Author's Notes: Finally got some assistance in speculative science. Hope that improves the story a bit. Or at least, keeps it consistent.

Now, let's get to answering some reviewers. Some answers might be belated. My apologies. Most of the alerts I get are from signed FF(dot)net reviews. If anyone knows how to change that, I'd appreciate it (at least from the app perspective, since I do my writing on my phone now. My fingers have, unfortunately, gone numb enough that I now suck at using keyboards now. Oh, I'm ranting).

Guest:steve - No idea when I'll get back to the Red Knight. I have a chapter unpublished, but I'd rather not put it up there unless I add more chapters in. As of now, it looks better where it ended. Like a season ender.

Guest - For turians having sensors during FTL travel, I'm just following what I can get from canon. They have a radio telescope, and their sensors are advanced enough to see the outside world in a red-shifted color during FTL travel.

Coment9 - Hey dood. Appreciate the multiple reviews! For your question about Drift time, it's basically how much time a human can perceive during the Drift. The dilation settings on Drift are very flexible, but it's SOP for time to be faster than 'real time'. That's how they are able to talk to each other, even if they are under fire and they have seconds before the projectiles hit them.

I actually almost added Inception tech in this story as well, but felt it was unnecessary.

OMAC001 - The trope I'm aiming for is the same one from the story Incompatible System (hoping it updates one day), where both parties think the other is strange. On one hand, humans will think the races that use Eezo in everything are insane because of its natural toxicity, especially since they have no use for a mass altering material as they can control gravity and spacetime. On the other hand, the Citadel races will find humans insane. AI usage, to the point that they allow them to control bodily functions and even run the Judicial department of the government? Straight up gravity and spacetime control without exotic matter? What kind of magic BS is that?

Though I guess I can't completely disagree that it is HFY in some ways. And to think my original draft of the story was even worse in that aspect.

To anyone interested in the original concept, the story would have started out with the humans having already won against the Precursors and obtained the organic tech to basically build living robots. They would also have ships and buildings that can heal damage, and even modify their own bodies. And because I incepted the story to have a more humorous tone, the humans, for some reason, were living during the age of retro games appreciation.

Anyone remember how I said that previously, I had humans being able to use fighting game moves, even throwing out energy projectiles? Well, that also includes RTS games, which meant that there were going to be Zerg units in the story. The fight with the turian patrol? Finished in less than five seconds as they were hit by multiple Scourges.

Then I realized I already have a Starcraft/Mass Effect crossover already, and should use that there. If I get back to it. One day. Hopefully.

A few eagle eyed readers would know I already used some Starcraft units, though.

Oh wow. That took longer than expected. Anyway, back to the story!

Curry turned her attention to the holographic window featuring President Oaks. "A full retreat out of Shanxi?" she inquired.

The President wasn't alone in the virtual meeting; two additional windows were open—one for High Governor Carter and another for Captain Matterson. The former appeared lost, confused, and slightly queasy.

Clark couldn't blame her. While everyone else possessed some level of military experience, the High Governor had been a businesswoman before being voted into office. Now, she was on the verge of being entangled in a potential alien invasion.

Oaks nodded at Curry's question. "President Chen has advised the Federation that they are recalling their entire fleet out of the system," she replied. "It's not just the Colony Station and its escorts anymore. The system will be completely devoid of Taiwanese military personnel in fifteen minutes, real-time."

"Do they intend to abandon the system?" Carter asked.

"For now," Oaks replied. "There's no word on whether they will relinquish their rights to it, though."

"I doubt they will," Matterson said. "They're focused on preserving the Colony Station, and they don't have enough defenders to face more than a hundred ships."

"New Carolina doesn't either," Carter added, her voice barely above a whisper as she paled. "Captains," she continued hoarsely, "what are the chances of these aliens bringing their fleet to us?"

"Rather high," Curry replied gently.

"I concur," Matterson agreed. "We're too near Shanxi for them not to notice us."

The High Governor slumped slightly for a few seconds before shaking her head. "Then we need to prepare. President Oaks, what's the status of our new fleet? You mentioned that they were on their way."

"Yes," Oaks replied. "The scouting ships left the Inner Systems three days ago. They're traveling at their top speed and are expected to reach your system in five days."

"That seems a bit too fast for a carrier fleet," Matterson remarked.

"It's not the carrier fleet," Oaks clarified. "Due to the critical nature of the situation, we've dispatched a task force of frigates instead. They're carrying with them half of a neutronium core."

Clark perked up on hearing that.

"Let me guess," Matterson replied with a grin, "the other half is with the carrier fleet?"

"Yes, it is," Oaks said. "Plus an auxiliary flotilla from the Philippines."

Clark raised an eyebrow in surprise, staring at the President's window.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who found that shocking as High Governor Carter asked, "Why have they joined in? Not that I don't appreciate it."

"Probably to pay us back when we helped them clear out the pirates from the New Visayas system," Oaks replied. "They can't lend any ship bigger than a destroyer, though."

Carter nodded before sighing. "Any help is welcomed. And the fact we're getting a Bridge… I don't know how I should feel in this situation."

The President hummed in understanding. "Just know that help is coming," she assured. "Now, once the task force arrives, they'll only need a few minutes to finish setting it up."

"We'll be ready to receive them," Matterson promised.

"That's still five days away," Carter commented. "Can we hold them off for that long?"

"We probably won't be fighting throughout all five days, High Governor," the older man speculated.

"How do you figure?" she asked.

Curry was the one who replied. "Thanks to the new information the Federation science team just uncovered, we now know their frigates can cover roughly fourteen light-years in twenty-four hours."

Carter hummed. "So, we have around, what, seventeen hours?" she asked.

"That's presuming all their ships travel at that speed," Curry said.

"And that's also assuming that they know exactly where we are, High Governor," Matterson added. "That's why I am reasonably sure that they won't be here for at least twenty to twenty-four hours. Depending on how cautious they are, it might even take them days before they arrive in full force."

"How many days, then?" Carter asked. "In your opinion, what realistic timetable are we looking at?"

The older Captain was silent for a few moments before replying, "If I had to guess, they'll likely be here between one to three days.

"So, we have to hold them off for four days in the worst-case scenario, and two at the best," Carter amended. "My question still stands—can we hold them off for that long?"

"I believe we can," Matterson replied. "We can use the asteroid field between the orbits of planets Sumter and Azaleas to force them separate into groups. Whittle down their numbers by employing jump tactics."

"Solid strategy," Oaks commented. "However, if they concentrate their numbers and travel in a convoy, that tactic won't be as effective."

Matterson nodded. "Honestly, Madam President, if they did that, I would simply let them approach New Carolina with minimal opposition."

"Excuse me, Captain?" Carter asked, her eyes wide. "You'd allow an invading army to arrive at our doorstep? Have you gone insane?!"

"Wait, High Governor," Oaks said, frowning as she visibly considered Matterson's statement. After a few seconds, she nodded. "That suggestion actually has merit. The enemy has supremacy in open space, outnumbering New Carolina's defense fleet by a factor of five. However, their numbers won't matter if they come within range of New Carolina's planetary defenses."

"They'll be caught fighting on two fronts by that point," Matterson added. "Forcing them to scatter around the planet to avoid the planetary cannons. Basically, putting our initial plan into play—using jump tactics to take out the separated groups."

The High Governor shook her head. "What if they deploy troops for a planetary invasion, Captain?"

"That will be a factor even if we're able to occupy the bulk of their fleet in the asteroid field," Matterson replied. "I wouldn't put it past them to sneak in a group to try and land an advance force."

"I know that," Carter insisted. "However, we were talking about the scenario where you are letting their whole fleet close. Instead of an advance force, they will be landing an actual invasion force!"

The President frowned. "Carter, you're governing a planet of twenty states with a total population of one and a half billion people. Five percent are registered active MI regulars, and sixty percent are certified Militia. I doubt the incoming alien fleet can muster even a percent of the planet's population to invade."

The High Governor blinked before nodding sheepishly.

"Planetary bombardment will be the issue, though," Matterson pointed out. "Captain Curry, do you have any data on their ship's ordnance?"

"Dana," Curry called.

"Sending files."

Matterson, Oaks, and Carter all turned their attention to the side, presumably reading the data packet. The High Governor seemed to brighten up.

"Yes," she said, nodding. "I'm confident the city shields can withstand that amount of firepower."

"That's just for the alien frigates, High Governor," Curry advised. "We know that the cruisers' cannons can fire much faster slugs. Unfortunately, due to their use of exotic matter, we cannot determine the mass of their shells."

"Even if the city shields can hold up against their cruisers," Oaks warned, "they won't last under repeated fire. And they seem to fire those things pretty fast."

"As long as the defense fleet is alive, they won't have the opportunity to do so," Matterson promised. "We don't need to win. We just need to endure."

Carter nodded, though she tilted her head slightly, as if she found something interesting. "Are these translation programs?"

"Yes," Curry replied. "The Federation science team was able to uncover a wealth of information from the alien frigate. They obtained star charts and alien languages already encoded in binary. There's still a bulk of data that will need more time to get through, though."

"Star charts will definitely help if we go on the offense against these aliens," Oaks commented. "The notes on the language files, though… that's ominous."

"Ominous?" the High Governor asked. "In what way?"

"According to the science team that worked on the translation modules, they found ten files, and most of them are completely distinct from one another." Oaks frowned. "Let me run the program. 'Water.'"

There was a ping, indicating that the program confirmed that it received an input. A moment later, a warbling whistle sounded out. Then, it was followed by a foreign word spoken slowly. A second after, a rushed long word. The next was a grunted growl.

In the next few seconds, five more audio cues played, each featuring different words with varying intonations, ranging from musical to deadpan. The last one, surprisingly, came out as a video file of flashing lights of differing speed and colors.

A thought emerged from all who listened, though it was Matterson who audibly expressed it.

"That's ten different languages," he said softly. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but they don't seem to come from the same species."

"The science team concurs," Curry replied. "Our new friends may have friends of their own."

"Oh," Carter said softly. "I don't… can we even—?"

"High Governor," Oaks interrupted. "Focus on the immediate problems for now. Don't burden yourself on vague possibilities. Just remember what I said—the calvary is coming."

Carter stared at the screen for a few good seconds before nodding. "I'm calling an emergency meeting with the governors," she said. "We'll need to get the MI ready for deployment and warn the general population. Give the Militia time to plan the local defenses."

"Do what you need to do," Oaks spoke with a nod. "I'll call for an emergency meeting with the Federation as well. New Carolina won't face this alone."

"Thank you, Madam President. Captain Matterson."

"Yes, High Governor?" the older man replied.

"I'll leave the naval defense in your hands," Carter said.

"I will communicate all our actions planetside," Matterson assured. "I promise, High Governor, we will survive this."

"I'll hold you to that," she replied before her window promptly disappeared.

President Oaks nodded. "Give them hell, Captain," she said before hers also disappeared.

Matterson sighed. "Looks like our frontier world became the new frontline," he said.

"Seems that way, sir," Curry replied.

"Does your task force have any further obligations, Captain Curry?" Matterson asked.

"None, sir," Curry answered. "The Federation science team has rejoined the Taiwanese rear group. They will follow the Colony Station and leave the system soon."

"Let's hope they make headway," Matterson said. "Colony Stations have the slowest FTL speeds."

"I'm pretty sure they'll be alright, sir."

The older Captain nodded. "Then get your asses back here to New Carolina," he ordered. "We're going to need every ship to pull this off."

"Will do, sir," Curry said with a smile. "See you in fifteen hours."

When Matterson's window closed, Curry didn't even need to make an order. Clark began plotting a course to leave Shanxi behind.

Vinia stared at her screen, patiently observing the newly activated primary relay—the first since the disastrous encounter with the yahg. Vice Admiral Plavis and his ships had traveled through it to recon the undiscovered system, while the rest of the fleet waited. She listened as the communications officers conversed with other ships, all inquiring if the recently installed comm buoy detected any incoming traffic from the system beyond Relay 313.

One of her clawed digits manipulated the holographic screen, opening up a small picture of her and Septimus. It was the last one they took together, using their leave by visiting an asari vacation world. Her talons formed a shaking fist as she stared intently at the image.

Hearing someone approach, she swiftly closed the screen and looked up, spotting her XO Daedalus stopping at a respectable distance and rendering a salute. After she reciprocated, he presented her with a data pad.

"The engineers have just returned from inspecting the frigates," the XO reported. "Here's what they discovered."

Vinia meticulously read through the displayed document, the plates on her face scrunching together as her eyes narrowed. "You're telling me these aliens have AI?"

"That was the only conclusion they could draw after inspecting everything," Daedalus replied. "The spikes shot at the ships were receptive to electromagnetic signals, the suspected main method for them to hack into the system undetected. Each frigate exhibited signs of software tampering, overriding critical functions. Solana, on the other hand, was completely stripped of its data. They couldn't retrieve anything from that ship."

"Solana was the frigate that the aliens appeared to be defending against Captain Orthos, correct?"

"Yes, Admiral."

Vinia nodded. "So the aliens have star charts to Citadel Space, our Codex, and the language modules," she said softly before humming for a bit. "I'll have to report this to the Hierarchy."

"The use of AI by the aliens will undoubtedly provoke panic."

"Yes, it will," Vinia replied. Then, she paused for a moment before continuing, "How certain are our engineers that it's artificial intelligence at play? We're facing a new species, after all. Perhaps they excel in cyber warfare."

"While it's still speculation, there's evidence indicating that the VI and firewalls were swiftly overwhelmed," the XO said. "Their assessment suggests no organic species could breach our systems that rapidly."

After a few moments of silence, Vinia shook her head. "Our timetable will likely shorten once we report this. The potential discovery of a species using AI will undoubtedly attract the attention of the rest of the Council."

"How shall we proceed then, Admiral?" Daedalus inquired.

Vinia hummed before replying, "As it's still unconfirmed whether the aliens actually possess AI, I will leave it out of the report for now. We don't want to prematurely alarm the Council with unsubstantiated information."

It was Daedalus' turn to be silent for a few seconds. "Admiral," he then said with deliberate slowness. "Permission to speak freely?"

"Go ahead, Captain."

"You're risking becoming barefaced," the XO whispered. "It's one thing to exercise your authority in the gray areas, but not informing the Hierarchy of something this pertinent could be considered treasonous."

Vinia whistled sharply. "I know," she replied. "Have our engineers look out for any more signs of AI presence. If we can substantiate the claim with more data, send a report immediately. Also, include in the report that it was my decision to delay reporting the possible AI presence."

Daedalus warbled harshly. "I'll obey, but under protest."

The Admiral nodded. "Speaking of which, are there any contingencies in case there are AIs that attempt to attack us, similar to what they did to the frigates?" she asked.

"The engineers are reinforcing our software," Daedalus replied. "Primarily shifting automated critical ship functions to manual operation, which might impact response times during emergencies. Nevertheless, it's preferable to suffocating without warning or being unable to fire our weapons in the midst of battle."

"Agreed," Vinia said. "Commend our engineers for their excellent work, Captain. Anything else?"

"Captain Orthos and his group are preparing to depart for Meteria Shipyards. He's requesting permission to leave."

Vinia winced. Ten ships from that group were already lost. Now, she was about to lose a heavy cruiser and four more frigates to tow the bridge-less ships for repairs. In the end, though, she had no choice. At least Orthos left what remained of his group under another Captain's command.

"Granted," she finally said.

"Also, General Oraka is becoming more vocal," Daedalus added, shaking his head slightly. "He insists that we must halt our march and call for reinforcements."

"Is he having an impact on morale?"

"No," the XO said. "He keeps his disagreements away from the soldiers. However, our officers have also made remarks about at least requesting the 20th to join us."

"Oraka is a commendable Turian, ensuring his opinions don't impact the soldiers," she replied with a harsh chuckle. "And he might, indeed, be correct."

Daedalus glanced at her sharply. "Do you doubt our fleet's capability to handle these upstarts?"

"I think we've fallen behind on the march," Vinia countered. "They have been one step ahead of us so far. And it's not just about their technology, either. Did you read Captain Orthos' report?"

The XO grimaced. "Yes," he muttered.

"Their fighters knew precisely where to aim to decapitate our frigates," Vinia growled. "That was just in one day. I can't fathom what else they'll come up with the longer this goes."

"Then, shall we formally request assistance?" Daedalus asked.

Vinia closed her eyes, and the first thing that came to mind was Septimus. Her talons shook. "No," she growled.

The XO nodded. "Then, we will have to strike them," he said. "As hard as we can, as fast as we can. We will no longer let them dictate the pace."

The Admiral's throat hummed as she nodded. Before she could comment, someone spoke up.

"Admiral Vinia," a lieutenant called. "We've received a signal. The comm buoy is picking up data. It's a video call from Vice Admiral Plavus."

"Connect him," Vinia ordered.

Shortly after, a holographic screen popped up, displaying Plavus, though there was visible static and visual noise.

"Vice Admiral, do you read me?" Vinia asked.

"Loud and clear, Admiral," Plavus replied.

"Glad to hear from you," Vinia commented. "Report. What level of resistance are we facing?"

"None," Plavus replied. "This system isn't occupied."

"Repeat that, Plavus," Vinia said. "The aliens are not present there?"

"No, Admiral," Plavus repeated. "I have my frigates patrolling the whole system and they aren't finding anything. If I had to guess, though, the aliens had plans to colonize the garden planet, and stumbled on the mass relay. Guess they didn't want to fight us anymore and left."

"Smart of them," Vinia deadpanned. "Any clue where they went?"

"Our scouting groups are scanning outside of the system," Plavus replied. "First thing they noticed was a huge object that was detected half a lightyear away."

Vinia's eyes narrowed. "Are you sending a task group to investigate?" she asked.

"No," he said with a shake of his head. "For one, this object is massive. Ten dreadnoughts long, four dreadnoughts wide. No one builds a ship that size. It's most likely a stray asteroid."

"We cannot assume when it comes to these new species, Vice Admiral," Vinia warned.

"Agreed," Plavus replied. "Hence why I've also checked its surroundings and it's nowhere near any star systems. Or anything, really. It's just an object floating in space."

Vinia hummed. "Keep an eye on it. If it changes course drastically, we need to know. We're not going to take any chances,especially with this new species."

"Yes, Admiral," Plavus said. "There are a few promising leads, though—three other systems within reach. We're scanning each one, hoping to see if there are any signs of civilization."

"Good work, Vice Admiral," Vinia commended. "The rest of our fleet, excluding Captain Orthos' group, will join you in thirty minutes."

Plavus saluted. "I'll prepare the system and fleet for your arrival," he promised.

Vinia replied with a salute of her own.

The system connected to Relay 313, dubbed as 313-Primus, was surprisingly exotic. Its star was of the yellow-white variety, orbited by three planets—one of them a garden planet and the other a gas giant. Additionally, the outer edge of the system was filled with a loose asteroid field, providing a good view of the star cluster of a nearby galaxy.

Her initial thought was one of beauty, and a pang of longing for Septimus, wishing he could have witnessed this.

Primus' relay was surprisingly located at the very edge of the system, prompting her to wonder how it maintained a lock on the star's gravity. Plavus also had to clear out some asteroids to ensure the rest of the fleet could come through without risk of collision.

It took almost four hours to finally explore and secure the whole system. Vinia insisted on ensuring complete security so they wouldn't be ambushed, which gave the scouts some time to finally finish scanning the outside of Primus and compiling all the data.

Their discoveries had been remarkably unexpected.

"What do you mean the object might have been an alien ship?" Vinia asked the holographic window displaying the Vice Admiral's apologetic visage.

"The compiled scans suggest that the object was traveling at FTL speeds," Plavus reported. "We now know it's currently around two and a half lightyears away. If our calculations are correct, it's been moving at a speed of ten lightyears a day."

Vinia narrowed her eyes. "Could you explain why we're only finding out about this now?" she asked.

"The VI did not alert us," Plavus replied. "Since there was no spectrum change and the suspected ship did not change course, it was not registered into something that needed further investigation."

Vinia sighed, nodding. "Of course not," she acquiesced. "No eezo ship would ever venture deeper into dark space."

"The engineers are modifying some of the protocols," the Vice Admiral said. "It won't happen again."

"That would be appreciated," the Admiral said before looking at her holographic screens, towards the rather sparse map of their current sector. The object in question was definitely going nowhere. If it had been an eezo ship, she would have marveled at the size, then questioned the crew's sanity. Without any nearby star or planet, how would they discharge the static built-up during the travel?

However, these species just reminded them once more that they have completely different technology from the rest of the galaxy. Maybe they had no need to stop by a system. Maybe they could just travel through dark space without worry. Maybe these species don't even live on a planet. Maybe they can even travel through a black holes!

Vinia stilled when she realized she was getting ahead of herself. She bowed her head and took a slow intake of breath, calming herself. After a few seconds, she glanced back at Plavus' screen and said, "Tell me about the systems surrounding Primus."

"The first we discovered was System 313-A at around four lightyears away," Plavus replied. "It's young. The star is blue in the spectrum, and it's still forming. There is one orbiting body, but we are still unsure if it will become a planet or be swallowed. The next system is actually the farthest, named 313-B. Fifteen lightyears away, it has three stars, four rocky planets, but no atmospheric gasses detected. The third, 313-C, is at around ten lightyears away, and is the most promising."

A dull colored picture of the system appeared in the central holographic map of the CIC, minimizing Plavus' window to accommodate.

Vinia studied it. The star, according to the data, was of the white-yellow spectrum, though bigger than the one in this system. It was orbited by five planets—three rocky planets, and two gas planets. A unique attribute the Admiral could readily see was the dense asteroid field between the farthest rock planet and nearest gas planet from the star. It almost formed like a spherical wall that seemed to protect the inner planets.

"The second planet is definitely a garden world," Plavus continued. "Spectrum analysis indicates an atmosphere conducive to life. And there are some anomalies present as well. Faint presences of objects around the garden planet. Could be ships, could be debris."

"Any way to confirm it?" the Admiral asked.

The Vice Admiral shook his head. "At our present situation, a snapshot of what it looked like ten years ago is the only thing we have," he replied.

Vinia nodded before manipulating the screen to zoom out of the system, and put it in the relative center. She then glanced at another window displaying the suspected ship traveling through dark space. She closed her eyes, her mind racing until she reached her decision.

"Vice Admiral," she called. "Send the scouts to 313-C in a relay formation. One ship per every half a lightyear. Ensure there will be five ships in the end."

"To make contact, I presume?" Plavus asked.

"Correct," the Admiral replied. "If it's them, the scouts are not to engage. Have them retreat back to the nearest ship in the formation and wait for us. If it's not them, we'll follow First Contact protocols."

"It will be done," the Vice Admiral said with a salute.

His holographic window disappeared as she saluted in return, leaving her to gaze back at the crude map of this new sector. With a sigh, she waved her arm, closing everything.

"What are the chances that aliens in that system aren't the ones we're looking for?" her XO spoke up.

Vinia didn't even look at him. "Low," she replied. "I would be very much surprised if it wasn't them."

"And if there's no one there?"

"Then we scout the rest of the systems just to make sure. After that, we go back to Citadel Space, inform the Hierarchy of what's happened."

"You're not going to pursue the massive ship then, Admiral?" Daedalus asked.

"If we chased it now, it would take more than ten hours for our frigates to catch up with them," Vinia reasoned. "They'd be left alone in dark space without our support. Considering we don't know how their big ship operates and how many escorts it has, the risks are far too great."

"So we let them go?" the Captain asked softly.

"If they aren't at any nearby systems, yes," Vinia replied. "They will return at some point, though. And when that happens, we will be there to greet them."

Commander Venatix studied the data displayed on her holographic screen, her plates moving slightly downwards as they were about to arrive at System 313-C. She honestly wished it wasn't true, but the data was undisputable—there was a civilization living there.

The pattern had already emerged when the task group was five lightyears away. They had taken multiple snapshots of data as they moved forward, creating almost a timelapse vid of the system.

The garden world's 'debris' had moved around in an unnatural pattern. They had also increased and decreased through each image, which had the commanders of the other frigates agree on the most logical conclusion: they were ships.

The confirmation had then been relayed to the nearest parked frigate that was half a lightyear away. That ship would then send that data back to another stationary ship, and so on and so forth, until the information would reach the frigate nearest Primus.

The relay formation was always considered risky to pull off. Depending on the distance apart, the ships would be vulnerable to ambushes. However, it paid off if one needed the fastest means of transmitting information without the presence of comm buoys.

Venatix suspected that the main fleet was already on the move, but that did little to assure her. There were currently only five ships left in the task force, and they were pushing forward to what would most likely be enemy territory. She could only warble harshly.

"You don't look happy," the XO, Lieutenant Commander Drayus, piped up.

"Should I be?" Venatix asked rhetorically, looking away from the holographic screen. "We're in unexplored space, far away from any kind of support, and probably about to face off against a race that can easily destroy tens of our ships with just one of theirs."

"You exaggerate," Drayus replied. "It was one ship with ten fighters. Oh, and a frigate as well, but it didn't really do much but run around whilst it was being chased by our fighters."

The Commander gently rubbed her face in exasperation. "Does that really change anything about our situation?"

"No, ma'am," the Lieutenant Commander answered quickly, amusement in his tone. "Just wanted to be as accurate as possible."

"I wish I had your cheeriness," Venatix muttered.

Drayus glanced at her curiously. "I would have thought this situation was something you would have looked forward to," he said. "A tragic love story, marching forward for vengeance, and adventure to the unknown?"

"I'd rather watch it on a holovid than experience it," Venatix growled. She paused to look around for a moment, then whispered, "General Oraka is right. We should have called for reinforcement. Spirits, the Council should be the ones out here. We're a patrol fleet, not some invasion force."

"Can you blame the Admiral?" Drayus whispered back. "She loves Captain Septimus."

"Captain Septimus would not have wanted this," Venatix said. "If the situation were reversed, the turian would have informed the Hierarchy and the Council. He'd have requested to pursue the aliens, but he would not go at it alone!" She sighed. "Admiral Vinia is on a warpath, and we're going to be paying the price."

Before Drayus could say anything, a tone resonated around the bridge.

"Arriving at the system," the helms officer called. "ETA, twenty seconds. Deceleration procedures started."

The Commander and her XO stared at each other, with the latter nodding in acquiesce and took a step back. Grateful, Venatix stood straight and ordered, "Send word to the rest of the task force. Broad spread formation when we enter the system. Do not let them wander. Instead, every ship should gather as much data as they can. If they see any alien ships, do not engage and keep me informed."

"It will be done, Commander," Drayus replied before shouting the order to be heard by the whole crew on the bridge.

The communications officers relayed the order to the other frigates, and soon enough, all five ships began to spread further apart as they were about to enter the system.

"Deceleration procedure is complete," the helms master declared. "We're back in conventional space."

"All frigates are deploying their sensors," a science officer called out.

"Tight-beam connection established," one of the communications officers announced. "Network has been created."

"Exchanging data," one of the navigator officers uttered. "Beginning to map the system."

Venatix stared at the holographic screen as data began to steadily flow in. The VI quickly translated the information into images, which quickly collated into an incomplete three-dimensional map of the system.

The first thing she noticed was the asteroid field. The preliminary scans from the Primus system did not do it justice. Up close, it looked like an imposing loose wall of rock, metal, and ice of different sizes.

As time passed and new data flowed in, the wall became slightly less impenetrable. Venatix could see some sections of the asteroid field that had wide enough gaps to fit a group of ships. She had a few ideas in mind to suggest to the Admiral.

"So far, so good," Drayus commented.

The commander stopped breathing for a few seconds before she sighed softly. "Don't tempt the spirits," she groaned.

As if to prove her point, another science officer called out in alarm, "A group of ships just appeared out of nowhere! Distance… five thousand kilokars away. Unknown IFF signatures! Geometry scanners are confirming it! It's them! It's the aliens!"

"Bring up the image," Venatix ordered.

The holographic screen came up, showing twenty alien ships, complete with their unique, if ugly, aesthetics. Venatix had heard some engineers speculate that the design was based off of a vehicle that can travel on water. Apparently, turians living in colony worlds with bodies of water had bought transports called 'boats' from salarians, and the designs were comparable. However, being a native Palavenian, she was completely ignorant on that subject.

What did catch her attention was the size of the two of the twenty alien ships. The science officer who detected them vocalized her thoughts.

"We're counting ten mini-cruisers, eight frigates, and two… cruiser-sized ships," he finished softly, in awe.

"Spirits," Drayus whispered. "Does that mean they got dreadnoughts as well?"

"Calm down, Lieutenant Commander," Venatix said in the most neutral tone she could muster.

She studied the alien cruiser, trying to make educated guesses of their capabilities. Design-wise, they looked no different from the mini-cruisers. The only real difference was the extra length, and the surprising absence of the front bore of a spinal mounted gun. It struck her as odd, but if the battle data that Captain Orthos had gathered indicated anything, it was that their mounted cannons had collectively enough power to rival their main guns.

Worse still, in his personal report, Captain Orthos had warned that the cannons were able to aim at different targets independently. Additionally, the mini-cruiser's three triple-barreled cannons could destroy three frigates in one volley.

Well, apparently that wasn't enough for the aliens as their cruisers each had four triple-barreled cannons.

Venatix suddenly remembered Drayus' statement, which made her unconsciously imagine a hypothetical alien dreadnought. In her mind, it looked like an even longer ship with ridiculous amounts of mounted cannons lined up from front to back and side to side. For good measure, there were also mounted cannons at the bottom of the ship.

She then associated the image of a spiked branch of a thuloxia tree back at Palaven, making her chuckle somewhat deliriously.

"Commander?" Drayus called, a worried tone in his sub-harmonics.

The turian shook her head. Maybe she should take her own advice. Taking a deep breath, Venatox calmed down. "Order the rest of the commanders to be ready to retreat out of the system," she said. "Any temperature spikes?"

"No, Commander," a science officer replied. "They're just… stationary."

"Don't get complacent," Drayus ordered. "Remember that they can just disappear and reappear wherever they want."

"I got something!" a communications officer exclaimed. "It's a broad wave signal! Audio! It's—that can't be right. It's turian!"

"They can already translate the turian language?" another communications officer asked in disbelief.

"Didn't you hear?" came a loud, terrified whisper. "The engineers think that this race has AI!"

Venatix narrowed her eyes as the crew began to panic. Before she could intervene, though, Drayus whistled sharply, making everyone stop talking.

"What are you, a bunch of hatchlings?!" he demanded. "Straighten up before you embarrass yourselves!"

The commander smiled as the crew calmed down. She had to give him credit, Drayus knew how to control the room. "Lieutenant," she called sharply. "If you're finished dawdling, how about we hear what these aliens have to say?"

"Yes, Commander! Sorry, Commander! Patching it through now."

"—repeat. All strange ships, this is New Carolina's space. You need to tell us who you are, what you want, and get out of here. If you don't, we might have to do something about it. This is your final warning."

The Commander blinked. Either these aliens were far more indecisive than they assumed, or they haven't perfected their translation modules yet. The rest of the crew seemed to realize it as well, as she heard someone chortling in amusement. Thankfully, her XO seemed professional enough not to react overtly.

He still wore a very restrained smile, though.

Clearing her throat, Venatix replied, "Unidentified party, this is Commander Venatix of THS Aricus of the Turian Hierarchy. You are accused of attacking and destroying a turian patrol group and illegally activating a Mass Relay. You are bound by Citadel Law to stand down. Surrender immediately, or face aggressive measures."

"This is Captain Matterson of USS Silent Watchers," came a quick reply. "Commander Venatix, we hear your words but say our actions were for self-defense. We no agree with Citadel rules. We have our own place. If you wish, we can take you to meet our boss and talk about stopping the fighting for a while."

The chortling got even louder.

"Lieutenant," Drayus called loudly. "Cut that shit out!"

"Sorry, Lieutenant Commander!"

Venatix closed her eyes. Part of her couldn't really blame the amused officer. The aliens spoke like children, making it hard to take the situation seriously. However, she knew enough how deadly serious this conversation was.

"Captain Matterson of USS Silent Watchers," she began. "I will repeat. You are to surrender, or face dire consequences."

"We say no," came an immediate reply. "If you want to fight, let's fight."

Venatix nodded. That much she expected. Terminating the connection, she asked, "Progress report on scanning this system?"

"We mapped at least eighty percent," a navigational officer replied.

"That's good enough," the Commander replied. "I'm ordering an immediate withdrawal from the system. Contact the frigate half a lightyear away and tell them to move further back. We will gather two lightyears away from the system and wait for the rest of the fleet there."

"Yes, Commander," was the collective reply.

In a few seconds, all turian ships left the system. The alien ships watched their exit in silence, disappearing once the trespassing frigates were no longer to be seen.

Author's Notes 2: I've decided to go back and do some editing on the previous chapters. I'm planning to modify a few paragraphs and terms, to try and keep the tech consistent from now on. Chapter 01 is adjusted.

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