Aureus Viterius, Captain of the Turian Dreadnaught 'Victorious' with two cruisers, Inexorable and Indomitable and a handful of frigates were sent by the Hierarchy on their normal patrols, this time skirting the boundary of the yet-to-be explored Sol system. In truth, Captain Viterius thought the move moronic. To expand territory into such a place, what was the point? Indeed he thought that the place should be ignored but he wouldn't ignore his orders.

Thus he and those below him, literally and metaphorically, as Turian ship design put the captain at their rightful place above their crew, would follow his order to the letter.

"Readouts clean, Captain," Ensign Vixus reported "all's functioning as it should be." Viterius nodded, his bright red markings stark against his alabaster exoskeleton and skin.

"Good man, make sure it stays that way."

"Aye aye!"

"Captain, something on the scanner." Reported Ensign Aulus.

"What is it?" Viterius questioned, perhaps it wouldn't be such a waste of time.

"A mass relay, sir. It's dormant. But there are signatures around it, the readings are off the damned charts." Aulus frowned shaking his head "I can't make sense of what's causing it."

"The mass relay, perhaps?" Viterius wondered aloud, eyes narrowing slightly in thought.

"I don't know sir, like I said: It's dormant."

"Bring it up on screen." So it was, a holographic image of the mass relay was brought up to the CIC of the Victorious, showing the titanic blue-grey double-ended prong shape of the mass relay, inner circles spinning lazily. So far, nothing seemed out of the ordinary for the Turian captain.

Until the image zoomed in.

"There it is. Ships! Ships by the relay!"

Ensign Aulus pointed at his screen's readout.

"They're...Captain, they're interacting with it. I think they're trying to activate the relay." The bridge was chilled to the bone, Viterius leaning against the railing. He kept his face stoic, but inside he almost lost control of his expression.

"You're sure they're activating the relay?" Viterius wanted to be sure.

"Sir, it's activating!" The relay sparked from its dormant state, a bright blue ball of energy flickering into existence for a second and then extinguishing like a match snuffed by a hard exhale.

Viterius drew in breath and closed his eyes. Council Law was Council Law. The aliens would have to be taught a lesson for sure.

"Close in and power weapons." Viterius ordered, the Ensign visibly startled as he looked back at his Captain

"Sir?" Vixus asked uncertainly "Are you sure? Shouldn't we try to contact them?" Viterius, in a deep part of his mind, knew the Ensign was correct. However, the law was law.

"They've broken the law, Ensign. Like it or not, the law must be enforced. Close in and power weapons, Ensign. We're going to do our duty to the Hierarchy and the Council."

Vixus' mandibles clicked. He knew his captain was right but a sense of dread overcame him. A premonition, almost, that he couldn't shake.

"Understood." Vixus acquiesced to his Captains order. "Guns powering and we're closing in." Vixus couldn't help saying a silent prayer that the engagement would go well.

Viterius nodded, satisfied. He used his omni-tool to open a comm. to the rest of the ship "General quarters, all hands: Man your battlestations!" The alarm went off a second afterward "This is not a drill!" the other ships in formation got a similar message and promptly set to their duty preparing for a fight.

Viterius looked out of the viewport and at the hologram of the ships ahead. They were strange in design, for sure.

They weren't just shaped like aquatic naval ships. They seemed to be naval ships brought into space with some modification. Huge, multi-gun turrets ran along the front and the back. Between the penultimate turrets of the front and back was a squat almost unseeable superstructure that undoubtedly must've been the bridges of the ships. Atop the superstructures seemed to be antennae and dishes, probably various sensors.

Blisters of smaller turrets broke up the rather symmetrical and handsome look of the ship making sort of bulbous portrusions where the weapons could swivel about.

The bottom of the ships were similarly armed though capable of firing on the opposite axis to the top guns.

With a glance, Viterius saw that the turrets were just one side of the ship. On the other were more banks of turrets and between those, running along the spine of the ship and out the front, was a gargantuan spinal cannon.

Viterius gaped at the size of the ships and the sheer firepower they carried. The ships were two miles long at least. Apparently the crew had similar thoughts.

"Spirits," gasps Viterius "Look at the size of them!" Impressive ships indeed, Viterius wondered about what kind of firepower they could truly bring. They had names painted on their broadsides: Mercy, Yellowjacket, Hydra.

The ships near Mercy, Yellowjacket and Hydra were similar in make but smaller. Rather than Dreadnaughts they seemed to be Battleships. With them were even smaller ships: Destroyers and cruisers. Then smaller, civilian looking ships.

Viterius shook his head. Soon, it wouldn't matter.

Captain Logan Rowland, Commander of Mercy, watched the science ship Athena interact with the void fork. That's all humanity could call it. Void Fork. Sounded like a meal to Logan. Something that you regret eating when you blow up the bathroom. He shrugged 'If that's what they're called that's what they're called.' Logan couldn't complain about his job, he was out in space and doing what he damn well loved: Exploring.

Mercy seemed to mirror his thoughts on the whole thing. She radiated a happiness to be out and about, exploring and expanding Humanities borders. Oh, she was very alive. Everyone could feel her around them.

She created a sense of peace in the crew. They knew she would do her best to keep them safe and alive as long as she lived.

She assisted the crew in their duties. Mechanical keyboards clicked and clacked and clattered as the strong fingers of the crew depressed the typewriter-esque keys of their computers. In truth, most of the computers were as mechanical as they were digital. Punch cards, microfiche ribbons, and switchboards took up most of the walls of Mercy's computer banks as the crew dutifully worked at them.

The crew was a mish-mash of Human and Mechanoid. The mechanoids, mechanical beings created by the Humans many, many years ago, worked and operated as any human would though with the added benefit of sheer mechanical efficiency.

Rather than the cold machines some may expect, the Mechanoids were more like mechanical humans than robots. It was a comfort for the crew.

Logan sat in a large chair, brown leather bolted to hardy oak with brass rivets. His uniform, a dark blue affair with white aiguilettes coming from the left shoulder and connecting to the brass buttons and decoration of his uniform. Like all Terran Navymen, he was armed, a double-action revolver on his right hip.

Logan looked out of the ward-reinforced, alchemically treated glass at the void. The glass was hard as diamond and wouldn't break unless subject to some horrid treatment.

"Captain?" Called Ensign Fischer. A mechanoid.

"Yes, Ensign?" Logan turned his head to Fischer.

Fischer looked back, not having to crane her mechanical neck any as Human CIC's were level with their crew. "Sir, there are ships out in the distance."

"Colors?" Logan wondered. It wasn't uncommon, in fact it was precisely the norm, for other nations to be out in space without telling others. Everyone wanted new colony worlds, after all.

"Sir, they don't even look human. The silhouettes don't look like anything any nation fields."

"Not human?" Logan frowned. There were others beyond Humanity and Mechanoids, but they went as far as Humanity did. They travelled with Humanity, so far none had found out how to do space travel.

The Gynoid shook her head "No, sir. Like I said, they're nothing I recognize. Completely different."

"First contact with an alien species." Logan laughed softly to himself "Good God it's startin' to look like Christmas." crew on the Bridge chuckled, Logan smiling slightly in return. "Try to hail them, let's see if we can get some dialogue." Every Alliance ship was armed with first contact probes. Packed to the tits with information on Human cultures, it was a prayer that anyone who they would meet would take them and learn.

Ensign Fischer nodded, sending an unmanned probe of data toward the encroaching ships.

Ensign Vixus spotted the probe quickly, despite its strange construction. A slow, ion engine propelled probe of square-ish construction. "Looks like a data probe, Captain Viterius." Vixus began "What should we do?"

Viterius waved dismissively .

"Burn it. We're going for a fight." a point defense laser lanced out and as ordered, burned the probe into nothing but ash.

"Captain, they've completely ignored the probe. They appear to be charging weapons and are bolstering what appear to be shields. They're on an attack vector." The Bridge became cold, silent, and Mercy herself seemed to groan in sorrow.

"Call Athena back. Get the scientists away from that great big fork and get them behind us! Now!" The order went out instantly, Athena pulling away from the fork with haste as her ion engines propelled her Zeppelin shaped body away from the fork and behind Mercy and the guardships.

"They're closing fast!'

Logan frowned deep, watching the predatory ships closing in. His frown became a scowl when a mass driver slug glanced off Mercy's hull and buried itself into the fork.

"First contact and we get attacked. Just wait a second and try to hail them." Fischer did so, but the call was ignored.

Another call, another dismissal.

"Call for battlestations!" Logan growled. They want a fight, they'll get one.

Ensign Fischer nodded and called the alarm.

"General quarters, all hands! Man your battle stations! This is not a drill!"

"Captain, do we fire the Polybolos?" Fischer asked again as another shot glanced off of the slanted armor of Mercy.

"Not yet. Just wait."

They closed in, the Dreadnaughts turned their massive bulk and stared down the alien ships coming toward them. All the while, the polybolos was loading and charging.

"Captain, the dreadnaughts have turned toward us and are charging weapons. They don't have shields up, but our weapons aren't doing much to hurt them either." Vixus looked back at his Captain for advice. "What do we do?"

"Keep firing. Tell everyone to open up." Viterius stared at the massive ships with a hard stare in his eye.

The alien ships opened fire en masse, shots glancing or being absorbed by the Adamantium plating of Mercy, Yellowjacket and Hydra.

"Load and fire the Polybolos!"

Three ship shaking shots erupted from the maw of the spinal cannon, tearing through the void as the huge shots darted their way across the void toward the Victorious, Inexorable and Indomitable.

"Give 'em hell." Logan growled as another shot, this time direct, shook the ship.

"Captain! Three huge shots just came from that gun! They're coming for the Victorious and our other ships!" Vixus reported tensely as his fingers danced across the holographic displays.

"I can see that! Shoot them down!" Point defense weapons and GARDIAN lasers lanced through the void attempting to hit the huge pods as they twisted and danced erratically to dodge and weave through the fire.

"Hit the damned things!" Viterius roared pounding a fist on the railing.

"They're moving too fast! Whatever hits do land are just absorbed! We're going to get hit!"

Inside one of the pods a hulking figure walked down the metal hallway, hefting a large HMG, fed by ammo chute connected to a backpack on the huge figure's person, his voice ringing through the speakers of his armor as men and women, human and mechanoid alike, strapped in for the coming connection. "Come on now, let's give 'em hell! We didn't start this war but by god we're gonna finish it!" He was answered by a resounding cheer of "Oorah!" as he racked back the slide on his weapon twice. The M2a1 Browning Heavy Machine Gun, firing a powerful .50 BMG shell, was the stuff of nightmares for anyone on the receiving end. Especially in close quarters combat.

The pod contained American Marines, proud and deadly warriors each and every one of them. They'd all gone through special kinds of hell to get where they stand and would put their training and experience to use against the aliens.

As far as they were concerned, they'd fought worse. So very much worse.

"3." Counted down the A.I.

"2."

"Get tactical, Marines!" The man, Jason, hollered as he hefted his Shorty and smacked it against his power armored chest. His armor, huge, making him stand atleast 7 or so feet tall and looking like a veritable tree trunk in thickness, the same standard olive drab color as the men and women around him, though his had a huge white star plastered on both pauldrons, which were angled sharply to deflect blows. His feet were splayed out wide to distribute weight, needed for a nearly two ton suit of power armor. From between the shoulders, the broad chest and turtle-like head armor was a visor of bulletproof armor. A HUD showed Jason the status of all his Marines. Excited.

That's how he liked them. Excited. Ready for combat.

His marines answered with hollars of their own, many of them wearing exosuits and wielding smaller .30 caliber machine guns, fed similarly by ammo chute and backpack, looked like smaller and lighter versions of himself.

"Impact."

The sound was horrendous, the shaking was bone-jarring and the adrenaline was one hell of a rush. The pod hit the alien ship with, if it weren't for their armor, would be an earshattering scream was the built in plasma saws ate through the armor of the ship, the tracks pulling it along into the ship. Once it hit open air, and sealed itself in a plug hissed as the pneumatic mechanism prepared to eject the door.

hisss

The sound after was incredible and the door was launched like a stone through a ballista taking an alien that was too foolish to live with it and smattering against the far wall leaving a hidden indent of blue pulp.

Jason roared through first, HMG roaring as it launched .50 BMG bullets forward. Each impact ripped apart alien armor and flesh, severing limbs and blasting holes into the aliens as they fired at him. The bullets didn't hurt him in his armor, but he felt himself having to fix his footing at the sudden, incredible impacts.

His marines launched out behind him. Many of them carried shields, taking up position with their commander, their 'Big Brudda' as some would call him in his armor, and created mobile cover for their allies behind them. The shields were held on a third arm extending out from their back, coming from the exosuit to free up their hands for their weapons.

The aliens knew they were being beaten at the gate and made a tactical, methodical retreat from the overwhelming firepower to a more advantageous position.

"Contact report!" Hollered one of the commanders "What's happening down there?"

"Spirits! We had to fall back, their firepower ripped right through us! We couldn't touch the big one, the others are carrying shields. We need more firepower!"

The commander hissed and nodded, ordering launchers and grenades to be brought to the new front.

Jason led the slow, plodding march in an outward semi-circle as the men with shields covered those without. Those without went to work executing those too far gone for any saving. One of them carried a strange sack with him and stored away the enemy weapons inside. The bag never seemed to fill, but the weapons disappeared.

Jason kept watch when he heard a 'clang, clang' and too late he looked to see two of his men taken by an extra-strength grenade. The concussion had ripped right through them, though the shrapnel had far less luck. It wasn't the shrapnel that killed them, it was their brains turned to mush by the grenade.

With a roar, Jason took up position where the grenade came from and fired down the hall at a wall, pinning his enemy there but it seemed they were brave and around the corner with a snapshot was a weapon Jason could only recognize as a rocket launcher.

The weapon roared down range at him and in a second, hit his armor with a wicked impact sending him back a few feet and taking a good two inches out of his armor. With a roar, Jason gave an order: "Bomb 'em!"

One of the Marines, furious as his friends for the sudden death of two of their comrades, picked a weapon the size of a potato from his hip. It was colored a wicked red.

He pressed a button, causing ethereal energy to escape from it then get sucked back in and he pulled the pin. With a toss, the grenade skated down the hall and erupted in a hellish blast of napalm. The screams were instant and the Marines launched down the hall.

Their armor fire retardant, they took no notice of the heat as they turned the corners and mowed down their enemy with all the fury they could muster. The .30 caliber bullets tore into their enemy and many dropped instantly as their brains went with the bullet out the other side of their cranium.

The enemy retreated again, losing another section of the ship.

The pods that went for the Inexorable and Indomitable reported to their motherships similar experiences and successes. In all, the Marines were nailing the enemy to the walls.

Viterius growled claws digging into the railing as he watches sections of the ship go red. Lost to the enemy.

"Heavy weapons are authorized, kill the damned aliens!"

Another section lost, the Turians got the call for heavy weapons and responded with the weapons called. When the marines came to them, the shields took the damage but were destroyed by the impact and the mechanical arms destroyed. While their armor could take the impact of some of the mass drivers, they couldn't take it all. More marines died, but they did so fighting as they knew they damn well should.

Jason's weapon was one of the deciders of the fight, the bark of the huge weapon caused fear in the enemy and behind him marched the marines as they either fired upon the enemy or took care of their dead and dying.

Another rocket took another depth of Jason's armor and his fury grew until it became tempered and tranquil. Jason transcended roaring fury, he was far beyond it at that point.

Now his steps were methodical, slow, plodding, and his finger never left the lever as long as aliens were in his sight.

"Hope is a moment now long past, the shadow of death is the one I cast!" Jason hollered to the aliens alive and dead, the former trying to keep hidden from the massive weapon and the latter turned to a disgusting slush.

The impacts just kept coming and the footsteps only got louder as the monster closed in. Damn it, damn it! This isn't how it was supposed to go!

The soldier grit his teeth and tried to squeeze into the corner tighter as his allies similarly tried to hide from the beast. Their launcher died. They surely would too.

The Turian opened his eyes and looked up as if expecting an answer for the carnage there.

There wasn't an answer.

But the shadow did show the Turian a whole new reason to be afraid.

At least, for the next second.

Blood and screams erupted from one corner while another was shocked silent at the sight of one of their friends being swallowed by the cieling. The shock sent one of the scared Turians out of the corridor and promptly was splattered against the wall from the massive bullets that hit him.

"Surrender! We surrender!" one of the surviving Turians screamed out to the beast. While his friends were shocked, they made no attempt to stop him in his surrender.

The shots stopped and their ears rung as the footsteps stopped, too.

"Come out with your hands up." the voice was level, but hid a fury only matched by the Gods.

The Turians slowly stepped into the slush that was their allies, fighting the urge to vomit as they stared down a dozen barrels.

For a bit, Jason considered firing on them anyway.

But that wasn't the way of the Alliance. Surrender was to be taken and that's what it was.

Jason's hands shook as he stepped closer with his Marines and the Turians had to fight the urge to step back.

"On your knees." Jason ordered. "Right where you are." That is, in the gore.

The Turians tried to step out, but the barrels rose in their direction again with a warning shot "Where you are!" Jason roared, coming down from his tranquil fury.

The Turians slowly got to their knees.

In the remains of their friends.

"Bind them, take them back to the pod. We'll stay guard here."

Viterius couldn't believe what he was seeing. He just saw Turians surrender. The shame was palpable for Viterius, who could feel bile in his mouth as the aliens practically dragged the soldiers through the gore and down the hall to their sure deaths.

Viterius shook his head.

"All hands on bridge, set the charges. We're scuttling the ship. If we can't have it, neither can they." The crew were shocked but followed orders.

Vixus glanced at others on the bridge and silently, they all agreed. There was a chance.

They set to preparing the charges in the bridge armory all around the room. Those that weren't in on the plan set the charges for real. Under the guise of 'double checking', the traitors disabled the charges.

When it was all said and done, the crew gave the all clear. For many, it was to be the day of death.

For others, a chance at salvation.

Jason was nearing on the bridge with the remainders of his men and when at the main door, he ordered a charge to be placed on the door.

One of the marines did as he ordered, the charge had an LED on it that counted down:

"1. 2. 3. Goodbye!" Jason chuckled at the humor and when the blast opened the door he charged in. No one rose a weapon and Viterius stood proud but defeated at the center of the room with his hands behind his back.

"All those who wish to surrender, on your knees." Jason ordered.

Viterius snorted, expecting that the order would fall on deaf ears. Instead, the order was followed by a majority of the crew who dropped to their knees and locked hands behind their heads.

Viterius' face paled and those that stood were executed by Jason's Marines. Viterius hissed and with venom on his tongue cursed the traitors and the aliens as he depressed the button.

Nothing happened.

Again, and again. Nothing happened.

Jason retrieved one of the knives from his marines and stalked up to the once captain as he repeatedly pressed the button as though it would help.

"For the Alliance!" Jason roared as he grabbed Viterius by the head and with one strong blow severed Viterius' head from his shoulders.

"Get these prisoners to the pod. It's high time we head back to Mercy."

The outside battle was no better for the Turians than inside. While the Inexorable had managed to retreat for help, the Indomitable had been boarded successfully and similarly sabotaged by traitors. The other, smaller ships, were smashed early in teh fight.

When the report had been sent that the two bigger ships were captured and POWS were had, the celebration was half hearted. First contact with a new species had openened with a fight.

Logan knew it could only get worse.