In my version of it the Systems Alliance Army is strictly planet-side and in orbit forces. They have garrisons on the colony worlds, as well as orbital stations and defense platforms. The marines are the ones who travel on ships and garrison space stations.
As I'm sure will be obvious to most, I do not have a military background. Given this story is mostly about marines, I will certainly try to write like I know what I'm saying, Any advice is welcomed.
The Ghost of Akuze I
In the section of the Citadel referred to as the Presidium, where the rich lived and the high end stores and restaurants were situated, was a section referred to as Embassy Row. Near the entrance to the Citadel Tower was a grouping of offices where each race had their own individual embassy offices that allowed easy travel and communication between the various ambassadors, but it was Embassy Row where ambassadors and diplomats lived and had secondary offices.
The human embassy, much like those of other species, was fortified by a towering fifteen-foot metal wall designed for maximum security. Atop the wall, a wide walkway spanned the entire perimeter, linking eight guard towers. These towers housed marine snipers and heavy, manned turrets, all positioned to provide overlapping fields of fire, ensuring no blind spots in their defensive coverage.
Although Embassy Row, and the surrounding five square kilometers, were designated a strict no-fly zone, which was enforced by advanced C-Sec anti-aircraft batteries, certain exceptions were made for residential shuttles. These shuttles had to have pre-approved electronic signatures integrated into the local network to ensure seamless identification. As an added defense measure, five AA missile launchers were strategically placed along the human embassy compound's walls to intercept any unauthorized or hostile airborne threats. For even greater protection, each individual embassy compound could deploy a robust energy shield, capable of deflecting physical assaults from outside forces.
Inside these fortified walls, the Systems Alliance made every effort to replicate the comfort and familiarity of Earth for those living and working within the compound. The central courtyard featured a lush field of meticulously maintained bahiagrass, with stone pathways artfully carved through the greenery to provide a sense of flow and order. At the heart of the courtyard stood a massive jacaranda tree, sixty feet tall with its bright violet flowers in bloom. Along the edges of the courtyard, vibrant flower beds overflowed with Earth's favorites: tulips, peonies, lilies, roses and passion flowers, bringing a splash of color and life to the compound. On one side of the compound was a well-used blacktop basketball court that sat adjacent to the shuttle landing pads reserved exclusively for embassy-sanctioned transports. On the other side was a worn field of grass with a goalpost where football matches (soccer if you were from the northern territories of the UNAS) were held on a daily basis.
The embassy's structures were organized into four main buildings. Dominating the center was the largest building, positioned directly opposite the main entrance. This public building served as the embassy's hub for external interactions. It housed the secondary offices as well as an array of meeting rooms of various sizes, tailored to accommodate everything from intimate negotiations to larger diplomatic gatherings. Each room was a showcase of Earth's cultural diversity, with its furniture and décor inspired by distinct styles and traditions. Intricate tapestries, paintings, and sculptures lined the walls, creating a unique space that told the story of humanity's artistic and cultural legacy.
Behind this primary structure, three smaller buildings provided residential and operational spaces for the embassy staff. One of these buildings was reserved exclusively for the diplomats and their families, ensuring privacy and a sense of refinement. Another served as the living quarters for the general embassy staff, while the third was dedicated to the security detachment, complete with reinforced rooms and specialized facilities for training and operations. These buildings were all interconnected by covered pathways. For added convenience and security, an underground network of passageways also linked the structures, ensuring safe movement during emergencies.
Security for the embassy were fifty-three Marine Embassy Guards (MEG) under the command of a Master Sergeant (E9) Kiviharju. They wore special ceremonial armor while on-duty, dark blue with white accents to match the coloring of the Systems Alliance. The MEG armor had the same specs as your standard marine combat armor, but they were sleeker looking and more polished, dolled up versions to look good for the other races.
At the compound's main entrance, where the reinforced guard booth stood to the side of the metal gate, stood the two Private First Class on entrance duty.
"Did you see Miss Elysium won the Miss Universe contest?"
"You watch that?"
"There's like a few thousand humans on this entire fucking station, and there's only so much porn one person can watch," the MEG responded in defense.
"Have you seen the asari? They'd blow that Miss Elysium out of the water."
"You're into them?"
"You're not? With those big, blue -"
"Vehicle on approach," the other Private First Class interrupted, nodding in front of him.
Their grips tightened instinctively on their Avenger assault rifles as the unmistakable whine of a hover-truck grew louder. The vehicle skimmed half a meter above the ground, its trajectory straight for their position.
"Wasn't aware of any incoming," one muttered.
"Victor-India, pull up today's docket." A quick scan of the information that popped up on their HUD confirmed the agenda. "Only traffic expected is the volus diplomatic team, and they're already inside."
"Might not be for us. Could be lost."
The human embassy was near the embassy for the hanar and the volus after all. Though it was near-impossible to navigate incorrectly with VI-guided routes.
"Gulf Tango One, vehicle inbound.".
"Roger. Got eyes on. Be advised—windshield's blacked out. No visual on a driver."
VI-guided trucks were commonplace, but blacked out cabs were not. The team's posture stiffened as the truck began to accelerate.
"It's speeding up!"
"Marines," the Master Sergeant's deep voice boomed in their ears, "attempts to interface with the vehicle's VI have been blocked. You are clear to engage"
The sniper was the first to fire, his bullet piercing through the windshield in the exact spot a driver would be sitting. Cracks branches out from the bullet hole but the vehicle did nothing to slow down.
"Light it up!" .
The chatter of assault rifles followed, joined by the roar of the nearest guard tower's mounted turret. Bullets chewed through the truck's frame, metal and glass shredding under the assault. Sparks flew as the hover-truck crashed to the ground, bouncing once before skidding in a trail of molten debris. It stopped, smoking, a mere few meters from the gate.
"Vehicle d—"
The detonation cut them off. A thunderous explosion ripped the air as 200 pounds of ordinance ignited in the truck's rear.
The Holmes-class surveillance corvette was the same size as a standard combat corvette, despite lacking the armaments and extra armor of its more aggressive counterpart. Instead, every available inch of internal space was packed with state-of-the-art surveillance gear, enough to make even the most draconian surveillance states back on Earth envious. Cloaked in matte black plating designed to deflect and scramble sensor readings, the vessel was built for discretion rather than endurance.
The SSV Orwell bore an ironic name, one not lost on its crew. It materialized in an instant next to the relay in the Widow System of the Serpent Nebula, its arrival announced by a ripple of mass effect energy. Within seconds, at least twenty ships had target locks on its hull, their warning indicators flashing on the corvette's monitors.
"That's quite the welcome party," Flight Lieutenant Chukwudi "Chidi" Ajunwa muttered as the interface before him lit up with multiple alerts. Chidi was lean and wiry, built for speed both in the cockpit and on foot. His sharp cheekbones and ever-present grin lent him a roguish air, but beneath that charm lay the mind of a pilot who was always three steps ahead. His fingers drummed against the console as he eyed the sensor readouts. "You want me to fly straight at the guns pointed at us?"
"It's the standard greeting," Commander Lee Si-hyeon replied, voice calm. She stood tall behind Chidi's chair, hands clasped neatly behind her back. Her short black hair was cropped with military precision, and her brown eyes, sharp and ever-alert, tracked the shifting sensor data.
"Oh, I'm sure. 'Welcome to the system, don't mind the thousand MAC guns ready to turn you into slag,'" Chidi said wryly.
Entering Citadel space meant enduring the scrutiny of the Citadel Defense Fleet, a force over a thousand ships strong—primarily turian, asari, and salarian, but there were a few each from the volus, hanar, and elcor. Identifying the ship configurations of different galactic species was standard practice in Systems Alliance military training, and Chidi could pick them out with ease.
"We're being hailed by one of the CDF ships, Commander," Chidi announced, pressing his headset against his ear. "Should I put it on the comms system?"
"No need. Initiate 'Handshake Protocol' and grant them access to our systems," Si-hyeon instructed.
While the icy relations with the Citadel had slowly melted over the past decade, there was still real tension between the Citadel Council and SAMFA (the Systems Alliance - Migrant Fleet Alliance) on certain issues The biggest of those was humanity's use of AI. No human ship was allowed to enter the space around the Citadel, or key worlds of the various Citadel races, with an active AI. To do so could be seen as a threat, and greenlit the use of deadly force on the noncompliant ship.
The Orwell and its crew had been summoned to the Citadel by the Systems Alliance Intelligence Services (SAIS) in response to the recent embassy bombing. The SAIS had provided a Handshake Protocol containing all the necessary information and clearance codes to bypass security procedures. To comply with Citadel law, the ship had launched without an AI, relying instead on the most advanced VI humanity could produce without crossing the artificial intelligence threshold.
"Handshake accepted, Commander," Chidi confirmed. "They're transmitting an approach vector to an Alliance docking bay."
"Take us in. I'll notify the rest of the crew."
The cramped bridge opened into the slightly less cramped CIC. The Orwell carried two teams for this mission, each with a distinct role to fulfill. The space team, who would set the Orwell in orbit around the Citadel, though far enough away to not draw the CDF's ire, was responsible for monitoring Citadel activity from orbit. It consisted of Chidi and Chief Petty Officer Victor Parygin, a data analyst for SAIS. Victor was stocky and broad-chested, his thick build more reminiscent of a frontline Marine than an intelligence officer. His short, dark-blond hair was perpetually unkempt, and the deep-set bags under his eyes told of a man who spent more time dissecting intelligence than sleeping. Without an AI to automate the process, it fell to Victor—assisted by the VI—to analyze the flood of data the Orwell intercepted.
Victor was one of two occupying the CIC. The other was Si-hyeon's second in command of the Jaeger team, Junior Lieutenant Sun Iravani.
Sun's thick jet-black hair was always kept in a tight bun when she was on duty, a reflection of her no-nonsense discipline. Her features carried the striking blend of her lineage: a heart-shaped face softened by high cheekbones, which framed dark, almond-shaped eyes and a prominent nose. Standing at a mere five feet two, Sun was deceptively diminutive. Her compact frame belied the dense muscle she had honed through relentless training. Every motion was precise, efficient—a testament to a soldier who had fought and survived the unimaginable.
An ambush on Akuze had left Sun as the sole survivor of a nightmarish engagement. Her entire STAR team, along with the seasoned Ares squad sent as support, had been annihilated by thresher maws. She'd fought tooth and nail, outlasting the relentless subterranean predators through sheer determination and grit. But the memory lingered, visible in the haunted look in her eyes. It wasn't a wide-eyed stare of terror but a shadowy depth, like something fractured in the stillness of her gaze.
It took three grueling months of therapy to bring her back into the fold. The other Marines had given her the nickname the Ghost of Akuze. It wasn't a moniker she embraced or protested; she simply carried it, much like the scars Akuze had left her.
"Iravani."
"Ma'am?"
"We're on approach to the Citadel. We'll be docking in a few hours. Make sure the team has their gear packed and ready to move."
"Yes, ma'am."
Unlike larger Alliance warships, which had multiple decks and spacious compartments, the Orwell's top deck housed only the bridge, CIC, CO's quarters, and the engine room. The bottom deck contained everything else; storage, weapons lockers, galley, head, and a single crew quarters where the rest of the team slept. Due to the confined nature of corvettes, anyone assigned to long-term tours had to pass a rigorous psychological evaluation to ensure they could handle the close quarters without incident. The last thing anyone wanted was for a crew member to snap under the conditions and do something that would kill the rest of the crew.
Their current mission wasn't an extended deployment, at least for the Jaeger team. The journey from Arcturus Station to the Citadel had taken just over two days. Sun knew that if this were a months-long assignment, her reputation alone would have seen her fail the psych evaluation.
In the crew quarters, the remaining three Jaeger members were already stirring. Sergeant Veeraj "Veer" Rao, lounging with his omni-tool, was tall and lean, his dark hair and beard neatly trimmed. A long scar ran across his left eyebrow, a reminder of past engagements. Sergeant Kamal Al-Farid, still half-asleep, was broad-shouldered and powerfully built, his sheer presence commanding. His piercing amber eyes were framed by a close-cropped beard. Corporal Jack "Boomer" McAllister, also waking, had a rugged, sun-kissed complexion, his short blond hair barely ruffled from sleep. His muscular frame bore tattoos of native Australian wildlife, each marking a mission or milestone.
"Any news JG?" Veer asked as she stepped into the room.
"We're a few hours out from the Citadel," Sun explained. "Commander wants rucksacks packed, and the rest of the gear ready to unload as soon as we land."
"We've only been on this ship two days. Didn't have much time to unpack anything," Boomer grumbled to himself as he fought against an emerging yawn.
"You want me to pass your message along to the Commander?"
Boomer blanched and shook his head. "No need to be hostile, mate."
Sun knew her rucksack was already packed and ready to go. Outside of changes of clothes she had not removed anything from it, and her weapons were securely locked in her designated locker. While Kamal and Boomer shook off their sleep and checked their own rucksacks, Sun joined Veer in checking their other equipment.
On a surveillance corvette, the storage bay normally held two to three satellites that could be deployed in orbit over a planet to help intercept and collect data. Their mission would have the corvette operating in Citadel space, which meant no satellites could be deployed so they had been left behind. That meant more space in the storage bay.
Some of that space was taken up by the gear meant to help them investigate the bombing, things like chemical kits to help identify the explosives use. C-Sec had performed their own investigation, which they would likely share with them if asked. And they would probably allow the team the use of C-Sec equipment if asked so they could complete their own investigation. But this wasn't any other type of investigation. This was a terrorist attack on the human embassy, which had killed four Marines and wounded seven civilians. Alliance Command wanted humans to perform their own investigation with their own equipment separate from C-Sec's, to make sure no potential anti-human bias got in the way.
While Jaeger Teams were not detectives, they were an in-field intelligence gathering unit with military training in employ of the Systems Alliance Intelligence Services. That meant they were deemed the best ones to send into territory that could be considered hostile in order to perform an investigation, working on behalf of both SAIS and the Diplomatic Security Services, who were tasked with the security of all of the embassies. Si-hyeon's team was the best Jager Team SAIS had after Alec Ryder was dishonorably discharged a few years ago.
A little over three hours later, two shuttles descended toward the Systems Alliance embassy on the Citadel.
Kamal whistled at the scene below them. "Look at the size of that blast radius."
The metal ground was blackened and warped in a rough circle, almost two hundred meters in diameter. The gates and guard booth were both gone, pieces of each strewn about the open yard and embedded in the jacaranda tree and the main building. The guard tower near the gate had toppled off the wall and lay in a heap.
The area was cordoned off and a squad of C-Sec officers blocked off the road leading to the embassy. A trio of bug looking things, that the shuttle VI called "keepers", appeared to be held back by more C-Sec officers as they fidgeted in what looked like agitation. The keepers were apparently the main maintenance crew of the Citadel, and likely didn't appreciate being held from completing their duties.
As they touched down on the landing pads, which already appeared to be overloaded with shuttles and aircars, a pair of figures came to greet them; one a balding human wearing a fashion that was not human in origin, and the other a turian C-Sec officer.
Si-hyeon stepped forward to greet the arrivals and the rest of them started unloading the crates that carried their equipment.
"Ambassador Udina," Commander Lee greeted the man, reaching out to shake his hand.
"Commander," Udina said, his nasally voice laced with tension. "This has been a hell of a week. I hope you can get us some answers."
"That's the plan, sir," Si-hyeon replied.
"Good. This is Garrus Vakarian, your C-Sec liaison."
"It's a pleasure Commander," Garrus greeted.
Si-hyeon's expression barely shifted, but those who knew her well recognized the barest tensing of her jaw and slight narrowing of her eyes. "I was not aware we'd have a C-Sec liaison."
"The CCDC thought it best," Udina said.
Of course. The Citadel Council Diplomacy Committee would do whatever it could to improve relations with the Citadel and its races, even if it came at the expense of humans.
Garrus inclined his head. "C-Sec understands your need for an independent investigation. I'm just here to ensure Citadel laws are followed."