So I already had a good idea for this chapter before evening finishing the last one. Figured why not just knock out two really quick then go back to my other stories for a few updates.
Don't really have any big things coming up aside from the potential spinoffs. Dunno how long those will be, but I'd probably need a good title. Especially since it will probably be the 4th COG fleet with 3 colony transports. Star Trek, Halo, or 14th century Earth. Or maybe all three? Either way, those are the potentials so if you have a good title, let me know through PM.
Anyway, onto the story!
Chapter Eighteen: The Batarian Civil War
Viper Nebula, Bahak System 6th of Rise, 425 A.E.
Arathot's cloud cover was an oppressive blanket, enshrouding the humid, mountainous world in a permanent haze of heat and moisture. Terraforming efforts by the Batarians were only a few decades old, the efforts of spreading cyanobacteria and invasive plant species beginning to bear some results.
But for most of the planet, the polar regions were the only habitable zones with a spread of subterranean military installations dotting the planet. They had been constructed during the war, a hasty projection of force to try and stave off human interests from further encroachment.
Now…now the planet flared among competing interests as several cities along the northern pole sided with the newly formed Star Belt Nation, beginning a campaign of conquest against Hegemony held territory to the south.
Hastily dug trench lines were manned with Batarians upon a ridge, the helmeted soldiers firing at the charging traitors who crouched and sprinted across the searing landscape of rock and blistering heat. Return fire ripped along the lip of the trench, cutting through a young male as part of his skull was ripped away.
"KILL THEM! THEY DESIRE TO DESTROY OUR GREAT PEOPLE!" A captain roared out as he stood upon a small perch of rock and soil, his rifle pulsing out fresh snaps of energy pulses. His fellow soldiers fired, a staccato of death and hell visited upon the charging masses of hastily collected troops.
Several enemy troops managed to get within grenade range, flinging brownish orbs into the trench. Exploding with shrapnel and high velocity fragments, they ripped apart several soldiers among the sunken trench line, the blast spewing an ichor across the sand and dust. One screamed, his arm mangled beyond recognition as his comrades continued to fight.
Batarians fell before the trench line, the upward gradient making it nearly impossible without heavy weapons or air support. Dying screams washed over the land as the traitors were shot dead in the dust, their echoing cries suddenly ending as the Star Belters broke off the attack in this sector, leaving nearly fifty dead and wounded.
A few of the wounded tried to stand and crawl away, but they were mercilessly cut down, the Hegemony troops having no inclination nor desire to harbor traitors to their glorious nation.
The swirling dust settled, leaving the fallen where they died, a morbid scene of broken bodies.
Gunfire and sounds of battle picked up to the west, but none of the troops moved, their orders keeping them in place as the civil war spread and flared.
Khar'Shan 12th of Rise, 425 A.E.
Several fires burned among several districts, the conflagration spewing ash and embers into the atmosphere over the capital. Rifle fire rang out, a cacophony of combat and hatred as pulses flung into the air, flashing past several taller buildings.
An explosion rocked part of the city, the sudden blast ripping through structures and lives as the damage spewed acrid heat and ash, another smudge of hell enveloping the urban center.
Pod'neb had ordered the army and his guards to protect the government structures and critical facilities, but he knew…he knew that half had already gone to one of his political enemies. Grenvil or Buntart were vicious, money grubbing merchants that made it through the new government, but neither were interested in becoming the Shan.
Sneering as rifle fire drew closer, Pod'neb cursed. "Probably that pile of varren shit, Plebrin. He's done everything in his power to fight the new laws, and now he's making his play"
Of course, Pod'neb knew that this coup was simply a power grab. Plebrin had no intention of bringing about peace, nor continuing to pay the reparations.
He was a thug and aspiring warlord with deep pockets, simple as that.
The fact he would only be inheriting a third of the Hegemony as their people killed each other over democracy, fascism, and a return to the old ways was no doubt a minimal concern. Plebrin would either bring them to heel…or simply cut them loose.
Pod'neb had considered staying to fight…to try and maintain order, but the collapse and rot had flashed across their space in days. Even if he had tried to muster some response, nobody would have followed. Packing a few spare bottles of his favorite alcohol and personal belongings, the former naval officer was slightly amazed that the civil war hadn't occurred sooner.
A chime came from his omni-tool, the yellow tinted technology flashing a deep red.
Picking up the rifle that still lay upon his desk, Pod'neb knew the time to flee was now as the alarm continued to pulse and chime.
"The hell with the Hegemony. I tried to stave off ruin, but these damn warlords still want slaves, wealth and to smuggle drugs off the blood of our own people. Staying here will only get me killed" Gripping the rifle, the four eyed male quickly crossed his office, the sound of gunfire and dying screams getting louder from the hastily erected defenses outside. Sliding a tiny decorative panel away near a few plants, the keypad lit up as he input the code, the keys flashing with each strike.
A door opened in the wall, revealing a ladder toward the roof and hopefully…escape. Slinging the rifle over his back, the former Admiral climbed with haste, the echoing noise of Plebrin's forces drawing closer.
He had no delusions what their master would do to him if captured.
Pushing open the access hatch, Pod'neb climbed onto the roof of the government structure, the noise of rioters, gunfire, and screams filling the air as ash and pillars of smoke rose above several districts in the throes of rampant battle and unrest.
The perfect chaos to install a new government.
The armed shuttle was there, resting upon the roof as a few of his personal soldiers waited outside, their armor and weapons a dull color of brown. Rushing low and fast, Pod'neb was relieved that his old ship was still in orbit, the crew of loyalists keeping her ready for action.
"Sir!" One of the troopers shouted as another explosion rocked a nearby building, the charred damage spewing glass shards on several innocents below who screamed and died.
Climbing in, a few other members of his government were there, but not many as most seemed to throw their lot in with the traitors.
"How many ships do I still command?" Pod'neb inquired while strapping himself in, the two guards closing the hatch as the craft began to lift over the burning capital.
"One hundred and thirty two, including your old flagship, a battleship, and two cruisers. The rest are frigates or destroyer's while several civilian transports have joined us. Maybe sixty thousand if we're lucky" A batarian informed, the male obviously angry and furious.
Pod'neb could understand the anger and rage. Since the wars end, he had tried to appease the victors, to try and build a new society of equality for their people. But the blatant greed, corruption and embedded wealth of the upper caste had made it nearly impossible.
Now…now the Hegemony burned, and their old enemies would no doubt take it as a sign of weakness and opportunity.
"What are your orders, sir?" General Krorek Brecsoth asked, the male having achieved his rank through merit and hard work…not money and connections.
"We need to set up a government in exile. Something that is recognized by the powers of the galaxy. If we can convince them to intervene, maybe we can save something of the Hegemony before it collapses into warlords, pirates, and shattered systems"
"So, the Council then?" Brecsoth suggested, the idea already hated as their shuttle docked with the battleship in orbit. Exiting the craft as their ships broke orbit and made their way to the relay, the small flotilla avoided the flaring battles between privatized military vessels of competing interests…or simply officers fleeing to try their hand at piracy.
"Them, or the Serans"
You can't be serious! After the genocide of Adek! We lost tens of millions!"
"I'm well aware, General! But our options are the Citadel, the Coalition, The Terminus Systems or surrender! And I would prefer a foreign power that can get us back in power!"
"Do you really think they'll help!? They carved up our territory, allowed the humans to take our systems while the Seran's brought butchery to our people! We should make our way to Lorek instead! It's at the fringe of the Hegemony and we would be able to install our government with ease!"
Pod'neb paused, the suggestion having merit. Lorek was habitable and the population was still relatively small at four million or so. He could take shelter there and try to build support for their cause. "Lorek is in the Omega cluster, correct?"
"It is. We could be there in a week"
The battleship rumbled, the main gun firing at some unknown vessel as the entourage made their way to the bridge.
Making a snap decision, Pod'neb knew deep down that the Council wouldn't do anything for them, even as an exiled government. His people were pariahs with centuries of slavery, brutal acts and the looming belief they were all pirates. At best, the Asari would demand the return of colonies and worlds seized centuries ago for Council assistance. Something that might happen anyway with the current situation.
"Make way to Lorek. Once we're there, we'll establish ourselves as a democratic government for those who wish to join our cause"
Brescoth seemed to wilt in relief. Dealing with the council…or worse, the Serans would have been an impossible pill to swallow.
Arriving on the bridge, the scene of approach toward the relay was a maelstrom of conflict as their ships carved a path straight toward the massive construct. Shields flared among slashes of ruddy light, the slewing slugs crossing distances in burning lances. Several of Prebin's ships burned and broke, the massed volleys of the battleship ripping apart a light cruiser. Escorting destroyers sprinted forward, firing their smaller slugs in a bid to protect Pod'neb.
Enemy frigates returned fire, the slug impacts a flare of destruction and ruin that claimed a slagged destroyer. Breaking in half, the loyalist vessel spilled corpses and air, only to be pulverized by an additional four slugs that ripped through its open bridge.
Another destroyer exploded nearby, its allegiance unknown as his ships entered the Mass Relay less than a minute later, the vessels snapping toward the next system in a desperate escape as Plebrin's vessels closed in with MAC slugs flashing across the silent vacuum.
Sera. New Ephyra. 13th of Rise, 425 A.E.
Izabel Diaz clasped her hands as the assembled officers lined the table of the subterranean bunker. The middle of the expansive surface glowed, the floating holographic representation of the Coalition, Asari Republics, Hegemony and vastly unexplored Terminus systems along the southern galactic arm slowly rotating.
The Hegemony was already divided into three separate zones, a color coded scheme showing the rebellious nations.
"Chairman. From what we know, Khar'shan has been seized by an a warlord named Plebrin, ousting Pod'neb and his government. We believe he's fled into the Terminus Systems, but his current location is unknown" Holding up a pointer, the colonel continued his presentation. "The Adekkan Free States is already a mess of rising warlords, independent systems and piracy groups. Being the closest to our borders, they at least know not to attack us, but we have picked up a few distress calls from Council ships coming under attack in the last week. However, the Skyllian Verge near the Alliance border is even worse as The Batarian Star Belt Nation is waging a war against the Central Hegemony and this Plebrin"
"Define worse. Batarians aren't known for their pleasant disposition" Diaz commanded as the officer gave a curt nod.
"Somehow, the four-eyes managed to get the engine upgrades and started a massive refit program. This will give them greater range away from the Relay's. While most of their standard navy is fighting amongst themselves, there are countless frigates and destroyers that have been captured by pirate gangs"
Stratton snorted, finding the theft ludicrous. "More likely they just gave them away to those assholes"
"This is the assumption of our gathered intelligence. With several notable Alliance colonies and outposts in the area, those will see a sharp increase in attacks. Especially with those new drives"
Diaz waved a hand in dismissal. "The Alliance can watch their own borders, especially against some pirates. My main concern is that the Batarians have ceased war reparations to our government. The citizens of Reach deserve to have that suffering repaid in full, and this civil war prevents that"
"With the Hegemony fractured into three warring parties and several independent systems, getting those reparations will be difficult" The colonel offered with a simple explanation.
"Then we take what we are owed" Stratton voiced, the naval officer looking toward the Chairman. "We can begin moving troops and ships immediately from Reach. Take several systems from those bastards and just be done with it. After all, their previous reparations have been substandard across the board"
Izabel found herself agreeing, the leader slowly tapping her index finger against the table surface in habit. "Recommendations?"
Taking over the presentation, Stratton lit up several systems directly south of the Coalition. The holographic galaxy floated with a serene blue, casting light flickers across several nearby men and women.
"I fully recommend we seize all territory from Ter'sha to Va'shan. They are the closest Batarian colonies and present easy targets. Obviously, we only saw them as military targets during the last war, but with the current situation, we can legitimately take them for ourselves"
"What of Boto-shik? Wouldn't that be a viable option?" Diaz inquired, her gaze locked onto several of the Hegemony systems that twinkled like marbles above the table.
"The local population is still quite large. Yes, we liberated the slaves and they were returned to their respective species, but we are still talking millions of potential hostiles in that system. I would prefer systems and planets with minimal populations. Va'shan's orbital smelting yards and asteroid mining facilities for example were completely destroyed. Establishing a permanent presence would be quite easy than dealing with a local species that wants us dead"
"I understand. Very well, seize the proper territory. If a pirate haven is discovered nearby that poses a threat to future gains, destroy it and take it. I will not risk a colony by waiting around for a slaver attack" Stopping her finger tapping, Diaz made one final point. "I'll inform the Ambassadors of our plans. The last thing we need is a misunderstanding with a build up of forces along their border. I do not want a repeat of the Salarian incident"
"Of course, Chairman. We'll begin assembling forces immediately" Stratton finished, the officer standing tall as his black uniform with trimmed gold gleamed with professionalism and numerous medals.
Knowing the assembled men and women would do their jobs competently, Diaz rose and quickly entered the elevator to take her above ground.
A mere hour later, Izabel was back in her office, the early summer day clouding over with a promise of rain. Still relatively early in the day, her gaze panned South-East to the ancient sector of the East Barricade Academy and the Fenix Estate. While in an hour they wouldn't be seen because of the rain, they were still quite visible to a degree.
Turning, Diaz knew the three Ambassadors hadn't rushed over to watch her gaze out a window. "My apologies. I'm quite fond of the view here and just was admiring the old Fenix Estate"
Sasri D'nato gave a small smile. "It's quite alright, Chairman. But I presume you didn't invite us here to gaze at the city of New Ephyra" Seated in a comfortable chair, the Asari ambassador was a paragon of politeness and understanding.
"That's an understatement. I'm sure each of you are well aware of the Batarian situation?"
"Quite. S.T.G. agents have been following the growth of rebellious factions for several months, but elected to just observe. We had no desire to interfere…or accidentally cause a fresh conflict" Dalben spoke, the Salarian informing with rapid simplicity.
"The Hierarchy has been placed on a higher level of alert, including anti-piracy patrols past Nueva Thessa and Pandora" Heltus added, the Turian sipping from a glass of water. Setting it down, Heltus studied the now sitting Chairman behind her desk. "I presume the Coalition will be taking a more hands on approach?"
Izabel rapidly nodded her head in the affirmative. "This Batarian civil war has essentially nullified the treaty of Adek. Even if they weren't killing each other across thousands of light years, their reparations for Reach were sub-standard at best. Nearly everything they've sent has been scrapped or needed complete refurbishing to the point it's not even worth it anymore. So now, the Coalition will be taking what we are owed in the form of systems and planets"
The information lightly alarmed D'nato, but not by much. She was quite aware of how the Serans thought and this was clearly going to lead to a military solution. "How much territory are you seizing? And will it endanger our nearby colony of Nueva Thessa?"
"We'll be taking everything up to the Ter'sha system. So approximately three hundred fifty light years south of our current border. Then Eastward into the Terminus Systems by another hundred or so. Most will be unexplored and uninhabited, but we will destroy any nearby pirate bases that can threaten our colonies, industry and shipping. Once those systems are seized, the operation will be complete"
D'nato felt herself agreeing with the idea of a military campaign. Not only for the Serans, but for her people as well. Tens of thousands had suffered under brutality for decades or more, and the reparations to the Asari had been poor quality as well. "I believe my people are owed the same compensation for our suffering as well. I know there are several systems that would be of great benefit to trade and resource allocation"
It was a very polite, Asari way of saying "We'll be taking our share as well"
Something all four species could agree on.
System AR-741 (Twelve Light years from Nueva Thessa) 17th of Rise, 425 A.E.
The dim star burned, its ruddy, crimson light flaring across inhospitable worlds and ice covered moons. Most of the rocky planets were without meaningful atmospheres, consisting of trace elements and gases. But that didn't mean they were without value.
Several Asari mining installations had been established on the second planet as its sizable nickel, chromium and pockets of element zero made it a very lucrative venture. While defenses were minimal, each instillation was vastly underground, a necessary precaution from stellar radiation and the very unbreathable atmosphere.
With nearly five thousand inhabitants, the Asari living on the numerically named world had enjoyed the prosperity of commerce not only with the nearby colony of Nueva Thessa, but the Serans as well.
Ten Batarian destroyers and Frigates fell from FTL, their flaring engines suddenly cooling among the expanse of the outer system. Within ten million miles of the lone gas giant, the group of ships discharged their cores, the need still present despite the stolen technology of the Klor'vian species.
They had traveled from Boto-shik and the newly established Addekan Free States, the civil war giving them a fresh chance for profit.
Glinn was a relatively new destroyer, its interior passages devoid of wear and tear. While incapable of standing up to the horrific firepower of the Turians or Serans, the vessel and her comrades were more than enough for freighters and small defense craft.
Taking his seat on the bridge, Tarak had clasped his hands, the low lights flaring across his greenish-brown skin and four eyes. He had been in the navy…even fought in the war. But the cut-backs of funding for the military and the treaty of Adek had been harsh, finally forcing him to steal his ship over a year ago. Fortunately, several hundred followed him as his former command took charge of the vessels around him.
It had been so easy that Tarak probably could have walked away with a light cruiser if he had tried. Of course, the vile treaty prevented slavery, but he hadn't cared about that. He had simply smuggled and ran red spice in the Terminus systems, raiding on occasion and capturing smaller transports. The slaves had been minimal, but the profit was there.
But now the Hegemony was in chaos, which meant opportunity to expand.
"Anything to worry about?" Tarak asked with a lor growl, the slaver and pirate eager to begin the attack.
The crewman at sensors studied the data, his four eyes rapidly tracking. "A few defense vessels" Grunting, the batarian was nervous, something readable in his voice. Gulping, he turned to face Tarak. "Captain. We're very close to the COG. And the Turians have a flotilla in the region too"
Tarak nodded. He knew the risks, especially with those two species barely thirty light years away and based at Pandora. Nueva Thessa was a short hop, and the Asari would be sending reinforcements soon. Steeling his resolve, the captain knew the opportunity for goods and potential slaves was rapidly closing.
"We'll take a freighter. No surface raids. We simply don't have the numbers to pull one off against the females"
The pirates assented, figuring the risk was low. Engines pulsing, the ten craft slew across the system to begin the raid of the second planet and its lucrative wealth.
They never got the chance as they barely reached two million miles from the target.
Dropping out of FTL, twenty five Turian warships appeared near the second planet, including a cruiser with weapons ready. Barely taking a pause, the avian warriors flared their engines as they angled toward the pirates.
"DAMN! Retreat immediately!" Tarak roared, the pirate having no desire to fight against a force twice his size. His ships turned sharply among the vacuum, each reorienting themselves to point toward their base in an un-named system.
Flaring slugs suddenly erupted from the Turian forces, a salvo of destruction at extreme range. One struck Gorek, flaring the shields with a ripple of destructive energies. Another ripped through the unprotected engines by sheer luck, the pirate frigate simply exploding in a flare of element zero, scrap and roiling bodies.
The bombardment had barely been a minute, but it was enough to send Tarak fleeing as his remaining nine vessels entered FTL, the retreat hasty.
"Sir, one vessel destroyed, one lightly damaged"
The report was obvious to Baeina Belliso, the commander of this light squadron. Still relatively young for the command, her superiors believed she was capable of greater responsibility, hence the promotion after several battles in the last war showing great resolve and critical thinking when needed.
"Good. Now we pursue. I want this threat eliminated before it can grow"
"Yes ma'am. Plotting a pursuit course now"
It was something a bit new for the navy. Pursuit courses. The Mass Relays had limited options, leaving fleeing enemies single paths to follow to a host of minimal systems in the surrounding space. But now? Things were different.
"This must be what the Serans deal with all the time. Potential attack and ambush from all directions" It certainly added a degree of stress to any situation, but the Turian's would adapt. They were warriors and this was only an advancement of war and movement away from the static travel lines of the Relay network.
"Ready, ma'am" The pilot informed after a tense half minute.
"Then follow" Folding her hands as the claws lightly clicked against her plates, the officer had to admit the sudden transition from normal space to faster than light was quite the sight. With stars a line of blurring light past the main window, the warships pursued the pirates, the criminals already doomed to death as they rapidly entered the interstellar void.
28th of Rise, 425 A.E. Ter'sha system. 348 light years 'south' of the Coalition Border.
Seven planets swung around the burning yellow dwarf star, its flaring heat sunblasting the two closest worlds. With minimal atmospheres, the planets had still been developed for mining, a hellish place of slavery and brutality.
However, Ter'sha, the third planet had been a worse hell for thousands of the enslaved. The brutal working conditions in factories, the sex dens and forced drug use had been a nightmare carried out by Batarian merchants and conglomerates for decades.
While technically a habitable world, the searing deserts of the planet along with minimal water saw hundred or perhaps, thousands perish from exposure.
Then…the Serans came and invaded, liberating the enslaved. The vast majority of Batarians were killed or simply butchered…not that the Coalition stopped the former slaves from getting revenge.
Technically, the Hegemony had retained control, but the sheer destruction of infrastructure, the removal of the Asari slave population, and the toppling of the local government had created a hellish den for pirates, mercenaries, and slavers once more.
Two hundred thirteen slip space ruptures appeared in the middle of the star system, well within the void between Ter'sha and the fourth planet of ice and frozen oceans. A lucrative place to ship needed water to the desert world of blazing sands.
Jilane led the way, the Dreadnaught flanked by several Cruisers and escorts. In the middle of the freshly arrived squadron were three troop transports, each Tai Kaliso class carrying fifteen thousand Gears for the coming invasion. An addition regular transport held reinforcements, armor, and artillery, along with the needed supplies for the operation.
Commander Jayde Strand was calm and confident, the woman brushing away a few emerald strands of her hair as the bridge crew carried out their duties at an array of stations.
"Ma'am. Sixty three enemy vessels are in orbit. Presumed to be affiliated with local warlords or pirates. Complement believed to be primarily destroyer classes" Sensors informed as the Seran warships turned in the void, their target the third planet.
"Very well. Maintain course"
Obviously, she could have had her ships leave slipspace a mere million miles away from the planet, but with the transports full of troops, caution was advised.
The last thing she needed was a catastrophe before the invasion.
Engines blazed blue, the heavy combat squadron rapidly approaching the third world, the minutes ticking by as the defenders tried to organize a meaningful defense in a high orbit above the planet.
"Three enemy light cruisers have been identified as potential flagships" A male officer informed, the man highlighting the trio of larger vessels.
"Destroy them first" Jayde ordered calmly with the seconds counting down to engagement. Barely a minute later, the six Longshot's finally crossed the extreme range for their thermic lance's. Firing the first salvo of the super heated munitions, they seared the void. Burning through the lead light cruiser as it hastily fired in response, the pirates unleashed an undisciplined and broken line of return fire. But for the Kesh'eel, it was already too late. A duo of thermic shells had burned through the shields and hull armor, the vile heat eating away at bulkheads as crewmen screamed. Several were sucked into the void, others simply melted by the passage through the lower decks as metal slagged around them like molten steel.
A rapid follow up of a second salvo ripped through a nearby destroyer, rendering the smaller craft in half as air leaked and rampant ruin flared among tumbling corpses that joined their ship in an uncontrolled burnup in the atmosphere.
"All ships are to fire at will" Commander Strand simply ordered, her bridge crew snapping to their duties. Moments later, the Hammer of Dawn glowed, the twin aperture of the heavy naval weapon glowing a searing red. Bursting forth in twin beams at the air leaking Kesh'eel, the light cruiser tried to evade…the crew desperate to find a way to survive as the surrounding pirate vessels fired and fired.
The duo of high energy beams cut through the Kesh'eel like rancid butter, the bridge crew and the pirate warlord Crak'sheth dying in a superheated blaze of vaporizing heat. Ripping along the length of the pirate ship, it split in half along the length, leaving nothing but slagged compartments and exposed passages. Any trapped crew were doomed, their lives forfeit in the coming minutes and hours as they asphyxiated in the few remaining sections.
Standard MAC slugs flew between the two species, a rippling flare of shields and buckling armor against the kinetic forces involved, but it was short lived as a few Seran destroyers took damage, along with the single BattleCruiser, Crescent whom had been heavily targeted by the pirates.
However, the real slaughter was just starting as the rapid fire fusion torpedoes raced across the silent void, the Baird class warships unleashing two each to saturate the defensive envelope. Obviously, some were destroyed beforehand as Batarian defensive lasers hacked them from the sky, but it was a futile effort.
Rippling suns of fusion flares erupted against shields and hulls, the pirate vessels unable to stand against the hellish heat as roiling balls of flame consumed dozens of ships, reducing them to floating scrap. Of the sixty three pirate vessels to start the battle, only thirteen remained after a mere five minute engagement.
And none were in any shape to fight nor flee.
Floating flotsam, debris, and tumbling bodies crowded the battle site, a few hapless Batarians in full body suits screaming as they entered the atmosphere, their lives burning up along with flaring debris that rained down like meteors across the northern hemisphere.
Mass Accelerated rounds along with the searing firepower of Jilane destroyed the rest, none of the Serans sharing worry or sentiment over the brutish race.
The pirates really had no chance against the advanced technology, firepower, and superior numbers of the Coalition, and they had all paid with their lives.
With orbit secured, the Coalition navy moved into position, the transports readying to release the Gears.
"I want this confirmed. There are no longer slaves on this planet, correct?"
"Yes Ma'am. They were liberated during the war and returned to their home species. Primarily Asari along with some Elcor. Turians would most likely die before capture, so their numbers were minimal. If there are slaves down there, they would be recent captures" The male crewman at sensors informed.
Jayde stood, briskly walking over to the holo-table as a smaller representation of Ter'sha spun. Extremely detailed with constant updates fed from the squadron, it showed the former bombardment scars and ruined cities that lined the small bodies of water.
"Estimated pirate population?" She asked, the planet slightly rippling as a few dots of light appeared on the night side.
"Thirty to forth thousand. High probability all are pirates, smugglers, or slavers"
"Bombard the remaining urban centers. Once complete, the Gears will drop and mop up the rest. I don't want a single pirate to survive" Clasping her hands behind her back, Jayde Strand stood tall in the center of the bridge as the Jilane began to tilt over the world in conjunction with her squadron of warships. Weapons had targeted a smaller city near the equator, the mass of structures hugging the curvature of a lake fed by one of the few rivers that crossed the land.
"Fire when ready"
Calmly watching as twin beams of heat erupted from her flagship, Jayde watched dispassionately as the nameless pirate haven burned far below. Other ships fired, a standard operation that saw dozens of impacts scour the surface, reducing any urban center to a fresh scene from hell.
The bombardment was short, a mere half hour of spent munitions and searing lances of heat that burned through rubble choked streets and abandoned slave markets. Thousands of Batarian pirates burned and died under the onslaught, their bodies reduced to ash as the fresh firestorms raced through the ruins.
Retaking her seat as the cities burned among the blazing sands, Commander Strand was satisfied with the outcome as the Kaliso transports began to disgorge the Gears, the thousands of grind pods floating with pinpricks of adjustment thrusters.
She took in a few bits of data from the chair mounted pad nearby, finding that the Gears were only deploying two of the three drop divisions. "Should I attack the fourth planet right now? It does have surface instillations, but most are minimal in size" She mentally shrugged. The fourth world could be addressed after Ter'sha was secured. Once again studying the desert world below, Commander Strand would send an update to command, suggesting that this planet be slated for terraforming. With an abundance of water-ice nearby, it was surprising the Batarians hadn't tried. Scowling, Jayde knew the greedy ass-heads probably had been more concerned with slaves and mining that growing a viable world.
The Coalition would fix that in the coming years and decades. Reasserting her gaze, the first pods began to drop, the flares of decent burning against the heat shields as the Gears took the war to the ground.
The city was a graveyard. Piles of rubble choked the streets as several fires burned neighborhoods to cinders, the greasy smoke a rancid mixture of materials and flesh. Bodies of Batarians lined the roadways, others trapped under rubble as the Gears of the 3rd Reach Rifle Division spread out to secure the pulverized urban center and the planet.
Major Nolan Prescott was in command of the 2nd Battalion, the officer situated in a command post toward the south of the city. Set up in a bar, the structure still had all four walls, which was a miracle in itself.
Several of his staff officers were receiving constant updates of the companies, the forward units pressing into the city.
So far, the pirates had attacked piecemeal, a broken, shattered line of survivors that were rapidly eliminated. Sure, there had been casualties, but they were light compared to the previous war.
"Can't believe we have to take this damn planet twice" Shaking his head in disbelief, Nolan knew that wasn't exactly fair. They had been fighting the damn toads at the time and the Hegemony were a side show. Trying to keep large swaths of their territory would have been impossible at the time.
Still, it was shit that they had to take this planet again. Running a hand through his sweat drenched hair, the officer had to admit it was easier this time. No slaves to worry about or innocent bystanders. Just the enemy, and orders to clear the planet.
Simple and to the point.
Looking down at the map, Nolan didn't even know why he was mentally complaining. He hadn't even fought here the first time. Reasserting his gaze, the holographic readout flickered as his companies continued to push forward, the resistance minimal for the moment.
Private Henri Gultriz had missed the war. Still only eighteen, he had wanted to do his part…to serve and protect the Coalition and his species from aliens. But then the war ended as he finished bootcamp on Reach, leaving him to be shipped across the planet to be stationed on the western subcontinent for months.
Sure, it was nice and easy, but he had joined to fight.
Now…now he wasn't so sure as rippling pulses of Batarian rifle fire ripped across the rubble clogged street from an apartment building missing half its floors. Hunkered down behind a fallen pillar of concrete and steel in the middle of the road, he tried to ignore the dead Gear in the open as more blue pulses of alien fire ripped and pitted his cover.
"GULTRIZ! TORREN! GHALLENSON! WITH ME! The rest of you keep those ass-heads busy!" Sargent Fulltin shouted, the helmeted Gear waving as more alien bolts slew through the air over the street. Staying low as other Gears fired at the strongpoint, Gultriz moved to the left and entered a shop, the ruined products and items fallen among the destruction. Moving swiftly toward a gaping hole in the wall, the four Gears pushed into the next building.
It had been a bar once as the long metallic bar lined part of the business to the left. Over turned chairs and smashed bottles decorated the floor along with dust and glass.
Pulses of blue light came from the collapsed wall and the narrow alley beyond, causing the four soldiers to scramble behind the length of the bar. Pulses of deadly light seared the air above them, shattering more booze bottles along the wall in a spray of alien liquors.
"Fucking asshole" Boots crunching glass, Gultriz popped up and fired, his lancer slamming against his shoulder as the young man found the beast needing to be killed.
One of the slavers unleashed a gurgled scream from the next building, the six round burst taking him in the throat as his barriers failed. Pitching backward among the ruined furniture of the home beyond, the alien thrashed as his partner started to fall back.
Private Torren shot the retreating pirate in the head, a spattering of brain matter that flew like horrific paste.
"Move up, Gears" Sargent Fulltin ordered, the helmeted male breaking cover as the battle in the street still flared with gunfire and laser blasts. A few particles of dust rained down, causing a light reflection of the barriers each soldier had been equipped with.
Henri moved slowly, keeping his lancer rifle trained on the gasping Batarian that had fallen near the couch of the former home. Alien blood has spattered and pooled around the being, a spreading lake as the alien tried to bring his weapon to bear despite his fading life.
"You…you fucking Serans…only good as…as slaves…" Guttural words of hate bubbled from the aliens lips, his four eyes brimming with rage and hate.
Seeing the beast that had attacked Reach…that had butchered millions of his people…Henri found himself growling behind his combat helmet. Revving up his chainsaw, he instantly stepped forward and plunged the screaming blades into the pirate's stomach, spewing a wave of gore and ichor across his boots and leg armor.
Of course the Batarian screamed a howl of agony, but none of the Serans cared. Pulling his now bloody lancer from the chest cavity with bits of flesh coming with, Private Gultriz took cover at the doorframe of the home.
"Nice execution, Private. These assholes need a good kick in the teeth to show them who's boss" Fulltin stated, the Sergeant glad the rookies weren't soft in these times of peace. Lining up at the left of the frame among the dead Batarian's and ruined furniture covered with sand particles and dust, he peered into the street beyond.
The apartment at the end of the block still flared with enemy fire thirty feet away, the multiple floors held by several enemies who kept up a continuous rate of fire at the embattled platoon. Unfortunately, there were no viable paths of approach except the main street as collapsed buildings lined the way, preventing a flanking maneuver. Peering across the street into another building across the way, more Gears moved silently, picking their way through the shattered ruins of crumbling walls and the rotting bodies of the dead killed in the bombardment hours before.
"Corporal Razchek. Get a lance into that building as soon as you have a shot!" Shouting into the comms of his helmet with pressed fingers against his ear, Fulltin expected the order to be carried out. Ducking back as a few enemy bolts of deadly light came his way, the Sargent snapped off a few shots himself before retaking cover in the doorway.
"Get ready to move, Gears" the man grumbled as the impromptu force waited.
A flash of light came half a minute later, crashing into the apartments face as the walls blew out from the force of the blast. Several aliens went with it, their broken bodies like ragdolls as rubble collapsed into the road, spewing fresh dust and smoke into the air.
"MOVE!" Shouting as he sprinted from the doorway, the five men moved into the roiling dust as a few errant pulses of light seared through the smoke and fresh ash. One struck Gultriz center mass, his barriers crashing and falling as the young man staggered under the deadly blow. Pushing through the slamming pain, he zagged left as two more shots pierced the air in a harsh crack, intent on killing him.
Reaching the entrance door of the lobby, more Gears lined the walls as a few threw grenades through broken windows. The blast of shrapnel and concussive force ripped through the interior building, a few shrieking screams baying from inside the ruins.
A female Gear pushed into the open doorway, the Scorcher on her back laden with fuel. Gultriz rapidly followed the woman, his lancer pressed tight against his shoulder as more Gears followed. Swinging left, a Batarian shot from behind a sagging pillar, the ripping rounds narrowly missing the duo.
Flaring napalm washed over the slaver, his greenish brown skin instantly bursting into charred flesh as he screamed and flailed.
Henri shot him with a three round burst, putting the disgusting creature out of its misery.
"LET EM' BURN!" Private Lisa Compelli hollered out among another flare of napalm. Waving the nozzle, the fire washed over two more wounded aliens, the stricken males suddenly erupting in howls of agony as they tried to escape the sudden hell.
With the fire reflecting off his blue lenses, Henri stepped over the smoldering aliens as they grasped and begged for mercy with licks of fire eating their flesh.
He ignored their pleas as he moved toward the main stairwell, the steps covered with broken bits of fallen plaster. Hanging wires flickered with power, the electricity still on as he passed the damage. Coming to the first landing, he swung wide, finding a bleeding Batarian slumped in the stairwell across a few steps.
"Fuck…fucking Ser-"
Private Gultriz shot the alien in the forehead between the upper eyes, spraying a fresh ichor of chunks. Stepping over the splayed legs as his barrel lightly smoked from the spent round, he ascended with more Gears behind him.
"YOU FUCKING TWO EYES!" An alien screamed as he fired from the left hallway of the second floor, the shotgun blast peppering Gultriz in the left flank. Barriers rippling and crashing from overload, his armor bore the marks of damage as the Gear staggered and grunted. Turning quickly, he unloaded the remainder of his magazine into the Batarian, killing the foe. Dropping the spent magazine, Henri found another alien charging from the closest apartment, the four eyes brimming with hate. Knowing he had no time to reload, Henri revved his lancer, spinning up the deadly teeth as the enemy fire bounced around him in desperate inaccuracy, the deadly bolts of light smashing into the nearby walls.
"FUCKING ASS-HEADS!" Bringing down the lancer at the clavicle, the teeth screamed as the pirate's armor sparked…then quickly turned to a spray of ripped skin and bloody muscle. Rendering through the chest cavity in a gruesome display of carnage, the pirate died screaming as the walls became coated with sliding gore.
Ending the execution, Henri felt nothing for the sub creature. He hated the Batarians and the more killed now, the better.
Finally reloading as more of his platoon ascended to the next floor, Henri heard more sounds of dying aliens and gunfire.
"Nice one, Gultriz! Showed that ass-head" Private Torren joked as the Gears moved along the hallway, the floor littered with trash and ripped wiring from the walls. Peeking into another room, it was a gaping ruin, showing part of the street below and half an alien body slumped against the wall.
Henri shrugged, his armor mostly hiding the motion as they cleared the following room, its inhabitants long gone. "Just a Batarian. They don't deserve mercy"
"Can't argue with you on that" Torren added, the two men reaching the end of the hall. Peering out a blasted hole in the wall, the city cracked with gunfire and minor battles, the defenders already doomed.
Rumbles of artillery blasted a distant neighborhood, the shells rippling through several buildings as they collapsed, followed by another salvo of falling shells. Watching the show for a minute, neither soldier felt remorse at the destruction. They all knew the horrors committed on this planet, and now the Coalition was moving in.
"Think we'll terraform this place?" Torren asked, the helmeted man watching the swirling dust of the nearby desert sands swirling through the air.
"We better. That ice planet could water this whole damn world green. Now come on, we should get back before the sarge gives us shit for sightseeing" Turning, more cracks of rifle fire and errant explosions ripped through the city as the desperate defenders died and bled.
Three days later...
It had been three days of hell. Of fighting, running and dying as the Coalition forces advanced quickly and ruthlessly into the former havens and cities of the pirate held planet. Smoke and ash billowed from countless fires across the world, clogging the air as Gears advanced with professional efficiency to clear the world for their empire.
Baknath ran low through the rubble clogged streets, the pirate trying to reach the supply depot with the remnants of his team. Swerving past a destroyed ground vehicle with bodies burnt to horrid crisps inside, the slaver flinched as several rounds smashed into the ruined metal, sparking off with hellish whines.
An explosion tore through a building two streets over, the rippling blast wave mixed with the clanking of Seran armor as another shell followed, this another high explosive blast that silenced a few groaning screams.
"KEEP LOW! JUST GET TO THE DEPOT!" Baknath roared out to his men while swirling dust and sand billowed around them. Cracks of bullets shot past his ears, making the male's insides scrunch up. A low crunch and blast impacted near the fallen ruins of some store, the shrapnel of shards flaying one of his men. Hev'ton screamed, the burning shards of metal shredding his armor and flesh. Collapsing, the pirate tried to pick himself up, but was cut down by a snipers round that tore through his head in a spray of bursting bone and blood.
"JUST KEEP GOING!" Baknath screamed as another of his men staggered and fell, his armor failing against a long burst of rifle gun fire from the pursuing Serans. He did feel remorse, but Baknath also wanted to live as the male swerved behind a fallen pile of rubble along the right side of the road near the crumbling corner of store.
Spotting the safety of the supply depot that still miraculously stood, Baknath redoubled his efforts to reach the structure and the rest of his men as sporadic fire erupted from the glassless windows. Pulsing through the endless dust, smoke and ash, the rifle fire sought the invaders.
Smiling as his people fought valiantly, Baknath and his surviving teams surged along the boulevard to the structure.
Artillery feel like raining steel, a barrage of shells that ripped through the roof and walls of the depot like knives through paper. The survivors only managed half hearted screams as more artillery fell, blasting the surrounding street into a cratered hell of screaming males and dying soldiers.
Baknath was one of them, a flinging piece of shell ripping through his left knee. Grasping the wound as red blood flowed, he didn't hear his own howls as the remnants of his command bled and died among the dust and heat of this desert world.
The clanking of treads and marching footsteps made him look behind him, the slaver suddenly growing more fearful as one of the Seran Centaur tanks rumbled down the road with an escorting squad of Gears.
Trying to crawl toward his rifle, Baknath heard a fresh howl of terror, the sound catching his attention. Looking back, Tor'tin was frantically trying to move out of the way of the armor, his missing leg the least of his problems.
A sickening crunch of bone and dying agony only added to Baknath's fear as the pirate became nothing more than a smudge of red in the road.
"Shit! Shit!" crawling faster as his useless leg dragged, Baknath managed to brush his fingers along the barrel of his rifle among the ashen ruins of the street and agonized moans of the dying.
A boot stepped on his back, along with the grotesque scream of chainsaw teeth.
The last thing Baknath felt was unbearable agony as the lancer ripped into his back, spewing his insides across the road.
Private Gultriz pulled the churning lancer from the dead slavers back, the gore and strands of skin dripping from the teeth. Panning his gaze along the road toward the enemy strongpoint, all he saw was chewed up corpses, ruin, and craters that had ravaged the road.
Stepping over the body, he moved toward the right hand turn of the road as the Centaur rumbled past, its large cannon ready to blast another pirate den into history.
Churning its treads as it drove over several Batarian corpses, the armor turned Eastward along the wide road.
Sudden flashes of light came from a ruined apartment complex at the end of the street, its upper four floors gone. The accelerated slivers of metal smashed against the freshly included barriers of the armor, peppering the shield as the main gun slowly aimed.
It barked like thunder, the blast wave kicking away dust and dirt while the high explosive shell ripped into the distant structure.
Staying low inside the ruins of a small shop with several other Gears, Private Gultriz waited as another searing blast erupted, sending a second shell into the crumbling structure.
The floors began to pancake, collapsing upon the survivors as the Gears stood.
"Alright Gears. Let's clear this block. No survivors" Sergeant Fulltin ordered, his armor caked with dust, grime and spatters of Batarian blood. Leaving the ruins of the shop, the squad of men and women moved along the right side of the street, checking and clearing each doorway, room, and structure for threats as the Coalition took the planet, street by street, block by block.
System AR-743 (48 light years from Nueva Thessa) 33rd of Rise, 425 A.E.
The red dwarf burned dimly in the star system, its ruddy light falling upon a trio of hostile worlds. None were life bearing, nor supported even the possibility of terraforming as solar winds tore away the trace atmosphere of neon and argon gases of the third planet.
But despite the hostility of the planets, they were rich in minerals and metals that could be used for habitat construction once a proper mining survey was conducted.
Seven pirate vessels tumbled in the void, their crews already deceased and floating seamlessly. Debris and pieces of hull plating floated nearby the broken vessels, their drives cold. One vessel had been blown in half, its interior exposed like a decayed wound as the victorious vessels maintained a high orbit.
Commander Belliso was quite pleased with the outcome of their pirate hunt, the broken vessels beyond her command a silent graveyard of corpses and hulls. Sitting in her command chair, the bridge crew assessed and compiled, the minor threat gone.
They had been pathetic in skill and tactics, a failure in nearly every regard as her warships picked them to pieces above their hidden base of this un-named world.
Maintaining a standard defensive posture, the Turian warships kept guard of the lone Asari transport, a carbon copy of the Tai Kaliso class. Beginning to disgorge the drop pods loaded with commandoes and front line troops, each sparkled like pins of silver when considering the distances involved.
Everybody knew that they deserved a chance to take a prize as well, especially after the truth of Batarian slavery practices broke a few years ago. Which is why they were adopting a very Seran mindset and simply taking what they were owed.
"If I were to be honest with myself, the Serans and Asari should have taken more at the time. But, this was a minor front compared to the tenacity of the Toads. Seizing a dozen systems should satisfy the Asari as compensation now that the Hegemony broke apart"
Nobody really had raised concerns about the operations into the Terminus systems or seizing Hegemony systems, not that the brutes could do anything about it anyway. After Grand Shan Pod'neb fled at the start of the month, the three warring territories only seemed to descend into further violence, primarily directed at each other.
The pods began to drop toward the low slung buildings of the pirate base clustered in the shadow of a low ridge. Obviously just the upper portion of the sprawling facility, the base had been spared for the simple reason that the Asari could use it as a means to develop a proper mining colony in this system.
Belliso was a little annoyed that her forces wouldn't be taking part in the ground operation, but the Asari had been adamant of seizing nearby systems by their very young colony.
Watching with a calmness as her vessel's maintained vigil, Commander Belliso knew the operation's success was only a matter of time.
The drop pod slammed into the dry, purplish soil of the barren world, the bolts instantly firing.
Stepping out, Commando Aun T'date raised her rifle, the fully enclosed combat suit keeping her alive and well. The helmet was a reinforced for vacuum, a necessary precaution as her unit rapidly sprinted toward the low slung bunker door embedded in the side of the ridge. Some harsh dust billowed, the granules shifting and swirling among the deadly atmosphere of low pressures and whisps of gases.
They had fallen well within the drop zone, Aun rushing past a few smaller structures that she didn't care about. Dirty and half buried, they presented no worthwhile objective as the elite troops reached the bunker door.
An omni tool blazed, the hacker swiftly cracking the code. Rumbling upward after decompressing, the blast door rose, the interior crowded with shouting Batarians as they took up defensive positions around the hanger behind stacks of supply crates, low guard walls, and piles of spare parts. Immediately opening fire, the pirates and slavers had a modicum of fire discipline as two Asari fell, their barriers and armor taking a full brunt of enemy fire.
Aun rushed low and fast toward the left past her dead comrades, taking cover behind a support pillar as pulses of light reached out to maim and kill. But the incoming fire was ineffectual against the rippling biotic barriers of the first commandos, the slivers of mass propelled rounds flattening against the natural experts of biotics.
T'date exposed herself to Batarian fire, the female raising her hand and forming a singularity over three of the slavers huddled behind a low stack of crates. They lifted, the churning vortex rapidly ripping the trio apart into piles of ichor, blood, and severed limbs.
Sliding into cover with a few other commandoes, one picked up a pirate with stasis, the four eyed struggling as the firefight roared throughout the hangar.
Aun popped up, firing a stream of accelerated rounds into the foe, his head almost severing from the damage. The body dropped, a pile of flesh that plopped against the tarmac. Taking cover once more, Aun felt the rising anger as another of her fellow comrades died, a sniper taking the Asari's head off in a gruesome burst of blue blood and bone.
The pirate sniper didn't get to enjoy his kill as another Asari used her biotics to fling him out of the sniper nest in the upper scaffolding of the bay. Falling with a shriek to the pavement, he was riddled with gunfire, the body jumping from impacts as his weapon clattered nearby.
"T'Date! Singularity on that cluster!" Captain Di'aka M'loro shouted, her finger pointed toward an entrenched group holding before the interior doors. Hunkered down as murderous fire came from pirates, they had lined up behind solid guard rails of metalworks. Returning fire as some Asari held up biotic barriers, the Captain used her biotics to fling a slaver away into the nearby wall, breaking his bones into a powered paste with the force of a freight truck.
Extending her hand once more as biotic energies surrounded the gloved limb, Aun formed another swirling maelstrom over a cluster of beasts. Four were ripped apart, their limbs flaring around to strike several more in a horror as the Commandoes enclosed. Throwing several grenades over the Batarian's place of cover, the concussive blasts ripped apart three more aliens as their defense began to crumble.
A soldier on Aun's left screamed, a few rounds punching through the barriers and armor, spilling blue liquid from a stomach wound. Leaning against a stack of heavy crates, the female moaned with agony and trembling hands.
"Hold on, Vare. I have some Kelto Salve" Bringing out the wonderfully effective Seran combat medicine, she applied it to the stricken soldier.
Vare nodded behind her helmet, the visor showing the pain behind the eyes as the numbing salve began to work, sealing the wound until proper treatment could be conducted.
Sudden silence overtook the hanger after one final scream. Looking up, Aun saw regular troops starting to walk in through the open doorway, their helmets reflecting overhead lights as dust and soil filtered in. Nearly two full companies, they would assist in taking the facility now that the commandoes had carved out a foothold. Other units were to spread out and secure the smaller facilities, bringing a terrible force against the slavers hiding below the crust of this dead world.
The massive door rumbled shut, the massive weight of metal falling downward as breathable atmosphere began to pump in once more.
A medic came up, taking over the care of Vare as T'date moved toward the base's main door that led to the subterranean levels. The same hacker was at the controls, her omni tool blazing as dozens of commandoes stacked up on both sides, patiently waiting to destroy the pirate scourge.
"Remember what these monsters have done to our people. I want no prisoners taken" Captain D'loro reminded, her face now visible as many took the option to retract the helmet. Her crest seemed to blaze azure, the officer quite intent on punishing the beasts for the loss of nearly a dozen.
Of course, with nearly fifty dead Batarians crowding the hangar, the losses were quite lopsided, but to lose them at all angered many of the soldiers who had served along side each other for years and decades.
"We're in" Specialist T'zez informed, the hacker falling back a step and shouldering her Raptor rifle. True to her word, the blast doors slid open horizontally, the groan of gears and machinery drowned out by more grunts and sounds of alarm from the Batarians beyond.
Flares of pulsing weapons fire came from the wide hallway, rushing past the waiting Asari as the hasty pirates filled the air with deadly fire.
Throwing several concussion and thermic grenades into the waiting hallway, the sudden blasts were mixed with hellish howls as the first commandoes rushed low and fast with biotic barriers raised.
Aun was hugging the left wall, her rifle spitting incendiary rounds at the first enemy she saw. Burning through his neck and upper torso, the slaver flailed in death as more of the enemy tried to reorient from the shards of heated metals and harsh screams.
They were cut down without mercy, allowing the Commandoes to start taking the side passages and nearby rooms.
Opening a side door on her left, Aun T'date peeked in from a crouched position. A blast of shotgun pellets ripped through the air above her head, the pirate a snarling mass of evil.
"BITCH!"
Putting six rounds center mass, the incendiaries did their job, ruining flesh and ending the targets life. Securing the room, the alien had been alone. Re-entering the hallway, Aun T'date and the Asari pressed forward, exterminating all within their path.
The Citadel 23rd of Heat, 425 A.E.
Tevos silently read the latest report at her podium, the pleasant lights of the council chamber making the mood enjoyable despite the recent military operations against the Batarians.
While she didn't enjoy sending people into harms way, the civil war had basically annulled the entire Treaty of Adek. Even if her government pressed for the reparations, nobody in the Hegemony had the means nor desire to pay. With Pod'neb basically holding Lorek, his government was considered criminal among the warring sectors, systems and warlords that were butchering each other. He hadn't asked for help, and none in the Council were willing to give it. Getting involved with the Batarians was asking for trouble.
So instead, Tevos took a page from the Seran's and ordered the seizure of Batarian systems with advice from ambassador D'nato. If a few uninhabited Terminus worlds were taken as well, that was only fortunate for the republic.
"Commander Belliso has taken the initiative and claimed a half dozen systems for the Hierarchy. They haven't been surveyed yet, but rudimentary scans show several promising sites for mining and manufacturing. Of course, this is just a secondary measure as we support the Asari campaign" Councilor Procus suddenly voiced, the Turian quite pleased with the claimed territory.
"The joint operation has been very successful. Not only have several dozen pirate ships been destroyed, but three dens have been discovered and cleared, including AR seven four three. Not only will it create a buffer zone for Nueva Thessa and the growing colony there, but it will bring civilization to the sector" Tapping her finger, Tevos thought for several moments. "I am considering ordering a full seizure of Boto-Shik. It is a garden world and most of the population was killed during the war by the Serans. They didn't keep it at the time so seizure would be well within our rights for reparations"
"That will require a sizable infantry and naval deployment with a build up of forces and supplies. Something our current forces would have difficulty with. There is also the consideration that Boto-shik is further in their territory. Piracy and attacks would be more frequent so a sizable garrison and naval presence would be required to safe guard any colonial efforts" Procus admitted with capable reasoning.
"A strike now would be beneficial however, Batarians busy fighting among themselves. Situation is ripe for all our peoples to establish proper footholds inside the Terminus systems, especially past the Venroe system" Councilor Junisa voiced, the Salarian seeing the chance for several colonies to be established among newly revealed worlds and systems.
The boon of exploration was already being felt, the constant upgrades of military and survey vessels pushing past the cluster of systems around the Mass Relay's. In another few years, the galaxy could see a new age of colonialism and exploration to far flung worlds normally too far to reach. It was very reasonable for the Salarian Union to establish a foot hold now, despite the risks and cost.
"Planning a proper campaign should take priority. Rushing in is how our people were attacked at Venroe. We all know how that turned out for my species and the Serans" Tevos warned, knowing that contact with the Coalition had been a horrific loss of life for millions.
"Speaking of the Seran's, they've achieved quite the landgrab in the last two months. Several hundred light years of unexplored territory along with Ter'sha. It's a dry, desert world, but knowing them, they'll begin terraforming immediately" Procus chuckled. "They really hit those slavers hard. Didn't spare any of the bastards and good riddance"
"And what of the Terrans? Have they made any moves?" Tevos inquired, the female silently agreeing with the brutal display of conquest. She really had no love for the four eyed brutes...especially slavers and pirates.
"Form what I understand, no. They achieved their goals during the war and took a few contested systems then. Right now, they're taking a fully defensive posture since this Batarian Star Belt emerged. They're busy fighting the Hegemony and some battles against the Addekkan free states, but the Systems Alliance has no desire to get tangled up with that mess. I will say they are reinforcing Elysium with increased naval patrols and several infantry units"
"Makes sense, they share a long border with the Batarians" folding her hands, Tevos knew that force at this time was necessary, especially at the sheer evils those beasts had visited upon tens of thousands of Asari. "Seizing Boto-Shik is in the best interest of the Asari. Leaving a viable garden world to the Batarians is an insult, especially now that the treaty has been voided. We will secure it for the prosperity of my people and the Council as a whole"
"Agreed. The Salarian Union will also press in the Venroe sector"
Pleased with the discussion and outcome, the three seated races of the Council began to plan a greater campaign as the nebula burned with pinks and yellows beyond.
The Eagle Nebula. System BH-613.
A lifeless collection of planets, rocks and a massive asteroid surrounded the binary star system, the flaring orbs of gases burning among the dark. Radiation spewed from the twins, a deadly hell that blasted the inner two worlds to such extremes that not even the Geth would try and colonize.
Only the outer system was safe, the asteroid belt and lone gas giant offering a viable location for future industries.
But Captain Cas'gark and the crew of The Vile had no interest in surveying for minerals. Taking cover in the rampant tumbling of asteroids and shattered planetary fragments, the battleship and the ten escorts waited with weapons ready to strike and kill.
Hegemony forces had entered the system from the East, a flaring announcement that sensors picked up immediately.
Cas'gark took a moment to study the holo-table, the red triangles of enemy vessels slowly pushing across the system. There were six of them, destroyers judging by size as his command waited patiently among the belt. A derelict, scrap transport had been rigged to send out distress, a lure that would only work a few times before their enemies caught on.
Positioned close to the asteroid belt by half a million miles, the trap was promising as the foolish interlopers threw caution to the wind.
The six destroyers entered the target zone within minutes, their sensors pulsing over the derelict in a search for prisoners and wealth.
"Attack" Barely whispering the words, his crew sprung to action as The Vile flared with energy and purpose. Already burning sublight toward the foes, the main gun fired, sending a fresh MAC slug into the exposed rear of a destroyer.
The smaller craft simply disintegrated under the explosive damage of the ruptured drive core, spewing blue vapor and hull plating in all directions.
Not to be outdone, the Star Belter escorts fired in earnest, catching the other vessels in a murderous fire. Shields burned and buckled under the hammering of shells, the hull plating soon cracking to rupture and spill dying Batarians into the night.
Only two of the enemy managed to turn and bring weapons to bear, their shells ripping across the void in streaks of light to flare against The Vile. The battleship staggered under a few hits, but the smaller ships simply didn't have the firepower to bring down the larger warship.
In barely five minutes the battle was over, a pleasing outcome as his ships scanned for survivors among the tumbling wreckage.
Sneering as a corpse bounced off the viewing window to break into shards of frozen biomass, Captain Cas'gark retook his seat. "Resume our patrol. Eventually the Hegemony and their new leader will tire of losing ships to our strength"
The words were hollow. Battles and skirmishes across nearly a dozen worlds seemed to flare everyday as the losses climbed into the tens of thousands. Warlords among the Adekkan States fought each other and the Council…or simply died under Seran guns. The Hegemony tried to instill harsh tactics against the B.S.B.N. despite their military wining as many battles as they lost, resulting in a stalemate between the two political bodies.
At least the slavers and pirates were biding their time against the humans, none risking their lives or wealth as the S.A. kept a high level of vigilance along their border.
It could be several years until proper slave raids were conducted again.
The Vile entered light jump with her escorts, the crew satisfied with the light battle and skirmish as the Batarian civil war continued to rage and flare among the stars.
Sera. New Ephyra 26th of Heat, 425 A.E.
Izabel looked out the large window of the ocean side restaurant, the business only a few miles from the sunken remnants of Jacinto. Along a development of eateries, bars, and several marina's, the commercial sector was constantly thriving as the Sorano Ocean churned beyond the cliff edges. Taking a sip of wine from a slender glass, she enjoyed the crashing of waves beyond despite the horrid heat of the day outside.
During the night, the shoreline would almost blaze with electricity, the multiple colors of entertainment a beacon that fought against the emptiness of this world.
But, nightfall was several hours away, not that Diaz planned on being here when the younger citizens descended for an enjoyable evening.
Sensing somebody sitting at the table along the expansive window and its view, Izabel Diaz turned as Tabitha Salvador sat, the ambassadors wife wearing a modest dress of light green.
"Tabitha. I understand that this meal isn't a formal request from your husband" Voice level and even, Izabel wasn't mad or hostile, just unsure what the Terran woman wanted with this impromptu lunch that she almost didn't agree to.
"No, it's not" Taking a deep inhale of cool air from the working air conditioning, Tabitha went straight to business. "George Washington"
"Excuse me?" Unsure of the name, Diaz crossed her arms as the woman before her rattled off more names.
"Emelia Earhart. Winston Churchill. Thomas Edison. Alexander Fleming. Marie Curie. Orville and Wilbur Wright. Alexander the Great. Catherine the Great. Sun Tzu! You asked me when I arrived of heroic, notable figures from Earth history and those are just a handful of them! We are due the same respect as any other species and we are NOT some collection of twentieth century liberals more concerned with some failed wokeism! I don't know why you think that of the Alliance, or of Earth itself, but we are a planet made up of hundreds of different cultures, languages and customs! To lump us all together based on historical data over a hundred fifty years old is not acceptable! And honestly, even back then, most peopled had no desire to submit to those minor groups!" Taking a deep breath, Tabitha raised a hand, her demeanor apologetic. "Your species went through hell, there is no doubt about that. The Locust Horde and Lambency are nightmarish to think about. Your first contact with a species was horrific. But I will not listen to constant degrading insults about Terrans and the Alliance!" Finishing with a low shout, Tabitha lay her hands on the table, her words drawing a few concerned stares from the work staff and a few Onyx Guards by the entrance.
Taking another sip of her wine, Izabel set the glass down, her gaze falling upon the Terran. "When I first studied your world, the first historical files I read were centered on the last century. The rampant pollution, endless minor conflicts and the sheer evil your people allowed to exist. Even now, there are some areas of Earth where trafficking occurs. Where narcotics ruin lives and political fanatics plan terrorism over perceived insults. It was unbelievable that your people didn't just…exterminate the threats. For example, the old United States could have crushed the narcotic empires of South America with simple military campaigns and burning their opium plantations from the sky with napalm. Yet they didn't. Your species allowed child molesters and rapists to live despite the danger they presented to civilization" Shaking her head, Diaz continued. "There isn't crime like that here. If somebody harmed a child like that, they face immediate execution" Waving her hand for a refill of wine, Izabel resumed.
"For Serans, strength is everything. Not only physical. But emotional, financial…anything that is considered beneficial to the survival of my species is looked upon favorably and with respect. Your people are still very young in this galaxy. It's only been two hundred years since your first astronauts broke free of your world and many of you still have that selfish mentality of serving yourselves and not your people as a whole. But…" Holding up a finger, Izabel made the other woman listen. "Your people did join us in war against our enemies. You did show merit and bravery for a cause. You are trying to improve, to do better for yourselves. Even as we speak, the Alliance works on your new seat of government, Arcturus Station. It will be a very impressive construct when finished. All of that is noteworthy for respect" Holding up an old, laminated menu, Izabel changed the direction of the lunch, her point finished and not up for further debate.
"Now, please join me for lunch. They have some very delicious fish here"
Tabitha Salvador slowly picked up the menu, chalking up the conversation as a minor victory. While she doubted it would significantly change the mindset of many, there were a few points of admiration from the Chairman as well.
Which was a victory in itself as far as Tabitha was concerned. Casting a glance out the sprawling window to the nearby ocean a minute later, something quite large broke the surface, the Leviathan rapidly disappearing under the waves as the summer sun beat down on the planet.
Well, I think that's a good place to end it. The Hegemony civil war will still rage as systems break away, come under attack, or try to maintain their own independence. Obviously, the Batarian Star Belt Nation is close to Elysium *HINT HINT* But in terms of timeline, that could still be a couple years away. The Assheads are busy killing themselves and the S.A. is on the ball for now so any potential pirate attack would be when things calm down.
Same with the COG and CC. They've using it as a chance to take more systems, especially ones between the relays.
Also, I want to start building up the Terrans a bit. I worry about dumping on them too much and I need to start showing what they can do. Be it settling worlds, building new ships or standing their ground, etc.
Anyway, I think that's it! I'll be working on Bisca's Journey next so…that's that!
The Happy