It hadn't taken long for the Waystation's intel groups to crack the data that Shepard had retrieved from that ship, either. With a little surprise help from her 'current employers', they managed to find out about the Reaper IFF required for transfer through the Omega-4 Relay… And the next target of the Collector Vessel.
The Colony World of Cyrus's Gate, a small-time human world built as a mining place in the Terminus's West, very close to Citadel Borders, was picked. And the attack had a schedule:Today. The Republic's present fleet picked up the slack this time, with a Venator, three Victories and several smaller support vessels present to counteract any possible reinforcements the Collectors might have.
They were hitting back at the Reapers for the Quarians. Many Quarian pilots had volunteered themselves and their birds for revenge, too, but a surprising member threw her lot in with the Republic this time. Well, surprising was a poor word to describe Kara 'Starbuck' Thrace going for a combat action meant to punish the enemy.
She seemed to think that she hadn't been selected by random chance like other Pilots present aboard. The Five-Hundred-First was present aboard in force. General Skywalker himself had picked her for the mission. And as the alarms of the Venator-class Star Destroyer Resolute whined, the Republic's Pilots marched their way to the Hangar Bay.
The only issue was the General hadn't let her take her Fighter aboard. Said he had a surprise. And as they reached the cavernous bays of the Republic ship, the girl was urged forward both by General Skywalker and General Tano, with the former smirking and giving a pat on her Master's back before moving to her own Jedi Starfighter, loaned from the Normandy.
Starbuck, clad in her own pilot suit, snapped a salute at the General and asked, "Sir? Whaddaya need a Stick Jockey without a bird for, with all due respect?" before getting a quick salute back from Anakin. He didn't say a word, simply taking a step back and jabbing a thumb back toward a painted ARC-170 Starfighter.
She blinked, looked at him with wide eyes. He told her, "My boys tell me you can handle a 170 pretty well. A lot of'em also told me that you went through a simulator on the Waystation for certification on flying them a while before the attack on the Quarian fleet happened…" then walked over to the bird, patting it as the girl saw the Nose Art. He continued, "Consider this a gift for one of the best Pilots I've yet to have the pleasure of working with."
Mouth agape, the girl walked over and knelt in front of the nose art. It was her, painted on the side, a smirk on her face, stogie in her mouth and a bow and arrow in her hands, drawn back and ready to let loose. The letters 'Starbuck' were written in their odd alphabet, 'Aurebesh'. She could only read it because of the amount of time she spent in the Sims.
She laughed like a giddy school girl, patting the craft with her hand and saying, "Put me behind the stick, sir. You got the finest bird on the Galactica covering your ass," before she saw the three guys she'd worked with snapping salutes as they walked to and boarded the craft as Navigator and rear gunner.
Anakin extended a hand to her and said, "I'm looking forward to it," before she shook his hand, wide grin on her face. The man walked away and Starbuck boarded the Starfighter in one quick move, sliding back the cockpit and putting on her pilot's helmet as she activated the ship's systems. Mav and Blind smiled at the woman
Starbuck told them, "I hope you ain't my NAV, Blind…" as a joke. The man laughed, but gave a negative, audibly turning the turret on the back. She smiled and said, "Glad to be with you guys again. Transferred from the 107th for a bit of fun, have ya?" while the massive engines of the Venator began to slow down.
"Figured we couldn't let our favorite student fly alone, ma'am," Mav replied from com as their engineer did a quick check of the craft from the outside and gave her a thumbs up. Her Navigator told her, "Time to show these tin cans you don't mess with our buddies, eh, ma'am?" which caused the girl to get giddy again.
"Hell yeah," She spoke, a kid in a candy store all over again as she hit the activation on both Ion Engine systems, hearing them purr to life. She laughed heartily, looking over the Controls she'd spent ages learning in the Simulator, thumbing various activation switches and watching the HUD on her targeting system link and activate.
They felt the vessel exit Hyperspace. General Skywalker called out over the com, "Alright, boys! We have contact! Just like we thought, one Collector ship, currently reinforced by two enemy Basestars!" and that got Starbuck to perk up. She blinked and suddenly felt all the giddy pass. She turned dead serious as they began lifting off. The General told them, "We're all clear for liftoff!"
As the craft pushed forward, the woman turned and joined the row of Starfighters exiting through the armored upper bulkhead of the vessel. They powered their engines to maximum, their shipboard sensors suddenly picking up the contacts converging on the planet below. She saw them, the two grotesque mockeries of Basestars hanging out around the half-rock dick-shaped ship.
"Alright, boys," Starbuck said, voice low as she saw dozens of enemy Starfighters launch from the bays of their motherships. She told them, "It's time to show you how we danced with these Toaster frakheads," before calling in, "General, Blue Leader. I'm taking my squad in on a flank, hitting them from below. Keep their Heavy Raiders off the planet, or we'll have a lot of Ground Troops to deploy."
"Copy your last, Starbuck. Your show," General Skywalker replied. The squadrons rallied as ordered, with Starbuck banking left and 'down', toward the emerald orb below. She powered their engines to the max and a little bit of that giddiness returned as she heard the engines pur like cats. It was then she remembered she was in a better fighter than her own.
She swiveled left next, turning the birds and advancing below the main wave of fighters as the Victories started firing missiles, their side launchers igniting with each missile fired while Turbolaser batteries began peppering the sky toward the Collector ship. The support craft moved in, some deploying Gunships toward the planet to provide some sort of welcoming Ground Garrison for the enemy.
Turning, she spoke, "Alright, what was that saying you guys love…? Right! All birds, lock S-Foils in attack position! We're going in!" before she hit her own S-Foil button, watching the quad wings extend at their angles as they turned toward the swarms of enemy starfighters. She watched the enemy fire their own nuclear missiles and point-defenses, intercepting Republic concussion missiles.
The Collector Vessel swiveled on its Y-Axis, aiming its maw-mounted particle beam cannon at the flotilla of Republic Vessels and firing. The beam struck the bow shields of one of the Victories, causing it to flare under the direct impacts. Turbolaser fire was its return, several bolts striking the body of the ship from a volley.
Starbuck and Blue Squadron closed in, diving right into the belly of the enemy fighter swarm as she called out, "FIRE AT WILL, BOYS!" before she let loose, her heavy laser cannons barking. Three enemy Raiders were destroyed as the squadrons cut through the forward line. The rest of the squadron's fighters dived in on the flanks and let loose, destroying several more.
Starbuck swiveled left, Mav calling out, "Tracking two on our tail! Blind, blast'em!" as the bursts of their kinetic guns struck close by, Starbuck's cockpit flashing blue. She swiveled about, utilizing the full mass of her fighter to turn and feeling the G-Forces press her into her chair as she aimed and fired again.
The burst of laser fire caught the leading enemy fighter in what passed for a face, drilling a burning-white hole clean through it and burning out its engines as it flew clean through. The two other fighters turned left and right, trying to avoid impacting the human-flown fighter. Behind her, General Skywalker ripped one of the enemy fighters out of the void with his own heavy cannons, while Ahsoka destroyed the third.
They got into a furball, Starbuck banking high left, blasting away with her laser cannons. The emerald tracers cut through the leading enemy bird, causing it to fold in on itself, while two of its compatriots used their own engines and thrusters to turn about and fire at them. Rounds zipped by the cockpits, with a couple striking one of the wings, but doing little damage.
The girl and her crew returned fire, Mav calling out, "Tagging four more enemy fighters at Vector Two-Two-Five, escorting heavy Raiders!" which caused Starbuck to look up and to the right. She saw them and nodded, then turned from her current targets and switched to the shipboard missiles. She set the reticle of her HUD on them and listened as the ever-increasing speed of the lock-on tone reached fever pitch.
She squeezed her thumb on the launch, grinning as she watched the high-speed missiles turn with the Cylon Heavy. She saw the Impact and watched the enemy Heavy become a burning fireball that hurtled toward the planet, then turned and engaged its left-side escort. One of said escorts fired a missile and struck one of her Blue Squadron boys, destroying his bird.
They were sustaining casualties, Starbuck listening into the com, 'Silver Three, on me! Escort the bombers!' 'Gold Squad, bombers en-route! Bombs ready!' and 'Blue Five! Got four Clankers on my kriffin' tail! Requesting Cover!' which mixed in with dozens of other calls from the Furball and static from the enemy's attempted Electronic Warfare. Some of the Victories' missiles went wide, but the Turbolasers didn't.
Starbuck caught that last, barking over com, "Five! Actual, coming in to support! Check your six!" before she dived toward the four enemy fighters. She dodged a burning red beam of hate fired from one of the MHD guns on the Basestars, then a Particle Beam from the Collector Cruiser. All three enemy ships were ablaze and under bombardment from heavier and heavier Republic armaments.
She saw Ahsoka to her left, escorting the Bombers with her squadrons, and smirked. She turned toward the enemy fighters harassing one of her own again and lit them up with the Turbolasers while Blind let out bursts from the rear cannon, calling out, "They're trying to tail us, too, ma'am!" as he fired on and on.
"Keep'em off us!" She barked back as she swiveled in low and fast. She cut down two of the three fighters trying to hunt her buddy and the third left the chase. Starbuck tailed it, then said, "Two, they're off your ass! Go support General Tano and the Bombers!" as she let loose again, cannons barking loud and sharp.
The fighter exploded, but the tailing two behind them ripple-fired their missiles. Starbuck scoffed as she got the missile warning on her HUD and said, "HANG ON!" before taking a violent turn left. She ducked and weaved through fighter wrecks, arced low and fast, then high and slow, powering her engines to the maximum the moment she saw the enemy's missiles take a hard turn. Several lost lock and detonated after flying a few feet.
She looked back, watching tracers from the rear cannon trying to hit the missiles, then ordered sharply, "Keep up the shooting, Blind! Mav, direct me through the PDS Net to the best of your ability!" with just as sharp a turn to the right. Her vision went blurry and black for a second. Even in that state, she saw another fighter diving for them and gasped…
… Only for a volley of rapid-fire emerald to tear through it and cause it to burst aflame, detonating as their fleet closed the distance. General Skywalker called out, "Don't die on us yet, Lieutenant! This is where the fun begins!" as he joined up with her and her squadron. She smirked at that, then gave a quick salute to the man through the cockpit window.
He grinned and nodded back, then turned to join Ahsoka's squadrons. Turbolaser batteries lit the void as the Gunships drew closer, with ion blasts leading the charge. The enemy's warships continued firing their main armaments until the first ion cannon shot struck their forms, stopping them from flying anywhere away from the fight and disabling their guns.
The Y-Wings, heavy bombers of the Republic Fleet, released their payloads next. Dozens of high-impact bombs launched from their underbellies, aimed for the ships' central cores and the Collector Cruiser's main gun. When the explosives struck, rippling explosions coursed throughout the enemy ships, followed by the Republic bombarding them with turbolaser fire.
Rounds ripped through the bodies of the enemy craft, explosions cratering surface armor and burning through the internals of each vessel. Victory missiles launched and struck the bodies of the enemy vessels next, shattering chunks off the plate and ripping them apart piece by piece in a mix of heavy weapons fire and explosive weaponry.
Starbuck flew under a Victory's turbolaser volley, watching all allied craft rip into the enemy ships, then laughed heartily, feeling all the catharsis her interaction with the enemy could ever give her. She watched one of the Basestars immediately rip in half at the midsection, before both sides further shattered to pieces. The second Basestar was completely and utterly pulverized by the barrage and the collector Ship split in half, chunks already falling toward the surface ablaze, a meteor shower for a beautiful evening show.
"All fighters, nice work! Mission accomplished," General Skywalker called out as he flew into formation, watching the enemy ships falling from the sky with a smirk on his face, "Return to base and be ready to jump back home," and he turned the craft left, Ahsoka soon forming up with him. Following the Generals back, Starbuck could only smile, flying through the wrecks of enemy heavy Raiders and other support craft.
Normandy, Waystation Docks
Although they hadn't been gone for long, the ship had returned to the docks to rearm and refuel, with Shepard herself noting several new arrivals. Hands behind her back, she watched the Quarian ships in drydock being tended to by Republic, UNSC and even some Colonial support craft while they were being refueled via an Alliance support vessel delivering Eezoo and other elements necessary for their functioning.
Of course, she was in the viewing area where Kyra, Rhasits and Samara were, listening to them chat about the proclivities of the Asari in regards to their combat prowess. Samara told him, "We favor a smaller, more agile military with top-of-the-line equipment for our troops. It is why the Asari Commando Cohorts are considered some of the finest Special Forces."
"Biotics combined with additional combat training would indeed make a dangerous enemy for any hostile party to face," Rhasits replied, arms crossed to his chest, "Although I am going to assume your Alliances mean you have the forces of Humanity and the Turians to provide the combat 'brawn', so to speak, with armor and infantry."
"Indeed," Samara nodded.
Kyra quipped, "Reminds me a little of how some troops of the Empire operated," as she worked on disassembling, cleaning and reassembling her Lightsaber using the Force. Shepard turned to face them, watching the trio. The Apprentice Sith lifted her head, 'looking' at Shepard through the Force and telling her, "We've had a few special forces units during the Galactic Cold War and subsequent conflicts."
"You guys gotta tell me more about that," The woman spoke as she sat herself down next to Kyra on one of the couches. The girl smiled, while Rhasits sighed deeply. He nodded and Shepard asked, "Guessing it's a bit of a sore historical spot or something, considering you guys were put into Cryo before your 'Empire' collapsed?"
"Something akin to that, yes," Rhasits replied, sitting down, too. He took his mask off again, then pulled his hood off his head and added, "Our work with the Eternal Alliance and the fight against another hostile Empire are far more easy to recall, despite the battles being just as, if not more fierce at times than the proxy conflicts and meetings of the Cold War."
"You guys sure make it sound like your Galaxy has a colored history," The Commander joked, staring ahead. She knew it was the case. Hell, a Galaxy, as a whole place, definitely did build up a whole lot more through the species that lived, are living and would live within. Admittedly, the Commander was a bit more concerned over how that same history spilled over to here.
Rhasits let out a low chuckle, then said, "Even yours does. Especially through interactions with all three other Galaxies," before motioning to the Waystation. He continued, "That gateway has been open many, many times prior. Same as ours, I believe. If Nox's research is to be believed, there's a great deal of connected History."
She nodded and hummed, "Stuff as recent as the Reapers stealing and modifying freakin' Cylons," as she leaned back. The thought caused her to shudder a little before asking, "You think the Colonies are fine? I mean… Nuking aside? I know the UNSC deployed a military force to help the locals and evac them if need be…"
Kyra 'looked' at her again, then told her, "The Republic supposedly sent troops, too… From what I heard courtesy of Cortana," before reassembling her Lightsaber from its deconstructed form. She gripped it and clipped it to her belt, before standing up and pausing. She 'watched' a Republic vessel traverse the Event Horizon of the Star Road over to the other side, while a UNSC ship transferred through to their side.
"I think they'll be fine," Commented the Sith.
Samara added, "Much of their military seems hardened by the years of battle they did against the Covenant and then again against the Remnants of that Empire," as she stood to her feet, walking over to her nearby desk and taking a glass in her hands. She gingerly took a sip of the water within, then sighed deeply, her gaze locked onto the outside. The commotion was a little soothing… Even with all the building being done.
Shepard nodded, though she, too, gazed upon the Quarian Flotilla being tended to outside. The Shipyards were providing some very heavy overhauls and repairs, while the Quarian Admiralty and Conclave supposedly negotiated their own place among these groups of stalwart misfits on the Galactic Stage.
Shepard had almost half a mind to go help with those negotiations. She sighed, stood up and said, "I'm gonna go. Refueling should be done by now and command's gonna need to find us some sorta way to get or copy a Reaper IFF," before activating her Omni-Tool to check the data. She looked at the information, slightly surprised at the fact that Halsey was so thorough in the Report…
The fact humanity in all four separate universal corners might've been one and the same, even with some slight alterations here and there in the 'Far Away' Galaxy's case with their many offshoots, was terrifying in terms of implications. The Star Roads were known to be extremely ancient, as the scans from all three known Terminuses showed so far, with the Forerunner tech used to keep them online only being a hundred-fifty thousand years old, give or take.
"Commander," She heard Rhasits call to her, which took her out of her momentary trance. She looked over to him and saw him nod. He said, "Before you depart, I'd like to ask that, if we have time, we should go visit my and Kyra's native Galaxy. I have a world I wish to see and that I will put the coordinates in for."
"Alright," Shepard nodded, "Though we're probably gonna need a couple of refueling ships with us… I'll see what I can do," to which Rhasits simply gave a nod in thanks. She nodded back, then walked off and turned off her Omni-Tool. Walking onto the crew deck, the woman was surprised to see Karl, Garrus and Fives interacting.
"... I'm tellin' ya, man, I thought I'd uncovered some big conspiracy theory, too," Fives quipped as he leaned onto the table, "Finding out we have these chips stuck to our brains specifically so we don't hesitate if the situation turns sour is a bit… Concerning. Chancellor Palpatine did say they were mostly just there to nudge us in the right direction, though. We'd still have to consciously make the choice to shoot."
Garrus shrugged, speaking in a lower, forcibly calm voice, "You can't convince me it's in any way, shape or form not a violation of your sentient rights to have literal control chips in your brains, Fives," before he looked at Karl and asked, "Back me up here, Karl?" all while Shepard could only crack a smile. Of course, that's what they were talking about.
"Wouldn't you be no better than the toasters you guys were and still are fighting if that got turned on?" Karl questioned, before taking a sip of coffee. He saw Fives furrow his brows, then asked, "Like, I get it, 'conscious choice', but you gotta call the bullshit if said chip activates and you're suddenly not actually in control."
Fives sighed and said, "I still remember Tup's chip malfunctioning, so I get what you mean," as he sat down properly, "But I think I'd rather trust the Government we've been bred to fight for," and he scratched his chin. He looked up and saw Shepard, greeting, "Commander," with a smile and a nod. She greeted them with a wave.
Garrus spoke, "Hey, Shepard. Can we get your opinion on this?"
"I talked to Miranda and Ahsoka about this before," Shepard crossed her arms to her chest, "Cerberus wanted to stick a similar chip in my brain, too. Turns out the Illusive Man refused, thinking it might change me too much," and she looked at Fives, "Even so, the idea made me sick. Can't say it's any different hearing you guys have it."
"That's fair enough," Fives sighed, then said, "Don't worry, though… I'm sure the Chancellor meant well."
"My ass," Jack quipped as she approached, clad in a leather jacket now, hands in her pockets as she said, "Never trust someone trying to stick shit in your brain, Five-Oh. Bastards always have some sort of ulterior motives," and she looked at Shepard. Fives and the others looked at the girl, with Shepard being the most surprised out of all of them.
"Holy hell, she gets out from her hidey hole," Shepard chuckled as she saw the bald girl approach them, a smirk on her face. She asked, "How're you holding up over there, Jack?" to which the girl lifted both thumbs up as she sat down next to Fives, kicking her feet up on the table. He snorted and shook his head.
Fives quipped, "She keeps poking me to get a new tattoo," as he sipped from his own coffee, "You wouldn't believe the kind of ink she wants to put on me. Stuff that might actually get me thrown out of the GAR," and he looked at her. Her mirthful grin never faded as she looked back at him, then laughed, the faintest red in her cheeks.
As usual, the Clone and the Biotic Kid wound up being the most likable pair on this ship, Shepard thought with a smile. She and Garrus exchanged a quick look, then both blushed and looked away, while Karl quickly excused himself to go see his wife in the Medbay just behind them. The only thing that stopped the awkwardness was a giggle from Kasumi nearby.