Chapter One: the Middle of Nowhere

"One-Alpha checking in."

"One-Bravo checking in."

"One-Charlie reporting."

"One-Delta reporting."

"One-Echo armed and ready."

"Acknowledged. All squads converge on the xel'naga temple. Secure the area. Clear out any tal'darim that you find. Keep in contact. Crimson Dragon out."

More than a year-and-a-half had passed since the newly-allied forces of the Sector had defeated the fallen xel'naga Amon and his Hybrids in early-2505. Stray hybrids, scattered broods of feral zerg, and Amon's fanatical tal'darim protoss followers continued to cause trouble occasionally, but for all practical purposes, the Great Wars were over.

The Terran Dominion and Protoss Protectorate managed to coexist without grabbing C-14 Impaler gauss rifles or igniting psionic blades in the post-war days. Indeed, their militaries now cooperated on many joint operations. To the surprise of many, Emperor Valerian Mengsk and Hierarch Artanis had befriended each other. Having come to know both of them very well over the last six or seven years, I wasn't too shocked. Fortunately, their subordinates and constituents did their best to follow their examples.

Of course, Raynor had a big part to play in establishing the peace as well. He'd smoothed over border disputes between the two factions and kept everyone from trying to start another war with the zerg swarm to get revenge on Kerrigan. The fact that the Queen of Blades had played a major role in bringing down Amon certainly helped with that.

As I stood by a parked Hercules dropship waiting for the sixty men of my finest platoon to accomplish their objective, my mind was a thousand light years away.

If I hadn't joined the Alliance marine corps more than ten years ago, if I hadn't been posted on Elysium during the Skyllian Blitz, my life would be very different. Today, I was a brigadier general in charge of the Dominion marine corps' finest regiment, one of Emperor Valerian's most trusted officers. I'd served in the past as an aide to High Executor Tassadar, the savior of the templar himself. His last remaining relative and heir, 137-year old Praetor Naoros, considered me his brother-in-arms. Artanis had gone as far as to officially declare me a full protoss citizen. Even Raynor hadn't received that honor.

Back in 2496, (2176 back home on Earth) I'd been nothing but an inexperienced, naive private first-class in one of the Alliance's frontier divisions. I'd been a good student in high school; my friends always called me smart, but if it wasn't for the protoss, I would probably be a POW on one of the Batarian Hegemony's many colonies. Who knows, maybe even Khar'shan.

Either way, I wouldn't be standing where I was today. The Protoss still considered me one of 'them' even though I'd pretty much deserted the protoss military in the later half of 2502 after being persecuted by the Ara tribe. Through all that political crap, the Akilae tribe had defended me unflinchingly. Zeratul, a bit more than two years later, asked me to return to Shakuras to help him unite the fractured protoss tribes.

In the meantime, I owed a lot to the young terran emperor too. Valerian had given me the command of a battalion of marine recruits despite me being a total stranger, trusting that my experience with the protoss would suffice. He was also young enough to be my younger brother, oddly enough. It was with the Dominion military that I'd spent the last three years of my career, and it was a platoon of Dominion marines who I led into the field today.

Valerian, much to my chagrin, had insisted on accompanying the detachment I'd brought from my own 151st Marine Expeditionary Unit to this planet in the middle of nowhere. In retrospect, I shouldn't have been that bewildered. Though he was a politician by trade, Valerian's passion was archaeology. He was especially interested in anything that had to do with the xel'naga. Since he was also the terran military's de facto commander-in-chief, well...it's easy to see why we'd been sent to the largely unsettled Vornar system in the first place.

A Nerazim warband led personally by Dark Prelate Zeratul had discovered the largest xel'naga ruins on record there.

Vornar II wasn't exactly friendly territory, and Augustgrad's monarch would be a juicy target to anyone hoping to destabilize our sector of space, but... well, you couldn't exactly say no to the benevolent ruler of billions.

About half an hour ago, my platoon of marines had deployed by dropship to separate parts of the xel'naga ruins. In the meantime, Zeratul's warband had secured the main temple structure. They hadn't found any resistance, but as the old saying goes, it's better to be safe than sorry. Hence, I wouldn't be bringing in Valerian and the others until the area seemed sufficiently safe.

Valerian wasn't the only one I had with me. That'd be leaving it way too easy for any potential attackers. Zhadun, a trusted companion of Zeratul's, stood on guard with six of his men nearby, disciplined warriors who'd seen Aiur fall. Additionally, my own special team was at my side:

Sergeant Major Robert Agnarsson was a young, idealistic citizen of Tarsonis City who had been one of the 151st's original recruits. He was dependable and loyal to a fault, yet straightforward and unassuming at the same time. I still remembered how devastated he'd felt when he found out the real reason Korhal had fallen to the zerg swarm in 2500.

Umojan Shadowguard Agent Ulli "Tesla" Trey had been assigned by Valerian to be my 'bodyguard.' Every general and admiral got one, as a rule, for security reasons. With a PI of 10, Tesla had the tactical mind of at least a battalion leader, and was more effective than agent Nova as a reconnaissance expert and sniper, if not as an assassin.

I don't know how Valerian managed to get the umojans to turn over one of their best agents to his command, but his grandfather was Ailin Pasteur, a member of the Umojan Ruling Council.

Second Lieutenant Tennyson "Tenny" Smith was a shock trooper who'd somehow retained his sanity and morality despite being inducted into the notorious reaper corps. He also had a PI of 7. How he managed to hide that from the wranglers of the Ghost Program I have no idea. No doubt an over-confident, showy cynic, Tenny could nevertheless be trusted in a crisis.

Private First Class Douglas Haster was the youngest of the group, a naive Mar Saran who'd begged me to let him enlist into the 151st while I was with Raynor visiting the colonists a month ago. I don't know what persuaded me to let him sign on. Maybe because he reminded me of me ten years ago. He learned quickly, and I found I enjoyed telling the kid stories about the protoss and showing him what life in the corps is like.

Another relatively recent addition to my little team was lance corporal Anna Lewis, a medic who'd been transferred to the 151st in 2504, which was later than most. It turned out to be a logistics error on the part of Dominion High Command. I wasn't dumb enough to refuse an extra medic, of course. Lewis proved to be extremely talented despite her inexperience.

"Sir, this is Borman." The platoon's lieutenant reported a few moments later. "Scanners aren't picking up any bad guys in-zone. I think you and Demosthenes can start heading over. I'm putting prelate Zeratul on the line." Demosthenes was Valerian's call-sign. It wouldn't be smart to directly call him "Emperor" in a potentially hostile system.

"Greetings, friend Lee." Zeratul's deep voice boomed. I saw Lewis and Haster openly flinch. I didn't blame them-when the protoss talked to you, it initially felt like hearing an announcer on a loudspeaker yelling right into your ear. They'd get used to it in time, I knew.

"Prelate. Honored." I said, keeping the formalities to a minimum, as Zeratul always insisted. "How many are with you?"

"Two score, a majority of them scientists and scholars. We have discovered a rather interesting artifact. I believe Demosthenes will be pleased. I welcome you to our camp, humble and makeshift though it may be."

"Thank you. We'll be there soon. Over and out." I turned to the others. "It's time to roll out, people. Check your gear twice, and check it again. Make sure you have everything you need."

Not to be outdone, I followed my own advice. My power armor made me a little over 8.5-feet tall, about six inches taller than terran marines were in their CMC Armor. Fully crimson in color (as opposed to the red-and-black of the marines), my suit of armor constituted of a mix of protoss and terran technology. It was sleeker than marine armor, far more resilient, and reinforced by multiple layers of energy shields.

I carried a power sword and a plasma rifle into battle. The power sword reminded me of the weapon of the same name from Warhammer 40k. It could slice through rocks, doors, walls, siege tank armor. Psionic blades couldn't even break it. Protoss artisans had designed my plasma rifle to look like a terran rifle. It fired blue bolts composed of a mix of plasma and psionic energy. The khalai had actually integrated a small Khaydarin crystal into it-after several hundred shots, I had to wait a few seconds for it to recharge, but I'd never run out of ammo.

The Nerazim warriors simply strode forward in front of us, leaving their warp blades de-activated. Their energy shields would give them an edge over any foe. They didn't need to physically test their blades to know that they worked. Their decades of experience were proof enough.

Agnarsson hefted his C-14 Impaler, extending and retracting its bayonet before patting the "blaster" heavy slugthrower pistol at his side. Tenny flashed his P-38 Scythe pistols and checked his deuterium-8 charges. Tesla shouldered her C-20A rifle, flipped her experimental laser pistol into the air, and flicked her psy blade on and off again. Lewis had a combat shield mounted on her left arm, yet she was still able to quickly ensure that her A-13 grenade launcher, flash grenades, and C-7 Stinger gauss pistol were all in place.

Valerian wore a full black suit of CMC armor. He held a C-14 just like any marine would, a fancy gauss pistol hanging at his side. He additionally carried a combat blade, I noticed. People were usually astonished to learn that Valerian knew three types of martial arts, could handle just about any type of firearm, and fenced in his free time. He was deadly in his own right, despite having received no "formal" military training.

Douglas was... decidedly less confident. I realized that this was only his...third actual potential combat situation. He'd forgotten to load his standard-issue flak pistol. He dropped it while trying to pull it out, after an unsuccessful attempt to balance his C-14 with his other hand.

I probably should have sent him to basic.

Luckily, before I could embarrass him for being as clumsy as I'd been in boot camp, Lewis intervened. She picked up the pistol with her free hand, handing it grip-first back to Haster. Gratefully taking the flak pistol, he tried again, this time laying his C-14 on the ground first.

"Okay, kid, if you're done, we gotta get a move on." Rob barked. Doug jerked as if he had been struck. "Aye aye sir!"

"We aren't swabbies, this isn't boot camp, and I'm not a fekking officer! I've got no use for aye ayes. 'Sir' is standing over there to your right. It's sergeant. Major... We clear, private?"

"Crystal, sergeant major!"

"That's better." Rob allowed. "Now stay on my ass. Don't even think about trying to be a hero. Only dumbasses like the General or geniuses like me have the right to do that."

Valerian smiled. "You going to take that, Richard?"

"Not worth it getting mad over the small things, Valerian. You excited?"

"I am…" He said with a straight face. "You don't sound especially upbeat, yourself."

"Me? I'm bored. Finding myself thinking of Earth more now that the war's over."

"Homesick? I can relate. I still think of Umoja at times."

"Thing is, Valerian. You had to move around a lot growing up. I stayed in the same suburban town from when I was born all the way up to when I joined the marine corps after high school ...That reminds me...Funny how there's two Earth's, huh?"

"In the end, Earth is just a toponym. The two Earth's and their respective star systems are entirely different, so the only fact that troubles me is that two separate human civilizations emerged in two...such distant places. It cannot be coincidence. Someone, perhaps the xel'naga, moved a population of humans from one of the Earths onto the other. From what you've told me about your Earth, I'd venture to guess that your homeworld is the 'real' Earth."

"Still...it's weird that the names are the same."

"The names are the only things similar about them, Richard."

"Yeah yeah, I know." I replied, changing the subject. "I wonder what's so special about this artifact Zeratul mentioned."

"We will find out soon, I'm sure. The dark prelate is proficient both in creating mysteries and unlocking them."

"Ain't that the truth," I agreed.

Valerian glanced at me in amusement.

"What? It's slang, all right? I grew up in a relatively wealthy area, but I wasn't in the top 0.01% like you were. I will admit, however that I never talk like that."

"Precisely the reason for my surprise," Valerian said.

"All right...there's the camp over yonder. Tesla, how much longer before we get there?"

"Fifteen, twenty minutes of walking? Yeah, it sucks, but don't forget you were the one who decided that this place was a potential red zone."

"Don't start celebrating your victory just yet, Tesla. We aren't safely at our objective, are we?"

"You almost sound like you want something to go wrong," Anna pointed out.

"He does." Tenny bluntly replied. "I do too. Life has been way too boring lately. Nothing to shoot. No one to roast. It makes me hungry just thinking about it."

I facepalmed. "You would say that."

"Yup, you know it." Wow...

My men came to attention as we finally arrived at the camp. Lieutenant Borman reported on what they'd found so far, assuring me that he kept 10 men on guard duty at all times.

Zeratul's nerazim scientists were examining a large object that reminded me of the xel'naga device from the battle of Char. A circular base with a pillar-shaped construct sticking out of it. There were a few obvious differences, though.

As the rest of us settled in for the day, Valerian and Zeratul oversaw the researchers. They were clustered around the artifact, pointing, manipulating pieces, reading inscriptions and chatting.

A couple hours later, I was teaching the Doug the importance of vigilance during off-duty hours when I heard a resounding boom. The ground shook. Looking up, I saw that the artifact had begun to glow a bright red. Why did that make me feel like something had gone totally FUBAR?

Because something did go totally FUBAR. Tesla confirmed telepathically.

A forcefield of red energy emitted from the artifact, beginning to form a dome around us.

"No one move." Valerian whispered over the general comm-link.

"What the fekk's going on?" Doug asked. The seventeen year-old was obviously close to panic. Lewis placed a hand on his shoulder, but glanced at me questioningly.

I shook my head. No idea. We all stared at the widening dome. It growed until all of us were encompassed inside it. Was it a defense mechanism? Were we all about to be incinerated?

There was no way to be sure. The only thing we could do was wait.

One of the nerazim didn't take the situation so calmly. He sprang at the artifact in desperation. As soon as he touched the device, a torrent of red energy washed over him. He dissolved.

The other dark templar civilians could no longer restrain their terror.

Zhadun snarled, "Hold!" His warriors began moving to block the agitated noncombatants.

A sudden red flash blinded my vision, a wave of energy sending me flying backwards. I hit an unseen object/surface hard enough that I blacked out.

"General!"

Oww…

"Sir!"

I know that voice.

"Wake up, sir!"

I opened my eyes groggily, recognizing Rob and Tesla standing over me.

"Sir, how many fingers am I holding up?" Tesla looked genuinely concerned.

"Uh...5762?"

Rob chuckled. "Come on, sir. No lying down on the job." He pulled me up quickly.

"Where are the others? And where in the hell are we?"

"Just as clueless as you are, sir." Tesla shrugged.

"If you ask me, this place is planet shithole." Rob said distastefully. "Who'd want to live here? It's a goddamn...wasteland."

"Strange...I'm picking up abnormally high levels of radioactivity. There must have been a nuclear war on this planet at some point." Tesla informed us.

"Attention, this is Crimson Dragon. Is anyone out there? Over."

"This is Demosthenes. I'm with the prelate. It doesn't seem like any of the nerazim scientists made it. I can confirm that the praetor and his men are still alive. So are all of your marines. Interestingly enough, I think that we've been teleported somewhere. When scientist Ulrador was dissolved by the artifact, it must have thrown off the device's calculations, leading to those nearest the artifact being killed and scattering the rest of us."

"Understood. I'll have agent Tesla send out a signal over your HUDs. Standing orders are to regroup on my coordinates. No exceptions. That includes you, Demosthenes."

"Of course, dragon. I'll notify the fists." The 151st Regiment was known as Freedom's Fist, so its marines were nicknamed the fists. "Be advised. It may take us all a while to reach your current location. We're not far from you, but with no vehicles…"

"Take your time. We'll try not to move too far from this position. Over and out."

"Hear that?" Tesla asked as soon as I cut the com-link. Gunfire, she clarified telepathically.

"Ugh, don't do that. You're making my head hurt." Rob complained.

"Deal with it."

The familiar sound of mass accelerator fire reached my ears. Great…

For the first time, I realized we were standing near an old, ruined...facility of some sort. A really big one. I jumped when I heard a loud series of thunderous bangs.

"What the heck was that?"

Tesla glanced at me, her expression strangely wry. "I can't be sure, sir, but if I had to guess," She pointed into the air behind me. "I'd say it has something to do with that giant cannon."

"What giant...oh."

A massive anti-aircraft cannon loomed over us, firing shots at distant, unseen targets. I shook my head. This entire place looked so run-down. Who'd put such a powerful gun out in the middle of nowhere? The area was so vulnerable… The mass accelerator fire continued.

Someone wanted to disable that cannon...

"Demosthenes. Dragon here. You hearing that?"

"If you're talking about that booming noise, yes."

"It's some sort of anti-aircraft gun. I can hear mass accelerator fire too. I'm going to investigate. So you see that big structure near our coords? That's where you'll find us. I'll keep you updated on the situation. Just...stay frosty. Over."

I motioned to Tesla and Rob. "Weapons free. Let's get in there and figure out what's going on. Tesla, I want you to stay a good ten or twelve steps behind us to cover our six. You're a lot less noisy than we are, so anyone trying to flank us won't notice you. Come on, Rob."

I jogged forward into the facility, taking a moment to examine its dust-colored walls. A wikipedia article I read a decade ago nagged at the back of my mind, but I couldn't recall it. My plasma rifle was already in hand.

"Contacts!" A distorted voice yelled. Incoming fire sparkled on my shields. A few stray rounds bounced off of Rob's armor.

"Shit. Cover!" I roared, spraying my plasma rifle. Our attackers wore white. black, and yellow armor. I narrowed my eyes. Cerberus. What the hell were they doing here?

"Demosthenes, hostiles inside the facility. White, yellow, and black armor. I repeat, tri-colored armor-black, white, and yellow. Engage on sight."

One of my bolts nailed a cerberus trooper. His two buddies had terrible aim. I noted that both were shooting in three-round bursts. Their guns were too small to be assault rifles. SMGs, maybe? Those were some pretty long-range SMGs they were toting.

One of them swore, pulling some sort of clip out of the gun and replacing it with another one. I thought mass accelerators didn't use clips. Then again, a lot can change in ten years...

Tesla's C-20A spat two short bursts. Bothcerberus troopers collapsed.

"Damn, didn't even get to press the trigger." Rob muttered. "Nice shootin, ghostie."

"For the last time, Robert. I. Am not. A ghost."

"Stow it, you two." I snapped. "More hostiles."

Two cerberus troopers holding riot shields were lumbering towards us, backed by four more troopers and heavier-armored trooper with an assault rifle. I blinked. Did these guys really think that I'd be scared of two guys with riot shields when I was eight-and-a-half feet tall?

I charged forward, not bothering to fire my rifle. I slammed into both of them, sending them sprawling. My momentum carried me into the assault-rifle wielding cerberus trooper, who I also knocked down. I shot one of the SMG-wielding troopers, whacked another one under the chin, and speared my rifle's bayonet into the third one's chest.

Sliding the plasma rifle over my back, I drew my power sword in time to cut down the trooper with the assault rifle, who was back on his feet. I kicked one of the shield-holding guys before slashing him with a downward stroke. Reversing the blade, I plunged it into the other one. That left a single survivor. I grabbed with one hand and threw him into the nearby wall.

Walking up to him, I put the tip of my power sword to his throat. "What is cerberus doing here?"

The man groaned. "The anti-aircraft gun…"

"What are you doing with it?" I demanded.

He coughed. "We were...using it to clear the way for...one of our cruisers to land…"

"Okay. Now, what planet is this?"

"You really don't know?"

"What planet?"

"T-Tu-Tuchanka…" Tuchanka? Homeworld of the krogan?

"How many of you are there?"

"Com-Company..."

"Incoming!" Rob warned, opening fire. Tesla's C-20A joined the fray a second later.

The cerberus trooper pulled out a frag grenade. "Die…" The resulting explosion staggered me. My shields dropped to forty-percent. Effing Cerberus.

Rob stomped down onto a trooper, finishing him off. He and Tesla had already taken care of our four latest cerberus attackers.

We had just passed through another hallway when Tesla cocked her head to one side and engaged her cloaking device. That meant…

"Drop your weapons!" A flangling voice hollered.

Rob and I swiftly pointed our rifles at the speaker, a turian in blue armor holding an assault rifle. At his side were...an asari with a pistol, a human specops marine in grayish combat armor wielding a shotgun, an Alliance N7 with an assault rifle, and a...mech...of some sort holding an SMG. I'm making a lot of new friends today.

"Dream on." Rob growled. "I don't take orders from you."

From behind us, a voice calmly said. "I'd do as Garrus said, if I were you."

Three men in dark green armor and two in black armor were pointing assault rifles and a submachine gun at us. I nearly did a double-take when I realized that all five of them sported the emblem of the CIA.

"We don't want trouble. Just drop the guns, and I'm sure we can work this out." The leader of the CIA men continued.

"Or you could all drop your weapons." Tesla said smoothly. A red dot appeared on the N7's forehead. "Of course, you could just let me pop your commander's head."

The CIA team leader sneered. "The Agency doesn't forget its enemies, bitch."

"Neither does the Dominion." I answered him. "I know who I'm dealing with. You don't."

"Oh really? I think I know exactly who you are. A secret Cerberus cell."

"You really think Cerberus has the tech necessary to make this armor?" I laughed out loud. "Like I said, you don't know who you're dealing with, so I suggest you lay off."

"And just FYI, we took down a few teams of the...cerberus troops you're talking about on the way up. I don't know how you could possibly confuse us with them. For starters, they aren't clad in 8-foot tall powered combat suits like these two are." Tesla observed sardonically. "And in case you were wondering, I don't like it when people call me a bitch."

The N7 raised an eyebrow. "If you're not Cerberus, what are you doing here?"

"Well...even if I told you, you wouldn't believe us." I responded.

"This is obviously one big misunderstanding." The N7 amended. "If you'll put your weapons away, we'll do the same." He offered.

Rob snorted. "You first."

The N7 nodded. "Suit yourself." He replaced his assault rifle. In a series of clicks, the others did the same, their mass accelerators folding into more compact shapes. The five CIA men joined the N7's group so that all ten of them stood in front of us.

I slid my plasma rifle over my back. Rob slowly laid his C-14 against the wall. Tesla shouldered her C-20A reluctantly and came up on my left, continuing to monitor them warily for any suspicious movements with a hand on her laser pistol.

"Okay, why don't we start over?" The N7 sounded sincere. "My name is Commander John Shepard of the Alliance Navy. My team and I were sent to secure this facility. Cerberus is using an ancient krogan anti-aircraft gun to clear a path for one of its cruisers to enter low atmosphere. If the cruiser makes it, it'll cause lots of problems for the krogan ground resistance."

Shepard. I knew a Shepard back in the day. "Hmm...tell me, Commander. Were you posted on Elysium in 2176 by any chance?"

Shepard stiffened. "I was. Why?"

"Then I'd like to ask you...how did it turn out in the end? Being shot by a stun gun isn't fun, as you might imagine. How's Shaun Kalantari? I remember he was with us when the mercs and slavers showed up in March. He get into the SAD like he always said he wanted to?"

John froze. "No way…"

"Richard Lee. Alliance marine corps private first class. 127th regiment, 3rd Frontier Division. MIA as of March 2176. Reporting for duty." I lowered my visor.

John's jaw dropped open. "Richard? You've been alive all this time?!" He shouted. "What the fuck, man? Why didn't you tell anybody? It's been ten freaking years!"

"I know how long it's been, John. I haven't been living under a rock all this time."

Shepard shook his head. "We won on Elysium. The brass gave me a Star of Terra. As for your second question...well...I think they can tell you the answer personally."

He gestured to the five CIA men. "Richard, say hello to your old friends: Shaun Kalantari, Kayvon Heravi, Eiad Nasser, Minsu Kim, and Nathan Zhang. It's not all of your friends, but it's five of them. Guys, it looks like our mutual acquaintance is back after a very long time abroad."

"Holy shit." Minsu.

"Richard….Damn. Never thought I'd see the day…" Kayvon.

The others were speechless. After a protracted pause, Shaun cleared his throat.

"Well, Richard. Welcome back. I'm sure you'll have a lot of stories to share with us."

"Yeah. It's been one intense decade for me. How is it back home?"

John, Shaun, and the others winced. "You really don't know?" John queried.

Shaun sighed. "Earth fell to a race of sentient starships two weeks ago. They're called the Reapers, and they're more powerful than any enemy we've ever known. Palaven was hit a few days after that. Colonies across citadel space have gone dark. Thessia and Sur'kesh are safe for now, but we don't know how long that's going to last. It's an epic disaster.

"Cerberus somehow expanded its membership; they may be working with the reapers. They conquered Omega and drove out Aria T'loak, they're raiding convoys and attacking colonies. You remember all those days we used to laugh at the word 'apocalypse?' It's actually happening now, and there's nothing we can do to stop it."

I clenched a fist in rage, staring right into Shaun's eyes. "I'll help you stop them. And I'm not alone." I extended my right hand. Shaun looked down at it, blinked as if in a daze, and then shook it, grinning. I shook John's hand just as firmly.

"How bad is it?" Those reapers are so going down…

"Resistance on Earth's been reduced to just a guerilla movement. Comms are down. The only things people can communicate with are the old radios and the newly-developed Quantum Entanglement Communicators. Much of the developing world is totally dark, entire cities have stopped checking in, and millions of people are being processed or killed every day."

"Processed?" Rob asked dubiously.

"Turned into husks." Shaun clarified, showing us a picture. "Or mixed with batarians to make cannibals." He showed us another photo.

I grimaced. "Fucking A. And these reapers? What can you tell me about them?"

"There are two types of them. 160-meter long destroyers and 2-kilometer long capital ships. They seem to be led by a reaper named harbinger. Every 50,000 years, they come back from dark space to harvest all space-faring organic civilizations. They've been doing that for more than a billion years now, most likely. Conventionally, the combined navies of the entire galaxy wouldn't even be a match for them."

"I see. And Cerberus is just derping around trying to fulfill their own obscure agenda?"

"That's the idea," Shaun confirmed.

A few loud cracks sounded in the distance. "We have to take that AA gun out of cerberus hands," John interjected. "We can fill you in later."

"Actually," I corrected him. "You don't need to do anything. I've got this handled."

Everyone gazed at me in confusion. "Demosthenes, come in."

"Yes, General?"

"Status report, please."

"We're currently gathered outside of the ancient facility. You?"

"We're inside it right now. Listen, can you all lock and load? I have a task for you."

"What might that be, brother?" Zhadun rumbled.

"Clear this facility of hostiles. I'm uploading all relevant data to your HUDs. Split into teams and sweep every inch if you need to. I want this place green in five. Over."

"Understood. Moving in now."

Immediately, the sounds of armor thudding on the ground and the roar of a dozen different C-14's could be heard reverberating throughout the facility.

John gaped at me visibly. "General, huh? You've come up in the world, Richy."

"Hell, are all of your people as heavily armored as you are?" the gray-armored marine asked.

"No, but they are as heavily armored as Robert is." I replied honestly.

A cerberus trooper came flying through the doorway, smashing into the far wall with an audible crash. A golden-armored blur sprang into the room, throwing another trooper aside carelessly.

"This is easier than hunting zerglings." Zhadun grumbled. "It's not even marginally a fair fight. If the people here are all like this, how in the name of Aiur has anyone in citadel space managed to thrive and prosper for so long?"

He noticed John, Shaun, Garrus, and the others, who were gawking at him, eyes wide. "Oh...this situation is...rather awkward...Zhadun of the protoss, pleased to meet all of you."

"Uh...Hi…" John managed.

"No offense, but what are they feeding you?"

"Protoss don't eat anything. They gain sustenance through photosynthesis, Mr…" I explained.

"Vega. Lieutenant James Vega."

"Vega. Good to know. That reminds me, John, you still haven't introduced the others."

"Oh, that's right. This is Garrus Vakarian. He's been with me for a long time now, and he's the best shot on the team besides Shaun and I. This is Dr. Liara T'Soni. She's been with me just about as long as Garrus. That there is EDI...my ship's...AI…"

"Artificial Intelligence? I thought those were supposed to be illegal."

"They are illegal...it's a long story."

"Got it. I'm guessing there's a lot of other people I haven't met?"

"There definitely are." Shaun answered for him. "Urdnot Wrex and Mordin Solus, for starters."

"We'll cross those bridges when we come to them." Shepard decided.

"Sounds good to me. I have a few introductions to make, too. This is sergeant major Robert Agnarsson, my regiment's senior NCO. And this is agent Tesla, my...assistant, I guess you could say. They're members of the Terran Dominion Armed Forces. That's right boys and girls. Don't ask me how, but there's an extra-galactic civilization of humans out there."

Before any of them could comment, Zeratul's deep voice announced. "We have cleared the facility and come across a control panel. I am unclear how to proceed."

"That's up to us," John affirmed. "We'll talk later. I have to use that gun to shoot down that cerberus cruiser that's trying to pull in overhead."

I nodded. "First things first, as always."

John and EDI hurried in the direction of the control room.

"Zeratul, you have friendlies incoming. They're...friends of mine."

"I can tell the difference between allies and foes, friend Lee. You need not worry."

Garrus faced me. "Sorry about earlier…I just...haven't seen anyone quite like you all before…"

"Same here, Garrus!" Vega blurted out. "Hell, you lot look like you could wrestle krogan!"

"Protoss warriors easily could," I agreed. "Terran marines are taller and just as bulky as krogan, but we're not as physically massive. Krogan weigh half-a-ton. CMC armor's heavy; it adds about five-hundred or so pounds to a person's weight. Still, we're a good three hundred pounds lighter than your average krogan. CQC between us and them would be pretty intense. Gauss rifles are stronger than mass accelerators are, so in a shoot-out it'd be a pretty clear-cut win for us."

"You sound really confident," Eiad said. "Have you ever seen a krogan in battle?"

"Have you seen the Terran Marine Corps in battle?" I retorted. That shut him up.

It wasn't too long before John and co. came back, joined by Valerian, Zeratul, Lewis, Doug, my 60 marines and ten dark templar.

"I've called the Normandy, my stealth frigate, for evac. I don't think we'll have room for all of your men and equipment." John alerted us apologetically.

Tesla smirked. "No need to worry, Commander."

"What do you mean, miss Tesla?" Valerian wondered. "We're cut off from the Koprulu Sector. There's no way off-world for us besides going with the commander."

"Cut off from Koprulu? Oh, don't be ridiculous, sir."

I looked at her weirdly.

"No, I am not high, sir." Tesla glared at me. "Observer, now would be a good time…"

There was a cheerful-sounding chirp, and then a golden orb materialized beside her. "See? Now all we need to do is have the observer transmit our whereabouts back to Korhal or Shakuras."

The observer beeped. I smiled broadly. "Okay, you are just a genius, Tesla. How'd you know there was an observer nearby?"

"Unlike you sir, I actually pay attention to where the observers that we deploy are. It's been more than a year, sure, but it doesn't take that much effort to check on their status once in a while."

"Great work. John, Shaun, I want both of you to forward to me all the information you have on the reapers. I want the Koprulu Sector's leaders to know exactly what we're dealing with. Observer, relay a request for an expeditionary force to be posted here. Cite the Warfield Protocol.

"With your permission John, I'd like to ask that you let my squad and Valerian come aboard your ship. It's time for me to be at the center of things again."

"Permission granted. It'll be great having you aboard, I can already tell. Just be prepared for a lot of clueless crewmen gawking at you guys. And full reveal: the Turian Primarch of Palaven and the overload of the Krogan, Urdnot Wrex, are both aboard."

I cracked up. "My my, John, you're a lucky guy. You get to add another head-of-state to your collection!"

John, obviously, had no idea what I was talking about.

"Commander, meet Emperor Valerian Mengsk, ruler of the Terran Dominion."

John was dumbfounded. "...No offense sir, but you seem really young."

"I'm twenty-five, Commander. I get that a lot."

"Twenty-five? Spirits!" Garrus nearly shouted. "That's how old Tali is!"

I raised an eyebrow. "Another old friend?"

"A quarian machinist, actually." Shaun expounded. "Daughter of an Admiral."

"Huh…Cool. Never met a quarian before…And wait…what are you guys doing on Tuchanka, anyways? Enlisting the krogan for the war effort?"

"Yeah…." Shaun started uncomfortably.

"As part of the deal, we have to cure the genophage." Nathan finished for him.

I couldn't believe it. "You're...not joking...are you?"

"Nope." Shepard pronounced. A friend of ours, a salarian named Dr. Mordin Solus, has already synthesized a cure. Once we head back to the Normandy, we'll be discussing with Wrex and the primarch about how to deploy it."

"Whoa....If you ask me, it's about time they got their cure." I declared. "Sounds like this Dr. Solus and Egon would get along, don't you think Valerian?"

"Indeed. I'm sure Dr. Stetmann would be eager to meet him." The emperor mused.

A new voice crackled over my comm. "Richard, you there?" Jim Raynor?!

"Yeah, Jim." I answered nervously. "I'm here. Alive and kicking."

"Good to hear. Just what the heck happened on Vornar II?" The commander of Raynor's Raiders barked angrily. "Do you have any idea how worried we all were?"

"Sorry, Jim I- listen...are you on your way over or something?"

"You bet your life's savings I'm on my way over! I swear, I relax for one second…"

"Two weeks, actually."

"Not. The point."

"Copy that, Marshall."

"Uh-huh…" he sighed in exasperation. "Artanis says 'yes' by the way. You can expect the expeditionary force in about a week or so. I grabbed the Hyperion and the raiders as soon as I heard you all went missing, and we managed to figure out where you went. Lucky for both of us, Tosh noticed you guys on the observer network's vid-feeds."

"Wait...you're already almost here? How long has it been?"

"Since you activated that artifact? Ten days."

"Wow...so that artifact didn't just teleport us…"

"Yeah, guess not, huh? Anyways...you guys are on...Two...Two-Shank-a?"

Everyone within hearing burst into laughter. "Tuchanka, Jim. Tuchanka."

"Hey, cut me some slack! I didn't even know that you were serious about coming from another part of the galaxy until yesterday! ...Oh boy...Hold on tight, we're thirty minutes out."

"Got it. Don't rush. By the way, Jim….there's a war on."

"I know. We passed a squid-thing on our way here. It was attacking a couple...er...turdian ships. We helped them out, blasted it with our Yamato. I think it was one of the smaller squids."

"Hahahahaha!" Shaun, Kayvon, Eiad, Nathan, and Minsu guffawed. "He just called you a turd, Garrus!" Garrus's mandibles flared in amusement mixed with embarrassment.

"Right...Jim, it's turian, not turdian."

"God damn it...aliens and their complicated names...whatever. Stay safe, Richard."

"Yeah, you too. One last thing: Valerian and my squad will be boarding my friend John Shepard's stealth frigate, the Normandy, one of the ships under the System Alliance's command. That's the human government here. If you could pick up my men, Zeratul, and the ten dark templar with us though, I'd appreciate it."

"Sure thing, Rich. Tell that Shepard buddy of yours that I'll kill him if anything happens to you or junior. I'm always watching."

"Aww….that's so sweet…" Tesla's tone was light.

"And tell that annoying ghost of yours that if she doesn't shut up, I'll...uh...throw her out the airlock."

Robert, Tenny, and Doug chortled. "Hah! You just got told, Tess!" The sergeant major teased.

I exchanged a glance with Valerian. We both jokingly shook our heads in despair

"...Look at this, Valerian...what is society coming to?" I asked melodramatically.

As a kodiak shuttle approached to ferry some of us to the Normandy, everyone, terran, human, and otherwise, broke out into laughter.

Elsewhere, the war against the reapers raged. But for now, we were just one big…family. We were from different planets and star systems, and many of us were strangers who had just met less than fifteen minutes ago. Yet, from these humble beginnings sprung what would become a lasting alliance between the races of citadel space and the factions of the Koprulu Sector.

That's the new-and-improved version of chapter one, folks. I know that this story seems like a pseudo-SI right now, and to be honest, it kind of is. However, I am planning on adding original content and plot elements. That just may not be too evident in my first few chapters, because Shepard, his crew, and the other Earth-based OCs will all be important in the story (Thus, I used my OC's arrival on Tuchanka to introduce them into the story)

Thanks for taking the time to read this. Favorite and follow the story if you like it, and don't hesitate to leave a review or PM me with any questions or feedback you may have!