Title: Ship of The Line – Effect 31
Author: Knife Hand
Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated
Spoilers: Nothing Specific.
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, Star Trek or Mass Effect... I would buy them all but I am broke.
Summary: Bored with how things are going to play out, Janus interferes more directly in Halloween, making things more interesting and changing the course of the entire Galaxy. (Buffy/Star Trek/Mass Effect)
A/N: This Fic does not mess with the Timelines in any way, so in both Buffy and Mass Effect, this Fic started on 31st October 1997. This means it is almost 200 years prior to the events of Mass Effect 1. For reference, this means the Quarians have only been a space nomadic race for 100 odd years and the Drell are still on their own Homeworld, not refugees on the Hanar Homeworld. At the start, no one will have seen Humans before meeting the former Sunnydalers.
"Based on the information we received from the Quarians, the Asari Slaves we freed and the computer systems in the Quarian Shuttle, there is a single major political block called the Citadel Council, which likes to think it runs the Galaxy." Buffy explained to the leadership group of Haven Colony.
The group was the same group that had been in the first conference after the Halloween Event, but this time there were two copies of the AI present. The second set of AI were not dressed in uniform but were dressed in civilian clothes and were trying to decide on new names. The Civilian versions were copies of Ares, Athena and Artemis who had been installed on Haven based servers to help manage the smooth running of the colony, thus their mission directives and, eventually, personalities were different from their spaceship twins.
"Council Space contains seven different species, but the ruling council itself is only made up of representatives from three species, The Asari, The Turians and The Salarians." Buffy continued. "The Quarians are not part of the Council Space, having been expelled just over a century ago when their Synthetic servants, called the Geth, reached sentient status. There was a war, the Quarians got kicked off their home world of Rannoch by the Geth, who have not been heard from since, and got declared pariah by the Council, who hate AI for some reason."
"Are the Batarians part of Council Space?" Jenny asked.
"No." Buffy answered. "They are considered a rogue species by most of the Council Races due to their insistence that Slavery is a fundamental part of their culture and any attempts to end slavery is a violation of their freedoms. Insane, I know. There have been a few wars between the Batarians and the Council, particularly the Turians, but the Batarians could not compete with the Council and now mostly resort to piracy and terrorist tactics. There is one other Species worth noting. The Krogan. Large, warlike, redundant organs, aggressive. They were 'uplifted' from their Homeworld by the Salarians to fight a species call the Rachni, an insectoid race. Once the Rachni were wiped out, the Krogans began trying to conquer other planets, so the Council ordered biological warfare against them in the form of the Genophage, a sterility virus that almost stops their reproduction. One in a thousand is the survival rate of embryos I believe. There is also an almost lawless zone known as the Traverse where a lot of pirates and smugglers operate."
"Thank you, Captain." Xander said. "I see some disturbing trends in this, but an opportunity as well. I can not see the Council welcoming us. Firstly, we have AI which they have deemed illegal. Secondly, the Council will expect us to submit to their authority and have them decide on our development and technology levels."
"I concur." Joyce added. "The Council seems to be a political mess. Conflicting racial interests, oppressive restrictions on synthetic lifeforms, and these reports of Extra-territorial special operatives that are above the law. That is very concerning."
"We are not strong or populous enough to stand on our own." Jenny observed. "We'll need allies."
"Everyone agrees to that." Willow confirmed. "But I think we are stronger than you think. I have compared the technology of the Quarian Shuttle and the scans of the Batarian Ship. Even taking into account they are not military vessels; our technology is significantly more advanced than theirs. They have no proper shields. What they have are closer to our navigational shields than combat shields. Compared to our own, their weapons are quite primitive. "
"It is my recommendation that we approach the Quarians for an alliance." Buffy said. "They are a technologically adept species and their entire species is nomadic as they are denied the right to settle on any world in Council Space and they are preyed upon by the Batarians and the pirates of the Traverse. If we expand our control towards Batarian Space, we can help the Quarians find a suitable planet to colonise and help them with replicator technology and medical treatments for their immune system. In return, we get technical assistance in building more Spaceships and any Quarian who want can join Section 31."
"Look for the disgruntled from Council Space as well." Giles suggested. "From what I gather, many of them go to the Traverse, same with the Krogan who leave their Homeworld. If we can get them to join us, we can have quite a strong and diverse force, and cultural insights into any opponent we may face."
"Anyone besides the Batarians. Them we will break." Buffy almost snarled.
"Captain Summers, why don't you beam back to the Athena and check on our guests?" Xander suggested.
"Commodore." Buffy said with a nod, then looked over at Athena's avatar and was beamed up in a flash of light.
"I have never seen her hate anyone that much." Joyce said, talking as a mother and not a planetary governor.
Xander pressed a button built into the conference tabled.
"Yeah, control chips in our brains and shock collars. Thanks, but we have another appointment." Came the recorded voice of one of the Quarians.
"Captain Summers spent eighteen months fighting a cabal that had made a pact with a Demon Prince on Beta Eridanus six. The cabal used neural control chips to turn first the colonists and then later captured Section 31 personnel against us, alongside lower level demons." Xander explained.
"Beta Eridanus Six was a failed research colony." Jenny countered. "Geological instability."
"A cover story to hide the demonic invasion." Willow countered with a shrug. "You expected us to tell Starfleet about Demons? Half the idiots would have wanted to talk to them and gotten eaten, the rest would have wanted to study them… and gotten eaten."
"The fighting there was brutal, but more so for Captain Summers on a personal level. Her Fiancée was captured and turned. Summers had to eliminate them." Xander finished.
There were a few moments of silence as the others processed that information.
"So, are we agreed on approaching the Quarians for an alliance?" Xander asked, getting nods from around the table. "We should also explore avenues of how to quietly spread a recruiting message in Citadel Space."
Buffy managed to keep it together until she reached her quarters aboard The Athena. She knew Xander and Willow would be relating the outline of Beta Eridanus Six and was grateful to Xander for sparing her the looks of the others when they heard. Captain Buffy Summers was in her late forties and had lived through a lot more the Sunnydale Highschool version of Buffy Summers. Compared to planetary scale Demonic Invasions or some of the nightmare constructs the Demons used in space, the simple Vampires and occasional Demon of Sunnydale barely registered any more. Also, compared to Captain Summer's relationship with her Fiancée, Buffy could now see that her 'thing' for Angel was simply Teenage drama rather than anything real.
Twenty-five years of friendship. Twelve dating. Three engaged. One round to the forehead.
"Mira." Whispered, a sob being pulled from her as her eyes swelled with tears. "I'm sorry, my love."
Buffy could still see that awful moment. Deep green eyes struggling against the pain and control signal urging violence in support of the Demons. The pattern of spots running up the slender neck that Buffy could not help lazily trace over when they were snuggling in bed. The Subsection Delta uniform torn and dirty, so unlike the usual sharp and neat presentation. A single curl of hair escaping down over her forehead, the tip brushing against a perfect eyebrow.
"Please, Buffy. Stop me." The plea through gritted teeth.
Taking a step back, tears filling her own eyes, Buffy had raised her pistol and placed it against the forehead of her Trill Goddess.
"Thank you." A parting gift, though a painful one.
Buffy's finger had caressed the trigger and Mira fell to the floor. Then grief, pain, a sword and vengeance.
Buffy curled up on the bunk and tears flowed freely. Both Buffy and Mira had sworn to protect life from the Demons. Mira paid with her life. Buffy was still paying, would do every day, but she would do it for Mira, and Xander, and Willow, and her mother, and….
TBC…
A/N: That was not how I initially planned to have this chapter go, but the last scene in particular needed to be told. Many reviewers said that it was 'to aggressive even for Section 31' for Buffy to shoot that quickly at the Batarians, but as this shows Buffy had her reasons. Also, Subsection Delta is not like the rest of Section 31 or Starfleet. Starfleet are explorers and diplomats, the ideal utopian society. The rest of Section 31 are like the CIA or MI6, an intelligence agency that sometimes gets their hands dirty but primarily are spies. Subsection Delta are more like US Delta Force or the SAS. They are the ones who go into the hellholes and wade through the mud and blood and do all the hard and dirty work that no one will ever hear about.