This chapter has been updated with a few changes caused by reader feedback.

Naotw:

1.The Normandy works so mass effect allows for stealth in space. From what I can tell of the lore, the problem in ME has been not glowing like a small star on Infrared due to a ship's engines, a problem the Normandy solved by not using engines that produce exhaust (the gravity created by the eezo core). The mines don't have that problem as they don't move except for in the very moments before detonating.

2. While I have come to agree that completely lacking ECM seems like an oddity and I'm changing that, you must consider what the Hierarchy expects its Fighters to face. The Hierarchy does not use its Fighters in any offensive role due to them lacking the ability to harm enemy warships of any significant size. Due to this, the only things Fighters could be expected to engage that might require ECM are other Fighters, but the Hierarchy also doesn't expect they will engage enemy Fighters as no one uses Fighters offensively against warships. The only other occasion I can think of where they might need ECM is for ground attack missions.

3. I didn't break down the wave formations in the chapter, so your misconception is my fault. The pathfinder group consists of 12 Fighters, with each of the waves consisting of 20 Fighters with the exception of the last wave, which has 24. Only the pathfinders lacked torpedoes, the hardpoints they usually would be in being filled with additional ECM and sensor systems. The first wave does have them. Only a handful of the torpedoes launched by the first wave made it through, and they overall did minimal damage, with their attack having little effect besides heating up the lasers.

4. The Frigates are still guarding the fleet; they will come into play in the next chapter.

Xingyun Cluster, Da Ling Er System, SSV Hamburg, Rear Admiral Julia Hawking, 1320 April 4th 2157:

"Ma'am, the ships are accelerating towards us, high G burn. At their speed they will reach effective combat range in ten minutes." I scowl at the sensor officer's words 'so it's battle then'.

I move my hands to my display, fingers swiftly moving across it and bringing up the data from the last engagement, looking at the data and pondering on it for a few moments before speaking "Begin acceleration, ensure the enemy forces don't reach long range until after they are beyond our current location. All Cruisers are to launch missiles and Flack Mines. Prep the Fighters for launch, but wait for my order to launch them. Stagger the mine launches and create three minefields 100 km apart." My orders are obeyed, and I can see on the main projection as 12 missiles and 180 of the small Flack Mines are launched from the three Cruisers under my command. The missiles race off towards the enemy warships, while the small thrusters on the mines and the inertia from their launch move them into three grids a hundred kilometers apart. The inferred contacts slowly disappear as the mines cool down and disappear from that sensor, only our knowledge of their locations allow the sensors to retain tracking of them, the active sensors receiving only faint contacts from them, which are rapidly fading as we leave them behind with our acceleration. From their distance the enemy ships won't even get that much, and the short bursts of heat that once came from the targets were reconciled by the vast heat plumes of my Cruisers, concealing the mines from all but the most dedicated search.

I watch as the attempt of the enemy ships to close the distance slows to a crawl, their acceleration only barely greater than that of my ships 'lets hope the enemy Admiral disregards our speed as simple technological inferiority, and not as the trap it is. This would go a lot smoother if they aren't looking.'

I smile as Fighters are deployed by the enemy ships, 15 for each of the enemy's Cruisers '75 Fighters, not too bad, but not great. Let's hope that the little surprise can deal with them.' My Cruisers hold between them 96 Fighters, far more than the enemy, but with the other Fighters' combat abilities mostly unknown (the slaughter of the last battle giving little data of their capabilities), and the already shown superiority of the enemy's Cruisers, it's better safe than sorry. 'Why are they carrying so few Fighters, though? Is their doctrine more direct combat based?' There is no time to think upon this now, so I turn my attention back to the battle.

The enemy Fighters accelerate rapidly, only for a group of 30 to to decelerate once they reach 250 kilometers, and another group of 30 decelerate another 250 kilometers beyond that. Each formation keeps that distance between them and the Cruisers, not allowing it to grow or shrink. 'They're splitting up their Fighters? A shame, guess beggars can't be choosers. None of them are moving offensively, only acting as guards. Makes sense, we haven't revealed our own Fighters, so they probably don't want to risk their own if we have more.'

The final 15, though, continue on even further, only equalizing their speed with the formation 750 kilometers away. More than that, they don't take the screening formations of the previous groups, instead spreading out even further, until even the closest of the Fighters are dozens of kilometers away from each other. 'Forward scouts? That is going to be a problem; they'll either detect the mines before they go off, giving their friends free target practice, or take out the first wave of them.' "Weapons, set the first formation mines to long range shots, with so many per Fighter, they should be able to take them down at a longer range then they can detect the next formation." 'Shame to lose the first mines, but hopefully they'll think that's all we have.'

My thoughts are interrupted as the sensor officer begins to shout "Vampire! Vampire! Vampire! 20 missile contacts from the enemy Cruisers, accelerating towards us at high speed."

I scowl 'Seems like they're finally tired of waiting and want to do their first punch in this battle' "Launch the Fighters and have them begin charging at the enemy formation. Prepare to launch another missile attack and ensure it's synced to arrive at the third Fighter formation after the Fighters. The Fighters are to clear the way for them and strike the Cruisers with any munitions they have left, before jumping to the far side of Qinglong. Frigates, end burn and create a defensive screen, prepare to accelerate on my command." My words are followed by a few repetitions of 'Yes ma'am' from a number of officers, which I tune out, focusing on the confrontation at hand, and the Fighters being slowly launched from my Cruisers.

'Lets see what these newcomers can do.'

Xingyun Cluster, Da Ling Er System, Fighter Echo-7, Sub Lieutenant Sanix Pagasi 1323 April 4th 2157:

I stare at the display in front of me, showing the wave of Fighters bearing down on my own Fighter and the 29 others near me. Trailing behind that large formation of Fighters, yet accelerating far faster, are the 12 missiles that make up the second wave of this new enemy's attack. The last wave didn't even make it to my line of Fighters having been taken out 250 kilometers ahead of me.

I scoff. 'They were less part of an attack and more to find out our point defense capabilities and prepare for them when they launch an actual attack.' Of course, the Hierarchy forces had also launched a similar attack, one made of almost two dozen missiles that would soon pass my unit and probably be wiped out by the Fighters ' waste of missiles I say.'

My thoughts are interrupted by my Fighter's VI blaring out a warning "Nuclear shaped charge detonations detected, prepare for impact."

It took only a moment for the plasma to strike me, washing over my Fighter like a wave of water would the ancient naval ships of millennia past. It did no notable damage, most likely it didn't even breach kinetic barriers of the Fighters halfway between the nukes and me, though the sensors were troubled by them, causing some disruption in their operation for a short time.

I gaze towards the display, only to see the pathfinder Fighters displayed in red, signifying their destruction. Only three of them seem to have the yellow stripes to indicate a mission killed Fighter, instead of one that is only wreckage spread across a dozen kilometers. A check of the life signs shows that all those still living are in bad shape, and probably won't make it. 'Rest in peace Kilo Squadron, your sacrifices will not be in vain.'

The formations continue to move on, crossing the distance between ourselves and our dead comrades rather quickly, with the second wave of Fighters already a hundred kilometers beyond them. However, I am surprised when my VI speaks the same words it did not so long ago, and the second wave of Hierarchy Fighters is set ablaze.

I look at my display and find that, while faring better than the last wave of Fighters, Foxtrot and Charlie Squadrons are both combat ineffective, barely a handful of their Fighters even partially operational, far outnumbered by their dead and dying brethren.

My Fighter's comm system comes to life, spewing the world's of the Squadron commander "Squadron break! There are likely more mines out there, move 100 kilometers from your current location starboard." I obey my commander and, when we reach several dozen kilometers beyond the graves of the last wave, my sensors tell me it was the right move. Dozens of small cylindrical mines laid out on our previous course, ready to wipe us out just as they did dozens of Fighters before us.

While the last trap of the enemy has been avoided, the Fighters closing in on us have not, coming in waves towards the Cruisers, a threat we must face.

I gain a grim smile on my face '30 Hierarchy Fighters against three times that many unknowns. Nowhere near a fair fight. For them.'

As they near, my sensors become obscured, barely anything able to make it through them, I only see the pair of missiles from one of the Fighters far after they're launched, my VI screams, then nothing.

Xingyun Cluster, Da Ling Er System, Fighter Bravo-1, Lieutenant Junior Grade Frederick Walker 1328 April 4th 2157:

'It's almost like shooting fish in a barrel' I think as another of the alien Fighters is turned into a burning cloud of wreckage by missiles launched by the first wave 'They're just so easy to kill.'

When human Fighters engage one another, they usually blast each other with their electronic warfare system, screwing with the sensors of the opposing Fighters and missiles. The enemy, however, has only weak ECM systems compared to our own Fighters, something that would be considered a major weakness for any human Fighter. 'Wouldn't really matter anyway' I think as another Fighter is destroyed by a pair of Alliance missiles 'They were doomed the moment the battle started. Three to one odds may feel like cheating, but it's certainly useful.'

Soon the last of the Fighters are destroyed, after which a number of Fighter Flights separate from the first wave a move ahead, all equipped with additional sensor pods and thinly spread out to detect any mines ahead of us, unlikely but its standard practice and those Fighters were far too lightly armed to be at there maximum load, so it's better safe than sorry. They were originally ahead of the formation, but moved to join with the first wave to ensure their safety during the fighting, as they would most likely have been destroyed if they were the first Fighters the enemy reached.

As the foremost sections of the Fighter attack reaches medium combat range with the enemy Cruiser, the pathfinders rejoin the first wave, providing more targets for the enemy to hit, even if they lack the torpedoes needed to be a true threat.

Some time later, I can see the first strikes of the Cruisers' point defense lasers attempting to take out the first wave, my display and the augmented reality systems in my Fighter showing lances of light where the invisible lasers are, making the battle look like a light show as, one by one, the first wave is taken out, either bailing on the attack run by FTL jumping out of the area after heavy damage, or being turned into wreckage drifting alongside the living. However, some of the first wave managed to deliver their payloads, and even those who failed managed to help the attacks after them, heating up the laser systems and making them less effective. Each torpedo that strikes one of the five Cruisers looks like a brilliant lights display, illuminating the hull's of the enemy with blue energy. The light intensifies as the second,and third waves launch their torpedoes, each having more and more strike true, taking down the Cruisers' shields and ripping into their hulls. By the time I arrive with the fourth and final wave, the two closest Cruisers look more like the image I saw of the Cruiser from the last battle, areas of their hulls now collections of twisted and warped scrap, their laser fire now little more than a trickle with many laser arrays destroyed and those remaining overheating. Those farther away are in far better shape, still marked by several torpedo detenations, their laser fire weakened compared to the beginning of the battle, but not as scared as the first two ships.

The wave strikes, my own torpedoes are directed at one of the better condition ships, four ripple fired torpedoes striking from my Fighter towards the Cruiser. Two managed to make it through the laser fire, one striking the ship's bow, taking out the shield and warping the hull, while another hits an area already hit by another torpedo, opening a hole into the ship.

Once I pass the enemy, I activate my FTL drive, jumping first several light minutes away from the enemy, before going behind Qinglong.

The adrenaline begins to leave my system, my heat rate and breathing slowing as the high intensity combat is Instead replaced by an almost deafening silence. Now, all I can do is wait for the battle to end, and hope it is the Alliance who comes out victorious, or at least enough of the fleet lives to retrieve the Fighters 'dying in the middle of nowhere in a metal coffin isn't preferable.'

My current plan has one more part for this battle until it ends, then the next part of the story begins. Sorry if there are some writing mistakes, I don't have a beta reader and I'm finishing the chapter not long before I plan to go to bed. If there is anything too egregious, or it is generally filled with many small problems, comment about it so I can fix it.

In my personal opinion, Admiral Hawking is making a mistake by having the Fighter attack happen before the Cruisers are in range, but it is a mistake built from mankind's inexperience in mass effect combat. Prior to the 2150s, human combat in deep space was dominated by missiles and Fighters, with ballistic weaponry being used only at relatively closer ranges. The new technologies have made ballistics more effective and given them a greater role in combat, one that, while the new ships are designed to take advantage of and has been theoretically acknowledged in battle theory and war games, the officers haven't gotten used to. No major battles have happened in the few years since the paradigm change for space combat, no opportunities for the new reality to truly sink in. The Admiral is still thinking of the Fighter as the main tool of space combat, not a backup dancer to the gun dual expected of Cruisers. This is why the attacks were not synchronized, she was still, even if subconsciously, thinking of them as two different stages of the battle; first the Fighters strike, then the guns come into play, not as two complementary weapon systems.