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UCV Saint Luke, October 10th, 7:40 AM, 2186

...

It had been six months since we took over Cronos Station, killing The Illusive Man and ensuring Cerberus would no longer be an outstanding threat to the Confederation, the Systems Alliance, or anyone else in the galaxy. While most of the Cerberus higher-ups had been killed in the attack, plenty had surrendered to our forces without any resistance, providing valuable intel regarding their deployments, projects, and other illicit activities. Out of my whole platoon, only one of my men suffered any serious injuries, with a handful of scrapes, lacerations, and bruises to go around to the rest of us.

After the dust had settled, there was a small ceremony held on the Caprica where Mal, Koris, and Raan collectively awarded us and Kira's crew with Distinguished Unit Citations for what was now called the Battle of Anadius. In addition to the citations, Dimitri, Cpl. Oarnos, and Sgt. Telver'Orven were each awarded the Marine Commendation Medal, while Kira, Lydia and I received the Order of Reach, the second highest military honor that could be awarded to a soldier of the United Confederation. The highest honor that could be given to a soldier was the Colonial Cross. Not very original, considering Dan and I were the only ones aware of its true origin, but simple and easy to understand for everyone else.

While I had helped create these awards, I never expected to receive any of them. Even though I didn't feel as if I deserved the awards considering how little fighting I actually did, I certainly wouldn't deny it publically, not when the entire Confederation had stopped to watch us.

It took a week to comb through the station to ensure it had been completely cleared, no dead man's switches or other nasty surprises TIM or the rest of Cerberus had potentially left behind. Seeing as how the station actually took very little damage and was located in a very strategic part of the galaxy, we'd decided taking it over and using it to our own needs was a better idea than simply destroying it. Another week passed as we moved materials in and out of the station, retrofitting it into a forward operating base that could be used to quickly move troops and supplies to the battered Systems Alliance.

For over a month, it worked very well. Our foothold in Alliance space was well-hidden and well-armed, with more than enough ships to defend it. Supplies poured in from Reach, Rannoch and Turviss as we supported Hackett and the Fleets that had escaped the invasion of Earth. Unfortunately, in late June, Reaper scout ships had been spotted in the system, forcing us to reevaluate our position in the Horse Head Nebula. If Reaper scouts were here, then the Reapers themselves weren't likely to be far behind. We decided defending Cronos Station was too risky, so we began a segmented withdrawal from the system as to not give the Reapers too much advanced warning.

We were nearly finished evacuating the station before a dozen Reapers entered the system, including one of the larger Sovereign-classes that Shepard destroyed at the Citadel. In its single, short transmission, it told us how we "could not resist" and spoke of specifically targeting me and my team. I had no idea how it managed to ascertain my whereabouts, but it quickly made its intentions known when it and the ships in his wake opened fire on ours as we evacuated the last of the personnel. Seven people were killed before they could board the Saint Luke, forcing us to quickly disconnect from the station as Lydia's reprogrammed automated defense subroutines retaliated as best they could.

The entire engagement could hardly be called a fight at all. While the particle lasers on the station and Thanix cannon on the Saint Luke proved fairly effective, managing to damage two of the Destroyer-class Reapers, their own magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) weapons were nearly impossible to defend against, with our MES only capable of protecting against one, maybe two shots from the main gun of a Sovereign-class. I knew we wouldn't last much longer, so I ordered an immediate retreat back to the Terminus, knowing that risking death there was pointless. We did leave behind one surprise for the Reapers, though.

We primed the reactors to overload and explode if any of them got within more than 500 meters of the station, turning it into a giant claymore mine. Probably not enough to destroy a Reaper, but enough to give them one hell of a black eye.

Since then, we've been fighting back on the shrinking borders of the Attican Traverse as the Reapers slowly encroached on the systems there. It was a sick thought to have, but the fact was the larger the population center they invaded, the longer it took for them to move on. The Reapers were quite thorough, harvesting both the dead and living as they tore apart entire cities and planets. What little news came out of Systems Alliance space was horrifying to say the least. Back on Earth, the Reapers had landed massive processors for turning people into genetic paste, and were actively trying to indoctrinate those resisting with their presence alone.

To say the least, the war was not going well.

There was some good news to come out recently, though. Progress on the Crucible Project was proceeding at a steady pace, improved by the flow of raw resources that came from several former Cerberus mining operations in uncharted space. Not only were these resources useful in the project, but they allowed us to build more ships, weapons, and armor for the Confederation. It was quite a boon, and led to even more developments. ODP grids were now being built around Turviss and Rannoch in preparation for the inevitable Reaper push into Confederation space, while Reach's grid was being expanded with an additional 10 platforms. It was quite impressive, all things considered. The "valuable contributions" by our Cerberus prisoners were going a long way.

Commander Shepard had also succeeded in helping Mordin Solus cure the Genophage, freeing the Krogan people of their fertility plague after so many years. I was already well aware of how amazing the Krogans were in combat, but part of me was afraid to find out what would happen if they met the Raloi. I always did have a morbid fascination with 1v1 battles between two similar opponents, but speculation was more than enough for me. Physically, the Krogans were stronger than the Raloi in every conceivable way, but I doubt that even the most hardened Battlemaster's biotics would be capable of defeating a Raloi's. The Raloi were also far more agile despite their size, moving fluidly compared to the way Krogans typically barreled head-first into fights.

It was a welcomed distraction, pondering hypotheticals that didn't involve the Reapers or the ruination of my homeworld. Still, thinking about fights between two prospective allies wasn't the most… constructive activity to partake in, especially when they were meeting today, here on the Saint Luke. While I wasn't too worried about any "diplomatic incidents" occurring, I was always worried about things not going exactly to plan. Even though Shepard would be here and had told me Urdnot Wrex was quite easy to get along with, I would always worry about saying the wrong thing when meeting people for the first time.

"Sir, here are the reports from the night shift." Dixon spoke up, finally snapping me out of my own thoughts as he offered me a datapad. "Tony is still working on getting the report from Engineering, and i've also included the latest status report on the Crucible project."

"Thank you." I nodded, accepting it and scrolling through each department. I wasn't actually reading it in any detail, just trying to make myself busy attempting to take my mind off of everything happening. "Anything specific I should be aware of?"

"Other than the visit from the Krogans today? I don't think so, sir." Dixon replied, checking for any new messages on his omni-tool. "I've never seen them in person before, so this'll all be a new experience for me."

"You might change your tone when you actually meet them. They can be quite… intimidating up close." I warned in a joking manner, getting him to shoot his eyebrows up.

"Maybe… still, I imagine this meeting will be good for the Confederation." Dixon predicted, piquing my interest. "As long as they don't go crazy and start another war, they should make great allies."

"Geez, even if I agree with you, talking about them like that makes you sound like a member of the Council." I immediately critiqued, getting him to scowl at me.

"Oh really? How would you talk about them then?" He asked, sounding quite skeptical.

"I'd speak of them as our brothers on the battlefield, worthy friends we can be proud to fight alongside for days, months, and even years on end." I immediately replied, surprising Dixon. "The Krogans don't like to be coddled or babied, that just pisses them off. They respect strength and prowess above all else, and believe actions speak louder than words. "

"By that regard, wouldn't it mean you can't be friends with a Krogan until you've either fought them or fought alongside them?" He pointed out, getting me to stop and think again.

"Yeah... kinda, though having someone like Shepard vouch for me is a big step in the right direction. He and Wrex have known each other for a long time." I argued, not wanting him to damage my mental image of the coming meeting. "Besides, if I could get along with a Krogan like Grunt, it shouldn't be too difficult to do the same with Wrex."

"That kind of attitude will just lead to disaster in the future." He jokingly jeered, narrowing his eyes as he leaned against the center console. "Maybe you haven't thought this through quite enough?"

"Man, all you two ever do is argue about pointless things. Divorce already." Tony immediately butted in, giving us both annoyed expressions as he handed Dixon another datapad. "Here's the report from Engineering you wanted."

"Uh, thaaaanks." Dixon said slowly, shooting a glare at Tony as he walked back to his station. "Jackass."

"Hey, he's your friend." I smiled, unable to deny the enjoyment I derived from the brief moment of levity Tony had just created. "I just tolerate you three. You're the one that made that mistake long ago."

"Hmph, some mistake it was." He huffed, shaking his head as he scrolled through the Engineering report. "I'd be happy to trade him for that guy with the Kiwi accent."

"Sorry, no can do. Unless Tony knows how to fabricate stealth plating, I need Johnathan where he is." I denied without a second thought, crossing my arms with another smirk.

"There's more than enough computer specialists in the world to fill his position. He needs experience in other fields, after all." Dixon went on, obviously joking but speaking loud enough that Tony could hear him.

"Camp Dolor is always looking for more people to put through their training program." I remarked, matching his tone. "I could always send him and a few of the other underperforming crewmembers there for three weeks of running, climbing, and physical training."

"I can fucking hear you!" Tony shouted from his station, getting Dixon to drop his shoulders and scowl as Morgan let out a sharp laugh.

"Get back to work!" He immediately shouted back, no longer looking particularly amused.

"Enough, both of you! This is the CIC, not a schoolyard." I immediately stopped, knowing the joke had gone on long enough. "I won't have you two acting like fools in front of my crew."

Watching them briefly glare at one another as Morgan wiped a tear from her eye, I sighed, leaning back as I attempted to work a kink out of the right side of my back.

This was going to be a long day.

…

UCV Saint Luke, October 10th, 11:28 AM, 2186

…

Standing at the end of Cradle 4 with Mal and Iolin behind me, I waited patiently for our guests to arrive from the Normandy. It was an occasion to be sure, making official contact with the Krogans like this, but I wanted to make sure we'd do this right. We'd cleared the deck of all non-essential personnel and made sure the hallways were completely clear to give it as clean of a look as possible. It was no secret that we hadn't completely finished some of the Saint Luke's interior spaces, mostly some of the auxiliary rooms such as storage. It always meant there were some construction materials laying around, which I found unsightly for the most part.

"Keelah Sean, relax. Your shoulders look stiffer than one of those pollock trees." Mal said, getting me to quickly turn towards him.

"Sorry, I've never been one for introductions." I apologized, rubbing the back of my neck. "You know how I can be until I get to know someone."

"I am curious about these Krogans… your codex claims they destroyed themselves with nuclear weapons. Is that true?" Iolin asked out of nowhere, derailing my thought process. "If so, it would seem quite… foolhardy a decision to make."

"Uh, yeah. They did a long time ago." I nodded, knowing he was just curious. "Don't be too hard on them for that, though. We came close to doing the same to ourselves a few times back on Earth in the 20th century."

"Is that so? Hm, I need to do more research." He mused, shaking his head as the airlock doors opened, getting me to straighten back up.

The doors slid open, revealing Urdnot Wrex with Shepard following closely behind. The two walked in, getting me to smile warmly as I noticed the smirk on Shepard's face.

"Hey Sean." Shepard greeted, looking quite happy with himself as we shook hands. "It's good to see you again after so many months."

"Always happy to have you around, Shepard." I nodded, somehow managing to smile even harder than before as I turned to face Wrex. "On behalf of the United Confederation, I welcome you to the Saint Luke, Urdnot Wrex. I am Admiral Michaels of the United Confederation Naval Fleet. This is Admiral Ysin'Mal of the Migrant Fleet and Admiral Iolin of the Raloi Defense Force respectively."

He slowly walked up to each of us, briefly appraising Mal and I before focusing almost exclusively on Iolin.

"Hmph… so you're one of the Raloi I've heard so much about on the Citadel." He remarked, practically ignoring us and looking up at Iolin who dwarfed him in height. "Is it true your biotics are more powerful than the asari? Even their commandos?"

Iolin narrowed his eyes, briefly glowing with more intensity as he stood completely still.

"I wouldn't know. I haven't had the privilege of sparring with an asari commando, let alone a member of your own species." He finally answered, sounding quite serious as usual, though with a hint of curiosity. "Though, I imagine such a battle would be an interesting one. I hear you Battlemasters have quite impressive biotics as well."

Wrex stared at him several seconds longer before the corner of his mouth curled in what I could only describe as a krogan's version of a smile.

"I think we'll get along just fine." He said before turning back to me and Mal. "Well? Lead the way."

With that, we walked for a few minutes until we reached the war room, a recently constructed space close to the CIC that we used to keep track of what was happening in the galaxy, mainly Confederation space, but also parts of the Terminus and Traverse. Servers lined one side of the room, while intelligence stations lined the other, inside smaller cubicles. In the center between the two was a large holotank where Dixon was standing, waiting for us.

The holotank displayed the current map of United Confederation space, which stretched from the Perseus Veil and Far Rim all the way to the Raloi home system, now called Tsayi Reticula, located roughly between the Pylos and Rosetta Nebulas. The Klenot Nebula was in the center, connecting the two distant points. Despite laying claim to so much space, only small portions of it were fully secured, highlighted with green while the rest was a dull blue. These worlds included Rannoch, Reach, and Turviss obviously, but also included Haestrom and several unsettled worlds me and other quarian explorers had discovered in the expanse between.

"That's some rapid growth… almost as rapid as my own people before the Rebellions." Wrex commented, rolling his shoulders under his red armor before leaning forward with both hands against the holotank. "Impressive."

"Considering most of it isn't connected to the Relay network and there's a war on, it's kind of hard for anyone to dispute our claims." Mal said, crossing his arms as I stood quietly next to Shepard. "None of it would have been possible without Admiral Michaels and his team, of course."

"Hmph… if we had access to this kind of technology before the Genophage, we might have been able to keep growing without starting a war with the Council." Wrex mused, obviously referring to the Gravity Drive and NM Reactor.

"That is not the purpose of this meeting." Iolin attempted to refocus, staring daggers at Wrex.

"Fine… so, you want our help investigating Batarian space." He recalled, walking away from the holotank into the center of our impromptu circle, looking directly at me. "Why? We only just cured the Genophage and kicked the last of the Reapers off Tuchanka. Why should we consider helping you when you contributed nothing to our fight?"

"We would have helped, but we've been stuck trying to support the Alliance forces still holding on in the Traverse." I argued, taking a step forward. "Despite what you may think, we're barely in any shape to move outside of our own borders without leaving large gaps in our defensive lines."

"What, even with all of you combined you don't have the quads to give the Reapers a serious fight?" He lightly mocked, getting Iolin's eyes to narrow even further as Mal took on a more defensive stance. "Shepard told me you were tougher than this."

"You would be wise not to mistake our caution for cowardice." Iolin warned coldly as Wrex cracked another smile, Dixon shooting me a worried expression. "Another outburst like that and I will see to it that your stay on this ship is very short-lived."

"Ha! Now that's more like it!" Wrex replied with joy in his voice, enjoying the banter as Iolin tilted his head to the side in sudden confusion. "It feels good dealing with warriors instead of politicians again."

"I told you you'd like them." Shepard smiled, looking quite content with the situation.

"So then, why do you need our help when you have fancy ships like this?" Wrex asked, looking at me again.

"Well, that requires a bit of an explanation. We're still constructing a permanent facility for UCNF HIGHCOM right now. Until it's finished, we'll be stuck coordinating all our efforts through Reach itself, which is under an immense amount of pressure at the moment." I explained, leaning against the holotank as I highlighted several growing population centers on the planet. "Since all of this began, we've had a trickle of refugees coming into the Veil from both Alliance space and the Traverse. It's only gotten worse since the Reapers took out Eden Prime and Elysium. We've been moving them to Reach to keep any prying eyes away from the Crucible, but the strain on supplies and logistics is becoming a bigger challenge."

"It's quite a balancing act here, maintaining our focus on the war effort when so many new people are now living in our colony." Mal added, crossing his arms.

"Well, you can't really blame them. After how badly you guys embarrassed the Council months ago, it's only natural people would turn to the Confederation for protection instead." Dixon pointed out, looking hard at me before looking at everyone else. "We're the only ones that acknowledged the Reapers as a credible threat, and now they're running to us in droves. They trust us."

"Trust is a strong word, but many certainly see us as a better alternative." I tempered slightly, not wanting to come off as dramatic. "Still, we don't have the same industrial capacity of the Council, who has had hundreds of years to perfect their methods. We're just playing catch-up at this point, and will be for a while."

"The Council still thinks they can operate "business as usual" with the Reapers knocking down their front doors. Until their worlds are burning, they won't give anyone but themselves support." Wrex said, turning back to me. "So, I'll ask again. How does this relate to us and the Batarians?"

"Well, long story short, our resources are stretched too thin right now to risk a mission so far behind enemy lines without good allies. We need people we can trust to watch our backs and smash some skulls when the need arises." I explained, gaining his full, undivided attention. "We know the Alliance is in no shape to help, so your people are the only ones we can turn to."

Wrex looked off to the side for a moment before turning all the way around and walking back over to the holotank, staring at our map. He stared at it in thought for a minute before sighing.

"Very well, but we'll need something in return." He agreed, before turning back to all of us. "I want the designs for the drives and FTL you used to find these worlds."

"Those designs are classified Confederation property." Mal argued, taking a few steps forward. "We can't just hand them over to you."

"Well, if you want our help on this little mission of yours, you'll have to." Wrex immediately shot down, obviously not willing to take no for an answer. "You said you would have helped us if it weren't for the Alliance forces in the Traverse. Prove it and give us what we need."

He was right, and we knew it. I knew what Mal was thinking, and I didn't like it. Even though he enjoyed me and the Raloi, he had privately expressed his dislike for the Krogans a year back during one of our meetings. In that sense his thoughts actually aligned very closely with those of the Council. I couldn't blame him for his dislike, though. A pirate vessel led by a small-time Krogan warlord, Kirlos, ambushed his ship during a mission years ago, badly damaging the Idenna and killing several members of his crew before being killed himself.

I trusted Shepard when he said Wrex was nothing like them, but I knew Mal wouldn't take such an endorsement at face value. I was fortunate that Iolin had no such prior experience to draw on, even if he was his usual, intense self.

"You'll have the designs." I immediately said, standing ramrod stiff as everyone turned to face me.

"Sean, you can't-" Mall attempted to say before I cut him off.

"In addition to the drive and FTL schematics, I'll include the design for our third-generation plasma guns." I added, getting Wrex to raise his head slightly.

"Hm… I've heard about these plasma guns of yours. An interesting weapon." Wrex nodded, walking up to me. "Your friend over there doesn't seem too eager to accept my offer. Why are you?"

"This war is hurting everybody, and we won't get anywhere trying to keep things from one another." I argued, crossing my arms as he looked up at me. "I only have one request."

"And what's that?" He questioned, sounding mildly impressed.

"Promise me that your people won't abuse this technology. My friends and I have worked very hard to develop the Reach system, and I don't want it being used to cause undue suffering in the future." I reasoned, getting him to narrow his eyes. "I want peace one day when the Reapers are gone."

Surprisingly, Wrex laughed, smiling again as he gave me a hard pat on the arm.

"You have my word as leader of Clan Urdnot." He agreed, holding out his hand for a handshake, which I gladly accepted. "Now, what did you have in mind for this mission of yours?"

I smiled, walking back to the holotank and nodding to Dixon, who plugged an OSD into the holotank. The map of United Confederation space was replaced with a map of what used to be Batarian space, with rough "approximations" of their current border since the Reapers rolled through in their rush to attack Earth.

"Our plan is to investigate as many of the outlying Batarian colonies as possible to figure out their status. If they're in any shape to be given assistance, we will offer it to them in exchange for their help in defeating the Reapers." I outlined as everyone watched, scrolling through the few vague images we had. "Alliance reports suggest that the Reapers are using what's left of Khar'shan and a few other planets as staging grounds for their forces, but there's no way to know without an investigation. Our primary focus will be on the planets Camala and Erszbat, but cursory scans will be done on the other planets in those systems to check for survivors of the initial invasion."

"Hm… if those husks we've been seeing are any sign, they aren't doing so well." Wrex shook his head, not sounding too thrilled with the idea of what was going on there.

"Those have been our thoughts as well." Mal nodded, not sounding nearly as enthusiastic as he had before. "Considering the capacity the Batarians used to have for the military and heavy industry, we're hoping there might be people left who are willing to join our fight against the Reapers, maybe contribute resources towards the Crucible project."

"Even under Reaper occupation, I have my doubts about the Batarians and how willing they'd be to cooperate with us." Shepard narrowed his eyes, not sounding entirely convinced. "I'd be surprised if they even trust each other after nuking themselves."

"Hmph, at least the Batarians can truly say they have something in common with my people now." Wrex joked, getting me to wince in minor discomfort at how particularly… tasteless it was.

"All jeering aside, regardless of whether we find survivors or not, it'll give us the opportunity to disrupt the development of further Reaper ground forces, taking pressure off the remaining Alliance forces in the Traverse." I went on, nodding to Dixon as he switched the map over to an image of one of the newly-developed "Sprint" nuclear missiles. "We've recently finalized the development of our nuclear weapons program, and are ready to test them in a live-fire situation. We'll be bringing four of these along, and plan on using them wherever the largest concentrations of Reaper forces are. With any luck, it'll give both the Council and Alliance some breathing room."

"You're not planning on simply bolting these to a Phantom-class, are you?" Shepard questioned, obviously quite weary of handling nuclear weapons.

"No. Recently, my ship has been retrofitted with a stealth system similar to that used on the Phantom-class, though its visual coverage is limited due to its size." I explained, thinking back to those sleepless nights a few weeks ago spent rewiring dozens of auxiliary power conduits with Dan to enable the use of our new heat sinks. "It'll get the job done, though I don't plan on relying exclusively on it."

"I would hope not. Wouldn't be much of a mission without a fight." Wrex grinned, punching his palm as he popped his neck. "What do you need from us?"

"I want twelve of your best men, including whatever gear and supplies they'll need for a two-week assignment. I'll provide them all with basic training regarding the use of our weapons, and they'll be given special quarters for the duration of their stay." I went on, getting Wrex to nod. "Assuming all goes according to plan, we'll be back with some good news for you, the Alliance, and maybe the Council."

"One can only hope." Shepard nodded, still looking quite unsure regarding the mission.

I knew this assignment had risks, and that downplaying them wasn't an option. I decided instead to stick to simple silence in that regard. Even if I did tell Wrex and his men the risks involved in this kind of operation, I had my doubts about them even caring. The Krogans were never ones to back away from a fight, and you couldn't ask for better allies in that regard. That being said however, I was firmly against putting anyone under my charge into harm's way without a good cause. I did believe this was the right course of action, but as someone who never really wanted to be in charge in the first place, I'd always have that gnawing feeling in my gut before something like this went down.

We needed to make this work, give ourselves more time to figure out the Crucible and how to use it. It was an imperative, and I was quickly approaching the threshold where I was willing to get the job done by any means necessary.

We would win this war, but at a terrible cost. How high that cost would be could very well depend on us.

…

A/N: Well, with Cerberus out of the way, we're now fully focused on the Reapers and their long-awaited push into the galaxy. I admit, figuring out how to do this chapter was a bit of a challenge, but I'm sure you'll all enjoy what's coming next.

I also apologize for how long it took for this chapter to come out, I recently bought an Oculus Rift S and have been spending most of my free time playing VR games lately, mainly Beat Saber, Pavlov, and Half-Life: Alyx. I've been enjoying it all quite a lot, though I admit, all the other VR titles I've played feel kind of cheap after spending so much time with Alyx and it's innovative controls and graphics. I recommend both the Rift S and Half-Life: Alyx to anyone still on the fence regarding VR, it's been an interesting new experience for me.