AN: Sorry I took so long folks. Let's see what you guys felt like mentioning to me. "Cosmicsafe74," Yeah the Citadel is in a catch twenty two here…Which is another reason I didn't expand the timeline out like some people suggest, as if I did the Imperium would dominate the galaxy and they wouldn't have to play nice. "SPARTAN-626," they will never run out of Orks. "ShadowCub," not quite, you'll see when the time comes. " ," getting shot by an ork weapon is like getting shot with a .75 Caliber weapon, really fucking dangerous. Citadel shields can absorb maybe one or two…but not five being shot simultaneously at them…Never mind their energy guns and melee weapons. "last admiral," I did already show what Cain and Vail were up to, along with Jurgen, over the last few chapters so I didn't see the need. Anyways let's get started.
Speech
Thoughts
Radio/machine speech/scene change
The Battle of Thessia Fields
Thessia, Day of the Ork Invasion:
The Imperial Corps deployed to the Asari capital arrived with a lot of fanfare and celebration on the part of the Asari. While the command elements had to play politician and schmooze, the rest of them got to work. They had orders to turn the world and its system into a stronghold, and the means to do so.
The engineers set up factories to produce Trooper Mk III reinforcements as well as started to assemble the ground defenses. The plan for the ground was to give each Asari city a one hundred meter tall wall with a fifty meter thickness as a start. The walls would have millions of unmanned weapon emplacements for use against the Orks who landed.
This would be formidable on its own, but bunker complexes were built beyond the walls, all automated. And inside the buildings were reinforced for if the walls were breached, and secondary as well as tertiary ones of equal strength were assembled behind the first wall. And energy shields were assembled to prevent orbital bombardment of the planet by the Orks.
In orbit fifty battle stations around the same size as the Phalanx were built around the planet, along with two the size of moons. There were plans for more defenses to be made, but those plans were left unfulfilled. The Greenskins arrived in force an hour after the Imperials arrived.
This would be the first time in decades the Imperium had faced Orks in battle, and the first time these Orks fought the Imperial Navy.
Orbit:
Warboss Gutslasha's warband was the first to arrive in system. His fleet of three hundred Kruiser weight and larger ships primary goal was to secure orbital superiority. He had a quartet of fifty kilometer long Kill Kruisers as his heavy hitters. In the hulls of his warships, if he was able to land, were over three million Ork Boy Shock Troopers, thousands of tanks and aircraft, tens of thousands of apcs, and thousands of gunships. It was a force to be reckoned with.
The defenses they expected around the Asari homeworld would have been easy prey for such a force usually…But as Gutslasha saw now, it would not be so easy. "OYE! DA ZOG'S ALL DIS?" The warboss bellowed as he saw the unknowns in the system. They had expected Asari and Citadel forces…Not an unknown force.
The sensor boy reported: "Dere's a lot o new contacts we neva seen before boss. Twenty fiove ships registering as 'Loight Kruisers,' ten as full on 'Kruisers,' foive 'Kill Kruisers', and two 'Supa Dreadnoughts.' We're also pickken up a buncha stashions in the area!"
The warboss frowned; this was not a force that Da Big Boss had expected. He had a feeling in his gut that this was going to be like the assault on that unmapped system that resulted in an unacceptable delay. Still though, he ordered his ships to engage.
The Ork Kruisers closed the distance, and started to take massed fire from the expected Citadel Alliance forces, a few ships went down under the withering barrage, but it was within expected numbers. But then globules of plasma streaked out and struck the Orkoid ships, and vaporized dozens of ships with each salvo.
Gutslasha sucked in a breath when he saw that: "Zoggin hell, plasma weapons. Honest ta gork plasma weapons. I thought we had left dat shit behind back home." The ork was speechless. Plasma weaponry was a favored weapon of their old foe that had forced them to retreat…And now these new comers used it, they were a threat to Ork existence, and not to be tolerated.
The Warboss bellowed as loud as he could into the fleet coms: "LISTEN UP YA GITS! DESE CITADEL PANZIES HAVE SOME KOIND OF ALLY WE NEVA KNEW ABOUT! AND DEY USE PLASMA! IT IS OUR DUTY TA CRUSH DEM NOW, I'M SENDIN A MESSAGE TO DA BIG BOSS SO HE KNOWS ABOUT DIS, EVEN IF WE DIE, WE WIN! NOW COME ON YA GITS! DO YA WANNA LIVE FEREVA? WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGH!"
The warcry of the WAAGh galvanized the boys, their ships' speeds increased by three fold and they rapidly closed the distance. As they did Gutslasha sent out a transmission to the other Ork forces: "Dey have plasma." Seconds before his ship was vaporized by Imperial plasma fire.
The transmission however was received. Soon, thousands of ships more than had been ear marked for this operation poured in. Their sheer numbers and mass of fire power began to take its toll, but they lost extraordinary casualties to do so.
Unnamed System nearby: Daedulus Forge
A young looking woman sat on a command dais, her eyes closed as if she was deep in thought, but the two people with her knew better. Tech Priestess Persephone was coordinating the automated ships in the Thesaian system with her implants. So far the drone warships had suffered twenty five percent casualties to the Orks, but she had yet to deploy all the tricks up her sleeves.
With but a thought, the two moon sized stations started to churn out Battle Cruisers and bigger classes. The ships already on the line started to deploy Mobile Suits and Fighters. The superiority in numbers the Orks had fluctuated back and forth. But it was manageable. At least it was until fifteen two hundred kilometer warships arrived.
These Ork warships were of staggering power, and between them shattered the Citadel forces and the majority of the Imperial defenses before being destroyed by concentrated beam and plasma fired. And yet still the Orks came on. By their thousands and tens of thousands…The situation in orbit was untenable.
Soon Battlestation Mala, the one in the eastern hemisphere, fell to the Orks. But it cost them a full ten thousand warships to do so. Without that defensive satellite, the rest of the line fell swiftly. It was frustrating to Persephone, if the Orks had not arrived so soon, the entire system could have been made a death trap for the greenskins.
Still though, she was pleased. Her actions controlling the drone ships and stations bought the defenders on the ground another two hours to prepare, and cost the lives of over a billion Orks. Such a good job deserved a reward, and luckily her husband and her fellow wife were assigned to her ship…So she had something to do after transmitting the after action report on the space battle…Which she did with a single thought.
Imperial losses in space: zero organics, one thousand drone ships of various classes, fifty Cadwell class Defense Stations, and two Solomon Class Battlestations. Citadel losses: one million of various races, one thousand frigates, five hundred destroyers, two hundred fifty cruisers, and one hundred dreadnoughts. Ork losses: Incalculable numbers of ground troops, close to a million warships of various classes.
End result: Pyric Ork victory in space. Two HOURS gained for the ground defense to prepare.
Thessia: Ground Side
Those two hours were capitalized on. Most of the gaps in the defenses were plugged and what was already there reinforced. Killing grounds were made with obvious landing zones. It was the standard doctrinal response to Ork landings that Creed had developed, meet an 'unstoppable' force with an immovable object and enough firepower to make even the largest attack falter.
The battle of Thessia would be the first true test of this doctrine. And it went well at first. The orks tried dozens of times to land in the killing grounds, relying on numbers to bust through. Every time the majority of the Roks were blasted out of the sky by anti orbital guns and anti air, the surviving Orks would number perhaps a couple hundred thousand per wave.
Normally this would be seen as a dangerous foe. But presighted automated artillery could hit the landing zones and paths out of there from three hundred kilometers away with pin point accuracy. Minefields would spontaneously appear and decimate any Orkish column advancing into their deadly radius. And automated bunkers and turrets would hold up advances and do tremendous damage.
For two days that was the pattern. The Orks would attack in ever increasing numbers, throwing more and more boys into the grinder. Meanwhile the Imperials would reply with overwhelming firepower. During the opening days, contact with the outside galaxy was cut off by the invaders, they would be on their own for now.
Just as the battle was starting to escalate…
The Citadel: Garrus Vakarian
C-sec Detective Garrus Vakarian frowned as he watched the Citadel News Network. It had been over a week since the Orks and Citadel had gone to war, and the Citadel was losing the war overall. The assault on the Salarian homeworld had been repelled easily by the Imperium, and there was talk of using that success to reclaim the remainder of Salarian space.
But there was no news of the assault on Thessia. The last word had been that the Ork ground assaults had been unsuccessful. But that had been over thirty six hours ago, and speculation was rampant. Did the defenders of the Asari world hold out still? Did the savage Greenskins come out victorious in the end?
It was a frustrating state of affairs. And one he had no way to affect here, all he could do was help keep the peace on the Citadel, and keep his word to a VERY scary Saren. The man was the definition of 'over protective parent.' If over protective parents had Aquila Industries firearms and the legal leeway to kill whoever they saw fit and get away with it.
Still, he and Arcina didn't hold how scary Saren was against Laria. She was impossible to get mad at it seemed…And could get away with nearly anything. The eldest child of the specter was intelligent, and was easily able to grasp whatever was put in her lap…for example hacking and marksmanship. She was already fantastic at both, on top of keeping up with her usual studies.
With that thought, Garrus turned off the news, and finished his coffee before heading off to work on the newest case that had crossed his desk. Someone was growing organs illegally, and selling them on the Black Market. It was his job to find out who is behind it.
Thessia: Spec Ops Lt Derzgher
Drezgher silently crept through the underbrush; his purple paint doing its job of making him as 'steafy' as he and his mob closed on their target. The Ork was a special forces Boy, a relatively novel concept in this day. Spec Ops Boys were the best of the best in their field, given kommando training and additional training in every manner of Ork Tekeology.
Now they had been deployed to Thessia. The last few days of attacks were merely meant for one purpose, to distract the defenders and gain intel on where their defenses were powered from. It had taken more waves that expected, but they finally had a lock on the power grids outside of the cities, knock those out, and the guns would go dark. That was the theory at any rate, and Derzgher was never one for theory. It had a way of being proven wrong. But a foot of sharpened titanium can never be disproved.
They had dropped from orbit in a 'stealf goonship,' read a purple painted gunship, and inserted ten klicks south of the objective, but now they were finally there after nearly three hours of travel on foot. He activated his 'seein googles' and took a looksee at the defenses.
The newcomers were here, but not many. Most of the defenders were Asari in that 'Aquula Inoostries' gear that had given the Orks so much trouble before. Where a normal citadel side arm would find it nigh impossible to penetrate fifty millimeters of Orkish personal armor, an Aquila one would do the job in as few as one and as many as ten depending on the 'calibur.'
But the three soldiers standing around that WEREN'T Asari wore armor that a Mech Boy would happily kill thousands to get ahold of to study. Their weapons also were impossibly high tech looking, he was betting on plasma, and that just wasn't zogging fair. They brought sluggas and shootas, why couldn't their foes fight fair and bring their own projectoile weapons?
Derzgher checked his kronomeetor, it was thirty seconds before the strike was to launch. The plan was to hit each of the power stations simultaneously, destroying them and paving the way for a sudden ground assault that would secure a boot hold on the planet. He swiftly gestured for his Spec Ops Boyz to take position.
Almost as soon as the heavy shootas were set up, it was time to go. He took a deep breath, and let out a bellow: "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" With that battle was joined.
It was a chaotic mess, shoota rounds flew into the defenses knocking around or killing Asari and throwing them into a panic. But return fire came from the three unknowns, energy projectiles that seared through armor and killed in a single hit, the rounds moved too fast to be conventional plasma…And the speed and accuracy of the shots was unnatural.
He ducked behind a rock just barely in enough time to dodge a globule that soared where his head was. Prompting a gulp from the ork: "These boys weren't mucking about." He poked his shoota around the rock and sprayed down range, he heard the projectiles impact an energy shield…and then his gun melted from a direct hit.
He cursed as he dropped the slagged gun before it melted on his hands, and threw his stikk bombs into the power generator area, hoping to trigger a larger explosion. Gork was on his side, and the bomb detonated, causing a few nearby power pylons to detonate…in plasma bursts. He shivered when he saw that, these freaks were using plasma for their power plants, which was sickening.
But still, the detonation turned the tide. Two of the unknowns were engulfed in the explosion and erased from existence with the high yield plasma eradicating them. The last unknown continued fighting, its supremely accurate fire continued to scythe down Ork after Ork, even as the last Asari died it kept fighting.
A Tank Busta charged the defender, and had his torso evaporated by the plasma fire. The remaining Spec Ops Orks tried to put down the unknown, but nothing phased it. Even when its shield finally fell and the left arm was blown off it kept fighting. It would almost be commendable, if the Lt hadn't seen the sparking and metal innards. They were fighting Mork be damned robots.
This enraged Drezgher beyond all comprehension, and he charged with his 'Kommando Choppa.' The machine whirled to blow him away, but the rotation of the torso section was slowed by several heavy shoota rounds. With a howl he set to work, soon the machine was in pieces at his feet, spraying him with oil and other liquids from the machine's operating system.
But before he could progress any farther, the remaining arm latched itself onto his neck. He tried to dislodge it as his airway collapsed…but to no avail. Even his Boyz trying to remove it only made the arm dig in deeper. In the end Drezgher died as the robot's arm crushed his windpipe completely.
However, his team finished the job after he died. At 8:00 Terran time, 24:00 Local, the power plants were blown, and the Ork Invasion began in earnest.
Thessia: General POV
With the Orks landing in force and destroying the defenses, it was clear to the defenders that phase one of the battle plan had failed. But the Orks would still have to break into the cities, which had been fortified even more over the preceding days.
Moral was high despite the heavy casualties among the Citadel defenders, as the Imperials more than made up for any shortcomings. They were like the heroes of Asari legend, Athame's Guardians: inexhaustible, unyielding, and never surrendering.
The Imperial forces, with the defenses made as in depth as possible, made several broadcast centers for Citadel news networks. Reports were important to the moral off world, and a great propaganda boost to keep the flagging Citadel in the war.
The first transmission from Thessia was on the third day of battle. It was short, and to the point. "Thessia stands." That simple message accompanied by footage of Imperial and Asari forces fighting against the Orks was a pure shot of adrenaline, and the perfect propaganda tool for the Citadel.
"Thessia stands, are you doing your part?" This was one of the most important propaganda messages that CNN put out for the Council, and shamed those who had so far stayed out of the war effort into joining up or providing financial aid.
But while that did so much for the Citadel alliance, the battle of Thessia continued.
Citadel Stealth Recon Ship, The Watchful Eye: Thessia: Saren Areterus, one day later
Saren stood on the bridge of the Eye and watched the Orkoid reinforcements arrive to the siege. Every hour, a new horde of transports appeared. These convoys usually numbered around one hundred ships at a length of twelve kilometers long.
Estimates of ground troops and materials deployed with every convoy were being low balled at six million more Orks, forty billion tons of war materiel, and fifty thousand armored vehicles of various types.
It was obscene. This rate of production was unthinkable to the Citadel. As was the replacement rate. Saren feared that Thessia's defenders would be ground to dust long before the Imperium could mount their counter attack.
The Turian growled as he watches the Orks deploy to the surface. All of this death and destruction could have been avoided if the Council had listened. But no, they saw an opportunity for an edge over the Imperium. And now the galaxy paid the price.
Jump off Point Delta: Imperial Space: Kaiden Alenko: The next day
Master Sergeant Alenko sat in his platoon's command IFV, a Scorpion II. He was watching the news reports. "Thessia stands indeed." He thought with a chuckle. The ODST and Marines deployed to the Asari Homeworld were giving the Orks absolute hell.
So far not a single city had been breached, and the Orks were losing tens of thousands to advance even a single meter of ground. The drones in space had been disappointing, granted though the commander of that sector hadn't managed to reach critical mass before the Orks hit, unlike the Salarian homeworld.
Which lead into a minor gripe of his with the Citadel News Network, their inconsistent reporting. Sure, the Asari homeworld was holding up AMAZINGLY well right now, but they had been utterly repulsed from the Salarian homeworld. And the expected attack on the Citadel never came because of Thessia.
Call him an old fashioned man, but he thought that mentioning the victories in Salarian space would do more for moral than constantly bringing up the grinding war in Asari space. But hey, he didn't make the rules, he just fought to protect civilized space.
The Citadel: Chora's Den: Wrex, several hours that same day
Wrex sat in the comfortable seats in the Imperial ran bar, and drank imported Rycol ice cold by the pint. Say what you will about Imperial diplomatic niceties, but they knew how to run a bar. The food was cheap and filling, the atmosphere wasn't half bad, and the alcohol was always for sale provided you had the credits.
But his mind was elsewhere than his drink. Chora's Den was one of the few bars in the Citadel you could get reliable access to Imperial News outlets, and they were a damned sight more reliable than CNN. The current topic of debate was once again Thessia.
This wasn't a surprise, it was on every channel. But unlike the citadel news networks, which focused on the emotional side, the Imperials analyzed the war in its entirety and the effect the campaign for the Asari homeworld would have on it.
Apparently the green bastards had pushed deep into Asari Space, and set a thirty system deep perimeter around their capital. For the Citadel, to breach such a defense would eat ALL their resources. Wrex knew that, and so did the talking heads, which put them above regular reporters as far as he was concerned.
Their current angle was how to best relieve it. Drop in right on the system with overwhelming force, and then push out while assaulting from the perimeter? Swing from Salarian Space and pincer the Orks? Or meet them head on in battle? These were the ones he remembered and thought had the best chance of working.
While his days as clan leader were at an end temporarily, he still had a keen strategic mind, and pondered this question. Well, that, and what bar food to order next. Those "Barbeque Wings" sounded interesting.
Thessia: Tank Nob Marveen: Two Days Later
Marveen sat in the turret of his super heavy tank and watched the artillery shell the capital city of Thessia. For the past forty eight hours, they had bombarded the city, and it seemed like the shield was starting to break.
Of course that was to be expected wasn't it? They had assembled over two hundred thousand siege guns, not to mention all the orbital support. It was just a matter of time now. And then he and his battle tested tank would be in the thick of the action.
His super heavy, The Fist of Gork, was an older model of tank. It was covered in four hundred millimeters of metal, with a three hundred millimeter smoothbore gun in the turret. Also in the turret was a coaxial one fifty chain gun, and in the hull were multiple eighty millimeter defensive guns. It was a symbol of the strength that brought the Orks to the new galaxy, and would lead the assault when the time came.
But the Nob would wait till it was time. He was not eager to run into plasma fire again. The last time his unit had fought plasma users his tank had nearly been slagged, which was unacceptable to any tanker. Let alone an Orkish one who was by trade super attached to his armored beast.
The shield cracked at that moment, and then shattered…before being replaced with a new shield, much to his disappointment. Still though, he reflected with a sigh, more artillery was being brought in, as were more warships. Eventually one of the cities would be broken into. And then, the real scrap could begin.
Hell's Gate System: Imperial Intelligence Cell CERBERUS base: Operative Lawson, two hours later
Miranda slowly drank her Terran coffee as she read through the reports. The holding force was doing magnificently all things considered. They were outnumbered at least one thousand to one, but their technological edge allowed them to pull out victories all across the board.
Salarian space had been all but retaken already. And the rebuilding of their infrastructure was going well, soon the Xenos would be back to their strength from before the Orks attacked. This was both good and bad in the eyes of Cerberus, a cell created to monitor the Citadel section of space and beyond.
On the plus side if the Salarians regained their former strength, it would be extra guns and bodies on the line, saving Imperial lives in the short term against the Orks. It would also deplete the Salarians further, making them more vulnerable to invasion from the Imperium if need be. Though she doubted that would be needed. After all, they would be dependent on Imperial Technology and power…and as the heroes of the war against the Orks, well that would gain a lot of clout in the Citadel.
The downside of one of the pillars of the Citadel regaining their strength was that if they studied the process the Imperium used they could reverse engineer it, and jump start their stagnant technology the Imperium would no longer be the biggest fish in the ocean. This was seen as unlikely, but if they did try they can contingencies in play to destroy any Citadel made quantum lathes.
Finishing the coffee, she switched to studying dossiers that had been placed on her desk. There were three piles. One for recruitment into Cerberus, either in the intelligence arm or the military one, there were a few promising candidates in this batch. Of note were Dr Archer, a scientist specializing in theoretical future technology and xenopsychology, two things that Cerberus might need in the future. Also in this pile was a Lt Taylor, an Imperial Navy PJ officer, he had a dozen missions under his belt both in the west and east, and was very effective at his job.
The second pile was less interesting. It was potential specter candidates. She could already tell from how the Council acted that everyone in this list was not going to make it into the specters. They all lacked one thing or another, and that would cause them to flunk at some point.
However, the third pile was new. It only had one dossier. The heading on it marked it as a candidate for BOTH simultaneously. Naturally curious she read it; after all it takes a special person to have caught the recruitment officer's eyes for both. And special they were. She immediately agreed to the assessment, and added her own that his colleagues should be brought into the fold as well if they were serious about recruiting him.
Salarian Space: Rothalan System: Ashley Williams: the next day
Ashley sat in a recently rebuilt barracks, taking some rest before the next deployment. In the week since the Imperial Army of the East was deployed to fight the Orks they had regained vast swathes of Citadel Alliance territory. The Salarians and other Xenos they fought alongside were ecstatic and acted like the war was already over.
But her? She was focused on writing in her war journal, and composing her thoughts for calling home…as well as letting her mind wander to how Shepard was doing. Oh sure, she had confidence in his skills, and the scattered reports coming out of the battle were positive…but she was worried for reasons she couldn't pinpoint.
Her mind tried to rationalize it as being worried about her best friend. But Tali was her best female friend, and Ashley wasn't as worried about her. It was strange and confusing to the young woman. Before she could think on it more there were cries of shock and denial from downstairs.
She sprang up and headed downstairs to look. A TV was playing news reports, and it was about Thessia…The Orks had broken into a few of the cities. Heavy fighting was going on, but the Orks were gaining ground. The garrison forces were doing their best to evac the civies, but it was slow going.
Thessia: Liara T'Soni: Three hours later
Liara sat on the last tram out of Telerasia city. Her armor caked in grime and fire arm residue. When the Orks landed she signed up for the defensive forces, against her mother's wishes. The Imperials who equipped her sent her to Telerasia, it had been in a quite sector at the time.
At times she had almost been able to believe there was no war going on, such was the might of the defenses the Imperium had erected. But now she was evacuating with the last fifty thousand other Asari the Imperial Marines had managed to get to the main terminal, and she knew why her mother did not want her to join the defense forces…she was not ready…Nor were many others from the conversations on the train, though only the words of the more regular forces mattered.
From what little she caught of the conversation around the car, the greenskins had managed to infiltrate the city and destroy the shield generators simultaneously. This led to the collapse of the defenses as the Ork artillery and orbital forces could blow massive holes in the fortifications, and through those holes poured millions of Orks.
The young Asari had done her duty though, as the kill counter in her armor cheerfully informed her. By the time she had been evac'd she had killed two hundred Orks. But it wasn't enough to stop the fall of the doomed city. She had seen things that would haunt her dreams for years to come during that battle.
Ork warriors clad in thick armor shrugging off government issue Mass Accelerator fire, but firing terrifyingly effective slug throwers that would butcher whole squads of regulars in a twenty second burst in return. Shock troopers entering melee and killing with sickening glee, their knives running purple with Asari blood as they sliced easily through armor and flesh alike.
But she also saw moments of heroics, such as the last stand of the Marine squadron holding the station even as the last train pulled away. Thirteen soldiers in power armor versus millions of green horrors trying to break in. Their weapons killed with every pull of the trigger, or mortally wounded at least. Shoulder to shoulder they stood at the bottom of the stairs, creating a killzone that the Orks would not easily bypass.
As soon as the train was away, they blew up the tunnels, so that the Orks could not follow easily. The last sight she had of the valiant members of the 892nd was of them firing on two Ork walkers stomping down the stairs, and destroying them both.
Unconsciously she started to sing the song they had as they made their last stand: "Men of Harlech stop your dreaming…Can't you see their spear points gleaming…See their warrior's pennants streaming…To this battle field…"
So lost in her own world was she that she didn't notice that all chatter in the train had ceased. Soon one voice after another joined her in singing the song. However as the last verse was sung she realized it; and it solidified a single thought in her mind: "This is not over. Not by a long shot. We will only surrender Thessia when the last Asari is dead, and the last Imperial warship lies a smoking ruin."
History would remember this as the start of the darkest days of the battle for Thessia, but it would also be remembered as the day the Asari people finally started to awaken from their self-imposed torpor. The old generation had led to the near destruction of their people, those young maidens who survived the battle would form a new more militant faction that sought closer union with the Imperium. But that is a matter for later.
Imperial Space: Tali: A week and a half later
Tali Zorah sighed as her stealth corvette pulled into the docks. She had cut her pilgrimage short with the news of war, and had been supplying weapons and armor to resistance forces that she could find behind Ork lines. She had no idea how effective her efforts were, but it was time to return to full active duty for now.
The news from Thessia had grown increasingly grim over the past week and a half. City after city had fallen to the Orks, and the Imperial expeditionary force deployed to the planet had suffered fifty percent casualties while evacuating the populace. Not to mention the billions of dead Asari who fell on their homeworld. The sole comfort militarily, no matter how small it was, was that the Greenskins were suffering even more horrendous casualties taking the planet.
On a personal level, Shepard had not been reported KIA yet. Which greatly relieved her, she knew Michael would not die without a fight. The Bo'shet would probably take a whole planet down with him when he finally did die, it was a thought that briefly lightened her mood and lessened her worries. But she had to come back to reality as she reported back into her ODST division.
The greenskins had expanded their cordon by twenty more systems in depth. It made an already difficult assault even more dangerous. It was almost enough to drive a Quarian to drink. Though she finally also received the first good piece of news all month, the Imperium was almost ready to launch the counter attack. Another forty eight hours and they would finally begin driving the Orks back.
And so she, like many others, settled in to wait…and she prayed that Shepard would still be alive when the relief force arrived at Thessia.
General POV: The next four days
The next four days saw the fall of all but the capital city on Thessia. It seemed once the Orks knew how to bring down one defense net, they could do the same to any of the others. To be fair to the Imperials, there wasn't much they could to modify the defenses they set up, as the Asari Cities were already jam packed.
By this point in time, of the ten thousand marines and ODST deployed, only one thousand Imperials remained on Thessia, supported by at most five hundred thousand TRAINED Asari soldiers and defenders. The rest of the world's populace was being run through basic martial abilities, but at best they were untrained militia by the standards of the Empire.
Still, their numbers would make up for it in the coming days. There was nowhere else to retreat. It was either fight and either win or die, or don't and certainly lose. Thankfully for the Asari Thessia's population chose to fight alongside the thousand organic Imperials left.
Thessia surface: Day the shield breaks: Shocktroopa Grimstabba
Gimstabba waited impatiently for his APC to deposit him and the rest of the platoon into the last bastion of resistence. It had been a good WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH on this world. The blueies had put up a good scrap, as had the cheating plasma using gits. But now it was just a matter o time before the Orks moved on to the next battlefield.
The APC shook as a mass accelerator round passed by and smashed the Kolonel's APC to bits. Much to the amusement of the Orks in his APC, none of the boys had liked da Kolonel that much anyways. The git always tried to steal their glory or make them learn more advanced 'tactiks' then just rush forward and use their weapons to kill whatever wasn't Orky.
That was another advantage these blueies had over those out in what was now da Khanate. Those blueies and the like had had much worse weapons. A boy could stand infront of three platoons shooting them with their pathetic dakka firers, and not be scratched after a half hour of firing. By GORK was that boring, there was no CHALLENGE no real scrap to be had.
But as the doors to his vehicle opened, he was reaffirmed in the knowledge that this was a REAL scrap. The breaches into the city were defended by the plasma nuts metal boys, and hundreds of blueies firing their weapons into the deployment zone.
Hundreds of Boys fell every second, but that was fine in Grimstabba's opinion. Hadn't been Warboss Enry da Sexth that said that da fewer boyz da more glory was had by all, not to mention the more loot? He reflected on the wisdom of that statement as he sprayed a blueie with his shoota, riddling her form with holes in short order.
Yes, he decided as he changed targets to a metal boy, Enry had had it right. But he would add the addendum that the fewer boys, the more scrapping was had by those there. Which was more important than glory in the eyes of most Orks, the metal boy finally dropped after emptying forty seconds of rounds into him.
The Shocktroopa took a second to look around as he advanced spraying another blueie with rounds. The assault was making headways into this breach; they had advanced three hundred meters in every direction from the initial breach. This meant that reinforcements would be incoming soon, including armor, he knew that The Fist of Gork's armored regiment was nearby and he hopped that he would get to see that old boy in action.
The rumbling of tracks two minutes later, as he was clearing a fortified building, announced the arrival of the tanks. He grinned as he caught sight of the old Fist. The super heavy brought its main gun to bear on an unseen target, and fired. The blast and sheer concussive force from the cannon firing broke the glass in the skyscraper, and created a ringing in his ears he would not have traded for a mountain of loot…maybe.
Though that elation turned to rage when lances of, what he assumed to be, plasma sheared out from a spot hidden from his line of sight. The old tank didn't stand a chance, its metal hull melting into slag, killing or trapping the crew inside in an immovable wreck. The Shocktroopa was about to go looking for the shooter when it came stomping out of a side street.
Standing eighteen meters tall, and carrying a massive shoota in its hands, it was green with a single crimson eye. Emblazed across its chest plate was a double headed bird of some sort, and at its waist was what looked like a giant choppa of some sort. It made him conflicted. Except for the bird it looked down right ORKY, but then it fired its shoota, and spat golden yellow 'plasma' at the armored column, as did five others that joined it.
Before he could work out what to do next, a barrage of shells smashed into the area from orbit, flattening the Mobile Suits, and the buildings around the breach. The Warlord had decided that orbital firepower was the only way to break the defenders giant walkers. Though this would serve as small comfort for the dead orks killed in the bombardment, dying in battle was one thing…but to friendly fire? That was downright UNORKY.
The City of Relia: Three Days Later: Primary Temple to Athame: Shepard
Michael Shepard fired his weapon's LMG configuration down the stairs to cover the retreat of another desperate band of Asari soldiers. He and his squad had been forced back to the primary temple three hours ago, and had dug in as much as possible.
Cover, small shields, portable AA, auto turrets…everything a defender might need, they had put in place. And yet it still might not be enough. His father had told him of the Orks, or at least his spirt contained in a wraithbone body did, but it had not prepared him for the sheer overwhelming numbers they would bring to bear.
His father had described a storm, vast but not without end and easy to break. This was an ocean. They were unending, unstoppable, and unbreakable; albeit the individual Ork was reassuringly mortal, as he proved once again by scything a group down with plasma rounds.
The IFF in his helmet identified the lead Asari in the group as Corporal Liara T'soni, he raised an eyebrow at that. The rich kid of one of the most important Asari politicians on the frontline? It was surprising, but it was worth a bit of respect at least.
The cry of WAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH snapped him back to reality, and he resumed firing. Each plasma glob that exited his gun took down an Ork. Of course this wasn't anything special, the Primary Temple had only one narrow stairway, and with the sheer number of green skins attacking he would have to try to miss.
Of course he wasn't stupid enough to do that on purpose. So he continued firing down range. And they kept coming. The stairs were covered in dead twenty bodies thick in some places. But it didn't go all the defenders way. Of the ten ODST in his unit deployed to the stairs, including himself, only four were left eight hours after they took position, the Asari casualties had dropped their numbers down from five hundred down to one hundred.
As he changed out barrels during a lull in the fighting he looked to the soldier next to him. To his surprise it was the young T'Soni. Still standing, and still fighting. But he had to ask: "You doing alright there T'soni?" It was a stupid question, sure, but it had to be asked.
The Asari was quiet for a minute: "Over the past week or so I have seen more death and destruction then I ever imagined possible. I have seen heroes make last stands, and die pointlessly. So no, I do not think I'm alright. Ask me after the Orks are gone, and I may have a different answer."
Shepard chuckled: "I'll hold you to that." He knew it was probably all bravado. Everyone planet side knew they were probably doomed. The communications to the outside world had been cut off two days ago, and with all the combat he doubted anyone thought Thessia still had defenders.
SOP in scenarios like this, was to purge the planet. He expected that any minute now. But even so, he kept quiet, as did the other ODST. There was no reason to break the Asari moral, besides it was better they die on their feet then succumb to despair.
At that point, nine hours into that last stand, an Ork boss came forward: "DEFENDURS OF DA TEMPUL, YOU HAVE FOUGHT WELL. BUT NOW IT'Z OVA, SURRENDER AND YOUR LOIVES WILL BE SPARED. KEEP FOIGHTEN US AN…" The consequences were never made known. Shepard riddled him with plasma.
"Surrender? Hell. We just got here. And we have not even BEGUN to fight." His declaration was back up by cheers of agreement from the rest of the defenders. The Orks hesitated…But that was all that was needed. Drop pods of an off white color started to rain down on the beleaguered planet.
Several landed near the temple, one right in front of the defenders position. Out came four Terminators, one bearing the mark of a captain: "Well said Shepard. It's determination like that which built the empire. And it will maintain it for thousands of years to come. But for now relax, and let us handle these scum."
The tide had irrevocably turned in favor of the Imperium.
Next time: The Wolf HOWLS
Codex: The Legacy Battle of Thessia Part 1: The Battle of Thessia was one of those seminal moments that defined the next few decades. Until then the Asari had been more diplomatically focused, their superior technology compared to the rest of the Citadel going unused, as was their good relations with the Imperium.
But after the battle, the Asari began to rebuild. The younger generation began to speak loudly and vehemently against the passivity of the past, the maidens who had served on the frontline were the core of this new political movement. Their rhetoric started to sway the older members of their race, especially those who had lost daughters in the war.
With politics pushing for a more militarized Asari Republic, industry followed. Rebuilt by the Imperium, the Asari began to produce next generation Aquilia industries tech under license. It was a technicality of course, as the Imperial companies didn't care much for Citadel Credits, so they basically gave the blueprints away for free.
With their forces modernized, and politics changed, the Asari cozied up to the Imperium. Imperial instructors were inserted into Asari academies and training camps, where they began to bring them up to standard. Asari space was also the first to receive multiple layers of Imperial made defenses on their border with the Orks.
In the end the Battle of Thessia, while devastating, was the dawn of a new era in Imperial – Citadel relations.
Codex: Cerberus: Goals and Organization: Cerberus is an Imperial Intelligence division that is divided into many smaller cells. Their primary goal is the promotion of Imperial interests in the Eastern regions, through whatever means necessary.
As such they have cells specializing in assassination, sabotage, blackmail, intelligence gathering, culture spreading, and direct combat actions. For all intents and purposes they are a subordinate intelligence agency in and of themselves, rather than just a division of the larger I.I.
Cerberus is commanded by Director Jack Harper, AKA the Illusive Man. He is a pureblood Imperial, and a former member of the Inquisition, having been an Interrogator in the Ordo Hereticus before the Inquisition was folded into I.I. His training in the Hereticus has influenced his methods, and his men are less squeamish about torture and other blacker actions then many other units.
One of the assignments Cerberus has on its plate is finding the Shadow Broker, a goal they are close to. They will either subordinate the Broker, or eliminate him and take over his network the hard way.
Codex: Ork Armor Classification: Much like many other races and nations, the greenskins have multiple types of armored vehicles. Here's a brief overview of some of the types.
APC: As it says on the tin. They are designed to carry Ork Boys into the fight relatively quickly. Decently armored by Imperial standards, but poorly armed. They usually can carry twenty Boyz on average depending on equipment.
Light Tanks: Cheap, fast, armed with a big gun, but armor of cardboard. They are the most numerous of the Ork tanks, useful for scouting and dealing with Citadel tanks.
Medium Tanks: Well-rounded and able to deal with most threats, or at least survive a bit longer in a slug fest with an Imperial Tank. They were near unbeatable for the forces deployed by the citadel until Aquila Industries weapons and gear were brought to bear fully.
Heavy Tanks: The big assault tanks of the Ork horde. These machines can even threaten Imperial vehicles somewhat with their firepower and heavy armor. But they are extremely slow and unmaneuverable, making them easy prey to more maneuverable tanks and AT units.
Super Heavy Tanks: Anything larger than a heavy tank, there is no uniform way to make these overall, besides them being massively armed and armored…and proportionally as slow as well. They are nigh indestructible to conventional weaponry, but plasma and beam weaponry can punch through the massive amounts of armor easily.
The Orkoid walkers have a classification all their own. But that is something for another day.
Codex: Tiber Referendum: A bill introduced into the senate anonymously five days ago. It requests that generation two gear be allowed to be sent to the Citadel to reinforce their soon to be all important border state.
The senate is hotly divided over this referendum one way or another. It may come down to a decision by the Emperor himself at this rate.
Codex: Project Genesis: With the proven physical, mental, and moral inferiority of the other races of the galaxy, Imperial Scientists in the Excalibur Initiative have decided the greatest gift they can give them is to turn them Human.
Of course this project is highly controversial, and considered by many traitorous or heretical. But they quietly continue work on this project. Acquiring subjects through kidnapping mostly to test their theories…It's slow going. Some days they seem to make progress, but others they fall four or more steps back.
But they will continue, believing their project is the ultimate salvation for the Galaxy at large.
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