The Enemy Without

April 11th, 2184.

Shepard stared down from her perch, piercing eyes as emerald green as ever. Her face had an air of protective sternness, a warning to her enemies and a promise to those she had pledged to protect. In her left hand was a golden wreath of oak leaves, her fist curled around it. In her right, a sword was clutched, blade turned downward, the point almost touching the ground.

Karla Haider looked up at the gleaming marble statue, gathering her coat around her. Torfan's climate was cold, even by Earth standards. No glaciers of course, the event was being held too close to the equator for that, but cold enough to leave the breath smoking. The gloom of grey cloud hung all, as if the heavens themselves were sad. That hadn't stopped the dignitaries. It seemed like half the Alliance Parliament had shown up to pay their respects, to watch the moment. Shepard herself would not have liked it, but Haider understood the importance of such a scene. People needed to see it.

Humanity had lost a hero of unimaginable scale, a woman without whom the entire species would have perished. All the worse that the manner of the loss cut deeply. The politicians standing around were human too. Those that had come, at any rate. Shepard's critics were not present. The soldiers would not have been able to contain themselves. Even now, six months later, colonels and ship captains wept openly. And yet, the most important person did not.

The Major-General's gaze moved from the seated crowd to the large plinth on which the statue sat.

In Memoriam:

Commander Jane Regina Shepard VC

Saviour of the Citadel

Exemplar of Humanity, Hero of the Asari Republics, Honorary Countess of Sur'Kesh, Paragon of the Turian Hierarchy, Martyr of the Quarian Coalition

Rest in Peace

Of course, the Commander's body was not within the walls of stone on which those words were written. It wasn't even absolutely certain that she was dead.

The accolades were only just worthy of Shepard's accomplishments, but they were the highest that existed to be given. Haider knew that Shepard's legacy would not be carved in stone, but in the hearts of the Alliance officers. It was pleasing to know that the Angel of Death inspired them all now. The level of sacrifice required in the coming years would be enormous.

As the time for the ceremony drew nearer, Shepard's words on the relationship of humanity to the rest of the galaxy grew in weight. The galaxy was ours. Those who threatened us were to be annihilated, those who lived with us cherished. A message that began as a political ideal, and was swiftly moving to almost a religious one in some quarters.

Humanity Ascendant, Protectors of the Galaxy. Was it any wonder, Haider thought. The existential dread of genocide hung heavy now, if only generally among humans. The war preparations made it worse. Some members of the other species began to fear not the evil on the fringes of dark space, but humanity's growing military strength. Fearing a necessity.

The Reapers had been beaten, but not destroyed.

A shadow's movement in her peripheral vision made Haider turn. Jennifer arrived, sat down in an empty chair beside, and crossed her arms.

In sharp contrast to the dark grey or blue dress uniforms of everyone else present, the young biotic had opted for her usual attire. Black kinetic barrier plates carried on straps over exposed skin, allowing free viewing of a mesh of tattoos. Hair shaved short at the sides, but grown long and braided at the sides over her hears and onto her back. Pistols and a shotgun carried openly on the waist. Below the waist, black combat fatigues, slit on the front along the thighs to show yet more tattoos, and combat boots. Unless heavy or in-vacuum combat was foreseen, attempting to convince her to dress in anything else was impossible. The appearance caused some turned heads, to say the least. The woman was far from done either.

"I saw a full-bird colonel crying like a fuckin' baby back there," Jennifer said, loudly enough for those beside to hear, "I know she was good, but shit... What did she have that could make that happen?"

Haider smirked. The question had been directed at her. And it was not simply rudeness. The young woman wanted to know.

"Why do you follow my orders?" she asked in return, "Why are you loyal?"

Jennifer ran her hand through her hair, chewing on the counter-question for a moment.

"You know why," she replied, half-heartedly, "Don't fucking remind me."

Haider cocked an eyebrow in reply. "I rescued you, came down from the skies like the wrath of God on the swine that held you," she smiled, "More than that, I made you family in every way I could. You needed it. Maybe I needed it."

She paused, thinking on how to phrase the main point.

"I would like to think you would feel bad if I was murdered," she said, "Jack."

The young woman's face scrunched up. She was still unused to public declarations of affection, maybe she always would be,but was getting more used to it. "Not like the cult was a big deal or anything... And if you were killed, I would go get revenge, real damn messily," Jennifer replied, "I wouldn't sit about crying."

Both of Haider's eyebrows raised, this time at the curious similarity with another reckless and ruthless Alliance officer. She knew at least Shepard would have agreed wholeheartedly.

"You're not everybody else, and there are two differences in this case," Haider replied, "One, Shepard saved the entire galaxy, not just one teenaged girl. Two, the threat is still out there and no one knows whether we'll be able to pull through without her. They're not just sad she's dead, they're afraid what will happen without her."

The late Commander had an insight and determination of a unique kind. And if anyone was worthy of the nickname 'the Angel of Death', it was most certainly Jane Shepard.

"I wasn't just a teenage girl," Jennifer complained, "Shit Karla, you made it sound like I was some fucking highschool kid that got mugged."

Haider knew that Jennifer's use of her first name and failure to address the real point meant that she had conceded, and said nothing more. It was inappropriate regardless; the main event had started, the crowd hushing up. Jennifer shut up too, thankfully.

Admiral Hannah Shepard appeared at the end of the aisle between the two sections of spectators in full dress uniform, medals on her chest. Her eyes were red but dry. She held a flaming torch. Behind her stood those members of the Normandy crew that could make it. Most of the original crew had been reassigned and were in the middle of missions of course, but about a third of them made it. Shepard's own was represented too. Tali'Zorah vas Honoria, Major Kaidan Alenko, Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau, and Admiral Anderson.

The absence of Garrus Vakarian, Ashley Williams, and Urdnot Wrex was notable, but not as much as that of Liara T'soni. The Alliance had tried to extend invites to all four. Vakarian couldn't be found. Not even the DID could locate him, which Haider viewed as a blemish on her own professional pride. Williams was busy in the Terminus, doing black ops that looked like it would set her up for a spot as a Citadel Spectre. Urdnot Wrex declined, stating that he would like to go but that his clan would fall apart if he did. He filed a request for the sale of more heavy armaments with the reply. Haider had approved the sale.

Liara T'soni had received the message, but didn't respond.

The group walked along the marble-paved path and up the steps, led by Hannah. As they neared, Haider saw that their faces were blank as they passed, except for Tali'Zorah, whom could not hide her grief even with a visor. They came to a large bronze bowl, and arranged themselves around it. When they were all in place, Admiral Shepard threw the torch into the bowl, igniting her daughter's memorial flame. The orange light rose to shoulder height, wavering in the wind.

Soldiers at the base of the plinth began to raise the banners. The Pale Blue Dot flag, depicting Earth against the blackness of space, Shepard's birthplace. The flag of the Alliance, to which Shepard had sworn her allegiance. The flags of the European Union and Canada, of which she was a citizen. All present stood. The silence of the air was ruptured as the Alliance anthem thundered out of the military brass band. The officer section of the audience began to sing the lyrics with abandon.

Terra Forever! Vict'ry is ours!

Down with the slaver, liberty in the stars;

We'll rally round the flag, yes, we'll rally once again,

Shouting the battle cry of 'Freedom!'

The crowd did as the song commanded. Faces uplifted as the words were sang, tears dismissed in favour of pride and hope.

Haider looked on with a clinical eye. How easy it was to change minds, all with a song and a few flags. Not that she was immune to the sense of belonging. Far from it. Being aware of the effect did not make one exempt, she knew. She clenched her teeth in irritation as her omnitool vibrated, indicating an urgent message. One that couldn't be ignored. Only six people could send such a message. One was standing beside her. Four more were elsewhere in the crowd. The last wasn't even in Alliance space.

Haider read the message, ignoring the continued singing. The contents almost sent her eyes popping out of her skull. The contents were utterly explosive. If the facts laid out were true, it was both a huge threat and a huge opportunity to the Alliance. The sender wasn't one to get excited without due cause, and her absence from the ceremony explained entirely by the hints about the intelligence she had gathered. T'soni had been too busy taking up where Shepard had left off to be there. Haider's mind began to turn, thinking of what it all meant.

Jennifer nudged, glancing at the omnitool. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, Haider forwarded the message to the biotic's own device. The anthem ended, and Admiral Shepard began reading a speech in a crisp tone, one that brooked no doubt as to the truth. Her daughter had been assassinated, the body stolen.

Haider knew the story, and didn't need it repeated. She walked out of her place and moved out of the crowd, reading the message she had received again. The forest behind provided sufficient privacy and quiet. At least until her follower spoke.

"Fucking Ilium," Jennifer said under her breath.

"I was headed there next, even without this," Haider whispered back, "The matriarchs seem to disagree with our new policy." The Pact had demanded the release of all quarian and human slaves on the planet, including the thousands of technicians and scientists deemed essential to preparations against the Reapers. On pain of swift military action, should the demand be refused.

"I'm still wanted there," Jennifer replied, rubbing the side of her shaved head nervously, "Maybe it's best if I sit this one out." The assumption that she was going to be asked to tag along was touching, but despite Haider's trepidation in doing so, in this case it was also accurate.

"I'll need you. The meeting isn't just with T'soni," Haider stated firmly, "Besides, I already fixed that problem, remember?"

"I can't promise I won't kill anyone if they try to arrest me," Jennifer said, "I mean, I blew up a shitload of ships when I was escaping. I-Sec have long memories."

"They're asari, they need to have long memories or they'd forget most of their lives," said Haider with a wave of her hand, "Besides, you're not Jacqueline Nought any more. They try to arrest you, we'll teach them that."

Jennifer chuckled to herself, cheered by that promise. "Maybe we'll need to blow up some ships to get out of there again this time," she smiled, "Fuckin' eh, this might be fun."

"Admiral Shepard's coming too," Haider said, "I don't mean to pour cold water on that idea, but I doubt anyone will act rashly if they know she's commanding the fleet."

"The Council of Matriarchs refuses your demands, and orders that you remove your fleet from Ilium space immediately. This world is an independent colony, not subject to the laws of the Alliance or the Citadel. Any attempt to impose your laws on us by force will be considered an act of war."

Haider bit her bottom lip, genuinely worried about the response. A more rash reply could not have been imagined, and her mind raced to work out how it could have been given.

The asari matron acting as spokesperson for the matriarchs of Ilium didn't even manage to look defiant. She was just absolutely dismissive of the huge force arrayed against her masters. She gave off an air like she was talking to someone who had just asked her for directions impolitely. Contempt for an inferior, in other words. But that wasn't why Haider was worried.

No, it was the look of cold fury across Hannah Shepard's eyes which was the cause for concern. A look like that on an admiral's face should have given anyone in the galaxy pause. Yet Ilium's rulers stood firm.

The bridge crew were equally unamused. Commander Corrigan was shaking her head. The quarian liaison, whose name had escaped Haider, had crossed his arms. The bridge lieutenants exchanged dark looks of anger. There would be no hesitation to act, if the order came, Haider realised. Not good for her mission.

"Slavery is an abomination," the Admiral said gravely, "Aside from that, you are illegally holding thousands of skilled people that we need for our war effort. Our citizens, whom owe military service. I repeat our demands. Release all quarian and human slaves into my custody, hand over your primary space stations to my marines, and allow Alliance agents to do a full security audit of all corporations for research or possession of Reaper technology. Fail to do so, and I am entitled by law to take all necessary action."

"Your proposals were forwarded to the Council of Matriarchs yesterday, they were debated and rejected, Admiral," the spokesperson replied, so politely that it was becoming galling, "The decision is made." Just as Haider opened her mouth to speak, the connection cut off. The bitch had hung up on them.

Hannah Shepard sighed, and sat down in her seat, her eyes dancing on the holographic representation of Ilium's orbits floating in the middle of the room. The defence flotilla had fled when the Fifth Fleet had arrived, a smart move considering how utterly outmatched they would have been. The Eclipse fleet could have tipped the odds the other way, but it had stood down. Sederis had no intention of exposing her corporation to a disproportionate, thermonuclear response. Haider could almost see the question being asked in the Admiral's mind; Why was the opponent so confident?

"So much for gunboat diplomacy," Hannah said, leaning on one of her chair-arms, "XO, spin up the Medusas. Commence EMP bombardment of Nos Astra's power stations and spaceports."

"Aye, ma'am!" Corrigan replied, before parroting the orders to the gunnery officers.

Haider watched with a certain satisfaction as the holo-image zoomed in on Ilium's capital, the target zones appearing as red points on the surface. The Admiral had taken the restrained option, despite having her entire fleet and an Army taskforce to throw at the matriarchs if she needed it.

The screens filled with the external cameras of the Athena, pointed at both the planet and the ship's weapons. A turret near the nose of the massive ship swivelled, and fired a blue bolt towards the ground. Where it struck, the yellow, purple and white lights winked out, the power loss spreading outwards from the impact point. A quick adjustment of the turret, and the Medusa Projector fired again, and another patch of Nos Astra went dark. Haider noted that other cities were going dark too; the other Alliance capital ships and the planetary assault cruisers were using their own electronic disruption weapons. All over Ilium, fusion plants' emergency safeties were shutting them down, and electrical substations were overloading and fusing into uselessness.

However, it was the early evening in Nos Astra, and if what she knew about that place was true, it would begin to look more like Omega now that the lights, cameras and security barriers had no power. The matriarchs had just bought city-wide riots with their defiance. Haider thought that was punishment enough, at least as long as compliance with the Alliance's demands came.

"That should give them something to chew on, for a few hours," Haider said happily, "The cartels down there will undoubtedly try to make the most of the situation, as they always do. I'm sure anyone with a server room or vault will be getting raided."

Hannah glanced at her with a frown. The same frown her daughter used to wear. The motion sent a shiver of nostalgic fear down Haider's back. The ghost of the younger Shepard seemed to follow the elder.

"Can you complete your mission if Nos Astra is rioting?" she asked, "I would prefer not to put boots on the ground."

Haider's eyebrow twitched upwards. "I brought my own units for that purpose," she replied, "Besides, one of the people I am going to meet controls a small section of the city with her own forces. I doubt rioters or gangs will come anywhere near it."

Hannah nodded, turning her eyes back to the hologram. So did Haider, not having much more to say. There was a pregnant pause, as both of them watched Ilium's settlements stripped of electrical power. Something had been left unsaid.

"She is down there somewhere, isn't she?" Hannah said quietly.

Haider jerked her head in surprise. "I didn't think you knew," she replied, "Have you spoken to T'soni?"

Hannah leaned back in her seat, sighing and rubbing an eye. "No, not since the funeral," the Admiral replied, "But... I thought I should keep tabs."

"Why?" Haider asked, "You don't owe her anything."

The Admiral's eyes flashed with disapproval. "Liara T'soni was a part of Jane's life," Hannah said, "They were happy. She made my daughter happy. I feel I have an obligation."

"With the tensions, that's not a very wise move," Haider warned, "I doubt any politician would dare raise their voice against you for the moment, but..."

"If Parliament or the Consuls feel I am unfit for command, they are free to remove me from command," Hannah said flatly, "Until then, I'll act according to my conscience, in the interest of humanity. It's not against humanity's interest to care about my daughter's lover, however strange it might seem to you or others. She's just one asari."

Haider winced, not wanting to be the politician who stuck their neck out to try and make the Rear-Admiral into a feather in their cap. "She's a T'soni, Admiral."

An alarm beeped, signalling the arrival of a high priority message. Hannah the mother turned into Hannah the Admiral again, and sat up straight to listen to her XO. Commander Corrigan's head tilted as she listened to her headpiece speaker, her eyes widening at the message's content. A few taps on-screen, and the main hologram shifted from Ilium to the outer system. The Alliance picket ships were marked near the relay, next to a large clump of new contacts, identified in bright purple against the blackness of space.

"The Valley Forge reports that an asari fleet has just dropped into the system. Three Kurinth-class dreadnoughts and an Armali-class drone carrier, escorted by cruisers and frigates," the XO reported, "They're proceeding to Thail."

"To discharge their drives," Hannah nodded, "Wait until they're in orbit, then send the warning."

Haider pinched the bridge of her nose. "Shit, I was afraid of this," she said, "This will spin out of control."

"Afraid of what?" Hannah asked.

"The asari are deeply divided about the Reapers and militarisation of their society," Haider explained, "That divide extends to the military, more so than we've deemed to inform the High Command of. Yet. We were collecting more evidence, but it looks like we were right. There's no shortage of matriarchs at the top that think it's all a plot by humanity to conquer the galaxy. Like we have the strength to actually do that." She rolled her eyes. It really was ridiculous. The new border in the Traverse and Terminus had outstretched the Navy, for the moment.

Hannah looked on in confusion. "If that's true," she said, "How come they aren't openly stopping us?"

Haider smirked. "Simple, they have to keep quiet in public due to our popularity among maidens and matrons," she replied, "We're too sexy to be plotting galactic domination. If the matriarchs declared us hostile, then a lot of younger asari would lose their human playthings or face ostracism for keeping them. It happened to the batarians when they cut off relations. The Matriarchs would be under a lot of pressure within the Republics' e-democracy if they made the move without cause."

Hannah shook her head in disbelief. "So is this fleet acting under orders from Thessia or not?" she asked impatiently, "I need to know."

"Unlikely," Haider replied, "It seems that Ilium has friends in very high places. It is probably the case that the city or colonial councils that paid for those ships dispatched them independently of the Republics' central government. The Asari Republics are plural for a reason."

Hannah Shepard face deformed into a vicious, hunter's smile. "So it's mutiny," she replied, "That makes things very simple."

"That doesn't mean that Thessia will like it if we fight them, Admiral," Haider added quickly.

"Irrelevant, my orders are clear," Hannah stated through her teeth, "Corrigan, give them the warning."

The XO tapped her screen, bringing up a tightbeam comms link, and straightened her mouthpiece.

"Attention asari vessels, this is the flagship of the Alliance Fifth Fleet. You are in violation of a designated exclusion zone, established in accordance with the Citadel Accords and the Anti-Slavery Acts of 2173 and 2184."

"We are currently engaged in military operations against a non-signatory state. Withdraw immediately to the relay. Failure to comply is a breach of the law, and will be treated as a belligerent action."

The comms buzzed, silent of any noticeable reply. The entire bridge slowed what they were doing, glancing nervously at the central dais, at Admiral Shepard. For three minutes, there was nothing. The air grew heavier with each passing second, but Haider already knew that the asari fleet's response was a foregone conclusion.

"Valley Forge reports that the asari are continuing their discharges, and are launching drone fighters," Corrigan said with inevitable dread.

"I guess that is how the asari tell us to go fuck ourselves..." said the quarian liaison loudly, his deep tone of voice heavily accented in English.

"Zul'Taala, your input is noted," Hannah said with a complete lack of amusement, "Action stations! All ships, launch alert fighters."

The lighting dimmed, and the hologram changed, decreasing the size of Ilium in its image and bringing up more detailed icons for the ships in its orbit.

"Aye, ma'am!" Corrigan exclaimed, bringing her mouthpiece closer to her mouth, "This is Athena XO. Launch alert fighters. Comms, inform Space Command Terra that we have engaged a rogue asari fleet."

Haider watched as the squadrons' contact icons rolled away from the Athena's own, along with those of the Valkyria and the escort carriers. The frigate wolfpacks were already making their way to reconnoitre the asari drones, and the cloud of purple contacts began to reveal themselves. The action was engrossing, and not only because it was combat. It was potentially the beginning of a war with the more militant elements of the Asari Republics. It was history. She had felt that weight before, just never from space. But the Admiral had.

Hannah cleared her throat to get Haider's attention. "Get to your gunship, General," she said, "The asari dreadnoughts and cruisers will need a few hours to complete their drive discharge. I can't guarantee your safety groundside after that point."

Haider nodded, taking a step away before halting. "Thank you, Admiral," she said.

"You're entirely welcome, General," Hannah Shepard replied, "Now go."

Haider complied, breaking into a run. The gravity plates wouldn't be left on forever, after all, and there wasn't a moment to lose. The corridors were empty, as she made her way to the tram to take her back to the flight decks. She activated her omnitool, and made a call. It was picked up on immediately.

"Yeah?" Jennifer said lazily.

"Get everyone mounted up," Haider said, "An asari fleet just dropped into the system."

"Oh," the biotic replied, without a hint of panic, "That's why everyone's rushing around."

"Yes, now move it!"

"Yeah yeah, got it!"

The high spires of Nos Astra were dark for the most part. The flight of nine Mantis gunships threaded between the large, monolithic shadows, silhouetted against the darkening sky.

The streets below were a different story. Fires and the strobing flashes of armed combat flickered down most of the main pedestrian thoroughfares, clustered around skycar parking garages, residential districts and shopping malls. Intercepts from I-Sec showed that they had their hands full, but were far from overrun just yet. Eclipse might have decided to keep out of the space fight, but the mercs were on the streets in force.

Haider grinned as she listened from the Mantis' passenger hold. There was something amusing about the bet-hedging. Sederis might regret the decision, if I-Sec were in any position to prevent the Alliance plan from going ahead. But that was a worry for later. Mercenaries were buzzing flies compared to the resources sovereign governments could bring against their enemies.

It was the Batarian Hegemony that was her concern now.

"What's so funny?" Jennifer asked. The Major-General looked up, to find the biotic peering around to look at the active omnitool, while the rest of the platoon staff smirked. There were disadvantages in bending regulations to make war the family business, she thought. Though did not outweigh the advantages, not for an intelligence officer.

"Politics," Haider replied, "The riots aren't as bad as I thought they would be."

Jennifer blew a breath out in disappointment. "Aw, here I was thinking I could walk down to the district and get me a fur coat," she said, "Or a Revenant."

Haider rolled her eyes. "If you want a machinegun, requisition one," she said flatly, "Not exactly a good choice for a biotic either." That particular model wasn't light.

"It's not the same," Jennifer complained, "It's more fun to flash around my prize from the Second Big Ilium Riot than to brag about something the quartermaster issued... I got my pistols here last time. Besides, the quartermaster hates me."

The First Big Ilium Riot being the event that made her infamous, galaxy-wide.

"That's your problem," Haider shrugged, before switching her omnitool's screen to the external camera again.

The Batarian Quarter, called 'Khar'shan Minor' to them, was a lot closer than it had been, and it was the few islands of artificial light in a sea of darkness. A small one too. Apart from the single compound with a batarian-style fortress-mansion and the few blocks around it, the place was in darkness. More ominous was the other light effect. Tracer fire, streaming intermittently into the sky. Gunmen on the ground were shooting at others in the upper floors of the buildings.

"Batarians," Haider said, "Give them the only lights in the entire city, and they'll still end up killing each other."

"Lucky for us," Jennifer added, "Squints would be harder to deal with otherwise."

Haider made a noise of agreement, if only because the divisions among that species were precisely what had brought her to Ilium in the first place. Not knowing what exactly was going on annoyed her, and not having a direct line to T'soni, she changed channels on her comms to deal with the fog of war ahead.

"Adler 3, this is Adler 1," she said in German, "Buzz the landing zone, paint us a picture."

"Copy, Adler 1," replied the pilot.

The left lead gunship threw away the caution of the squadron's approach with great abandon, leaving a sonic boom as it accelerated forwards. The blaze of its thrusters was still visible when it finally overflew the mansion, before executing a sharp turn left and upwards to circle around and rejoin the formation. The pictures from its targeting VI began streaming in immediately.

The attackers had breached the mansion compound's outer walls on the street-side, and there was a general firefight in progress. The still images seemed to indicate that it wasn't in fact batarians fighting batarians, but a collection of species against a mix of asari and batarians. The former seemed to have improvised light armour to boot, airtrucks with heavy weapons on the rear and kinetic barrier plates bolted to the front and sides.

Cheap and utterly inadequate against real mechanised armour, but enough to put serious hurt on any exposed infantry except for asari commandos. Which explained why the batarians were retreating under the cover of a group of asari. The asari were the ones that had at least some of the answers she needed. The Major-General bit her lip. Letting a second-rate gang with big guns kill them wasn't an option.

"Formation, proceed to execution," Haider commanded, "Greif is heavily engaged, landing zone is hot. Walkers touch down first."

The acknowledgement came from the officers loudly, and all nine gunships accelerated to reach their designated points, the two tank-hunters moving to the front to strafe the grounds while the others circled while the job was completed. The airtruck technicals began turning their weapons skyward, but not in time to save the first two from the 155s under the wings of the gunships. They exploded spectacularly, scattering the others with the fear that they might be next. Of course, that meant it would take a few minutes more to kill them, but at least they weren't shooting at anyone else. The intel would be safe.

The supporting infantry had no such problems, however.

"There's T'soni," Jennifer said, pointing, "Doing her wrecking-crew thing. Sorta nostalgic, actually. She was something else at the Citadel."

The young asari was maintaining three singularities and letting off a brace of warp bolts at the nearest cluster of turians. Being the daughter of two matriarchs renowned galaxy-wide for their biotic power had really given the woman talent for the job. But the will to use it like she was came from elsewhere, Haider knew. From a human.

"Is it true she used to be some sort of professor?" Jennifer asked, "When I met her, she was already a seriously lethal bitch."

"Researcher for the University of Serrice," confirmed Haider, recalling the original intelligence dossier, "Archaeologist, a specialist on the Protheans, very promising career ahead."

Jennifer raised an eyebrow, stabbing a finger at the image of the asari in question.

"That girl used to dig up ruins and old bones as her job?" she said. As if to emphasize the change, T'soni proceeded to toss a half-dozen salarians that had decloaked around her into the wall with her biotics, delivering mercy kills with her heavy pistol on the follow up.

"What the hell happened?" Jennifer asked, incredulous.

"Shepard, of course," Haider replied, "Melding too often and too deeply with a woman with nicknames like the 'Angel of Death' and the 'Butcher of Torfan' will do that."

"Didn't know asari could be influenced like that," Jennifer said, "Shit, could I change one if I did the same thing?"

Haider checked that there were no surprises on the scopes, before deeming to answer. Jennifer wasn't as hard as she liked to imagine herself, but there was little point confirming or denying her.

"Not sure," she said, "It's all psychology. Shepard helped Liara T'soni find her mother, get revenge, and all the while, proved more or less conclusively the truth that humanity has discovered out here in the galaxy; pacifism is for slaves. T'soni also began to love Shepard. Deeply. Uncontrollably. The asari fall hard when they fall at all. Its a racial characteristic of theirs. So is getting over it when their mates die."

Jennifer hummed in thought, finally slouching back into her seat.

"Adler 1, this is Adler 2," the comms chirped, "Landing zone is clear of hostile armour."

"Copy," Haider replied, "Formation, begin landings." She changed the external view to watch ahead instead of directly at the compound.

The walker-carriers went in first, coming to a hover directly between Greif and the street-side gates.. The assault walkers themselves dropped, landing with audible thuds even over the high pitched screaming of the gunship engines. More tracers streaked towards both aircraft and walker, as the infantry tried to do something about it. RPGs followed, but to little avail.

The gatling cannons of the walkers spun up and spat a steady stream of twenty-mil explosive bolts at the remaining intruders. The effects on the enemy were grizzly, leaving patches and smears of meat, blood and bone on the white stone. It achieved its objective as hoped, Haider noted, taking the pressure off the defenders and covering the landing of the Fallschirmjägers. Her gunship led the remaining ones in as they began to land. She stood up in the passenger compartment, gripping the hand-hold above her head to stay upright as the gunship landed and the rear ramp dropped.

The platoon staff stayed aboard, leaving Jennifer to brush past them to lead the way out. Haider followed, her hat in her hand so it wouldn't blow off in the downwash of the gunship's thrust. She stepped out onto the smooth stone, into the circle the other gunships had formed to protect the platoon as it disembarked. Jennifer already had her helmet on and her pistols out, head swivelling to find a target.

There were none, though Haider thoroughly approved of her enthusiasm in this case.

"Adler formation, search and destroy," she ordered, "If it's breathing, in possession of a weapon and isn't I-Sec, annihilate it."

"With pleasure, Major-General," came the reply, "Adler 2 out."

The gunships dusted off again and vectored away to do as they were ordered. Haider held her long leather coat in place as they powered away, almost imagining the glee with which the pilots probably were prosecuting the orders. As the thunder of their weapons began again, the walkers' own ceased and her attention quickly turned to the cluster of seven asari ahead, all dressed in light-armour painted the grey-and-white of the Alliance Army.

T'soni came over first, leading the rest towards her from the steps of the mansion.

Together, they were Section Greif. All citizens of the Systems Alliance by marriage save for T'soni herself. Mothers to children born of human parents, victims of the Reapers, and now, vengeful operatives of the Defence Intelligence Directorate. Haider couldn't help but reflect for a moment on the pain some of them must run on. Every single one had lost their child to the Reaper assault the year before, most had lost the father of the child too. Yet she didn't feel an ounce of guilt about asking them to serve.

The Reapers would make many parents bury their children by the time they were done. Haider placed the high peaked officer's cap on her head, and brushed her thumb over the Iron Cross tied around her neck. The one she had won for stopping the massacre of slaves on Anhur. She felt the pain of the oncoming war drain out of her, and faced the asari.

T'soni arrived, nodding a greeting to Jennifer, before addressing Haider.

"Major-General," she said politely, "Thank you for your intervention. It seems our hosts have some very serious disagreements with a local group."

"So it seems," Haider agreed, "I'm glad we could help."

"Pity the flyboys got all the fun," Jennifer added, "Though you had yours." She stuck her tongue out at the asari, getting a grin from T'soni for good measure.

"I am glad to see you have not changed, Lieutenant," Liara said, "I am sure you could have helped."

"She still might," Haider replied flatly, "If I don't like what this batarian of yours has to say."

"The information Lady Shaaryak provided explains many things," Liara objected, "And she has already reconciled with the Alliance-backed batarian government-in-exile on Shan'kharit. This suggests that her loyalty has shifted away from the Hegemony."

"As she has refused to name her source except in person, I am not reassured," Haider said, "The External Forces aren't above blackmailing an exiled noble into setting a trap for us. For me, specifically. For all I know, the mansion is crawling with SIU."

"If only," Jennifer added.

Haider grimaced, very much preferring to not face the crack special operatives of the Hegemony. "Unless you have seen every inch of the building, I must operate under that assumption."

The leader of the asari commandos drew level with T'soni, cradling her Avenger. Reia T'nara-Khan was her name. A large woman, with two hundred years of military service under her belt for the Armali Militia. She had moved to Eden Prime after entering the matron stage of her life, where Haider had personally recruited her for Greif the year before. Her double-barrelled name was a testament to her affection for her murdered wife. It was that detail that had sealed her place as the leader of the only asari unit in the Alliance's short history, as much as her length of previous service.

"You're not going to like the next bit, then," said Reia, her voice possessing more gravel than T'soni's by a mile, "The batarians want to speak to you and Liara only." She waved a finger around at the platoon. "The troops stay outside," she added.

"To hell with this shit!" Jennifer said, turning to Haider, "You're not seriously going to go along with that?"

"Not a chance," Haider agreed, "But it does make me curious. Did they say why they wanted such an arrangement?"

"They want to minimise the chance of a leak on our side," Liara explained, "Lady Shaaryak is concerned about her reputation among other batarian houses. Due to who their source is. He or she must be someone considered to be an enemy of Shan'kharit's dissidents. Shaaryak may be attempting to secure her future position of leadership among them."

Haider had to hand it to T'soni, she made an excellent intelligence operative. Considering the facts, that was exactly the conclusion the general herself would have drawn.

"I'm surprised she has decided to lower herself," Haider mused, "Shan'kharit is not a friendly place to traditionalist nobles."

"Which is why many live here on Ilium," Liara nodded. The asari's omnitool began beeping, and she brought it online. It was a message, text-only.

"The Lady is ready to receive you," the asari continued, "I presume you will not be complying with their request?"

"Nope," said Jennifer immediately, both hands on her hips, "Alliance doesn't kowtow to fuckin' batarians."

"She is correct," Haider said, frowning at just how Jennifer had put it, "In spirit at least. We don't compromise security to appease anyone, in fact."

"They will refuse to open the doors," Reia said, "What do we do?"

"We will open them ourselves," Haider replied, before turning to the tattooed biotic beside her, "Lieutenant."

Jennifer holstered a pistol, and activated the comms control around her neck.

"Hey, Riesig One, got a fire mission for you," she said playfully, "Get over here and blow the fucking hinges off the front doors. Mama Haider's watching."

"Gotchya," came the cheery reply from the young man inside. Haider frowned, and reminded herself to reprimand Jennifer in some way for her fraternisation with the enlisted personnel of her platoon. Not that it would do any good. She was utterly devoted to them, and they to her.

Regardless, the assault walker left its companion to continue covering the gate, and thumped its way across the open space. Liara furiously typed off a message on her omnitool, a warning to the people inside the mansion Haider hoped, as the war machine moved across the plaza.

It rounded the platoon, as their heads followed it, and took station in front of the doors directly. The gatlings span, whirring, before the brrrrrpt overtook the sound. The explosive rounds tore into the stone around the large hinges. One by one, they disappeared in a cloud of dust, starting from the top. It took some doing, the stone was reinforced with metal rods, but it wasn't indestructible. The doors fell in their frame once the final hinge had been separated from it, but they remained upright.

"Fire mission complete," reported the driver.

"Get you a case of beer for that one," said Jennifer, "Stay on overwatch."

"Sure thing."

Liara's omnitool beeped again. "They are asking you to stop shooting or face retaliation," she said, "And reiterate the importance of the information they have passed on."

"They would regret retaliating," Haider said, pulling her pistol from her coat, "But we've made our point. Let's get this over with." She waved the entire group forwards with her weapon, and stepped ahead.

Jennifer fell in directly beside, and waited until they were just far enough away to send a biotic shockwave towards the doors. The biotic power rippled into the ornately decorated wood-covered metal, and they spun off their ruined hinges and slammed onto the steps, ringing like church bells but out of the way. The lights that had been briefly revealed inside turned off. Smart, Haider thought, but ultimately meaningless.

T'soni caught up, seemingly determined to prevent a mistake that would lead to bloodshed. Haider was tempted to say she need not bother. If Jennifer wanted bloodshed, there wasn't much that could be done to stop it. Lucky that it seemed the biotic was in a good mood. Very lucky, in fact, given what was waiting inside the mansion.

The lights turned on again once the entire group was inside. It was a main hall with a balcony around it, and both the ground floor and the upper floor were lined with batarians. Most of them weren't armed or armoured up with anything that could outdo Alliance special forces or asari commandos, but they had numbers. The batarians always did. More worrisome were the four personal mech units, mini-walkers, lined up at the back wall. No match for the real thing, of course, but fitting the real thing through the doorway would have been difficult. Haider wouldn't have stepped inside at all upon seeing them, if she hadn't had a whole squad of biotics on hand.

There was also the surprise of a number of asari among the bodyguards of the good lady. Shaaryak herself had dressed up for the occasion in a black dress, with some sort of ceremonial tiara on her head in tasteful silver, both complementing her teal skin and delicate features. Delicate for a batarian, at least, which was somewhat akin to saying 'delicate for a bear'. A four-eyed bear.

Haider mentally beat down the marrow-deep dislike she held for the species, and continued forwards, casual as can be. The soldiers did the opposite, powering up some omni-shields and keeping a tight perimeter. The asari on her side remained impassive but cautious. Everyone was doing their job, in other words.

A batarian man moved forwards and held his hand up. Haider got the message and stopped, about ten yards from the lady herself. He was about to move back again, but froze, as all four eyes framed Jennifer in their sight.

"Oh shit!" he said, pointing at the biotic, "That's Jack!"

The hall echoed with the sound of metallic gun noise, as the batarians shifted their aim and prepared their weapons to fire. Jennifer's body was turned into a light-show of laser points, the green and red dots fluttering about on her tattoos. Needless to say, and to Haider's complete lack of surprise, she found the situation extremely funny, bursting out laughing as she tore her helmet off.

"Surprise!" said Jennifer, "Tickets are free for anyone looking to die, tonight only!" A biotic barrier shimmered around her. She retrieved her pistols from the holsters under her shoulders, snapping the barrels towards the bodyguard and an asari on the other side, daring one to attack. She at least had the good sense to not point the weapons at the leader, but that wasn't very much consolation. The mechs were moving around to get a clear shot at her.

Haider grit her teeth. The idiots had set the biotic off, and in her glee, she was playing along.

"Jacqueline Nought is dead," she declared, moving in front of Jennifer, laser points moving over her body instead, "This is Lieutenant Jennifer Haider. Stand down immediately!" The hope being that pointing out their common surname would make them realise just how screwed they were if they so much as thought about firing. Unfortunately, it did not work. The laser sights did not move an inch.

"I know Jack when I see her," growled the batarian male, "And I refuse to permit her presence before Lady..."

"Enough," said a clear voice from behind. The Lady, it seemed, preferred to speak for herself. The bodyguard turned, and an elaborate display of head tilting and bowing followed, the noble expressing her dominance over her subordinates in a non-verbal manner. The man stood down, and the glowing red and green dots diminished greatly in number. Jennifer even lowered her weapons, through they remained in-hand. But not without a sigh of disappointment.

"Perhaps we should begin with introductions," Liara suggested lightly, "I think we have done enough fighting for one day." Haider glanced at the asari, impressed with T'soni's gentle reminder that she had fought to preserve the mansion in the first place. The Lady inclined her head, and gave a single wave to another batarian attendant to proceed.

"You stand in the presence of Nynsi Shaaryak of Khar'shan," said the attendant, "Possessor of the Shaaryak Estate, Exiled Holder of the Hak'til seat on the Council of Greaters, direct and legitimate descendant of Hegemon Verush the Great."

Of course, Nynsi Shaaryak was in fact a businesswoman, a semi-criminal one, with heavy investments in arms and armour, manufacturing and development, but dabbling in pretty much everything else, from indentured servants to scrap. An empire inherited from Xerol Shaaryak, a figure of much more renown. Little Nynsi was trying to live up to the old man's reputation, Haider thought.

The attendant turned and bowed to his master, again with a head tilt. The Lady's eyes waited for the accompanying introduction. Haider resisted the great temptation to roll her own. The display was testing her outward tolerance. Luckily, there was a way to put the batarian noble in her place. It happened to be the case that she possessed a higher rank. Two can play the pretentious-inherited-titles game.

"I am Karla Maria-Anna Haider von Habsburg," she said, "Archduchess of Austria, Queen of Hungary, Bohemia and Jerusalem, Grand Master of the Order of the Golden Fleece."

All defunct titles for countries that either had pooled their sovereignty with others or simply didn't exist any more. Nearly meaningless, except in some human conservative circle that Karla exploited with aplomb. Not that it mattered, Shaaryak's titles were similar pretense. Silence greeted the response, as Haider had hoped. The Lady's eyes had narrowed ever so slightly, she noted, and the slight tilt of the batarian's head to the right had stopped. She had been believed.

"Now that we're done swapping the achievements of our ancestors," she continued, "Can we move on to achieving something for ourselves? I'm also Army Director of the DID, as you well know. I am empowered to negotiate for the Systems Alliance, if that is what you brought me here for."

An irritated but thoroughly aristocratic growl erupted from Lady Shaaryak. "Very well," she said, "There is a reason for my formality, but we may address that later. From your... entrance, I see that Miss T'soni passed on the message I sent to her."

"Yes, an interesting tale," said Haider, "But I want to hear the exact details from your mouth." If it was some contrivance of the batarian black-hats, then perhaps the Lady could be caught out on the details. If she was being coerced, it was almost certain she wasn't in possession of the full story.

"You don't trust me. Of course you don't," Shaaryak said, gesticulating, "I have opposed your efforts at every turn. I was right to. Your puppet government on Shan'kharit has no respect for the heritage of the people it claims to rule. Without my faction, it is doomed to fall."

"Maybe if they had less capable handlers," Haider said, "You might be right. But while the Alliance stands, so do the democratic dissidents along with their batarian government-in-exile. You simply don't accept that reality... Or perhaps you do now?"

Shaaryak inclined her head, confirming that she had indeed. "They are the only credible alternative," the Lady said, "Now that I have joined them."

"I'm sure they'll be delighted to hear it," said Haider, her impatience growing, "Tell me exactly why you changed your mind."

Shaaryak nodded to the nearest asari, a creature of average height for the species but with savage scars on her throat. The retainer brought up her omnitool, and the same pictures that had been attached to the message sent by T'soni appeared.

A Reaper, or what looked like one, sitting in a large enclosed space of yellow stone, surrounded by the tiny figures of batarians and what could only be scientific equipment. The picture itself was not faked, as far as Haider's people could tell. Which had very nasty implications.

"In 2163, the Hegemony recovered the corpse of a Reaper from a crater on Jartar," Shaaryak began, "The Leviathan of Dis."

Haider's heart nearly stopped. That detail hadn't been in the message. And it was important, because twenty years is a long time for indoctrination opportunities. The Lady continued, heedless of her guest's discomfort at the news.

"We... they did not know its true nature until the Butcher's encounters with the Prothean beacons. It lay in a warehouse on Khar'shan for years. Some materials technology was recovered from it, but the project was shut down due to changing priorities. After the Hegemony lost the war in 2178, the Arch-Hegemon was looking for any edge he could find over the Alliance."

Haider felt her face curl with anger at the noble calling Shepard "the Butcher", just barely keeping the sensation inaudible. The batarian looked on for a response. Testing the waters on how far they could push disagreement over past clashes. It was obnoxious, but there was far too much at stake to fall now.

"And he found it in the Leviathan," Haider said carefully.

"He certainly thinks so," Shaaryak said, "The whole structure was moved to the research laboratories beneath the Great Ziggurat early last year. Techs have been working on it day and night for eight months, and the Arch-Hegemon visits it regularly, often with members of the High Command."

"That's the part that got me interested," Haider said, pointing, "The leader of the batarian people sleeps a few floors up from Reaper tech... a full Reaper even, and brings most of the other leaders of your species to visit it like a national monument? You must know that they are all indoctrinated by now."

"There are some that say 'indoctrination' is a conspiracy to corner Reaper tech for humanity," Shaaryak smiled, revealing her fangs, "But I do not think so. You have been too generous in sharing what you have learned for such a thing to be true."

"Great, you believe us," Jennifer interrupted, throwing her hands up, "Get to the part where you can prove this isn't a conspiracy to buy time." Or provoke another unnecessary war, Haider added in her head. A few more laser dots appeared on Jennifer, as the Lady sent a withering glare at the biotic. The movement of her hands could have easily been the precursor to a biotic attack, after all. It was hardly tactful.

"I am certain that most of the Arch-Hegemon's court and his military leaders are indoctrinated," Shaaryak said, her lower eyes returning to Haider first, "My source has indicated that there is a seismic shift in attitudes among them, and it started about the time the Arch-Hegemon became interested in the Leviathan. With every passing day, they become more hungry for war. A long war they can't win."

"That certainly seems like something the Reapers would want," Liara said, her eyes rolled up in thought, "The lower castes have lost appetite for such adventures, however."

"They have," Shaaryak replied, "Even now, there is great unrest on Khar'shan, and General Gadnalak has disappeared. The lowborn think he was assassinated by the Arch-Hegemon for resisting the war hawks."

Haider frowned. Gadnalak was a man of exceptional military and political talent. The man who had planned and executed the raid on Mindoir, as well as the man who got the External Forces off of Elysium intact at the beginning of the Second Verge War. He would have been extraordinarily hard to kill, or else the Alliance would have done it years ago. She didn't quite believe he could be assassinated.

"But it does not matter what the lowborn think," Shaaryak pressed on, "The Navy is utterly loyal to the Arch-Hegemon, and its admirals have visited the Leviathan. All it would require to start a war is a single attack on the Alliance defences in the Verge."

"It would be suicide," Haider said, "Our own forces are vastly superior now, and we have the Pact. The entire quarian fleet has been repurposed for military service, and it's pledged to defend Alliance territory."

"I know," Shaaryak said, "Which is something I intend to discuss with you once you are confident that I am not lying."

"I will be happy to," replied Haider, "Once you tell me who your source is."

The Lady paused, either considering for the last time whether to reveal the name or to heighten the tension. Even if the latter wasn't intended, it happened regardless. Haider's skin began to itch with her impatience, and from the curled lips on Jennifer's face, she was on edge too.

"Kemen Sak'davran," Shaaryak said finally. A name Haider hadn't heard in a while, but a familiar one.

"The former governor of Torfan?" Liara said, incredulous, "I'm glad Shepard is not here..." The young asari seemed to be struck with a sudden bolt of sadness, for which there was no immediate cure. Jennifer laid a hand on the asari's shoulder, her lips pursed with something approaching sympathy.

"So am I," said Haider quickly, "Sak'davran is a die-hard Hegemony loyalist, why would he give you this information?"

"The Governor is loyal to the batarian people, and to the Pillars," Shaaryak replied, "Not to any politician or faction. Of all people, he is able to spot a clear path of suicidal decline when he sees one. But I don't expect you to take my word for it." She nodded again to the asari with the scarred throat, who tapped her omnitool interface and brought up a video file.

It was Kemen Sak'davran himself, his deep maroon coloured skin and wide lower eyes unmistakeable to Haider.

He spoke in a high cant of the Batarian noble tongue. The words were harsh yet flowing, and the translator programme was only able to give a textual rendition of their meaning into sari. He explained who he was and what he had discovered; namely the Leviathan, its true nature and what had been happening with it. It was unacceptable to see his people become puppets of genocidal AI. He had decided to declare his loyalty to Shan'kharit's government-in-exile and would organise an armed rebellion on Khar'shan itself.

Haider listened, and considered the facts as she saw them. It was definitely the man in question on the vid. Shaaryak wasn't being coerced, or else the SIU trap accompanying that would have already been sprung. It wasn't a scheme by the indoctrinated Arch-Hegemon to get the Alliance to attack, that was even more suicidal than taking the initiative.

The images of the Reaper were real. The report of greater aggression in the batarian highborn responsible for running the Hegemony lined up with what she knew from signals intercepts and spies.

The same had provided the profile of Sak'davran. It was true that he was an eccentric, despite his reputation for complete loyalty. He ruled with a soft touch too, an unusual feature for a batarian Governor.

Suddenly, it all fell into place.

The information was good, she realised.

"It's real," said Haider firmly, "You've convinced me."

Shaaryak breathed out softly with relief. It had been a gamble to call the Alliance in on this, Haider knew, and the Lady was betting her entire future on the result. She had bet well.

"The Alliance will have no choice," Haider continued, "We must declare war in light of the Hegemony's war preparations and the evidence of Reaper indoctrination. If the indoctrinated command any forces when the Reapers finally do get out of dark space, the disruption to the defence of the galaxy would be unacceptable."

"And so the government-in-exile shall return to the homeworld," Shaaryak said, "Correct?"

"That is so," said Haider, albeit reluctantly, "We don't want to waste resources on an occupation either."

"I must now address the reason for my formality," said Shaaryak, her voice gaining gravitas, "I have discussed this development with the leaders of the factions. In two days, we intend to declare a Batarian Commonwealth, and request membership of your Versailles Pact."

Haider snorted. The puppet wanted loose from its strings. How amusing.

"But that would mean..." Liara said.

"Independence and alliance among equals," Shaaryak said, "No more puppetry. The exiles, even the democrats and liberals, have no intention of returning to the home of the batarian species only to rule in the name of Earth. If the Reapers are coming, we see no reason to accept any occupation of our territories or disarmament. You will need every warm body and every ship to throw at the synthetics."

Haider already knew what the Consuls would say. Already, Shaaryak was looking on, like this was a big ask. In truth, the Reapers had turned every other concern into a triviality. Even now, as human and quarian fleets stared at warlords and pirates across the relays of the Traverse and Terminus, and the other Council species fought internal political battles over the real extent of the threat.

There was only one word to say.

"Done."

Shaaryak recoiled slightly. Jennifer spun her head around. "What?" they both said, before turning to each other in surprise that they were in agreement about something.

"You can join the Pact," Haider said, "You are right. We need every warm body, and every ship. Death is coming for us all. The Reapers are a threat to every species."

"And you can guarantee this?" Shaaryak asked, "As a representative of your government."

"If you join us in taking down the Hegemony," Haider replied, "I am certain the consuls will agree to it." It was easily justified. Only Terra Firma's group would have problems among the politicians, and the military would fall into line because it would help to smash the slavers forever. The only alternative was a more costly war followed by an ethnic cleansing that not even the turians had matched with their poisoning of the krogan gene pool.

"I shall make the arrangements," said a stunned Shaaryak, tilting her head respectfully, "Diplomats will be dispatched to Arcturus once the declaration is made, to finalise the details."

"I'll make sure they don't get shot out of the sky," Haider joked back, turning to leave, "Both of our peoples' chances at making it through the storm that's coming just got a lot better." It was a reason to feel good, and she did, her every movement lighter. The Arch-Hegemon would die behind this mess, and humanity would gain bodies and ships to throw at the Reapers.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, General?" Liara asked.

"Exactly," said Haider, "Goodbye, Lady Shaaryak. Send me the bill for the doors."

"Goodbye, Archduchess," the Lady said, "I don't need your money."

Haider strode away, Liara and Jennifer in tow. The platoon of special forces began powering down their omni-shields, filing out of the hall. The lasers betraying the rifles' aiming at Jennifer's body went away. Even as they returned to the ominous sound of the gunships and gangs firing heavy ordnance across the city, the General couldn't help but smile. Jennifer even waited until they were absolutely out of earshot to make her complaint.

"Did we just make nice?" she said loudly, "What the hell did I just watch?!"

"Progress, Jennifer," Haider replied, "You just watched the first real progress in human-batarian relations in twenty-seven years."

"And it only took the arrival of the Reapers to bring it about," Liara said with a smile, "I hope it lasts."

"I don't," Jennifer moaned, "Who am I supposed to kill when the Reapers are beaten?"

Liara's smile widened. "I am glad you are so confident that we will beat the Reapers, lieutenant," she said, "Strangely, it gives me hope."

"What? You aren't confident?" Jennifer continued, "You're even more a killing machine than I am."

Haider tuned out of the conversation there, happy to leave them to it as she recalled the gunships to pick them up. As they entered their landing pattern once more, her omnitool beeped at her with a comms request. Knowing it was from the Navy, she opened it.

"Adler, this is Athena Actual," said Hannah Shepard's voice, "We have a change in the situation that requires you return immediately."

Liara glanced over, knowing it was Jane Shepard's mother. Haider nodded, and responded.

"What seems to be the trouble?" Haider replied.

"Three turian fleets joined the show," Hannah explained, "They've ordered the rogue asari fleet to stand down, and any of our ground forces to get off Ilium ASAP. Space Command Terra sent on our warning, and Udina got moving. The Council voted on a compromise deal, the turians sided with us. We'll get the people we need. Mission is scrubbed."

Haider looked back at the mansion, the open doorway guarded casually by some of the batarians, led by the scarred asari. They were looking on with interest as the gunships began to enter their landing pattern. They were on the side of the living now too. Her side.

"It's not a problem, Athena Actual," she said, "We've done what we needed to."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a taster of what is to come for BF2185.

Minor crossover with Katkiller-V's Another Realm series here, which I recommend.