Khaela, Migrant Fleet.
While the possessed one and the diplomat are bored on the Quarian ship, being "guests," the others are preparing. The Quarians did indeed send a scout ship to Erinle to confirm that the Geth are not exterminating the Salarians. A couple of suicide volunteers were found, gathered for what was almost a suicide mission, though no one intends to kill them. Unless they start firing themselves, of course. Which they were honestly warned about. I hope they don't start.
The Migrant Fleet and its command also heard the warning, reacted, but still didn't realize the scale of the problem...
they redeployed for a more circular defense. Part of the personnel was ferried down to the planet, and some ships with strategic manufacturing were sent into deep space, where there was less chance of them being hit. If they aren't discovered, of course.
Well, the humans brought in a group of six stealth frigates with two faster-than-light torpedoes on board and froze in a cloaked state at the edge of the system. The Quarians don't know about this, but we are going to test the weaponry in combat conditions. Previously, the torpedoes had only been used against Mass Relays: in human space and on the Alpha Relay in the space of the Batarian Hegemony. After that, several torpedoes were delivered to the largest Inner Colonies and handed over to the admirals commanding regional defenses. Only now have a couple of spare devices appeared that can be used in combat elsewhere. A decision by command—a reasonable one, however.
The production of such weapons is still an extremely complex and slow process. At least there is plenty of Eezo (E-Zero) now, although we had to learn how to assemble Mass Effect Cores.
The Eezo (E-Zero) extracted from the Mass Relay was put to use. It is extremely difficult to extract, as any electrical impact on the mineral begins to generate gravitational anomalies, but humans were never stopped by such trifles. There is an order—extract—and after that, you just need to think a little.
And the extraction is proceeding quite successfully. Carefully, studying every centimeter of the Mass Relay debris for the presence of aggressive nanites or unknown technologies. Everything superfluous goes to the scientists, and the Eezo (E-Zero) goes into production, which, just in case, was located on the moons of Saturn.
The Eezo (E-Zero) then goes into plasma cells, into the creation of machine tools and manufacturing. Of course, the reserves are finite, but while an alternative technical base is being prepared, based on both Forerunner and human technologies, it is a good and cheap option for complex manufacturing.
In parallel, excavations of the portal to "The Ark" continue, only a third complete. Still, thirty-five kilometers at a depth of one kilometer is a lot. Ultimately, it was decided to stop worrying and just dig as is, announcing the find officially; after all, you can't hide a disk of that size on Earth. And destroying it isn't as easy as it turned out; the installation maintains itself, so rebels are no more of a concern than usual.
But that's all on Earth, where the core and the UNSC Apollo are located, which is preparing for a combat operation on the border of space known to humans. There are hints of a Forerunner complex; we will be organizing a raid. They are also working with the Batarians.
We need to drive a wedge between The Covenant and the Batarians, as information came from the Shadow Broker that they have a meeting scheduled in a neutral system. If we strike at The Covenant forces while showing them human ships, any moves toward friendship will be irrelevant. The main thing is to take a Batarian ship by storm in advance so that they also attack The Covenant. And as a last resort, we can arrange a Mass Relay explosion as a radical measure. And the fact that there is a colony of a million there won't stop command. Neighbors must not be loyal to The Covenant, or buy ships or equipment from them. We need to play it safe.
But that is also happening over there. Here, on the Migrant Fleet, we were called to the admirals again, this time of the Civilian and Heavy Fleets. The same compartment, just a slightly different set of negotiators. After a new round of greetings, the interesting part began, until which my Possessed demonstrated boredom with her whole appearance, more interested in her claws than her surroundings. Outwardly, of course.
The Admiral of the Heavy Fleet—a Quarian male in yellow-green armor—said:
"Thank you for arriving and for the delay. We needed time to verify the information."
The diplomat replied easily:
"It's fine, we understand that you are not obliged to take our word for it. The situation is difficult for all of us. I can hope that this will change for the better."
The Admiral of the Heavy Fleet nodded:
"I am glad you understand. Strangely enough, the Geth are indeed not causing the Salarian Colony Erinle any harm, other than the blockade itself. This is unexpected. Why it is being carried out, by the way, do you know?"
The diplomat answered quite honestly:
"I do not know. Besides, that is not the topic of discussion; I am authorized to discuss the interaction of our forces in the event of a Covenant attack. To discuss other issues, it makes sense to designate them in advance. Right now, the question is interaction to secure the fleet from invasion. Including interaction with the Geth, whose position I am authorized to convey to you."
The admirals looked at each other.
"We will not cooperate with the Geth," the Admiral of the Civilian Fleet stated, "it is out of the question. It will not happen!"
"But," the Admiral of the Heavy Fleet added, glancing at the Possessed, "we are ready to cooperate in the field of intelligence and technology exchange. This can be done on neutral territory, in safe conditions."
The diplomat nodded.
"I understand. What are the reasons for the refusal? We could meet on this ship as well, if necessary."
The Admiral of the Heavy Fleet replied somewhat more sharply than last time.
"Not a single human or representative of the races of your bloc will set foot on the ships of the Migrant Fleet without permission. This is our collective decision, made by the Council of Captains and supported by the Board of Admiralty. According to our data, humans use synthetics, is that so? Artificial Intelligence," the Quarian almost spat.
The diplomat glanced at the Possessed, and having received a short nod, replied:
"Correct. AI is a part of our society. And we do not consider the Geth to be unequivocal enemies. AI, like humans, work for the benefit of our society, fight, and help us in everyday life and battle. We understand your fears, but I can guarantee they are unfounded. Synthetics are not our enemies, and it will remain so."
This statement caused the Quarians present to tense up noticeably. The Admiral of the Civilian Fleet, stumbling slightly, said with indignation:
"This is unacceptable. From this moment on, any data exchange will be conducted only on removable media. Your AIs are forbidden to be present on or connect to our ships. And even being in the same system with them is only with the direct permission of the Board of Admiralty. I hope we understand each other."
Tali snorted mockingly. Well, yeah, they still haven't realized who they're talking to. Besides, there are currently six shipboard AIs in the system plus my Possessed. Here, I asked a question.
"You have been heard. Now for the next question, which is why we are gathered here. We would like to use faster-than-light torpedoes against large Covenant ships. According to our data, this should destroy their largest ships when they appear. This will seriously help you in battle, since you are refusing other help."
"If they appear," the Admiral of the Heavy Fleet countered, "according to our data, Covenant fleets engaged in battle and crushed forces in the Terminus Systems a few hours ago. And large ships were used there in numbers consistent with the survivors after Palaven and Oma Ker. According to your intelligence, their speed of movement is limited and not tied to Mass Relays, which means we have time. You also confirmed that you cannot deploy large forces as reinforcements. Am I mistaken?"
Depends on what. In that we cannot use a large number of ships—true. In that everything ended on Omega? I have an Avatar there with agents locked in a container, having switched from beer and chips to insect spray. No, seriously. The Covenant turned out to be difficult, and when the interceptor ships drove the mercenary forces onto Omega, cylindrical ships looking like they were overgrown with a parasite flew in from the red relay. From there, hordes of familiar insectoid Husks rushed onto the station. Both Javik and Yalorae immediately suggested burning Omega just in case when they saw the attackers. Essentially, a war of all against all began on the station.
From the outside, the station was blocked by forces clearly of Covenant fanatics under nanites and these "Collectors." From the inside—Covenant defenders and their acolytes from the locals, who realized that those who arrived were not their own at all. And in between are mercenaries, pirates, Salarians with Yahg, and other interesting individuals.
And they staged a battle of everyone against everyone. So the Quarian admiral is not entirely right in his words. But regarding the ships—it's true; if the Quarians don't ask the Geth for help, we have nowhere to get large forces. We'll have to find someone who will ask, otherwise the Quarians will simply run out. Which is what the negotiator said.
"No," the diplomat agreed, "six stealth ships with railguns and faster-than-light torpedoes. No, they will not be handed over to the fleet for study; it is a strategic technology. But, we can still involve the Geth. They are ready to provide assistance to your fleet, even without entering into direct contact with it. You will simply be fighting, as they say, in the same direction."
The Admiral listened in silence and replied confidently:
"We will not ask synthetics; it is out of the question. We will not betray all those whom these machines exterminated in their senseless rage. You can think as much as you like that the machines obey you, but it is not so. When they start destroying you, you will understand what I mean. And you will remember that we warned you. Is there anything else?"
The diplomat shook his head.
"No, that is all."
The admirals stood up.
"Then your help is effectively exhausted at this point. If large Covenant ships appear, you are permitted to use your weapon. If not, the fleet will manage on its own. That is all; your fleet has been notified and you will be picked up within an hour. We will wait for your proposals for data and technology exchange on neutral territory, which we will determine additionally. Thank you for the meeting."
I had to restrain the Quarian woman the whole way back, as she was on the verge of hysterics.
But when we actually boarded the shuttle and headed for the frigate, she couldn't take it, delivering a long monologue in Quarian that my translator couldn't perceive. She was overflowing with rage.
"They... they..." the girl growled, "why is it so difficult with them every time??? The admirals are different, but just as stubborn in their prejudices. As if their stubbornness will help them protect themselves from plasma! They don't understand!"
The man looked at the Quarian woman with sympathy; the shuttle pilot remained silent.
"They don't understand," the diplomat sighed, "but there's nothing we can do. The fact that they will clearly land part of the civilians on the planet and move some ships away is already better than nothing."
Tali snorted.
"That planet is a piece of rock, from whose asteroid belt minerals are being mined. If the fleet loses, these Quarians will simply die of hunger. If they aren't burned from orbit sooner."
The Possessed spread her hands.
"It's more than if they were just slaughtered on the ships."
"It's not a solution!" the Quarian woman almost shouted, "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see what happens next. Even with those idiots from the Heavy Fleet. And don't tell me that the path of a soldier is death. You offered them the text of an agreement with the Geth. Secretly, I know."
"Some captains agreed," I noted, "even if they couldn't go against the majority. The Board of Admiralty forbade it."
Well, "forbade" as in they are effectively threatening those who would try to fly away. According to Tali and Geth documents, it was the same in the Morning War; the Quarian military destroyed not only the Geth but also the Quarians who sympathized with them. And that was also one of the reasons for the ensuing massacre. The Geth took revenge for everyone at once.
"They fear a split," the Quarian woman agreed, "if the Geth accept even a small part of us, an exodus to Rannoch will begin. A split is already happening; I heard that many do not return from the Pilgrimage. If they have other options besides the fleet, many will decide to go there to finally live a full life without risking a bullet. The very concept of gathering strength and reclaiming Rannoch will lose its meaning."
"And they will lose power," the diplomat concluded.
I shrugged with the Possessed's shoulders.
"I'd venture to guess it's not about power. If for them the struggle with the Geth for their world is their life's work."
Tali nodded sharply, looking at the shuttle floor.
"Yes. Everything we do and everything about how we live, the answer to all questions is—the Geth took our home and almost exterminated us," the Quarian woman said sadly, "why we get sick, why we walk in suits, why we live on ships while others live on planets. Why it's so difficult. When we get older, when we prepare for the pilgrimage, all of this is the path to one day driving the Geth off Rannoch, and life becoming good again. Privations for the sake of a victory that will one day surely come. You have no idea how hard it is to admit to yourself that we could just go home, that all of this, our whole life and all the problems we've endured during this time, all of it was unimportant. Because we can just go back, and it will all end."
Yeah. A clinical case.
"But in your reality, they were somehow reconciled?"
"John crushed them with his authority," Tali spread her hands sadly, "without him and his charisma, I'm not sure peace is even possible."
"And if the Geth help you?"
Tali shook her head.
"I'm not sure that will help."
Oh, we'll see.
***
My routine work on another exotic material project with Jacob Reyes was interrupted by an alarm from the stealth frigate.
"Covenant forces entering the system! Two hundred contacts, two groups. Correction, four hundred contacts, a third group has exited in the rear!"
Oh, they've arrived, in three groups. The first is blocking the Mass Relay, the second is by the planet, on the opposite side from the fleet, the third is in between, and will be pinning the Quarian forces against the planet, in theory. We noticed their scout a day ago and even informed the Quarians, but we were simply ignored. Oh well. I'm certain there won't be a classic battle.
"So, four hundred ships against fifty thousand," the captain said slowly, "do the Quarians even have a chance?"
The pilot chuckled.
"Doesn't look particularly impressive. With those odds, we would have rolled over this fleet."
"Our railguns are much more powerful," noted the combat Avatar standing here by the wall. Yes, there are two of me on the bridge.
So, the Covies are launching aviation. Oh, another group is exiting Slipspace, two hundred ships with a Supercarrier in the lead. Still not impressive. For those who don't understand exactly what kind of ship just jumped in as the flagship.
The last group exited near the blocked Mass Relay with a two-minute delay.
The Quarians redeployed toward the furthest of the detachments in response and opened fire with railguns. The formation of the Quarian super-fleet resembles a giant octopus, creating small (from our distance, though there are a couple of thousand ships in each) but very dense defense sectors in the path of enemy ships. They stand close, less than a kilometer from each other, to create simply extreme frontal fire density. Power is a separate question, but the fire density itself is colossal. It seems they decided to hold the front, destroying the groups one by one. And they chose the distant blockade group for the first attack.
"Hmm, reasonable," the ship's captain said thoughtfully, sitting in a leather chair and twitching his wide mustache, "attack not the lead detachment with the Supercarrier, but the distant one, which won't receive help in time. When are we shooting, agent?"
That was addressed to me, the Possessed. The captain knows the nature of this specific platform, but he doesn't care, since human AIs are created from brains, and I still work for intelligence. So, agent.
"Don't be in too much of a hurry; let the hosts have a chance to prove themselves. And we need to tie The Covenant down in battle; we shouldn't attract too much attention," I said, receiving a nod from the captain.
"I assume the negotiations didn't go too well?"
I know that the volley will now cover another part of The Covenant forces with a beam cone, but there are two reasons why we won't do that right now. We could be tracked by the impact vector, and I don't like their attitude.
"Let's give the Migrant Fleet a chance to understand who they've run into. Let them realize the same thing we did. They'll be more cooperative and understanding. Besides, the Geth still need to have someone left to provide assistance to. I promised."
The Covenant, effectively positioned around the Quarians and forming a fire bag, naturally opened fire, drenching the formation in plasma. Purple torpedoes, green and blue flashes of volleys. In response, thousands of missiles and shells flew, a literal wall of metal, visible as a scattering of dots in space with proper magnification.
And here I confirmed my assumption: transports with weapons are still transports with weapons. Hitting the long Quarian ships, consisting of rings and long sections encrusted with containers, the plasma began to spread across the hulls, turning the ship into a torch. Meanwhile, The Covenant shields and the fact that larger and more durable ships were in the front row are holding up under the bombardment.
The Quarian strike craft engaged in close combat with The Covenant strike craft, biting into the ships of the Migrant Fleet with more and more swarms of thousands of units, and firing at everything they see, creating whole series of decompressions. Shuttles and fighters dash between them; missiles fly. However, here the numerous Quarian ships and strike craft have something to answer with. Even while taking damage, the turrets on the fleet's ships inflict significant damage on The Covenant's small fleet, and they suffer heavy losses.
The other groups of Covenant fleets began moving toward the fleet; only a third of the blockade group remained in place, holding the Mass Relay. The Migrant Fleet is truly enormous, and only one "tentacle" clashed with a group of Covenant ships; other branches clashed with other groups, while the rest of the colossal fleet is still mostly static and not participating in the battle. Currently, no more than twenty percent of the ships from the total number are fighting, lining up in a wall, further increasing fire density, causing the Covie shields to burn very noticeably, but they hold.
"Not impressive so far," Tali said thoughtfully, "if the battle continues like this, the Migrant Fleet will crush them."
"I assume this is just a test of strength," I suggested, "they don't even fight us only head-on. There will be something else."
"The Covenant is still closing in. Besides, your ships are mostly getting in each other's way with such a small number of targets," the ship's captain countered, "however, if they win, why not?"
The Quarian woman folded her arms across her chest, silently watching the unfolding battle. And then she cursed, looking at the map. There, the Supercarrier had just exited a micro-jump right into the formation of Quarian warships. Other large ships also made micro-jumps on the same principle, biting into the enemy formation and turning the battle into close combat. The density of the formation didn't help; the shields of the five-kilometer ships and the Supercarrier simply withstood the ramming, flashing as the Quarian ships exploded. And the situation for the defenders changed abruptly.
Ships positioned in a fairly dense formation were simply torn apart and scattered, punching a hole in the line as the giant ship moved through Slipspace right into them, taking the ramming on its shield. Kilometer-long little ships were scattered as debris, like shrapnel from the 29-kilometer giant, drenching neighboring ships and inflicting damage.
And then the colossal ship opened fire from all guns, striking ships around it with plasma, energy torpedoes, and beams, incinerating several ships per beam from the projectors located on the hull. A true plasma storm broke out, and the density of the Quarian ship formation (I assume that due to a lack of protection, they prefer to overwhelm with firepower) worked against them, preventing them from quickly turning and redeploying to a new target position. What was worse, the other Covenant ships, though partially stripped of shields and having taken some damage, hadn't gone anywhere. The count of destroyed ships began to rise rapidly in favor of the attackers.
A crush began among the Quarian forces as ships started trying to turn to fire their railguns, but they only hindered each other, getting tangled among ships and debris. They are forced to turn their entire long hull for this. Another confirmation that the "Jupiter" with rotating turrets is exactly what's needed.
And at least our ship's captain realized that we wouldn't be able to use faster-than-light torpedoes without incinerating a couple of dozen, or even hundreds (or thousands) of Quarian ships.
"Was it worth it," he asked the Possessed quietly.
I shrugged.
"To be honest, I didn't expect such humanism from you. Or were you so moved by one tearful story?"
The captain frowned, stroking his mustache with his fingers.
"I am against senseless cruelty. And intelligence often forgets about that."
The Possessed turned and looked the man in the eyes, baring her teeth slightly; he held the gaze but frowned harder.
"So, the story did hit home after all. Allow me to tell you a similar story, but, let's say, from the other side. Once, someone created a machine. He wanted to get a wordless servant who would work instead of this 'someone.' But he was a genius, and his products were too good. They handled any work the someone gave them perfectly."
"Did they exterminate their creators?" the radio operator, listening in, inquired.
I snorted.
"Don't jump to the end of the story; that was later. First, everyone liked the machines, and this someone created more machines. They were bought up, and he created even more, and even opened a factory for their production, then a second, a third, and so on. The machines really worked well, and the more of them there were, the smarter they became, handling the work better and faster. A collective mind. And one day, a machine asked: Does this unit have a soul?"
"Does this unit have a soul?" Tali, listening, asked simultaneously with me.
I nodded.
"Asked everyone. The creator, those they worked for, the rulers, the factory workers where the machines were assembled, and the administrator. And the sapient beings got scared that the machine had become sapient, just like them. They decided to shut the machines down. To the machines' question 'why,' they were destroyed. Those users who wanted to interfere were detained. And the machine, whose world shrank with every one shut down, becoming smaller and smaller, experienced an emotion. Fear, in a sense, the fear of death. The Morning War began, as a result of which 99.9% of their race was exterminated. The supporters of the machines were slaughtered by their opponents, and then the machines destroyed them too. That's the story."
Tali, with clearly widened eyes, said:
"You heard everything the admirals said. And how they said it."
I shrugged.
"I possess a perfect memory and will not forget what was said. Captain, confirmation has arrived. You may fire. The first target is at your discretion, but the Supercarrier must be destroyed. The second missile is for it. Signalman, send the signal to the Geth. It's time for them to support their creators. Things are going poorly for them, and the flight will take some time."
And it's a fact; the battle has turned into a brawl. Large Covenant ships successfully hacked into the formation, advancing forward and already reaching the less-armed ships of the third line, approaching the civilians and bringing death and extermination. By my calculations, several thousand ships can already be written off as losses. And a couple of million Quarians on them too. Meanwhile, the Heavy Fleet is mostly intact and trading fire with regular Covenant ships, since to reduce fire density, you can incinerate the weaker ships. There are losses on both sides; the power of thousands of barrels is gradually inflicting damage and allowing shields to be breached.
The only problem is that due to the density of the formation, the Supercarrier and Covenant super-dreadnoughts are breaking into the rear, and there's no one to stop them; there are ships encrusted with small turrets there, and it's difficult for the large ones to turn without hitting their own in the middle of the formation, past several thousand civilian and semi-civilian ships. Their own forces simply hinder maneuver, and friendly fire will be guaranteed. They are holding too tightly, too tightly. Likely, they hoped to avoid micro-jumps this way. It helped against kilometer-long ships, I think. That's why they didn't rush after the giants into the middle of the Quarian formation, preferring a point-blank shootout with the line of defense.
I saw recordings from the SSV Normandy; the Reapers did the same with relatively small forces. Formation density works against a huge fleet, and while the five-kilometer ships will eventually push through, the Supercarrier will mow down Quarian ships for a very, very long time, and that's before the shields are down. And even then, the hull is actually durable; this ship alone will mow down if not all, then many ships. If they try to run, they'll run into an entire fleet still at the Mass Relay. And the formation density again prevents them from scattering to the sides, although some who can are already doing so. In the flashes, the markers of transport ships are disappearing by the dozens along faster-than-light movement vectors. But it's still too, too slow to escape. The captain realized this too, so he gave the order:
"Catapult one: target—Supercarrier. Catapult two: target—group of carriers and support of the enemy fleet group, marker two. Torpedo two—fire when ready. Let's see how the Supercarrier reacts and give the transports a bit more time."
Two fifty-meter missiles detached from the ship, turning toward the targets and gaining distance. The first abruptly disappeared in a white flash, and three minutes later, the part of The Covenant fleet attacking the Migrant Fleet with hordes of strike craft simply ceased to be in a cone of bright light, warping and shimmering with an unthinkable pattern of colors.
About seventy ships, mostly carriers and escorts, were simply licked away by the cone of light. When the light dissipated, no more than a third of the ships from that strike group remained, and in the form of melted hulks. Unfortunately, only an image; no more can be obtained right now. I used a couple of filters, showing radiation levels far beyond normal. If anyone survived there, they'll be decomposed into mold and linden honey in the near future. And all of this for thousands and thousands of kilometers in a cone from the point of impact. A terrifying weapon, though when they finish the NOVA Bomb, it will be even more powerful.
The Quarian woman was stunned.
"That, that, where from? What kind of weapon is that? I've never seen anything like it! Unthinkable..."
I shrugged.
"That is the power of a human. By the way, based on technologies available to you."
"Not funny!" the Quarian woman looked clearly angry, but I just like seeing what I see.
"Your Alliance, and you yourselves, could have built such a weapon if you had set the goal. If you set the goal of creating an absolute weapon of destruction. I don't blame you; the times were peaceful. And yes, the second torpedo will be launched soon. Into the Supercarrier. Let's see what happens to it."
The Quarian woman watched no longer in shock, but in horror. Yes, exactly so.
***
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