Caprica
Both the ODSTs and Clones actively worked on preparing their route out. The panels that separated them from the outside were thin enough that a simple thermal detonator or fragmentation grenade could shatter them, but their main problem right now was something else entirely:Firewall was still downloading the data and fighting off the enemy's encryption.
Melissa's Motion Tracker pinged multiple incoming hostiles, dozens of red dots at varying elevations. Hell, she could hear the thumping of the footsteps closing in, too. They were close enough now that the makeshift tripmines she and Frag had set up in order to intercept them were already ticking. She inputted the Go-Ahead codes through her HUD, then started counting.
"Three, two, one…" She counted down with her voice and her fingers, then grinned, clenched her fist and did a pull motion, "Boom…" only for the room to shake, dust falling from the ceiling. She sighed deeply before a second and third mine went off, then warned, "That was the first set of Tripmines. Bastards are close enough now… Boss, if we're gonna jump, we gotta do it," as she looked at Holden.
"Alright," The Lieutenant nodded, then tilted his head to the panel as he prepared his rifle. He ordered, "Start kicking that thing down, hard and fast. Everyone else, prep in case the bots figure out a way to breach," which got the squad in a frenzy. As Melissa delivered the first kicks, the panel began to splinter, allowing yet more of the dim light in.
As that was happening, Shard asked, "Firewall, you have the data?" while looking upon the hacker of his squad do his thing, fingers dancing on the keys as various screens, windows and connection points appeared, disappeared and were changed. Yet more thundering cracks echoed as the minefield outside the door was hit.
Firewall replied dryly, "Downloading, sir," Then waved to Holden, who turned toward him and raised a brow. The Clone commando didn't take his eyes off the keyboard, stating bluntly, "Unless you want to leave here without information on what the Reapers can do to people, I'd suggest we try and hold, Lieutenant…"
"They'll kick the door in and gun us down…" Holden sighed, but one quick hand sign from Sierra's lead, namely him tapping his blaster, made the Lieutenant relax. He sighed and looked over to Melissa, snapping his finger and pointing to the room full of corpses. They'd have to use the gurneys as makeshift cover, he thought, then said, "Guys, start setting up. Seal your suits and prep some barricades."
Both Frag and her nodded, with them and the rest of the ODSTs immediately moving out into the room, sealing their suits in the process just in case the enemy had some other way of infecting them with Reaper BS. Melissa stopped by a corpse, making the mistake of unzipping one of the body bags and stumbling back, eyes wide.
Biomechanical growths poked out of the thin corpse, his or her hair having long fallen out. They looked less human and more like zombies out of horror movies, which even Frag had to admit was horrifying. Raptor beside them stared at the corpse, its empty eyes staring back at them, then zipped it up and nodded to the pair.
Miss MacKay shook off the sight, slung her rifle onto her back, then moved the gurney forward and overturned it, crashing through the layer of transparent, protective material separating the main research room. They, Raptor and several ODSTs soon lifted and stacked some of the Gurneys to form defensive walls behind which the team's SAW gunners set up.
"This oughta be interesting…" Melissa mumbled, trying to get her mind off of the corpses that they'd unceremoniously dumped in a corner of the laboratory. She turned her head toward Firewall as the man continued working his magic, suit visibly working overtime with him to keep up with the ever-updating Cylon algorithm trying to keep them from their prize.
"Yeah, you're telling me…" Her cloned compatriot in fireworks mumbled, before checking over his blaster rifle. He also turned toward his smarter sibling and demanded, "Firewall, can you hurry your kriffin' ass along?" as he started hearing the enemy get that much closer to the door. He double-checked his rifle to make sure it was ready.
"I can, but that would mean you having to report to command why the data's corrupted," Firewall replied, his voice a little slower as he visibly tensed, going into overdrive as far as concentration went.
"... Kriff me, fair enough," Frag murmured, mildly annoyed their nerdier brother was correct in that regard.
"Not fond of having to give the 'I did an oopsie' report?" Melissa smirked as she watched the man stack up the Gurneys next to his brother, who had drawn a pistol and was now typing with one hand as the steps of the Cylons grew louder. She quipped, "Yeah, me neither. Had it happen twice during the War… Once recently, before this whole Stargate debacle."
"You gotta tell me about it if we get out of this bantha poo-doo," Frag offered, stacking one of the last gurneys on top of the others and finally being able to wield his blaster with both hands. He had a couple of grenades at the ready, too, all while Firewall continued his work. Shard, Holden and the other ODSTs took cover next, hearing gunfire in the distance.
Sam's squad had probably engaged the Occupation Forces…
Melissa herself then quipped, "And I gotta teach all of you how to properly swear in English, because holy shit, guys…" before grabbing her own rifle off her back. She made sure she had AP rounds loaded. Noticing the black tips, she grinned proudly behind her helmet. Frag let out a short laugh at the comment, while Shard suddenly looked like he was praying.
"MacKay, while I appreciate the sense of humor, don't," Holden warned as he loaded a fresh magazine into his own guns. Raptor, meanwhile, activated and deactivated his vibro-knife, then shouldered his sniper, extending the modular blaster's stock and pressing it into the gap between the shoulder pad and the breast plate of his Katarn armor.
"I'm serious, sir. 'Kriff' this, 'bantha' that. Say fuck and shit like a normal person for once," Melissa chuckled as she knelt. The rest of the squad laughed a little, while Holden sighed, planting a palm on the opaque visor of his helmet.
"Heh. Alright, alright. We'll work on it if we survive," Frag snorted, giving a gentle elbow to his fellow bomber.
"We have to survive this first, you two," Shard stated with an even voice, almost like a warning to the two jokers just as the machines reached the door and started pounding on it, the last of the mines exploding and causing the building to rumble from within.
"Here they come…" The ODST Lieutenant murmured, then ordered over radio, "Sam, get your people out of here, ASAP. We'll find our way out…" before hearing an affirmative that was heavily muffled by the rattle of automatic fire and the spine-chilling whirr of energy weapons as replies. He paused, tapped his com, then whispered, "... Sounds like plasma…"
"Well, shit, boys… Looks like you might be seing what we saw," Melissa grinned, shouldering the rifle and aiming down the scope as the door began to dent and bend at the barrage of heavy hits taken from Cylon warforms. Through the window, the team could make out a bulker Centurion trying to slam its way through, a bulldozing machine that looked a little more armored than previous counterparts.
"Firewall?" Raptor requested coolly, eyes peering down the holographic scope of his own rifle. He covered his brother.
"Nearing, but I still need time…" Firewall replied as the hammering fists got louder and louder, the door itself denting inward with each strike. Firewall swore to himself in some alien language that his fellow Clone Commandos seemed to understand. Frag himself laughed a little at the way the nerd voiced his discontent, then nodded.
"We'll give you all the time we can, brother," The Explosive Expert then replied, before stopping cold as the door began to dent inward far quicker. The Clone also swore something in that alien language, then saw Melissa staring at him. He told her, "You teach me your language, I'll teach you mine. Deal?" to which she smirked and nodded.
The door began to crack, the V-shaped scarlet eyes of the machines now clearly visible through cracks, much like the barrels of their arm-mounted and handheld weaponry. Holden aimed, then barked, "Alright, troopers! START STACKING THESE SONS OF BITCHES!" as a heavier hit dented the door in enough for a Cylon to poke its right arm through.
Another hit sent the door flying through the panel behind them, narrowly missing the barricades…
And a volley of gunfire filled the space between the door and their resident nerd. Blaster bolts and high-caliber bullets dug holes through the enemy's armor. The leading Cylon, a heavily-armed and well-equipped tank unfurled a pair of some kind of plasma weapons and pointed them at the force. One charged, then fired with a terrifying scream.
One of the Gurneys exploded in a flash of molten metal and hell, while an ODST had to duck lower and start peppering the son of a bitch with rifle fire, aiming for the joints. Raptor aimed and snapped off a shot, too, staggering the machine as the high-speed bolt of plasma penetrated the shoulder joint on the left, disabling the second weapon.
It managed to stumble out of the door frame, pockmarks dotting its armor from bullets and blasters. Shard said, "You guys didn't tell us these freaks have Super Battle Droids!" as he aimed for the Heavy Cylon's head. Frag let out a short laugh, priming a pair of thermal detonators just as the rest of the Centurions started pouring in, bullets zipping over their heads.
While he was doing that, Firewall had finally managed to get the decryption to a manageable automation. The data download was nearly done, but he still kept one hand on the keyboard, lifting the other and squeezing the trigger. His DC-17 bucked slightly, azure bolts of energy cutting through the armor plate of two other Centurions. The machines fell, dead before they could fire a shot.
Beside him, Raptor laid another monster low, before once again firing for the heavy machine's head. An ODST armed with a shotgun poked out to try and blast it to pieces via slugs, but took an energy blast to the head and collapsed to the floor, a hole drilled clean through his armor. Holden scoffed, aimed and blasted the head off of the machine that had sniped his Marine. Eye for an Eye.
Shard soon found himself being charged by one of the Cylons. He fired what was left of his charge pack at the creature, slung the weapon onto his back, then engaged both of the vibro-knives in his gauntlets and went to work, dodging a first swing, then a slash from the machine's claws and, without a second thought, plunging his fist deep beneath the machine's mask and his other, into its side.
Twisting the blades and pulling them out, he let the semi-organic machine collapse before letting the automatic cleaning system of the Katarn armor do its thing. He drew his heavy pistol, aimed and fired again, demanding, "FIREWALL!?" as he kicked back a Cylon and drilled two shots into its chest and one in its head.
"Ten seconds! Be ready to run!" The Clone replied as he finally moved away from the computer, assisting the team. He looked at the tank-looking Heavy Cylon and focused it down, utilizing part of his suit's active hacking component to try and bring it down. A connection window appeared on the side of his helmet just as the heavy aimed its energy rifle at them.
Raptor snapped a shot off and took its head out. It collapsed onto the floor with a loud metallic thunk, three of its more lightly-equipped siblings falling in quick succession as their armor was breached by AP Rounds. Firewall took a burst of energy to the right side of his helmet that narrowly missed anything important, but burned a mark into it. He scoffed, gunning down the machine.
When the laptop clicked repeatedly, Firewall retrieved whatever item he'd used for hacking and said, "All clear to move!"
"Alright, then!" Holden nodded, then radioed, "Samuel! Change of plans! We're moving to you! Prep those Civvies for evac and lets get the fuck out of here!" before ordering, "Leapfrog! One team covers and the other moves! MacKay, Frag! Prep a breaching charge to get us inside the moment we're across! GO!"
"See ya on the other side, sir!" Melissa replied, then gave Frag a bump on the shoulder. The two turned about and jumped out first with Firewall. Landing on the roof of the catwalk between the two buildings, they ran toward the hospital itself, noticing the flashes of gunfire from within. The two primed a singular Det Pack to break through the reinforced windows as bolts of energy and bullets struck around them.
"Didn't bet on the bastards having blasters," Mumbled Frag as he primed the charge.
"You're fucking telling me," Melissa replied quietly.
"Right… Was it red, red green or red, green, red," Frag quipped, grinning behind his helmet. Melissa snorted, shaking her head in amusement. She turned around and opened fire as the rest of the team jumped on the Catwalk. One more ODST took a shot clean through the back as he jumped out, falling off the catwalk and onto the ground below with a sickening, but muffled crunch.
Holden turned around and dumped a full magazine into the monster that'd shot him, going two-for-two on avenging their comrades while Shard, Firewall and Raptor laid down covering fire with their blasters. Frag gave a thumbs up to the commanders and Shard pulled out a detonator, immediately hitting the button.
The blast, though much lighter than standard due to a yield modification, shattered the panel that separated them from the inside as more and more Cylon forces started opening up on them. Bullets zinged past them and plasma bolts singed the ground as the team climbed into the hospital, finding themselves face-to-face with the marble tile and the white walls of the place.
Their Motion Trackers immediately picked up friendlies, with their radios finally crackling to life properly. Sam Anders spoke to them, "We nearly got the Civvies loaded up into the trucks, El-Tee, but we're getting hammered over here! The bastards must've developed some kind of plasma weaponry while we weren't looking!"
"We're on our way to assist now, coming down from the western stairwell!" Holden replied. He chopped his left hand forward and the squad, now lacking a couple of members, began to move, with Sierra taking point nigh immediately. As they descended down the stairwell, past abandoned rooms and through an old ICU, they saw battle damage, a few dead civilians still stuck to the machines, visibly executed by Cylons whose corpses also littered the place.
Moving past a half-melted door, they could hear the gunfire grow louder as vehicle engines roared. The building rumbled as aircraft moved overhead, with Holden stating, "Sounds like they have Heavy Raiders up. Gauss guns should be laying into the bastards any god-damn minute now…" just as the muffled roar of the magnetic accelerator firing reached them.
"On point with the guesses today, sir!" Spoke Melissa as they reached the bottom floor. All of them gasped, however, as soon as they saw the firefight going on in the parking lot. A pair of Warthogs and the Saddlebacks had arrived and were engaging the enemy with fifty-cals while the Civilians were being loaded onto the rearmost HEMTT.
The Lobby itself was occupied by a squad of Cylon Centurions. The team, however, didn't hold back. Holden radioed, "Friendlies, coming in from your right! Convoy, hold fire!" before the Grenades the squad had primed rolled down the stairs toward the Cylons, surprising them. Several thundering blasts from thermal dets and normal frags shattered the line, providing ample opportunity for the teams to move forward
Anders was on one of the Saddlebacks' guns when he saw them approaching. He waved them aboard, then gasped as he saw Raptor snipe a Cylon Heavy clean through its eye slit, then shoot another two with a single shot, a collateral. Frag and Melissa followed up with the Anti-Armor Attachment and a grenade launcher respectively, EM and HE blasts shattering the forward line of enemy troops.
Bullets struck and deflected off the armor of the trucks as more Cylon troops emerged. Anders called out to the squad, "GET ABOARD! WE'RE GETTING THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" to which the ODSTs and Clones nodded, returning fire as they climbed onto the trucks. The Medical Teams that had been brought in to tend to the civilians also started tending to the platoon's wounded.
Before long, the lead vehicle wheeled around, Anders still firing the fifty call while the others used the slits and windows to keep the enemy at bay, rounds striking armor and glass and causing spiderweb cracks. The Convoy began to move as fast as possible out of the area, with the rearmost launching a series of smoke grenades ahead…
… A dozen rescued Civilians and the intel, secured for delivery in a data packet to the Waystation's Science Staff. A good mission all-round, Holden thought, but it'd have been better if they didn't lose two of their own trying to accomplish it. He cast a glance back at Melissa and Frag as they bumped fists, the girl grinning through a clear visor now as they looked back, then thanked the Lord quietly. He looked over to one of the ODSTs, who lifted a plasma rifle taken from a dead Cylon as if to show it off.
They could cooperate with the Commandos quite well…
The Citadel
The Citadel Council had reconvened with the Ambassadorial Staff from the Waystation after the new 'issue', that of the Cylon, had arisen. The entire Fleet outside the Citadel, both the one supplied by the Waystation and the Citadel's own security force, was on high alert, vessels patrolling, fighter squadrons performing combat patrols and the joint command staff already engaging in discussions pertaining the veracity of a Cylon threat to the station.
Sat among the crowd as the discussion was underway, Fox listened to Senator Chuchi outline their future threat with vigor, "It is clear that at least half of the Cylon and their newfound allies have begun a move to expand beyond the confines of the Cyrannus System. That humans aren't their only target anymore, as could be seen from their cowardly attack on the Quarian flotilla. The Citadel must understand the fact that this Galaxy is now under threat from multiple sides, not just within."
"We understand your concern, senator, but how do we know it wasn't just an isolated incident?" Sparatus inquired, keeping his voice as level as possible. Though his previous encounters with the staff of the Waystation had left much to be desired, but little to the imagination in terms of their capacity. Dozens to maybe hundreds of starships with the added Quarian Flotilla now…
"Considering the fact a retribution strike was carried out by a joint action group belonging to the Waystation's personnel, I'd argue that'd be sign enough it wasn't an 'isolated incident', Councilor Sparatus," Chuchi offered, arms crossed to her chest. The young Pantoran retained a strong sense of civil duty to keep as much of their new, much larger world safe as possible
"Human colonies falling under attack to the Collectors, Commander Shepard returning from the dead, the arrival of your peoples and, now, an entire Armada of alien ships that helped commit a mass genocide against mankind in one of these Galaxies have all happened within the span of barely a few months…" Tevos mumbled to herself, scratching her chin.
"A rather unfortunate series of disconnected coincidences," The Salarian councilor voiced, much to the surprise of a lot of the crowd. Discussion began to spread throughout the room, while Fox simply sighed deeply. This was blatantly just nobody caring to listen to the facts. Always a painful sight to behold, the officer thought.
"With all due respect, councilor, as much as some may be coincidental, there is something happening in this Galaxy that has caused us all to find our way here… The Reapers," Chuchi stated after a short pause, causing the entire room to erupt into yet louder chatter. She smirked, hoping that'd gotten some attention.
"The infamous alien machines hiding in Dark Space that Commander Shepard is so incessantly convinced are gonna come to try and kill us based on some sort of cycle…" The Salarian councilman shot back, crossing his arms while Councilor Anderson stared at him. He added, "We thought your peoples would be less willing to believe the ramblings of a single woman," as he motioned to Chuchi.
"Commander Shepard has helped bring our people together on the Waystation, Councilor. I have no reason to distrust her save maybe what I know of Cerberus's activity," Chuchi spoke, mildly angry, "Even then, her operating independently now, with a crew of both Council and Waystation species and doing everything in her power to help us? I'd trust her more than the assessments of a Council who seems willing to stick their heads in the Force-damned sand at the first sign of trouble. She brought evidence to us."
"Senator, while we appreciate the presence of your people, we'd like to maintain tact," Tevos frowned, crossing her arms and trying to remain cordial. Fellow blue woman and all that, she thought, even as the talks continued to increase.
"I fully understand…" The Pantoran sighed deeply, rubbing her eyes, then mumbled, "Apologies, but the Commander has only done good for our peoples. Hearing someone talk of her like that while she's not even here to defend herself…"
"A feeling we can understand…" Sparatus sighed "I will be the first to admit that, without the Commander, we would not be here, having this discussion. Much less a positive First Contact with your peoples, considering the Batarians' trend of knocking at the wrong doors," before casting a glance at the Salarian. Anderson smiled at that. Finally, a little recognition for the girl.
"Indeed…" The Salarian admitted, letting out an annoyed sigh.
"Which is why I'm requesting that you at least look over what the Waystation is proposing," The Republic Senator spoke, taking the opportunity to drive her point home. She explained, "Due to the Commander's warning, we've begun sharing research, intelligence and arms development. It would not hurt for the Citadel to consider a possible buildup of force, just in case."
"We will look over your and the Waystation's propositions, lady Senator, however I'm afraid we can't promise we'll be able to allocate any of the budget for it," The Turian spoke. Anderson visibly tensed, but sighed and calmed down. Chuchi made a mental note she needed to speak to the man himself.
"That is a good first step, at least…" She spoke, voice softer.
"If you have anything else to add, Lady Senator?" Tevos then motioned toward her with a gentle wave of the hand, trying to be respectful again. Honestly, a rearmament program funded and backed by the Council would do wonders for the entire Galaxy, especially with the looming Reaper threat. They'd need every gun they could muster, not just whatever ancient mass driver designs they still had.
Regardless of that, Chuchi thought to herself just as a Victory-class floated in front of the tower, no time to complain if they were at least listening. She shook her head and told them, "No. That is all for now…"
"Very well. Then, this meeting of the Council is adjourned," Tevos spoke before the Council dispersed. The room filled with louder chatter as small groups formed to discuss the new developments. Both Council Species and their Client ones, ranging from Volus to Elcor, began speaking to each-other in regards to all that's been talked about in this meeting.
Before Ryio could go find the man herself, she was approached by senator Anderson, the Alliance's representative within the Council, while Udina stood behind him, chatting up a few of the Turians and Asari. He spoke, "Senator," before extending a hand. Fox, who was approaching with a trio of other Shock Troopers, stopped to listen to the discussion.
"Councillor Anderson. Can I help you?" She smiled, shaking the man's hand in the meanwhile.
"The Alliance will probably be contacting the Waystation about equipment pretty soon…" Anderson replied Council might not see the necessity, but Humanity does. I've got a few friends who were listening in on this convo," before lifting up his hand to show an Omni-Tool com window that had been 'minimized' into a more manageable, orange-glowing haptic hologram on his wrist.
Chuchi smiled brightly at that, then said, "I know Admiral Hackett is already in a meeting on the Waystation, so that's wonderful news."
"Is Shepard alright, by the way?" The man inquired, unaware of the girl's whereabouts ever since she'd left the Citadel the last time. She had been sending messages, but it was more likely the bastards in Cerberus were filtering through them before letting them slip through into his own personal inbox.
"She's perfectly fine, sir," The woman replied kindly, watching the man visibly relax. She hummed, then added, "As far as I know, though, she's preparing for an expedition in our galaxy while we complete our research on finding a Reaper IFF," before leaning in and whispering, "And figuring out how to deal with Cerberus, rather obviously."
"Let me know the moment she's done with the Collectors. I got some things to talk to her about, including reinstatement in the Alliance Military," Anderson requested, smiling a little as he thought of Shepard still doing her thing. He quipped, "Already got most of her death papers annulled… Everything except some of the medals, obviously. And tell her to make sure I don't get another Death Certificate."
"Understood. Have a good day, Councilor," Chuchi chuckled, then waved goodbye to the man. She walked over to Fox, joining him and his team of Coruscanti Guards, before watching the Commander chop a hand left. The two marched over two a checkpoint where some new device had been set up to examine Humans.
"That was painful to watch, even for how short it was…" Fox mumbled as they walked toward one of the local elevators together, all in order to safely descend to the lower floors where the Embassies and their housing were.
"You have no idea how painful it was to be the one having to convince these nerf-herders they need to rearm…" Chuchi mumbled, arms crossed, "I'm half-shocked one of them didn't throw the accusation of the Republic, UNSC and the Waystation people as a whole orchestrating these events due to wanting to sell weapons to them.
"Give it enough time and someone will spin a conspiracy theory on the ExtraNet. They always do when you least expect it," Fox sagely replied, arms crossed to his chest.
"Don't jinx it… Please… I've got enough of a headache as is," Chuchi groaned dramatically, putting her hand on her forehead.
"Sorry," The Commander snorted.
"Don't apologize…" The woman smiled now, having ditched the faux-complaining to look upon him with kindness in her eyes. He paused, feeling his heart skip a beat while she spoke softly, "We're both too used to similar events occurring in our own Galaxy. Aside from people siding with the Confederacy, of course," mild amusement audible in her voice.
"I've never met a group of people I wanted to punch more than Coruscanti CIS Apologists…" The Commander replied, rolling his eyes with a smirk. Lifting his helmet and sliding it back onto his head as the Elevator reached the Embassy area, he continued walking toward the Embassy specifically designated for the Waystation, a level lower down the stairs.
"You're the officer in charge of the Shock Troopers," The Senator joked as she patted her own jacket for her Blaster. She chuckled, then said, "You could technically just arrest them for dissent… But you know very well I'd be very upset with you if you did~," before looking at the man with a proud grin. He visibly tensed, face probably red as his armor's colors underneath the helmet.
"That I do…" He replied awkwardly, then cleared his throat.
"Hehe," The woman giggled mischievously, before sighing and asking, "Anyways… How goes the search for more of those Cylon infiltrators?" as they entered the somewhat large complex of the three major members belonging to the Waystation. UNSC, Republic and Colonial Staff interacted, having chats by the water cooler or at the desks as they worked through the day.
"Well enough. The UNSC's sharing hourly reports of their searches of the Lower Wards and we've recently received a prototype test system to determine who's a Cylon and who isn't. Bailey had C-SEC install it all over the Wards where Humans are," Fox replied, though he didn't trust that system much. The guy who designed it, Gaius Baltar, was a bit iffy to everyone on the Station.
"Thank you, Colonial Fleet…" Chuchi mumbled, however.
"We've set up various checkpoints and they've provided us a full list of the Numbers they know so far out of the Cylons. It'll make it a hell of a lot easier to spot them…" Fox explained. They passed by ONI's office as he added, "Provided they don't have same-face syndrome like Captain Dare, who isn't a Number, sharing hers with the Sixes," before he lifted up a photograph he'd received from Buck and one of a Number Six captured during operations in Cyrannus.
"... Force, I can certainly see the resemblance, though Captain Dare is older than them…" Chuchi mumbled, then hummed and asked, "Also, should we not be calling her Captain Buck as per human customs?" as soon as they reached the actual residential areas and barracks of the complex, where troops, Spartan, Marine and Clone alike, were already chatting.
"She kept her maiden name specifically for special operations," He replied almost knowingly, handing her the photos.
"Office of Naval Intelligence wetwork operatives probably don't want family getting stuck with their business," She thought aloud as they turned a corner and reached into one of the rec rooms built into the place by their staff. A pair of Marines and a pair of Clones were doing a whole arm-wrestling thing to pass the time, while others watched Holovision. A Colonial and a UNSC officer, male and female respectively, seemed to be getting close…
Fox commented, "Indeed. Right this way to your room, ma'am," before motioning toward the second row of rooms on their left, specifically to Chuchi's.
"Care to join me inside, Commander~? I can make us coffee," The girl teased, a grin on her face.
"As much as I'd be happy to, ma'am… I'm afraid duty still calls. Elevated security levels mean I'm required to be online full time…" The man coughed, then paused as he saw her face morph into a frown. Sighing deeply, then taking his helmet off, he asked, "However, I will attempt to find a timeslot to come visit. Wouldn't want to disappoint a senator now, would I?" to which the Senator chuckled. Both marched into her room for a cup.
"... Oh, they're fuckin'" One of the off-duty Marines quipped, garnering laughter from the entire room, even the Shock Troops.
On board the Normandy
While the Citadel continued its weapons and rearmament discussions, the SSV Normandy prepared to leave Drydock for the first time in quite a few days. Now sporting an elongated hull with a few extra rooms, more armor and a new shield that Shepard had just learned about as an extra layer against enemy fire, Joker's baby girl was altogether ready for its new mission.
Shepard, who sat to Joker's right at the co-pilot's console, pulled up the pre-takeoff list for the ship's upgraded design, spoke calmly, "... Full list check. Tibanna gas tanks," as her hands danced over the interface ahead. She noticed several new panels stream onto the hologram, showing various readings across the ship's hull.
"Tanks at 100%, check," Joker replied as his fingers danced on the holographic keyboard ahead of him. He looked over the streams of information while Cortana and EDI were assisting, with EDI herself having chosen to remain relatively quiet while her human captain and pilot worked through this necessary safety procedure.
"Central plasma coils and the antimatter containment for the Slipspace drive?" Shepard asked, a finger on the communication key. She saw the direct link to Engineering had been established long before she even started talking and thanked her allies and the Lord quietly for their AI companions. She waited for Tali to respond…
And respond she did, barely containing the joy she was clearly feeling, "Coils are aligned and charged and antimatter containment is holding steady, Commander," all while the whir of the Slipspace Drive and the reactors echoed over the com. Her ship was still a sleek beauty, but she'd gotten longer thanks to those mods. Long enough that Shepard thought they might shove a Corvette or Frigate-sized MAC in her maw.
"Checkittydoo," Joker completed Tali's little report with a smirk. The Commander let out a snort, while Cortana giggled and EDI remained flatly impassive. Behind them, Kasumi also let out a short giggle, looming over one of the consoles that linked to the ship's multitude of new Stealth Systems, including the photoreactive panels.
Shepard switched the com link to the weapons bay, then requested, "Weapons systems and targeting," as flowing code appeared in front of her. She wondered just how Garrus was handling having to calibrate so many weapons at once…
"Calibrated and nominal, though I could still do better, Shepard," The Turian answered happily, too. Well, that cleared that up, Shepard thought. Garrus was always the kind to be proud of making good guns, though part of her wondered what'd happened between him and Linda. They seemed quite angry at one-another when she departed, but now they were buddy-buddy…
Eh. Fair to assume Chief handled it, she thought, then left that train behind to go on to the list.
"Check and check," Joker added.
"Hydrogen Fuel cells and injectors," She asked.
"Working at one hundred percent and full. Check," Her pilot quipped.
"Electronic Warfare systems," The woman requested, trying to rush through the list quicker so they could depart.
"Operational," EDI answered flatly while Cortana was already upgrading parts of the system. Seriously, she needed to stop doing stuff like that without approval, Shepard thought, though she cracked a smile while watching the AI's hands dance across a multitude of code-filled windows, her avatar flaring with lines of code.
"Stealth systems?" The woman cast a glance back toward Kasumi, who smiled.
"All good on this end, Shep," The girl spoke as she activated her Omni-Tool.
The Commander let out a sigh, then stated, "Alright, well," as she turned on the com, connecting via Handshake protocol to the Waystation's Tower Control. She said, "That's the pre-flight checklist run-through for our new modifications. Waystation Central, this is Normandy Actual, requesting departure lane and final entry through the Star Road."
"Actual, this is Waystation Central. Permission for departure granted. Head for Lane 03, Carom zero-zero-four and enter slow. Safe travels," The Traffic Controller assigned to their sector, a Colonial woman with a fun accent that many people had called Caprican, replied jovially over the com. A data packet arrived immediately and Joker's Heads-Up Display soon updated with the route.
"Roger, thanks and cheers, as the Brits might say," Shepard chuckled, then tapped a few buttons and shut off the com as the ship detached from the Drydock, pushing itself back via light use of its directional thrusters. She watched as a Quarian Frigate that had been waiting to be retrofitted with new weapons gently glided into the ribcage-like dock in their place.
"This is gonna be either the most fun trip so far, or we're gonna be so screwed," Jeff Moreau spoke with all the joy he could muster at the thought. He followed the path marked by the artificial NAV Points on his HUD, checking his sides and 'above' and 'below' via the use of cameras and the windows. A pair of UNSC Corvettes flew overhead, escorting an Arquitens.
"Don't jinx us ahead of time. I like our odds," Cortana voice, putting her hands on her hips.
"Same here, Jeff. Maybe you should be more optimistic. Like Kasumi," Shepard chuckled. Joker waved one of his hands forward in a dismissive manner, but was smiling all the same. Good to know the Commander could crack a few good jokes here and there, he thought. Though Kasumi kind of worried him…
"Hehe. It's cute you think I'm an optimist, Shep," The Master Thief quipped, leaning onto the chair Shepard was co-piloting from with a prideful smirk.
Joker shivered a little when she turned to look at him.
"Considering the way you act around most of us, you can't blame me," The good Commander shrugged, tapping her foot against the wall behind the console, eyes scanning their surroundings. Most of the Quarian Fleet had been repaired and was now holding position around the Waystation. They were helping build it up, too, with more and more scaffolds and construction sites springing up around one of the main concourses.
"I'm a thief, but I'm genuine. I don't 'act' around people. Especially not people I like," Kasumi chuckled, then looked ahead, noticing the flickering lights of the path they were taking through the massive traffic around the Station. They saw a Sahara-class Prowler transition into Slipspace toward the Batarian Hegemony's borders.
She'd heard of scouting missions going on. ONI looked like it wanted to deal with the threat presented by those four-eyed freaks quickly.
"Aye, aye… Alright. Brace, people. We're entering the jump point…" Shepard spoke as she started up the countdown as Kasumi sat down. Alarms began to blare around the ship, muffled, light, single klaxons to signify they were about to enter Slipstream Space through the Star Road. Activating their mixed FTL Drive to lower their mass and heir kinetic barriers. Shepard whispered, "Goodbye, sweet Milky Way."
"This is gonna shake us up a bit, people. Hope you took some tums or something," Joker joked rather blatantly as he engaged the Ship's drives and pushed them forward. The FTL systems caught and connected to the alien station ahead. It blossomed like a flower, revealing the Event Horizon of their mixed-drive jump point.
As they entered, bow-first into the center of the Event Horizon, a nauseating twisting of reality began around them. Slipstream Space mixed with what seemed to be echoes of the FTL systems utilized by both the Republic and the Colonials to provide a kaleidoscope that danced ahead of them, a sickness-inducing display of a myriad colors, mixing and rearranging together before forming into that theoretical 'road'.
And indeed, the ride was relatively bumpy. The ship shook to and fro, minor warnings that were easily ignored blaring across the screen of the massless vessel. Electrical currents rippled through the hull as the ship slowly approached the Terminus of the Star Road that led to the Galaxy of the Republic. A flashing white light appeared, then the ship transitioned to realspace…
… Moments later, Shepard, who had nearly thrown her whole lunch up moments ago, cleared her throat, swallowed empty, then breathed in deeply. She whispered, "... Eugh… Thank God for Element Zero dampening," before calling out over shipboard PA, "Everyone alive?" and receiving affirmative replies across all decks, though intermixed with the obvious pains and complaints.
As Joker's own vision cleared and he ran his hands over his body, feeling all his bones in place and not broken, he breathed a sigh of relief, gently leaning back into the cushioned seat. He blinked repeatedly to clear the burning image of the kaleidoscope transfer, then gasped as soon as he saw the star and system ahead, whispering, "... Holy shit. We're across. Look, there's the research station!" and pointing on the HUD.
"Indeed," EDI offered calmly, then added, "Receiving a handshake from the Station itself."
"Seems like everyone wants to say hi to the New Galaxy Folks," Her AI comrade replied, crossing her arms to her chest.
"I don't blame'em. I'd wanna say hit to us, too," Joker spoke as he set course for the station, the ship's engines audibly humming as they began to move. A few Republic starships appeared on scopes, orbiting around the Research Base itself, weapons clearly charged, but not aiming for them so far. Three-engine arrowheads, the Arquitens-class light cruisers of the Republic Navy.
"Heh. Agreed. We are pretty cool," Kasumi chuckled.
"You know the rules, people. Behave," Shepard ordered as she tapped a command bar on her screen, then started typing away. She made sure their IFF transponder was online. Admiral Thrawn had sent a message ahead of their departure to this Galaxy that they'd be coming in on a mission. She saw the Arquitens cruisers shift immediately into escort mode, a squad of ARC-170s and even newer V-Wings swing in to escort them.
"Roger," The entire bridge replied.
"EDI. Accept the handshake," The good Commander ordered. As soon as she saw the Connection flash as 'secure' on her display, she started speaking into the microphone, calm and clear, "This is Commander Shepard of the Waystation and Republic-allied Frigate Normandy. We mean no harm to any of the Republic forces or research staff present and are on a mission. We're requesting coordinates for the planet Korriban in the Korriban Quarantine Zone."
"Welcome, Commander!" The man in charge called out jovially, appearing in front of the commander with the labcoat and everything. He continued, "Can I say how much of a pleasure it is to finally meet someone from the Other Side of the Star Road?! Oh, and we're sending the coordinates you requested as we speak. Welcome to our Galaxy!" while the crews aboard cheered and waved from behind him.
"Good to meet you all, too. And glad we're here. Just wish it was under slightly better circumstances…" Shepard replied, smiling. She watched the FTL Coordinates transfer over via a single-beam communication connection to the ship.
"It's incredible…" Cortana mumbled, eyes locked on shipboard sensor readings, "EDI, you seeing this?"
"Yes. Background radiation is inconsistent with anything on our records. Additionally, star charts match no known systems at the edge of space. Early spectroscopic analyses note the Galaxy's increased age…" EDI spoke, her own voice lowering in volume slightly as numbers danced in front of both of them. She whispered, "Incredible."
"In English, please?" Joker raised a brow.
"I can safely confirm, mister Moreau, that we're in another Galaxy," The AI replied in her usual flat tone while Cortana let out a laugh. That was about as basic an explanation as anyone could give. Jeff almost felt like his AI partner was kind of mocking him there. He didn't fully embrace the fact he was stuck running with her, but at least he got more and more used to her and Cortana's presence.
Whole AI uprising shtick notwithstanding…
"Ain't that just dandy. Do you think we'll notice a difference between Galaxies if we visit either the UNSC's or the Colonials'?" Jeff Moreau inquired with a hint of backsass toward EDI and Cortana.
"It is probable. No two Galaxies should truly be the same," EDI affirmed.
"Even if they're named the same thing…" Her friend added.
"Girls. Joker. Cut the chatter and prep the FTL drive," Shepard warned as she leaned into the seat. Kasumi vanished behind them, probably to return and watch their Sith and Force User buddies chat each-other up.
"Aye, commander. Sorry," Joker answered as the vessel turned right and powered toward the edge of the system. A quick goodbye message was broadcast on the same com frequency the Commander had used to talk to the Station before the ship powered on the accelerators and the core of the Slipspace Drive itself.
Before long space ahead of them tore wide open into a burning azure whirlwind. The ship engaged its own Element Zero systems again, reducing the mass of the vessel while its kinetic barriers powered to maximum. It transited out through the portal ahead, engines burning hot as it did… They had a long road ahead.
Resurrection Ship 03
En-Route outbound from Cyrannus
A command vessel unlike any other. That was how most of the Cylons aboard the Resurrection Ship would describe it. It was a home for all of the varied Humanoid Cylon Models to call their own. It was a command vessel that could help lead the greatest invasion forces… Or the mightiest of Ark Fleets. Either option seemed plausible as of right now, taking into account the Reaper Cylons' presence within the Cyrannus System.
Their outbound trajectory was taking them out of the system's multitude of smaller sub-stars and various other connective tissues. Staring down at a holographic display that showed their jump trajectory, a Number One, the very famed 'Cavil'-type model, tapped his foot impatiently, mumbling to himself.
Outside the window lay the thousands of various resurrection pods containing the unborn, forming and formed bodies of every Cylon Type of the ones he and his comrades had managed to coerce to their side in this little genocidal war. Who knew that, by some godforsaken mistake, they would wind up being targeted by their own kin in fratricide.
One of the Number Sixes approached the Number One. She was clad in her usual and favored Red Dress as she marched up to him, heels clanking against the steel floor of the ship. With her low voice, she demanded his attention. "Cavil," she spoke harshly, causing him to turn on his heel and look right at her.
"What?" He asked, slightly impatient.
"The Number Eight we had researching the effects of the Reaper technology just woke up screaming here," The Six spoke, tilting her head toward the 'Sharon' being helped out of one of the Pods as she held onto her throat. The persistence of Human resistance forces on Caprica to make their lives a living hell was admirable.
Though it was a pain, Cavil thought., He replied to the Six, "... Sounds like the hand of a certain group of Humans we all know too well at this point," only to get a nod of confirmation. He then asked her, "Anything new to report from that research?"
With mild disappointment that the man didn't give even half a damn about one of their own, she sighed deeply and answered, "Nano Machinery assisted by subliminal messaging through subtle control of the electromagnetic fields around their devices and infra and ultrasound… To put it simply, it is a perverse method of control, as far as she said. And Machines are as susceptible to it as humans are. Although that doesn't explain the corpses they were studying in the Graystone Robotics lab that was attacked."
"They can subvert the very mind through their methods… Maybe even revive the dead," Cavil almost seemed to ignore the question, focusing more on the practical applications of a dangerous enemy's own personal tools, which sort of terrified this Six. He asked her, "Can we find a way to do so ourselves?" while casting a glance toward the Number Eight.
"That's what led to the entire mess we're currently going through, remember?" Six answered with a question, her voice boiling over with a fury that had bubbled up in a split second, "Some random Number Six, one of my sisters, decided to try and investigate the artifact and woke up under its control and now we're here, fighting a Civil War against our own corrupted kind."
"I understand where you're coming from, but it could be useful. If for nothing else than to return our brethren to us under the true Light of God," Cavil tried to justify, though it seemed to fall on deaf ears, much to his chagrin.
"No. The Lord's way isn't control. He's given us free will for a reason, same as the Humans. We just know how to use it properly. Take that away and we'd be no better than the machines we're trying so hard to distance ourselves from," The woman snapped back, arms crossed. She glared at him for a moment, causing him to sigh deeply.
Despite the slight rebelliousness, Cavil appreciated how candid she'd just been. And the fact she was somewhat correct, "... Understood. Gather the others. It's time we speak of what our forces should and shouldn't do."
"They're already on their way over," The Six replied. Moments later, the entire crowd of Humanoid Cylons had gathered around a starmap showing the full Cyrannus System with live updates from troop disposition, scout fleet sightings and skirmishes across the System's many planets and smaller suns. A recent engagement updated, showing a victory for the Reaper Cylon fleets nearby Ragnar.
"Well, this is interesting," One of the Number Fours commented, noting a presumed enemy advance near Sigurd itself. Their target seemed to be Ragnar Anchorage, one of the few refueling bases the Cylon had managed to rebuild after the departure of the Colonial survivors from the system. It was an important point to reclaim… Still, the more pressing matter was the visible sight of multiple arrows pointing outward from the system on the Reaper Cylons' side.
"They've been sending more ships outbound than they've arrayed against us," Number Three commented, her voice bearing a heavy accent, "Most of them are older models they've retrofit with those Magnetohydrodynamic cannons, but fleets also reported heavier upgrades… Energy shields of some kind…"
"And in return, we've managed to crack the code on very light plasma weapons… Anything bigger we can fit on our own Basestars or are we still relying on Nukes?" A Two questioned, leaning onto the table and looking at the deployment of one of their smaller scout fleets nearby Persephone, one of their more important outposts in the Alpha System.
"The repurposed Picon anchorages are already helping refit several combat-ready vessels with plasma lances, the fleet escorting us has at least one warship mounted with plasma guns and we have a battalion of Centurions testing plasma rifles on Caprica… Half a squad of'em probably came to the Graystone laboratories after I got killed," The Number Eight that got killed and revived stated, her voice a little shaky as she still ran her cold fingers over her throat. She was pallid, afraid.
"Have as many of our ships as possible refitted with those weapons…" Cavil ordered calmly, his eyes locked onto Persephone itself. There were rumors of unknown ships floating in dark space, the same ships that might well have been supporting the Caprican resistance and all other small Cells on the Colonies… "We're going to be taking the fight to our fallen brethren soon, while this fleet hunts the Human Fleet."
"We should stay here. If the Resurrection Ship we left in Cyrannus is destroyed, or worse, taken over, we need to be ready to replace it," The Six from before protested, crossing her arms. There was much more to worry about than their wayward former masters escaping this nightmare of a system and vanishing into thin air.
"And if we don't go and find the Humans that escaped, we're dead anyways. One of their ships is still prowling out there, somewhere…" D'Ana, or the Number Three, replied with mild annoyance in her voice. She then paused and asked, "Where did we even find Plasma weapons to reverse-engineer? We've been struggling to crack magnetic mass drivers for ages now and we suddenly have a plasma weapon?"
"A damaged ship… Four thousand years old. Hammerhead shaped. You don't remember us finding it at the edge of Helios Beta?" The Number Six inquired, tapping the exact spot where they found it. "It was floating in the clouds of Hera, just waiting for us to find it. Though its computers were damaged beyond repair, we managed to salvage the guns off of it."
"I was still planetside on Virgon, dealing with the Farms when that was happening," She answered rather sharply. Six slid a photo of the ship, a hammerhead design with angular engines and multiple guns. Two such weapon systems were attached to the ship's bridgehead, pointed forward. Large cannons of some kind.
"Regardless," Cavil intervened, "It's safer to have our Fleets move out. Have a few more retrofitted ships catch up with us as soon as possible. Aside from that, we retain the current plan of action… And we hunt the Galactica," before slamming his hand onto the table. He stepped away, letting the others deliberate and think…
"... By your command…" The Six mumbled, then sighed deeply and walked out of the room. They genuinely had bigger fish to fry than a single ragged old ship and barely a few thousand surviving humans. Their entire conquest was at stake here. And Cavil wanting to figure out how in God's name to control the Reapers was…
Something deep down told Caprica Six that Cavil had gone insane. Because of that, she recalled what they'd done to the Humans had been nothing short of a brutal genocide, a total destruction of humanity, leaving a scant few people alive. They'd been the Cylons' creators. And they'd murdered them.
Forty years after a war that had supposedly ended all that… God forgive them. Those were still people they'd killed. And what they were doing to the Centurions? It was no different than what Mankind had wanted to do to the Cylons in general:turn them subservient. Make them tools. She eyed one of the new Heavy Centurion Models, then sighed…
No time for that…