MASS EFFECT DOES NOT BELONG TO ME. MY CHARACTERS ARE MINE, AND I OFFER THEM AN UNLIMITED SUPPLY OF EXPLOSIVES AND AMMO, SO THEY'RE PRETTY HAPPY WITH ME.

Last time, Alanna and her crew had a successful mission, and a pretty bad scare. Let's see how the rest of the galaxy is doing, okay?

Mass Effect: Legacy

VII

When Waybrook heard of hostile Reaper activity, she took very little solace in seeing the same reactions from her counterparts that she felt inside. Sharing terror didn't do much to make it go away.

It wasn't just the heads of the Alliance that were present at the meeting; a century ago, both the Alliance and Council had agreed upon an immediate cessation of any hostilities if the Reapers became active again. In less than an hour, the Alliance, Council, and neutral Hierarchy were represented via hologram.

It hadn't taken long for the meeting to sour.

"I find it unlikely that the Reapers are resuming their war," Tevos said dismissively. "They've been quiet for over a hundred years."

"I never said they were," Waybrook answered. "They were clearly looking for something on Haestrom, but when an Alliance team beat them to it, they withdrew. Since then, we've upped surveillance on all known Reaper locations in Alliance space. As per our treaty, we would like to share that information with you, if you'll do the same with us."

"Granted," Garrus immediately replied. "I know the Hierarchy isn't part of the Council anymore, and thus not beholden to the treaty, but this is too big to quibble over things like that. If the Reapers are back, we need to know every move they make."

"I agree," said Councilor Lirno. "STG will share all its data on Reaper movements. We'd like to coordinate with the Geth on this, see if we can't discern a pattern."

"I'll organize matters with my own government," Borak cut in. "It may take some time, but I can assure you that we have the Alpha Relay under constant supervision. If the Reapers' movements in that system deviated by so much as a meter, I would have called this meeting myself."

That caused a sigh of relief from all involved—even a simulated one from North. The Alpha Relay had been destroyed by Commander Shepard, but the Reapers had reconstructed it from the pieces, and had set up permanent patrols throughout the system. It was the closest thing to a home base the Reapers had, and no one wanted it becoming active.

Waybrook hesitated; what she was about to say would be the biggest olive branch yet, but it was also risky. "We will also be forwarding you another series of reports. We've recently been made aware of a new enemy—possibly an entirely new species—that has been murdering prominent Alliance figures. They may have been active for over a hundred years, but we've only seen them twice; we still don't even know what they're called. It's possible that they are the Reapers' targets, though we don't know why. The more information we share, the better chance we have of identifying and stopping this enemy; perhaps, if we take care of it soon enough, the Reapers will go dormant again."

The Council members shared a glance; Borak appeared resigned, while Lirno was intrigued. Tevos, however, was completely unreadable, and that had Waybrook concerned.

"I'll bring it to STG at once," Lirno said, before Tevos could speak. "If we find any additional data, Alliance Intelligence will be notified. I don't like the idea of a shadow-organization existing without our knowledge for over a century."

Waybrook held in a sigh of relief; after drawing the Council into a disastrous war, it seemed Tevos wasn't being given the lead anymore. The Alliance could work with someone like Lirno, who was more focused on being efficient.

"Thank you," Waybrook said. "We'll reconvene if and when there are any further developments."

After a few polite pleasantries, the Councilors and Garrus signed off, leaving Waybrook alone with the other Alliance heads.

"That went well," Jial'Koris said. "They didn't let Tevos make things worse, at any rate."

"She was too quiet for my liking," Wrex argued. "She's planning something, I just know it. During the Reaper War, she tried playing all sides, seeing if she could put the Asari at the top of the heap." He scoffed. "Only reason she failed was because of that hidden Prothean beacon. No one was willing to listen to her after that."

"For a while," Waybrook corrected. "Until recently, the Salarians and Batarians were all-too ready to follow the Asari's lead."

"Then it's a good thing they screwed up when they fought us, huh?" Wrex smirked, then sobered. "Do you think more people looking for those murderers will push them into the open?"

"Secrecy is their primary weapon," North said. "It is similar to the Reapers; had the galaxy known about them in advance, we could have mounted a more successful defense, instead of relying on the Crucible."

Waybrook nodded. "I agree; the more light we shed, the fewer shadows they can hide in."

"Speaking of shadows, I got an interesting tip from the Shadow Broker." Wrex looked off to the side, at something the rest of them couldn't see. "Something might be going down in Asari space soon. Not enough to take focus off the Reapers, but it might spill across borders, so we should be careful."

Waybrook closed her eyes. "Honestly, I wish whatever it was happened at another time. I have enough of a headache as it is."

…

Alanna sat in her quarters, trying to calm down; she had held it together on Haestrom, and for a little while afterwards, but she couldn't get the image of that Reaper out of her head. It was more terrifying than every nightmare she'd ever had combined, and she wondered how so many people had managed to fight the Reaper War and not go insane after the first battle.

For the most part, the rest of her team was doing little better. Korim was running laps around Deck Six to burn off his nervous energy, and Nok had disassembled, cleaned and reassembled every gun in the armory three times by now. As an AI, Mantle was handling things fairly well, probably because he—and he had asked to be referred to with a male pronoun—processed emotion a thousand times faster than any organic.

Haley… actually, Alanna wasn't sure what Haley had been doing. She had disappeared shortly after returning to the Sicily, and Alanna had been too busy with her own trauma to seek her out until now.

"EDI, where's Haley?"

"Sergeant Cole is waiting in the elevator, on Deck Two," EDI promptly answered. "She has been there for forty-five minutes. I believe she intends on coming to visit you; she has reached for the button for Deck One seventeen times. Correction, eighteen times."

"Oh. Huh."

EDI sighed; if Alanna didn't know better, she'd say that EDI sounded disappointed by her surprise. "With your permission, I will override elevator controls and bring her to you. Occupying the elevator like that is a safety hazard."

"Sure, go ahead."

A minute later, the doors slid open, and Haley walked in; as soon as she did, her eyes went wide.

"You liar!"

Alanna blinked. "What?"

"You said your quarters were 'a little nicer' than everyone else's! This room is better than some five-star hotels I've seen!"

"How many five-star hotels have you seen?"

"Okay, they were commercials, but don't change the subject!" Haley quickly walked over and grabbed a handful of Alanna's sheets. "Holy shit, is this silk? I would kill for a bed this nice."

Alanna grinned. "Well, if you want to use it, you'll have to share, because I'm not giving it up."

Haley stared at her; her mouth moved, but no words came out.

Alanna then realized what she'd said, and desperately tried to change the subject. "So, uh, how are you doing? Haestrom was… rough."

Haley blinked a few times, then nodded. "Yeah, but I think I'm okay. I mean, it was terrifying, but we survived, right? Simple as that. Besides, I'm sure the Reapers will be the whole Alliance's problem, not just ours. Unless our orders change, we're still hunting those assassins." She hesitated, and then sat down next to Alanna on the edge of the bed. "Hey. How are you doing? You seem kinda shook up. Is it because that Reaper said your mom's name?"

Alanna considered denying it; she was the commanding officer, and had to be strong. But this was Haley, her best friend, and someone she'd sworn not to keep further secrets from.

"That's part of it," she admitted. "But… oh, god, I grew up on stories about the war, but actually seeing a Reaper? I'm not strong enough for that, and I don't know how anyone else could be, but my family did, and—"

"Whoa, whoa!" Haley grabbed her by the shoulders. "Alanna, you stop right there! You are the smartest, bravest, and strongest person I've ever met. I don't care who you're related to, and you shouldn't either! You have nothing to prove, you hear me?"

Alanna's eyes stung, and she rested her forehead on Haley's shoulder. "Okay. Thanks. I think… I think I needed to hear that."

"Clearly." Haley grabbed her in a big hug. "Look, I respect the hell out of your family, but if they made you think you had to live up to their standards, they're idiots, and I'll say it to their faces if I have to."

Alanna laughed weakly, and returned the hug. "I'd pay money to see you say that to Wrex."

"Okay, maybe not to his face." Still, both women laughed. "You good now?"

"Yeah, I think so." Alanna pulled back and wiped her eyes. "Thanks again, Haley."

Haley lightly punched her arm. "Hey, that's my job—as XO and your friend. Now, I know you've gotta be the CO, so get yourself cleaned up before you leave, okay? I'll hold down the fort until then."

Alanna nodded, and they both stood up; on impulse, Alanna hugged Haley again. She held on a little longer than what was appropriate for a commanding officer, and Haley was very aware of how Alanna's cheek rested against hers. Alanna was already kicking herself, but didn't immediately let go.

Has her hair always smelled like cinnamon?

Finally regaining her self-control, Alanna stepped back. "Uh, yeah, so… see you later, Haley."

"Yeah, you too, Alanna." Haley stepped backwards, nearly tripped on the step leading to the elevator, and all but fled from the room.

"Oh, god," Alanna groaned, once she was alone. "What the hell did I just do?"

"Considering your age, biochemistry readings, and Asari development, I believe you have experienced a sexual impulse. This is completely normal, and nothing to be ashamed about. And if you were to pursue a romantic relationship with Sergeant Cole, there are several Alliance regulations that allow it in specific circumstances. I can provide them to you if you wish."

Alanna buried her face in her hands. "EDI, please, for the love of all things holy, shut up."

…

"You know, I could be there, if you wanted me to."

"I know you could, and if this was anything else, I'd love to have you, kid, but not this time. Our family has had problems with the ruling Matriarchs for a hundred years, and if I'm being honest, you being here would make my job harder."

Liara sighed, and her voice came out like static on Aethyta's omni-tool. "I know, but I still had to ask."

"Trust me, Liara, I'll be fine. I've been prepping for this op for a long time."

"Maybe you shouldn't treat it like a commando raid. It might not endear you to many of the Matriarchs."

"Hell, kid, I'm counting on the intimidation factor." Aethyta chuckled darkly. "Now, go do your thing. And give Alanna my love the next time you talk."

"Of course. Good luck, Dad."

Aethyta grinned; even after a century of building up her relationship with her daughter, she always felt good when Liara called her that.

Her mood buoyed, Aethyta smoothed out her dress—she'd gone so long without wearing modern Asari fashion that she'd needed to buy a whole new wardrobe for this meeting—and walked into the hall of power on Thessia. She moved at a speed too fast to be the serene grace expected of Matriarchs; instead, she projected an aura of someone who was too important to be stopped.

"The Matriarchs welcome Aethyta, representative of the T'Soni line," a younger Asari formally announced as Aethyta walked inside.

"Fellow Matriarchs," she greeted; she nodded at each of the fifteen, starting with those she had the closest relationships with. It was a subtle power play, and would instantly create factions that she could exploit. This had never been something she'd enjoyed, but she would do anything to protect her family; the Matriarchs had briefly gunned for Liara, but since she was all but impossible to find these days, there was a very good chance that Alanna would be in their crosshairs.

"Matriarch Aethyta," one Asari, Iniria, inclined her head and smiled warmly. "It has been far too long since you've attended these meetings. Did you enjoy the wine I sent you for your birthday?"

Aethyta smiled back. "A 2170 Thessia red. Hard to find pre-Reaper wine, and that year was one of my favorites."

Despite her propensity for adding gold to everything she wore—and her lipstick—Iniria was no fop. She had risen from nothing to nearly monopolize Asari news outlets, even if few knew it; if it concerned Asari society, she knew about it, and probably knew how to exploit it. She was Aethyta's closest ally, and the best chance of this proposal succeeding.

"With all due respect, Iniria, we are busy dealing with several crises; pleasantries can wait until later."

It took all of Aethyta's willpower not to skin Tevos alive with her mind. That one was her biggest obstacle; she'd been playing the political game longer than any of the other Matriarchs. She might have made a few mistakes—big ones—but many still thought her politically unassailable.

Aethyta was not one of those people. She'd sent out feelers—using the Shadow Broker as an intermediary—and found that many Matriarchs were reeling from the disastrous war with the Alliance. Since Tevos had been the one to push for that war, confidence in her abilities was waning; all Aethyta had to do was pounce before Tevos repaired the damage.

"Those crises are exactly why I've come to you today, honored Matriarchs." Aethyta raised her omni-tool and transmitted several files. "As you know, I've been overseeing our commandos' training for the last twenty years, expanding their numbers and responsibilities, and improving their equipment."

"Then I suppose we must credit you with the successes our commandos had during the war," Iniria said brightly. "Even if the wider war was… less than successful, I've heard that the commandos suffered relatively few casualties."

Aethyta nodded, accepting the compliment. "However, as I read their after-action reports, I discovered a disturbing trend—not just among the commandos, but across our military. While I am happy that we have expanded our armed forces, and no longer have to solely rely on alliances, our increased strength has led to arrogance from our soldiers."

"Arrogance?" another Matriarch echoed. "How so?"

"Sacrificing the lives of non-Asari, usurping command from non-Asari, and disobeying orders from non-Asari." Aethyta narrowed her eyes. "There was blatant favoritism between Asari, exclusion of other races from strategy meetings, and Athame knows what else that wasn't included in the reports. In the last three days alone, we've received over a hundred complaints from the Salarians and Batarians about this issue; many within their upper echelons are refusing to work with us again."

Iniria smoothed out an imaginary wrinkle in her dress, and leaned forward. "Do you have a theory as to why our soldiers are behaving this way?"

"To put it bluntly, it's our pride." Aethyta resisted the urge to pace as she spoke. "Before the Reaper War, we held pride in our art, our music, and our wisdom. The galaxy believed, as did we, that the Asari would always remain at the top in those fields. Now that we have a military that's worth a damn, we think we're the best at warfare, and that the other species should follow our lead. Don't forget, the Turians and Batarians, and even the Salarians had greater militaries than us for centuries, while we merely supported them with a few commando squads and our 'infinite wisdom'."

"Your point, Matriarch Aethyta?" Tevos asked dryly.

"My point, Matriarch Tevos, is that our people needed a collective wake-up call, and this failure of a war was it! We are part of the galactic community, not its leaders, and if we are going to survive as a society, we need to treat other species as equals, not ignorant children. If we don't, we're going to find that those 'children' surpassed us very soon… if they haven't already."

"How would you rectify this?" Iniria asked; she wasn't being condescending, but honestly curious.

"For the military side of things, I'd suggest joint academies for all Council species. The Alliance already includes all their members for their N7 program, and look how successful that is. On a civilian level, I would suggest having younger Asari sign on with non-Asari companies, maybe at entry-level positions. It would show them that just because other species don't live as long as us doesn't mean they have nothing to teach."

"I find your idea repulsive, Aethyta," Tevos said primly. "You would have us reduce our Maidens to… to janitors, or cashiers? Weren't you the one who proposed that we ban young Asari from dancing in bars and implement mandatory military training? Now, you would have us give up what makes us strong?"

"I would have us take a step back, because we've gone too far in the opposite direction," Aethyta bit out. "If things continue as they are, the Alliance won't have to defeat the Council, because we'll have split apart without their help."

"I believe Matriarch Aethyta's proposals have merit," Iniria said mildly. "The details would have to be worked out, of course, but showing willingness to cooperate with our allies would make us appear humble. We wouldn't even need to issue any formal apologies, if our suggestions are worded right."

Tevos shook her head. "I refuse to accept such notions. The disgraced Matriarch Aethyta only offers discord in a deluded attempt to protect her traitor daughter and granddaughter."

Aethyta raised an eyebrow. "My daughter stated her opinions, both before and during the Reaper War, and was nearly assassinated for speaking the truth. My granddaughter was born an Alliance citizen, and thus cannot betray a nation she was never a citizen of."

"Perhaps I misspoke." Tevos' smile was thin. "However, she did kill Asari on Elysium. If she is not a traitor, then she is certainly an enemy, and should be disposed of like any other enemy."

Iniria's own smile was bright, and patently false. "Matriarch Tevos, we are no longer at war with the Alliance. Surely you are not suggesting the assassination of a citizen of a nation with which we are at peace?"

"She has become a rallying point for other Asari too weak-willed to stand with us," Tevos accused.

"Funny, I haven't heard any such thing," Iniria said. "In fact, as far as I am aware, nobody in the civilian sector is aware of anything beyond her name. Alanna Shepard is respected because of her mother's bondmate, not because she killed other Asari."

Inwardly, Aethyta let out a sigh of relief; knowledge of Alanna's existence was spreading, but Iniria was using common sense to undermine Tevos' bigotry.

"And my family is not the issue at the moment," Aethyta added. "Right now, our people are on the precipice of becoming galactic pariahs. Our influence is waning among our allies, and we are viewed with disdain by our rivals. And this is not the first time in recent history. We chose not to join the fight against the Reapers because the Alliance's cause seemed impossible. Because of that, we had no defense when the Reapers burned Thessia to the ground. Public opinion was still shaky when the Council declared war on the Alliance—"

"It was a special military operation!" Tevos interrupted sharply. "No war was declared!"

"That actually makes it worse," Aethyta said, inwardly reveling in Tevos' loss of composure. "The public is outraged, because the ruling Matriarchs have nearly led our people into disaster, with nothing gained. The only hope this government has of surviving is to make amends, show humility, and work with our allies to keep this from happening again."

The Matriarchs were silent for a moment, then began murmuring amongst themselves. Iniria shared a knowing look with Aethyta, then began whispering with several others. Tevos, on the other hand, was glaring with undisguised hatred; she had never hidden how much she despised Aethyta for trying to upset the status quo in the past, and now she was doing it again.

After a few minutes, the Matriarchs returned their attention to Aethyta.

"You raise several interesting and valid points," Iniria said. "I pledge my support to your motions." More Matriarchs quickly added their own support to the mix, until only Tevos and three others were left. "We have a majority. It seems the Asari Republics will be undergoing some changes in the near future."

Tevos stood up, as did her allies. "I refuse to accept this. You would have us change everything we are, everything that makes us great, at the word of a lunatic like Aethyta? She would like nothing more than to make us grovel at the feet of the humans, just like her daughter, and the spawn of Shepard."

"I'd like you to stop insulting my family," Aethyta said mildly, but allowed her biotics to flare up. "If you do so again, I might not be so polite."

Tevos sneered. "If this 'honored' body is so blind to the path it is being led down, then I and all true Asari will no longer be a part of it."

Aethyta watched as Tevos led her cronies out of the building, and smiled. She had hoped to cause a rift like this, but had been expecting to be the one storming out with the minority. Apparently, her fellow Matriarchs had more sense that she thought.

"It seems we have several vacancies in our number," Iniria said with a smile that suggested she was amused. "Aethyta, would you be so kind as to join us?"

"I'd be happy to." Aethyta took the seat once occupied by Tevos. "You know they won't just walk away. We may have the majority, but they've got considerable influence, and a good chunk of the military may join them."

"Are you expecting a civil war?" another Matriarch asked.

"I'd be surprised if we didn't," Aethyta said grimly. "And we need to be ready for it."

…

When Alanna came down from her quarters, no one could tell that she'd had a minor breakdown. Even Haley looked surprised at how well she'd composed herself, though the two did share a look that said that the earlier incident would have to be revisited.

"All right, where are we on that data we got on Haestrom?" Alanna asked. "EDI, were you able to extrapolate that ship's trajectory?"

"Affirmative, Lieutenant." EDI projected a map of the galaxy. "Calculating the vessel's direction, and adjusting for position of systems at that time, I have determined that it headed towards a planet at the edge of Turian space. It is called Atraxus, and it was a source of scientific interest six hundred and nineteen years ago."

"What, it's not now?" Haley asked.

"No. It was significant for a small cache of Prothean artifacts that included weapons schematics. The Hierarchy's refusal to share the data nearly started a war, but the Turians were allowed to keep the data because it was incomplete. Instead of having functioning Prothean weapons, the Turians merely used it to improve their own technology. The point was moot, as STG hackers were able to steal their designs a year later."

"Well, it's still in Turian space, which means we'll need permission to enter." Alanna tapped her chin as she thought. "EDI, can you get me in touch with Primarch Vakarian? Maybe he can cut through the red tape for us."

"Certainly, Lieutenant; I am contacting him now."

Korim was slightly incredulous. "Can you just call up the Turian Primarch like that?"

Alanna shrugged. "Hey, he's basically family. He'll probably help us out, but the worst-case scenario is that he tells us to go through official channels, and we have to wait an extra hour."

A moment later, a hologram of Garrus appeared over one of EDI's projectors. "You have your dad's sense of timing, Alanna. I was just thinking about you."

Alanna grinned. "Was it because my birthday is coming up, and you need to get me a present?"

Garrus laughed. "No, I already know what I'm getting you. Anyway, what did you need? I can't imagine it's for a casual chat."

"I wish," Alanna sighed. "We're hunting some weird alien assassins. I'm not sure how much you're aware of, or what I'm authorized to tell you—"

"You're talking about the bastards who killed Tali, and tried to kill Grunt and Miranda." Garrus' expression briefly turned murderous. "Yeah, I was made aware. You've got a lead?"

"Possibly; it's from old data, but it's the only clue we have. Apparently, these guys may have gone to Atraxus, but we don't know why."

"Atraxus, huh?" Garrus closed his eyes. "You've got that Shepard luck, kid. I had an operative following a few hunches, and I think he's on Atraxus now. If you hurry, you might link up with him. He's on personal leave for this, so feel free to recruit him if you get the chance."

"Wait, who is he?"

Garrus smiled. "Now that would ruin the surprise. Good luck, Alanna; next time you're on leave, try to pay me a visit, would you? I usually only see you on Earth, and I'm getting too old for that trip."

"Sure thing, Uncle Garrus; I'll put it in my schedule." Alanna smiled, and hung up. "All right, we've got our authorization. EDI, set course for Atraxus."

"Course laid in, Lieutenant. We will arrive in the system in eleven hours."

"That gives us time to rest and prepare. EDI, coordinate with whoever you have to in the Hierarchy or Alliance Intelligence and put together a briefing package for the squad." Alanna headed for the elevator. "If anyone needs me, I'll be in Engineering, trying to figure out that stupid pyramid."

Haley gave her a lazy salute. "You got it, LT. Since you're going into science-geek mode, I'll just assume you don't want to be interrupted unless we're under attack."

"That'd be great, thanks."

…

Much to Alanna's irritation, there wasn't much to learn from the artifact. The only thing she could glean was that it was older than anything the current cycle had seen, other than the Reapers themselves; her best estimate put it at over seven hundred thousand years old. That in itself was alarming, made worse because it was entirely possible that whoever built it was even older.

In between scans and tests, Alanna applied upgrades to her squad's equipment; it was high time she'd utilized those resources she'd found. She also started experimenting with the ultralight materials schematic she'd scanned on Elysium, and had the Sicily's fabricator build her a modified Extinction shotgun. Even with the lighter materials, Alanna nearly fell over when she tried to pick the shotgun up, and had to cover it in a biotic field to make it manageable.

"Nok," she said into her comms, "meet me on Deck Six, would you? I want to try out my new gun."

Nok got there just before she did, and thoughtfully set up a shooting range with his omni-tool. "Hey, Lieutenant, finally got your own Extinction, huh? Now you can finally stop staring at mine; people will talk."

"Don't worry, I'm not the type to drool over something that's spoken for." Alanna braced the shotgun against her shoulder. "Besides, mine's way sexier."

Nok peered closer at the gun. "Did you paint yours red?"

"Just the barrel. I wanted to remind stupid people where the dangerous end was." Alanna leaned forward slightly. "Firing in three, two, one—"

The shotgun roared.

"—holy shit!"

Alanna went flying backwards, and landed in an undignified heap.

"Ow."

Nok bit his lip to keep from laughing. "Well, on the bright side, you hit the target."

"Hooray." Alanna rose to her feet. "Forget just strengthening the gun with a biotic field, I'd have to reinforce my own barrier just to withstand the kickback!"

"That…" Nok thought about it. "Wouldn't that damage your barriers?"

"Probably," Alanna admitted. "It feels like a high-risk-high-reward weapon. No using it unless I'm sure I'm gonna kill what I'm aiming at."

"It's an Extinction," Nok reminded her. "Modified or not, if you're close enough to use it, something will die."

"Yeah…" Alanna held her new shotgun with a raise eyebrow. "I think I'll need some practice with this bad boy. Guess I won't be taking it on the next mission."

"Damn, I was all hyped to record the first non-Krogan using an Extinction in a real fight." Nok almost looked like he was pouting. "Maybe next time."

"Definitely." Alanna handed the gun over to Nok. "Until then, keep it locked up, okay? I don't want Haley getting any ideas and breaking her arms trying to use this thing." Alanna's eyes went wide as a thought occurred to her. "Wait, she's not a biotic, and if she doesn't strengthen the gun's structural integrity with a biotic field, it could shatter after firing, and that could kill her."

Nok nodded sagely. "Got it, no one but you or Korim can use it."

"Korim doesn't have the kind of precision with his biotics that I do," Alanna said. "He'd either make the field too weak, and it'll break, or he'll put too much power into it, and snap the whole thing in half."

"So… just you, then."

"Yeah, pretty much."

Nok sighed. "Okay, I'll label it with your name or something. If you don't need me for anything else, I'm gonna grab something to eat. Those rations are portioned for humans, and I need at least six before I'm full."

Alanna blinked as Nok walked off. "EDI, make a note to overstock on rations the next time we resupply."

"Done, Lieutenant. Be advised, we will be arriving in six hours. I suggest you get some sleep."

Alanna sighed. "Yeah, okay. See you in a few hours, EDI."

…

Despite trying to follow EDI's advice, sleep did not come easily to Alanna. She tossed and turned, and no matter how she tried to clear her mind, she was filled with thoughts about her mission, the Reapers, and even her uncertain feelings towards Haley. She did eventually fall asleep, but she was far from rested, and when her squad found her in the mess hall, she was just finishing her second cup of coffee.

"Wow, Alanna, you look like hell," Korim said.

Alanna didn't look up from her coffee, but still managed to bean Korim's helmet with her empty paper cup. "The burden of command, Korim; I have to do all the stressful crap so that you guys can get a good night's sleep."

Haley grabbed some coffee for herself. "Besides, you remember during N7 training how she'd go days without sleep. She's fine." She then gave Alanna a piercing stare. "That being said, I'm not above relieving you of duty if you're not taking care of yourself."

"Ugh, you sound like…" Alanna thought about it, and shuddered. "You sound like my entire family. Stop it, it's weird."

Mantle turned to Korim. "Creator Dor, is this kind of interaction common?"

Korim sighed. "Yeah, it is. Just don't ask if they're flirting, they'll probably shoot you."

"Noted and logged."

Alanna stared up at them in panic, which was mirrored by Haley. Even if they were only teasing now, the last thing either of them needed was scuttlebutt about them, especially when they weren't even sure how things were going to play out.

"Okay, finish your breakfast and gear up," Alanna abruptly ordered. "We'll be in orbit around Atraxus in an hour. Move it!"

To their credit, the squad was armed, armored and headed for the shuttle with twenty minutes to spare. That gave Alanna time to open a private channel with Haley.

"Hey, we need to talk."

Haley made sure she didn't draw attention by not facing Alanna when she spoke. "Right now? We're about to start a mission."

"I know, I know." Alanna took a breath. "Look, about last night… we need to talk about it. Not right now, but we do have to talk. We're both adults, we can handle it."

"Yeah, I know." Haley masked her squirming by adjusting her weapons. "Just don't get killed today, all right? I've got some stuff to say, and I don't want to say it to a headstone."

"Same to you." Alanna hopped into the shuttle and switched off the private channel. "EDI, we're ready; open the hangar for us."

"Acknowledged, Lieutenant; opening hangar doors now." EDI's voice switched from professional to concerned. "Be advised, I'm detecting non-Turian technology on the planet. Twelve Asari Republics troop transports, capable of carrying up to one hundred and twenty soldiers—"

"That's not so bad," Nok interrupted.

"—each," EDI finished archly. "In addition, I am detecting dark energy signatures similar to that of the artifact we possess. I am detecting signs of heavy fighting on the surface; according to comm-traffic I've intercepted, the Turian garrison has taken heavy losses."

"Is the Hierarchy sending reinforcements?" Alanna asked.

"No. It appears that either the Asari or the unknown hostiles have jammed long-range transmissions, and are using a falsified all-clear signal to keep this attack a secret."

"This is bad," Korim said. "If this attack was sanctioned by the Asari, it could start another war."

"Well, the first thing we need to do is let the Hierarchy know one of their planets is under attack." Alanna scowled behind her helmet. "EDI, can you contact the Turians on the ground? Let them know we're on our way. After that, see if you can play messenger and get some reinforcements over here."

"My own long-range communications are being jammed as well," EDI said. "However, I have isolated a Turian unit's frequency for you."

"Great, thanks. After we get dropped off, take the Sicily out of range of whatever's jamming us, and call in the cavalry."

"Understood, Lieutenant; patching you through to the ground unit."

Alanna took a breath. "Turian unit, this is Alliance Lieutenant Alanna Shepard. My squad is ready to provide assistance, but I need a status update on Atraxus immediately."

"Alanna?" a familiar voice asked. "What are you doing here? Never mind, I don't have time."

"Tetros!?" Alanna's jaw dropped. "You're the surprise Garrus told me was on the planet?"

"Apparently," Tetros said dryly. "Look, things are bad right now. I've got a whole division of Asari that dropped in out of nowhere, and unknown hostiles are attacking them and what's left of the garrison here. I got separated from the squad I was with, and I'm taking heavy fire! How soon can you get to my position?"

"Two minutes, at this point. Can you hold out?"

"I've got a sniper rifle and the high ground; they haven't even touched me yet, and I'm making them work for every meter."

"All right, we'll land behind them and try to take the heat off you; just don't shoot me, okay?"

"There are a lot of Asari down here, Alanna; the odds are good that I'll hit some other blue biotic." Tetros chuckled. "And thanks for the rescue."

"Any time, cousin."

"You have a Turian cousin?" Nok asked, once Alanna ended the call.

"Not biologically, of course; he's Garrus' great-nephew, and we talk every once in a while." Alanna grabbed her Tsunami with more force than was necessary. "He's still family, though, and I'm not losing more family today."

The shuttle rocked from several near-hits, but managed to land safely. Nok was first out, and used his machine gun to drive an Asari squad into cover long enough for the rest of Alanna's team to disembark.

Alanna had studied the terrain of Atraxus, and was prepared for the battlefield; the southern continent was mostly hills and mountains, but the former were artificial, created by the Turians during heavy mining operations. That had been centuries ago, and those hills had been turned into a combination of government-protected forests and training centers. When Alanna's squad arrived, they took cover behind several fallen trees and boulders.

"Korim, warp rounds!" Alanna barked. "You and I are on barrier-breaking; everyone else, just drop 'em fast!"

An Asari stuck her head out from behind cover, only to have her barriers ripped away by Alanna's Reave; she had about half a second to be surprised, and then her head was blown off by Haley's sniper rifle. Korim weakened the barriers of two more with his SMG, who were finished off by quick bursts of Mantle's pulse rifle. It turned out that Geth plasma-weapons were almost as effective against barriers as biotics and warp rounds, so Mantle joined Korim and Alanna in stripping away the enemy's defenses. With the Asari squad pinned, Haley crept around their cover to hit their flank with her assault rifle and a well-placed grenade.

"Hostiles eliminated," Mantle announced. "Engaging consolidation protocols."

"There's another squad between us at Tetros," Alanna said tersely. "Mantle, see what we're up against."

"Affirmative." There was a shimmer as Mantle activated his cloak, and then he vanished.

"Everyone else, move up, but stick to cover," Alanna ordered. "I want to do the surprising today, not the other way around."

A minute later, Mantle linked up with the squad. "Shepard-Lieutenant, I observed a unit of fifteen Asari attacking Sergeant Septimus. They are primarily armed with Asari-made assault rifles, but there were three snipers and a grenade launcher."

Alanna nodded. "Okay, I've got a plan—Nok, open up with a rocket, see if you can't take a few out early, and then you and I will suppress, and I'll throw out biotics as needed. Haley, take out those snipers. Korim, Mantle, support as needed."

The squad attacked the Asari just as they were advancing up the hill. Nok fired a rocket that turned four of them into bloody chunks, and then he and Alanna fired their machine guns in sweeping arcs.

"Turian reinforcements!" one Asari shouted.

"No, that's a Krogan!" another yelled. "It's the Alliance! Shoot to kill!"

"Nice to see they recognize me," Nok chortled.

"Well, you're very distinguished," Haley joked, even as she blew an Asari's head off.

"I should have gone into vids; the public shouldn't be denied my face."

Alanna fought so hard not to laugh that she almost missed with her cryo-blast, but couldn't resist joining in. "Yeah, you could be the next Blasto."

Nok staggered back from a burst of gunfire that hit his shields, but continued to grin. "Didn't he get a hot Asari love interest in the final installment?"

"If that's what you want, you're lookin' at the wrong Asari."

"You're breaking my hearts, Lieutenant." Nok hurled a bolt of plasma at the last Asari, which Korim detonated with an Overload.

"All clear!" Alanna called out, all business once again. "Tetros, you still alive up there?"

"Yeah, I'm good." Tetros got up from behind his cover and jogged over to the squad. "Thanks for the save, Alanna."

Alanna collapsed her Tsunami and put it on her back, then brought the Turian in for a quick hug. "Good to see you again, cousin."

"Same." Tetros returned the embrace for a moment, then stepped back. "So, any idea what these Asari are doing in Hierarchy space?"

"Honestly, I was going to ask you that." Alanna knelt by one of the few corpses that wasn't frozen and shattered, or blown to pieces. "Mantle, see what you can get off this omni-tool."

The Geth tilted his head. "Accessing… firewalls breached. According to this Asari, their division's base on the border was attacked by an unknown vessel. The commanding officer ordered a pursuit, which led them here. It seems that the Asari believe the Turians attacked them without provocation."

"We didn't," Tetros interjected. "We were caught completely by surprise when a whole division dropped in on us, mostly because we were fighting a whole new species!"

Alanna frowned. "Sounds to me like this new enemy wanted to keep you busy long enough to let the Asari land unopposed, and then get you to fight each other."

"Sounds about right, but why?"

"I think we should find these new guys and ask." Biotic power rippled around Alanna's fists. "After we beat the crap out of them, of course."

Tetros checked his omni-tool. "Last I saw, there was a platoon under attack by them about a klick to the west. That was twenty minutes ago, and comms are spotty at the best of times."

"Then let's move out, but keep trying to reach them, just in case." Alanna paused for a moment. "Welcome to the squad, Tetros."

"I didn't realize I was getting recruited."

Alanna grinned. "You have somewhere better to be?"

"Nope." Tetros saluted. "Consider me a volunteer, Lieutenant."

…

The levity didn't last long; the squad found more than a few dead Turians along the path Tetros led them down, along with a few Asari.

"I knew some of these men," Tetros said grimly. "Rookies, mostly, here on garrison duty. Atraxus is supposed to be a safe part of the border."

Korim shook his head. "If the Hierarchy goes to war with the Asari, there won't be any safe planets."

"For the Asari, you mean," Nok said. "After we kicked their teeth in, they're gonna have trouble with the Turians."

"And I doubt the Salarians and Batarians are going to be eager to help after the fiasco the Asari dragged them into," Alanna added. "But right now, it looks like these mystery hostiles are playing both sides against each other. As much as I'd like to see the Republics eat another slice of humble pie, I'd rather not help our real enemy get what they want."

"Agreed," Haley reluctantly said. "We can invade Thessia after we figure out what the hell is going on."

"Maybe not all of Thessia," Alanna amended. "My family owns seven mansions there, and I haven't even seen one."

Haley did a double-take. "Wait, what?"

Alanna sighed. "My grandparents on my mom's side were powerful Matriarchs, and a lot of that power came from money."

"Cool."

Mantle abruptly halted. "Alert: gunfire detected."

The squad took cover behind some large rocks. "Can you ID the weapons?" Alanna asked.

"Accessing audio files… confirmed, three Turian weapons, four Asari, and seven unknown."

Alanna scowled. "Okay, try to support the Turian squad, and eliminate the unknown hostiles first. If we're lucky, we can get the Asari to stop shooting once we're done."

They hurried along the trail, until they reached a bunker built into the hillside. It was badly damaged, but a trio of Turians was stubbornly defending their position. On one side was a squad of Asari taking potshots at the bunker, but mostly focused on the other side; Alanna had to blink several times to understand what she was seeing.

The attackers were vaguely humanoid; they had to be synthetic, made of dark-grey metal triangular segments that didn't seem to be attached to each other. Their heads glowed with a green outline, but didn't have any apparent way of seeing; Alanna figured they had some kind of sensor package. Their arms and legs ended in sharp points, with no hands or feet, yet they were perfectly balanced as they loped across the hilly terrain; each of them had an angular weapon that hovered just over one forearm that fired what appeared to be a bolt of green light that punched an Asari off her feet with a single shot.

"Are those handheld energy-based weapons?" Korim asked incredulously.

Alanna didn't blame him; the weapons were theoretically possible, but the power requirement meant that it was impractical for infantry-sized versions, and plenty of scientists were still trying to figure out how to keep the energy from dissipating beyond a certain range.

"Whatever they are, we need to put them down," she said. "Hang on, I'm about to broadcast on an open channel.

"Asari and Turian squads, this is Lieutenant Alanna Shepard. I know we're all trying to kill each other, but we've got a more pressing situation right now. Let's deal with these newcomers before we start a whole new war, okay?"

A Turian replied first. "Shepard, huh? I can work with a Shepard. How about you, Asari?"

The Asari response took a long moment to come. "Look, I don't speak for my CO, but I sure as hell don't want to get killed by some alien robots. We'll keep them occupied with biotic barriers, Lieutenant; you and the Turians can flank them."

"Copy that; just get their attention, and we'll hit 'em." Alanna took a moment to switch to her shredder ammunition, and then watched as the enemy machines began focusing their fire on three large barriers. "That's our cue! Light 'em up!"

Alanna's squad took no chances. Haley and Tetros sniped one machine with simultaneous headshots; its head exploded, and the segments of its body collapsed and drifted apart. Korim hit another with his SMG and a quick Warp, and Mantle finished it off with disruptor-enhanced Geth plasma. Alanna locked one in place with Stasis, while Nok fired a rocket that killed another and damaged three more; he and Alanna then used their machine guns to mow them down.

At first, it appeared to be going well, but then Alanna blinked when her HUD showed that the enemy now had enhanced armor panels!

"Switch to anti-armor tactics!" she shouted.

Haley already had her incendiary ammo active, but the enemies were moving faster and more erratically, so she switched to her assault rifle. Tetros did the same, and joined the rest of the squad in whittling away at the machines' armor; he didn't have anything for dealing with armor, but he had a gun with a high rate of fire, and that was a strength all its own.

When the last machine sparked and fell, Alanna cautiously stepped out of cover and collapsed all her weapons. "Okay, we're clear! Can we talk now?"

After a few moments, the Asari squad leader stepped away from her unit, and a Turian from the bunker slid down the slope. The former wore green armor with purple highlights on the shoulders, and the latter's armor was grey, with black forearms.

The Asari looked Alanna up and down. "An Asari in N7 armor. Never thought I'd see the day. Thanks for the save, though."

The Turian nodded. "Yeah, I second that." He glanced at Tetros. "Sergeant Septimus, I was wondering where you were."

"I was…" Tetros hesitated, then looked at the Asari that had, until a few minutes ago, been shooting at his people. "I was in a situation of my own. What happened to the squad I was with?"

"Dead, a few minutes before you got here." The Turian officer sighed. "Don't blame the Asari, though; it was these spirits-damned machines."

"Assholes," the Asari hissed. "If you're here to tell us that these things are here to make us fight each other, I figured that out this morning. Some in my division agree, and others are still blaming the Turians. We were trying to hunt down these robots, and they led us here; we only fired on that bunker when the Turians shot at us."

"She's not wrong," the Turian admitted. "It's been a hell of a day. Comms are a mess, and nobody can tell who's doing what."

Alanna nodded. "Well, as soon as we realized something was wrong, I had my ship move out of the jamming field and call for help. I wouldn't be surprised if a Turian fleet showed up any minute now."

"That's good for you guys, not so much for us," the Asari officer said. "You were right, Lieutenant—if we don't stabilize this situation, it'll start a war."

"Can you reach your commanding officers?" Alanna asked. "If we can get them to understand the situation, we can salvage this mess."

"I had comms with my CO about twenty minutes ago," the Turian said. "I'll see if I can make contact again."

"I lost the signal to Colonel Jias this morning," the Asari grumbled. "I think the source of the jamming is close by; if we take it out, I can call her and see about a ceasefire."

Alanna thought about it. "Okay, can you guys transfer any and all data on the enemy to my omni-tool? I'll try to narrow in on the jamming and take it out. I need you to hunker down and hold your position; you're the only units that can contact your superiors, so I can't risk taking you with me."

"Understood, Lieutenant." The Turian tapped at his omni-tool, then turned to the other Asari. "Your squad is in an exposed position. You're welcome to join us in our bunker… what's left of it."

"We could reinforce the damaged areas with our biotics," the Asari offered. "At the very least, we can move the debris, turn it into a barricade."

"Thanks." The Turian nodded at Alanna. "We've got it from here, Lieutenant; you do what you need to do."

Alanna smiled; she was just glad to have found a pair of soldiers that knew there was more going on.

"All right, squad, we move out in two." She spotted Mantle standing over one of the destroyed machines. "Mantle, what've you got?"

Mantle picked up a piece of the body and held it up. "Unknown composition, but the segments were connected by an electromagnetic field generated by the head. The field requires physical components to interact, and the components require the field to move."

"That's… certainly interesting." Alanna thought about it. "That would mean fewer moving pieces, which means easier production."

"Confirmed. However, enough damage to the field will destabilize it, and the unit will fail. Damage to the field's generator, the head, is also effective."

"What about that armor it created?" Alanna asked. "It looked like it just appeared out of nowhere."

"Negative. The field briefly sharpened and sliced off thin sections of the components, then maneuvered them to become an outer layer of armor." Mantle tilted his head. "It appears that they can adapt to changing battlefield conditions."

"Great." Alanna scowled. "Guys, these things can adapt to our weapons, so I don't think we can rely on any tried-and-true tactics."

Haley laughed wearily. "Then I guess we'll just handle them the old-fashioned way—shoot them until they die."

"I like that plan," Nok rumbled; he bent over to pick up the inert weapon of one of the fallen. "Hey, do you think this still works?"

Alanna took it from him and ran a quick scan. "Maybe, but it might need—whoa!"

The rear third of the weapon turned into black particles that reformed into a solid grip and trigger, perfectly molded to fit Alanna's hand. Her HUD blurred with static as the systems in her helmet tried to understand the alien technology. Eventually, it settled, and Alanna could see that the weapon only had fifty shots available.

"Looks like it can only store a limited number of shots," she said. "It must require a power source from one of those… Adapters."

Haley kicked the inert segments of the machines. "Is that what we're calling them? I like it."

Alanna made a quick adjustment to her helmet systems; now, the robots would be labeled as Adapters, not 'unknown'. "Okay, let's see if we can't figure out what's jamming comms, and blow it up."

"Your favorite hobby," Haley joked, even as Alanna, Korim and Mantle pooled their efforts.

After a few minutes of calculation, the three came up with a potential target. "There is an eighty-seven percent likelihood that the source of the jamming comes from this mountain range," Mantle said, projecting a map from his omni-tool.

Tetros examined the image, and his mandibles flared in a Turian frown. "That's Range Gamma. It's part of the mountain terrain training program we use on the planet. It's also one of the most defended sectors on Atraxus."

"But the best place to send out a jamming field would be from a high vantage point," Alanna said. "We need to get there as soon as possible."

Tetros considered it, and nodded. "Can you get your shuttle to pick us up? It's a long hike without a ride."

Alanna checked her comms. "Yeah, I can get in contact. The shuttle will be here in five."

"Great." Haley leaned against a large rock. "I could use a break."

Korim huffed a laugh. "I think we'll need it."

…

Range Gamma was burning when Alanna's squad arrived; if there were any Turians left alive, they were in no position to support them from the destroyed outposts across the mountains. Inside the shuttle, Tetros began to swear up a storm.

"This is insane," he muttered.

Alanna swallowed bile. "How many people were stationed here?"

"Over seven thousand manned the defenses at any given time, but there could be as many as two thousand more on training missions."

"Shit." Alanna's omni-tool pinged. "Looks like we're close to the jamming source. Pilot, put us down here; we'll walk the rest of the way."

"Copy that, Lieutenant," the pilot called out, before the shuttle violently jerked to the side. "Shit! We're taking heavy fire!"

"Then we deploy here! You get to a safe distance and wait until we call." Alanna slammed her hand on the emergency door controls. "We freefall to the surface, use your boosters when you hit fifty meters."

"That's cutting it close, Alanna," Haley said, and the shuttle rocked again.

"It's that, or we give the bad guys some nice, slow targets."

"Point taken."

Alanna took a step back, then threw herself into the open air. "See you guys on the ground!"

Explosions filled the sky as Alanna plummeted headfirst, arms and legs close to make her as streamlined as possible. She kept one eye on her HUD, tracking the altitude as she fell, while also shifting away from explosions as they came close.

"Lots of firepower down there," Korim said over the comms. "Where'd they get it?"

"Those are Turian guns," Tetros replied. "Whoever's down there captured our defenses to use them against us."

"I hope it's not the Asari," Alanna said. "We want to prevent a war with them. Also, ground's coming up fast, so get ready!" She heard a grunt of pain over the comms. "Did someone get hit?"

"Me," Nok growled. "It's not bad, just a piece of shrapnel in my arm. I'll heal by the time I land."

"All right, just keep an eye on it." Alanna briefly curled into a ball and rolled so that her feet were pointed at the ground. "Firing thrusters!"

Alanna timed it perfectly; her thrusters slowed her fall under the range of the guns, and she landed without difficulty. Nearby, Korim landed in a crouch, while Haley came in at an angle, and had to roll to a stop.

"You okay?" Alanna asked.

"I hate airdrops," Haley complained. "I'm fine, just a bruise."

Mantle landed without issue, but had to quickly move aside when Nok impacted with the grace of a grumpy meteorite.

"That was fun," Nok said as he climbed out of the shallow crater he'd dug. "Where's the Turian?"

Alanna looked up, and saw smoke trailing from Tetros' back. "Tetros, were you hit!?"

"Just now! I've lost control of my thrusters, and I'm going down!"

"Aim for my position, I'll catch you!"

"Copy," Tetros gritted out. "Adjusting trajectory… I don't think I can hold it!"

Alanna reached out as far as she could, and barely latched onto Tetros with a biotic field. She guided him towards her, and her strength and control increased as he got closer.

"Nok, Haley, catch him!" Alanna said through clenched teeth.

With one using strength-enhancing armor, and the other being a Krogan, the two soldiers became a living wall for Tetros to crash into. Fortunately, Alanna had slowed him down just enough to give the three bruises, instead of a quick death.

"That… sucked," Haley grunted as she pulled herself out from under Tetros.

"Agreed," Tetros said, and accepted some omni-gel from Korim for his damaged thruster. "Thanks for the save."

"Any time, cousin." Alanna took off her helmet and wiped away a trail of blood from her nose; the level of control she'd needed had pushed her biotics to their limit. "That's two you owe me."

Mantle pointed to his left. "The source of the jamming is five hundred meters in that direction. I am detecting enemy units as well, closing in on our location."

Alanna looked around, then put on her helmet. "There's a bunker nearby. We'll take cover and weather their first attack, then push forward."

A little shaken, but ready for action, the squad hurried to what was left of the bunker. Turian bodies were everywhere, most with charred stumps instead of limbs or heads. What caught Alanna's attention was an undamaged computer.

"Mantle, see if anyone accessed that terminal," she ordered. "If they were careful enough not to damage the computer, they might have wanted something."

"Affirmative." Mantle waved his omni-tool over the terminal. "It appears that this console was accessed without authorization. The only files accessed pertained to the Prothean cache."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tetros said. "Why would anyone want to know about that? It was documented and cleaned out centuries ago."

"Is there anything left?" Alanna asked.

Tetros thought about it. "Probably just the defunct stuff, or anything too degraded to be worth studying. It's kind of like a museum now, but only for officers stationed here."

"Then maybe there's something everyone only thought was junk." Alanna grimaced. "How close is that cache?"

"The facilities on Range Gamma were built on top of it," Tetros admitted. "The command center is over the only known access point."

"How do you know all this?" Haley asked.

"When I was tracking Admiral Tali'Zorah's killers, I was working with Hierarchy Intelligence. I was given access to basically anything I wanted."

"I bet it doesn't hurt to be related to Garrus Vakarian, huh?" Korim joked.

"It does help sometimes." Tetros peered through his scope. "Alanna, we've got more of those Adapters coming in… and something else. I haven't seen that unit before."

Alanna didn't have time to look through Tetros' scope—and her systems weren't synced to his anyway—so she just braced her Tsunami. "Fire when in range."

The first wave was mostly Adapters, but Alanna got a good look at the new unit Tetros had mentioned. It was humanoid, like the Adapters, but there was much more space between its segments, almost like an incomplete version. When a bullet grazed one, the segments split apart and reformed into a completely different shape; now, it was like a mechanical serpent that slithered across the ground at a blistering pace.

"Nok, you and I take the new things," Alanna ordered. "Everyone else, focus on the Adapters!"

As the one of the serpents drew close, it fired a green bolt of energy from its head that reduced Alanna's barrier by almost half. She responded with a cryo-blast that froze it in place, and then shattered it into pieces with a quick burst of gunfire. Alanna took some solace in knowing that though these new enemies were fast and hit hard, they were relatively fragile.

Nok seemed to enjoy fighting them; his shotgun's spread meant that he could hit them as long as he fired in their general vicinity, and the stopping power of an Extinction could destroy them with all but the most glancing of hits.

The rest of the squad took a few minutes to dispatch the Adapters; Haley and Mantle lost their shields at one point, but no one was injured.

"Anything else?" Alanna asked, once the fighting stopped.

"I am detecting no further hostiles in our area, Shepard-Lieutenant," Mantle said.

"Good, because those Shifters were annoying as hell to fight."

Tetros rolled his eyes. "You're just going to name all of them, aren't you?"

"As commanding officer, I reserve that privilege."

Haley laughed. "Hey, Tetros, you've known her longer than we have. Has she always been this selfish?"

"Oh, definitely," Tetros said, and grinned at Alanna. "It's a good thing I eat dextro food, because I know she would've stolen my birthday cake when I was a kid."

Alanna knew him well enough to see that his heart wasn't in the teasing, but he was trying to hide how distressed he was about so many Turians dying, so she played along and lightly punched his shoulder. "You eat dextro-safe pizza with pineapple. I'd never take your food."

Haley made a face. "And just like that, I lost respect for the only other sniper on the squad."

Nok shared a confused look with Korim. "Maybe it's a human thing?"

"Probably."

Alanna shook her head. "Okay, enough fun. Let's find that jammer, then the Prothean cache."

…

With Mantle narrowing down the location, the squad tracked the jammer to another bunker. This one was heavily guarded by over twenty Adapters, and a dozen patrolling Shifters. Fortunately, the Shifters had no defense against weapons designed to fight synthetics, so Mantle shot them apart with disruptor-enhanced gunfire, while Alanna, Korim and Tetros helped with Overloads.

The Adapters tried to counterattack, but they were tightly packed by the bunker, so Nok was able to do some real damage with his rocket launcher. Haley finished off damaged Adapters with her assault rifle, before they could generate layers of armor. Once the Shifters were gone, the rest of the squad opened fire as well, but the remaining Adapters began to put up more of a fight.

Alanna decided to try out her borrowed Adapter gun; she carefully aimed it at the closest machine, and fired. The first bolt destroyed its armor, and the second obliterated its torso.

"Damn!" Haley shouted. "I want one of those!"

Alanna was about to retort, but an Adapter slipped past Korim and punched her in the chest. Her barriers shattered, and she fell on her back. Only a desperate Throw that tore its head off kept her from getting shot to death.

"Sorry, Alanna," Korim said. "I was busy with his buddy. You okay?"

"Kinda sore," Alanna admitted, and winced when she stood up. "Ow, okay, definitely cracked a rib. Those things hit hard."

Nok grabbed the last Adapter and smashed it into the ground. "I hit harder!"

Alanna grinned and applied some medi-gel. "Haley, take Nok and Korim and hold the perimeter. Mantle, Tetros, you and I are going inside the bunker to find that jammer."

Haley crossed her arms. "What, we can't even watch you blow up the jammer?"

"I told you," Tetros said as he followed after Alanna, "she's selfish."

…

The bunker had even more dead Turians inside than the last one. Tetros began swearing in his native language; Alanna still understood him, and was more than a little alarmed by what he was saying. She didn't even know that Turians could swear like that.

"Most of these people are trainees," Tetros said, once he'd calmed down. "They hadn't even finished basic training yet, but they were just… gunned down, like it was nothing!" He knelt by the body of a young female Turian. "These bastards are going to pay for this."

"They will," Alanna promised him. "But the first step to that is destroying that jammer."

"Right. Right, sorry." Tetros got back up and led the way. "If it were me, I'd put the jammer in the center of the bunker, maybe wire it into the comms of the defense systems."

"That is a reasonable deduction," Mantle said.

Sure enough, they found the bunker's computer systems open and tampered with. A small pyramid, similar to the one stored on the Sicily, had segmented cables connecting it to the Turian systems.

"No guards," Alanna noticed. "Either they didn't think anyone would get through the outer defenses, or they didn't need the jamming to last forever."

"Either way, we still need to destroy that crap," Tetros said, then turned to Mantle. "Any way to do that without breaking the rest of the equipment?"

"I do not see one," Mantle said. "The alien technology appears to have integrated with the system."

"Those cables don't look like the same kind of tech," Alanna observed, and quickly scanned it with her omni-tool. "If their technology isn't normally compatible with yours, they might need something to bridge between foreign systems."

"That implies that the alien technology is extremely advanced," Mantle observed.

"Or just that different from anyone else's," Alanna countered. "I've scanned every example of these guys' tech, and I haven't seen a speck of Element Zero."

Tetros grimaced. "That's… kind of terrifying."

"Yeah." Alanna hefted her shotgun. "Let's just break this thing, and think about that later."

"Agreed."

The three of them opened fire on the jammer, destroying it in a shower of green sparks and metal shards. As soon as it was gone, their comms were flooded with Turian and Asari messages, as all sides were suddenly able to communicate again.

"EDI, can you read me?" Alanna asked. "I need an update."

"I read you, Lieutenant," EDI said, and couldn't quite hide the relief in her voice. "I have made contact with the Turians, and the Eighth Fleet is en route to reinforce Atraxus."

"Please emphasize that the Asari attack was not sanctioned by their government, and we are working to end the hostilities." Alanna glanced at Tetros, who was pointing at the map on his omni-tool. "We may have a lead on the unknown hostiles' objective, and are moving out now."

"Understood, Alanna. The Alliance has been made aware of the situation, and new orders have come in. You have until the Eighth Fleet arrives, and then you must withdraw from the planet."

Alanna grimaced; clearly, there was some jurisdictional crap going on. "How long do we have?"

"One hour."

"It'll take us at least thirty minutes to get to the command center," Tetros said.

Alanna nodded. "Then we should get going."

So… things have intensified. Why are these still-unnamed enemies making the Asari and Turians fight each other? Why are they after a Prothean cache that's no longer useful? How come their tech doesn't have Element Zero? You'll find out… at some point.

As for Alanna having a breakdown? She, like everyone born after the Reaper War, has grown up with the horror stories. This is like if I went hunting with a bow (which I don't do), and coming face to face with a freaking smilodon. It shouldn't happen, and it's scary if it does. On top of that, no matter how much she might try to deny it, there's got to be part of her that thinks she has to be as fearless as her father. In short, she got a little freaked out, and needed someone to vent to.

And now we've got a planet I made up for this story, rogue Asari fighting Turians, and scary robots. Lots going on, huh?

As always, please consider buying my book, Alpha Sanction, by Josh Gottlieb. You can find it on my website (link in my profile), or on Amazon as an eBook or physical copy. I'm trying really hard to finish the sequel, but having three jobs makes it hard to write at the best of times.

If you don't want to buy my book, you can also support me through my P-atreon page (link in my profile). If enough people support me, maybe I can fulfill my dream of updating at least one of my stories every single week!

Speaking of which, I'd like to thank the following patrons for helping me inch closer to that dream:

Serious Muffins: Nimrod009, Matthias Matanovic, John Collins, Red Bard, Aaron Meek, killroy225, Lokthar, Hakuryuken

Incredible Muffins: RaptorusMaximus, michaelb958, Crazyman844, Ben Stueckle

Ultra Muffins: RangersRoll, Adam Costello

Next Chapter: Alanna races for the Prothean cache, while the Alliance and the Council decide their next moves…

I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite Muffin on the Citadel.