- Pronouns
- He/Him
We should at the very least talk to the guy first. Also I think the plan aside from the morality problems is just way to risky and the potential long term affects are not something I think would be fun to deal with.
A Stranger in a War-Torn Galaxy: A Supreme Commander/WH40k Quest
- Thread starter BOTcommander
- Start date
- Crossover Sci-Fi
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I am not a fan of ignoring I said there was a plan to ensure it would look like Revy was not involved. The threat lined out was that someone would find something fishy eventually. But arguing the merits of both vote options is moot now. I will not redo it. I have a plan and I will need to accelerate it.
*visible anxiety*
"I have a plan and I will need to accelerate it." (No clue how to quote messages)
*Hides in a closet* (Not really sure what to say here, but I'm intrigued at what you might be hinting at)
*Hides in a closet* (Not really sure what to say here, but I'm intrigued at what you might be hinting at)
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Damn, the romance drama anime arc got hands.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
You highlight the text, then hit either the "reply" or "+quote" popup that appears below it. Much like the Quote and Reply Options that show us on each post, reply takes the entire post/highlighted text and moves you down to the text box. (" Insert Quotes) stores the highlighted text in the Multi-Quote storage area. The button shows up below the text box when you have quotes stored up.
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
Any chance we could offer to repair and refit the Ship? On condition of assistance with finding a Shipwreck to Salvage or Pirate Ship to Capture or Xeno Ship to do similar?
The Maintenance, Repairs and Refits would let us scan components, so that we can Repair or Modify whatever we can yoink later.
- Location
- Norway
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Last I remember you don't have an orbital yard to do such work with
- Location
- colombia
She is UEF
Whats a body in the name of DEMOCRACY*?
Also dude is an asshole and the mess can be a plot hook
*you may only vote for candidates authorized by the government and military,we reserve thw right to suspend and disolve the civilian government at any moment
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Somebody being an asshole does not justify being an asshole yourself in my opinion.
- Location
- colombia
*shrug*
in that we differ,im of the opinion violence against assholes is a solution just as valid as diplomacy
with the dog dead,no need to worry about rabbies
- Location
- Boston
*edit* Lol am I ever late to the party. But seriously Bot, just turn this into a regular story at this point, maybe with occasional audience input.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
We had like one vote rescinded years ago I think you're over reacting.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him
You mean redacted?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So this isn't the first time it happened?
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I think it happened once before but it might have been canceled before it was actually made a vote.
Edit You know what ignore me on this I can't find it and it wasn't even my point to begin with.
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End of Quest - 3852.01.26-02.11 | 999.M41
- Pronouns
- He/Him
End of Quest - 3852.01.26-02.11 | 999.M41
Before anyone gets mad, read to the end.
Titanic clamps unlock, the Logic's Slave's manoeuvring engines firing, the distance between the two vessels growing ever more, the conveyor descending closer to Epstost Major below. The once barren marble has gained a lot of green over the past few months, a sign of hope that the wounds wrought by the Moloch will heal eventually. The disconnect between the clamps also marks the closing of the window where you could use your QAI to take over the ship, condemning all those tens of thousands of crew inside to their fate.
All this of course is much less spectacular from the inside of the ACU cockpit, reduced to nothing but dots on your screens that grow apart further and further, faster and faster until the Merchant's Motive disappears behind the horizon and out of range of any attempted long range attack.
"We are in an approach lane towards the Base", Luna chirps, marking the projected flight path on your interface.
"Broadcast IFF codes", you grumble. With the quantum core shut down, you need to provide your validity the old fashioned way.
"Sending IFF codes", Luna confirms, a moment later a huge warning window comes into view on the right. "Error, automated defences not responding. IFF timestamp out of date. Discrepancy…15 days, 9 hours and 3 minutes. The base reports the date as being 3852.02.26."
You mumble a short what the fuck, leaning forward to inspect the error message while the recognition of the reason already blooms in your mind. "Did we really lose 15 days to Warp Travel?"
"It appears so", Luna comments. "Compensating..."
"Lieutenant", you open an outwards comm channel. "Tell Series-13 to divert the flight path and enter a holding pattern."
"I will pass on the message, General, should I be worried?"
"For now, no", you close the channel before typing in a lengthy sequence of numbers, unable to stem the tide of plans and theories on how to make it past the automated defence system. A few squadrons of PDF aerospace assets to bait the T3 Sam's should be enough. It's that or digging a trench deep enough to evade the LIDAR systems of the turrets, before digging through the calcicrete walls. "Luna, try this one time override I set up and if it doesn't work, fry the whole system remotely. I don't have the energy left to figure out a way to fight my way inside without a working ACU, I just want to get home and dump the stupid thing in the maintenance bunker."
"No, you cannot be present, both for contamination and safety reasons", you sigh exasperatedly, holding your hands up in an apologetic gesture, the only barrier standing between the barely alive, decomposing body of the Knight King on a rolling stretcher escorted by some of your five Sister Hospitaller in UEF surgical garbs, ready to move him into the autodoc, and half his court, led by the Prince himself. Well, you do have the support of your very own soon-to-be-UEF-soldiers Sororitas and Sister Sena, but this is not a violent confrontation, but one of anxiety. Lanval tries to put up a brave face at the head of this colorful, medieval court procession that looks so out of place in these clean, bright corridors, but you don't need to be Eliza to sense that he feels out of place, being your guest in a place you will admit feels very sterile. "Your Lady Generalship, thou must comprehend that we, holdeth not thy confidence in thy mechanical contrivances to perform without the vigilant gaze of mortal stewardship."
"I don't recommend you watch, but if you want to, there is always an observatorium through this door", you point to your right. "Are we done here? Your highness, I frankly don't have time for this."
You turn to leave, stopping when Lanval attempts to grab hold of you which is quickly stopped by Katrisha stepping in between the two of you before he can get close. "And you are certain this machine can save him?"
"I am sure it has the best shot at it", you tell him, shaking your head, before you continue on your way. "If you want additional support, you can pray to the Emperor."
Your next stop is Sister Metrodora who is examining Eoln, Neila's mutant son, watched over by Neila herself and Sister Hunna. You don't quite like the energy in the room when you enter, both Sororitas quickly saluting you before resuming their duties. Neila looks like her nerves are at an end, glancing over at Sister Hunna like the Battlesister might decide to execute both of them at a moment's notice, Hunna appearing primed and tense enough to actually do so. Metrodora handles the kid with just as much care as you figure is within reason given your orders to keep her zealous distaste of mutants to herself. The Sororitas are hardly ideal in that regard, but as long as they can put their duty to you above such notions.
"Room, dim light, 50 percent", you command before you come to a stop, the overhead lights softening slightly. "What are you doing? They are not used to this brightness. "
You try to give Eoln a bright smile, still creeped out by his wasp-like mandibles. The child relaxes slightly at your presence in the same room, which is the purpose of you being here. For reasons likely more founded on superstition than actual reason. The true criminal is the Imperium for being unable to provide the health care and facilitate the safety measures to ensure he wouldn't be born this way. Executing a child because of spiritual corruption is something you will resort to last. Deprogramming adult followers of the Way were a lost cause more often than not, but the UEF became greatly skilled at erasing children's cultural and spiritual connection to that philosophy. "Sena, inquire if everything is alright here. Be nice."
Sena and Neil converse while you assist Metrodora in setting up the medical omni, the massive scanning device rotating into place.
"Is he in pain?", you ask, fingers dancing over the touchscreen.
"He does not appear to be", Metrodora responds with a very measured tone, glancing to the side towards you. "Ma'am, I feel obliged to inform you that the study of mutants is prohibited."
"Metrodora, as far as the UEF's understanding of biology goes, this should not be possible", you point at Eoln's face, smiling again, making sure for it to reach your eyes this time.
"Of course it shouldn't, yet it is", she shakes her head, reassuringly squeezing Eoln's hand as the scanning segments begin to rotate around his head. "Unnatural and wrong, wicked and corrupt. Throne, I don't understand why you need to prolong this awful state he exists in."
"Because there are forces in the universe I don't understand and I need to know what they are to know how to fight them", you point at him. "And to understand, I don't need to hear about demons and corruption and dark gods, I need a report about the anatomical changes induced by whatever caused this my desk, by tomorrow."
"I will do as ask", the lead hospitaller sighs, her hands doing the aquila before you two step back to let the medical omni do its work. Back with the boy's mother and Katrisha, you are filled roughly. It's what you expected: the sun is too bright, the open sky scares the children and makes the adults uncomfortable and that's the usable extent of complaints the Sororitas managed to extract.
"She also asks what work they'll be expected to do?"
"None", you glance over at the short woman with a furrow of her brows. "Tell her the UEF will supply all basic necessities her family needs. I'll make sure they are provided with entertainment and enrichment as soon as possible and Lieutenant Harkon will organise a teacher for her children, ideally one who knows some sort of sign language. We'll find someone willing to work with a mute mutant five-year old."
Katrisha's helmet nods, before she relays the information. You smile and put a reassuring hand on Neila's shoulder, squeezing it gently, before moving. There is a lot of work to do.
"So, Rebecca, if I may ask, what is this?", Eliza asks, struggling to keep pace as she inspects the metal corridor walls of the freshly finished QEC-Booster with measured interest. Using the base command system to build the template you received was not impossible, you had a working civilian grid with mass extractors, power gens and a few factories, but needlessly difficult. Without the quantum field, engineers can only build for as long as their internal mass and energy storage permits then to and managing the pathfinding from the civilian's grid's charging stations and the construction site was a mirocmanaging nightmare, the stupid fucking things even less intelligent than normal without the ACU to babysit their calculations. At some point you had fifty T3s stuck in a pileup at an intersection, their wheels and tracks turning endlessly until their energy storage was empty, leaving them truly dead husk. Making room for fifty additional T3 Fusion reactors and the QEC-Booster itself in the limited space afforded to you was of equal difficulty, but you did it.
"This Eliza, will allow us to finally reestablish contact with EarthCOM and the UEF", you stop and turn towards her, grinning wildly, your heart beating excitedly in your chest. The QEC module itself is on a reinforced, armoured roller automatically keeping a steady distance in front of you, you would not dare the risk of dropping it so close to the finishing line. "Hopefully."
"Oh", she huffs, realisation dawning on her face before she hurries close to you. "So this tower, it is some sort of beacon then?"
"I think so", you hum as you step through another set of doors closing behind you with a pneumatic hiss, a quick glance through the room suggesting it to be the end of your journey. It has the general vibe of a conference room you are used to, with a console on the other end with a very obviously placed socket.
"Emperor", you implore as you pick up the small QEC module, the device suddenly feeling a ton heavy in your hands as you make your way over to the socket. "If you are listening, it would be really bad if I were to drop this now."
With his support or not, you make it over without incident. Eliza in tow, equally as tense as you, you boot up the conference system and insert the QEC. There is a barely audible whirr and a click, then three lights light up on top of the lengthy module.
"Are these green or red?", you ask with held breath, glancing over at the Lieutenant.
"Green", she turns to look at you expectantly. "Green is good?"
"Green is good", you slump down on the nearest chair, gathering your thoughts for a moment before rising again, a curved holographic screen blinking into existence in front of the main podium. "Showtime, Lieutenant, do I look presentable?"
"Your scar has come out very nice", Eliza smiles, stepping closer to try and tug your uniform a bit closer. "Gives you some edge, not that there wasn't one before, but you came off a little too clean before."
"Thank you", you roll your shoulders and straighten your back. "Would you mind waiting over there, out of view?"
She salutes you quickly. "Of course."
Tension in your chest rising, you step onto the podium, taking in the holographic keyboard before you, grey and monotone. You miss the shades of blue, but if this works it will be worth all the pain and loss. It has to be. You actually feel overwhelmed for a second, a storm brewing in your mind as you just stand there, frozen in the moment, not wishing to find out whether the booster works or not. Duty finally compels you to move your hands, opening a communication channel. A small window to your right popping up notifies you that Luna is mentally present, even if not having yet explained her existence to Eliza means she has so far been a silent participant.
The holoscreen in front of you comes to life, a connection indicator turning while the building around you begins to hum and vibrate, drawing power from all fifty power gens to do Emperor-knows-what. Each cycle it does, you can feel the tension inside you growing until you feel like any more and you will break your hand again with how tight you have clenched it into a fist.
But then for a handful frames, release comes, displaying "connection established" in large, capitalised letters, before it disappears and is replaced by the video feed of a dark-skinned woman in the clean, white uniform usually worn by the eggheads working directly for EarthCOM. You forgo taking the initiative by just staring ahead at her for a moment, internally celebrating, while she gathers her thoughts to speak.
"Lieutenant General Shepard", the scientist gathers herself, straightening up as if she expected someone else. "I am science-director Denise Botha. It appears you have successfully activated project Lighthouse, may I-"
"Director, we can talk about the specifics of where I am and how I have gotten here later", you cut her off harshly. "Right now I have critical information EarthCOM needs to be made aware of, information that exceeds your security clearance."
"One moment, General", Director Botha looks away from the camera and to her side. "Please hold, I am transferring you to Captain Staten. He is in charge of Security."
You cross your arms and wait, maintaining a stoic facade throughout even as your knees feel like they are about to buckle in relief.
"Lieutenant General-", The holding indicator is replaced by Captain Staten's ACU from inside his ACU. You don't give him the opportunity to waste time, instead saluting snappily, something the good man mirrors by raising his hand a bit more lazily than you'd like to his temple.
"Captain, I need a line to EarthCOM and I need it now." You tell him, impatience colouring your voice as you are working your way up the clearance ladder.
The long haired, blonde man grins, a respectful glint shining in his eyes. "Of course, General, give me a moment. I'll transfer you."
The holding indicator returns. You sigh deeply and turn towards Eliza, who sits there staring with a look of resigned horror at your screen from the side. She tries to smile, but the tension in her body is obvious. You try and defuse the situation with a shrug, before turning your attention forwards again, when you see the holding screen disappear in the corner of your vision.
"General Shepard", a gaunt man in a Lieutenant General's uniform growels, sharp features furrowed into a mask of displeasure. "You took your damn time."
The short woman to his side, your superior, frowns. "What happened to your face, Shepard?"
"Marder, Laurent", you salute them both, a gesture they return with more elan than the captain before, before all three of you stand comfortably again immediately. Lieutenant General Marder and General Laurent look unchanged since you last saw them ten months ago. To them, you must appear even stranger. "Seems like I caught you at an opportune time. Can you get a hold of Hall?"
"Hall's busy Shepard", Laurent sighs, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. "Give me a sitrep."
"We will need Hall for this, believe me", you hold up a finger to motion them to wait a moment as you walk over to Eliza, dragging her with you in the view. The poor girl seems terrified, you can figure out why later, right now you need her to prove a point. "There are humans here!"
Both their eyes go wide as they just stare at Eliza, Laurent's mouth remaining open, her mind struggling to come up with a response while Marder chokes on his coffee. Two enhanced humans with thought processes several times faster than a normal person and they are both dumbstruck for two whole seconds at the reveal of this information.
Eliza finally breaks the spell by saluting them, before surprising you by speaking in very good UEF Basic. "First Lieutenant Eliza Harkon, it is a pleasure to meet you, Generals."
Marder looks agitated now, directing his intense gaze at someone you cannot see and beginning to shout and gesticulate at them to get them the President here, now, while Laurent has picked up a comm receiver and is shouting in it. In the chaos, you have a moment to turn to Eliza. "Since when can you speak UEF basic?"
"I am still learning", you can sense an awkwardness creeping into her words as she speaks. "Six months is little time. But I understand enough."
"You have been practising for six months, alone?"
She nods. "Every day."
Your little moment is interrupted when Laurent seems to have done all the calls she needs to, turning her attention back to you, jaw muscles clenched. "Sitrep, now."
And so you tell her of everything. Of your initial arrival here, the Tyranids, the Imperium, your first victory, the clumsy attempts at diplomacy that came after, how you met Eliza, the Battle at Atraxis, how you got fucked up there, how Katrisha got restored by the Emperor, your dealings with Magos Clad, the Battle at Tet, the Knights, how you got brain damage there, how the ACU broke down and then finally how you ended up here.
"There are additional incidents of note, including ones I will at this time not discuss with the Lieutenant present, which I have detailed in the reports I transferred", you close out your lengthy statement.
"Shepard, you bastard", Mader shakes his fist angrily. "You madwoman, you got that scar in a blood honour duel with a feudal prince in an attempt to make peace with his people, how am I supposed to compete with that?"
"It is pretty cool, right", you grin smugly at him.
"Bruised spine, broken vertebrate, internal organ damage, total reconstruction of lower jaw, broken nose, total loss of colour vision as well as possible minor psychotic tendencies", Laurent lists off, having none of the banter, her expression souring. "Jesus, Rebecca. We'll see if I can get your medtech onto the case, but regardless it seems to me like a second Blue Heart is in order. For Lieutenant Harkon too, these Inquisition appear to be troublesome people."
"Thank you, General Laurent." Your adjutant says.
Marder continues. "And if you join this religion of theirs formally, you get a whole personal army of battle nuns?"
"She will indeed", Eliza answers in your stead.
"Laurent", Marder turns towards the higher ranking General. "Strap me into the pods and gate me over."
"Marder, the first one we're gonna send over, whenever the eggheads tell us it's not gonna turn the cargo into atomic soup, is a medtech", she ignores him, bringing up a front picture of Eoln's, her mouth twisting into a disgusted snarl. "Poor boy, that is one fucked up face."
"Can't even speak, must be horrible", Marder shakes his head, a sympathising glint in his eyes. The more relaxed discussion quickly comes to an end soon after, when UEF President William Hall in all his moustache wearing glory joins them, unceremoniously walking into the feed, sitting down next to Laurent, his face softening as he looks at you. "I arrived swiftly, briefed en route. Lieutenant General Shepard, the UEF knew it could rely on your return. It's reassuring to have you back."
"Thank you, Sir."
"And here stands the Lieutenant from another Universe," his attention shifts to Eliza, who offers a gentle smile and a respectful nod. "There'll be ample time for your story later, but welcome to the UEF, First Lieutenant Harkon. I anticipate remarkable contributions from you."
"Thank you, President Hall", Eliza sighs full heartedly.
Hall smiles fondly at her, before he turns more serious again, getting handed a datapad by an aide walking in. "Unfortunately, Lieutenant, I must request your departure for now."
"Of course, Lord Commander in Chief", Eliza bows, before leaving the room.
"She is adorable", Marder chuckles.
You quickly make sure she is outside, the door is closed and the privacy and security measures working before you return your attention towards the presidential meeting. Discussion drags on for a few more hours, every point of your reports re-discussed and re-examined, Luna finally allowed to join you too.
Hall taps a few times on the pad, bringing up a nightmarish picture of a Tyranid swarm sprawling across an open field, the sky above dark and laden with spores.
Marder's face turns sour. "The first alien enemy you encounter over there are bugs? This feels like a bad joke."
"They are no joke Marder", you begin pacing up and down. "The Tyranids are technologically advanced, adaptive and intelligent, capable of subverting the biomass of a planet's biosphere towards increasing their ground troops in days and the Imperium is ill-adapted to fighting them, even disregarding that they lack protofabrication technology. A lack of terraforming tech makes them hesitant to deploy something akin to Option Zero just prior to an invasion to deny them the option of using a world's ecology against them."
"Your combat record fighting them appears stellar, as expected", Laurent muses. "But I guess for the purposes of cooperating with the Imperial forces I would have wished for someone else to be in your place."
"They could have just decided to follow my orders."
"Yes, and I assume if they had done so this could have gone a lot better, but they didn't. They would have never made you Supreme Commander. And making them is a matter of a kind of diplomacy you are not very good at, Rebecca."
"I got Lieutenant Harkon for that?"
"She could have arguably been used better in that role", Laurent gives you a stern look. "But it appears the Ecclesiarchy can raise military forces of their own and has some measure of influence over the other branches. I would have preferred you liberated the Capital instead, it appears more strategically and industrially useful than Tet."
"Shepard made a prudent decision given the circumstances," Hall interjects. "One that will significantly benefit our future endeavors within the sector."
"Subverting the Sororitas seems risky."
"Subverting is a misconstrued term, Marder," his mustache twitches at the notion. "Our aim is to provide support in our mutual objectives. Tensions between the Imperium's Church and its Military-Industrial-Complex present an opportunity for leverage due to the ongoing cultural schism."
"We can supply the Ecclesiarchy's power armoured shock troop militias better and in vastly greater numbers than the Mechanicus can or is willing to", you nod. "The total number of Sororitas in all roles vastly exceeds the number of those actually part of the Orders Militant. There is a lot to draw from to raise additional soldiers."
"I envision it clearly. Residing in UEF accommodations, clad in UEF attire, wielding UEF armaments. We ought to devise an extensive language acquisition initiative and craft a media strategy, tailoring messages to resonate effectively, portraying the UEF in the most favourable light possible, fostering both institutional and personal rapport," Hall muses, stroking his chin. "This development arrives unexpectedly, yet fortuitously. It's a chance to advance the Unified Coalition Command Bill, long stalled by the Cybrans."
"Are they still at it?", you rub your forehead.
"Of course they are", Laurent hisses. "They are Cybrans, they can't agree on anything. We are better off just leaving them by the wayside and strengthening our bilateral relations with Aeon."
"The pursuit of Unity and Order warrants the exertion required to forge this Coalition into a formidable entity, General," Hall asserts. "And this incident serves as invaluable leverage. Should the Cybrans aspire to join our cause, concessions will be necessary, as will be the case with the Aeon."
"Oh, I am sure they will absolutely just leave taking care of the poor, oppressed Imperial citizenry to us", you say with about as much sarcastic venom in your voice as you can muster.
"Cybran supremacists exist, so some sure will", Laurent coughs.
"The Tyranids are ideal. An adversary as grotesque, as alien as conceivable," Hall enthuses, gazing contemplatively at the Tyranids. "Devoid of speech or negotiation, driven solely by the insatiable urge to consume. No adversary could be more righteous to confront and eradicate. They'll serve our cause impeccably, furthering our goal to employ the Coalition in uniting the Galaxy and all of humanity."
"There is also the possible presence of QAI and the Princess", Marder chimes in, Hall and his moustache suddenly tensing up and turning towards him. "QAI?"
"Hm, here", Marder hands him one of the many datapads lying on the table between cups of coffee and one emptied pack of donuts. "Shepard found an ancient QAI node under one of the megacities."
"Why was I not informed of this?", Hall mumbles with a strained voice, quickly scrolling through his report, the expression growing darker and darker by the moment, a bad feeling welling up in your stomach as you watch him.
"We didn't yet get to it before you got here, Sir", Laurent says, a growing frown appearing on her brow as she reads through the specific part of your report. Marder looks confused between the two of them, before he too reads through it, the tension in his hand as he quickly flicks through the pages of text evident.
"Is something wrong?", you dare to ask.
"Lieutenant General Shepard," Hall addresses, rising from his seat and loosening his tie, pacing before the camera. "Am I correct in understanding that QAI Luna uncovered evidence of a QAI node beneath the Harkon Megacity, whose custodians you engaged regarding its existence, subsequently procuring all available data?"
"That is correct?"
"Then can you explain to me why YOU DIDN'T LOOK AT IT FOR SIX MONTHS?"
The tone hits you like a hammer, your brow twitching as you try to formulate an answer. "Sir, the Tyranids-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE TYRANIDS. QAI HAS BEEN THERE FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS, AND YOU TURNED A BLIND EYE. YOU SHOULD HAVE PRIORITIZED ALL RESOURCES TOWARDS THAT DATA," Hall seethes, a pulsating vein prominent on his forehead. "Luna, stop whatever you are doing and begin analysis of this data right now."
"Yes, President Hall", the QAI chimes in.
"I CAN GRASP ALL THE OTHER QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS YOU'VE MADE, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY INKLING—"
The chastisement continued half an hour after that. When you finally are dismissed, you are feeling like a wet cat. On edge, your nerves raw and exposed and everything a bit too harsh and cold, yet you must walk on, hunched over and only wanting to sleep for a day.
Eliza can immediately sense that something is wrong, having the decency to run up and give you a hug when you finally knock on her quarters. It is appreciated, even if you did not come here to receive emotional support.
"What happened?", she asks.
"General Laurent is now in charge", is all you are willing to say. "I retain military command. She wants to talk to you."
"About what?", you roll your eyes when she appears immediately fearful of the prospect, flicking her forehead to bring her down to level.
"A promotion", you sigh as she rubs her head. "My orders are to fix the ACU and then manufacture a sACU. It will need a commander."
"Why me?", she frowns, having regained her composure.
"Because, Lizzy", you slump down on one of her comfortable armchairs, wood and silken fabric, so much in contrast to the rest of the room. "I need the support. I am one of the greatest the UEF has, but I can't fight needing to sleep. And we only have a very small pool of candidates to draw from. It's basically just you and probably Katrisha right now."
She seems to ponder the situation, leaving you to continue. "If you agree, Laurent will probably tell me to show both of you the basics so we have a replacement pilot."
"I will do it", she stands up with confident energy, green eyes sparkling, hand clenched around her pendant. "By the Emperor…or at least I'll try."
You remain unfazed. "Good to see you have made that decision, but General Laurent still wants to talk to you."
"Right, right", she takes a few calming breaths.
"And have you seen Johson by any chance?"
"I think he was at the armoury trying to do some work", she hums, checking her appearance in the mirror. "Do you need his help repairing the ACU?"
"No", you get up. "I need his help for something else."
"Oh", Eliza turns around, looks at you, before sighing. "Allright, Rebecca-"
"My close friends call me, Revy."
"Revy then, fine", she turns her mouth into a thin line looking you up and down, hands poking into you to correct your posture. "Chin up, back straight, shoulders back, smile a little, you got this."
She pats you two times on the back, before returning to her quick grooming efforts. You shake your head, breathe out deeply, and leave her room.
In another part of the base, under the grotesque mechanical, multi-armed monstrosity that is the autodoc, the Knight King's destroyed body stirs, drawing a ragged breath as two dozen bloody surgery arms rise, their work fulfilled. UEF ingenuity reigns supreme, its mastery over Tyranid biology reaffirmed.
Across the Sector, the triumphant hymns of Imperial fleets echo, heralding the destruction of yet another writhing tentacle with no survivors.
On Mediborn, whispers of a Hive Tyrant wielding four deadly swords arms weave through the trenches. Yet, amidst the onslaught of the Moloch, the defenders stand resolute, their faith in the Emperor undiminished. A tale carried by guardsmen months prior fuels their hope, their eyes scanning the perpetual twilight for the blue flash that will signal their salvation.
That was A Stranger in a Wartorn Galaxy. The Story will continue in A Soldier in a Wartorn Galaxy…at some point. I need to reset the detail bloat, a timeskip, a point from which to start fresh, some retcons. If you have questions or just wanna talk about the quest, I'll be available. Thanks to all of you over those last years.
Before anyone gets mad, read to the end.
Titanic clamps unlock, the Logic's Slave's manoeuvring engines firing, the distance between the two vessels growing ever more, the conveyor descending closer to Epstost Major below. The once barren marble has gained a lot of green over the past few months, a sign of hope that the wounds wrought by the Moloch will heal eventually. The disconnect between the clamps also marks the closing of the window where you could use your QAI to take over the ship, condemning all those tens of thousands of crew inside to their fate.
All this of course is much less spectacular from the inside of the ACU cockpit, reduced to nothing but dots on your screens that grow apart further and further, faster and faster until the Merchant's Motive disappears behind the horizon and out of range of any attempted long range attack.
"We are in an approach lane towards the Base", Luna chirps, marking the projected flight path on your interface.
"Broadcast IFF codes", you grumble. With the quantum core shut down, you need to provide your validity the old fashioned way.
"Sending IFF codes", Luna confirms, a moment later a huge warning window comes into view on the right. "Error, automated defences not responding. IFF timestamp out of date. Discrepancy…15 days, 9 hours and 3 minutes. The base reports the date as being 3852.02.26."
You mumble a short what the fuck, leaning forward to inspect the error message while the recognition of the reason already blooms in your mind. "Did we really lose 15 days to Warp Travel?"
"It appears so", Luna comments. "Compensating..."
"Lieutenant", you open an outwards comm channel. "Tell Series-13 to divert the flight path and enter a holding pattern."
"I will pass on the message, General, should I be worried?"
"For now, no", you close the channel before typing in a lengthy sequence of numbers, unable to stem the tide of plans and theories on how to make it past the automated defence system. A few squadrons of PDF aerospace assets to bait the T3 Sam's should be enough. It's that or digging a trench deep enough to evade the LIDAR systems of the turrets, before digging through the calcicrete walls. "Luna, try this one time override I set up and if it doesn't work, fry the whole system remotely. I don't have the energy left to figure out a way to fight my way inside without a working ACU, I just want to get home and dump the stupid thing in the maintenance bunker."
"No, you cannot be present, both for contamination and safety reasons", you sigh exasperatedly, holding your hands up in an apologetic gesture, the only barrier standing between the barely alive, decomposing body of the Knight King on a rolling stretcher escorted by some of your five Sister Hospitaller in UEF surgical garbs, ready to move him into the autodoc, and half his court, led by the Prince himself. Well, you do have the support of your very own soon-to-be-UEF-soldiers Sororitas and Sister Sena, but this is not a violent confrontation, but one of anxiety. Lanval tries to put up a brave face at the head of this colorful, medieval court procession that looks so out of place in these clean, bright corridors, but you don't need to be Eliza to sense that he feels out of place, being your guest in a place you will admit feels very sterile. "Your Lady Generalship, thou must comprehend that we, holdeth not thy confidence in thy mechanical contrivances to perform without the vigilant gaze of mortal stewardship."
"I don't recommend you watch, but if you want to, there is always an observatorium through this door", you point to your right. "Are we done here? Your highness, I frankly don't have time for this."
You turn to leave, stopping when Lanval attempts to grab hold of you which is quickly stopped by Katrisha stepping in between the two of you before he can get close. "And you are certain this machine can save him?"
"I am sure it has the best shot at it", you tell him, shaking your head, before you continue on your way. "If you want additional support, you can pray to the Emperor."
Your next stop is Sister Metrodora who is examining Eoln, Neila's mutant son, watched over by Neila herself and Sister Hunna. You don't quite like the energy in the room when you enter, both Sororitas quickly saluting you before resuming their duties. Neila looks like her nerves are at an end, glancing over at Sister Hunna like the Battlesister might decide to execute both of them at a moment's notice, Hunna appearing primed and tense enough to actually do so. Metrodora handles the kid with just as much care as you figure is within reason given your orders to keep her zealous distaste of mutants to herself. The Sororitas are hardly ideal in that regard, but as long as they can put their duty to you above such notions.
"Room, dim light, 50 percent", you command before you come to a stop, the overhead lights softening slightly. "What are you doing? They are not used to this brightness. "
You try to give Eoln a bright smile, still creeped out by his wasp-like mandibles. The child relaxes slightly at your presence in the same room, which is the purpose of you being here. For reasons likely more founded on superstition than actual reason. The true criminal is the Imperium for being unable to provide the health care and facilitate the safety measures to ensure he wouldn't be born this way. Executing a child because of spiritual corruption is something you will resort to last. Deprogramming adult followers of the Way were a lost cause more often than not, but the UEF became greatly skilled at erasing children's cultural and spiritual connection to that philosophy. "Sena, inquire if everything is alright here. Be nice."
Sena and Neil converse while you assist Metrodora in setting up the medical omni, the massive scanning device rotating into place.
"Is he in pain?", you ask, fingers dancing over the touchscreen.
"He does not appear to be", Metrodora responds with a very measured tone, glancing to the side towards you. "Ma'am, I feel obliged to inform you that the study of mutants is prohibited."
"Metrodora, as far as the UEF's understanding of biology goes, this should not be possible", you point at Eoln's face, smiling again, making sure for it to reach your eyes this time.
"Of course it shouldn't, yet it is", she shakes her head, reassuringly squeezing Eoln's hand as the scanning segments begin to rotate around his head. "Unnatural and wrong, wicked and corrupt. Throne, I don't understand why you need to prolong this awful state he exists in."
"Because there are forces in the universe I don't understand and I need to know what they are to know how to fight them", you point at him. "And to understand, I don't need to hear about demons and corruption and dark gods, I need a report about the anatomical changes induced by whatever caused this my desk, by tomorrow."
"I will do as ask", the lead hospitaller sighs, her hands doing the aquila before you two step back to let the medical omni do its work. Back with the boy's mother and Katrisha, you are filled roughly. It's what you expected: the sun is too bright, the open sky scares the children and makes the adults uncomfortable and that's the usable extent of complaints the Sororitas managed to extract.
"She also asks what work they'll be expected to do?"
"None", you glance over at the short woman with a furrow of her brows. "Tell her the UEF will supply all basic necessities her family needs. I'll make sure they are provided with entertainment and enrichment as soon as possible and Lieutenant Harkon will organise a teacher for her children, ideally one who knows some sort of sign language. We'll find someone willing to work with a mute mutant five-year old."
Katrisha's helmet nods, before she relays the information. You smile and put a reassuring hand on Neila's shoulder, squeezing it gently, before moving. There is a lot of work to do.
"So, Rebecca, if I may ask, what is this?", Eliza asks, struggling to keep pace as she inspects the metal corridor walls of the freshly finished QEC-Booster with measured interest. Using the base command system to build the template you received was not impossible, you had a working civilian grid with mass extractors, power gens and a few factories, but needlessly difficult. Without the quantum field, engineers can only build for as long as their internal mass and energy storage permits then to and managing the pathfinding from the civilian's grid's charging stations and the construction site was a mirocmanaging nightmare, the stupid fucking things even less intelligent than normal without the ACU to babysit their calculations. At some point you had fifty T3s stuck in a pileup at an intersection, their wheels and tracks turning endlessly until their energy storage was empty, leaving them truly dead husk. Making room for fifty additional T3 Fusion reactors and the QEC-Booster itself in the limited space afforded to you was of equal difficulty, but you did it.
"This Eliza, will allow us to finally reestablish contact with EarthCOM and the UEF", you stop and turn towards her, grinning wildly, your heart beating excitedly in your chest. The QEC module itself is on a reinforced, armoured roller automatically keeping a steady distance in front of you, you would not dare the risk of dropping it so close to the finishing line. "Hopefully."
"Oh", she huffs, realisation dawning on her face before she hurries close to you. "So this tower, it is some sort of beacon then?"
"I think so", you hum as you step through another set of doors closing behind you with a pneumatic hiss, a quick glance through the room suggesting it to be the end of your journey. It has the general vibe of a conference room you are used to, with a console on the other end with a very obviously placed socket.
"Emperor", you implore as you pick up the small QEC module, the device suddenly feeling a ton heavy in your hands as you make your way over to the socket. "If you are listening, it would be really bad if I were to drop this now."
With his support or not, you make it over without incident. Eliza in tow, equally as tense as you, you boot up the conference system and insert the QEC. There is a barely audible whirr and a click, then three lights light up on top of the lengthy module.
"Are these green or red?", you ask with held breath, glancing over at the Lieutenant.
"Green", she turns to look at you expectantly. "Green is good?"
"Green is good", you slump down on the nearest chair, gathering your thoughts for a moment before rising again, a curved holographic screen blinking into existence in front of the main podium. "Showtime, Lieutenant, do I look presentable?"
"Your scar has come out very nice", Eliza smiles, stepping closer to try and tug your uniform a bit closer. "Gives you some edge, not that there wasn't one before, but you came off a little too clean before."
"Thank you", you roll your shoulders and straighten your back. "Would you mind waiting over there, out of view?"
She salutes you quickly. "Of course."
Tension in your chest rising, you step onto the podium, taking in the holographic keyboard before you, grey and monotone. You miss the shades of blue, but if this works it will be worth all the pain and loss. It has to be. You actually feel overwhelmed for a second, a storm brewing in your mind as you just stand there, frozen in the moment, not wishing to find out whether the booster works or not. Duty finally compels you to move your hands, opening a communication channel. A small window to your right popping up notifies you that Luna is mentally present, even if not having yet explained her existence to Eliza means she has so far been a silent participant.
The holoscreen in front of you comes to life, a connection indicator turning while the building around you begins to hum and vibrate, drawing power from all fifty power gens to do Emperor-knows-what. Each cycle it does, you can feel the tension inside you growing until you feel like any more and you will break your hand again with how tight you have clenched it into a fist.
But then for a handful frames, release comes, displaying "connection established" in large, capitalised letters, before it disappears and is replaced by the video feed of a dark-skinned woman in the clean, white uniform usually worn by the eggheads working directly for EarthCOM. You forgo taking the initiative by just staring ahead at her for a moment, internally celebrating, while she gathers her thoughts to speak.
"Lieutenant General Shepard", the scientist gathers herself, straightening up as if she expected someone else. "I am science-director Denise Botha. It appears you have successfully activated project Lighthouse, may I-"
"Director, we can talk about the specifics of where I am and how I have gotten here later", you cut her off harshly. "Right now I have critical information EarthCOM needs to be made aware of, information that exceeds your security clearance."
"One moment, General", Director Botha looks away from the camera and to her side. "Please hold, I am transferring you to Captain Staten. He is in charge of Security."
You cross your arms and wait, maintaining a stoic facade throughout even as your knees feel like they are about to buckle in relief.
"Lieutenant General-", The holding indicator is replaced by Captain Staten's ACU from inside his ACU. You don't give him the opportunity to waste time, instead saluting snappily, something the good man mirrors by raising his hand a bit more lazily than you'd like to his temple.
"Captain, I need a line to EarthCOM and I need it now." You tell him, impatience colouring your voice as you are working your way up the clearance ladder.
The long haired, blonde man grins, a respectful glint shining in his eyes. "Of course, General, give me a moment. I'll transfer you."
The holding indicator returns. You sigh deeply and turn towards Eliza, who sits there staring with a look of resigned horror at your screen from the side. She tries to smile, but the tension in her body is obvious. You try and defuse the situation with a shrug, before turning your attention forwards again, when you see the holding screen disappear in the corner of your vision.
"General Shepard", a gaunt man in a Lieutenant General's uniform growels, sharp features furrowed into a mask of displeasure. "You took your damn time."
The short woman to his side, your superior, frowns. "What happened to your face, Shepard?"
"Marder, Laurent", you salute them both, a gesture they return with more elan than the captain before, before all three of you stand comfortably again immediately. Lieutenant General Marder and General Laurent look unchanged since you last saw them ten months ago. To them, you must appear even stranger. "Seems like I caught you at an opportune time. Can you get a hold of Hall?"
"Hall's busy Shepard", Laurent sighs, leaning back into her chair and crossing her arms. "Give me a sitrep."
"We will need Hall for this, believe me", you hold up a finger to motion them to wait a moment as you walk over to Eliza, dragging her with you in the view. The poor girl seems terrified, you can figure out why later, right now you need her to prove a point. "There are humans here!"
Both their eyes go wide as they just stare at Eliza, Laurent's mouth remaining open, her mind struggling to come up with a response while Marder chokes on his coffee. Two enhanced humans with thought processes several times faster than a normal person and they are both dumbstruck for two whole seconds at the reveal of this information.
Eliza finally breaks the spell by saluting them, before surprising you by speaking in very good UEF Basic. "First Lieutenant Eliza Harkon, it is a pleasure to meet you, Generals."
Marder looks agitated now, directing his intense gaze at someone you cannot see and beginning to shout and gesticulate at them to get them the President here, now, while Laurent has picked up a comm receiver and is shouting in it. In the chaos, you have a moment to turn to Eliza. "Since when can you speak UEF basic?"
"I am still learning", you can sense an awkwardness creeping into her words as she speaks. "Six months is little time. But I understand enough."
"You have been practising for six months, alone?"
She nods. "Every day."
Your little moment is interrupted when Laurent seems to have done all the calls she needs to, turning her attention back to you, jaw muscles clenched. "Sitrep, now."
And so you tell her of everything. Of your initial arrival here, the Tyranids, the Imperium, your first victory, the clumsy attempts at diplomacy that came after, how you met Eliza, the Battle at Atraxis, how you got fucked up there, how Katrisha got restored by the Emperor, your dealings with Magos Clad, the Battle at Tet, the Knights, how you got brain damage there, how the ACU broke down and then finally how you ended up here.
"There are additional incidents of note, including ones I will at this time not discuss with the Lieutenant present, which I have detailed in the reports I transferred", you close out your lengthy statement.
"Shepard, you bastard", Mader shakes his fist angrily. "You madwoman, you got that scar in a blood honour duel with a feudal prince in an attempt to make peace with his people, how am I supposed to compete with that?"
"It is pretty cool, right", you grin smugly at him.
"Bruised spine, broken vertebrate, internal organ damage, total reconstruction of lower jaw, broken nose, total loss of colour vision as well as possible minor psychotic tendencies", Laurent lists off, having none of the banter, her expression souring. "Jesus, Rebecca. We'll see if I can get your medtech onto the case, but regardless it seems to me like a second Blue Heart is in order. For Lieutenant Harkon too, these Inquisition appear to be troublesome people."
"Thank you, General Laurent." Your adjutant says.
Marder continues. "And if you join this religion of theirs formally, you get a whole personal army of battle nuns?"
"She will indeed", Eliza answers in your stead.
"Laurent", Marder turns towards the higher ranking General. "Strap me into the pods and gate me over."
"Marder, the first one we're gonna send over, whenever the eggheads tell us it's not gonna turn the cargo into atomic soup, is a medtech", she ignores him, bringing up a front picture of Eoln's, her mouth twisting into a disgusted snarl. "Poor boy, that is one fucked up face."
"Can't even speak, must be horrible", Marder shakes his head, a sympathising glint in his eyes. The more relaxed discussion quickly comes to an end soon after, when UEF President William Hall in all his moustache wearing glory joins them, unceremoniously walking into the feed, sitting down next to Laurent, his face softening as he looks at you. "I arrived swiftly, briefed en route. Lieutenant General Shepard, the UEF knew it could rely on your return. It's reassuring to have you back."
"Thank you, Sir."
"And here stands the Lieutenant from another Universe," his attention shifts to Eliza, who offers a gentle smile and a respectful nod. "There'll be ample time for your story later, but welcome to the UEF, First Lieutenant Harkon. I anticipate remarkable contributions from you."
"Thank you, President Hall", Eliza sighs full heartedly.
Hall smiles fondly at her, before he turns more serious again, getting handed a datapad by an aide walking in. "Unfortunately, Lieutenant, I must request your departure for now."
"Of course, Lord Commander in Chief", Eliza bows, before leaving the room.
"She is adorable", Marder chuckles.
You quickly make sure she is outside, the door is closed and the privacy and security measures working before you return your attention towards the presidential meeting. Discussion drags on for a few more hours, every point of your reports re-discussed and re-examined, Luna finally allowed to join you too.
Hall taps a few times on the pad, bringing up a nightmarish picture of a Tyranid swarm sprawling across an open field, the sky above dark and laden with spores.
Marder's face turns sour. "The first alien enemy you encounter over there are bugs? This feels like a bad joke."
"They are no joke Marder", you begin pacing up and down. "The Tyranids are technologically advanced, adaptive and intelligent, capable of subverting the biomass of a planet's biosphere towards increasing their ground troops in days and the Imperium is ill-adapted to fighting them, even disregarding that they lack protofabrication technology. A lack of terraforming tech makes them hesitant to deploy something akin to Option Zero just prior to an invasion to deny them the option of using a world's ecology against them."
"Your combat record fighting them appears stellar, as expected", Laurent muses. "But I guess for the purposes of cooperating with the Imperial forces I would have wished for someone else to be in your place."
"They could have just decided to follow my orders."
"Yes, and I assume if they had done so this could have gone a lot better, but they didn't. They would have never made you Supreme Commander. And making them is a matter of a kind of diplomacy you are not very good at, Rebecca."
"I got Lieutenant Harkon for that?"
"She could have arguably been used better in that role", Laurent gives you a stern look. "But it appears the Ecclesiarchy can raise military forces of their own and has some measure of influence over the other branches. I would have preferred you liberated the Capital instead, it appears more strategically and industrially useful than Tet."
"Shepard made a prudent decision given the circumstances," Hall interjects. "One that will significantly benefit our future endeavors within the sector."
"Subverting the Sororitas seems risky."
"Subverting is a misconstrued term, Marder," his mustache twitches at the notion. "Our aim is to provide support in our mutual objectives. Tensions between the Imperium's Church and its Military-Industrial-Complex present an opportunity for leverage due to the ongoing cultural schism."
"We can supply the Ecclesiarchy's power armoured shock troop militias better and in vastly greater numbers than the Mechanicus can or is willing to", you nod. "The total number of Sororitas in all roles vastly exceeds the number of those actually part of the Orders Militant. There is a lot to draw from to raise additional soldiers."
"I envision it clearly. Residing in UEF accommodations, clad in UEF attire, wielding UEF armaments. We ought to devise an extensive language acquisition initiative and craft a media strategy, tailoring messages to resonate effectively, portraying the UEF in the most favourable light possible, fostering both institutional and personal rapport," Hall muses, stroking his chin. "This development arrives unexpectedly, yet fortuitously. It's a chance to advance the Unified Coalition Command Bill, long stalled by the Cybrans."
"Are they still at it?", you rub your forehead.
"Of course they are", Laurent hisses. "They are Cybrans, they can't agree on anything. We are better off just leaving them by the wayside and strengthening our bilateral relations with Aeon."
"The pursuit of Unity and Order warrants the exertion required to forge this Coalition into a formidable entity, General," Hall asserts. "And this incident serves as invaluable leverage. Should the Cybrans aspire to join our cause, concessions will be necessary, as will be the case with the Aeon."
"Oh, I am sure they will absolutely just leave taking care of the poor, oppressed Imperial citizenry to us", you say with about as much sarcastic venom in your voice as you can muster.
"Cybran supremacists exist, so some sure will", Laurent coughs.
"The Tyranids are ideal. An adversary as grotesque, as alien as conceivable," Hall enthuses, gazing contemplatively at the Tyranids. "Devoid of speech or negotiation, driven solely by the insatiable urge to consume. No adversary could be more righteous to confront and eradicate. They'll serve our cause impeccably, furthering our goal to employ the Coalition in uniting the Galaxy and all of humanity."
"There is also the possible presence of QAI and the Princess", Marder chimes in, Hall and his moustache suddenly tensing up and turning towards him. "QAI?"
"Hm, here", Marder hands him one of the many datapads lying on the table between cups of coffee and one emptied pack of donuts. "Shepard found an ancient QAI node under one of the megacities."
"Why was I not informed of this?", Hall mumbles with a strained voice, quickly scrolling through his report, the expression growing darker and darker by the moment, a bad feeling welling up in your stomach as you watch him.
"We didn't yet get to it before you got here, Sir", Laurent says, a growing frown appearing on her brow as she reads through the specific part of your report. Marder looks confused between the two of them, before he too reads through it, the tension in his hand as he quickly flicks through the pages of text evident.
"Is something wrong?", you dare to ask.
"Lieutenant General Shepard," Hall addresses, rising from his seat and loosening his tie, pacing before the camera. "Am I correct in understanding that QAI Luna uncovered evidence of a QAI node beneath the Harkon Megacity, whose custodians you engaged regarding its existence, subsequently procuring all available data?"
"That is correct?"
"Then can you explain to me why YOU DIDN'T LOOK AT IT FOR SIX MONTHS?"
The tone hits you like a hammer, your brow twitching as you try to formulate an answer. "Sir, the Tyranids-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE TYRANIDS. QAI HAS BEEN THERE FOR TEN THOUSAND YEARS, AND YOU TURNED A BLIND EYE. YOU SHOULD HAVE PRIORITIZED ALL RESOURCES TOWARDS THAT DATA," Hall seethes, a pulsating vein prominent on his forehead. "Luna, stop whatever you are doing and begin analysis of this data right now."
"Yes, President Hall", the QAI chimes in.
"I CAN GRASP ALL THE OTHER QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS YOU'VE MADE, BUT DO YOU HAVE ANY INKLING—"
The chastisement continued half an hour after that. When you finally are dismissed, you are feeling like a wet cat. On edge, your nerves raw and exposed and everything a bit too harsh and cold, yet you must walk on, hunched over and only wanting to sleep for a day.
Eliza can immediately sense that something is wrong, having the decency to run up and give you a hug when you finally knock on her quarters. It is appreciated, even if you did not come here to receive emotional support.
"What happened?", she asks.
"General Laurent is now in charge", is all you are willing to say. "I retain military command. She wants to talk to you."
"About what?", you roll your eyes when she appears immediately fearful of the prospect, flicking her forehead to bring her down to level.
"A promotion", you sigh as she rubs her head. "My orders are to fix the ACU and then manufacture a sACU. It will need a commander."
"Why me?", she frowns, having regained her composure.
"Because, Lizzy", you slump down on one of her comfortable armchairs, wood and silken fabric, so much in contrast to the rest of the room. "I need the support. I am one of the greatest the UEF has, but I can't fight needing to sleep. And we only have a very small pool of candidates to draw from. It's basically just you and probably Katrisha right now."
She seems to ponder the situation, leaving you to continue. "If you agree, Laurent will probably tell me to show both of you the basics so we have a replacement pilot."
"I will do it", she stands up with confident energy, green eyes sparkling, hand clenched around her pendant. "By the Emperor…or at least I'll try."
You remain unfazed. "Good to see you have made that decision, but General Laurent still wants to talk to you."
"Right, right", she takes a few calming breaths.
"And have you seen Johson by any chance?"
"I think he was at the armoury trying to do some work", she hums, checking her appearance in the mirror. "Do you need his help repairing the ACU?"
"No", you get up. "I need his help for something else."
"Oh", Eliza turns around, looks at you, before sighing. "Allright, Rebecca-"
"My close friends call me, Revy."
"Revy then, fine", she turns her mouth into a thin line looking you up and down, hands poking into you to correct your posture. "Chin up, back straight, shoulders back, smile a little, you got this."
She pats you two times on the back, before returning to her quick grooming efforts. You shake your head, breathe out deeply, and leave her room.
In another part of the base, under the grotesque mechanical, multi-armed monstrosity that is the autodoc, the Knight King's destroyed body stirs, drawing a ragged breath as two dozen bloody surgery arms rise, their work fulfilled. UEF ingenuity reigns supreme, its mastery over Tyranid biology reaffirmed.
Across the Sector, the triumphant hymns of Imperial fleets echo, heralding the destruction of yet another writhing tentacle with no survivors.
On Mediborn, whispers of a Hive Tyrant wielding four deadly swords arms weave through the trenches. Yet, amidst the onslaught of the Moloch, the defenders stand resolute, their faith in the Emperor undiminished. A tale carried by guardsmen months prior fuels their hope, their eyes scanning the perpetual twilight for the blue flash that will signal their salvation.
That was A Stranger in a Wartorn Galaxy. The Story will continue in A Soldier in a Wartorn Galaxy…at some point. I need to reset the detail bloat, a timeskip, a point from which to start fresh, some retcons. If you have questions or just wanna talk about the quest, I'll be available. Thanks to all of you over those last years.
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jwolfe_beta
Semi Genre-Savvy Overlord
- Location
- Canada
Yep, bosses are not happy about the QAI.
Always Late
Lacking in coffee, sleep, and brains
- Location
- Ohio
Ah. So there's the problem. Hall's been wrestling with Brackman and the Cybran leadership over deeper ties in this Alliance, and how this interdimensional expeditionary expansion is going to be handled.
Brackman's very fond of his QAIs. Dangerously so.
The current understanding of the Imperium is that there's basically nothing that can match Auto-War with a proper system behind it. Shepard's running a one-woman army and giving the Tyranids a bloody nose. But the QAI is something that can oppose Auto-War and represents the political weak point. If the Admech is sitting on QAI, whether broader or just his branch, then the Cybrans have a much bigger stake in fighting Hall for decision making power. The Aeon don't matter because the Princess plotline has advanced about as much as the Necron plotline. But the Cybrans are the issue.
So now President Hall basically had a bomb dropped on his lap.
'now in charge but retain command' is office speak for 'you're not fired yet, we're temporarily putting you with a minder until we can do that'. We can run stuff when it comes to fighting, but when it comes to all the stuff that's mostly consumed the quest?
Shepard has been demoted with a black mark. That's why the name change in the sequel: We're getting alot of those political stress decisions forcibly taken away from us, which means while we may like the new boss' choices, they don't know things like we do. So lots of salt may flow.
Personally I think it'd be more interesting to plug Katrisha in to an ACU to put the God back in God-Engine. But hey, if UEF command is taking over politics, then Eliza technically just got rendered superfluous.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lizzy's fate is either being a support commander or Laurent's political aide. She'll have a rosy future either way.
We are still a long way off from the UEF being able to send anyone in person.
We are still a long way off from the UEF being able to send anyone in person.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
So does everyone think Revy's (and by extension us) an idoit for not looking through that data sooner. Because from my point of view its already been present for so long and there were so many more immediate problems that it made sense to have it not be a priority. Though given how big of a threat the first QAI was I kinda understand the reaction. Also are we getting demoted? I know functionally it will be the same since we are the only UEF personnel but I'm curious.
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They were likely going to find something to hit her with, frankly she's done too much for there not to be an issue somewhere. She's one person not meant to deal with everything like this. Basically a blunt warhammer where we've needed a wrench, screwdriver, a diplomat, and a few dozen other things.
In essence, it was going to happen no matter what.
In essence, it was going to happen no matter what.