Hidden in the shadows and sparks of war

Shala'Raan vas Tonbai | Migrating Fleet

Something strange has been happening lately; over the past year, almost all Quarians who returned from their pilgrimage from the Terminus systems have acted strangely. Though they brought the right stuff, they've acted defiantly. Though no one notices this except me. Many of the new arrivals have become excellent technicians. They are climbing all over the fleet's ships, and the captains can't get enough of them. A couple have become ship captains, and a few are gaining popularity. They will join the Fleet Council in the future. Their activity is very strange, with many of them always looking at our history or fleet data. It's commendable, of course, but strange.

Or it's just nerves. Sleep has been a luxury for me lately since the opportunity to repair some ships came up, and I can't let it go to waste. Even though it's nasty, I have to look for parts, even from pirates. And just found a gang willing to sell for cheap, but trust the pirates ... Okay, the details are never too much, but send the squad should be reinforced guard, just in case.

A couple of hours later.

Well, that's it; the squad is made up, but who to send as an engineer? Everyone is busy servicing the ships right now, and inspecting the parts without him is hard. Who's left...? Ah, here! Just one of the new arrivals. Showed some good technique, no conflicts, etc., great! He'll go with the squad. I gave the list to the mate and stared through the window into the void of space again, wondering how much more I had to do.

Three days later | Orbit of a Terminus planet | Shuttle with a squadron

- I repeat, one more time! Everyone, be extremely careful. Don't provoke them; I don't want any shooting! Is that clear? - getting nods in response, the commander returned to his omni.

The squad itself was a mix of military and civilians. While the former kept calm and prepared for possible problems, the young technicians chattered incessantly, pausing only during briefings from the captain. One engineer, in particular, was poking around in some contraption, and a girl technician was always hovering over him or hanging around. This couple always walked apart from everyone else, so no one touched them.

- Geeeeeeeeeer, come on, Geeeeeeeeer," the tech tried to get through to the guy again, "What are you doing? What is this?

- You'll know too much; you'll grow old soon. - The guy's voice was as aloof as always.

- Oh, Kila, what are you talking about? Where did you hear that? - The guy fell out of the world for a second.

- It just popped into my head. Tell me, why did you volunteer to come here? Your mother was definitely against it. And how did you talk her into it?

- We're friends, aren't we?" said the girl, then looked away sadly. And against the Admiral's word, even my mother could not say anything when I signed up!

- Well then, I understand, but this task is not for you; I would have told you anyway when I returned. - The boy remarked, to which the girl grudgingly snorted.

- You don't understand anything! - She took offence and turned away from the Quarian.

Five minutes passed in silence, and she looked at the guy demandingly. On the twentieth time, he gave up.

- Well, what do you want so you don't sulk?

- Tell me what you do! - In a moment, the girl turned around.

- It's a communicator, that's all.

- Communicator? I've never seen one of those. And why do you need one when you have an Omni?

- No reason. I made it myself, so I carry it around. - He shrugged and went back to his work.

- And why..." the girl wanted to ask something else when she was interrupted by the thundering voice of her commander.

- GET READY. IT'S TEN MINUTES TO TAKE OFF! The squad began to check weapons and other equipment.

After the allotted time, everyone inside felt a jolt, and the doors began to open, sending beams of light inside. Everyone moved toward the exit. When a couple climbed out, they saw a posse of a dozen Batarian, Turian, and other creatures more likely to be criminal elements. Evidently, the gang was not doing well, as all the pirates had different armour, some broken or crumpled. The weapons were a separate story. But there were quite a few of them.

When everyone unloaded, a Crogan in the best armour available walked toward the squad from one of the cars. Definitely the leader.

- Did you bring it? - He started off with a bang.

- Yes, as agreed, we have our credits, but where are the parts we ordered? - The captain stepped forward. At his words, the krogan roared and replied.

- I always keep my word. They're in the Quarian machines. Will you check? - at these words, it seemed that he grinned.

- Yes. Geir, come here. - To the engineer, the commander put a gun in his hand. - Be careful, lad. We'll expect you here in ten minutes. Rana, go with him. - The girl ran after the boy and the pirate Turian who led them. After a minute of walking between cars, they came to a large truck.

- Here are your parts, your suits. Take a look, and get on with your boss. - said, smiling the turian, opening the ramp. Seeing that his "guests" were in no hurry to get in, he snorted and entered the van's darkness.

POV Pirate Turian.

If Branis doesn't screw up, we can load the tramps and take them to the ship. Once inside the van, I stopped at a certain place and waited. When I heard a thud from behind, I smiled. But when, a second later, someone wheezed from behind, I knew that something had gone wrong. Just as I was about to turn around, I felt a pain in my back and saw a piece of iron sticking out of my chest. A second later, it pulled back into my body. I began to roll over but still managed to keep from falling. Finding the strength to turn around, I bumped into some kind of monster dressed as a Quarian. Instead of its usual eyes, two pairs of red lights stared at me from its helmet, and its right arm was the colour of metal and outstretched like a blade.

This image sapped my remaining strength, and I collapsed to the floor with a rumble. Branis and the unconscious girl were already lying at the entrance with a hole in their necks. I was coughing up blood almost instantly, and the creature came toward me. As it came in close, it said:

- Stupid plan xeno, thank the Emperor for your quick death.

That was the last thing I heard, after which the creature broke my neck with its foot, and I fell into the darkness.

End of POV.

The squad leader counted down the last seconds of his allotted time, and the pirate leader seemed to be, too. The soldiers nervously fidgeted with their weapons, ready to draw them any moment. And here comes the last ten, as from behind the wagons appears an engineer with ... a technician in his arms?! He comes out, raises his pistol, and blows the nearest pirate's head off. Taking advantage of the gang's confusion, the soldiers open fire on the Shuttle. Something seems to have gone wrong! The Crogan was the only one who didn't get confused in the firefight. Drawing his shotgun, he was about to rush at us but was suddenly struck down by a well-aimed shot from the engineer. It's hard to do from that gun; we'll have to reward the guy. No casualties among us, only one wounded; he stuck his leg out unluckily.

The whole squad came out of cover, some of them went around the guy, and some went to get the spoils.

- So they decided to win double? - asked the captain after the engineer had told him everything. - You did well; you defeated six, even the Krogan! I advise you to take a combat training course when we get home. Your talent for shooting should not be neglected. - said the commander to the approving murmur.

Fourteen hours later,| bridge of the Admiral's ship | Shala'Raan vas Tonbai

- So, captain, the deal was a rotten one? - The captain of the squad and the head of intelligence, the mother of the girl technician, stood before me.

- Yes, Admiral, if it hasn't been for the engineer's reaction, we might have yet to return. - the captain's voice was as calm as always, though the situation worried him just as much as me.

- What do you say, Laani? Wasn't there any information on this gang? - That's who I'm mad at; it's her. To let it slip through my fingers like that.

- Admiral! This gang has traded with us before, but it had a different leader then, and I didn't know about the change in power. I beg your pardon! - she humbly lowered her head.

- Well, thank goodness it was all right, Kilah. Is your daughter all right?

- Yes, the doctors say it's just stunning and nothing serious.

- Let's hope so, but now you have to...

- Admiral, multiple targets ahead! Two hundred responses! About two hundred the size of a heavy cruiser, five dreadnoughts and one huge one! Five times the size of The Way!!! - I was interrupted by a shout from one of the crew.

Rushing from my seat, I ran to the Admiral's chair in a second and gave the order to stand by. A siren howled through the ship in a couple of moments, and everyone began to take their assigned positions. The warships moved forward, covering the trusses and the civilian ships.

After a few minutes, I saw them. Huge, arrow-shaped ships covered with weapons and adorned with gold. Some of them were ornaments in the shape of skulls with pipes. The calibre of the main ship's guns made me sick. The ships themselves looked like houses or ancient temples. The computer was not finding a match with the specimens in Citadel space!

- Try to contact them and find out who it is. - I gave the order to the communicator.

- Will do, Admiral, but we're not getting any waves from them. Maybe they're using another communications system. What to do? - the face of the communicator, even under the mask, was confused.

- Try. There must be a way. - I looked around at everyone on the bridge. The young Quarians, that girl from the crew, huddling with her mother, who's standing there, not showing any fear. There's got to be a way.

- There is an Admiral. - A lifeless voice sounded in the silence. When I turned around, I saw Geir, the technician who had distinguished himself on the planet, and a couple of other guys who had also arrived from Terminus. They stopped in front of me when they reached the middle of the bridge. - If that's the way you want it, there it is.

- Do you have any idea how to set up communications?

- Almost Admiral, almost. - He took a small hexagon out of his pocket.

- Your communicator? - The girl spoke up.

- Yes, almost mine. - he answered her. - Admiral, the Faceless One wants to talk to you; I'm here for that.

- Who the hell are you? - shouted the usually calm head of intelligence and pointed her weapon at the engineer.

- The bearer of his word. - The engineer turned around, and an incomprehensible change began to happen to him. At first, he became, like his assistants, entirely grey. Both his clothes and his mask. After that, he began to change, flow, and change until he appeared before me as a humanoid, a head taller than a Quarian, dressed in black cloth and a smooth mask without the outlines of a face. But most surprising of all were the altered hands and feet. In front of me stood, absolutely, a different species unknown before. After the "transformation," the entire crew and the arriving guards took aim at the stranger.

- The faceless one wishes to speak. - said the humanoid and threw the communicator to the floor.

A second later, a hologram appeared above the floor.

Sacred Terra | Throne Room

- Are you sure, my lord? - The Legate still didn't fully grasp my idea.

- Yes, my friend, every sentient builder of the Empire is a step toward victory.

- But they are weak. They will not make soldiers by the criteria of the Ordo Legio!

- Look not at the muscles but inwardly. They were excellent technicians and engineers until the defeat of the machines. After that, everyone turned away from them, and there was no greater ally than the one you helped when everyone turned away.

- So be it, lord, I will go with my squadron. But what of the Synthetics?

- The Adepts will be interested in their technology, but they could be of more use and more reliable. As you agree with the nomads. I'll send a fleet to you, destroy the Sinti and take their technology.

- What do I have to negotiate with?

- There are planets suitable for them in the Alcair segment. You can promise them. That will be all, Legatus. You may go. - bowing, my most loyal subject and friend left the hall. Here I have changed the story.

Space at Repeater-314 | Drone Squadron long-range reconnaissance.

The squadron's techno-mind

The space catapult "Repeater" has been detected. ...

Assigned number 314...

Initiating catapult route readout...

12%...

24%...

35%...

41%...

62%...

82%...

WARNING Unit attacked! ...

Scanning...

Xeno ships detected...

Lost engines two and five...

Authorized retreat to nearest Ordo Stellar base...