Priority: The Beginning
AUTHOR's NOTE: So, I made a mistake, Brooklyn King should be the Joints Chiefs of Staff NOT a Commander-in-chief! Now I feel so stupid. By the way, If you find that the human society in my story is too optimistic is because that's my hope for the future of humanity. There's enough dystopian sci fi in Hollywood and I hate that, sure we have our flaws and if we don't change there will not be any of us left to have a future but there's still hope. I remain hopeful and optimistic about our future.
-World building fact-
The UNE of the 31st century is a Utopian society. Through technological advancement and abundant resources, humanity no longer fights for survival but for liberty, equality, peace, justice, and progression. Each individual through Genetic Engineering could follow their passive with a suitable mental and physical body. There's no need for crime as the poorest earning citizens could still live comfortably.
Adaptive and curious, humanity's desire for knowledge and opportunities is unmatched and could not be understood by any other races in the galaxy. Humanity seeks discoveries just for the sake of discovery is incomprehensible by races such as the Salarian, Unar etc. And why the human chose to make friends with weaker species, and revive extinct species while they have the military power to conquer is incomprehensible to races such as Krogan, Turian, Zentradi, Sangheili, etc.
-Senate chamber, Sadera-
It has been 2 months since the fall of Icia and the Crown Prince is still missing. Pina and Viktor have been working with Molt using the defeat to sway many houses and senators to the pro-peace faction. However, the support for the war is still taking the majority of the senate.
Viktor is working behind the scene to smuggle as many captured UNE citizens out of the capital city as possible. Mostly those that were being kept by the houses that they managed to convince to switch sides. Many were saved but many more are still being kept as slaves by the pro-war houses.
The UNE military has been holding its advance and only reinforcing the territory it has taken as an agreement with Pina and Molt to give them time to try and find a way to end the war peacefully. However, recently the UNE has been growing more and more impatient and demanding that the Sadera Empire surrender soon. Just this morning, Viktor told Pina that the foreign relations department set a 2 weeks deadline for her to deliver her promise or the UNE will attempt to rescue the rest of the hostages in force and annihilate the Empire.
Molt asks the senate to gather so that Pina could attempt to convince the senate. Although he could not publicly voice his support for Pina, he has been creating as many opportunities as possible for Pina to succeed in her tasks.
"Senators! I implore you to see that the Empire could not win this war and we must surrender to reserve what's left" Pina speaks.
"How dare you say such a thing! The Empire has never lost a war nor it will be, General's Tiberius war plan will allow us enough time to rebuild our armies and, once again, take back what was lost and more!" Senator Calvus says.
"Calvus you blind fool! The great fortress of Icia fell in less than a day by a frontal assault, a feat that no armies, not even the Empire could ever achieve. Did that not tell you much about their military superiority?" Senator Philotheus Serapio counters.
"Now you praise the enemy of the Empire? You traitor!" Senator Calvus shouts as the chamber erupts in an argument between the 2 sizes.
Three slams from the spear of Molt's guards against the floor echo the sound across the chamber as Molt commands them to be silent.
"Silence! Let the Princess speaks!" Molt says.
Pina bows at Molt and continues "Senators, I have been to their worlds, I have seen what marvels they're capable of. We could learn from them, but only if we make peace".
"Princess, what makes you think those barbarians are going to teach us anything? They came into my house in the night, and slaughtered my men, my wife and children. No! I will rather die before I bow to them" Senator Chairon says.
"Your wife and children are alive, they were not killed but taken instead!" Pina says as she remembers that Viktor told her about the fate of Chairon's family and that he left them.
"Princess, how do you know that?" Senator Chairon asks, being a little suspecting.
Realizing that she has slipped her words Pina tries to come up with an excuse "We…we never found their bodies so I remain hopeful".
"Surely the Princess is too naïve and was somehow enchanted by the enemy" Senator Calvus says then he turns to Molt "Your Majesty, you can't seriously consider surrendering! Crown Prince Zoral, your son, has been missing for 2 months since Icia. Do you not want to restore his honor? Do you not want revenge?".
"Be careful of your tone Senator, I have not made my decision yet. I am still considering your reasons" Molt replies.
As Molt finishes his sentence, the chamber's doors swing open as Zoral walks in. The whole chamber is filled with mumbling as the senators are shocked by the sudden return of the crown prince after 2 months of disappearing without a trace. However, everyone suddenly gets quiet and feels a chilling sensation running down their spine to the very core of their body as they realize who, or rather what, is walking behind Zoral other than his goons. One of the darkling queens is following Zoral into the very heart of the Empire, she has a humanoid figure but her appearance is nothing like everyone has ever seen. Long arms with sharp long nails, spikes growing out of her shoulders and along her arms. Her legs are covered with scales and each of her feet has 4 sharp claws. She has no eyes nor visible ears, just hollow parts where a human's nose and ears would be and a mouth with sharp, pointy teeth.
"Brother?" Pina is shocked by what is happening in front of her eyes.
"Father, Senators! The fall of Icia made me realize that to defeat this evil enemy from beyond the gate, we need to unite all of Falmart. By all, I mean ALL races regardless" Zoral presses his sentence as he pauses and looks back at the darkling queen "For the last 2 months I spent in the North negotiated an alliance against the other worlders with the darkling queens and they've agreed to help".
"This is preposterous, how dare you bring such a vile creature into this chamber!" a senator speaks loudly. However, as soon as he finishes his sentence, Lynk shoots a fireball at him and evaporates him.
"Hear me, wise senators, as we speak, the darkling is breeding a great army that will march alongside our legions as we take back the East cities and the sacred hill of Alnus. They will march alongside our legions as we march through the gate and conquer our enemy! The time for glory draws near and the Empire shall be great again!" Zoral voice echoes loudly in the chamber.
Some senators cheer to Zoral's words, some show sorrow, but most remain an empty silent. Molt sits silently on his chair looking at his oldest son with a mixed feeling of regret, anger and fear.
Diabo sinks into his chair and mumbles "Big brother…what have you done?".
When the news of the battle of Icia was broadcasted, the public reaction was strong but mixed. Witnessing the death of 49 children whose life force was used to power some kind of dark magic that no one has ever seen before. In addition, the so-called "best fighting force" in the galaxy lost a dozen of marines to a, supposedly, very primitive enemy while 3 SIFs were also KIA. While few criticize the loss of lives because casualty is expected in war, the rest are divided. Some call for the total destruction of the Empire while others believe that the action of a few individuals could not be held against the entire civilization.
On the other hand, most of the population is concerned with the news of the Repear's main force's arrival at the other side of the galaxy within the Batarian space. The entire nation was taken over in the first wave and the neighboring nations are on the verge of collapse. Despite the constant pledge for aids by the attacked nations, the Citadel Council is refusing any request for military assistance and working on fortifying their own borders. The UNE president has issued DEFCON 3 while declaring the Indar system reserve for refugees as hundreds of millions of refugees from various species are pouring into the UNE requesting asylum.
No longer can the Citadel council deny the existence of the Reaper, they began to revise diplomatic efforts with the UNE in the hope of gaining more information on the Reaper and military aid if necessary. However, the many centuries of mistrust and bad blood between the council and humanity is a great barrier that is preventing any conclusive agreement.
After the fall of Icia, SIFs units have been conducting counter-terrorism operations in the occupied region against Empire loyalists. While no match for the UNE military, these loyalist cells have no headquarters to destroy, no single leader to eliminate and an unclear chain of command to disrupt. The loyalists target Falmartian officials that the UNE put in place and civilian structures of significant value, while at the same time, they sabotage corps and agitate the population to join in violent protests as well as rioting.
The advanced surveillance technology as well as decades of experience in occupying hostile worlds in the Second Interstellar War allows the UNE to detect and stop most attacks but sometimes, while rare, the loyalists are still successful in a few of their operations. General Nguyen wants to take the opportunity of the ceasefire to clean them up for good.
The 5th SIF was about to embark on a mission to eliminate a loyalist cell but they were replaced by another SIF unit for an unknown reason.
-DS-20B, heading for orbit-
Ava is being briefed by the joint chiefs Brooklyn King himself via a secured MNet link.
"There's not much time so I'll get right into it" King says "As you know, the Reaper main force arrived sooner than the prediction from Novea database. We haven't been able to figure out why, but approximately 15 hours ago a Batarian name Ko'ra gave us a piece of vital information regarding the matter".
Joint chiefs King says as the screen display relevant information.
"2 days prior to the arrival of the Reaper forces, the Batarian discovered an artifact on planet Kira I within the Kira solar system during one of their extended mining operations. Ko'ra was the lead scientist in the research of this artifact and he believes that it is the key to defeating the Repear" King says.
"Is this intel creditable, sir?" Ava asks.
"When the Reaper main force arrived, they bypassed everything and went straight for Kira system. There was no survivor but the fact that they rushed to secure the artifact tells us that the discovery of the artifact made them nervous and we want to know why" King says.
"If there was no survivor how did Ko'ra escape, sir?" Ava asks.
"He was in the meeting with the Batarian Science Council on their homeworld when the invasion happened. Your order is to link up with the 2 Phantom class destroyer in orbit and escort Ko'ra to find that artifact and if possible, retrieve it for research" King says, he pauses for a moment then continue "The Reaper is gaining ground quickly, commander, they're unlike anything we've seen before. Our strategists estimated their military capabilities are even greater than ours. We need every advantage if we want to secure a future for humanity, and the galaxy by extension. So, I can't stress enough how important it is for you to succeed in this mission, commander"
Ava comes to attention "We'll get it, sir, whatever it takes".
"Very well, details are on your TACNet. Good luck, commander" King says then disconnects the link.
Ashley and the rest of the 5th SIF have been listening to the briefing via TACNet "We're going against an enemy we know very little about, on the other side of the galaxy and without support?" Ashley says.
"The Reaper defeated the entire Prothean Empire who had, a slightly more advanced technology than us but more advanced regardless. According to the database, the Prothean united the entire galaxy by the time of the Reaper invasion and they still lost. The Reaper is very powerful and If this artifact gives us the means to fight them, then we must get it" Ava replies.
"Roger that, ma'am" Ashley replies.
-HSS Fortune, Phantom class destroyer, Spe Orbit-
Ko'ra and the captain of HSS Fortune is watching as the side doors of the D-20Bs open and the 5th SIF disembarks.
"Commander Ava, I am captain Carter. This is Ko'ra" Captain Carter introduces himself and Ko'ra as he and Ava salute each other then continues "Ko'ra, this is Commander Ava, her unit will escort you to find the artifact on Kira I".
"Welcome aboard HSS Fortune, I have assigned quarters for you unit via TACNet. Please follow me to the bridge, we'll discuss our course there" Captain Carter says.
Ava nods at Ashley and then follows the captain while the rest of the 5th SIF start making their way to the assigned quarters. Phantom class destroyer is slightly smaller than an Ares line or Guardian line destroyer, only 900 meters long (2952 feet) but way stealthier and faster. The hangar is relatively small carrying 30 SF-40 fighters 10 GS-12 gunships and 10 D-20B stealth troop transports capable of carrying and deploying a maximum of 5 SIF platoons. This configuration can be, flexibly, changed depending on the needs of the mission.
It doesn't take them long to arrive at the bridge, it's a very compact bridge compared to the Ares battleship class like HSS Destiny. Ships of the UNE are controlled by linking the ship's system with the minds of the bridge crews. It allows them to execute maneuvers, that otherwise would be extremely hard or impossible, with relative ease and extensive control of the ship's systems. There's no physical plugin but the brainwave reader similar to that of the TAC suit connects the crews and the ship together allowing them to control similar to how the SAT8s are controlled.
After entering the bridge, captain Carter brings up a holographic map of the galaxy and highlights the path that they're going to take.
"The Fortune and her escort, HSS Panther, are going to gate to the border and from there we space dive to Kira, it should take us 3 days to get there. The simulation room will be available for you to run any combat scenario you want in the meantime" Carter says.
"I don't think you can prepare for an enemy like the Reaper" Kora comments.
"It doesn't hurt to be prepared regardless" Ava replies, showing no emotion.
"We'll exist the wormhole outside of the system and travel on sub-lightspeed to Kira I in cloak to avoid detection. Once you're deployed, the Fortune and Panther are going to park inside the gas atmosphere of Kira III gas giant until your mission is complete" Carter pauses as the holographic image display relevant detail "Radio silence will be maintained until the mission is completed, if we don't hear from you after 48 hours from deployment and there's no indication of your survival, we're ordered to return to the UNE"
"How tight is their security?" Ava asks.
Captain Carter bring up a holographic projection of Kira I "Very tight, this is the last intel from our recon probe. It was shot down shortly it arrived at Kira I but not before it scans were completed".
"Wasn't the probe cloaked, sir?" Ava asks.
"It was" Captain Carter replies "But apparently they have limited ability to detect through our cloaking technology. We sent 2 probes, one of them got back undetected but it went no where near their fleets"
"Then how do we land on the planet?" Ava asks.
The holographic image zooms out a wider angle of Kira I "Kira I has a tight ring of asteroids that occasionally falls onto the planet. The 2 D-20Bs will land on 2 small asteroids and push them towards Kira I, the asteroids will be burned up in the atmosphere as your transports continue to "fall" down the ocean" the holographic displays the 2 impact points.
"From there you'll have to swim for 2 klicks ashore, which shouldn't be a problem for the TAC suit, and then travel 9 klicks on land the reach the research facility. The 2 D-20Bs will remain underwater and wait for you to return" Captain Carter says.
"Understood, what about the extraction plan, sir?" Ava asks.
"Parking inside the gas giant we could maintain limited scan on the planet, once the artifact is secured, you are to return to the D-20Bs and set the signal beacon. It will look like pluses of natural radiation radiated by the planet to them, we'll then send all our SF-40s and GS-12s unmanned at Kira I to create a diversion for you to escape" Carter explains.
"I don't like it, sir, it seems risky" Ava comments
"I know, commander, but that's the best we can do given the situation" Carter replies.
"One more question, sir, why didn't they move the artifact somewhere else?" Ava asks.
"Considering the importance of the artifact, they would want to keep it at the most secure location. For the moment, their fleets are still arriving at the edge of the galaxy and the bulk of it gathers at Kira. Terra Sphere believes that once they secure the Citadel, it will be their main base of operation and the artifact will be moved there. If that happens…WHEN…that happens, it will be impossible to covertly recover the artifact. An all-out assault would require a large proportion of our fleet and would not guarantee a result. That's why we're on the rush, commander" Carter explains.
"Roger that, sir" Ava replies then turns to Ko'ra "How much do you know about this artifact?"
"I only had 1 day to exam the artifact before I got recalled by the Since Council, but I believe it contains information about a weapon that can be used to defeat the Reaper once and for all" Ko'ra replies.
Ava steps closer to Ko'ra and look directly at his eyes "You believe?".
"Look, commander, I know human and batarian haven't been getting along…" Ko'ra is interrupted by Ava.
"That is an understatement," Ava says.
Ko'ra take a small step back "…but we have no choice other than working together now, I'm risking my life coming with you on this mission".
The Batarian has a very xenophobic culture and has always believed that they're a superior race in the galaxy. When the war between Marikar Empire and UNE broke out, they supplied weapons and ships to the Marikarian with the intention to extend the war longer and cause as much damage as possible to both sides. While the GIA managed to gather intel on the Batarian's intention, there was nothing the UNE could do without resulting in another large-scale war.
"You better be right and this better be worth it" Ava says then walk away.