUGH! NOW!" Av'sher screamed in morale broken panic. Any semblance of fighting or resistance had crumbled nearly an hour ago, and the few ships that had tried to turn and fight…were slaughtered by mass volleys, sprint missiles and burning lances of superheated light.

Savat'tah City surged through the relay three seconds later with her few companions, leaving behind the billowing ashes of Admiral Bi'shan's flagship and the 7th fleet to spend an eternity among the frozen expanse of Reach.

Four hours later, near the Kuat Shipyards in orbit of Reach VII

Structures and refineries dotted the small moon's pockmarked surface, glowing like tiny pinpoints while dozens of connected space docks, reinforced transportation routes and angular tunnels dug into the moon itself, leading to the interior habitats and living spaces of the construction yards. Freighters, tugs and repair vessels pulled horrendously wounded Coalition ships into open bays, many still glowing from the horrid damage they sustained. Hardened docking tunnels extended to access points, allowing shipyard teams to begin the arduous task of retrieving the wounded and dead among the gnarled and broken ships.

Essentially a small city in itself, the factories, smelting refineries, interior farms, apartment blocks and other vitals of a space based structure were home to nearly eighty thousand Seran's. Fortunately at the far side of the system during the battle, the vital shipyards had gone completely unscathed.

The Asari ships had maintained their distance at a million miles, placing themselves around the colony vessels while the human's maintained a watchful eye from a haphazard collection of their least damaged warships. Earlier, one of the Asari Republic destroyers had tried to move closer to the bustling and sprawling shipyards, which resulted in the immediate targeting by the humans. A warning shot had been fired, flying harmlessly past the bow and into the roiling yellows and reds of the distant gas giant.

But that hostile stance had made the message very clear. 'Don't move'

After that tense moment, neither group moved for hours as most were content to just lick their wounds and try to repair what they could.

Looking out the main bridge window, T'voll strained her eyes to spot one of the human vessels, but could only see the inked velvet of the stars. They were out there, but the sheer distances involved were far greater than any eyes could see. "Anything from the human's?" Celeste inquired while rubbing the bandages swathed around her head.

"Nothing. Aside from that warning shot earlier and the minimal comm traffic from the shipyard, there hasn't been anything"

"It's easy to understand why they haven't. We're a completely unknown element on top of what the Batarian's did. They 're probably trying to figure out if we're hostile or not" another officer voiced, her own tone heavy with regret.

They all knew that because of the Council's folly and failure to properly reconnaissance Nueva Thessa of threats before settlement, it had led the Batarian's to this lost colony's doorstep.

The Asari needed to find some way to atone for their failure's.

The crewman at sensors stirred, her back going rigid. Granted, half of them were offline at the moment to conserve power and feed the starving shield generators and life support, but they still could glean the surrounding space.

"Captain! Sensors are picking up more of those singularities! Approximately one million kilometers from our position!"

Celeste was at the station in moments, looking over the crewman's shoulder at the readings. "Bring the images up on the main screen"

"Numbers of spatial fissures climbing! Five hund—no, seve—nearly nine hundred singularities have formed! Ships are emerging!" The crewman passed sensors over the impossible breeches in the universe, then felt her blue blood chill as the latest's readouts ran across the screen. "Goddess. That's impossible"

"Clarify! Are these human ships!?" Celeste demanded to know, fearing a fresh slaughter of combat.

"They are! Engine signatures and hull design match! I'm reading five pocket dreadnaughts, two main battle dreadnaughts and one unknown! Length over three point three kilometers! Along with nine hundred ships of varying classes!"

"WHAT!? That's impossible! Not even the Destiny Ascension is that big!" Celeste exclaimed in growing fear, the fact that they had become horrifically outgunned still trying to register in her mind. Studying the ships gliding across the viewscreen, the Asari felt a lump form in her throat as the new ramifications stampeded through her exhausted mind.

"No single world could field such a fleet. This…this isn't the System Alliance at all"

5th Fleet entering the Reach system. Flagship Ephyra

Admiral Adrian Trescu had been fully briefed on the horrific situation that had befallen Reach by Commander Strand hours before. And if he had been made aware, so was Chairman Diaz and the Joint Chiefs.

The disaster had only been salvaged by the Commander, her skill, bravery, and sheer audacity defeating the 'four eyes' in a desperate clash of battle. The fact that the second group of aliens, the blue females had assisted wasn't lost on him.

At the very least, they seemed to be cooperating and not threatening renewed genocide.

But it didn't change the fact that those aliens led a full fleet into the Reach system which led to millions of war dead.

An atrocity that would be repaid tenfold.

The alien squadron was in range, hovering in the darkness as his command moved to surround them. They hadn't tried to move, and frankly, if they did, he would take that as a hostile action.

"Von. Can you hack into their systems?"

The floating cube at his side flashed a dull yellow, hovering above the small A.I. console nearby. "Easily. Most of the alien vessels appear to be civilian grade. Or too badly damaged to put up much of a cyber warf—done"

"Good. Download anything of value. Language, Culture, maps, their homeworld and anything about those mongrels that Commander Strand crushed in battle. Once downloaded, begin an immediate translation of their language. I want to know who the hell we're dealing with"

"Right away, Admiral"

Clasping his hands with elbows rested on the arm-rests, Adrian Trescu simply waited as the bridge crew read incoming data at their respective stations, waiting for the slightest inclination the aliens became hostile.

The second generation A.I. completed the translation of the alien language in three hours twelve minutes and nine seconds. Not only that, but Von managed to compile a location of their home-world, culture, a detailed map of the full relay network, the citadel…everything that the Coalition needed to know about both species that invaded the Reach system. Translating the new language to standard Tyran, the artificial intelligence learned and learned.

It was a boon of information and data.

Von lit up the tactical holo-display, showing a representation of the galaxy. Admiral Trescu stood at the 'south' his gaze falling onto the swirling mass of stars as the A.I. illuminated different sections of the four-armed galaxy by different color schemes.

"Have you finished?" the X.O. asked with a rough grumble, the gruff and scarred face of Trevin Paynor still serving faithfully at his side. Standing at the far side of the circular table of swirling lights, he defined the look of a full on bastard. And Adrian trusted him to fight his fleet if he ever was incapacitated.

"Yes. However there are still terabytes of information to study properly. Given the situation, I prioritized maps and military targets of several species that are allied with the alien females"

"So. Who are the females and those four eyed assholes?" Trescu asked, the man expecting an answer as Von appeared above the roiling galaxy, his cube shape darkened to a harsh onyx. Highlighting a curvature of space around the Eastern edge of the central black hole, it became a tinted pink with the words 'Asari Republics' stamped across the territory, almost touching the Western borders of Coalition space along the Eastern galaxy arm. To the north, or 'top' of the galaxy was orange, highlighting the 'Salarian Union' Wedged between the two was a sliver of territory highlighted as the 'Krogan Demilitarized Zone. Directly West along the far arm was another stellar empire marked as the 'Turian Hierarchy' which in turn was located directly above the 'System's Alliance'

Brighter pinpricks began to pop-up, showing homeworld's and colonies which could only make Trevin shake his head in disbelief.

"Unbelievable. It's like they don't care that hostile species could find their most vital colonies" To the second in command of the 5th fleet, it was foolish and naïve. Ever since the war began, all civilian data concerning Seran worlds had been wiped from every colony, only entrusted to military forces.

They could not afford the Toads finding any more of their worlds to continue their genocide. Re-asserting his gaze, the shorter male listened as Von began to report his findings.

"The females are known as Asari and are actually mono-gendered. They have a unique genetic ability to mate with any species in the known galaxy. The concept of calling them female is to ease understanding with their allies" Von's surfaced pulsed another glowing yellow, taking on hints of red as the southern portion of the galaxy turned brown. "The second species that committed the atrocity of Reach are known as Batarians. A highly violent and aggressive species, they commonly practice piracy and slavery outside Citadel Council space. A few years ago they were still part of the council with heavy probations and trade embargoes which finally failed and caused them to fully withdraw, becoming a rouge state"

"What caused them to withdraw?"

Von highlighted a portion of the galaxy along the left, southern arm, the territory taking on a purple hue. "The Terran's of the System Alliance had settled several worlds pre-contact, and wouldn't give them up when the Batarian's claimed rights of settlement. This has led to slave raids, piracy and a general hatred between the two species"

Paynor scowled, his ears and eyes disbelieving as the A.I. brought up an image of the 'Terrans' "This is no time for joking, Von! Millions of our people died just hours before!" the short, squat man yelled, slamming his palm against the nearby banister. Glaring at the images of a man and woman, the man would have strangled the A.I. if he could.

"This is no joke, Commander Paynor. There are countless files on the Terrans downloaded from the Asari computers"

Trescu had a million questions on how there could be a secondary form of humanity in the cosmos, but any shock of this revelation had to be pushed to the side for now, despite how shattering it was. "That is not a primary concern right now. Right now, I need viable targets for a counter-attack and if I should blow those Asari out of the sky" Adrian uttered in a calmly even tone, knowing that the longer this took, the faster the enemy could regroup or reinforce.

The map zoomed inward, Von centering on Reach and the alien sky key before pulling backward a bit. "This is a Mass Relay and is used by all species in known space with the exception of us and the Klor'vian Caliphate. It allows near instant transportation across large distances" Extending a green line between Reach, it dragged to a star system over four hundred and fifty light years away, then connected to another star system less then ten light years to the west. Between the highlighted systems were two more, devoid of life. Representations of the Relays blinked into existence for both systems along with the life bearing worlds of a jungle planet and a more temperate Pangea type to the West.

"The Batarian's have fled to this system, most likely already having informed their government of our existence and their defeat. Taking and holding this system should be a top priority"

"But those beasts know the location of Reach now. They'll be counter-attacking in days no doubt" Adrian reasoned, his mind already flooding with the horrible ramifications.

"Highly unlikely, Admiral. All ships in Citadel space and beyond are restrained to using the Mass Relay's and element zero as a fuel source. Without that vital network, none of their ships can even approach 0.15 percent light speed. It took the Asari and Batarian's over two months to travel a mere nine light years before opening up a dormant relay and arriving here from Nueva Thessa"

Von paused, then pulsed a pleasant green as code rippled across the surface as he accessed more data. "None of these species have anything equivalent to Slip-space drives, by all accounts, we have a severe technical advantage in terms of travel and directed laser weapons. Not even the Turian fleets have anything like our Hammer of Dawn"

The wheels in both officer's heads turned, the implication of the tactical advantage they now wielded becoming apparent.

"We can crush those four-eyed assholes in days, Adrian! And they wont even know we're coming until they're burned from the sky! We can make them pay for making war on our people!"

"Agreed. We need to get the 5th moving if we want to secure both ends of this damned relay" the man didn't even turn, only barking out orders to the pilots. "Plot a course for the jungle planet system. First we destroy all those directly responsible"

"Yes sir" the two females chorused, already imputing and plotting spatial co-ordinates.

Von stirred once more, researching more data in mere moments. "Admiral, before we depart, I must point out that the Asari were victims of Batarian aggression as well. They were hunted with slavery or death as a fate after their colony world was seized. They had no idea of our existence and were extremely desperate to flee. There is also the full combat report from Commander Strand showing them fighting as well despite their general desire for diplomacy over conflict"

"Desperate, huh?" Adrian muttered, his right hand absentmindedly stroking his goatee. Deep down, he could understand. Their whole species had seen terribly desperate times against the locust and he couldn't fault people fleeing slavery, which disgusted him on a whole other level.

"Comms! Patch me through to Commander Strand!" the Admiral bellowed.

"Sir!" the nearby crewman complied, connecting communications with the beaten and bleeding Battleship. In seconds, a tiny, flickering image of the woman appeared, her face swathed in bandages as she gave a salute.

"Admiral"

"Commander, I'm leaving you a mixed force of destroyers, battle cruisers, and a lone cruiser. Approximately sixty fresh ships along with four repair vessels to assist. Von's transfering all the data we've learned to your vessel, including the translation program for the Asari"

"I take it you don't want to destroy them?"

"No. While it's imperative you keep on guard, I believe they can be trusted enough not to kill us. Escort them to the shipyards for repairs and resupply. But only enough to not jeopardize your own repairs or relief efforts on Reach, understood?"

"Yes sir, I'll inform them of the situation immediately"

Adrian gave a light pause, folding his hands behind his back. "And commander? Try to be pleasant to them. I'm sure Chairman Diaz will want to meet the only known species that hasn't tried to exterminate or enslave us"

Jayde Strand gave the ghost of smile, despite the horrors of the day. "I can be pleasant to anybody, sir"

The image disappeared, Adrian stepping away from the holo display table. "Commander Paynor, you have command. I have mountains of data to go through"

"Especially about those Terrans"

"Sir" the scowling, squat man replied, taking the main chair as the 5th fleet plunged into the swirling blues and purples of slipspace once more…

18th of Rise. 422 A.E. Nueva Thessa System

Eight hundred forty ruptures in the universe formed, swirling with the familiar blues as electrical bolts jumped around the event horizons. Disgorging the full might of the 5th fleet within a brief minute, the ships came to a motionless stop high above the planetary elliptical. Maintaining their position at the far edge of the planetary system among swirling gases of hydrogen, helium and traces of argon, the Coalition vessels began to passively scan.

Admiral Trescu was seated in his chair, waiting patiently as the starting sensor sweep of the system began. He had already gone over the action report of the battle at Jungle-One, but there really hadn't been much to read. The fleet had caught those beaten and battered Batarian's holding station around that humid, steaming jungle world, trying to continue repairs with the help of those remaining hundred and fifty undamaged ships.

The battle was more accurately described as a slaughter. The firepower of his vessels had simply overwhelmed the defenders, most of them dying in the initial wave of massed slugs, torpedoes and HoD fire tearing into them from the rear and flanks. All told, barely two dozen had managed to turn and fight, but by then, their fates were sealed. Fusion suns had consumed them in fire, leaving nothing but spinning pieces of scrap and slagged hulls to fall into a haphazard orbit.

After that short engagement, the 5th reorganized for the next jump to Nueva Thessa, which brought them to the extreme reaches of the star system.

"It was extremely pleasing to hold numerical superiority for a change" Adrian thought before returning to the datapad in his hand. Having been studying the history of not only the races of the Citadel, but the System's Alliance as well during the nine day transit from Reach.

Ironically, he found the Turian's to be more relatable in terms of structure, society, and culture. A strong respect for their ancestors and military service. A need for all Turian's to follow the needs of their society, each individual doing their part. Hell, the Hierarch Oath of Honor was so similar to the Coalition's Octus Canon that it could have been written by the same author.

The same could not be said about the Terrans. A squabbling group of children that had never known true hardships or war. Their complaints about the Relay 314 incident was a joke and they left their homeworld to be an overpopulated mess with rampant pollution. Laws of justice almost favored the criminals in some cases, and the amount of political 'red tape' was frankly, mindboggling to him.

Not to mention the only way they managed to leave their home system was by finding long lost alien technology on the fourth planet of the home system. Which was just laziness in Adrian's eyes.

Adrian let out a soft sigh of disappointment. "At least they have competent infantry and some naval forces"

"Discover anything interesting about the Terrans, Sir?" the female officer at tactical asked, her gaze falling onto the displayed system of the holo-table as the sensor sweep painted a full picture. It was a seven planet system, Nueva Thessa the third world from the roiling furnace of the yellow dwarf. Two massive continents decorated the blue surface, separated by an ocean dotted with tiny islands and volcanoes. Two tiny moons affected the tides, pulling with their minor gravity fields as a nearby asteroid belt separated the garden world from the roiling mass of a purple gas giant located in the fourth orbit.

"I just can't believe these other human's would name their home-world 'dirt' At least name it Terra for hell's sake" the officer lightly groused while setting the data pad on his arm chair. Rising and crossing the bridge, he studied the soft light images. "Have the Batarian's noticed us, Ensign Mikels"

The young officer lightly shook her head, using a light pen to point out varying points of interest. "No Sir. The vast majority of the enemy fleet has taken station around the Mass Relay in a defensive posture at the western edge of the system. A small section of one hundred ships are in orbit of the colony world, possibly extracting minerals or establishing outposts on the surface"

"Well, that doesn't make much sense" Trescu muttered in observation.

"Sir?"

"I had assumed that these aliens would be preparing for our arrival. They had ample time to receive warning and to plan accordingly. Unless…" Adrian's eyes narrowed, the man thinking of the possibilities. "Citadel fleets arriving soon is a distinct possibility. Based on their laws and military, the Asari and Turians would not allow this blatant attack to stand. An invasion could be imminent or at least, a few weeks away depending on the deployment of nearby forces"

No matter. The situation called for another butchery of the Batarians, and their dispositions would allow it. "I want our forces to drop in close, right on their asses before they can muster a defense. Priority targets are capital and command vessels. Von?"

"Yes sir?"

"Full cyberwarfare. Anything you can do to sow confusion and destruction among them. Bring down shields, false commands, anything"

"Admiral, I was hoping for a challenge, not hacking the systems of pirates and slavers" the floating cube lightly jibed, his surface flickering yellow from his mirth.

"Prepare the fleet for Slipspace in three minutes. Battlestation's and full readiness" Trescu ordered, his voice crisp and clear.

The warbling klaxons bellowed throughout the 5th fleet, bathing hundreds of vessels in a crimson red as naval personnel scrambled to their battlestation's. In three minutes, the familiar swirls of slipspace appeared as the 5th fleet headed toward battle.

It was a short jump. Little more than ten minutes before those swirling openings in space flashed into existence and disgorged the terrifying firepower of Ephyra and her hundreds of followers directly behind the 9th fleet of the Batarians. In terms of space distances, it was close enough to stab them in the back.

Maybe the Batarian admiral was a fool. Maybe he was a tactical genius or a political appointee. Whatever the case, he would not get the chance to fight the Coalition forces. Having been ordered by the Grand Shan to hold the system and halt any Citadel forces at the Relay, Admiral Dradgakan had tried to convince his superiors of the risk the human's posed from the newly discovered system that now gave safe harbor to the Asari colonists.

And they wrote it off as incompetence by Admiral Bi'shan and the cowardice of his officers and crews. They simply could not believe that a single squadron of human ships had bested nearly a whole fleet with unknown weapons, FTL, or continued the fight after a mass genocide. The Batarian's believed in their racial superiority, and such a loss would not, could not be acknowledged to their own military or civilian population.

It was a line of thinking that would pave way for another military disaster.

Ephyra fired mere seconds later, her four HoD batteries unleashing destructive beams of orange-yellow light directly into the exposed engines of Admiral Dradgakan's Dreadnaught, Fist of Oppression. Cutting through the engine rooms, middle decks, bulkheads, and eventually, the bridge with melting heat as her crew died in flashes of fire, the capital ship came apart into slagged pieces of tumbling flotsam and errant corpses.

Not to be outdone by the flagship, the two Dreadnaughts and four Battleships had fired their own beams of destruction, each claiming a command vessel with devastating effect as several enemy battleships came apart under the ruinous forces. Balpharus Bay launched her strikecraft from a protective cone of warships and escorts, the sleek and nimble fighters and bombers disgorging to make war.

Upon emerging from the spinning vortexes of slipspace, hundreds of Destroyers had begun their own attack runs on the vulnerable enemy, unleashing a massed volley of torpedoes at the stunned fleet and their exposed, glowing blue engines. With heavy support from Cruiser's firing thermic slugs and the Battlecruisers own 10kg shells, the massed volley was so initially devastating that the Batarian fleet would never recover. Nor have a chance.

The surprise had been total.

Approximately fourteen hundred fusion tipped torpedoes were part of that initial salvo, many of them overlapping in terms of targets as the first massed slugs and thermic shells tore thought the vulnerable engines rooms. Crews died, entire sections of bulkheads collapsing or rendering from those initial strikes while hull platting and vital conduits of power literally melted from the heat.

No matter the species or ship type. No matter the heaviest armors or shields. None could protect the vital engines from enemy fire or apocalyptic damage. The sheer output of heat, raw exhaust, and flood of harmful elements and particles made shields and armor impossible. The only viable defense was not to expose the weak point for your enemy to exploit.

Which the Batarian Grand Shan had failed at by tying the hands of Admiral Dradgakan and the 9th fleet by ignoring the threat of the Coalition. But let's be honest, even if he had managed to deploy his forces around the main colony, or an asteroid field, or in a system of moons around a gas giant, his chances of victory were slim compared to the technical and weapon advantages the Seran's enjoyed.

Five seconds later, the torpedoes reached their targets as they exploded on contact with those glowing engines.

Now to be fair, the surviving command structure did their utmost to bring their ships to bear against the Coaliton, the 3rd and 4th squadrons under Lt. Commander Gavon'sha and Commander Trevgan'kor having the largest amount of time to at least bring broadsides and anti-shipping defenses to bear.

But the 1st and 2nd Squadrons of the Batarian 9th fleet?

They were doomed from the moment battle started.

Fusion suns burned across the darkened void, consuming four hundred and thirty eight ships that quickly became an expanding field of debris, broken hulls, slagged metals and frozen corpses in the last gasps of horror. In many places, a single destroyer or frigate bore the brunt of three…sometimes four of those fusion warheads, leaving nothing but splintered embers.

"Full broadsides! All ships return fire in a staggered retreat to the relay! It's our only chance!" Commander Trevgan'kor yelled, spittle flying from his mouth as chilled fear crept up his spine. Having watched nearly half of the fleet die in less than five minutes, the Commander knew deep down that they were royally fucked.

"Not even the Turian's could have built a monster like that" he shuddered, risking another glimpse of…for lack of a better term, a Super-Dreadnaught leading an escort of six smaller, but just as deadly Dreadnaughts toward the remnants of the 9th fleet.

It fired again, four beams of orange energy cutting a damaged light cruiser in half, a mercilessly cold act upon sailors who could no longer fight.

He briefly thought how the human's had managed to surpass the supreme military power of the Turian's or develop an unknown mean's of FTL, let alone energy beams.

Casting two of his four eyes at the tactical table, he could feel the lump in his throat rise as the ships under his command began to return fire from extreme ranges. "The only reason we still live" He muttered hollowly, knowing the distances from the initial clash was the only reason he breathed. The attack flashed across space, a massed volley of shells that were rapidly intercepted by overlapping fields of defensive fire.

"Maintain a heavy fire and target their destroyer forces. We have no chance against the massed firepower of those capital ships"

Blue and purple lasers stabbed through the silent vacuum, claiming Batarian munitions en masse. But even with the advantage of numbers, surprise and an A.I. already working to disrupt shield operations of the remaining command vessels, some massed slugs still broke through from the continuous fusillade.

Thirteen destroyers, one battlecruiser, and one cruiser took hits, their shields flaring as follow up volleys came on the heels of the first. More damage was taken across the line, some vessels actually taking strikes against their hulls. Cracks and fissures broke open across a dozen destroyers, some helpless Seran's spilling into the void, but it was few and far between compared to battles of the past.

"Commader! The human's are starting cyberwarfare against us! Nearly thirty vessels are reporting failing shields, including our own! Even more are receiving conflicting reports and status updates!"

"Then counter them! And keep firing!"

By then, however, the Seran's had pushed into effective range. Beginning a violent race to either the relay…or massed destruction. Staggering to the decking as his own pocket battleship was struck by massed shells, he grimaced as damage alarms screamed. "REPORT!" the Batarian bellowed as rage began to take over his fear.

"Hull breaches along forward sections five through twelve! Mid sections six through nine are open to space! Dozens killed or wounded!" the younger sailor reported, his nerves flayed with dread.

"Keep falling back to the relay!" Trevgan'kor bellowed, his forces continually firing hundreds of massed slugs every five seconds.

Three thermic slugs aimed at his battleship, Door Breecher were miraculously intercepted by a nearby frigate, this smaller vessel becoming nothing more than melted slag. To the left, a burning beam of light tore a destroyer in half, halting its fire as the innards of the ship spilled into space. All along the Batarian line, the ships bore increasing damage and losses, each second claiming lives as defensive batteries flared purple among shuddering shields and beaten armor. Engines flared, pushing more thrust as the beaten command jinked and turned in a long, running slalom with their broadsides continuing to lay down staggered volleys.

"Incoming strike craft! High attack vector! Approximately one hundred fifty!"

"Hold them off for thirty seconds!

The sleek and nimble craft raced in, their pilots eager for battle. Blasts of defensive lasers from several outlying light cruisers and destroyers claimed nine in the opening salvo, but it wasn't enough to deter this first strike. Weaving into the chaotic fray, the fighters and bombers began their attack runs. Blue lasers erupted from the nose of the fighters, tearing up hull and breaking shields of the Batarian flotilla. Deploying their missiles, they paved the way for the bombers as fusion tipped warheads sped through the darkness.

Some were destroyed, but like all attacks, something was bound to break through as the ships crews fired desperately.

Tiny suns bloomed like roiling fire, claiming nineteen destroyers, twelve frigates, and two light cruisers in cataclysmic fire and heat. Five more frigates and a light cruiser survived, but barely as they were reduced to mobile platforms of twisted bulkheads and slagged hulls.

Those five ships were only saved by the defensive laser fire of nearby friendlies claiming another seventeen strike craft and bombers, their protective shields simply not up to the task of stopping that amount of heat and light. Flying away to regroup, they had a grand view of the battle below among the swirling chaos encroaching toward the relay.

By this point, Batarian fire had destroyed nearly thirty Coalition ships, primarily destroyers as their dead husks spun and drifted. Another one hundred thirteen ships had been damaged, seventeen critically, including five Battlecruisers who limped to the rear with armored buckled or simply hulls open to space among the twisted slag of impact sites. Still disgorging gases and in some cases, struggling to quench internal fires, their fight was over…as was the battle.

Trevgan'kor flinched as a burst vent billowed humid gases onto his bridge, adding to the misery as consoles blew from several more hits, no doubt sowing more damage and death among his crews.

If he could see the exterior of his ship, some sections were just…gone, including the mess hall which had been gutted by impacts. Hull still glowed in many places, gnarled and twisted…just like most of his command.

"Relay is activated, Commander!"

"All ships retreat! If you fall behind, you die!" he bellowed, his rough voice linked to all vessels. Another burning beam of light claimed a destroyer next to Door Knocker, simply vaporizing the vessel.

The Batarian's began to slip through, escaping in flashes of light to begin the long retreat toward the Lav'ton system.

Admiral Trescu was not shy about shooting a fleeing enemy in the back as they tried to retreat. His ships surged forward with a continuous, rolling barrage that tore into the rear ranks of the beaten, claiming another twenty three vessels before the last, gutted light cruiser made transit.

"How many escaped, Von?" he asked the A.I. with a scowl, his ire already rising at his own casualty list. "Thirty two vessels lost, one hundred seventeen damaged in total, seventeen critically"

"Approximately three hundred twenty two vessels managed to escape the system. This number doesn't include the construction ships or their escorts around Nueva Thessa, Admiral" the floating cube reported in a crisp tone before adding. "I was honestly surprised by the enemy commander. I fully expected the remaining forces to charge directly into our superior firepower"

"I probably would have acted in a similar manner. Too bad though, I relish the chance to make brave fools die for uninhabited systems" Adrian conceded, mentally giving a small amount of praise to the outnumbered and outgunned Batarian officer.

But that small praise wouldn't give him a cause to show mercy to the butchers of Reach. Moving a light pen, he highlighted the garden world and the enemy force still in high orbit.

No doubt in a state of pure panic.

"Destroy those ships and bombard any surface instillations or construction. I want this system cleared of all enemy forces. After we secure the system, we collect our dead and salvage our ships before holding around the planet"

"Yes sir!"

The commands went out, leaving the shattered remains of the Batarian fleet to float among the whisps of gases, tumbling pieces of debris, and the frozen corpses of the defeated.

Venroe System. 719 light years from Nueva Thessa

By all appearances and means, the Venroe star system was worthless. No element zero. No habitable planets and the worlds that did circle the dim, yellow star were dead and mineral poor. Half those worlds traversed an immense asteroid field every year, thus undergoing seasonal bombardment that rained down destruction to blast the pockmarked surfaces. This doesn't even take into account the swirling gases of the Venroe Nebula that plagued sensors and slowed movements across half the system of frozen worlds.

But, there was one thing that made the system worth knowing. And that was the Mass Relay locked in orbit of an ice covered planet at the fringes of the system. Considered a Citadel junction Relay, this particular piece of Prothean technology could link with a dozen different systems. Ten of those destinations lay in Council Space, one Nueva Thessa, and the last was the Batarian colony of Lav'ton.

The Salarian stealth craft was laying among the gases of hydrogen, argon, helium and minor other elements, waiting for any changes to report to the Council and assembling fleets. Barely a whisper in terms of output and residual energy, nobody would find it unless the Salarian's deemed it necessary.

Crewed by five agents, the Salarian's worked diligently…despite the boredom, an enemy of all Salarian thought. After all, nothing had happened since they dropped into the conquered system and learned of the Batarian's hostility.

Besop Izoni was the team leader, a female of ten years with flecks of black spots covering the normally brown features of her slim head. Black, bulbous eyes again flicked to the sensors, willing for something to happen.

At least she hadn't been in charge of the initial agent team, the ones that had completely missed the advancement of two Batarian battle fleets into the junction which resulted in the current hostilities. Izoni had no illusions those failures were scrubbing mold inside vent shafts for the rest of their lives.

Another foolish issue was the lack of Asari defenses. They knew this was a critical junction yet had failed to properly defend it. A grievous error on their part.

The distant relay stirred, mechanizations building up as the central core grew brighter, pushing out azure light. Of course, the Salarian team immediately noticed as they huddled around sensor stations, their bulbous eyes reflecting bits of computer data.

"Incoming vessels, agent Izoni. All available sensors are centered and functioning" the male Salarian nearby informed quickly, gaining a terse and rapid nod.

Scans swept across the system, taking in the first flashes of light as Batarian vessels emerged.

"Interesting…and unexpected"

"What is?" Izoni asked, walking over to peer over the shoulder of her compatriot, her eyes quickly absorbing the data.

Nearly all the ships were damaged, some so badly they leaked air…or were mangled with twisted spines and warped bulkheads stripped of hull plating. A secondary, internal explosion rocked one of the smaller vessels, blowing open the midsection as the vessel limped in a slow effort to turn among the constant arrival of more gnarled wrecks. They would have to eventually come about to re-enter the Relay to transit toward the Hegemony, but that would take at least half an hour.

Plenty of time to assess and collect data.

"Agent. Total Batarian vessels number three hundred twenty-two. Barely a fifth of total estimated forces of 7th and 9th fleets. Nearly all damaged from minimal to severe degree. Likely in full retreat"

"But what caused the retreat? Possible civil war? Or betrayal by pirates? Batarians are known to use mercenary forces to bolster military efforts? Possible Asari survived, started hit and run tactics? Possible unknown party? Too many questions, not enough answers" Izoni asked, the questions hanging in the air as they continued to gather intel.

True to her estimate, the broken naval forces fled into the relay within half an hour, leaving nothing but a few stray scraps of errant hull, a few unfortunate souls, and silence.

But questions needed answers, and Salarian's don't like the unknown.

"Enter the Relay. Must re-assess Nueva Thessa before arrival of fleet in ten days. Possible trap. Could spell disaster" the female reasoned as the tiny stealth craft crept toward the large artifact, leaving the safety of their hiding spot.

Finally entering the relay, the ship shot across the light years to the target system of Nueva Thessa. Emerging in a burst, the Salarians quickly went into evasion mode, knowing that they needed to avoid detection at all costs.

But it was all for nothing. There was no pursuit. No incoming fire or demands through communication. Just…a field of wreckage that expanded thousands of miles.

"Scans! Quickly!" Izoni barked, her own eyes glued to the view screens showing hundred of spinning Batarian wrecks. Some were orbited by the dead crews, the corpses now frozen as flotsam danced and bounced off of larger hull pieces.

"Assessing…total tonnage estimates remainder of Batarian fleet. Between five and six hundred vessels…scans are picking up engine signatures approximately two million kilometers away" Zooming in all sensors and cameras, the stealth craft watched.

There was no need to ask or command as the sensor agent put the data on a larger screen, displaying blocky, ugly vessels towing similar wrecks toward the colony. Escorts around them resembled rifles, a dull gray armor that advertised utilitarian over aesthetic aspects.

"Are they Batarian? Possible pirates?"

The male input more commands on the light keys, his slender fingers flying before rapidly shaking his head in disagreement. "Negative. No matching elements in any database for these ships. Completely unknown" the male paused, but only for a moment before inputting fresh commands. "Scanning Nueva Thessa for Batarian forces"

The agent team waited nearly ten seconds, an eternity of time.

"All Batarian ships are either destroyed or fled. Full fleet of unknowns in high orbit, approximately eight to nine hundred vessels. Hmmm…not possible. Must rescan"

"What's not possible?"

"No element zero from any engines. No signatures of element discharge from any unknown vessel. Also, flagship size estimates over two miles, or three point three kilometers in length. Construction size comparable to Destiny Ascension. Must assume firepower is on similar standing"

It took only 1. 7 seconds for agent Besop Izoni to come to the logical conclusion. They were in the presence of a first contact scenario. The unmatched hulls and energy signatures, the near destruction of the batarian fleet. It followed all the logical signs.

"Must inform council of possible first contact. Possible third party at war with Batarians. Could be valuable ally…or enemy. Must use caution. Hide among wreckage and continue observation. I will file report immediately"

Widow System. Citadel Council. Two hours later.

Councilor Tevos sat in silence after reading the latest report…for the third time. Events had completely flipped in the last few hours, and she still wasn't sure what the effect would be. Before, she had feared the casualties of re-taking Nueva Thessa. Not only in ships, but ground forces as well. Because everybody knew the Batarians may be disgusting, but they were competent in terms of military affairs.

But now? Now those forces were gone. Either fled in disgrace or simply destroyed by an unknown, alien fleet that had appeared out of nowhere. And with their own forces still nearly ten days away, the only ones on site were the STG agents.

Tuvea Procus gave a turian grunt, looking over the alien ship classes. Or the ones that the Salarian's managed to scan without discovery. "I'll give the aliens this, they know how to build a proper warship"

If ever, a watered down statement of jealousy for a fleet flying six dreadnaughts and a super dreadnaught surrounded by hundreds of vessels. And so utilitarian! No wasted space on making them look pleasing or pretty. His recollection of his naval service stirred. How he would love to see that flagship up close! He briefly wondered where they had come from, but if they could make peaceful contact, that question would no doubt be answered.

"While impressive and no doubt responsible for the Hegemony's humiliation, we must ensure the Citadel Fleets are well aware of alien forces in orbit around the colony. Quite possible to be hostile to all. Might consider the world their territory. Diplomacy and establishing peaceful communications essential. Cannot risk another relay 314 incident"

The reasoning words from Vokok Junisa, the Salarian councilor was never more true. The Citadel Council could not botch another first contact. Especially only a few years after the debacle with humanity.

"At least the colony is out of Batarian hands, so the likelihood of hostilities is lower" Tevos voiced before continuing. "I think Admiral's Tiberius and B'Sayle should both take part in the contact process, to show how two different species can work together. After we accomplish that, we can start negotiating for our colony" Tevos blinked, a new thought emerging. "Assuming the aliens don't immediately open fire on our fleets"

"I agree. A unified front will show strength and harmony" Procus assented.

With that said, the three councilors went about informing the higher echelons of their military and civilian governments of this drastic change of events.

Reach System. Kuat Shipyards. 28th of Rise.

Celeste V'toll found herself studying her haggard features in the reflective surface of the bar's exterior reinforced plexiglass. Taking a healthy drink of Vectes Cherry Rum, the ice cubes gave a small 'tink' against the glass containing the glowing, red liquor.

It was delicious.

Extending her gaze into the depths of space, the Asari captain could make out Coalition repair and supply ships ferrying materials, food and other essentials to her broken command. Her flagship, the Justicar Vali was in spacedock, one of the four slips the Serans had loaned to the Asari for repair purposes.

Which, considering the horrific casualties they had suffered on Reach, was a blessing.

The days and reports had blurred together after the battle, the woman almost positive the Serans would decide to kill them anyway as punishment for leading the Hegemony to their shores.

But that event never materialized.

What had happened was they were hacked by an A.I. A breakage of Citadel law that, frankly, Celeste had no place to judge considering her own crimes. She had the fleet's computer specialist's go over every system effected by the intrusion, but nothing had been found. Which meant they were so far behind in terms of computation knowledge they couldn't tell if there was malicious software still sitting in their computers. Or the A.I had simply left, taking the knowledge it sought.

Either way, events had rapidly moved from that initial event.

They were given a translation program for proper communication and a semblance of aid despite the fact this section of the shipyards had been sealed from the general working population and the local military forces.

Any attempts to negotiate or push past the Gears to open those sealed section doors were met with, at best, silent judgment. At worst, a rifle butt to the stomach or head.

It had happened only once with one of the lower officers, but the message had been clear.

Stay where we can see you.

"The Coalition of Ordered Governments" Celeste whispered to herself, still in awe at how this was even possible. It would give historians, conspiracy theorists, and anthropologists years and years worth of arguments on how two separate branches of humanity had formed and developed.

In her few conversations with Commander Jayde Strand, the facts had been laid bare quickly.

The Serans were not affiliated with Earth.

They were not part of the Systems Alliance.

They were a legitimate stellar empire built around Slipspace travel, a fact that blew the minds of the engineers across the colonial fleet. The sheer advantage of exploration, colonization and scientific study the Coalition enjoyed could begin a new age of travel for the known galaxy.

As for the size of the Seran's territory? The number of inhabited worlds or military forces? Celeste couldn't say. Jayde had been tightlipped about any planet names or systems, only divulging that the homeworld was Sera. By the goddess, that green haired woman wouldn't even give the proper name of their home system.

And that was another thing that bothered her. The physical differences.

At first Celeste and her officers and technicians had thought it was just a fluke, a random observation. But as they encountered more of the Seran military and their repair crews over the last ten days, that observation was quickly replaced.

On average, Seran females stood 5'10" to six feet tall while the males could reach an average height of 6'4" to 6'6"

This put them in the same height bracket as the Turians and Krogan. Granted, there would be discrepancies based on individuals, as some would be shorter or taller than the average. But this meant that most of them stood taller than most Earthlings.

The other major difference was the hair colorations. While the humans of Earth ranged from red, brown, blonde and black, the Seran's enjoyed a complete color spectrum. Green and purple, white and pink, blue and orange along with traditional colors made them look vibrant.

When Celeste had inquired Commander Strand about it, the Seran naval officer was quick to inform her that it was the result of harmless genetic tailoring over the centuries after their victory over the locust.

Celeste V'toll involuntarily shuddered, downing the rest of her cherry rum in one full gulp. The historical files that she had been given just yesterday by the Commander…were haunting. No.

Horrifying.

By all accounts, the Serans had fought a genocidal, extinction level war against subterranean monsters on their home planet. They burned the surface in a scorched earth policy that put the nuclear wars of Tuchanka to shame. Cities were sunk into the hollow, a cause of the Riftworm.

Another horror in itself.

Grubs. Berserkers. Kryll and Nemacyst. Reavers, Grinders and Kantus Priests. Brumaks and Corpsers. They were only part of the nightmare as the last few years of the war saw the rise of the Lambent, a parasitic, hostile lifeform that attacked human and locust alike.

Almost like a hive mind.

And they won. Achieving victory at the cost of nearly their entire species and civilization.

Then they began to rebuild, managing to re-achieve spaceflight in barely a century. And without the aid of Element Zero, or the remains of Prothean technology. They forged their own path with sweat, blood and ingenuity to preserve their existence.

By every measure, what the Seran people had accomplished in the last few centuries was amazing. With the Quarians and Krogan, those two species broke under the hanging sword of extinction, becoming a refugee nation or squabbling, warring clans. But the remnants of the Seran population untied, putting all their effort into re-establishing their shattered world consumed by fire.

And for nearly four hundred years, they had achieved a well deserved and lasting peace. Something that Celeste, and other Asari could respect.

But that peace had been shattered by the Batarians, and now the Coalition was at war again. Of that, she had no doubt.

"I can already tell the Krogan are going to be big fans of the Seran's"

Celeste looked up from her table, not even noticing the civilian captain approach. Avil Re'vale commanded the colony ship, Seleucia, and had been privy to the historical knowledge presented. In fact, she was one of four Asari that knew of that genocidal history. The other two were the Captains of Selara and Teresa, the remaining two colonization ships.

For the moment, that knowledge would be kept under wraps. At least for the moment.

Studying the other Asari, Celeste couldn't help but admire the gold flecks dotting the light purple face, showing a high attractiveness. Holding two fresh glasses of that delicious rum, the other female sat down at the table, presenting the chilled beverage.

Celeste momentarily forgot about the earlier statement, taking another satisfying drink.

"You're not wrong. They'll see many parallels between the history of Tuchanka and Sera. The Turians will no doubt form a heavy respect for their warfare capabilities. And the Salarians will be itching at the chance to study a slipspace drive"

Avil took a small sip of her own drink, her own eyes hiding the horrific knowledge. "Thessia will have major issues with the Coaliton. Even taking away their use of A.I's, the Seran's seem perfectly willing to use bombardment of garden worlds during wartime. I understand they were extremely desperate those centuries ago, but many of our own people will be disturbed none the less"

"I'm more concerned about how the Systems Alliance will react. You know some of those politicians from Earth will want to absorb the Coalition"

Avil scoffed lightly, casting her gaze around the deserted bar. Not even the bartender was present, just the flatscreen behind the bar glowing with the repeating news from Reach and the recovery efforts. A newscaster was talking about the visiting Chairman to the devastation, but the volume was muted, leaving the two Asari alone in the drinking establishment. A lone business in the sprawl of the Kuat Shipyards. "If anything, the Coalition would absorb them. I doubt the Alliance navy could even stand up against that one fleet. By all accounts, the Seran's are more advanced than the Earthlings. Establishing naval dominance would be easy" The woman drank a little more. "Assuming they would bother traveling across the galaxy to carry out such a mission"

Celeste gazed out the window, watching as more minor craft drifted by, powered by low thrust. "I almost pity the Batarians for attacking the Coalition. The Serans won't be very forgiving, considering the devastation of their colony"

The doors to the bar slid open, barely a hiss as Commander Strand strolled in. Her left arm was in a sling, the limb wrapped in a blue, gel-like cast while her right facial features were shrouded in thick bandages, barely covering the somewhat permanent scowl. Escorted by two, hulking Gears with lancer rifles held tight against their chests, the males took station by the doorway. The blue lenses embedded in the helmets seemed to just… stare at the duo of Asari, daring them to try anything.

"Commander? Is everything alright?" Avil inquired, the civilian ship captain starting to stand.

Jayde stopped half a dozen feet from the table, eyeing the drinks with jealousy. She would love nothing more than to take a break and have a few, maybe enjoy conversation with the Asari, but her responsibilities to Reach and the Coalition came first. She would have to ruin their downtime.

"Sober up ladies. Chairman Diaz wants to meet you. So, in eight hours, I expect you to be presentable and not have booze on your breath. Be at the checkpoint on time"

Turning, the emerald haired female strode out, leaving the two Asari alone with more questions unanswered.

Neither dared to finish their drinks as anxiousness took over their minds.

Captain V'toll made sure that she was early. Standing in a pressed and cleaned uniform, the alien female wanted to make a good impression as she waited near the checkpoint. With her was Avil Re'vale and a third Asari, Vae Ha'lesh, a cyber warfare and computer specialist. With skin a dark purple decorated with freckles of lighter blues, the specialist was brought to get answers about the A.I. incursion and to assess the possible risks to the colonization fleet.

With how many days it had been, the issue seemed moot, but caution was still in order. After all, the Asari were not in charge here.

Glancing nervously toward the four Gears guarding the large, sector door that led to the rest of the Kuat shipyards, Celeste couldn't help but eye those viscous rifles with attached chainsaw bayonets. Watching some of those historical, combat videos of Serans and locust actually having duels with those weapons had given her nightmares.

Just the thought of those teeth chewing their way through her shoulder was…

Celeste suppressed a shudder as the doors began to slide open, a soft groan of machinery pulling the towering blast doors upward.

Commander Strand stood there, another escort of four Gears surrounding her. Judging by the forms, it was easy to see that three of those silent soldiers were female, and no doubt just as dangerous.

"Good. Your ready. Follow me" the naval commander ordered in a clipped tone. Turning her back, Jayde expected to be followed, and she was.

The trio of Asari moved, finding themselves flanked on all sides.

Avil studied them, drowning out the heavy footfalls of their boots that marched in unison, and briefly wondered how they would fare against her biotics. She could enact a lift field and fling one, but by then, she would probably have a bullet in her head.

"Are you planning on having us walk the whole way?" Vae lightly asked, her youthful face of one hundred thirty years trying to take in the surroundings of a vastly deserted corridor. She had expected a bustle of movement and activity, but there was really nothing except offshooting passageways to some of the smaller construction slips and factories.

"Of course not. Kuat stretches nearly twenty kilometers end to end. Not to mention dozens of miles of inner tunnels and corridors. For the distance we have to travel, the train will be used" Stopping at a dull gray, maglev train resting at a mostly deserted station, the emerald haired woman strode past another group of Gears guarding area.

"The amounts of guards you have stationed isn't normal, is it?" Avil pointed out, making sure to keep a wide berth of the helmeted Gears.

Jayde stopped, then pointed down the long corridor to a line of Gears standing in front of a grouping of shouting, yelling Serans.

"The Gears are here to make sure those civilians don't charge in here and kill you. They lost family and friends on Reach and are looking for somebody to blame. Who better than the aliens that led the Batarians here in the first place" Jayde scowled, her frown deepening before approaching one of the Gears. "Sergeant. Disperse that crowd. They are in violation of the Fortification Act. If they don't comply after your first warning, use force"

"Consider it done, Commander"

With that, Jayde led the three Asari onto the maglev train with the accompanying Gears. Taking a seat, the transport began to move silently, swishing by the protesters as Gears beat them down with the butts of their rifles. Blood was spilled, many of the civilians gaining broken noses, bruisers or cracked ribs as the professional soldiers made quick work of them.

"I guess they didn't want to listen" Celeste morbidly thought before the train disappeared into a darkened tunnel, leaving the beaten and bloody behind.

Fifteen minutes later and they disembarked, striding into a milling throng of military and support personnel near the middle of the sprawling shipyards, which was home to Southern Naval Command. Men and women gave space to the party, their eyes and gazes showing surprise, curiosity, anger or indifference.

Celeste tried to ignore them all, her main focus of not screwing up this meeting as they walked into the main command center. Stopping at an unmarked side door, four more Gears stood at the entrance, the entirety of their armor painted a midnight black. Even the eye lenses were black, showing nothing except that there were two males and two females.

"Onyx Guards. I shouldn't have to point out that any attempts on the Chairman's life will be met with deadly force" Strand explained lightly as she presented her credentials.

The Onyx Guard gave a swift nod, waving the party of four through before his team followed, leaving the other Gears to cover the doorway. Taking station at the four corners of the room, the military men and women maintained their silence.

Celeste saw it was a small conference room. Nothing grand or elegant about it. Just a normal table with chairs surrounding the central piece of furniture. There wasn't even a window. Only a pitcher of water with several glasses had been filled, three at one end while the other two took the far end, condensation dripping along the chilled surface.

Then, there sat the leader of the CoG, Chairman Izabel Diaz.

"Please. Have a seat, enjoy a glass of water if your thirsty"

It was hardly a request as all three Asari sat, Avil taking a small sip of the cool liquid while Commander Strand took a seat near her superior.

For a brief moment, Celeste didn't speak, only studying the woman before her. She was young and beautiful with a healthy, bronzed tan, possibly in her early thirties. Dressed in a light, blue dress, it emphasized her youth, but V'toll knew better. This female was near seventy, a result of genome treatments that violated another tenant of Citadel law. Finding herself feeling nervous, Celeste did drink, draining half the glass to drown her nerves before finally speaking.

"Chairman Diaz. Please allow me to compliment the amazing progress your people have made in the last four hundred years. It's an ama-"

Diaz held up a hand, halting the speech. "Please, skip your platitudes. I didn't invite you here to listen to praising words about our survival. I invited you here because so far, the Asari are the only known species to not immediately start a war of conquest and extermination against the Coalition"

Celeste frowned, feeling the subtle change of atmosphere in the room before trying again. "I bear the responsibility for the attack upon Reach. If I hadn't broken citadel law, your colony wouldn't have been attacked and subjugated to such losses"

Izabel nodded subtly before clasping her hands together. "I will be honest, when the news reached myself and the joint chiefs, we were furious. Some of them called for just destroying you as well just to be safe. Of course, by that time, you had already fought side by side with the commander here, pushing the Batarians from Reach despite the grievous losses" The woman paused, taking a small drink of water herself. "If you had cut and run, leaving the Coalition to fight your enemies for you, I would have ordered Admiral Trescu to simply exterminate you all for leading war to our shores. But, you stood and fought which earned merit in my eyes. Thus, you were spared"

"You would've destroyed us for running and trying to survive? Especially after you attacked us with an A.I." Vae asked, astonishment in her voice.

Izabel scowled lightly, turning her gaze to the technician that bore like ice. "Because of the failure and incompetence of the Asari Republic to properly survey Nueva Thessa along with the continued dismissal of Batarian aggression for decades, the casualties of Reach have already surpassed twenty three million. Using an A.I to collect all the data needed to assess your culture, society and territory is hardly a comparison" Turning her gaze back to Celeste, Izabel's eyes softened slightly as Vae found herself going quiet.

"Speaking of your colony, Coalition naval forces have liberated the system as of last week. No Batarian's are left on the planet or in orbit"

"Already? Why didn't you inform us?" Avil inquired, the woman making sure to keep her voice calm despite the sudden rush of annoyance and anger.

"For what purpose? Nearly all your ships are wrecked or critically low on food and supplies. Even if the Coalition had informed you, there is nothing you could have done to hasten your return to settle that world. It is only because of our hospitality and freely given resources that your fellow colonists aren't starving"

The Asari present hated that fact because it was so true. It made them feel like Quarians, relying on the graciousness of others after sitting on top for millennia. Essentially, they were beggars here and so underpowered it was laughable. Which made Celeste question. "What did they want in return?"

"Your correct Chairman. We were in desperate straights and still are. Your hospitality and sacrifice saved us, something that I will never forget"

Izabel pursed her lips, accepting the words as she tapped a slender finger against the table, the sound barely audible. "Tell me Captain V'toll, what will be the Council's reaction to the events here? Will the Asari attempt diplomacy with the Batarian's for their heinous crimes against my people and yours?"

"No. While Asari pride themselves on their ability to negotiate and find common ground, even we have limits. The seizure of a colony, attacking a fleet to enslave and the horrors committed against your people will bring a declaration of war. But with your slipspace drives and the firepower of your fleets, the war will go quickly and easily"

"I wish it was that easy. But unfortunately, the Batarians are a side show. So long as we hold the Pandora system with that jungle planet and the Mass Relay, they won't be able to reach Coalition space"

Commander Strand stirred. "Chairman? Did you just name a new colony for our people?"

"You like it? I thought it was fitting seeing as it opened up the rest of the galaxy" the leader preened with pride, liking her choice. Not like anybody would really disagree.

"What do you mean by that? As you said, the Batarians killed millions of your people!" Vae said loudly, her voice straining at how calm this woman was. If she had been Terran, Turian, or Krogan, she would spitting curses and promising vengeance.

"And they will pay for that, I promise you. But no, they are a secondary front and minimal threat compared to the genocidal Klor'vian Caliphate and their jihad against my species. While the Batarians merely wanted to enslave and conquer, the Toads want to exterminate my people just like the Locust. Before the attack on Reach, our war dead have already surpassed one hundred million. Victory or extermination are the only outcomes when dealing with those abominations" The woman leaned forward, her eyes boring into the trio of shocked Asari like smoldering coal.

"I am not a fool. I understand that our cultural and scientific differences mean that the Coalition will likely never join the Citadel, which is fine. We prefer things our own way, especially since we've broken nearly every tenet you have established. But this war is expanding, and I believe that our two people's can at least work together against a common enemy. Mainly, we will support efforts against the four eyes while our main efforts take the war to the Caliphate"

"Wouldn't it have been better to simply contact our government and explain the situation to them? You hardly needed to meet with us if Nueva Thessa has already been liberated"

"And deal with the arguments and questions about how we could possible be Terrans or some cosmic coincidence? Of bringing in the Systems Alliance with their endless debates and sluggish wheels of democracy? No, you contact your leaders, giving them a full report of everything which Commander Strand will provide. Hopefully that will get their attention. Obviously, I'll establish diplomatic talks afterward. Possibly a future meeting face to face" Standing up, Chairman Diaz was direct in her orders.

"Please be ready within ten minutes. I'm meeting Governor Barrick and visiting some of the worst hit areas of Reach in six hours, so don't waste my time"

With that, she strode past, momentarily stopping near Celeste as her face took on a more sorrowful tone. "I truly wish contact between our two societies could have been peaceful and without bloodshed caused by a race of slavers, but it was the hand dealt by fate"

Leaving the room with the four soldiers, the three Asari were left with Commander Jayde Strand, the woman holding a datapad in her good hand, a small impish look on her face.

"You heard her, ten minutes"

Widow System. The Citadel.

Councilor Procus acknowledged the small report that had slid across his podium computer, a piece of technology embedded into the desk of his elevated council seat.

"The assembled fleets have just arrived in the Venroe system. They'll reorient and arrive at the target system in two standard hours" The Turian scowled lightly at the wasted time. He knew there was nothing to be done, but junction relays were like that. Multiple destinations meant any ship had to exit, re-orient, then re-enter to be flung across the stars to the proper system. At least with secondary relays it was an easier issue between two single points.

"Has there been any movement from the alien fleet?" Tevos asked quickly, her body language suggesting a hidden nervousness. First contact could be tricky and lead to insults or war simply by misunderstanding cultural norms.

"No. The STG team has reported no movement during the last ten days" Junisa rapidly informed, his slender fingers re-tapping the podium embedded console. "Very troubling. No construction or visible landing parties. Just maintaining orbit"

"What could the alien's be thin—"

Procus was interrupted, a priority communication flashing all the councilors screens from the Citadel Communication Center. Tapping the touch button, a Turian appeared, her green facial markings blending with the dull silver of her hardened plates.

"I apologize for the interruption, Councilors. But we are receiving a message from an unexplored system. They will only speak to the Council"

"Are you positive it isn't some Volus freighter crew spouting about the next mineral find?" Procus asked with a hint of weary exhaustion. Those suited aliens always seemed to over-react with new deposits of Element Zero or Lithium, claiming everything in sight for the Volus people.

"Councilor Procus. She claims to be Captain Celeste V'toll of the destroyed colonization fleet"

That grabbed the Turian's attention. "Send it through to the central holo-display" he clipped, ending the call. Barely casting his gaze to the center of the room below them, the soft light image sprang to life, showing the missing Asari Captain. While the coloration was a mixture of soft blues and white, it was easy to recognize the missing female.

Tevos smiled, joy spreading across her features as her lips pulled upwards. "Captain. We had assumed you and the colonists had been killed or captured by the Batarians. I am relieved to see that you are alive"

"Thank you, Councilor. However, I regret to inform you all that my fleet took heavy casualties during our escape and subsequent fleeing from the Hegemony Fleet. Thousands perished and dozens of my vessels were destroyed or severely damaged. In fact, nearly my entire command is a husk of its normal abilities"

"Another reason to justify war against those slaving bastards" Procus exclaimed in a low grumble. But their punishment would come later. "Captain. How did you actually survive? Your forces were hardly a match for the full might of a Batarian fleet"

Celeste shifted lightly, turning her head to somebody out of range. "My computer specialist is sending every byte of information and bit of data we amassed, including the Battle of Reach and the horrific genocide the Batarians committed"

"Reach?"Junisa softly inquired as his console began to receive the data package. Judging by the size, it would take hours or days to shift through. And if the Hegemony committed genocide, this would change the stance of the war.

"It's a colony world belonging to the Coalition of Ordered Governments. Or the Seran species" the Captain paused, her image flickering lightly. "Councilors, I will accept whatever punishment deemed necessary for breaking Citadel law by opening a dormant relay, but you must keep an open mind"

Celeste stepped aside, replaced by a female. While due to the holo-imaging minimal coloring, painting her in shades of light blue, the form was easily recognizable.

"A human? Is this a joke!?" Tuvea yelled, slamming his fist down on his podium, not finding the jest at all amusing. Especially with the news of Asari losses.

The human female lightly scowled, folding her arms behind her back and standing straighter.

Her visage flickered again, then stabilized.

"I assure you, Councilor Procus, that this is not a joke. I am Chairman Izabel Diaz, leader of the Coalition of Ordered Governments and the Seran people" Her tone was devoid of mirth or humor, fully serious as she studied the three different species. "To be clear. We are not associated with the Terrans of Earth. We are not associated with their military, political bodies, culture or any form of agreement or alliance. As of two weeks ago, my people believed we were the only humans in the galaxy. Obviously, that status has changed with untold implication of how and why. Something that Seran and Council anthropologists will no doubt question in the years to come"

"This…this is unbelievable" Tevos voiced, her fingertips slowly massaging her temples.

"Very. Assuming this is not a trick, could revitalize human cultural studies" Junisa blinked, stating the obvious. "Meddling by Protheans highly likely"

"Those are questions for another day, Councilor"

Procus breathed, calming down. He would be investigating this, that was a given, but he had the semblance of mind to at least listen. If this was a prank by the Alliance, it would be poorly received by the Turian Hierarchy. "What do you want…Seran" he barely managed.

"First and foremost, a Coalition fleet as liberated Nueva Thessa. They are holding the system temporarily until your forces can reclaim it. We will fall back to the Pandora system, claiming it and the neighboring territory. Any military attempt to enter Coalition Territory without expressed permission will be assumed as hostile. I hope that the Council will respect our borders" Izabel took a breath, then continued.

"Secondly. We will be seeking unconditional surrender against the Batarian Hegemony for their attempted enslavement, unjust, and honestly, vile bombardment of Reach, leading to the deaths of over twenty three million of my fellow citizens"

"That can't be. Not even they would stoop to such tactics" Tevos tried to reason.

"It's true" Procus scowled, his eyes eating the now downloaded data, highlighting the 'Battle of Reach' The other councilors quickly followed suit, absorbing the combat report. The Turian was very impressed by the Seran naval forces, achieving a victory despite the numerical advantage of the enemy. Of course ,the sheer firepower, heavy laser technology along with the Slipspace drives made him very uneasy.

These Serans had basically made every ship in existence obsolete. Defensive doctrine of Relay chokepoints, overwhelming laser batteries that could burn holes through ships, massed fusion missile attacks. Acquiring this technology would be paramount to the Council, notably the Turians.

"Slipspace. Until a few minutes ago I thought it was impossible, yet the evidence is right before me in this report" He replayed the battle. "It's no wonder the Batarians couldn't defeat a mere squadron. And these Serans did gut the remaining Hegemony fleet, meaning those four eyed slavers lost nearly sixteen hundred ships in less than two weeks. A military disaster if I ever saw one against a technologically superior enemy"

"Goddess. They actually bombarded an inhabited world. And during first contact"

Tevos felt haunted, knowing that the Asari played a role in this whole catastrophe. Replaying the planetary strike, the female had no doubt that countless lives had been snuffed out.

It almost made her sick at how easily that rouge species exterminated millions. "Goddess. The Serans must be beyond livid" she locked eyes with Diaz, the human woman staying silent for the moment, allowing the councilors to talk and assess.

"A terrible loss of life. Will enrage the Systems Alliance to join war effort. Also, no longer retaking a colony, but ensuring justice will be served to the guilty for this tragedy. Must share new information with our respective governments" Junisa looked downward at the Chairman, blinking rapidly.

"We will inform our fleets approaching Nueva Thessa of your military presence, hopefully we can discuss joint military operations against the Batarians. Must apologize Chairman Diaz, large amounts of data to process"

"I suspect it will take your intelligence services several days to study it all" Diaz grew more solemn, her facial features taking on a sadness. "I made the decision to share our history and culture with Captain V'toll and now, the Council because it would've been impossible to keep hidden long term. Far too many Coalition citizens now know of the Asari and trying to limit common, historical knowledge from them would have required draconian measures. Measures that wouldn't change any facts or events of our past. I just hope that you can accept that we are not monsters and my ancestors did what needed to be done to survive" The woman extended an arm, holding out the palm to her right. "If any of you wish to communicate with Captain V'toll or the colonial fleet, they will be available. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a war to run"

Tevos wanted to ask more questions, but the woman stepped away, leaving an empty spot for a few brief seconds.

With that the communication ended, the light particles dissipating in a rapid cascade as the Council spurned into action, the implications of what just transpired creating shockwaves that would reach all known space in a mere three days.

By day five, the full extent of Seran history would break to the general public, including the horrors of the locust war.

Nueva Thessa System. Four hours later.

The first thing that happened when Admiral Rana B'Sayle and her flagship, Beacon of Justice entered the star system was four Batarian bodies impacting the dreadnaughts shields. Shattering into a million shards of frozen flesh, none of the Asari on board registered the insect like impacts. What they did notice, along with the rapidly arriving Turian 10th and 12th fleets was the massive graveyard of broken hulls, debris and crippled ships that floated like metal corpses.

"I can't say that I am saddened by their passing" Rana stated, her fleet spreading out and working their way through the ship graveyard. The thought of blasting the debris away had crossed her mind, but that could set off a new war with the Coalition. Or the Seran's as the council called them.

The limited information packet at been scarce of details. Mainly containing a name, translation package, and the location of Reach along with recordings of the horrific events that occurred there. Oh, and the Serans didn't even use the relays. They had somehow mastered an impossible form of Slipspace travel according to the Council.

Serans. The sheer thought of it was lunacy. Two completely independent and separate human civilizations at separate ends of the galaxy. One having fought a short, and relatively bloodless war with the Turians while the other had already taken nearly a third of total casualties equal the Second World War of Earth. A conflict she rather enjoyed studying, especially the great naval battles of those old water navies.

But now she held a great interest in meeting the officer that had destroyed nearly an entire fleet with a mere squadron. The battle would require further study.

Rana had already despised the Batarians, their whole culture built on slavery, caste classes and serfdom an insult to her own people's high standards of diplomacy, peace and cooperation. That's not to say the Asari were perfect. After all, Rana was a pureblood with nearly perfect purple skin dotted by blue highlights. A stigma that she had dealt with the majority of her six hundred fifty years of life. Added to that was now her peers expected her to settle down and start a family, something Rana had no desire to do.

Serving in the Asari navy was her passion. That, and spending time with her sisters and mother when she managed to return home to Hyetaina.

Her thoughts had lightly wandered, but refocused as the Asari crewman at sensors cocked her head over her shoulder. "Admiral. Scans are showing the Coaliton fleet in orbit of the colony. They appear to be in a defensive position facing our approach vectors"

"That's to be expected. Let's just hope the Seran Admiral has been appraised of the latest developments"

"We're receiving communications"

Admiral B'Sayle hardly had to nod, giving the crewman permission to patch the transmission to a nearby viewscreen.

A man appeared, his black hair showing the first signs of graying temples while an equal amount of peppering graced his trimmed goatee. Piercing, green eyes stared back from an otherwise unappealing face. While the man didn't appear ugly, he wouldn't be winning beauty contests either.

Dressed in a black uniform with gold trim, he briefly studied the Asari admiral.

"Goddess. It really is true. A second race of humans" a crewman whispered, the realization flowing across the bridge in an instant.

Rana let the comment slide. Now was not the time to reprimand a sailor over something she was thinking herself. Standing tall, Rana needed to present authority and presence to the Coalition Admiral.

"Greetings. I am Rana B'Sayle of the Asa—"

The human spoke, cutting her off with a wave. "I am fully aware of who you represent, Admiral. The leadership of the Coalition informed me that you will be taking control of this system" The officer's scowl deepened, the words almost a curse.

"You don't approve"

It was a statement. Not a question.

"My opinion doesn't matter. I will carry out my orders despite the fact nearly twenty five thousand Seran's were killed or wounded taking this system" His green eyes bored into Rana's across the chasm of space, almost boring into her soul.

This was a man who had seen extreme violence and battle, something she couldn't match despite her decades of service. And if the whispers were true, the Coalition was already waging war against another, even more hostile species. A rumor Rana would ask the Council about in the coming hours.

"Be warned. Any incursion or attempt to force the borders at Pandora will result in hostile action. Stay on your side, and the Coalition will stay on ours" He began to turn away, then halted, his gaze refocusing on Rana. "In the future, ensure your colonial fleets are properly protected against slavers. Good day"

The transmission cut off, bathing the bridge in silence.

"Not a very pleasant person" Lara G'vil, the tactical officer commented, her lightly purpled skin highlighted with flecks of blue and orange freckles. Standing at the central holo-table, she had been keeping an eye on the Coalition vessels, trying to divulge any possible sneak attack or trap.

"I doubt we would be too if we had just lost over twenty million of our people to a Batarian bombardment and attempted system wide enslavement" Rana reasoned, knowing full well the Asari government had a role in that suffering. In all honesty, the Admiral thought it was a miracle their lost forces hadn't been wiped out in some mad form of retribution.

And when she thought about it, the Seran's could have easily done it and blamed the whole thing on the Hegemony.

"Admiral. The Coalition ships are leaving orbit on a vector to galactic East. Sensors are detecting a buildup of unknown particles"

"Concentrate all camera's and sensors. Every bit of data you can acquire on this new form of FTL" It was an unnecessary order as the Asari, Turian, and lone STG craft homed in on the COG vessels.

While none of them could see it with plain eyes, the far range sensors could. The first rupture in space formed before the Seran flagship, that heavily armed monstrosity sliding into swirling blues and purples before disappearing. The rest of the human fleet followed, disappearing into the vortex, abandoning Nueva Thessa in a brief minute, leaving the world in Asari hands once more.

"Amazing. And truly frightening" Rana B'Sayle admired with awe. While most would be impressed by how this could start a new age of exploration, Rana could see the horrific downside. "We don't know the size of the Coalition, the location of worlds, size of their military forces. If they wanted, the Seran's could park a fleet over Thessia, bypassing all our Relay defenses. This doesn't even take into account their laser technology"

One thing became immediately apparent to Rana B'Sayle, her Turian counterpart, and the militaries of all the Citadel in the coming days.

Acquire the Slipspace technology from the COG. Because without it, the Seran's held a mobile superiority over everybody.

The Calipahte homeworld, Tenvor'ti. Capital city of Klortha. 9th of Heat.

During the six month lull of hostilities against the Coalition, the Caliphate had followed a very similar path. They repaired broken ships and lay the hulls for new, better vessels. Fresh crews were trained as they began to focus on ships that could destroy and annihilate their enemy.

Plasma torpedoes were developed, their bulbous, ugly weapon racks simply welded onto the exterior hulls of destroyers to at least give them some semblance of firepower.

As the population worked into overdrive across the Caliphate, the two remaining fleetyards began expanding, accompanied by nearly a dozen, minor yards springing up in satellite systems. Devoid of life-bearing planets, those dead systems were brutally exploited for resources, feeding the starving industries of the eight, inhabited worlds. These minor yards only built one type of ship, the mini corvette. With a crew of five, its journey would be considered one way as the simple, cheap vessel was loaded with plasma bombs for the sole purpose of crashing into Seran ships. Equipped with just two plasma torpedoes, they would be fired en masse as they followed those terrible weapons into the furnace of war.

There was no shortage of volunteers, thousands eager to accomplish their gods work as nearly two thousand of the suicide vessels became available in such a short span of six months.

Concentrating on the weapons with the highest chance of effectiveness, Caliphate scientists had cracked the issue of focusing those plasma blobs into tight, focused beams. Replacing the Cruisers armament with this deadly weapon platform had given them the advantage of firing from distance…along with the newly developed Dreadnaughts.

While still under construction, the first four would be ready in another four to six months, giving the navy a much needed boost of presence and firepower. Especially if each of those ships could fire two of those horrific, melting beams.

After all, if the vermin could accomplish such a feat, the superior race of the Klor'vian homeworld could as well.

Nuclear tipped warheads were easy to develop, another boon to their offensive capabilities that was quite frankly, something they should have built into their ships decades ago. After all, rocketry was something essential for all space faring civilizations to develop.

But the navy was not the only force to receive an overhaul, spurned on by the High Priests and their anger.

Infantry forces received upgrades as well. And as everybody knows, the best compliment is imitation.

Body armor was rebuilt, reverse engineered and retrieved from the dead enemy. Meto-ceramic plates overlaying a sealed suit would give the brave warriors of the Caliphate a greater degree of survival, especially with the new combat helmet. Obviously, the power lights would glow green, along with the visor lenses for the helmet.

Of course, the latest battle rifle had been upgraded with a chainsaw bayonet, nearly an exact copy of the Seran model. After all, countless examples had been retrieved before the retreat.

All these facts swirled around A'til Y'larv as he stood on the elevated platform, staring down at the long column of marching warriors. Their footfalls were in complete unison, the sound of bootsteps washing over the main avenue of the city. Freshly equipped with new weapons and armor, these brave soldiers stared ahead as they marched to the naval transport yard.

Shrouded in his finest robes and silks, the reptilian being could feel the humid moisture of the air as throngs of his people gathered to watch the latest soldiers of the Caliphate.

It was astounding.

The wind stirred, rustling his robes as it hinted at underlaying rot and decomposition from the surrounding marshlands around the city.

Spreading his arms with his palms up, the supreme priest began to speak, his words carried to all across their empire.

"Klortha has blessed us, my fellow children. He has blessed us with the gift of a test! For our enemy, the vile Coalition has attacked us! They burned Bo'link, unleashing pollution across the surface in an attempt to exterminate our proud people and culture! They fought our fleets, defending worlds their vile presence has sullied! But we have survived!" the priest paused, letting the wave of cheers and roars of thousand wash over him.

"Our brave warriors will retake those worlds and sear them of vermin life, protecting the will of Klorta and his love of nature! For the Serans" He spat, causing a low hiss of hatred to flow among the populace. "Have no love of life. They wish to take our worlds, your homes! To butcher your young and drown them in the sludge of industry! And that reason is why we…MUST FIGHT! Every faithful follower and believer must do their part to ensure that Klor'vian, not Seran inhabits this galaxy now and always!" A'til raised his hands, outstretching them as a deafening roar burst past him and the nearby priests of lower stature.

"Follow your faith! Do your part to ensure victory! For our god is mighty! This trial will ensure our continued strength upon our sacred path! FOR THE CALIPHATE!" A'til roared, his last words a scream of defiance that was swallowed by the cheering masses.

Through it all, the soldiers continued to march through the city, a resounding drumbeat to the churning gears of war.

Phew! I did not expect this chapter to be this long! Or to take nearly as long to write, but that's what happens on six day work weeks…nearly every week. All summer.

But now it's done with lots of events occurring. Contact and battles, established communications and bombardment. I hope it's enjoyable. Especially balancing the capabilities of the Batarians vs the Serans. I figure ship for ship, Cog has the edge, but Commander Strand was outnumbered heavily which creates a whole new quality of quantity.

Hope I did alright with the Council races.

Next chapter will see more naval engagements and planetary invasions, so look forward to that!

This is Thehappy signing off!