Zaeed

"Figures it'd be pissing down the day they decide to let us in," growled Zaeed to his new batarian driver – some dumbshit new recruit that was terrified of him. Zaeed wasn't sure where Vido kept digging up people like this idiot, but someone had to drive the trucks.

"Yes, sir," said the batarian after Zaeed stared at him for a few seconds. His four eyes remained locked on the road, and Zaeed was surprised the poor bastard hadn't lowered the visor on his power armor. You can't even bloody look at me, and it's not like there's anyone else on this road. What do you need your peripherals for?

They had landed outside of Constant, Eden Prime's capital, at the request of the town's administrator, Harriet Chen. The ITSA still wasn't sure what had happened to her outer colonies, but they suspected pirates, and that meant Blue Suns ships would not be welcome in their main city. Morons can't tell the difference between pirates and professionals. So, Zaeed had grabbed the most anxious merc he could find and ordered him to drive a truck to Constant. Now, with the roads slick with falling rain, Zaeed wished he had picked someone less pliable and better at driving. Apparently, possessing four eyes did not disqualify a sapient from being a shit driver.

"You sure we're going the right way, sir?" asked the batarian. Poor baby. Almost sounds like he's about to goddamn cry asking me a question.

"Keep following the grain rail," said Zaeed, watching the rail zip by in the dark with almost no interest. "All the food ends up in the cities, sooner or later. And try not to hit another sign, shit for brains."

The batarian made no response, but when Zaeed looked back to his hulking form, he saw the telltale flicker of the batarian's upper eyes shifting away. Won't look at me if he knows I'm paying attention. Christ, hope I don't end up in a firefight with this guy on my side. Probably just wet himself and curl up in a goddamn corner.

Zaeed winked, causing his suit displays to shine into his face. He checked each system once and then winked again, letting the closest thing to entertainment fade away once more. He craned his neck forward and looked out the front window. Mud. Entire planet of goddamn mud. The sky was dark, illuminated only by the occasional harsh flash of light in the distance. Deep rumbling could be heard, making Zaeed's gut twist from the reverberations. As they rounded another corner, water could be heard crashing in great waves to either side of the vehicle. It's a sodding monsoon. Glad I brought the suit.

"Road sign – couldn't see how many miles, but it looked like single digits," said the batarian, still nervous. "And uh, I didn't hit it. Sir."

"Good on you," replied Zaeed, stretching his legs from inside the suit. This visor is going straight down when I get out of the truck. Hopefully, that bitch Harriet will recognize the sound of my pretty voice and refrain from having her hick goons shoot the pair of us.

The windshield wipers went back and forth with a steady ker-chunk, sheets of water shifted aside ceaselessly as the rain continued crashing down. Heat blew in from the front of the car, and Zaeed found himself turning his head in its direction, trying to catch a bit of that warmth.

"Four miles," said the batarian with unfamiliar confidence. "Got a good look. We're almost there."

"Alright, good," said Zaeed, straightening and rubbing his armored hands. "Let's get this over with. If I can nail a contract this deep in Council space, it'll be a bloody coup."

"Yes, sir," said the batarian. Zaeed ignored him, focusing instead on the distant lights of Constant. Bloody hick town. 'Cept for Chen, from what I can tell. That woman had some kind of education. He sniffed. At those rates, it probably wasn't in anything financial. Let's try for something a little less insulting, alright darling?

Normally, Zaeed would have let nonsense like this to Vido, who actually had a head for this kind of thing and was somewhat less prone to pissing people off. But Raynor wanted someone who he didn't want to shoot on sight, and we weren't about to turn down a deal that lucrative. Wonder who the hell that prisoner is? Took a bloody fortune to get him on Purgatory.

The wipers went back and forth while Zaeed brooded on his upcoming meeting with Constant's administrator. Wasn't here in the initial wave, can tell you that bloody much. Did Mar Sara even have schools? Might be from Umoja. Got that snooty, holier-than-thou attitude. He sniffed again. Not that it's hard to find people like that in the ITSA either. Privileged twats.

The truck slid to an uncertain halt at the first checkpoint outside the city. To Zaeed's surprise, the barricades lifted without anyone coming out to see who it is. Well, I guess it's not like anyone's going to roll up in a damn truck and cause some damage, right? They know we're coming, anyway.

The truck scooted forward, struggling to maintain traction on the badly kept roads. They were now in Constant proper, surrounded by the darkened silhouettes of countless terran structures. From what Zaeed could see, they looked pretty weathered. Probably some of the first buildings set up on this place. What little history the ITSA has, it's here.

The batarian, to Zaeed's surprise, didn't need further instructions, apparently recalling the directions from earlier. He made an easy right, passing by another shrouded vehicle in the process. Goddamn. Thank Christ he didn't hit that, too.

"There it is," said Zaeed, pointing a gauntleted finger at the statue now looming over a square to their left. "Fucking Donnelly Memorial Statue, or whatever she said it was. Pull up alongside it." Thunder boomed again overhead, making Zaeed's stomach lurch. Great. They better get me indoors quick – not a fan of standing around in a goddamn thunderstorm while wearing a metal suit.

The truck ground to a halt. Zaeed slid the visor down and threw the door open, his suit shrugging off the cold blast of air. His boots hit the ground with a squelch, and he rounded on the driver.

"Find somewhere dry close by and wait for me," Zaeed bellowed. "Not too many trucks of that size about, shouldn't have trouble pickin' you out, even in the dark. You got me?"

"Yes, sir!" said the batarian, his helmet clanging as he saluted.

"You're doin' good," said Zaeed, flashing a thumbs up to the astonished batarian. What? We were all young once. Being a hardass isn't going to help. "Get me back to the ship in one piece, and I might even bother to learn your goddamn name!" Zaeed pushed the door shut and heard it click. He banged on the side once and the truck roared into life, scooting around a corner and out of sight. Zaeed was left standing in the rain, the rain pinging off his suit and making the armor rattle.

"Oi!" he called out. "It's Zaeed Massani, Blue Suns! Lookin' for Harriet Chen!" There was no immediate response, so he grunted and turned his suit's lights on. The high intensity beams cut through the darkness easily, and Zaeed turned slowly, trying to figure out if the command center was close by. To his relief, it was. Woman, we're going to have words about this. Tell me to meet you here and then didn't even bother to show up… With a sigh, Zaeed shuffled through the mud and rain towards the enormous and dimly lit building to the south.

Two marines flanked either side of the command center entrance, and Zaeed felt slightly disgusted as they didn't even bother training their guns on him as they approached. Goddamn. People get soft outside the real parts of the galaxy. If these fucks were Blue Suns, I'd fire 'em on the spot.

It was only when Zaeed was standing directly before the two of them that they finally gave him any real attention.

"Who the hell are you? That ain't ITSA armor!" said the one on a left, a woman with a penchant for the obvious.

"Blue Suns!" screamed Zaeed back, trying to suppress a curse as thunder clapped overhead. I take it back. These fuckers are brave to be standing out here like this in full armor. "I was to meet with Chen, the administrator! Where the hell is she?"

"Inside," said the man on the right, jerking a thumb back. "We'll let you in, but watch yourself. Don't take kindly to mercs out here."

Yeah, well you better readjust. We're about to become a lot more common.

The command center's doors opened with a scream, and Zaeed trudged his way through, making sure to scrape his boots as violently as possible on the command center's threshold. He could feel the dirty looks the marines gave him from behind.

The command center was surprisingly full. Once Zaeed had entered the main corridor, it was to find people shoving past each other, calling out, all rushing, all urgent. His heart began to beat a little faster. Maybe floodwater's causing some problems? Some hick family stuck out in the boonies, clinging to a tree while their house disappears on the horizon? Zaeed ignored the commotion, moving instead for the stairs. The people didn't pay him much mind either.

The administrator's office was likewise packed, but Zaeed cleared the way easily with a mix of his voice and the gentle nudging of his massive boot. Chen's office door slid open, and Zaeed tromped through, visor sliding open to reveal his impressive glower. From her desk, Harriet Chen glared back.

"Just get them back up and running," she snapped at the frantic looking technician before her, sending him scampering. Harriet clasped her hands before her and gave Zaeed a cool look. "Mr. Massani. I'm sorry I could not meet you out at the square – we're having some difficulties. I hope you were not too badly inconvenienced."

"Since I'm gonna be drippin' all this goddamn rainwater on your carpet, I figure we're even," said Zaeed, marching forward as the aforementioned rainwater glistened and fell in little droplets. Chen's expression hardened. "Now – we gonna get to business?"

"Again, I must express my displeasure and disbelief that you opted to come in lieu of Santiago," said Harriet, wrinkling her nose. "The ITSA has had bad experiences with mercenaries in the past, and you… you're about what we would expect such pirates and slavers to look and act like, Mr. Massani. Was it really necessary to bring the suit and gun?"

"Goddamn right it was," replied Zaeed, eyeing the chair in front of her desk and wondering if he should sit down on it. No way in hell it would support the suit's weight, but that was rather the point. "Seen too many deals go bad not to bring 'em. Plus, weather's bad."

"Logical," said Chen, offering a tight-lipped smile. "I gather by your presence that the offered fees were unattractive?"

"They were insulting," growled Zaeed. "You couldn't hire Blood Pack dregs with that amount. Blue Suns are professional. We're numerous. We're deadly. We are the best mercenary force you are like to encounter, Ms.-"

"Mrs.," corrected Chen, making Zaeed give a small start.

"…Mrs. Chen," finished Zaeed. "We're the reason the Santiagos became a big name. We've got a bloody biotic division these days. Eezo boosted CMC armor. We even bring our own AA guns. It's not just barely controlled infantry, like the Blood Pack."

"The Blood Pack are illegal in Council space," said Chen, making Zaeed marvel at how terrans in Council space could actually afford to obey such bullshit laws. "So, that is not an especially apt comparison. We've compared your rates to Eclipse-"

"Psychos," said Zaeed dismissively, though Chen just ignored him.

"-Dynacore, and the War Pigs," said Chen. "We found your cost to be excessive."

"Dynacore are some of Hock's boys," said Zaeed. "That man doesn't flinch at hiring rapists, assuming they can fight worth a damn. Not the standards you're looking for. As for the War Pigs, most of them are resocialized Dominion sleeper agents." Zaeed tried to sound confident as he said this, because in truth he had no idea. He had heard it on a bar in Omega once, and that was good enough reason to disparage the competition.

"Be that as it may, the War Pigs have a far less checkered reputation than your Blue Suns, Mr. Massani," said Chen, eyes narrowing. "If they were based a little closer to Eden Prime, and were our need not so… pressing… they would have been our go-to. As it stands-"

"You want to rip us off and then send us packing," said Zaeed, nostrils flaring. "Fuck that. Basic rates for however long you want us, then feel free to throw us out. Anything less, and we won't be able to cover our own transportation and maintenance costs." Thunder boomed outside once more. "This fucking weather won't help with that, either."

"We can't do that," said Chen, face flushing. "What we offered is what we can afford. You can either take it and trust that we will put a good word in with a few Council races-" Zaeed was no longer listening.

"Dehark!" Zaeed bellowed into his radio. "This job's a no go. They're not negotiating. We're heading back." Soft static greeted him back. "Dehark!"

"Comms are down," said Chen, sounding somewhat smug, mostly angry. Zaeed rounded on her. "It's why we couldn't come out and greet you. We were in contact with Southbank, a town to the south of here, and it all just… cut out. It's not the storm."

Zaeed's eyes narrowed. "Some kind of equipment failure?"

"That's what we thought," said Chen, licking her lips. "At first, anyway. We haven't found anything yet."

Which, to me, having lived the life I've had, leaves only one likely possibility.

"I am getting the fuck out of this colony," said Zaeed, storming out of the room. The command center's corridors were still packed, but now shouting could be heard echoing through the metal halls. Zaeed picked up the pace, bowling through the panicked crowds.

When he emerged back into the rain, it was to find the guards still standing there, apparently unaware of the commotion inside.

"That was quick," said the woman marine. "You in a rush?"

"Goddamn right I am!" said Zaeed, leaving them behind quickly and then swiveling in place. The truck. Where's the goddamn truck?!

Zaeed heard a muffled exclamation from behind him. When he looked back to the marines, it was to see the man on the right pointing to something behind him. Turning again, heart pounding in his throat, Zaeed faced the angry horizon.

"Oh for fuck's sake." There, descending slow and deadly like some hypnotizing predator, was the silhouette of an enormous ship. Lightning crackled around it and through it, arcing through its massive hull and revealing its shapeless exterior. Looks like some kind of massive spiked turd. Never seen anything like it. That's… not good.

Zaeed rounded on the marines. "Your comms are out, and you're being invaded! Hop to it, you goddamn lumps!"

Zaeed couldn't see their faces or hear their reactions, but it didn't matter. He lowered his visor and pounded dirt, searching desperately for his truck. There was no sign of it. Fucking driver! Probably left me behind. Zaeed looked back to the ship, just in time for the ground to rumble. Touchdown. Great.

Klaxons began to sound through the colony, red lights flashing on many of the buildings. The howling wind, crashing rain, and rolling thunder were now accompanied by the screech of a colony under siege. Zaeed's head began to throb.

"DRIVER!" screamed Zaeed. "BLUE SUNS! IT'S ZAEED! GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!"

There was no response, but Zaeed's targeting display had begun to light up. Gazing into the roaring heavens, the number of red circles doubled. All out of range, and all airborne. What the hell…?

Zaeed grabbed the butt of his rifle from his back and let the C16 unfold in his arms. He leveled the gun into the sky, waiting for the moment they'd come into range. He heard several heavy splatters from behind him, along with a clatter of metal. Good. More firepower. Hope these colonists can aim worth a damn. Whatever the things were, they would shortly be visible.

Zaeed was left with nothing but his ragged breathing, the pinging of rain, and his own heartbeat. The distance was closing. He sighed and tightened his grip on his gun. Should have five spare mags on my person. How bad could this be? Horizon, Freedom's Progress, Terra Nova… bunch of wusses.

"Firing!" Zaeed squeezed the trigger, his gun echoing through the rain slick streets. The two marines behind him followed suit, their sharp bursts interspersing Zaeed's own. The invaders, whatever or whoever they were, fell sharply from the skies. Then, Zaeed heard a loud buzzing.

"What the-" Zaeed brought his left hand free from the gun and slapped his shoulder. His hand came away sticky with some kind of slime, and the buzzing had only grown louder. Insects, large and numerous, swarmed the night air, giving no apparent shits that it was pouring with rain. In fact, Zaeed saw, of all things, the familiar flare of barriers as the things whirred through the air, buzzing insanely.

Choosing to trust in his own thick armor, Zaeed returned his attention to the skies. The distant targets were no longer distant. In fact-

The creature dropped directly in front of the three of them, seeming to unfold as it raised itself up after the initial impact. Ten feet tall, it glared at the assembled defenders through yellow and multifaceted eyes, its insectoid head cocking in apparent interest. A dull yet thick carapace surrounded its torso and extremities, and judging from the neck bowl its head was in, the creature was likely in some sort of power armor. Zaeed wasn't having it.

Leveling his gun as best as he could with the bastard's face, Zaeed unleashed a volley of slugs upon his foe. The creature's barriers flared and it shrieked, staggering backwards while fumbling for its own weapon. The other two marines joined in, and the barriers gave way entirely, forcing the creature on its back. With a cry, Zaeed sprinted forward, planted a heavy, mud-covered boot on the creature's chest, and emptied three bursts into its torso. It fell still.

"More on the way!" said a marine, pointing. Zaeed grunted and took cover behind an alleyway, the wall denting as he pressed his body against it. The thrum of wings could just barely be heard from above. Dark forms landed across the square, and Zaeed sighted his weapon.

Whatever these things were, they were intent on moving fast. Zaeed emptied several bursts into them and fell back into the alleyway. When he reemerged, they had vanished, apparently into the command center. Eh, alright. Not like I'm being paid for this.

Zaeed elected to move away from the main building, partly to get away from whatever these bastards were intent on, and partly to look for his goddamn truck. He tried moving slowly, realized he was in an eight foot suit, and then decided to really make tracks. The klaxons had stopped, replaced instead by the sounds of screams. But even those were going quiet.

Zaeed found out why pretty quickly. Three of them, enormous and terrifying, were dragging these massive brown pods around. Inside… people. They were frozen in place – Zaeed could see a few still upright, their faces frozen in terror, the rain rolling across their forcibly opened eyes. The invaders hoisted the poor frozen bastards into the pods, seemingly fixated by their task. Zaeed crept around them, only to freeze as they turned.

Zaeed swore, bringing his gun to bear quickly and letting the slugs fly. Their barriers flared and the creatures scattered, uttering vaguely chittering sounds. Zaeed, realizing there was no cover to be had, charged, hoping against hope his own barriers were as good as Vido promised.

The creatures returned fire, their guns emitting thin beams of light that sizzled as they fired. Though they were obviously having a hard time getting a lock, one still flashed across Zaeed's torso and nearly brought his barriers down instantly. Either Vido lied, or I'm well out of my pay grade!

Zaeed vaulted over the crumbling waist high wall two of them had hidden behind, and let rip with full auto. At close range, there wasn't much hope for either of them, and the suit made sure he didn't miss. Their punctured carcasses fell dead at his feet. Zaeed turned to his right to the last one, the one that had fried his barriers-

It was floating, glowing, screaming in the air, its form twisting as it levitated by the grace of some unknown alien bullshit. With a final bellow, it stretched its limbs to their fullest extent, dropped its weapon, and turned its now glowing eyes to Zaeed.

"We are Majesty," it said in a deep, reverberating voice, extending a glowing, clawed hand in Zaeed's direction, beckoning. "You are beautiful." No! No! So much fucking NO!

Zaeed lifted his C16 once more and showered the horrible flirtatious alien with slugs. With a gesture, Majesty created some glowing yellow barrier. Ripples spread across it, but the barrier remained apparently unharmed, even as Zaeed emptied burst after burst into it. Finally, the gun went click, and Zaeed reached for another belt, backpedaling frantically.

"Your atoms will dance," said Majesty, dissipating the barrier with a snap of its wrist. "Your potential is yet untapped."

Zaeed slammed the new mag into place, resisting the urge to swear loudly as he did so. He pulled the bolt into place and leveled the gun once more, only to sight that damn barrier again. That's the definition of insanity, right? Not gonna work. Bug out! Bug out!

Zaeed turned and bolted, gun rattling. He grunted as something slammed into his back, stripping his barriers. He stimmed up, feeling his heart hammer in the process. The world blurred.

He wasn't sure where he was, once the stim had worn off. The rain had begun to die down, and the moist night air was now filled with gunshots and screams. Alright. Away from the screams. Something fell to his right with a loud bang. A marine drop. One of mine?

It was too much to hope for, and Zaeed knew it. The marine stood, higher than Zaeed knew was normal, and turned to face him. The visor was down, but had been shattered. A face, pinched, blue, screaming, electronics jammed into its cheeks, running down its neck, greeted Zaeed from the suit. With a desperate yell, Zaeed backpedaled, firing wildly into the creature. With a shriek, it fired back.

Slugs slammed into Zaeed's barriers once more, and judging from the readout, the bastard wasn't firing the hypersonic spikes Zaeed was used to. These things hurt, and Zaeed cried out as one punched through the barrier and into his side. Painkillers and auto-sutures were quick to deploy, but Zaeed still gasped in shock. He fell behind another building, the creature's screams growing closer as he panted in wait.

The footsteps and shrieking stopped suddenly. With a soft clatter, a grenade landed at Zaeed's feet.

"God, fucking dam-" Zaeed leapt backward, sprinting as far and as fast away from that creature and its ridiculous arsenal as he could. He'd be going further back into the city in the process, but it was all to the good so long as he didn't run into anymore cyber-marines or sexually active insect bastards.

"Weapons free!" bellowed a voice to Zaeed's left, making him cease his desperate sprint. He turned and saw a group of ITSA marines, weapons blazing, shrieking all around them. Fuck, I need a bit more firepower to get out of this. He was starting to regret abandoning those two idiot guards at the command center.

Zaeed joined in as best as he was able, emerging from the right of both the marine squad and the insect fucks that were besieging their position. Having established a flank, it wasn't difficult to shred the opposition. Hope these marines are feeling grateful.

"You ain't with the colony!" screamed one of them as Zaeed approached, weapon raised over his head in supplication. "I mean, thanks for the assist. Now, keep that damn visor down, they're freezin' folks with those little bugs."

"Really?" Zaeed lowered his rifle and took a place next to the squad. "Any idea what these things are?"

"Was hoping you'd tell us," said the marine, voice shaking. "Wait – you with the Blue Suns? Heard you was coming. You bring a ship?"

"Brought a ship and a bunch of mercs," said Zaeed, grimacing under the visor. "Comms are down, though. They're at the starport."

The marine swore. "There's got to be some way to get their attention!"

"Emergency flare system," said a female voice from another of the CMC suits. "We use it during the more intense lightning storms, when things go wrong. Helps communicate what's going on to the nearest settlements." She extended a finger, pointing deeper into the city. "You'll want the command center for that."

"Gives us something to do, other than waiting to die," said Zaeed. "Move it!"

He fell in behind the colonial marines, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his chest while he did so. Fuck these things. I can stand toe to toe with Blood Pack for hours, but these fucks wing me and apparently it's too much. His breathing was growing ragged, and Zaeed began to feel disgusted with himself. Suck it up!

"Bogies! Up high!" The marines were scattering, the staccato of their rifles partially deafening Zaeed, who had never more felt his age. He brought his own rifle to bear, sighted a target, and… did his best. The opposition universally had barriers, which was irritating. So they're tougher than the Dominion. Their weaponry cut through their own barriers easily, and Zaeed had to act far more cowardly than usual to avoid being cut in half. So… like fighting the protoss. The creatures also enjoyed flying in from above, usually in large numbers. Flashing back to Thessia. Christ, like fighting the zerg as well! Zaeed began squinting into the stormy skies, praying that Eden Prime didn't have any orbital platforms. Didn't see any on the way in.

They advanced slowly. The original group had been eight marines plus Zaeed himself, but that number was swiftly whittled down. The beams the insects carried burned through barriers with ease, and the CMC armor underneath, while it held up for the most part, still couldn't withstand the punishment for very long. When the four survivors plus Zaeed stumbled into Donnelly Memorial Square, it was to find it unrecognizable. Insect bastards were wheeling pods every which way, and two of the cyber marines were also in evidence.

As one, the creatures turned to them.

"Resistance is natural," uttered a booming voice. Zaeed groaned as a glowing form descended from above. "Your biology compels us. All mysteries will be expunged. Submit, for the good of the cycle."

The marines instead scattered to available cover, most of them leaving behind a trail of blood. Zaeed unclipped a grenade, popped off the pin, pressed the tab, and chucked it at the closest cyber marine. The bang and ensuing screech made Zaeed smile grimly, hoisting his C16 and following up with seven sharp bursts. The enemy marine fell. One down.

The colonial marines were skirting the edges, calling out to each other and laying down fire on the scattering targets. Two fired on Majesty, who blocked their attack the same way as before.

"We are beyond your understanding," said Majesty, sounding, if anything, confused at the resistance. "We mean well. Our futures are entwined."

Zaeed followed the edge of the square opposite his allies, coming up behind Majesty. Ducking once to avoid the thin beam aimed in his direction, Zaeed lifted his weapon and fired into Majesty's back.

Majesty buckled, the barrier disappearing, its body spraying boiling blood on the pavement, on the memorial statue. It turned, burning eyes locking with Zaeed's visor.

"We shall recall your face," said Majesty in a stern tone before Zaeed fired another burst. With a groan, the body floated free before dissolving entirely, leaving nothing behind. Won't have to deal with that again. Rot in hell.

By the time Zaeed had circled around to the command center entrance, he and one other marine were the only things living in the square. And judging by the way his compatriot was bleeding, that was likely soon to change.

"You're not going to make it," said Zaeed bluntly, prompting the marine to slide down against the side of the command center. "Flare system. How do I work it?"

"Right side of the SCV assembly line, office marked "Utilities,"" said the marine, voice female… and also bubbling. Shit. Smoke curled from a gaping hole in her torso. You don't have too long. "Get help. Get air support."

"Thanks." Zaeed stormed the front of the command center, shifting his weapon both ways as he entered. Nothing. It was crowded before, now there was only the silence of the grave. Zaeed hurried forward as fast as he dared, trying to pay no attention to the thin trickle of blood now escaping from the small hole in his suit.

Zaeed had never worked in a command center before, but he knew the layout well enough. Turning to the left of the stairwell that would lead him up to Chen's office, he found the factory floor, so to speak, of the command center. They probably haven't had to build SCVs in a while. Coughing, and trying to ignore what was coming out, Zaeed stumbled into the Utilities office, vision beginning to blur. Helpfully, the "emergency storm flares" was marked in bright red. Probably don't want any idiots to mistake it for something else.

Zaeed grabbed the lever and pulled it with one massive finger. A distant shriek rocked the command center as the flares were presumably sent skyward. Gonna… gonna fill the night sky with these things. He pulled the lever again… and again.

Once more. With a grunt, Zaeed pulled the lever and felt it slacken. No more flares, I guess. Zaeed resisted the urge to sit down, choosing instead to get the hell out of the command center.

Majesty was waiting for him. Head cocked, it strode toward him, stopping only to project a barrier as Zaeed emptied the rest of his mag fruitlessly into the perverted menace.

"Resistance is informative, but unbecoming," said Majesty as Zaeed's weapon went click. "The cycle struggles. We will rectify your destiny."

Zaeed dropped his weapon, staring the creature straight in the face as it approached. It lifted a glowing hand…

A distant crack ripped through the air. Majesty's head snapped to the right, and then Majesty disappeared under a wave of smoke and flame. Zaeed staggered back at the impact, almost falling to a knee. When the flames cleared, Majesty still lived, rising to its feet. There was another crack, and this time Zaeed remained steady. The smoke cleared, and only he remained this time.

Zaeed followed the source of the sound and the smoke trail. It terminated at his driver, who carried a massive grenade launcher, barrel still smoldering, visor down. He had found a street corner and was rocking on it, paying little attention to his boss, whom he had just saved.

"Hey!" called Zaeed. The batarian looked to him, and then resumed his thousand yard stare and continued rocking.

"Did it work?!" asked Zaeed, standing before the batarian and trying to look and sound as intimidating as before. "Where is the air support?!"

The batarian looked up again, but this time stopped, apparently transfixed. He wasn't looking at Zaeed, though. The driver lifted his free hand and pointed, his trembling finger facing the horizon.

Zaeed wheeled about slowly, certain that some kind of fresh hell was about to descend. What he saw… wasn't what he was expecting.

"What… the hell?" Up above, a terran battlecruiser hung low in the skies, obscuring the moon and stars. Zaeed thought he recognized the silhouette at first as a Behemoth, but on closer inspection, saw far too many things that were off about it. Too small, for one. And those weapons systems… I've never seen something like this. It was subtle, though. Zaeed had spent a great deal of time either fighting while battlecruisers dueled overhead, or simply aboard them. No goddamn amateur's gonna get that. Still… who the hell is this, and why aren't they helping us?

The battlecruiser hung in place, not opening fire, not deploying fighters, nothing. Zaeed stared up at it, mouth fixed in a grimace, eyes unblinking. With a soft clunk, spotlights emerged from the cruiser. They began to turn and swivel, scanning Constant from above. Without any warning, one of them faced Zaeed and blin-

Alexei

"Admiral?"

There was that soft knocking again. Alexei groaned and pried his cheek free from his desk, wincing at the pain. Hellish dream. The glass of vodka from earlier remained, its contents quivering as Alexei lifted himself from the desk. He pried a mirror from a drawer and checked himself.

Groggy. Not great, but even Gerard is still recovering from his hypersleep. Alexei swallowed, trying to get the vile taste out of his mouth. Good enough.

"Enter!" said Alexei, closing the drawer and facing the entrance.

The technician entered the room, head bowed, obviously hoping that Alexei was in a favorable mood. Get a grip, fool. You are not the source of my discomfort.

"Admiral DuGalle wants to see you on the bridge, sir," said the technician, head still bowed. "He said it is urgent, and that you should, uh, "push past me and get on the bridge immediately.""

"Done," said Alexei, shoving past the hapless technician and walking to the turbolift. He irritably hit the bridge button and scanned his ID. He took the time the brief journey gave him to pry some of the sticky gunk off his lip and flick it into the corner of the elevator. Disgusting.

When Alexei emerged from the lift, he was not surprised to find the bridge empty of all save Gerard. Most of the crew still slept, and would remain asleep until the Koprulu Sector. Gerard and he had awakened early at the Admiralty Board's request, to be fully ready well before they had entered Dominion space. The journey is almost done. Though… I sense we may have taken a detour.

The bridge was dark and brooding, shadows shifting in the dim light. Crackly opera music played from a vintage wooden record player, filling the bridge with soft, breathy Latin. Gerard did not turn as Alexei approached, his gaze remaining fixed on whatever was outside the viewport. Alexei sighed as he joined Gerard. I am not in the mood for melodrama, my friend. Gerard still said nothing. Alexei looked out the viewport and saw the shadows of some terran colony, apparently beset by hostiles. Not us, obviously.

The outlines of gunshots and fleeing defenders could just barely be seen from where Alexei stood. Judging from the greenery (and from what Alexei knew of the flight path,) he guessed they were orbiting Eden Prime, the ITSA capital and first human settlement outside the Koprulu Sector. Alexei grunted and pulled a cigar free from his coat pocket, fumbling for his lighter with his other hand. With a click, he flicked the lighter open and brought his cigar to the naked flame. Alexei breathed deep and exhaled, smoke billowing from his nose.

"So," said Alexei, finally having had enough of the melodramatic silence, "Gerard…" His old friend did not react. "I suspect you have a good reason for pulling me away from my… duties."

"Your vodka can wait, my good Alexei," said Gerard, making Alexei roll his eyes. "Come, stand here. You need to see this."

"I do not understand what there is to see, Gerard," said Alexei, irritated. "As I recall, we had a rendezvous to make, and the ITSA are well outside of our current interests… or capabilities. This is near the heart of Council space."

"Yes. It is." Gerard shifted, sparing only the smallest of glances for Alexei. "Eden Prime is under assault."

"Pirates, I presume," said Alexei dismissively. "There are plenty of bloodthirsty warlords who would love to knock the Council down another few pegs. We've both read the dossiers a hundred-"

"You've seen nothing!" bellowed Gerard, thumping Alexei in the back in a sudden rage, causing the lit cigar to fly from his hand. "For six years… six long years, we have waited. We have watched. We have analyzed and made ready. We determined that the ITSA were impossible for any entity to attack openly without fatal reprisal. We also documented every known alien species." Gerard's voice shook, and he tapped a few keys on a nearby console. Another viewport slid open, revealing the outline of a ship. "And yet, the first thing we see is an open, enormous, and unprovoked attack on the ITSA, by an alien species we know nothing of."

Alexei stared at the ship, incredulous. The outline was enormous, and the ship was of strange make. It looked as if it were made as much of stone, or perhaps some kind of honeycomb, as much as it did metal. Gerard underscored his point by stepping firmly on to Alexei's cigar, crushing it.

"Do you recognize that ship, my good head of Special Projects?" asked Gerard, voice low. Alexei shook his head. "Where does this factor on that threat scale of yours, hmm? They bear technology we have not seen before. The race aboard that vessel are insectoid, four eyed, and have some strange form of infestation, from what I've seen. Any comments?"

"No," said Alexei. "No… my good admiral."

"I didn't think so," said Gerard, returning to where he had originally been standing. He sighed. "We went into this with such lofty ambitions. With such a firm belief that we were going into this endeavor with good intel. And yet, the universe continues to surprise us. But do you know what I see down there, Alexei?"

"No," said Alexei, mind racing. I've never seen him like this. But then again, never before has so much been put on him. "No, I do not. My good admiral."

"I see the clearest case for supporting human supremacy over human dominance," said Gerard, as Alexei closed his eyes, trying to suppress the images flashing across them. Wait… what did I dream? Is this… This is not coincidence. I dearly hope those psi scores remain hidden knowledge. Gerard continued. "This is the heart of Council space. So many different people are pledged to help this planet in the event of such catastrophe. And yet, these creatures plunder and capture freely, the only resistance being local. The heart of Council space."

"What do you mean?" asked Alexei, head beginning to throb.

Gerard grabbed Alexei's shoulder and drew the smaller man close. "I see, down there, the only two roles the aliens can ever fill in regards to humanity. Incompetent and exploitative allegiance, in the case of the Council-" Gerard's eyes flicked again to the viewport. "-or unknowable and hostile, like the invaders. They have nothing to offer us, Alexei. Down there – separated only by neosteel and some space, are alien lifeforms. They are taking what they want and killing indiscriminately. The aliens pledged to stop them are nowhere to be seen."

Ah. Alexei gave a small nod. "I understand."

"Do you?" Gerard's voice was harsh. "Then understand this: our preconceptions, our well-laid plans, and the aliens we were counting on being able to predict – it all means nothing. The probes, the documents, the videos? Nothing. Down there, in the colony, that is what we must understand." Gerard released Alexei and straightened, walking to the viewport and almost pressing against it as he looked down.

"And I cannot. Will not. These aliens have no place in the human order." Gerard's voice had grown hard. "Not as allies. Not even temporarily. Not as equals. Not even enemies. They are vermin."

"Gerard…" said Alexei, prying a new cigar from his pocket. "My good admiral. I agree must full-heartedly, but open warfare against these beings… it can only end in our defeat."

"There are such things as non-military victories," said Gerard, and Alexei felt a chill down his spine. "Alternatives that we dismissed because they might threaten the coming empire's security. We have our orders. I intend to… expand upon them."

"And what happens when the Directors back home discover your… expansion?" asked Alexei.

"Then they will be forced to confront the fact that they put me in charge of the largest military force in human history," said Gerard, a quiet smile playing on his lips. The opera coming from the record player had hit some kind of bridge, and the room had grown very quiet.

"Are you prepared to go all the way with this, Alexei?" asked Gerard. It was such a quiet thing, such an innocuous thing, that question. Someone who didn't know us, what we had been discussing… they might not think anything of it. But the two of us… oh, my good admiral. At long last, we will be unbound of any earthly responsibility. We have been given naked power, yet you were so intent upon restraining yourself, restraining me. And now…

"Yes," breathed Alexei, staring at his cigar, and then meeting Gerard's gaze. "Yes, I am prepared to go all the way… my good admiral." The lighter went click, and the two smiled warmly at each other as Alexei brought the flame to his cigar.

"Good," said Gerard, sounding relieved. "Good… I… I knew I could count on you." The armored shutters on the viewports began to fall back in place, and the bridge in the music was poised to end. To Alexei's surprise, a voice crackled over the music.

"Admiral, those aliens look like they're ready to leave. The colonists will be gone in a matter of minutes. Shall we intervene?"

Gerard sighed and looked down. He shook his head.

"Take us into orbit, Mr. Moreau. We've seen enough."

And as the opera reached its crescendo, as Alexei brought the cigar to his lips, he felt a raw abiding sense of rage and despair as DSS Aleksander began to reenter orbit.

"LAS SOLDATS REVIENDRONT!" screamed the music, having transitioned to French. "ARRIVERONT VICTORIEUX!"

Alexei blew out the smoke and recalled the stark imagery of the battlecruiser obscuring the moon, of the spotlights swiveling in the sight of the mercenary, blinding him. History will not remember to be sure.

"DONNEZ TOUT POUR… L'HONNEUR!" shrieked the music, causing Alexei to shut his eyes as Majesty's stare burned into his brain.

A hush fell on the room. Gerard crossed the bridge and deftly removed the needle, leaving nothing but the soft roar of the Aleksander's engines.

A/N: Welcome back! I won't be doing the next character chapter thing until a little later, once most of the POVs are revealed.

Feedback is very welcome, as always. The Factional Analysis will continue.

This might not be very fast to update at first. I had a very clear idea of this first chapter, but the same cannot be said of the entire fic.

That being said, hope you enjoyed, I'll try to keep at least one thing happening a week.