On the Illusion of Might

by evevee

We thought ourselves powerful, able to conquer a galaxy with nothing but toys. When we overcame every challenge, breached the space between the galaxies themselves, what use were the words of a race ashamed of their own past? Yet we cannot deny that we were warned, for while a challenge to a human is laughable, a challenge to humanity is a death sentence.

8. Info for the Get-Go

Disclaimer: I own no franchise mentioned in this work. Halo belongs to 343, Mass Effect to Bioware.

I know I said that this chapter would be the last before UNSC met the Citadel, but that ended up to be false. I will try to get the second part of this out soon, but just started another semester, so may end up muddled. As for future updates, they will come when they come. I will try to do once a month, but if a class gets really intensive that may be put off.

If I have not updated in a month, story status can be found on my profile. That will always be updated at least once a month.

This chapter starts way before the end of the last. The SA parliament meeting was November 2566, Garrus met the Unggoy in December 2566, the Warden Summit was in February 2567, this chapter begins in September 2567 and ends in 2568, while Shepard met Liara in January 2569.

Next chapter will finish up the Warden side of things for this time period, from 2568 to 2689, with the Reach Memorial from the end of Halo: REACH on July 7, 2589. Just wanted to get that straight, since the dates were a bit mixed from going through Shepard's entire chapter.

I know the reception to last chapter was a bit mixed. For those of you who enjoyed it, cool. For those who didn't, know that this isn't a romance story and it won't be a huge focus of the fic. I enjoyed writing it to set up Shepard's character, but with that done I won't need to devote an entire chapter to it again. I will use what I established in that chapter, hence why I wrote it.

For now, we're back to business as usual! Rather than focusing solely on a single character, this chapter is focusing on the events of the Warden species and what they have going.

Now for Review Responses! If you don't care, skip to the breakpoint below. For responses, later reviews will be listed first, because I'm lazy and can't be bothered to reverse-order them.

MyNameJeff: No, I will not be adding any OC species to this fic. EVERY species I use is canon. Now, some ships might not be, but those will be a nod to other fandoms rather than 'Shupur Speshial' vessels that blah blah blah. Yeah, I try not to do that whole fan-creation thing.

Aj, AleksandrInozuka, uriil, Naruko the 7th Hokage, Fandango12345, spaulding714, Indominus, Follower D21, SITHIS ARCANIS, declonus, An Sionnach Rua, Zx, Andrew, Guest #3, SpecterXCove, Krysvun, brucec22180, falloutg123, Darkcush, Star Iron, Nektos, Uknowndeath 2565, zolydck, UchihaMadara270, HyperionATLAS: Thanks, and here you are!

Guest #1, Anon, anon #2, Commissar Critical: Noted, but I liked writing it and some later stuff would be confusing without last chapter, so deal with it. It will be the last chapter so individually focused, at least as far as I have planned.

Ninjashot: Thank you for the extensive review, and glad to hear you're liking it! Yeah, last chapter was a bit different, but I knew that so not too worried. I just don't like the Mass Effect Origins for Shepard, none of them strike me as particularly interesting on their own. No sweating Innies here, but it will come!

Fer82: Thank you for the review, and good to hear that you're enjoying the story. Focus is shifting to the Wardens for the foreseeable future, last chapter was set up. Don't worry about instant hostilities, though I can't guarantee against belligerency and ignorant statements. I DO think that the Citadel Council members are idiots, so...yeah.

Teloch: Reapers against a Covenant CSO supercarrier? Yeah, Reapers aren't gonna win that one. As for the Mantle belonging to the Reclaimers, interesting theories, but I already have some ideas for that myself. :)

Guest #2: Chief rarely removes his helmet and would never do so in a potentially hostile environment like the Citadel. Authors that have 117 remove his helmet or reveal his name at the first request irritate me and don't know Halo lore in my opinion.

airmailmrcool: Yeah, Asari growth rates are kind of undefined from what I saw, but I didn't look very hard. After all, human growth rates haven't changed from when the average life-span was 40 to the modern day when it's 90. That statement will make sense a lot later.

CapitalClassShip: We're almost to that, won't spoil the answers to those questions here in the reviews.

worldwanderer2.0: I never stated that I wouldn't use Colony or any other Banished leader, I just said I was unsure due to the lack of canon material. If 343i decides to actually keep the characters around instead of discarding them like they did with Fireteam Majestic, then I will use them. Thank you for the review!

Foureyed Giraffe: Thank you for the review! Good to hear that I managed to approach the balance I was looking for between canon and logically incorporation of Halo lore. Indeed, next couple chapters will cover what changed for the UEG. There is actually a piece of Halo lore about the abundance of species in the Orion Arm alone, I'll get to that eventually. I won't be using OC species though, sorry.

Kabuto S. Inferno: Much appreciated for the praise and review, and glad that you liked it! Yes, some interesting times are ahead for the Warden and Citadel meeting. Asari aging will be explained, I promise! It has an explanation that...well, you'll see. :)

Ominous Olethros: Space is big, places that the Citadel could not go could encompass most of the Orion arm, along with other random places that don't actually matter. Counter-Intelligence and misdirection, just because I have Poondat saying that the Citadel shouldn't go to coordinate XYZ doesn't mean that those coordinates are correct or that there is anything actually there. Any dialogue in this story between possibly opposed factions SHOULD NOT be taken as instant fact, lies WILL be and have been told. As for vehicles, the Warthog and Mongoose aren't powered by Mass Effect. Benezia would not know this, as she isn't tearing apart SA vehicles like a battlefield would do. Also, obviously an unarmed Warthog is inferior to a Mako. The Mako is an APC, the ME canon version of an MBT. A gauss or rocket 'hog, or a Scorpion, would run circles around or go right through a Mako, respectively.

Ramos: I never described the Chief's armor. I don't know why people are assuming it's the same armor, I just said it was green and large. That is literally the only description of 117 that I used. That tells readers nothing beyond that the figure is the Master Chief. I think that there are far too many Relays to guard at all times. They are patrolled, not guarded. As for the SA sharing tech, they are learning from Citadel tech, not giving the Citadel slipspace or any other tech. That's why I have the Mako alone for the SA in the Citadel's galaxy, versus Main Battle Tanks. Council is vastly incompetent, no argument from me.

312: Thank you very much for the long review, and interesting ideas. Bit more set up before the explosion, unluckily, as the Warden's haven't been idle during last chapter either.

linx007: Governments typically don't rush into things, and the Wardens aren't being obvious. Will expand on the Halo factions a bit more before the meeting, hopefully explains some things. Thank you for the review and hope you enjoy!

Zeus501: That will be answered, I assure you.

---

First Age of Realization, Seventh Solar Cycle/13th Day of 15th Month, 2438/September 26, 2567

Enduring Conviction

Mupmup

Atriox had always been fairly subtle in conducting the affairs of the Banished. Small raids against Covenant fuel depots, an attack on a Remnant world, stealing a ship here and there. Enough to be an annoyance but not enough to merit the attention of a fleetmaster or someone else of high standing.

That subtlety was decidedly lacking as the Enduring Conviction blasted back into reality above Mupmup. As its slipspace portal closed behind it and the vessel approached the fleet in orbit, it quickly became apparent that the modified CAS-class carrier dwarfed everything else. The Banished ships already in orbit parted easily for their flagship, falling into formation as 'Volir directed the Conviction into place.

While the Unggoy and Banished vessels had easily dealt with the appearance of the carrier, the 7/29th CEF were at a loss as to how to react. They had been warned that a large vessel would be entering the area to facilitate the introduction of a new species, but the disconnect between ideals of 'large' for the Unggoy and Turians had not been taken into account.

As Atriox watched, the Turian fleet began backing off, allowing a greater distance between themselves and the Banished flagship. The Jiralhanae grinned, amused at the reaction his arrival had received.

His attention was drawn away as the communications officer reported, "Incoming communication."

Let 'Volir replied, "Let them talk. Keep focus on the Warlord, they do not need to know of the existence of Sangheili. From what the Unggoy have told us, we should be heading for their space to meet on the Citadel. Do we have a confirmation from the Reclaimer vessel in system?"

"We received a point to point data link as we slipped in. The Reclaimer stealth craft is off our port bow, 200 kilometers out. Exact position unknown," the comms operator replied.

A quick glance at the screen that displayed the space outside the carrier showed no sign of the humans. From Atriox's experience, if the human craft was ever visible, it probably meant that everything else was already dead.

The view was quickly obscured as the communication from the Turian vessel came through. From the reports given to him by the Unggoy, the Turians were similar to Sangheili in the militaristic order of their society.

"This is Garrus Vakarian of the 7th Citadel Exploration Fleet, in command of the THV Covenant and joint-command of the 7th and 29th CEF. The Unggoy told us that you were coming," the Turian leader said, introducing himself quickly.

Atriox grunted and replied, "Atriox, Jiralhanae Warlord of the Banished. We make for your Citadel?" Considering the shock that the alien must have been feeling, the Jiralhanae Warlord gave this Garrus credit for his composure.

"Indeed. Travel time will be about three month and fourteen days, by our time measurement. I believe that it's about a fifth of your Solar Cycle. We were planning on travelling by Mass Relay, however, we were not expecting a vessel of this size," Garrus stated, staying formal for the inevitable performance review by the Council.

"Then we shall take a different route. Bring your ship into our hangar and we will make the journey in a reasonable amount of time," Atriox responded. He glanced at the navigation console to see the Sangheili on station give a nod of confirmation as he worked out a flight path for the alien ship.

"We have two command ships that will be making the journey. You would invite us onto your vessel?" Garrus inquired.

Atriox shrugged, "You would stay on your ships. It's a short journey, and there's not much damage you could do and survive. From your talks with the Unggoy, I assume you do not have a death wish for you or your species."

"And our trust for you should come from...?" Garrus asked, looking pointedly at Atriox's massive form.

"Yes, because we need you inside our ship for us to present a threat to your continued existence," the Warlord said, sarcasm and boredom obvious in his tone.

Garrus gave a low laugh as he replied, "Fair enough. Your hangar has enough space for two of our ships?"

"Easily," Atriox answered.

"Understood, we will follow the directions provided. Transmitting our destination," the Turian leader replied, sending the coordinates of their path before disconnecting.

As the route appeared on 'Volir's console, the Sangheili glanced at the numbers before closing the message and ordering, "Set course for the Citadel. All non-Unggoy or Jiralhanae crew are to stay out of the main hangar for the duration of the journey. Once the Turians are onboard, initiate the slip."

From the estimated realspace distance, it would take a bit more than two human weeks to travel the 15,000 light years to the Citadel. The Unggoy had declined the invitation to join the delegation and were content with communicating with the Citadel races through the Turian commander.

Assured that 'Volir had everything under control, Atriox mentally reviewed the briefing he had received from Lydus before the arrival of the Conviction above Mupmup. This briefing had included the coordinates of many important worlds and locations for the Turians, including the Citadel.

Unlike the Warden species, who had hidden any possibly useful information by limiting the Turians to trained Unggoy diplomats, the Citadel members seemed to be largely unconcerned with data restriction. Reclaimer intelligence gathering had already revealed a large amount of information that would be quite useful in a hostile situation.

While some of this information was easily found through the Citadel Codex, a lot was also drawn out from behind the weak cybersecurity standards of the Turian vessels. Even though the Reclaimers had yet to make a foray away from Mupmup, at least that they had informed the Wardens about, they still had enough data to conduct a successful campaign against Citadel space.

The arrival of the Banished flagship was permitted by the Unggoy both because of the assistance of the group as well as an attempt to warn off the Citadel. It was calculated that a show of might would buy more time before conflict than appearing meek before the Council.

Most of the worry for such an offensive came from the Citadel's use of FTL travel. While significantly slower than slipspace, it was still a great unknown, something that every commander hated. Examination of the Turian vessels by cloaked Reclaimer stealth craft had revealed no large surprises, though there was no way to test the strength of the Turian shields without suspicion being aroused.

Some members of the Wardens had called for direct observation in the Citadel's galaxy instead, but the Reclaimers had denied this due to the distance involved. Deploying an ONI prowler to a planet held by a member of the Wardens was one thing, but sending a single stealth craft to another galaxy was quite different. Instead, their intelligence gathering agency had loitered in the system, collecting and analyzing data.

From the preliminary findings, the Wardens were fairly confident in making full Contact within the next few decades. Several large conflicts had been mentioned by the Codex, but all were fairly localized events.

Even with the chain of 'Mass Relays' that the Citadel had established, it would take several months for any force to be able to attack Warden space if hostilities did occur. Concerns had been raised about the low cost of these Relays, but it was determined that they posed no critical threat to Warden forces.

Several military analysts had pointed out that these Relays could be weaponized, but from further study that theory was soundly disproven. By the Citadel's understanding of what they called 'Mass Effect', it was impossible to fire a craft from a Relay and have it impact at hyper-luminal velocity.

For the Citadel's knock-off Relays, this was largely due to power output. At 250 meters in length, the small relays were basically built at the low cost of a frigate to allow a short transit using the massless corridor that was created. Instead of having the Mass Effect field around the ship, the Citadel races shaped it into a beam to allow for their other vessels to travel through.

The limiting factor for distance on both the Citadel Relays and the much larger Prothean Relays in the Citadel galaxy, however, was the mass entering the corridor. As the massless route extended farther, there were more particles of space dust or other matter that interfered with the beam. While small on their own, the number in several dozen light-years would quickly overwhelm the Mass Effect field.

While smaller particles limited the distance through number, larger objects simply interrupted the corridor. A vessel going through a Mass Relay aimed at a celestial object would decelerate to the point that it'd be just as effective to drop the ship on the surface without going through a Relay.

This was also what prevented Warden vessels from using the Relays. With no Mass Effect core to reduce their mass, any Relay they used would be unable to catapult ships larger than small frigates.

Atriox pulled his thoughts away from strategy and tactical intelligence as the Enduring Conviction began pulling away from Mupmup. Apparently the Turians had arrived and 'Volir had taken the initiative to start their journey.

As the carrier opened a slipspace portal, its shields glowed as they fought off the effects of the eleven-dimensional highway. This glow was the main focus of the remaining Turian vessels, which was exactly what the captain of the ONI prowler had counted on as the human vessel discretely followed the Banished to the Citadel.

---

First Age of Realization, Seventh Solar Cycle/9th Day of 16th Month, 2438/October 12, 2567

Widow System

Citadel

The arrival of the Enduring Conviction at the edge of the system went largely unnoticed, with the only witnesses being those in the hangar of the massive carrier and the sensors of the Citadel Defense Fleet. All civilian traffic was further in system and blindly following flight paths given out by Citadel flight control, not scanning the center of Citadel space for alien vessels.

After they had cleared the rupture, the Turian vessels left their positions on the hangar deck and pulled in front of the Banished flagship. Atriox's transport followed soon after, leaving the Conviction to drift at the edge of the system in case assistance or retribution was needed.

Due to the great distance to the Citadel from their current location, the dropship would dock in one of the hangars of the two Turian frigates while the vessel went to FTL. While mainly a courtesy to repay their journey as well as shorten what would otherwise be a long trip across the system, this arrangement also allowed the Jiralhanae to keep a low profile when meeting the Council.

With the speed given by the Turian FTL travel, the group quickly reached the Citadel. As they were directed to the diplomatic hangar, Garrus took some time to remember his last visit here. By Citadel Galactic Standard Time, it had been one year, five months, and some days. The last visit had been highly publicized as the Systems Alliance made its galactic debut, rather than the extremely quiet affair that had been requested by the Jiralhanae.

As the two Turian frigates arrived at the empty deck area, the alien dropship exited gracefully and drifted to a hover above the floor. From the sides of the Jiralhanae transport came six large beings, each already experienced at boarding and covering from their mission on the Spirit of Fire and other hostile operations.

Atriox glanced at the Turians as they descended from their own ships. Their military order was obvious from the way in which they automatically assembled, although the Jiralhanae Warlord thought that such discipline might make them too predictable an enemy, much as the Covenant had become against the Reclaimers.

One of the Turians led the formation towards Atriox and spoke, "I am Spectre Saren Arterius of the Citadel Council, leader of the 29th Citadel Exploration Fleet and co-leader of the 7th CEF. If you would follow me, please."

Atriox easily understood the Turian as the Citadel translation device converted the greeting to Unggoy and then the Warlord's own translator converted that to Jiralhanae. As the one named Arterius moved off, the pack of Jiralhanae followed, with the rest of the Turians surrounding the formation.

Unlike the Systems Alliance tour around the Presidium, the Jiralhanae were led through more discreet areas. Several views of the Citadel's central ring were visible at times, but the Jiralhanae did nothing more than glance out before ignoring the sight. Several Turians looked at the pack oddly at this, probably put off by the lack of surprise on the part of the Jiralhanae.

Considering that the Turians themselves hid their surprise at the size of the Conviction, Atriox was not interested in playing their games. If they thought a CAS-class carrier was unimpressive due to the lack of their Mass Effect, then the Wardens would have a hard time avoiding a fight. While a war was good for business, such a large-scale galactic conflict could prove disastrous to the Banished if they were seen as a threat to either side. Citadel ships might not be strong, but numbers could easily overwhelm the relatively small fleets that Atriox commanded.

Such concerns occupied Atriox as the group continued towards the Council. Without the long walk for showing off the massive structure, the travel time to the Citadel Tower was greatly shortened. Rarely used corridors and lifts kept them from being seen by the heavy traffic around the area.

The lack of any other beings in the Council Chamber was instantly obvious, as only the three Councillors were present to greet the Jiralhanae. Following the exact same protocol, the Turian soldiers stopped at the foot of the steps while Atriox, Decimus, Garrus, and Saren continued onto the extended platform to talk with the Councillors.

"Welcome to the Citadel. My name is Tevos, Asari Councillor and representative of the Asari Republics on the Citadel Council."

"Salarian Councilor Valern, from the Salarian Union."

"Councillor Sparatus, Turian Hierarchy," the Turian announced.

Atriox took a second to listen to one named Garrus mutter quietly, "For the love of, they could at least try to be different sometimes." By the lack of reaction from the Council, it seemed that the Turian had experience in being discreet with such comments.

Snorting in amusement, the Jiralhanae replied, "Atriox, Warlord of the Banished and War Chieftain of the Alpha Jiralhanae Lydus." His translator was set to Unggoy, which allowed the Council to understand him.

"You are a representative from your people's leadership, then?" Sparatus asked before Tevos could begin talks.

Atriox considered the question for a second and responded, "Representative of the Jiralhanae, yes. Of the Alpha Tribe? No. I cannot speak for the Alpha, I only fight for him if needed."

"So you are a general in the armies of this Lydus?" the Turian Councillor pressed. Tevos glanced over to her colleague, allowing Atriox to see a trace of irritation in her otherwise neutral expression.

"The Banished are an independent group, with no higher leadership than myself. While we do take on fights for the Wardens of the Mantle, the Unggoy, and other interested parties, they do not command us through every move. When we are given an objective, we complete it using whatever way brings us the best result rather than by using set tactics," Atriox explained.

Tevos replied, "By our laws, you would be considered a mercenary group. We had expected to meet with representatives to establish contact with your race, to learn and perhaps trade. Is that still possible?"

Atriox grinned, causing the Councillors to lean back slightly as their instincts of survival flared. "We can trade with you, Councillors. Our price is money and locations to dock our ships. Our tools are the weapons that we have made, found, and otherwise acquired. Our product is the death of your enemies, or perhaps some bit of information that you seek, or for security from the unknown, whichever you wish."

"You are willing to do work for the Council, after just meeting us?" Valern inquired.

"A business does not grow without expanding its horizons, Councillors."

The salarian nodded thoughtfully before continuing, "While the Council is not in need of your assistance here, there may be something you can help with in regards to the Unggoy."

Atriox let his grin fade away as he thought about his current contracts before replying, "The Unggoy are under the protection of the Banished at the current moment. If you are interested in contacting the Kig-Yar that you encountered first, don't bother. As you probably know, they have no central government and tend to shoot first, eat prisoners later."

Tevos grimaced visibly at that, but quickly restored her composure and said, "No, the Kig-Yar are an interest to us, but we cannot fight a war against them with our current travel limits. Actually, our request is for information."

"Not unusual, go on," Atriox encouraged.

"The Unggoy have mentioned a race they call 'Reclaimers'. We would pay you well for any information you can provide on this race. This includes the locations of their worlds, the strengths and shortcomings of their fleets, and information on their technology," Tevos explained.

Before the Warlord could reply, Sparatus continued, "The Council would also be greatly interested in acquiring your services and assistance in an assault on these 'Reclaimers'. According to the Unggoy, the 'Demons' would present the greatest threat in an attack. If the Banished would eliminate these elite troops, our fleets could finish the fight."

"Why do you want to attack the Reclaimers?" Atriox asked, his tone completely serious.

"From our talks with the Unggoy, they seem to have a persistent fear of that race. They will not consider the guidance of the Citadel due to their fear of these 'Demons', even with assurances of our ability to protect them. All species should have the right to join the Citadel, which these 'Reclaimers' are denying," Sparatus insisted.

Atriox growled and replied, "There is a bit more history to the issue than you realize, Turian. The Reclaimers aren't a bunch of slaving scum with a fleet of scrap, they are an adaptable and highly versatile species with a well organized, well trained, and experienced military."

"Then if you will not fight them, will you tell us how we may do so ourselves?" Tevos asked.

"Did you not hear anything I just said? The Unggoy aren't being suppressed by the Reclaimers. No matter how much you offer, they won't leave the Wardens. If I give information on the Demons to you and you go attack them, then the responsibility for that attack would be on me. As much as I want your business, I would prefer to stay alive to get the payment for that information," Atriox stated plainly.

Sparatus scoffed, "We control an entire galaxy and have begun establishing colonies in your own. We have not met these 'Reclaimers' or their 'Demons', so they cannot be a very large state. Would you not at least share their location so that we may talk with them? I'm sure they could benefit greatly in joining the Citadel, as could the Unggoy and your own race."

"The Reclaimers are not spread across the galaxy, this is true. On the other hand, Councillor, neither are you. You have explored in tendrils, there could be entire civilizations between us and you would have no idea. I have talked to the Reclaimers, and they have made it quite clear that they wish to consolidate rather than expand at this time. Now, since I want to keep my head and I assume you want to stay alive, let's move on from information about the Demons," Atriox suggested, foregoing tact and bluntly changing the topic.

"If you still wish for a contract from us, then perhaps we can build trust so that you may inform us about the Reclaimers. For now, there have been some issues with pirate raids along the Turian frontier. If you think that the Banished are capable of dealing with these, then I believe the Hierarchy is offering small sums for each one killed," Tevos mentioned.

Atriox considered the offer for several seconds. While the pay would be worse than the usual anti-piracy activity against the Kig-Yar, it would allow the Banished to sell combat tactics and force composition to the Wardens. It would also allow the Banished to acquire reputation in this galaxy, along with some of the galactic currency. Ultimately, fighting against whatever enemy could threaten the 'Intergalactic Citadel Council' might give a good impression as to how powerful this 'Mass Effect' technology was.

On the other hand, fighting mere pirates could give away the tactics of the Banished to the Citadel races, allowing them to create countermeasures for an actual fight. This would also reveal the power of Banished technology, which could paint a target on them if, as was highly likely, their technology was better than the Citadel's. The Turians might also turn against the Banished if they were weakened for that information, however unlikely it was.

Of course, if Atriox just had his flagship in this galaxy, he could always just steamroll the enemy and leave no survivors. If everyone was dead, then no one could judge the power of the Banished. The issue with that, of course, was if Turian vessels accompanied the Conviction on an elimination mission.

Firing on the Turians to leave no witnesses could work, but if any escaped, the use of friendly fire would prove devastating to the reputation of the Banished. Although, it was also true that if the Turians didn't accompany them and the Conviction killed everything, there would be no witnesses to spread their reputation anyways.

Making a decision, Atriox replied, "Sounds like something that the Banished can help you with. Councillor Sparatus, I would assume that you have the details of this task?"

"I do. We shall send the details to your vessel, and payments will follow as you provide proof of your efforts," the Turian Councillor replied. With that, Atriox turned and began to make his way back to his transport and the Enduring Conviction, ready to start gathering valuable intelligence to sell to the Wardens.

---

First Age of Realization, Seventh Solar Cycle/16th Day of 20th Month, 2438/January 7, 2568

Enduring Conviction

Vermin Extermination

When dealing with pirates, or 'Vermin Extermination' as the Banished like to call it, most vessels would use a fair amount of caution. Even when faced with one degraded Kig-Yar ship, the possibility of being hit by a glassing beam or antimatter charge did exist. A careful approach, as a hunter with prey, was taken so as to gain an advantage as fast as possible.

Certain vessels could take a different route, instead relying on shielding and maneuvering to evade the inflexible aim of the glassing beam. Such examples included the Reclaimer's new Infinity-class vessels, which had been known to annihilate entire Kig-Yar fleets, and CAS-class carriers, which were simply too well armed and escorted for Kig-Yar to attack.

As the Enduring Conviction raced towards the irregular mass of ships that had been harassing a Turian world, this advantage became quite evident. Cobbled together from ships that apparently belonged to the Batarian Hegemony, Omega, and other high criminals, the opposition to the Banished was lackluster at best.

Rounds from the Eezo-powered Mass Accelerators pinged off the shielding of the flagship, doing negligible damage and having no change on the trajectory of the five kilometer bullet. With her engines at full burn and 'Volir carefully directing their heading himself, it was only matter of seconds until the carrier was bearing down on the formation of scum.

Considering that the soon-to-be-deceased had had less than a minute to react from the time the Conviction had exited slipspace to this moment, it was impressive that they had managed to get off any shots, however uncoordinated they were. Unluckily, even with their quick reactions to the threat, the Mass Effect-powered ships were no match for the Enduring Conviction at close range.

The first ship to meet the shielded bow of the carrier simply crumpled, exploding into debris as its artificially lowered mass fluctuated with the destruction of the Eezo core. The destabilization of the ship's core caused an effect similar to a disruptor torpedo as the fluctuations in the field tore what remained of the ship into molecular shreds.

While Citadel Kinetic Barriers would break from the stress of the Mass Effect field distortions created by the destabilization of a core, the energy shields the Conviction utilized were not nearly so weak. Seeing as most hulls and energy shields on warships were rated for slipspace, which consisted of eleven dimensions attempting to destroy any ship from all sides, the four-dimensional warps created by Mass Effect were of little consequence.

This lack of a negative effect from the explosion was of little to concern to the remaining enemies as the Conviction continued forward. Several more ships were hit by the CAS carrier, though several were only clipped and sent spinning away as they glanced off the shields of the vessel.

Any ships that had not been destroyed by means of roadkill were quickly assaulted with pulse laser turret fire. Even as the shots began cutting through barriers and allowed plasma turret rounds to melt ships into slag, several of the combatants began to run.

Even as fast as Eezo drives were, they were still no match for the speed of light, which was also the speed at which pulse lasers travelled. While the weapons did less damage per shot, they were still enough to disable fleeing vessels.

Within minutes, the fight was over, allowing the carrier's shields to regenerate from colliding with the enemy ships. The shattered remains of the victims of the Banished's Vermin Extermination plan drifted through space, left for someone else to find. With no survivors, the Enduring Conviction once more entered slipspace, off to another fleet of scum to hone their tactics and technology against.

---

First Age of Realization, Eighth Solar Cycle/11th Day of 7th Month, 2439/May 18, 2568

Wardens of the Mantle Summit

Harvest

Once again the Wardens of the Mantle were gathered together for an update on the situation on the Citadel. With the connection that the Banished had made, along with the information that the independent group had gathered, much had been learned about the species making up the Council.

Numen Fewkes, Admiral of the Reclaimer's Office of Naval Intelligence, was the first to speak, "As per our instructions and contract, the Banished vessel known as the Enduring Conviction allowed our asset to utilize its slip to the Citadel. Subsequent intelligence was gathered and has been returned to us, allowing us to confirm information acquired from the Turian databases as well as the UNSC Spirit of Fire."

"Unlike our previous meeting, where we had been limited by time and the lack of operational security, the Office now has a solid estimate for several crucial force projections. The UEG, by decision of the Senate, President, and UNSC leaders, shall continue to abstain from Contact with the Citadel Council and other species from that galaxy."

The Admiral took several seconds to organize the relevant information in his mind before he continued, "At this time, it is the opinion of ONI and other UNSC Intelligence agencies that the Citadel Council does not present a credible military threat. While their fleet is large, it is also co-dependent, with the Asari providing heavy-hitting vessels, the Turians making up the numbers, and the Salarians assigned to intelligence."

"Without the Asari to support the Turians in a prolonged engagement, the weaker but more numerous Turians would be unable to breach the shields of our capital ships in such numbers as to sway a battle. If the Turians withheld from a fight, then the Asari would not have the numbers to withstand the casualties we could inflict on them. Without the Salarians, the other two would never know how or even where to fight our fleets," Fewkes said.

"However, even if they did work together in such cohesion so as to cover their weaknesses, there are still issues with supply lines. The Citadel, while technically Intergalactic, is not equipped to supply the fleet numbers necessary to take on the Wardens. While they might be able to attack the smaller fleets, such as those of the Unggoy or Fringe, they would present little difficulty to the Sangheili, UEG, or Jiralhanae."

Thel 'Vadam interrupted before the human could continue, "This is assuming that we would fight alone. The Wardens are meant to be a unified force, so what is the assessment in that scenario?"

"Assuming that navigational data and other information on Warden assets is properly restricted, the threat to the Wardens is considered minimal. However, it is unlikely that this confidentiality can be maintained once contact is made. With a joint-force of the Wardens, the largest issue to solve will be successfully covering all Warden worlds from Citadel FTL," the Admiral explained.

One of the Fleetmasters of the Swords of Sanghelios inquired, "If the Turians and their allies were to attack, our defenses would hold. What of an attack of our own?"

Fewkes shook his head and replied, "An attack on Citadel space would be extremely challenging. While we have the vessels and personnel to complete such a move, our force projection would be too focused. Supply lines would be protected by our use of slipspace, but the number of ships needed to supply a single invasion fleet would be enormous due to the duration of the journey as well as the size of such a group."

"Any attack would also need to be sent to a valuable target. While our ships easily outclass those of the Citadel, the Council and its members have occupied their galaxy. Their coverage is spotty due to the use of their relays, but it is still a massive area to cover. The will to fight is also an issue, and will continue to be so for the UEG at the least," the ONI leader finished.

President Peter Lebeau added, "The UNSC will defend any members of the Wardens if they are attack and we would be willing to commit to a counterattack in such an event. At this time, however, the UEG is still dealing with the fallout from the Covenant War and I cannot sanction an attack with the social, economical, and political turmoil that still exists. This policy is likely to stay the same for some time past my term, as I have said before."

Chieftain Lydus grunted before responding, "Understood. What of using these Mass Relays? If they are limited by those, then our ships could use the same method to trace their worlds."

"That is a possibility, to a limited extent. Our smaller craft could use these Relays, but capital ships would need to use standard Slipspace travel. The strategy developed by the UNSC would be to use the location of the Relays given by the Citadel to guide our fleets, rather than sending vessels through the Relays themselves," Admiral Fewkes explained.

"What of the other species? The Council leaders we heard last meet, but what new data is found from the craft?" Mahola Yote Rupni asked.

Admiral Fewkes took several seconds to interpret the broken speech of the Mgalekgolo leader before replying, "Turians provide the bulk of the Citadel Fleet, the Asari are the main diplomats and cultural power, and the Salarians handle intelligence. Those three are the only significant military powers of that galaxy. There are many other species, but none with any significant assets for conducting military operations."

"While only three species make up the Citadel Council itself, there are seventeen separate species that are known to the Citadel. The members of the Council include six additional species, leaving the Citadel Council at nine species making up its bloc. Six races aren't members of the Citadel but have made and maintained contact with the the seventeen, two are considered extinct, one of those being an ancient race with only ruins left behind," Fewkes summarized.

"Protheans, as the Citadel calls them, were a race that mysteriously disappeared 50,000 years ago. Preliminary findings indicate that the Council's belief that the Protheans built the Mass Relays and Citadel itself are incorrect, as the architectural styles do not match. Even though they are an ancient race, there is nothing to indicate that the Protheans nor the creators of the Relays could have provided any challenge to the Forerunners."

Several beings were visibly relieved that these 'Protheans' were not on the level of the Forerunners. The human speaker nodded at them in acknowledgement and continued, "The other extinct race is called the Rachni. Apparently they attacked that Citadel species at First Contact, which eventually led to their extinction when the Council fought back."

"Wiping a race from existence is a monumental endeavor. These Citadel species managed it, yet you are unconcerned by their might?" the Arbiter questioned.

"The Rachni War went on for 300 years and required the help of another race to end. This race, known as Krogan, is no longer a member of the Citadel. Due to their reproductive rate, they experienced a population explosion after the end of the Rachni. To end this conflict, the Citadel brought the Turians to bear, which eventually led to the dispersion of a biological weapon that is slowly leading to the Genocide of the Krogan race," Fewkes said, his voice solid even while talking about the direct violation of the Mantle of Responsibility.

Subtle shifts in body language were evident around the chamber as the Wardens of the Mantle processed this news. Eventually, the Huragok representative spoke, "Is there any plan of action for this heresy?"

Lord Admiral Hood replied, "Krogan live for many years, so it is not an issue that is critical to solve immediately. Whether it is the Forerunner or Human interpretation of the Mantle that each of you follows, this is a violation of the ideals of the Mantle. Each race has the right to exist."

Fewkes picked up from there, "Our main concern at this time is the liberal use of genocide as a weapon for the Citadel Council. While our medical knowledge could defeat such biological methods, there is still the potential for massive casualties if a Weapon of Mass Destruction is deployed. Even without direct action from the Council, they have still shown a remarkable disregard for the continued existence of species if they are threatened."

"Such an example of this is seen in the Quarians, a technologically gifted race that created the Geth. At this time, ONI is considering classifying this race under the threat of extinction from the actions of the Council."

"These Quarians used to be members of the Citadel, but their association ended recently with the expulsion of the species. From Citadel records, the Geth are a Collective Intelligence that was created by the Quarians. Due to the Council's ineptitude in the field of computing, the Geth were mislabeled as Artificial Intelligence and were attacked by the Quarians due to their acquired sentience. After that war, with their worlds taken by the Geth and the Citadel Council bordering on hostilities, the Quarians were confined to a wandering fleet of 50,000 ships," the ONI leader finished.

Rtas 'Vadum spoke first, "A fleet of 50,000 and they are not a major military power?"

"Our stealth assets that were assigned to the mission have not located this group of ships, but due to the circumstances, it is assumed that the vast majority are civilian craft. They must have some military vessels, but if a fleet of that size cannot stand against the Citadel, then it cannot be many. As for the Citadel, ship numbers are deceptive due to the small size of Mass Effect vessels."

Lydus scoffed at the idea of civilian craft due to Jiralhanae classifications, which merely ranked vessels by their destructive power. The Alpha Chieftain then asked, "What of this race of Constructs? Is there information on their prowess?"

"There was almost no information on the Geth in Citadel systems. ONI is considering dispatching another craft to observe this race and possibly initiate a quiet Contact. Since the Geth seem to be quite secluded and not inclined to publicity like the Council, it is an option," Fleet Admiral Hood stated.

"Others might join you in your journey," Chancellor Fupklaz suggested.

The UEG President tilted his head in acknowledgement, "Understood, and arrangements can be made. At this time, ONI would need to scout the system before we make such a long distance expedition. Please continue, Admiral."

"Yes, sir. There are only three other species that aren't members of the Council. None are especially notable. The Yahg were encountered by the Citadel and quarantined due to violent first contact. Keepers are seemingly sentient beings on the Citadel that perform upkeep on the station, however, no successful communication has been made with them. Vorcha are an aggressive but short-lived species that has no government or other organized leadership beyond their involvement in criminal gangs."

"Now for the remaining species that make up the Citadel Council membership. Hanar are an odd race, mostly religious with little military power and vulnerable automated defenses around their planets. Not much else is known about them, or there is not much to know. At this time, ONI is not entirely sure which is more likely," Fewkes said with an awkward half-shrug.

He took a second to glance down at his briefing notes before continuing, "Most of the Hanar military force comes from a species known as the Drell. Uplifted off their homeworld due to dwindling resources, the Drell only have several million beings in the population and are very loyal to the Hanar. Assassinations by Drell are a common tactic by Hanar, so that is the main risk in our interaction with them."

"Dishonorable," one of the Sangheili Fleetmasters muttered.

The Admiral of ONI glanced at the Elite but hid any other reaction and resumed, "Beings going by the label of Elcor are large quadrupeds, though they are slow and have few space-worthy craft. The threat assessment by ONI puts them as barely capable of self-defense. While they have been known to use firearms mounted on their backs, they are such large targets that long-range elimination will have no issue in dealing with them."

"The main economic management of the Citadel comes from the Volus. Considering their paramount importance to galactic stability as well as centuries of contact with the Citadel, it is surprising that this species does not have a place on the Council. Their military is of a fair size, and well funded, although they are not considered a threat to a competently led fleet."

Finished with the easy summaries, Admiral Fewkes sighed, "All of those races are fairly simple. Plans will have to be made for the Geth, dealing with the Quarian dilemma, and assessing the possibility of helping the Krogans versus the higher threat assessment they received. None of those species are members of the Citadel Council. All of that may be done over the next few years, however, and while methods may differ, the end goal is clear."

"That is not the case for the last two known species. Our assets are currently obtaining more information for analysis, but the current assessment indicates that extensive issues will develop between the Wardens and these two Council members."

Lydus grunted and admonished, "Stop fleeing from the truth. Speak plainly and we will listen."

"As you wish. The first species has been a member of the Council for some time, although their ties do not seem to be strong in our view. Known as the Batarians, they've been in conflict with other Citadel species regularly, though never on a large scale and never leading to an escalation," the human started.

After a quick glance around, Fewkes continued, "It is highly recommended by the Office of Naval Intelligence that the Wardens work to separate the Batarians from the Citadel before commencing an assault against their state. The Batarian Hegemony has an extensive history in attacking species for the purpose of enslavement, and it is considered highly likely that they would interfere with any Warden position near their territory."

Fupklaz interupted at this, "The solution is easy. We must end their heresy and show them the Mantle, so that they do not cross it again."

"Every race has a right to exist. If one dominates another, then the weak must grow strong. It is not our place to interfere," Lydus argued.

"Lies of the Prophets," the Arbiter declared vehemently. "We were weak under the Covenant and its falsehoods. If it weren't for the Reclaimers, we would have all been dead. To become strong, they first must be taught that they are capable of being so. You would deny them that realization?"

The Jiralhanae Alpha shook his head and replied, "To be Chieftain, a leader must prove his prowess by defeating those who would challenge him. If the Citadel Council will not accept those challenges, then they are not our concern. By the Mantle of the Forerunners, if a race is allowed to exist, even if dominated, then all is well."

"Even if that Mantle failed them? Chieftain, the Forerunners are gone. Humanity holds the Mantle of Responsibility, and is our interpretation that matters," Peter Lebeau declared. "Humanity has not yet settled on the ideals of the Mantle, and we likely won't for several centuries, if not millennia. Some general principles have been accepted, but others are highly debated, as is common in our civilization."

"As of now, the interpretation of the Mantle of Responsibility from the United Earth Government is that every being is protected under unalienable rights. The right to exist and right to self-determination are among the most basic articles. Both of these items have already gained an unassailable majority of opinion from our population. The Mantle of Responsibility forbids slavery for violating the Inherent Rights of Sentient Beings," the UEG President finished.

Lydus narrowed his eyes and asked, "So I cannot disagree to an attack on these Batarians?"

Fleet Admiral Hood was the first to respond, "You may agree or disagree however much you like, Chieftain. It is your right as a free being. What matters is that the UEG, and by extension the UNSC, will deal with this problem, one way or another. If that requires an independent invasion without the full support of the Wardens, then that is what will happen."

"And your hesitance to go to battle with the Citadel? Are you afraid of their might?" the Mgalekgolo representative asked.

"Our fight with the Batarians would not be direct," Admiral Fewkes answered. "The UNSC has assigned ONI to the issue of the Hegemony."

Lord Hood picked up the explanation, "Direct confrontation is undesirable at this time. Our capabilities and presence in general should be concealed. Once the UEG makes official contact with the Citadel Council, we may assign more assets to this issue. For now, our goal is to degrade Citadel and Batarian relations."

"Hiding in the shadows and stabbing your foe in the back. Typical human fighting," Lydus said disdainfully, irritated at the direction the conversation was taking.

"The UNSC likes to keep its soldiers alive. If you would like to send your warriors to a frontal assault against a dug-in enemy, that is your choice. Perhaps it is a more honorable method, but there is no honor in dying for nothing," Hood fired back.

All attention was diverted from the small argument to the Huragok as it inquired, "How will the Reclaimers manipulate the Batarians if they wish to be unknown? There must be some contact."

Admiral Fewkes glanced at Hood, prompting the Fleet Admiral to mutter, "Tell them. Better that they learn now rather from random chance."

Curious glances were exchanged between factions at these words. All of them knew that the Reclaimers liked their secrets, so for one to be revealed so easily was odd.

"While the Batarian issue can be resolved over time, the problem that the second species I mentioned cannot. Included in the information report we received from our vessel in the field is confirmation that a human government is a member of the Citadel Council."

Silence met this statement as experienced leaders of both civilian and military backgrounds considered this logically instead of instantly starting to bicker. Decades of war and strife had led to strong leaders rather than idiots that shouted out nonsense at the first unknown threat.

"Explain," Thel 'Vadam eventually demanded.

"ONI was aware of a large number of Insurrectionists and Outer Colony settlers gathering together after fleeing the Covenant. Due to the threat to the Inner Colonies after Cole's assumed death, UNSC assets were not available to intervene. Our last contact with our agents in their fleet indicated that hundreds of thousands of civilian vessels were fleeing the Orion Arm," Fewkes summarized.

He continued, "It is most likely that this group came into contact with the Citadel recently and have been attempting to build a relation with the Council. Whether they think if this would protect them from the Covenant or the UNSC is unknown."

"What of their status as Reclaimers?" the Huragok inquired.

The ONI Admiral considered the question for a second before replying, "As of now, we have no confirmation or rejection of their status as Reclaimers. From information gathered from the Domain, we predict that their separation from the Librarian's changes will result in their status being revoked."

"That is speculation, however. These Innies, or the Systems Alliance as they are known on the Citadel, are considered the greatest threat to Warden forces. For interaction with other races, we plan to use the assumption that we are from this Alliance to establish our position. It is advised to all Warden members to prepare for interception of Alliance attempts to obtain Forerunner artifacts," Fewkes said."

"What of the Halos? They are secure?" Rtas questioned.

Hood answered, "The fleets protecting and decommissioning the Rings have been properly advised and reinforced. Other important Forerunner Installations and Locations have been or will be secured as more forces are produced."

"So what do we do with the humans?" the Unggoy Chancellor asked.

"I would assume that is why we are hearing about this," Thel 'Vadam replied.

Lebeau nodded, "Indeed. The UEG is hesitant to take back such a large number of Insurrectionists, but eliminating their government is also seen as undesirable. Chaos and suffering are not our goal, even for former enemies of the state. Many options exist, but ONI needs to collect more information before making a recommendation. It was decided that members of the Wardens would appreciate hearing this now, rather than when all data was gathered."

Several nods from Warden leaders followed this admission, showing that it had been the right choice.

Lydus was the first to break the silence that followed as he began, "The decision on the fate of these humans can be made later. For now, I would like to focus on what we know. From what you have said, Reclaimer, the Citadel has broken the Mantle of both the Forerunners and your own. If this will require combat, then carving out an anchor for our fleets is wise."

"The Banished flagship is on contract with the Citadel to reduce their pirate problem," the Fringe leader noted, speaking for the first time.

"Yes," Mahola Yote Rupni rumbled. The Mgalekgolo carried on, "If the hired ones could be influenced to clear an isolated world, it might work."

Lydus picked up on the idea and proposed, "As payment, Atriox and his pack could dock their ships at that location as well. It would make it simple to send Banished vessels when our own might reveal too much."

A snort from the Arbiter drew attention to the Sangheili, "Since both the Council of Guardians as well as the High Senate of the Wardens of the Mantle are present, I would propose that the defenses for such an outpost be handled by the Guardians. If it is to be an anchor for the Wardens, then it is only right that the defenses be unified under its military."

"If it is a place for big things, defenses won't be a problem," Fupklaz stated. The idea of so much firepower at one place seemed to amuse the Unggoy, likely because it would be the first time that the Unggoy deployed alongside their allies.

"Once we have established a strong position, the Sangheili will initiate Contact with the Citadel. Are there any others who would wish to accompany our delegation or send their own at a different time? Dividing the focus of this Council would likely work against our objectives," the Arbiter stated.

When all other species had indicated their intentions to remain hidden, the discussion moved on to setting the foundations for interaction between the Wardens and the Citadel. Plans were made and fallbacks arranged in preparation for full Contact between the two superpowers.

---

First Age of Realization, Eighth Solar Cycle/3rd Day of 9th Month, 2439/June 16, 2568

Enduring Conviction

Slipstream Space

It had taken nearly a month to locate a planet for the Wardens to occupy. Most had been too well known or accessible for such a covert operation, so the Banished had to resort to capturing and interrogating any Vermin they came across.

The value of having a Reclaimer Intelligence vessel accompanying them became quite apparent at that point. A dropship had emerged from the cloaking field of the Reclaimers and brought aboard an interrogator. While Atriox knew torture very well, he was far outclassed by the ONI Agents when it came to spinning lies to find specific information.

Eventually, one of the scumbags had known about a planet, located in the Alpha Draconis System, which was part of the Rosetta Nebula. With a general location now known, the Reclaimers had returned to their skulking while the Conviction set course for the system.

According to a message given to him by the ONI agent, a Warden fleet was waiting for coordinates at the edge of the system, hidden from detection by the Nebula. When the Banished had clear the orbit of the selected planet, Atriox was to contact them before beginning to eliminate any resistance on the ground.

From the information given by the Vermin, the targeted world was unknown to any species, allowing it to flourish as a haven for criminal activity out in the Terminus. The nearest Mass Relay was across the main body of the Nebula, allowing the actions of the Wardens to go unnoticed.

On the other hand, this also meant that the specific coordinates of the world could not be drawn from Citadel databanks. To solve this, the Banished flagship had followed and tagged a ship that was heading for the system as they worked off of intelligence given to them by the Reclaimer's craft.

Judging by the data now coming in from the tracking beacon affixed to the hull of the pirate ship, the Enduring Conviction would need to drop out of the Void soon. The CAS-class carrier would be met by the small number of ships that were above the planet.

Going by the report sent by the Reclaimer Prowler, this fleet consisted of 31 frigates, with fifteen on Batarian design and build, twelve old Turian frigates that they had likely bought, and four Asari frigates that had been stolen. There were also six cruisers that consisted of three Turian models, two Batarian, and one Asari cruiser, which was probably the jewel of the fleet.

Not an intimidating force, though they could cause some damage if mishandled. Knowing that 'Volir would be a far more effective naval commander than himself, Atriox watched as the Sangheili directed the officers on his bridge, preparing to exit slipspace on a combat footing.

As the carrier emerged from the Void, Atriox glanced between the ships on screen and the tactical display at the center of the bridge. Behind both scenes was the surface of the planet, though it was cut off on the bridge display.

With the contacts now confirmed and all systems ready, 'Volir ordered, "Fire on all targets as we close range. Launch Seraphs and put the Phantoms on alert for a ground assault. Keep our profile and be prepared for combat maneuvers."

Each order was carried out efficiently as the individual officers manning their stations went to work. While the weapons on the Conviction were still silent as the ship closed the gap, the tactical display began to quickly fill with icons representing the large fleet of fighter-craft that were onboard.

In response to this, several small craft were detected from the Vermin as their larger ships turned to face the Banished threat.

Due to the carrier's vector when it had left slipspace, a small compensation was required to bring the bow around and conceal the broadside of the Conviction. Since the screen was merely an image transmitted by cameras on the outer hull, there was no change in the view, though Atriox could feel the subtle change in vibration of the engines as the massive forces worked to adjust the ship.

As the two forces moved within the extreme limits of their range, the impatience of the Vermin became apparent. Eleven flashes heralded the impact of two small projectiles on the shields of the carrier, with all other missing due to incompetence or inferior Mass Effect systems.

Since the weapons on the carrier were still out of range, mostly because of energy dispersion into the void of space, the Banished crew was forced to watch as several more ships joined in on the long-range slugfest.

It was obvious that the confidence of an easy victory for the Vermin was extinguished as the Enduring Conviction held true to its name and continued onward, heedless of the firepower being directed against it. Seventeen frigates and four cruisers broke formation and broke clear of the carrier's path, probably realizing that being rammed was a very real possibility.

This created a battlefield in which the Conviction was made to fight. With their enemy divided and the Banished flagship headed for the center, 'Volir could utilize weaponry on both sides of the ship.

As the massive vessel closed within 100,000, the energy projector on the keel of the bow discharged, creating a brilliant silver beam of plasma that raced towards the enemy ships. In the third of a second it took for the mass of energized particles to reach their destination, all the Vermin managed to do was realize that they were being fired at.

One of the Turian-made cruisers met the ray of plasma head on, its barriers doing nothing to stop the weapon that could pierce capital-class energy shielding. The physical material of the hull had about as much luck as the thin armor flash-vaporized, the plasma cutting through the interior from bow to stern and continuing on to side-swipe a Batarian frigate.

Considering that energy projectors could cut through entire armored UNSC vessels, which included meters of titanium-A battleplate, the Citadel ships stood no chance. What little remained of both vessels was already floating dead in space, their crews slaughtered by fatal doses of radiation from the beam.

This display of might was enough for the mismatched fleet of pirates and other scum to halt their headlong charged. While the larger ships began to try and organize themselves for a coordinated assault, the fighter screens for both factions passed by their respective ships to meet in the middle of the field.

Seeing as CAS-class carriers were specifically devoted to fighter deployment and fleet command while the opposing fleet, and Council races in general, had no such tactic, the number of Seraphs far exceeded the few fighters that the Citadel races stored in their hulls. The advantage of this became instantly apparent as pulse lasers, heavy plasma cannons, and Class-2 fuel rod cannons made quick work of the Citadel Interceptors.

Utilizing a common Banished tactic, the Seraph multi-role fighters changed course to swarm the outermost frigate, one of Batarian design. Several GARDIAN lasers impacted against the energy shields, though Atriox only knew this because of the glow surrounding vessels that had been hit.

Since the Citadel's GARDIAN lasers operated at infrared or ultraviolet frequencies, there was no visible beam to indicate attacks. This was different from the pulse lasers developed by the Covenant, which used hydrogen fluoride as fuel and operated in the visible spectrum. While the pulse laser was far more powerful with energy consumption in the kilowatt range, the Citadel GARDIAN defenses did not require shielding to be dropped to fire them.

However, the issue with the weaker system was easily apparent as the lasers meant to take out torpedoes and bypass kinetic barriers met the strong energy shields of the Banished fighters. Within seconds, the Batarian frigate had been disabled, its engines melted and bridge deprived of atmosphere.

As two other frigates, a Batarian and Turian, turned to try and assist their Vermin allies, the Conviction moved within 50,000 kilometers. Atriox glanced at 'Volir's tactical readout, seeing that systems were holding steady, though their shields were noticeably reduced. With each ship firing every few seconds, several petajoules of energy had been imparted to the carrier's shields, proving that its classification as an assault vessel was not unwarranted.

Unluckily for the Vermin, however, their free-for-all was at an end as the Conviction entered effective range for pulse laser fire. Atriox noted that the Seraph swarm had moved on from their original target to begin tearing into the two frigates that had attempted to assist. Several of the fighters had kept back to let their shields regenerate before rejoining the fight, although some hadn't managed to do so as small bits of fighters were visible on the magnified bridge view.

The attention of the Warlord was brought back to the larger ships as flashes of purple light slashed through Vermin craft. Seven vessels were taken out, two of which were Batarian and Turian cruisers while three were Batarian frigates, one Asari frigate, and the last being a Turian frigate.

Seeing their allies fall to the unrelenting advance of the Banished, five ships broke formation and began to flee, attempting to calculate an FTL route to escape the system. 'Volir quickly responded, utilizing his experience in preventing such escapes to direct heavy pulse laser fire at the vessels.

As the two Batarian and three Turian frigates became dead in space with their engines destroyed by the barrage, a group of Seraphs broke off from the main swarm and began annihilating the remnants.

By this point, the Conviction had entered the main body of the enemy fleet. As the field was currently sitting, the Asari cruiser was sitting in front of the assault carrier with an escort of the three Asari frigates, four Batarian frigates, and three Turian frigates. To the port of the Banished flagship was the remaining Turian and Batarian cruisers alongside two Batarian frigates and three more Turian frigates. On the starboard were the last two ships, both frigates, one of Batarian design and the other a Turian build.

Knowing that the Seraph swarm would have their starboard side secured momentarily, 'Volir directed the plasma torpedo turrets to concentrate fire on the port side pirate cruisers. The frigates were already being dealt with by pulse laser fire, the close range allowing minimal diffraction of the beam.

Metal and ceramic was flash vaporized by the assault, exposing those inside to the uninviting void of space. Several Eezo cores detonated as shots began to punch through entire vessels, leaving pieces drifting amongst the gravitational distortions.

Before the Banished ship could concentrate their weapons on the last group of ships, a bright flash erupted in their midst. Even as the bridge viewscreen adjusted, Atriox knew that the Vermin had met their end in the hellfire of a nuclear weapon dropped by the Reclaimers.

His deduction proved true as the fireball quickly radiated its energy to the void around it, causing the Conviction's shields to flare slightly as they fought off the high levels of radiation. As the carrier drifted towards the planet, Atriox glanced around at the remains of the pirate fleet.

Honestly, there wasn't much to look at.

The Asari vessels had been at the epicenter of the blast, and thus were completely atomized by temperatures in the tens of millions of degrees by the human's centigrade scale. Any ship not caught in the fireball had been heavily damaged, with most being melted masses of slag instead of any recognizable shape.

At the outermost edges were the vessels that were worst off. Instead of the instantaneous death of their comrades, the crews on board the three barely identifiable frigates would have been burned by the radiation of the blast. While their hulls could handle passive solar radiation, there would be no way that the thin physical material could've saved the crew from lethal rad doses. They would float, dead in space, until the lack of supplies, air, or radiation burns killed them.

Atriox grunted as he suppressed a laugh at the thought of the Vermin dying in such a way. Intelligent as he was, he was still a Jiralhanae at heart, and the thought of his enemies suffering would never fail to please him.

Glancing at the screen once more, the Warlord saw a slight glimmer against the darkness of space. Considering that it disappeared almost immediately, Atriox deduced that it was the wake of the nuclear detonation passing over the Reclaimer vessel.

Knowing that the Reclaimers would already be somewhere else, Atriox ignored the visual and watched as 'Volir sent an all-clear to the Warden fleet.

It took several minutes for the Enduring Conviction to enter a stable orbit above the planet. As Atriox turned to head for hangar and command the ground assault from the front, he caught a glimpse of a slipspace portal opening.

The massive form of a UNSC Cradle emerged, the 13.2 kilometer-long construct drifting slightly as it attempted to adjust for the planet's gravity. Following were multiple warships, including two Infinity-class ships, a CAS-class carrier, and a large number of smaller ships from multiple factions that quickly fell into formation.

As the view was cut off, Atriox smiled. The Wardens had arrived, and may the Forerunners help any poor soul that attempted to dislodge the Reclaimers from their new Bastion.

---

The UNSC Infinity takes on an entire Kig-Yar pirate fleet in the Halo:Escalations comics.

The planet that the Banished 'liberate' is known as 2175 Aeia in ME Canon. Just for reference.

Plasma Projectors have a firing velocity of c and a maximum range of 100,000 kilometers. Such is canon. The only argument I'd have is about the range, but 100,000 kilometer range is large as it is.

As for the ME ships, they technically have unlimited range, since unlike plasma there is no energy lost to radiation. I also assume that there is a limit to accuracy, as the ME races do not have AI for precision, nor a fine control of vectoring at massive distances, which would honestly be a problem for the UNSC as well due to physical measurement limitations. Usually they would wait until the ship is closer until firing, as most vessels would be able to dodge, since it'd take about 30 seconds for a round to close the distance between the ships.

That is assuming that both ships are moving at each other and are at about 150,000-100,000 kilometers apart, with the round traveling at 3,000 km/s from the frame of reference of the firing vessel.

As you might be able to tell, I think that stories with Halo leaders suddenly shouting over each other and sounding like idiots are stupid. The species in Halo have been at war for literal DECADES. They wouldn't start arguing and descend into chaos in the middle of a briefing. Duh.

So, know how I said that this chapter would be the last before the Meeting between the full might of the Wardens and the Citadel? Yeah, that didn't happen. It was around the point that I hit 8,000 words and was still on the Wardens briefing that I realized this.

My apologies, I'll try to get the next chapter out quickly.

-evevee