AN: Just a reminder, I am straying from canon, and I am aware of the inconsistencies and errors. Also, I make no claims to be an expert on the military, space travel, physics, biology or astronomy.
Chapter 88
Jane, Tali, Benezia and Aethyta boarded the Normandy now that it had been refueled and resupplied. Jane smirked as she looked back at Joker turning to walk away from the two maidens he'd been with. He jumped slightly and looked back laughing, after they'd both pinched his ass.
"I hope I won't have any interplanety incidents to deal with." Shepard said as Joker limped past.
"I'm just doing my part to foster a positive relationship amongst species, Fleet Commander." Joker said
"Get on the damn ship ya man whore." Shepard said
"Aye aye!" He said, continuing up the ramp and into the ship. Shepard took Benezia and Aethyta on a quick tour of the ship while last minutes preparations were underway. They walked past the main Battery where Garrus was suspended upside down in a harness making precision adjustments on the targeting computer.
"Is that Castis' boy?" Benezia asked. Shepard nodded.
"Garrus Vakarian. Former c-sec officer, he was completely wasted there by the way. As good as he is with that gun, he's better with a sniper rifle." Shepard said.
"I'd come down and salute Fleet Commander, but this is pretty delicate." Garrus said.
"No need, and call me Shepard!" Jane said. Garrus laughed.
"Sure thing Fleet Commander." Garrus said with a grin, returning to his work.
"Nobody wants to call me by my name..." Jane said, pouting.
"You allow your subordinates to address you by name?" Aethyta asked. Jane shrugged.
"First, Garrus is here as technically as a private contractor, as such he's not required to address me by rank. We can't fold him into the Alliance military until our treaties are completed with the hierarchy. Secondly I expect my crew to refer to me by either Jane or Shepard unless we're in combat operations or operating in public in an official capacity. I've always found that treating my crew as coworkers rather than subordinates gets better results. Respect is a two-way street after all." Shepard said, continuing the tour.
"Barring slave ships, as horrible as they are, this has to be the most integrated crew I've seen. Your engineer and several others are Quarian, Your marines are mostly comprised of Humans and Krogan, one of your doctors is Asari and your gunnery officer is Turian. Has there been any tension because of that?" Benezia asked. Shepard grinned.
"Only off duty when watching football games. There's a team of Batarian refugees that is completely destroying the rest of the league." Shepard said.
"I heard your doctor is an ardat-yakshi..." Aethyta asked. Shepard appeared in her face with an expression of unbridled aggression so fast she didn't notice her moving.
"Vil D'inan is my doctor, my friend and under my protection and I don't give a shit if you're a high ranking member of the conclave of Matriarchs you will not lay an unfriendly hand on that woman or I swear to god they will sing songs on Tuchanka for centuries about your suffering." Shepard growled. Aethyta smiled
"You're right, she is protective." Aethyta said. Benezia laughed.
"She has nothing to fear from her, Jane. Aethyta has spent the last forty years trying to reign in the Justicars and increase funding for medical research on them." Benezia said.
"Oh. Oh god I'm sorry." Jane said, looking mortified. Aethyta laughed and grasped her shoulder.
"Don't be, Jane. I'm glad she's got so many people looking out for her. Our treatment of them has been awful, and now that the assembly has been dissolved I intend to push hard ardat-yakshi reform legislation." Aethyta said
"You knew she was going to say that didn't you?" Jane said, red-faced, accusing Benezia.
"Maaaaybe.." Benezia said.
"You guys suck." Shepard said, crossing her arms and pouting
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"So the Shigisan will be travelling along the edge of Alliance space crewed by Geth and tailed by a stealth server ship with a quantum tunnel connection back to earth in case the Collectors decide to destroy it outright." Admiral Gerrel said.
"We've stripped it of any valuable tech, right?" Admiral Xen asked. Gerrel nodded.
"We've even replaced the antimatter with a pair of mark-2 fusion reactors, nothing they wouldn't find by plundering a junkyard." Admiral Gerrel said.
"Our outposts may be vulnerable." Admiral Raan said.
"We're working on that. They've only attacked unaccompanied ships at this point, so we don't know how effective planetary and station defense will be against them." Admiral Anderson said.
"Their timing could have been better. We're weeks away from you know what." Hannah Shepard said. They'd all gotten into the habit of referring to the upcoming attack on Kar'Shan as 'You know what' or some derivative thereof. There was no way of telling when one might be overheard.
"Can't be helped. Until our Fleet Commander says otherwise, we'll continue as planned." Anderson said with a proud grin.
"She should be checking in soon, they just went through the Parnitha relay." Hannah said.
"Oh, Castis told me that Palaven's subterranean defense network is about ninety percent completed. I'm glad they accepted Aria's offer to dispatch Vorcha to help digging the ventilation ducts." Hannah said.
"That was a brilliant bit of diplomacy on your daughter's part by the way." Wrex added.
-Flashback-
"You don't understand. If you don't have immigration paperwork approved by your government, you can't stay here." an Asari secretary at the embassy building in the Citadel asked.
"No Government! Vorcha go where we please!" Chuk, the Vorcha chosen to represent a group of fifty other Vorcha who were in danger of being arrested for vagrancy for sleeping in alleyways.
"Woah holy shit is that Chucky?" Shepard asked, having heard the commotion from the outside.
"You! Shepard! This Asari wants to know Vorcha government?" Chuk said.
"Ah. No problem. Madam, the Vorcha have no centralized government. Nobody knows their home planet, they really don't have or need citizenship anywhere. We treat them with a simple set of rules, they obey the laws of wherever they are and in exchange they are treated like citizens." Jane said.
"Yes, but on the Citadel when you take a job you have to provide work permits and documentation." the Asari said. Jane scratched her chin.
"One moment..." Jane said activating her omnitool.
"Mom? Hey... no Tali and I aren't ready to adopt... Listen shut up a minute. I'm at the Asari Embassy... No, diplomatic incidents with the Asari are your department... Shut up... so anyway, to work on the Citadel the Vorcha need work papers from their nation of origin... Yeah I know nobody knows where they're from... Yeah that's what I was thinking. Cool, lemme know what the legislature says. I'll take care of this here using my "Fleet Commander Power"... Ok love you too." Jane said, showing air quotes around "Fleet Commander Power" before disconnecting the call. She pointed at Chuk.
"You, come to the Alliance Embassy tomorrow. They'll have Alliance Government Contractor paperwork for you all waiting." Jane said
"Done!" Chuk yelled. Jane pointed at the Asari
"You! Er... sorry ma'am. The Prime minister is going to run it by the legislature, if everything goes smoothly then any and all paperwork requirements for Vorcha will be handled through the Alliance embassy." Jane said
"I.. um. Yes, that would be acceptable. So long as they work and pay their way they can stay." the Asari said.
"Cool beans. Chucky, let's go grab some steak!" Jane said.
"Yes!" The vorcha shouted excitedly and followed Jane out of the office.
-End Flashback-
"So are the Vorcha now members of the alliance too?" Uvenk asked, amused.
"Nah we're just their HR Department. Rather their VR Department." Hannah said.
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"Major Goto to the bridge." Admiral Charr said into his omnitool. He tapped his fingers against the console he was standing behind, the officers around him were nervous. That simple gesture was the Charr equivalent of a neurotic mental breakdown. A notification appeared on his omnitool, which caused him to frown. The bridge officers, as though they'd rehearsed it, made a point to look busy.
"Reporting as ordered, Admiral Charr." Kasumi said, saluting the Admiral.
"At ease, Goto. Get your squadron ready. We're en route to an Terminus colony world called Horizon. We have reason to believe they're under Collector attack. You and your team will sneak in past any defenses they have set up and make your way to the center of the colony. Your role will primarily be reconnaisance and to disable any air defenses, however if you see an opportunity to save colonists, take it." Charr said.
"Understood, sir." Charr said.
"Once you're in place, and the air defenses are down, we'll send in drop ships with infantry. Once their forward position is established, withdraw and return to the Kalros. If you are overrun... I don't need to tell you that those infernos can't fall into Collector hands." Charr said.
"Understood, sir. We'll scuttle them if we need to." Kasumi said.
"You have your orders, get it done." Charr said. Kasumi saluted and ran towards the lifts. Charr sighed, and looked up at the forward display, gazing into the swirling light show produced by faster than light travel. He punched in some commands on his omni tool and stood at attention, saluting at the holographic image projected in front of him.
"Fleet Commander Shepard, Ma'am." Charr said.
"At ease, Admiral. I take it you're responding to the incident on Horizon?" Shepard asked.
"Yes ma'am. I've got a plan in place, but as your Field Marshall Helmuth von Moltke stated, "No plan survives contact with the enemy."" Charr said.
"Agreed. I've diverted elements of the third fleet towards Horzion just in case, however they'll arrive at the earliest five hours after you do." Shepard said
"Understood, ma'am. I have faith in my people, we'll get this done." Charr said.
"I know you will. Shepard out." Shepard said, disconnecting the call. Charr looked down at his watch and grimaced.
"Increase speed to maximum." Charr said.
"But sir, the heat sinks are approaching saturation..." His helmsman said.
"This ship was named after Kalros, the mightiest thresher maw on Tuchanka, and that was no coincidence. I am aware of our capabilities, and have faith in this ship and its crew." Charr said.
"Yes sir." The helmsman said increasing the speed. It was too little for the Humans and Quarians to detect, but Charr could feel the minute increase in ambient temperature. He looked down at his watch again.