The Dream Effect

[Darkphoenixlady]

The Dream Effect Glossary

Dive system

Both Standard and Emergency Dive systems have a basic magical intelligence to run the actual navigation and drive. These then allow the ship to move between realms either in the shadow of a planet, or in deep space. Once in the aether sea proper, they propel themselves through the sea at a rather sedate 186,262mph due to the time dilation in realm 21, this means that they can reach speeds of 50 light years/day. However, the chips of magicite that power the magical isolation fields will only last for around 720k years under earth:4 levels of magic. This means that the ship needs to come back to Realms 2-4 in order to change the chip every 3-4 years. Alliance doctrine is that the chips should be replaced every 180 light years.

There are two other critical components to the dive system, the first is the lifeshield. This takes 48 hours to bring up as it is done to avoid making ripples in the Aether Sea. The second system is the time dilation field. This acts to slow down the passage of time for the interior of the ship so that passengers don't die during the trip.

Gods/Goddesses

Entities that came from the deep sea and were born to a mortal female, or a mortal that has managed to survive traveling the sea under their own power.

Selene

An Ancient Greek goddess who lost her body in around 1000BCE while fighting off a sleeper. Went exploring the sea of magic in order to try to dilute the memory of her lost love.

Hela

A human that accidentally drained the essence of Thanos after she freed him.

The Triplets

Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Daphne Greengrass, they were magically bonded together when they sent themselves into the sea of magic as children, since then their magic has been shared between the three of them and not only are they considered heroes, they are also considered to be the strongest deity that the humans believe in.

Lifeshield

Named after the first one known to have been created, it is a magical ritual that sets up a field around all parts of a planet and deaden the ripple effect that magic performed on the planet has across the aether sea. Where the first one created on earth used the willing sacrifice of the Greek, Roman, Egyptian, Chinese, and Indian pantheons, modern ones use boulders of Magicite instead.

A side effect of the lifeshield is that it stops nascent gods from finding their way to the planet.

N corps

The N corps are the ground troops of the Systems Alliance Navy, they are divided into 7 mundane categories and 2 special categories. Outside these categories each soldier will have their own military rank. For the story I will be using the UK system that can be found here.

N1

N1 troops are basic soldiers straight out of basic training, there may be the odd magical mixed in, but they will be untrained in precision magic.

N2

N2 troops are advanced soldiers, they are usually trained on a wider variety of armours and weapons, though they don't qualify for specialist tags.

N3

N3 troops are trained specialists in specific armours and weapons, this rank includes snipers, artillery, engineers, and other non-officer, non-special forces positions.

N4

N4 troop are all magical or, in the case of the PS-N troops, biotics. They have all received specialist training in the use of their abilities.

N5

N5 are the commissioned officers.

N6

N6 contain the basic special forces, such as Marines and Parachute Regiment, and so are given additional training over and above the previous N classes.

N7

These are the elite special forces, analogous to the SAS, Delta Force, SBS, and other military special forces that deal with sensitive matters. Any member of this category can be expected to be able to fill just about any role needed, from vehicle to engineer, Close, mid and long ranged combat, as well as infiltration and espionage.

N8

The select few that are the best of the N7's are selected to become N8's, not only do they excel in just about any combat position, but they are also on the same level of power as Arch-Magi. There is no entry test to gain this rank, you have to be personally selected by the trainer with qualities such as level headedness, drive, and strong moral fibre. Only non-magicals can be picked for this rank as it involves taking an unshielded dive to Realm:16. Magicals can apply for the Magi corps if they wish, including squibs. As they are immune to Prothean Syndrome and cannot be a carrier, they are often used for interspecies missions that could take them anywhere in the galaxy.

N9

This rank is for the few N8's that not only choose to try to navigate the aether sea, but also succeed. To a man, they are considered to be a 1 person battlegroup, and have special armour that enables them to navigate both Mass Relays as well as the aether sea on their own. The only difference between them and the heroes of the sleeper wars is experience.

S Corps

Much like the N-corps, the naval side of the military follows a similar classification system in addition to their rankings. Once you reach S7 and above, the classifications are a joint classification, and hold a joint rank in both the Naval and Marine arms of the military.

Prothean Syndrome

This is a techno-organic virus that is infectious to every known species and inserts itself into the mitochondrial DNA of the host. Unlike other virus' this one reproduces slowly enough that it doesn't harm the host cells. Instead it seems to have some very sensitive interactions built into it, when magic destabilises these interactions it goes into overdrive and starts reproducing out of control. When the magic is removed it returns to it's normal processes. It's only in magical concentrations in excess of 15% that it breaks down beyond the point of functioning altogether. Which due to the way that magical bodies work, means that an infected magical is unlikely to survive long enough to get to a level where it would be destroyed, conversely, those like Sidhe who are magical enough to survive it can't be infected. It's name comes from the extinct species who's remains infected the first humans to encounter it.

PS-N corps

These are the Systems Alliance corps made up of troops that have Prothean Syndrome. See N corps for ranking details.

Sleeper

Sleepers are ancient gods from civilisations that have long vanished into the mists of time. Their only motive seems to be to harvest the iron core of planets in order to preserve their bodies in the deepest parts of the aether sea. It's considered to be a matter of irony that the primary cause for new Sleepers to be created is in fact a Sleeper destroying a planet leaving only a few of the planets gods still alive.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 9: N8 – part 2

Jane is stripped down to her waist, and humming, while she reapplies her clan markings in the de-con room that houses the troop's cabinet. Something, she's done weekly since she worked out how to exclude the dye from the suit's auto-clean function for several hours.

Her hand pauses in mid-air as the all-hands alarm goes off across the ship. A second later she's stowed her mirror and dye, and is efficiently pulling her suit up around her neck. A thumping from the observation window has her give a thumbs up before heading for the cabinet and opening the door.

Jane shouts through the open door, "All-hands! All-hands! Suit up and report for briefing."

For good measure she activates her omni-tool, as she slides it back on her hand, and sends the same message directly to the suit speakers of everyone inside the cabinet.

As she's in the de-con airlock, Rodrigues and Toots both rush out of the cabinet, hastily fitting their masks. As they see her in the airlock they give the hand-signs that mean they've checked the cabinet and it's now clear.

Jane nods as the airlock finishes it's 30 second cycle and opens the outer door. Running out of the airlock, she ignores the hiss of the door as it cycles to allow the next person through, instead concentrating on reaching her officers quarters and getting into her armour in quick, practiced, movements, the helmet and her omni-tool going into her pouch to save precious seconds once it's on.

As soon as the armour is in place, she grabs her pouch and runs out of the door, and through the barracks as Frank's Fists are starting to filter in from the mess to get into their own suits and gear.

After slipping through the door, Jane starts a fast-paced jog past the armoury, where the first of her troop has just finished donning their own armour, and is starting to help the slower members get into their own armour.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As Jane jogs into the briefing room, she feels a slight vibration run through the floor under her feet. Inside, Commander Moua is already standing pensively by the podium.

As her presence is noticed, Moua turns towards her, "2nd Lt Shepherd, this will be quick. We've just dropped out over Elysium, and they are currently under attack. Relay comms are out, so we're on our own until Alliance reinforcements arrive. The Agincourt is exchanging fire with the attacking pirates so space support will be sporadic for both sides."

Jane can't help sagging in relief at that news.

Relentlessly, the commander continues, "Charlies Angels are already on route to the surface. As soon as your troop get here you're heading for Illyria to reinforce the milita there. Both because you already have PS, and also because intelligence says they're under heavy assault. The Angels will be trying to disrupt incoming troops, and we will be dropping ground vehicles as soon as we have spare capacity."

The sound of armoured boots interrupts the commander, and he looks over Jane's shoulder as Frank jogs in, in the middle of her own troop, "Lt Frank, good of you to join us, as I was saying to the 2nd Lt, you're going to be harassing enemy forces as they land, we've already sent a message for reinforcements, but they have to get here from wherever they are."

As the last of her troop file into the briefing room, Jane tunes out the commander and turns to her men, "Sergeant, everyone ready and accounted for?"

Sarge nods, "Yes Ma'am."

Jane nods, "Everyone, on the double! I'll give what I know on the drop. Let's bounce."

Setting a brutal pace, Jane runs out the other side of the briefing room for the available dropship, before counting each member on board.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As Jane hits the door button, the rear of the dropship snaps shut and the launch catapults fire to push the dropship clear of the Agincourt.

Under her breath, Jane curses as the grabs for an overhead handhold while activating her magnetic boots. As soon as she's got her footing back, she slowly makes her way to the cockpit door.

"Listen up, check your weapons, we're going in hot. Elysium is currently under attack by pirates and, presumably, slavers. Our objective is to reinforce the Illyria militia and defend the city. I know we've all done the training exercises, but this is the real thing."

Jane looks over at the suddenly sombre faces of her troop, as the dropship hits atmosphere, "Rodrigues, Toots, you're squad leaders, Jones, Dall, Ferman with Rodrigues. Shaw, Kusason, Church, you're with Toots. Sarge, you've got Chambers, Clarke, and Melnykas. Everyone else you're with me. Do not lose your squad, McGill you're 2ic for my squad. We have a tacmap link to the city. Milita will be marked in green, identified bogies in red. Grey markers are for civilians or unidentified bogies. Space support will be sporadic, so remember to tag and bag anyone that shoots at you. The pilot has marked our insertion point, squad leaders plan your routes and get ready. And for goddess' sake Clarke, make sure you're part of the troop tacnet. Melnykas, Church, you've got the supply bags."

As the ride smooths out, signalling that they're slowing for landing, Jane only just has time to check her own gear before the dropship touches down roughly, and the ramp opens with a thunk, and she's running out of the ship to cover her troop while they hit their releases and file out in their own squads to take their own objectives.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Seconds before the dropship lifts off, Jane's HUD fills with red spots as her troop come under fire. Ducking down, Jane and her squad all make for the nearest cover and start to provide covering fire for the other three squads.

At the same time, Jane brings up her omni-tool to get an overview of their current position, and that of the militia forces. Quickly, she sets up the destination marker in the centre of the highest concentration of black dots. At the same time, she places a series of waypoints for each squad that should allow them to provide covering fire for each other.

Slowly, street by street, building by building, her troop moves forward through the terrified civilians, that are streaming towards the bunkers and away from the pirates. As they progress Jane notes a smattering of red icons making their way into the city, presumably tagged by the Angels or Fists when they couldn't prevent them from leaving their landing areas.

As her squad rounds one corner, they come across a batarian slaver crouched over a human woman, her torn clothing scattered around the street ahead of them. As her eyes take in the scene, she spots a turian mercenary bringing his rifle to bear, and she ducks back around the corner. Less than a second later, she reaches out and grabs Johanssen's arm, before pulling him back behind cover.

As she does, there's a spray of blood as a flechette from the turian's rifle goes through his arm where his heart would have been if Jane hadn't pulled him to cover.

"McGill, make sure he's ok, then take point. Dobs you're on cover, Bell you're with me, cover my six."

As Jane backtracks to an alleyway, Bell following her, she smiles as McGill tags the hostiles around the corner. Briefly she curses the lack of magical support, as a simple wall, or even a flock of birds would have made this situation simple.

The sound of sporadic gunfire tells her more than the moving dots on her HUD do, about how both sides have taken cover and are being careful not to let their weapons run dry or overheat. After nearly a minute of carefully moving around the building, keeping an eye out for ambushes, Jane and Bell finally make their way to the other side of the engagement.

Switching off her external speaker, Jane opens a comm channel direct to Bell, "Private chatter only. There's a set of stairs just round the corner. Cover me while I reach them, then I'll cover you while you head to the stairs over there."

Bell's voice sounds loud in her helmet, but there's no echo, "Copy. Ready when you are."

Jane moves back from the corner so that Bell can take her place. Once she gets the all clear, she duck runs softly to the concrete stairs, and readies her rifle. Once she's sure the enemy are still looking away she calls out "Go go go!" and watches on her HUD as Bell's dot makes their way across the street.

With both of them in cover, Jane takes a moment to properly assess the situation and assign target priority. Her mouth sets into a grim line as she sees the human woman lying motionless on the floor, her throat cut and bright red blood pooling around her like an obscene halo. Ducked down behind their own stairs are three of the enemy forces, only popping up to fire their own bursts when McGill and Dobs are at the end of their bursts.

Opening up her comms to the squad she calls, "McGill, Dobs, full auto on my mark, then duck back… Mark!"

Bless his heart, Dobs steps full out and screams, "You bastards!" before unloading his entire clip and McGill pulls him back down into cover. Predictably, all three of them break cover, with the batarian providing overwatch for the mercenaries. Not that it matters, as he's the first one to be shot as Jane and Bell both take opportunistic shots at their backs.

As the squad takes up a guard position, Jane looks at the bodies of the enemy, and spots an active omni-tool on the arm of the batarian. With a grim expression, she takes a knife from her pouch and takes the batarian's arm off at the elbow, before tossing the hand and omni-tool to Johanssen. "Look after that, maybe the militia will have someone that can do something with it."

Dobs looks like he's going to be sick as he stares at the scene with panicky eyes, "How could they do that to her?"

Jane follows his gaze to the body of the woman, "They're slavers, they don't see people like her as anything more than property. To their mind, it was like a toddler and a toy they want. If they can't have it, no one can. I'm more concerned about these vermin," she kicks a turian corpse for emphasis, "What other species have they hired to aid in this raid? Come on, the militia need our help."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Another 15 minutes pass as Jane and her troop make their way to the militia lines. By the time they push their way through the pirates cordon and meet up with the beleaguered militia outside the primary civilian bunker. Much to her dismay, of the 35 black dots that were there when she landed, only 20 still remain.

Once the militia realises that her troop are friendlies, she directs them inside the hasty fortifications. Once inside, Jane looks around the different barricades and tags their locations with her omni-tool, giving each one a number.

"Toots, relieve position 1, Rodrigues position 3, Sarge position 5, McGill you've got position 7. Johanssen, how's your arm?"

As each of her squads moves to cover a different barricade, Johanssen shakes his head, "Useless sir!"

Jane nods, "Johanssen, you're on quartermaster. Find out our supply situation and run diagnostic on your suit. If you're arms broken, I've got a vial of skelegrow."

Jane can hear the expression of disgust as Johanssen responds with, "Yes sir!"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once the change over has completed, Jane marches over to one of the resting militia, "Where's you CO?"

The exhausted militiaman looks up at her with exhausted eyes, "Dead."

Jane nods decisively, "Right. I'm 2nd Lt Shepherd taking command here. Is there a tech around?"

The militiaman nods, "That's me. I'm the tech."

"Johanssen, this is your tech! Give him the arm to work on." Talking to the tech she continues, "We captured one of the pirates omni-tools, I need you to hack it and feed their comms data into the local tacnet. Work with Johanssen to get the militia hooked in too. Then take 10."

Over the next 10 minutes, the pirates recover from the hole Jane punched through their formation, and start to converge on their position, driving civilians before them and using them as cover to break into nearby buildings to take sniper positions.

Jane climbs up to the roof of the city hall in order to take overwatch, and monitor the map in real-time. As the scattered red dots slowly build up as more and more pirates are identified, Jane curses, and calls the Agincourt. "Agincourt! This is the Dogs; we need reinforcements at City Hall. I don't know what's going on, but what I can see looks far too organised for my tastes."

A world map appears over her omni-tool as the response comes through, and Jane curses when she sees the Agincourt is far over the horizon. "Lt, we are redirecting a dropship to redeploy The Sloths to your position, ETA 5 minutes, I repeat ETA 5 minutes."

Jane only has time for a shouted, "Roger" as she spots some pirates in a window 200 yards away about to open fire on her troops. Raising her rifle she takes a second to highlight one of them before aiming two fingers high and pulling the trigger.

As she spots more movement, she flicks her rifle to point at the next window and stops when she sees the grey dot in the building next to the red dot, "Johanssen, where's my tacmap! We have snipers or hostages, I need to know which!"

"Tech says five minutes sir!"

Jane curses and stabs a control on her omni-tool to broadcast every friendly in the local area, "Eyes up everyone, we have snipers and rifle nests. Check your cover and watch each other. Reinforcements ETA 4:30, tac-map update ETA similar. Continue to tag and bag. Until further notice, rest in place, I repeat rest in place."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Over one of the longest four minutes of her life, Jane's world narrows down to the spots of red on her scope and the muzzle of her rifle, as she gives covering fire to the troops below. At 4:10 seconds the sound of an incoming dropship gives her hope, at 4:20 seconds her tacmap expands as a sea of red dots fills the city.

As she's brought out of her near trance, by the shift in the map, Jane's eyes widen as she sees that the projected landing site is surrounded by red dots inside buildings.

Dropping her rifle, Jane stabs the Emergency broadcast button and nearly screams, "Alpha Bravo 2, abort! I report, Alpha Bravo 2 abort."

With fatal fascination, Jane lifts her head to look over at the landing pad when the dropships thrusters rise in pitch to a sharp whine, and she watches as it dips below the building cover, out of sight. Her heart sinks as the sound of heavy weaponry forces the battlefield to pause for a few seconds. Moments later, she cheers as the dropship drags itself back into the air, smoke pouring from a few new dents in the hull, and one engine.

Over her comms comes the voice of the pilot, "Lt, thanks for the save. Where should we drop our cargo?"

Jane shakes her head to bring herself back into the now, and brings up the tacmap on her omnitool. As she does, a group of black spots becomes apparent nearly a km from their position, and it's clear that they're fighting their way into an ambush. Highlighting the group, she responds, "Find a suitable spot near here, Lt Calker, you need to defuse this ambush, then escort the sheep into the pen."

"Alpha Bravo 2, acknowledged."

"Sloths, acknowledged."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As the Sloths punch through the cordon surrounding City Hall, escorting an equal number of militiamen into the fortified area, Jane heaves a sigh of relief.

Flicking on her comm, she says, "Lt Calker, I'm glad you could make it. Are you hooked into our local tacnet yet?"

Calker replies, "Lt, what's the situation here?"

"Snafu sir. If you could send a squad up to replace me, I'll come down and debrief you."

"What do you need?"

"Spotters and sharpshooters, sir. There are snipers in the buildings surrounding the square."

A minute later, a squad makes its way from an upper story window to her position while she distracts the snipers with covering fire. As they lie down under the decorative facing over the entrance, she looks at them, before biting back a curse when she sees eye pieces beneath the I4 face masks.

Looking at the four, Jane says, "Who's the squad leader?"

A woman raises her hand, "I am."

Jane nods, "You're on oversight, keep down and use your omni-tool to prioritize targets for the spotter and shooters. Spotter, your job is to tell the shooters what they missed by, so keep a good eye out."

The squad leader shakes her head, "Sir, I don't know how to do that."

Jane looks heavenward for a second before looking down at the squad leader, "Bring up your tacmap on your omni-tool and make sure you're registered as their squad leader. If not, ask your Lt to assign them to you. In the meantime you can limit your view of the map to the square and the surrounding buildings." Jane demonstrates with her own omni-tool, "What you're going to be doing is looking for red dots that are near, or approaching a vantage point. Why doesn't your omni-tool have exploration mode activated?"

The woman looks at Jane confused, "Why would we want it active? We get all our intel from the ship, or ground station."

Jane resists the urge to put her hand on her faceplate, "We are in an active warzone, the terrain is constantly changing, and exploration mode will up date all the tacnet with those changes. Including any holes that get made in the side of buildings to provide new vantage points. Turn it on now, and select one of the red dots with your finger. Good, see the menu that's appeared around the dot, with one item at the bottom, that's your target selection. If you touch that bottom button it adds it to your queue. Selecting another dot will allow you to select a second target, and also increase or lower the priority of that target. Once you're squad leader you'll have an option to the left to assign a target for your squad. For the moment, just call out the buildings and floors as you spot them."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

On the ground, under the shelter of the City Hall porch, Jane marches over to Lt Calker, "Lt why aren't your men in squads on the tacnet?"

Calker looks up from his discussion with Johansson and the tech, "You think I have time for that? We've been on the bounce constantly, and then we were reassigned here."

Jane growls, "Make time, and why didn't your squad leader know how to assign targets. Don't tell me, you didn't have time."

Calker draws himself to his full height, "2nd Lt Shepherd, you will not take that tone with a superior officer."

Jane's armoured elbow catches Calker around the temple in just the right place to dislodge the faceplate and continue into the Lt's temple, where he drops like a sack of potatoes.

Activating her comms, Jane calls up to the Agincourt, "Agincourt, this is 2nd Lt Shepherd. Lt Calker is currently unresponsive, permission to take command of his squad."

Jane pretends not to notice Johanssen and the tech's muffled laughter, as the comms officer responds with, "2nd Lt, please wait a moment, the captain is reviewing the tactical data."

While she's waiting, Jane pulls up the local map on her omni-tool and tags four of her troop, "Toots, Shaw, Kusason, Church you're on babysitting during your rest. Pick a squad of Sloths and make sure they know how to use the tacmap features on their omni-tools. And for the love of the goddesses, make sure they've got exploration mode switched on." Selecting another four dots, she continues, "Sarge, Chambers, Clark, and Melnykas, go around the militia and make sure their eyepieces are all on the tacnet with their callsigns."

Selecting the last squad, she says, "Rodrieges, Jones, Dall, Ferman, check out the City Hall building, I want to know if there are any other entrances or exits other than the shelter."

With a deep breath, she finally selects McGill, Dobs, and Bell, "McGill, Dobs, Bell, work with a couple of militia to locate any other shelters and pockets of militia throughout the city. I want them marked on the tacnet asap."

As she finishes speaking, her omni-tool chirps and the Agincourt comms speaks up, "Acting captain Shepherd, your omni-tool is being updated with your temporary rank."

Then the lights blink out, before coming up again. Jane can only stare at the device in surprise. As it does, she reactivates the local map and raises her eyebrows in surprise when she sees a list of names and rank to one side of the map. Touching Sgt Atiyeh's name allows her to highlight their icon in her HUD.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane slides in to the barricade beside Sgt Atiyeh before popping her head up and taking a few shots at some incoming pirates, "Sargent, I need to know who the squad leaders are in the Sloths."

Atiyeh glances at her, "Really? Right now?"

Jane fires off another burst, "Uh huh, you talk and I'll do the hard work. What happened to Shaw, she was supposed to be making sure you had your tacnet functions setup."

Atiyeh rattles off four names, including his own, then continues, "I sent her off, as we're too busy for that sort of thing."

Jane nods, "I see, Andrews with me! Shaw take Andrews's place."

Using her eyes and fingers as the two of them are withdrawing, Jane assigns Andrews as the squad leader for this squad, while also assigning the other squad leaders. Once they get behind more substantial cover, Jane opens a private channel, "Private Andrews, You're the new squad leader of S3. I'm going to give you a 60 second crash course in using the tacmap, so pay attention."

"…and finally, this option here will add the wireframe and FoF indicators to your eyepiece. Got that?"

Andrews looks up at Jane wide eyed, "Yes Sir!"

"Good, return to your squad, I'll be assigning you some militia shortly, try to keep two N-series active at all times."

Andrews salutes Jane, "Yes Sir!"

As she's making her way back to the Quatermaster, her HUD flashes red and a skull appears in the upper corner. Just as she's about to check her omni-tool, Rodrigues calls her, "Lt, we've secured City Hall. Dall… He walked into a hall and they gunned him down."

Jane's expression goes blank as she shoves her emotions down the way Juvetana taught her to, "I copy. Have you marked their entry point?"

"Roger. But…"

"But nothing, Rodrigues, we don't have time for grief now. You didn't kill him, they did. I'm going to send some militia to reinforce your position, then I want you to take 10. Once your breaks over, we're securing the surrounding buildings, and you're with me."

Walking back to the porch, Jane sees that Calker is having a loud conversation with the Agincourt. Bring up her omnitool Jane selects the City Hall, and designates as a field HQ before assigning 8 of the resting militia and Lt Calker to the building, at the same time she assigns Johanssen as Quartermaster, and the tech as the official tech. Marching over to Calker she covers his omni-tool with her hand, "Lt Calker, if you have time to complain you have time to work. You're assigned to securing the field HQ, I need you to relieve Private Rodrigues and his squad as well as locate any other potential entrances and secure them. Once you've done that, find a holo table and link it to the tacmap. Quatermaster, I need you to find some rooms that can double as bunks, and set up some cots for those on rotation. Tech, keep an eye on enemy comms and let me know if they work out how we're tracking them. I'll make sure you get a new omni-tool asap. Also try to identify any of our men who are captured or killed so that we can isolate their device."

Calker shakes off his shock and rounds on Jane, "2nd Lt you are overreaching yourself."

Jane looks him in the eyes as she says, "Acting Captain Shepherd. You have your orders Lt."

While Calker gathers his unit and heads into the HQ, Jane makes her way over to McGill to get an update on the situation elsewhere in the city, along with prioritising which positions need relief first.

Up on the roof, the counter sniper squad begins to get faster and more accurate now that they've been given the tools to do the job properly.

A couple of minutes after that, shutters drop down over all the ground floor windows in the City Hall.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once her troops have had their break, Jane prepares to take the first of the buildings with entrenched enemies. The first thing she does is number each of the buildings, based on their end profile, with two each to the left and right, and another 3 across from City Hall.

With a sigh, Jane selects all the squad leaders including Lt Calker and sets a waypoint for the room with the holo table. "All squad leaders report to the war room. A waypoint has been set."

As the nine leaders are making their way to her position, Jane brings up the city map on the table.

Once the last of them arrives, she looks up, "This is the wider situation within the city. Outside the city, the Angels and Fists are still harrying the pirates on the ground in attempt to stop them from taking the smaller settlements. They're being supported by the regular S1's from the Agincourt. The Agincourt itself is handicapped by the fact it can't use it's big guns, because the planet doesn't have a life shield. That means we are on our own until reinforcements arrive.

"Lt Calker is in charge of HQ defense, and once we start operation breathing space, he will be in charge of the war room and keeping command appraised of our situation. Johanssen, will be working with him for supply drops if we need them." Calker looks surprised at Jane's choice of delegation, "I've assigned each of your squads a letter and number for easy identification, check it and remember it. Fire team, I'm sorry we don't have any militia to support you, but until we clear these buildings we don't have the manpower to spare. D1 and D2 will be with me as we start clearing building 1. S2 will be our rear guard to ensure no bogies try to circle around behind us. Fire team, we're going to need you to keep the snipers busy until we get to cover. Everyone else, make lots of noise, but watch your ammo. Any questions?"

Calker nods, "Why are you only taking the dogs room by room, we've had lots of practice doing that."

Jane looks up at him, "With all due respect Lt, I4 compared to I5 suits. We can turn off our external speakers, and set up a local suit to suit comms net. You can't." She taps her faceplate, "We also have a full HUD, while you're using eyepieces. The I5 suits also have built in light and sound stabilisation."

Calker sags, "You've made your point."

Jane nods, "Any questions?" When nobody says anything Jane steps back from the table, "You know what you have to do, let's move soldiers."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

"Shepherd to fire team, we are ready to go on your signal."

From her crouched position by barricade 1, Jane doesn't have to wait long before the fire team starts to take shots at all of the sniper nests they know about. Seconds later, each of the barricade teams pop up and alternate fire at the entrenched positions the pirates have in the streets.

Jane holds her hand up, and counts down from five on her fingers. As she reaches zero, she and the three squads hustle around the barricade and hustle over to the wall of building 1. Sliding over to the corner, Jane first pokes her gun round, and then the bare minimum amount of eyes to check the coast is clear.

"S2, take cover by the stairs, then provide oversight on my mark. Mark!"

As Andrews squad crab runs to the stairs for cover, a few pirates poke their heads up, and Jane quickly persuades them to keep their heads down. "D1 take the corner across the street."

As that squad traverses the intervening space, while S2 covers the street, Jane keeps an eye on the street leading past City Hall. With covering fire established, she calls, "D2 breach."

While D2 take positions either side of the door, Jane spots movement down the street past City Hall. She frowns for a moment as they don't show up on her HUD, and sends a couple of rounds nearby just in case they're pirates.

"HQ, I have an unidentified contact behind HQ."

Calker's voice comes back, "Copy that, I'm assigning a patrol to check the windows."

The sound of gunfire from the doorway pulls Jane back from her thoughts, and she cautiously takes a look at the entry team before returning to her overwatch while the other two squads send suppressing fire down the street.

After a tense few seconds, Rodrigues' squad establishes a breach head in the building, and number of grey dots appear on the tacmap before rapidly turning red. Trusting Calker to notice, Jane instead calls out, "D1, breach… S2 take the door."

Once the last squad is inside, Jane sprays bullets down the street as she makes her way over the steps and into the door. As she does, the elevated activity at the barricades dies down.

Slowly, over the next 20 minutes, Jane and her squads take on the gruelling job of clearing this four-storey building room by room, and corridor by corridor. With stiff opposition the entire time. That is until they reach the fourth floor, and Rodrigues says, "Lt, you need to look at this."

Jane makes her way to what should be the last room and stops as she walks through the door to a small cupboard with a massive hole in the ceiling, and a larger hole in the back wall.

"Shit! Give me your hands."

As Rodrigues cups his hands, Jane fishes her makeup mirror out of her bag and opens it up. Boosting up to the hole with Rodrigues' hands, Jane pokes the mirror out of the hole and turns it around slowly, "Clear."

Jumping back to the floor, she shakes her head and comms HQ, "HQ, request a flyby to check the local roofs, as we've found an entry point at the top of the building."

Switching channels to S2, she says, "S2, send two members upstairs to provide overwatch on a sky access. Once you've arrived we'll take the other side of the building."

On their way down the other side, they find a batarian with an omni-tool. Something that Jane runs back to the barricade personally, before returning to the building.

Over the next few hours, each of the surrounding buildings are cleared one by one, even though Kusason takes a round through the shoulder in building 5, as it skips off the breast plate of her armour. After assuring everyone that she's fine, Kusason keels over dead not even five minutes later. Her autopsy will show that the round nicked an artery, and she bled out internally because the suit automatically constricted the wound to prevent infection from setting in.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As she walks into HQ, Jane fishes out her first pepper up potion, and attaches it to her intake port so she can drink it. As the potion takes effect, her tired posture straightens up, and she marches to the table. "Lt, what's our situation?"

Calker looks up from the map, "I've moved the fire team to the roof of building 5 to prevent a repeat of last time. We're short-handed, and the pirates have started bringing in heavier weapons. Shelter 1 is almost overrun, shelters 2 and 3 are holding steady, and shelter 4 has the most defenders because they're on the opposite side of the city. But the pirates are starting to make progress there."

Jane nods, "Can this shelter hold everyone in shelters 2, 3, and 4?"

Calker shakes his head thoughtfully, "According to the specs, no, but… If we get reinforcements in the next 24 hours, we could probably house them down there. What about Shelter 1?"

Jane shakes her head grimly, "We don't have the manpower to relieve them. Do you think you could lead three squads to Shelter 4, and escort them and the civilians back here?"

Calker stands up straighter, and opens his mouth to reply, before sagging, "Honestly, no. Your HUD is too large an advantage to ignore. I've already put a recommendation through to the brass for the I4's to have a similar setup."

Jane sighs, "I'm officially informing you, as my 2ic, that I've taken a pepper-up potion. Do we have communications with the other Militia forces?"

Calker nods, "We do."

"Inform Shelter 4 that we're coming to escort them here, and to prepare their civilians to move. With them added to our number, we should be able to open a corridor to Shelter 3, and then 2. If they're still hanging on at Shelter 1, we'll make a push for them too. What's our potion situation?"

Calker shakes his head, "Poor, we've used three blood replenishers, and two skeligrows. We now have 3 pepper-up potions, as you've used one. And there's whatever you're carrying. We also lost two militia and one of the Sloths during the push to take the surrounding buildings."

Jane puts her fist on the table, and then pushes down angrily, "We can't afford losses like this, as the pirates out number us. Lt, take your Sargent and go down to the shelter. Find any volunteers that have ever fired a gun, and anyone that's willing to help with refilling water rations or cooking food. I'll keep an eye on stuff while you're gone."

Calker salutes before he turns and leaves.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

30 minutes later, Jane finds herself leading squads s1, s3, and d3 west away from the main staging area for the pirates towards Shelter 4. While the shelter is less than 2km from HQ, it's still going to take them the better part of an hour to get there safely, as they have to check every alleyway and intersection.

By the time they arrive, Jane is already starting to feel the strain of managing the local map despite the fact she's never once taken point.

The return journey is just as bad, as despite the addition of a further 30 militia, they're also escorting 2,000 civilians.

As the column passes her by while she's maintaining overwatch, it dawns on Jane that this one shelter had almost as many people in it as the entire population of Mindor when the slavers attacked.

"HQ, this is Shepherd."

"Go ahead Shepherd."

"I've just realised why there's so many pirates here. This one shelter had almost as many people in it as the entire population of Mindor nearly 8 years ago."

"Agincourt concurs, reinforcements ETA 10 hours."

Jane breaths a sigh of relief, as a weight she didn't know she was carrying lifts slightly, "That's great news."

Once they return to HQ, Jane immediately sets out with s2, s4 and d1, along with 10 rested militia, towards Shelter 2. A journey that, while more dangerous, only results in three injuries as the rested militia from Shelter 4 are able to meet them halfway back with d2 and d3 providing intel and direction.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Less than 100m from Shelter 3, Jane curses as the magazine for her rifle falls to the floor as a salarian pirate jumps over the same stairs she's using for cover. Obviously with the same idea. After a brief, one-sided struggle Jane loads the spare magazine, and takes a moment to look around for her missing magazine. A search that's cut short by a group of three pirates coming around the corner behind her. A short burst of fire makes them take cover, and she calls, "Incoming on my six!"

As a couple of squad members turn to provide covering fire, Jane leans down and pulls the rifle from the salarians corpse.

"G1 how are you doing with getting us some support?"

"We're through, and waiting for them to open the doors for us."

"Tell them to hurry, as we're surrounded."

Jane searches around for some new cover, before diving into basement stairwell as a hail of fire scatters on the stairwell she was just hiding behind. Wincing in pain, as she stands up, Jane starts a diagnostic out of reflex, even as she climbs up the stairs until she has the smallest vantage point she needs to shoot back.

As her Alliance rifle runs dry, Jane lets it drop to her side as she smoothly picks up the salarian rifle. As she raises it to her face, she curses as the display is written in one of the salarian dialects. Fortunately, all Citadel weapons have similar trigger systems, so it only takes her a couple of seconds to find the trigger and pull it in controlled bursts.

As the salarian rifle over heats for the third time, the doors of the police station behind her open, and the rapid retort of a heavy weapon rings out. At the sound of screaming, the remaining pirates retreat out of sight leaving Jane and the others to breathe a sigh of relief.

"Thank the goddesses for your timing. What took you so long?"

Over the comm, Rodrigues says, "Well, it took me a few minutes to persuade them that I was with the Alliance and not the pirates. Then we had to get this beauty setup."

Jane sighs tiredly, "Ok, everyone inside and take stock of your health and equipment."

With groans of relief, the militia and squads all bundle into, what seems to be a police station.

As the doors close behind her, one of the militia walks up to Jane, "Good afternoon, I'm Detective Inspector Morse, no relation."

Jane leans against a doorframe, "I'm not sure it's a good anything. I'm Acting Captain Shepherd of the Systems Alliance corps. What's your situation here?"

Morse looks down, "We've got 500 people in the shelter, and 300 corpses in the fridge." He points a shield leaning against a wall, "We held on as long as we could, but we were cut off from support early in the invasion."

Jane follows his finger to the shield, "What are those?"

"Eezo powered riot shields. An aluminium frame with an alloy front and funky viewing hole. The large thing on the back is a souped-up personal kinetic shield. It's virtually impervious to anything smaller than a krogan shotgun. Sorry, I'm rambling, I've lost good friends today."

Jane makes a conscious effort to place her hand on the mans shoulder instead of a more turian gesture, "It's ok, we're going to survive this, and then we can grieve for those we've lost. But for now, grief is a luxury we can ill afford. How many of those shields do you have?"

Morse looks up, "30, no 25, we lost 5 when they brought in an artillery piece."

Jane nods, "Do you have anymore specialist weapons?"

Morse nods, "We have a couple of sniper rifles, several shotguns for door breaching, and another autocannon. There's also 100 stun batons, but I don't think you'll be interested in those."

Jane shakes her head, "You'd be wrong then, as it will provide the militia with a viable option if our defences are breached. Do you have any pistols?"

Morse shakes his head, "The colony felt that they sent the wrong message, so they banned concealable firearms."

Jane nods, "I understand. While we're taking 10, I need you to have your people hand each of the N series soldiers a riot shield, then distribute the rest to those you think will best be able to use them. Grab all of the specialist weapons and make sure each militiaman has a baton, any spares hand out to the civilians. Make sure that everyone, including the civilians, knows we're going to be pushing hard when we leave, as this is a hotspot."

Morse nods, and moves off with a sense of purpose pushing against his sense of loss.

Once he's gone, Jane tiredly pushes off the wall to find Rodrigues.

"Rodrigues, how well do you know how to use that autocannon?"

Rodrigues looks up, "I don't really. I pulled up the instructions on my omni-tool."

Jane punches him lightly in the shoulder, "Great, that makes you our expert then. Grab a couple of Sloth members and practice setup and teardown on the spare a few times. The three of you will be the first through the door with that one to form our corridor. Once you've cleared the way, you need to tear it down and carry it back to HQ. I do not want anything left here that could be used against us."

Rodrigues nods, "Yes Sir! Ma'am."

As she turns around, a militiaman hands her a riot shield and points out the power button. Making her way back to her doorframe Jane inspects the shield and curses when she finds the magnetic clamps. It doesn't stop her from using the straps. However, Alliance armour tends to be made without ferrous metals, due to the risk of encountering Sleepers.

While she's resting, Jane takes the time to figure out how to connect the rifle and the shield to her omni-tool, and thus her HUD.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

10 minutes later, the autocannon crew push open the doors to the police station, and shuffle out with their riot shields active in front of them. As they start to take fire, Rodrigues begins to return fire with the autocannon, clearing the path as it cuts through pirates like a hot knife through butter. As he swings the weapons across the front of the police station, the rest of the N soldiers hustle out with their own shields, each one taking a stance to shield in the direction the autocannon is firing, while also making a wall to the street they need. As the shield wall is completed, Jane is first out of the police station with her side arm in one hand, and the shield on the other arm. Fanning out behind her come the militia with their own shields followed by a line of militia with rifles to provide a phalanx as a vanguard to push through the pirates. The rest of the militia are next and they peel off in pairs as the vanguard reaches an alleyway or road, in order to provide covering fire for the civilians that are following after them.

The journey back to HQ is slow and bloody, as it seems like the leaders of the pirates put all of the green and greedy pirates around the police station.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

An exhausted Jane staggers into HQ covered with blood and gore from their mad rush back.

"Lt, report!"

Calker looks down at the table, "Whatever you just did has stirred up the hornet's nest. The Agincourt is reporting that pirates across the planet are starting to abandon their objectives to head for the city. They've also started moving their people around in a more deliberate way than they were before. I'm seeing signs of military formations, and not just small squad tactics. What did you do?"

Jane leans the shield against a wall, and drops the rifles to the ground, "We got two autocannons, a couple of sniper rifles, several shotguns, 25 riot shields, and a boatload of stun batons, as well as the rifles the militia had. I think we slaughtered all their green troops on the way back, just to add the cherry on the cake."

"I see."

Jane slides down the wall, "How's Shelter 1 doing?"

Calker looks at the map, "They're still there."

Jane activates the comfort and sleep functions of her suit as she nods, "I need to crash. Bring the Sergeants in to watch the map and take the shields and some rested squads. Punch through to the shelter and bring them back here. Oh, and make sure the fire team get the sniper rifl…"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane wakes to the sound of a piercing alarm going of inside her suit. Jerking her head up, she opens her eyes to see Calker leaning heavily against the table.

Shaking her head, she takes a couple of tries to push herself to her feet, "Sitrep!"

Calker pushes himself up awkwardly and holds his side, "We got Shelter 1 safely back here around 10 minutes ago. Though there were injuries on our side, but no fatalities. 30 seconds ago, the pirates used a heavy weapon against one of the autocannon emplacements and I hit the all hands alarm. The emplacement survived, and took out the heavy weapon, but the stone facia they were placed behind is gone. I've sent two riot shields up a piece to give the crew a fighting chance, but I think this is it. We've got nearly 10,000 civilians here, and it's too big a prize for them to resist.

Jane nods, "Is the fire team rested?"

Calker nods, "They've been resting in shifts since we cleared the building."

Jane nods, "I want them on tagging duty. Tagging the heavy weapons is more important than sniping pirates. Their second priority is to counter snipe. Only if there's nothing else should they be picking off pirates. Make sure the militia all have stun batons, and set up three rotations for them. Active, resting, and rifle swap, 20 minutes a piece. 20:20 rotations for the soldiers. Finally, send one of the civilians down to request any medically trained civilians come up to help in HQ."

As Jane picks up her rifles, Calker asks, "What about you?"

"I'm going out, as we need every gun we can get. Oh, and make sure the back door is reinforced. They came in that way once, so they'll probably try it again."

Calker nods, "The goddesses watch over you."

Jane salutes the Lt and makes her way out of the door into hell.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane's not sure how long it's been since the offensive began, but she knows she drank another pepper-up… Actually she doesn't know when she drank the pepper-up potions.

As she seems to be in a moment of quiet, she absently silences the suits heart rate monitor, so what if 200bpm. Reaching into her pouch she tries to pull out a water bulb, only to root around stupidly as she can't find one.

Suddenly she's lying on her back, a child's face looking down at her, and a shower of brick raining down around them.

Blinking, she smiles at the kid, "Hey kid, thanks for the save. If you're going to stick around, could you get some water please?"

Mutely the child nods before scrambling for a drain hole cover.

Pushing herself to her feet, Jane collapses, and opts to crawl to cover instead as she drags her rifles with her. Sitting behind cover, she lifts the rifle and pulls off controlled bursts, just like she did when she was with Juvetana and the pirates attacked.

At some point, she remembers the kid coming back with water, that she sucks down greedily as she silences the heart alert when it reads 220bpm.

Blinking owlishly, she stares at her HUD as green dots start to appear. As it dawns on her that they're the reinforcements, her rifle falls from her hands and the world slowly goes dark.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 10: N8 – part 3

Tevos shuffles discreetly in the I5 suit that was gifted to her. Stoically standing to her right is the turian Councillor Spartatus in his own suit. On her left is… an anomaly. An asari by the name of Beinra T'mosir, according to her omni-tool she was last seen on Mindor before accepting Alliance citizenship after the slave raid. However, this Beinra looks nothing like the image they have on record. Her skin colour is a pale, almost bleached, lilac instead of the vibrant purple it used to be. She also carries herself like a matriarch despite looking like a maiden. The final oddity is that she is standing next to her dressed only in a flowing robe.

As if reading her thoughts, Beinra asks, "Are you alright councillor?"

Tevos's crest quivers in her helmet as she wonders just that, shaking her head she replies, "No, the suit is just uncomfortable."

Beinra nods, "That is to be expected, you've not even worn it for 24 hours, as we came to the rendezvous point on a Citadel ship. However, I do not think that's what's bothering you."

"Why aren't you wearing a suit?"

Beinra smiles, "You are a carrier of Prothean Syndrome, while I am now immune. If it helps, I could wear my own armour. Though it's somewhat bulky and would set the humans around us on edge."

Tevos frowns, "Why on Thessia would it do that?"

Beinra takes a step to her left and starts to float in the air as a toy floats out of the pouch beside her. As Tevos starts to feel pins and needles all over, the toy expands to almost touch the ceiling of the bridge of the ship they're standing in and closes around Beinra. Looking down at Tevos, she asks, "Is that better?"

Spartatus barks out, "No, not at all. It was vastly preferable when you weren't quite so intimidating."

Tevos can only nod in agreement and starts to scratch her arm as the pins and needles turns into an itch as Beinra puts her armour away. An itch that subsides almost as soon as it began once Beinra stands next to her again.

Apologetically, Beinra shrugs, "I'm sorry about the itching, it was rather impulsive of me to show off like that. Especially when I'm here to protect you from the environment on ship."

Tevos looks at her sharply, "Protect me?"

Beinra nods, "You'd have died minutes into the voyage as we entered the aether sea if I weren't here. You do remember that eezo evaporates in the presence of magic."

Tevos nods, and shudders as her mind puts together the association between biotics and eezo. "Is that why you're so pale?"

Beinra nods, "It's also why I wouldn't allow you to join with me. We're about to start descending from the aether sea, so you may want to watch out of the viewing window."

Tevos turns to the window and watches as the swirling aether seems to be pulled together into rivers of light revealing the gas giant that Torfan orbits. As they continue, the gas giant seems to shrink, while staying the same size, and suddenly Torfan is there and covered in life. Raising her omni-tool she activates the zoom function to be sure, and just catches the tail end as physics takes over from magic, and the plants and animals disappear.

Moments later Beinra says, "We're here."

Tevos looks out at the distant moon, "So, what, are you going to launch an all out assault on the moon?"

Beinra looks out, "No, they're sending in The Triplets."

Tevos looks at Beinra, "The who?"

Beinra just continues looking out the window, "One of our, their gods and goddesses. Depending on the moment. They helped train me and acclimatise to my new culture."

Indignantly, Tevos asks, "Why would you need to adapt to their culture? They haven't even had spaceflight for 200 of their years."

Beinra turns to look at Tevos with ancient eyes, at the same time Spartatus takes a couple of discrete paces away from them. "Councillor, do not show yourself to be a fool by speaking of things you have no understanding of. It is true that the lives of humans are like mayflies, only overshadowed by that of salarians. However the sidhe, and those that join their clans willingly, count their lives in millennia. Those above them long enough that none has ever died of old age. I myself have learnt the ways of the Magi, though I am not of their order. Today, you have been invited to watch the Systems Alliance retribution for enslaving Alliance citizens. Not to ensure that the rules of war are followed, but to see why they don't concern themselves with the day to day politics of mortals. We could do so much to rid the galaxy of evil, but they love life too much to walk the galactic stage. And so we limit ourselves to mortal capabilities."

Tevos shakes her head, "You can't be talking about the farcical stories the turian command made about this Selene person pulling a dreadnaught out of space."

Beinra looks back out of the window, "I'm sure the salarian science teams on the other ships will be willing to reconsider that notion after today. It's beginning. Once the end begins, I will be going down to the shuttle bay to talk to the rescued asari. For the moment, Selene and Hela are there to ensure that the magic levels remain low enough for them to recover from the transport. Captain! Please bring up the views of each of The Triplets."

Three sets of view screens appear on the large window, and over the next hour Tevos watches as Harry, Hermione, and Daphne each take a separate approach to reaching the inner complex.

Harry seems to dance with a primitive bronze sword, cutting through armour as easily as flesh. His, or her, movements always seeming to take her out of the line of fire of the next group of defenders.

Hermione waves her hands, as though conducting a symphony, as she turns every bullet sent against her into a different animal, that turns around and runs back to attack the defenders. At one point she stops to look at the ground where one bullet formed a strange sort of worm, that is struggling to move more than a few cm at a go. A snap of her fingers has it turn into a small fire breathing dragon.

Finally, Daphne just strolls down her shaft with her hands in her pockets. In a bubble around her, everything is broken down into harmless dust. Even those defenders stupid enough to attack her. When the occasional slave is sent on a suicide run against her, their collars, implants, and clothes are all disintegrated, leaving the slave naked but free as she talks to them briefly before they disappear.

As the minutes become an hour, Tevos turns to Beinra, "How? Surely this isn't possible."

Beinra has a grim smile on her face as she watches the feed, "Hela and Selene are both considered to be battle groups on their own. Simply because of the area of space they can control on their own. Individually, The Triplets are the same, but they are inextricably bound to each other. So where you find one, the other two will be somewhere nearby. Well, nearby for us, not for you."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As The Triplets breach the inner complex, their displays of magic are reduced, but no less effective, as they start freeing slaves and sending them to different ships. As the first asari is discovered, a view of the shuttle bay opens up to show the maiden being comforted by one of the humans, while another one works to remove her implants and collar.

Tevos tries to turn away, saying, "I think you've made your point."

Beinra grabs Tevos' arm and turns her back to the view screen, "Not yet. This is just the rescue. The demonstration is going to come after this."

Tevos turns to stare at Beinra, "What?"

"The Systems Alliance is getting fed up with the nascent Human Republic of Independent Planets doctoring our histories without any push back from the Council. Even going so far as to starting to demand that the turians change their own First Contact histories. Once all of the slaves have been recovered, we are going to see first hand what they faced in the Sleeper Wars."

Tevos scoffs, "Don't tell me you believe in the 'Monsters in the darkness' stories. They've been popping up for thousands of years, and we have never seen proof that they exist."

Beinra just continues to watch the goings on, "What I believe is my own business. What you believe is your business, and I won't pry unless you attempt to force that belief on others. Once it begins, Selene will be heading to the salarian team to ensure their equipment continues working. It's estimated that we'll be here for a few days, as the life shield will only conceal us while the ship uses minimal aether systems."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few hours later, and theirs is the only ship left in the system. As she's staring aimlessly out at the stars, Tevos blinks as a shadow seems to pass across the gas giant. Bringing her attention back to the centre of the view screen, her mouth drops open in horror as another shadow passes across the gas giant.

"What in goddess name is that?"

The quiet and shaky voice of the captain answers her question, "Sleeper. Comms, status of the relays."

In an almost whisper, the comms officer replies, "Both relays have just gone offline sir. We have 130 eezo ships that have just gone dark."

The captain nods, and responds in the same quiet voice, "Send the Triplets the telemetry, they'll want to rescue any slaves on board."

"Yes sir."

Over the next two weeks, Tevos finds herself drawn by horrid fascination as what she can only call a feeding frenzy occurs around first Torfan, and then the gas giant it orbits, as what's left of Torfan's iron core is claimed.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane wakes up on a bed in the Agincourt sickbay, her faceplate showing that she's been unconscious for the last 20 hours. Not even a minute after she opened her eyes, a healer walks over with a severe expression on her face.

"You young lady, are lucky to be alive. If it wasn't for the fact that Charlies Angels portkeyed to your position just after you collapsed, their healer would have been too late to portkey you up here."

Before Jane can say anything, the healers finger comes up to wag in her face, "What went through that pea sized thing you call a brain that made you drink two pepper-up potions in 24 hours?"

Jane smiles weakly, "I needed to coordinate the defence, as no one else stepped up."

The healer shakes her head, "Bloody Gryffindors."

Jane frowns, "Huh?"

"One of the four houses at Hogwarts, where I did my apprenticeship. They changed the names for the books if you've read them." With a long suffering huff, the healer shakes her head, "Well, good news, you're going to live. Bad news, you're on mandatory sick leave for the next 6 months while your heart finishes healing. Good news, the Agincourt is heading back to Shaanxi early. Bad news, you've overstayed your welcome in my sick bay. Now off you go, and don't let me catch you doing stupid stuff again."

Jane doesn't even have time to say 'Yes ma'am!' before the healer has returned to her other duties. After pushing herself into a seating position, Jane pauses to catch her breath as her omni-tool pings and a list medically recommended restrictions starts scrolling in her HUD. No exercise, no alcohol, no heavy meals, no horror or thriller films. No sex!

Shaking her head, she pushes herself off the bed and walks briskly towards the door. She's only made it three paces before she has to lean against another bed for support as a shooting pain goes straight through her chest and down her left arm.

"Right, NO Exercise. Brilliant. What next, a walking stick?"

Once her pain has returned to a bearable level, Jane pushes off the bed once more, and gingerly walks to the door at a sedate pace. As she leans against the sickbay door, she mutters, "Oh come on, that was as slow as they walk in the shopping district on Shaanxi:3."

Even slower, and using the wall for support, Jane makes her way to the bunk room for the Dogs.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once she makes it into the bunk room, Jane carefully sits down on the closest bunk. As the door closes Ferman looks up and then zeroes in on her.

"Hey guys! It's the LT."

Jane gives a sad little wave, "Hi, where's the others?"

Ferman shakes his head, "We lost Sarge, Shaw, and Clark in the last push. Rodrigues and Toots are keeping each other company in the cabinet. I think everyone else is in the bar."

Jane looks down at her hands and turns them over, "I'm sorry. I-I should have done better."

Ferman stands up and walks over to sit down next to her, "Better my arse, you were the only one giving orders worth a damn. The Fists and Angels had their own shit outside the city, so they don't count. Lt Calker died when they breached the back door, but he held them off till reinforcements arrived."

Jane shakes her head, "See, that's what I mean, I don't think I noticed that, if I had I'd have sent reinforcements faster."

"Permission to speak freely Sir, Ma'am."

Jane waves her hand, "Granted."

"Shepherd, that's bullshit, you're the one that sent the reinforcements. You're a bloody hero, you were there at the front, with the rest of us, and still had time to direct the battle. I have no fucking idea how you managed that, as it was all I could do to keep track of the enemies in front of me."

Jane shakes her head, "You could have done the same if you'd gone through officer training."

"Bullshit. Lt Calker, may he rest in peace, couldn't do it while you were rescuing the civilians. He was great at the big picture stuff, but keeping track of the small shit, the stuff that kept us alive. That was all you."

Jane shakes her head in denial, and changes the subject, "How's everyone doing?"

Ferman stares at the opposite wall, "We've all got two weeks mandatory mind healing once we get back to shore. I for one need it, I can't close my eyes without seeing Shaw take an autocannon to the face. Did you know that the runes on the face plate keep working as long as they're still connected to the rest of the suit somehow? Neither did I until Shaw's head was ripped clean off his body by the impacts and hung limply down his back for a few seconds before his body collapsed. Everyone else has their own horror stories. Hell, what's left of The Sloths have, to a man, moved into I5 suits and they keep bugging us for help with the features. What about you?"

It's Jane's turn to stare at the wall, "I…I don't remember much of the final stand, there was a kid, saved my life and got me water. The last thing I clearly remember is green dots on my HUD. Then I woke up in sickbay. They've signed me off for 6 months mandatory medical leave after my heart almost exploded when the second pepper-up potion ran out."

Ferman shakes his head, "Damn, no wonder you were going like a machine down there. You've got balls Shepherd, great big brass ones. I've got some scuttlebutt if you're interested."

Jane nods, "Beats comparing trauma, hit me."

"First thing, you're a Hero, and they're going to reward you once we get back to Shaanxi."

Jane laughs bitterly, "Great, a bit of tin to stick in a drawer. Maybe I should buy myself a cabinet to keep that shit in."

Ferman nods, "I'm considering it myself, so that there's somewhere safe to sleep and shit if I'm ever caught like that again. Second thing. All of us are going to be promoted to PS-N2, and we're going to get some specialist training. I've heard that your fire team is being considered for PS-N3 after their performance as sharpshooters and spotters on the field."

Jane smiles, "They deserve it, hell, you all deserve it. But I'm sure we'd all be dead if they weren't tagging heavy weapons."

Ferman once again nods, "I know. Last thing is that apparently, they captured some of the leaders, and found out where they came from. The fleet is heading to Torfan with The Triplets."

Jane laughs, then clutches her chest, "Right, need to add No laughing to my list. Is the fleet even needed if those three are there?"

Ferman shrugs, "Apparently they have Council observers tagging along, and they're also there to transport any slaves that are rescued."

As she's sitting there processing that news, Jane can't help yawning widely, "Sorry, I think I need to get some kip. I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me."

Ferman stands up to give her a hand when she fails to stand up the first time, "Sleep well Lt."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once she wakes up, Jane pushes herself out of bed and immediately grabs on to the back of the desk chair to steady herself.

Sitting down in the chair, Jane grumbles to herself, "Right, NO Exercise includes getting out of bed too fast. I bet it also includes waking up too fast too."

Shaking her head, she takes the pouch off her belt, "Well, I might as well sort through this and find out what I need to requisition from the quarter master when I get back."

15 minutes later, her desk and bunk are both covered with years of accumulated gifts, gizmos, and souvenirs, as well as a few useful items like her old datapad.

Jane looks at everything that's laid out and shakes her head, "I guess I'll need that cabinet for more than just bits of tin." She picks up a copy of the photo her mum had, the one with the bear and the broomstick, "I've got enough money saved, I could afford a decent home to put things like this up in."

Picking up another photo, this one of herself and Juvetana on Shaanxi:2 while her nest mother was waiting for transport back to Hierarchy space. Blinking back tears, she says, "Definitely a proper home."

Putting the photo down again, she reaches into her pouch and pulls out an unfamiliar device. Turning it over in her hands, she frowns, "What's this?... A relay communication device? Scratch that, a dead relay communication device. Why would I buy a dead… Oh that's right. I promised to keep in touch with Juvetana."

Putting the device on the bed, Jane opens up the messaging app on her omni-tool and quickly writes a letter to her nest mother, updating her on what's happened recently. Sitting back in her chair, Jane taps her faceplate thoughtfully before adding an explanation about her medical leave, and asking if she wants Jane to visit once she's able to walk down the road again.

Once she's sent the message, Jane writes another one to her mother to let her know she's alive.

With the letters sent, she starts going through the last few bits of her bag. There, right at the bottom, she finds three spare standard rifle magazines.

"Right, I definitely need that cabinet. Better write it down before I forget."

With a sigh, Jane transfers everything on the desk to the bed before starting to repack her bag, with kit items going on the desk and everything else going into the bag. As the military kit gets laid out on the desk Jane looks at it critically.

"There's something missing, what is it that's missing?"

Shaking her head she continues packing until she comes across the relay communication device again. Her hand comes up to her face, "That's it. Emergency beacon. That's the other thing this was for."

While she remembers, Jane fills out a requisition form for an emergency beacon and sends it off. She just finished putting the defunct RCD in her bag when her omni-tool pings with an authorisation. Shaking her head in surprise Jane clears the notification after a few seconds of staring at it.

Slowly more things get added to the desk as she puts photos and keepsakes like the jumper her aunt gave her, the camping supplies she bought with mum one year, and her skis. Things like her spare omni-tool and her Alliance datapad go on the desk with other kit.

The bed is almost empty when she picks up a photo of Shepherd's Dogs in the cabinet the day they'd earned their callsign. As she holds it in her hands, unbidden, tears start to streak down her cheeks.

"Why? Why did you have to die?"

She's not sure how long she's been crying when she becomes aware of someone gently rubbing circles on her back. But the tears are starting to dry up as she turns to look at the ships captain.

When she tries to stand up, the captain gently restrains her.

"No need to stand captain. You're on medical leave."

Jane gives the captain a wan smile, "Thank you sir."

The captain glances down at the photo, "It's always hard when we lose people under our command. Especially when you have as close a relationship with them as a captain and their crew, or a lieutenant and their troop. I've got a photo album in a pouch just like yours, and there's a photo of every crewman I've ever lost. I think most decent officers have the same thing."

Jane swallows hard, "I should have done more though sir."

The captain spins her chair to face him as he shakes his head, "You did the right things down there, and you handled a situation that many officers with years of experience would have folded under. You even took the calculated risk to overdose on pepper-up so that your people wouldn't be left leaderless." He raises his hand, "Yes, at that point they were all your people. Even the militia. I took a calculated risk when I gave you the field commission, and I'm happy to say it's now official."

Jane looks down at the photo, "Thank you sir, but…"

The captain nods, "I know, it's never worth the lives lost. But we can't bring them back, not even Hela can do that, so the best we can do is reward people for doing a good job. As an example, once we get back to Shaanxi, you're going to be awarded the Star of Terra by an Admiral. Technically, you've already got it as the paperwork has already been processed." Jane opens her mouth to protest as the captain continues, "I know what you're going to say. It's the same thing nearly every recipient of the star has ever said. 'I don't deserve it as I was only doing my duty. Give it to someone more deserving.' Does that sound about right?"

Jane nods minutely, "Yes Sir."

The captain nods, "I thought so, and it's one of the reasons we know you actually deserve the award. On a related note, I spoke to your mother a few years ago, and she told me about your dream of becoming an N8 so that you could hug her in person again." He sighs, "While I can't do that, I have written a recommendation to the N7 based on your performance in going well beyond the call of duty, showing initiative and inventiveness on the field, and doing anything it took to get the job done without unnecessarily endangering lives. You should get your answer in the next six months."

Startled, Jane looks up at the captain, "Why? I don't have enough experience to apply."

The captain shakes his head, "Being an N7 isn't about experience, you can't get there by sitting behind a desk directing troops. It's all about seeing the right potential in someone and putting them forward. The requirements you see on the aethernet, they're for people that want to put themselves forward. Hence the recommendation."

As he reaches into a pouch Jane softly says, "Thank you sir."

Handing over a sheaf of parchment, the captain chuckles, "Don't mention it. Here's the parchment work, if you accept you'll be tested and trained at Sandhurst on Earth. On a personal note, thank you for showing that PS-N troops can fit in the Alliance forces. They're already looking at your troop, and your decisions, and making changes to both the N and PS-N rules and procedures. Privately, I think that's why your troop are all being promoted to N2's, as it gives the eggheads an excuse to see how they behave in controlled conditions. Anyway, I've taken up enough of your time."

As the captain reaches the door, Jane calls out, "Sir!"

Turning around the captain asks, "Yes captain?"

"If I could make a suggestion. Each troop should have its own cabinet for R & R, with a de-con chamber inside the door."

The captain nods, "I'll pass it up the chain."

"Thank you sir."

Once the captain's gone, Jane looks down at the parchment she's been given.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A week later, the Agincourt arrives at Shaanxi to an unwelcome level of fanfare, at least in Jane's opinion. As soon as they reach orbit, a team of nurses docked with the ship and forced her into a wheelchair. Which leads to her current situation.

"...After suffering a personal tragedy on Mindor, Captain Shepherd returned to Shaanxi with her mother Navy Captain Shepherd, of the Oedipus. Almost immediately she joined the N-cadets here on Shaanxi:2 and quickly rose to the position of troop leader. After scoring in the top 10% of her age group, Captain Shepherd was accepted into the officer corps, where she impressed her instructors with her dedication, intelligence, and willingness to help others. A little under four months ago the captain was given her first command and assigned to the SAAS Agincourt, where she again showed her ability to lead, not only by word, but also example. There they showed that the PS-N corps isn't just a sop towards those who have contracted Prothean Syndrome, but they are in fact a valuable part of our armed forces. Many of the things her troop pioneered are now going to be rolled out to all shipboard troops."

Jane sighs as the Admiral finishes glossing over her life, and closes the game of patience she's been playing with her eyes and brief finger twitches.

"Eight days ago, she not only saved lives with her units readiness, as the Agincourt came out of the aether sea at Elysium to find the planet under attack by pirates. Despite being off duty, her unit managed to hit the ground running only 142 seconds after the alarm sounded. From there they proceeded to the largest shelter, under City Hall, to relive the militia..."

Jane tunes the Admiral out again as he seems to be determined to give a blow by blow account of her time on the surface.

As her wheel chair starts to move forward to the sound of applause, Jane zones back in, and quickly restores her visor to full transparency rather than the 90% she is accustomed to.

As the cameras go off, the brass buttons on her dress uniform catch the light, and highlight the gold sash she's wearing over one shoulder.

As the wheelchair comes to a stop beside the Admiral, Jane is able to see the rest of her troop, and the survivors of the Sloths standing in ranks behind where she'd been sat.

As she leans forward to lift the foot rests, the Admiral chuckles, "Stay seated Captain. Not even I go against healers orders. I'm surprised you're still wearing your faceplate though."

Jane smiles and says softly, "I'm going to move into my mothers apartment, as it doesn't have stairs. But that's on Shaanxi:3."

The Admiral nods before speaking louder so that the crowd can hear, "Captain Jane Shepherd of the PS-N, you are hereby awarded the Star of Terra for going above and beyond the call of duty. Your actions on the surface of Elysium saved the lives of thousands of civilians and you held your position long past any reasonable projections could have expected."

Jane sits up as straight as she can as the Admiral leans over to pin the medal on her. As soon as it's done, and the photographers have had their moment, Jane is wheeled back to the head of the formation, and the rest of her troops are called forward one by one to receive their own medals.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Later that day, Jane's wheelchair is swapped out for a wheelchair that's had its wheels removed and is now mounted on a broom. At the same time, she's given a citizenship stone so that she can control the chair.

As Jane's fiddling with the fob for the entrance to the apartment block, Mrs Fizzlepop pokes her head out of her house next door. "Jane! I thought you were on a tour of duty."

Jane turns her chair towards the older lady, and does a couple of full circles before she recovers and barely nudges the broom to the side to look at her. "Woah, headrush. Sorry about that, I'm on mandatory medical leave for the next six months. Healers orders. So I figured I'd live here as there's no stairs."

Mrs Fizzlepop nods understandingly as she walks over, "Oh you poor dear. Here, let me help you with that."

Jane watches as she puts the fob clear against the reader and nothing happens. With a shrug Mrs Fizzlepop presses the call button for the superintendent of the building. "Don't worry dear, I've heard of this sort of thing happening to people that work in Shaanxi:4. There should be a simple solution."

Five minutes later, the door opens to reveal the building's superintendent, "Good afternoon, how can I help you?"

Jane opens her mouth to speak, but Mrs Fizzlepop says, "This young lady has just returned from a tour of duty, and her fob doesn't work anymore."

The superintendent looks at Jane, then at the stone on her chair. "Can I see some ID please Miss."

Jane smiles politely as she pulls out her warrant card and hands it over. The superintendent looks at the card carefully before nodding and touching something inside the door, "Please place your stone over the sensor."

Jane's eyebrows raise as she does so, and the panel flashes gold. As in the steel turns into gold for a fraction of a second.

"There you go. You can now use your stone to come and go. It will also work at the broom landing door on the roof."

Jane smiles in pleased surprise, "Thank you."

The superintendent nods, "Just doing my job Ma'am."

Mrs Fizzlepop catches the door as the superintendent walks back inside, "Come on deary, let's get you upstairs and make sure you've got enough food."

Jane shakes her head, "I don't want to put you out."

"It's no trouble whatsoever, the children are all asleep, and the food is taking care of itself."

"No really, I was just going to drop my bag, and then go shopping."

Mrs Fizzlepop looks at Jane doubtfully, "Are you sure?"

Jane nods, "Thank you for the offer though, it's most appreciated."

When the older lady just holds the door for her, and then returns to her own house, Jane breathes a sigh of relief. She doesn't need that sort of social attention after everything else that's happened today.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Over the next couple of months, Jane commissions her new cabinet with a modest four bedroom house inside, along with a study lounge and entertainment room. Unfortunately she is unable to get the dual garden's she wants, and so she settles on half an acre of ground with a running track to go with the fitness room she commissions. On it's own that nearly wipes our her savings, and stocking the kitchen, and buying the wrist holster takes the rest.

At one month since landfall, Jane is called in for a check-up with a doctor rather than a healer. While she's there they program her suit and omni-tool with her recovery regime, so it will alert her if she's exerting herself too hard.

As she slowly regains her ability to walk places without aid, Jane starts to enquire about passage to the planet that Juvetana now lives on. Something that is becoming increasingly difficult, as her award ceremony has been shown on the news repeatedly, and her face is on promotional posters for the PS-N corps on Shaanxi:2.

Eventually, Jane throws a cloak over her shoulders and tints her faceplate violet, before heading for the docks to talk to the Citadel races about purchasing passage. There she meets up with Bruccia, a down on his luck turian merchant that's going to the same colony.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 11: N8 – part 4

Looking around her new kitchen, Jane smiles as she checks the cupboards to ensure that the stasis charms are keeping her fresh food stable. It might be overkill, but two years' worth of fresh ingredients and another six months' worth of non-perishable ingredients are a good buffer for if she's ever stuck somewhere. Especially considering that time will drop dramatically if she's housing a few other people.

After closing the cupboards, she turns around to the kitchen table, where she's laid out the supplies for her trip. Six weeks of I5 MRE's, 10 days' worth of water pods, her emergency beacon, datapad, and spare omni-tool. A small suit repair kit, just in case something happens. All of it goes into her pouch along with her ID stone and Citadel ID.

With everything packed, Jane walks out of the cabinet and curses as she fishes around in her bag for the ID stone. After a few seconds, she touches the stone to the door handle before picking up the playing card sized cabinet and slotting into her wrist sheath. After putting the stone back into her pouch, she unsticks the wrist sheath and places it on the small of her back instead. With her most valuable possession now out of sight, she pulls her cloak over her shoulders and heads for the Shaanxi:2 docks.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Walking up to the only asari ship currently docked on Shaanxi:2, Jane activates her omni-tool and uses it to ping the ship.

A minute later the airlock opens to reveal a blue skinned asari with white markings on her face. As she looks down at Jane, her expression goes from welcoming to disgusted, "Well?"

Jane looks up through her tinted faceplate, "I've booked passage to INX2834." As she says that, she brings up the confirmation on her omni-tool so the asari can take it.

"Fine, come aboard. I'm captain Aeuna. If you make any trouble I'm going to dump you on the next habitable planet, whether they've got a space port or not. Understand?"

Jane nods, "I understand."

"Good, welcome aboard. You'll be bunking with the turians, or you can sleep in the lounge. Your choice."

Jane shrugs as she climbs into the airlock, "Either's good."

As the airlock closes behind Jane, Aeuna says, "I hope you bought your own rations, as I was expecting a human and didn't pickup anything for a suit rat."

Jane smiles and pats her pouch, "I've got plenty."

Aeuna looks at the pouch curiously, "I've never come out this way before, are those any good?"

Jane nods, "Oh definitely. I've got my life in this one now, and I was told I need to come back every 10 years to have it recharged."

Aeuna nods, "That would limit the market somewhat."

Jane just nods at the inner door opens and Aeuna walks into the ship, "This is the lounge, and the passenger quarters are just through the door on the right. There's a communal fresher in there too." Aeuna points at a couple of doors in the far wall, "The door on the left is for crew quarters, and is off limits unless one of the girls takes you in herself. Everything to the right is off limits to passengers, and the only thing to the left is the cockpit."

Jane nods, "What about entertainment?"

Aeuna laughs, "We have a selection of holo's from Thessia if you want to watch them. They're not the clubbing sort though."

Jane nods, "I might take you up on that."

As Aeuna walk into the cockpit, she calls back, "You'd be the first."

Now that she's been left to her own devices, Jane looks around the lounge before going to sit down next to Bruccia, "Hey Bruccia, thanks for helping me get passage. Any idea what our routes going to be?"

Bruccia looks at Jane in amazement, "You got on the ship without checking the route first?"

Jane shrugs, "Well, yes. It's not like there's anyone else going that way. Besides, I figure we're probably going to the Horse Head Nebula, and then taking FTL over to the system."

Bruccia's crest lifts in humour, as do the crests of the other two turians sitting in the lounge. "Funny. That system is too close to the core for FTL travel to be safe. Though I suppose you could petition the Hierarchy council to be taken through the only known safe path."

Jane shakes her head, "As appealing as that sounds, I'm sure I'd be arrested for some reason before I even got close to the council."

Another turian says, "You got that right. There's no suit-rats on Palaven, and that's the way it should be."

Ignoring the barb, Jane instead asks, "So what route are we taking then?"

Bruccia pulls out a datapad and brings up a map of the galaxy, "We're going to take a couple of relays to get to the Shadow Sea. I'm sure the asari are going to want to stop to see what trade opportunities they have at each major relay. Then we follow this small spur all the way back round the core to Inex."

Jane shakes her head, "That just seems horribly complicated."

"Well, when you own your own ship, you can try the journey to Inex by FTL. Just watch out for stray planets."

Jane tries not to glower at the crest displays going on around her, as most people wouldn't know how to read those. Instead she pushes herself up, and walks to the refresher so that she can avoid punching someone. As she's sitting there, the distinctive feel of a ship lifting out of a gravity well begins.

Once she's finished, she pokes her head into the cockpit and waits for Aeuna to seem to relax, "Excuse me captain, could you give me access to your holos please. I rather think my time will be better spent watching some entertainment than trying to talk to Bruccia with the other two turians around."

All the asari in the cockpit laugh, and Aeuna says, "Emezie, you're closest. Set her up with access and get back to your seat. We're coming up on our first jump, and I want to be at Noveria before shift change."

Curiously, Jane asks, "What's your schedule looking like?"

"In a hurry are you?"

Jane shakes her head, "No, just curious."

"We've got a load of food for Noveria, then we're off to Intai'sei for a week. After that we stop at Horizon for a week to trade and inspect the ship. After that it's two weeks of jumping from empty system to empty system until we reach the colony. I'll be there for two weeks to sell the bulk of my cargo, and pick up a new cargo before heading back."

Jane nods appreciatively, "Thank you, I had wondered why the journey's so long. Do you get much business on the way?"

Aeuna turns her attention back to the controls as the ship closes in on the Mass Relay. Skilfully, she manoeuvres the ship into position while her co-pilot connects to the relay to set their destination.

Seconds later, Jane watches in awe as she's able to watch relay transit for the first time. Once the jump finishes, and the stars seem to just jump from one configuration to another, Jane can't help but let out a gasp of awe.

Aeuna chuckles, "First time seeing a relay jump?"

Jane nods, "I've never been allowed near a window during a jump."

"Well, fun's over. You've got access to the vids, so leave us to our jobs."

Jane heads back to the lounge, and scrolls through the vids before picking one at random.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A couple of weeks later finds Jane, as one of only two people with omni-tools on the ship, walking around the outside of the asari ship scanning it for any dings, dents, or blown emitters. Inside Emezie is doing the last of the maintenance in the engine bay, before she inspects the eezo core.

Surprisingly, despite being around 25,000 light years from earth, Horizon is a human colony. Though, not one that she's willing to walk through twice, as the one time she did she couldn't tell if the glances she got were covetous, murderous, or a mixture of the two.

Jane flexes her shoulders as the space between her shoulder blades itches something fierce. "Emezie, how do my scans look?"

From inside Emezie answers, "One moment Jane, I'm just checking over the last of the engine linkages."

"Could you hurry please, as I'm seriously wishing I had a rifle right now."

Emezie laughs, "Don't worry, Holiss was a commando before she joined the family business. She's got your back."

Jane shudders, "That's easy for you to say, I took one walk through the colony and I swear they couldn't decide if my bag or my… what's the human word… boobs? Yes boobs. I swear they couldn't decide if my bag, boobs, or bodysuit were more valuable and desirable."

Emezie laughs once more, "Lucky you, we all know what they find desirable, and it's nothing we're wearing. That's why it's only Aeuna and Poayne head out to do their trading, even then they're both armed and armoured. Don't worry, we've got good scanners, and Kelesste is the best damn navigator I've ever seen. If they try to follow us, we'll be through the relay before they can get a shot off."

Jane shakes her head, "While I was on Shaanxi, one of the engineers said something about never inviting Murphy to show up. I think that's the sort of thing he was talking about."

"Right, right. Though I don't know what another person has to do with anything. What were you doing there anyway?"

"I wanted to see if I could get a job on one of their ships. But they told me my suit wasn't suitable. Couldn't even visit most of the city either."

Jane can almost picture Emezie shaking her head as she answers, "Yeah, they've taken being anal about quarantine to levels that even a Volus banker would find excessive. They told us we couldn't visit the cities either, even if we wore one of their isolation suits."

Jane nods, and then pauses as her omni-tool squarks, "I've found something on the hull. I've marked it in your program."

Emezie takes a moment to answer, "I've asked Holiss to have a look, as she's already on top of the ship. Keep going, and hopefully it's nothing."

A few minutes later, Emezie asks, "How comes your so bad with mechanical stuff?"

"I learnt about suits instead. And the humans have been buying suits from the fleet."

"Fair enough, explains why you were on Shaanxi too."

Apart from that one anomaly, Jane's scans find nothing else of note on the ships hull. So it is with a great deal of relief that she returns to the lounge.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Later that evening, Jane sits on the edge of the couch, acutely aware of the fact she's the only person on the ship without a handy weapon. Around her, each of the turians have put on various grades of armour, and are fingering their rifles nervously. Holiss is still in her full kit as she stands in the cockpit door while Aeuna takes off.

Poayne's voice calls, "Captain, I'm reading six signatures lifting off the planet."

Aeuna's voice calls from the front of the cockpit, "Hold tight everyone, we've lowered the gravity generators to 0.4% of standard. Emezie be ready for full thrust in 10 seconds."

Emezie nods, "Yes captain, capacitors are at full charge, you have 167 seconds of 120% thrust when you need it."

"Kelesste, 5 seconds to FTL. Emezie, monitor the engines… now!"

Jane grabs the edge of her couch as the ship lurches forward underneath her. In the corner of her HUD the medical monitoring program starts flashing a warning as her heartrate jumps to 85bpm, exceeding her allowed threshold by 5.

From the cockpit Aeuna calls, "Kelesste, FTL"

As suddenly as it started, the acceleration G forces stop as the ship transits to FTL for 10 seconds. As the ship comes out of FTL, all of the lights in the lounge go out, and Aeuna calls, "Everyone, stay calm, we're running dark for a few minutes to check for pursuit."

A second later Emezie calls out, "Eezo core quashed, fusion core quashed, 30% capacitor charge left, plenty of charge to restart the cores."

"Well done everyone, Poayne, anything on passives?"

"I've got one contact heading towards the relay. And it's gone."

"Five more minutes then."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Several minutes later Jane hears Aeuna breathe a sigh of relief and say, "We're almost at the relay, no sign of anything on sensors so I think we're clear."

A moment later, the ship shudders and the sound of an explosion echoes from the rear of the ship. Abruptly the lights fail and Aeuna shouts, "Azure! Emezie, what the hell just happened?"

"I have no idea, the computer is telling me that it registered a hit from a metallic asteroid 30cm in diameter, and they're also saying that there was a significant eezo signature in impact that matches the signature of a spinal mounted weapon."

Poayne calls out, "Passive scans have picked up 6 eezo signatures heading our way. Active scanners are inoperable without core power."

Unaware of the fact her passengers have heard every single word, through the open door that Holiss was standing in, Aeuna flicks on the lounge speakers, "Goddess. Attention all passengers, we have just had our engines shot out, and there are six eezo signatures heading our way. Normally, we'd be running for the nearest relay, but… Well… Those of you who wish to try and escape, the escape pods have their own power supply and an emergency beacon. Personally, I'm going to try and fight, and hopefully take enough of them with me that… Goddess, why now? I'll be frank, if anyone has any better ideas, then I'm open to suggestions, but at the moment we're all sitting ducks. It's looking like we can either live as fuck toys for some batarian or terminus system warlord, or we can die here. I for one don't like either of those options."

As she's talking Emezie runs through the lounge and out of the door on the other side.

Jane sighs and shakes her head, even as her hand reaches to the wrist sheath on her back. Before she's even aware of it, she's pulled the sheath off and is already reaching up to her face plate. As her hand stops inches away from her faceplate, she sees the disgusted looks the three turians are giving her.

Rather than deterring her, those looks cement her resolve and she removes her faceplate with one hand before refastening her wrist sheath where it's supposed to go. As she stands up she releases the clasp on her cloak and allows it to fall back on to the seat, giving a good view of the clan markings on her face, and the Systems Alliance insignia on the back of her suit.

Behind her, the three turians first share a surprised glance at her humanity, and then the surprise turns into shock as the internal lights of her suit highlight the clan markings.

"Holiss, I need to get past as I have a suggestion."

Holiss turns around to say something, then steps out of the way in surprise when she sees Jane's uncovered face.

Leaning into the cockpit, Jane says, "Captain Aeuna, I have a solution that should get us all out alive. I just need to know if you have any mag-boots I can use."

Aeuna turns away from the cockpit window, defeat clear in her posture. As she sees Jane, she freezes in surprise, "Goddess, you're human."

Jane nods, "I am. I'm also a Systems Alliance citizen, and rather famous at the moment. So, I wanted to travel incognito and avoid the possibility of being kidnapped or enslaved after Elysium."

Emezie comes running back, "Captain, we've lost the engine room and the ships stores are on the other side of a bulkhead. Who's the human?"

Aeuna starts to laugh as the stress gets to her, "That's our quarian. Hey, human, what's your plan?"

Jane shakes her head, "I've got a cabinet with a four bedroom house inside, and enough supplies to last us months. My suit is rated for EVA, and it has its own air supply. If you have some mag-boots, then you all get into the cabinet, and I take it outside. I'll then return to the ship and we can wait for rescue. Otherwise, we put it in the airlock and set it to open without decompressing. Then we hope they don't pick the cabinet up after while we're waiting for rescue."

Aeuna's laughter subsides into burst of chuckling, and she says, "We've got a few minutes, so set it up in the lounge. Kelesste, grab the mag-boots from the cargo bay. Everyone else, grab your gear from your bunk."

Jane turns around and takes the cabinet off of her wrist as she walks to the centre of the lounge. One of the turians looks like they're about to say something before they see her fishing around in her bag for her ID stone.

Once she's unshrunk her cabinet and opened the door, the turian steps into her space, "What do you think you're doing wearing those markings human?"

Jane switches to turian herself, "I am proudly wearing the markings my Nest Mother taught me when she adopted me into her clan. What of you? How can you say you have honour after the words you said before you knew who I was?"

"No honourable turian would ever hide themselves like that."

Jane snarls in an imitation of a mandible chittering, "I was not hiding myself. Did I ever claim to be other than I am? Your sight was so shallow that all you saw was the suit. Did you even check what language I was speaking?"

The turian draws himself up, "I was a wing leader, I see far more than you."

Jane brushes him off with, "I am a patrol leader in the Systems Alliance. I oversaw the defence of Illyria on Elysium, I have the higher ground."

Stepping backward, the turian bows briefly with their talons pointed away from Jane, "I acknowledge your superior view."

Switching back to English, Jane shakes her head, "Stand up, we don't have time to waist on ceremony. I'm afraid I don't have any dextro stores in here, but there's plenty of water. The plan is that we use the cabinet as a lifeboat, and I either walk out of the ship and hide, or we set the cabinet adrift and hope they don't pick us up."

Bruccia walks inside to have a look around, quickly followed by the other two turians.

As soon as they do, Jane realises that the asari crew all witnessed her confrontation with the turian, and she puts her facemask back on to hide her blush.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few minutes later, Jane watches stoically as Bruccia is about to press the button for the airlock. Deciding to give it one last try, she says, "Bruccia, there's still time for you to get in the cabinet."

Bruccia looks at Jane, "I would rather die a hunters death than starve surrounded by a bounty of food I can't eat."

As Jane give him her clans salute, Bruccia presses the button to close the airlock from inside the ship. As the airlock is decompressing, Jane looks down at her wrist, where the shrunken cabinet, and the asari, are stuck in the holster. As the airlock opens behind her, she activates the mag-boots and steps out onto the hull of the ship. She's not even taken three steps when the first ping appears in her HUD, as Bruccia sends her a message, to be forwarded as soon as they're rescued. Over the next couple of minutes, the messages keep coming as she makes her way to the rear of the ship, and the ruined engineering compartment. As she reaches the edge of the damage, she pauses for a few second to look at the fact the whole section of ship seems to have been sheered off.

A moving light catches her eye, and Jane quickly turns off her own lights, trusting in her suits ability to amplify the starlight enough for her to safely navigate wreckage. Once she's made her way to the remnants of a corridor, she's reduced to feeling the floors and walls to navigate in the darkness as the twisted ruins of the ship cut off most of the starlight she was using. Following the corridor brings her to the bulkhead that's keeping the rest of the ship pressurised.

With a now known location, Jane turns around carefully to check the small patch of stars she can see, searching for any sign of movement that would signify a patrolling ship. When nothing moves for a couple of seconds, she activates a torchlight function on her omni-tool and looks for somewhere to hide.

Back the way she came, she can see a doorway to the left, and she heads towards it. As she walks in, her torch light illuminates the store room, with half an intact wall connected to the hull on the space side of the room. In the other half of the wall is a massive hole where something that was in the engineering room was pulled off the wall along with the rear of the ship.

As her light casts across the room, a glittering power starts to become visible as is spreads out from a ruptured water tank. Moving around the tank, Jane smiles as it becomes apparent she can squeeze behind it, and hide against the wall leading into the rest of the ship.

Once she's settled, Jane turns off all her external lights, and switches the Omni-tool over to Augmented Reality mode and settles in to wait. After a few minutes in the oppressive darkness, she starts to scroll through all the apps she's bought since her mother gave her her first omni-tool, the one that's currently in her pouch. After a few seconds she pauses as she comes across an app that translates vibrations her suit feels into sound.

With a laugh, Jane activates it, "It's funny isn't it mum, I bought this to try to listen into your conversations, only to find out it's practically useless in atmosphere." Jane turns her head as if trying to listen to the faint sound of gunfire that she can now hear, "Yet, here in the vacuum of space, it works perfectly."

Jane doesn't even try to stop the tears that fall as the gunfire continues. Or the screams of pain that are loud enough to be transmitted into the walls of the ship. As the last of the gunfire fades to silence, she allows herself to cry properly as a human, at the same time, between sobs, she begins the modified turian wake that she was taught by Juvetana.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

It's nearly half an hour later that Jane is pulled from her thoughts as a couple of human voices comes close enough to her wall that the suit picks up the vibrations.

"Well, that's it, we've searched the entire cargo bay. I thought you said this was an asari vessel."

A second voice replies, "That's what the registry says, and it's what they saw on Horizon. Where do you think they're hiding?"

The first voice sounds exasperated, "I don't know, it's not like we can ask the turians. Stupid bosh'ets getting themselves killed." Jane hears a thump, that she assumes is the voice kicking a container, "Not even anything worth a damn in the cargo. It's not like we can sell yarn and plastic on Omega."

The second voice shouts over, "Hey, stop kicking the merchandise, and give me a hand with this door will you?"

The first voice shouts back, "You idiot, that's a bulkhead. If it's stuck, it means there's hard vacuum on the other side. Must be the engine room."

The second voice says something that becomes clearer, "… there was a suit-rat, maybe they survived."

The first voice laughs, "If they did, they got sucked out the ship after that shot. If they didn't, their suit would have ripped, or they were killed in the explosion. Either way, there's no chance there's anyone on the other side of that bulkhead. Let's check the escape pods."

"Can I launch them if…"

Jane leans her head against the wall as the voices fade away once more. With nothing else to do, she activates the sleep and comfort options in the suit, as well as ensuring that the mag-boots are still switched on.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Several hours later, Jane has been woken up a couple of times by loud enough bangs to reverberate through the entire ship. This time though, the feeling of impact is accompanied by a sudden movement to one side.

Quickly, Jane braces herself so that she can't be flung about if the movement changes direction. However, her precautions prove to be useless as the acceleration continues for the next 30 seconds and then stops.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, Jane switches on her suit's lights as well as the torch mode for her omni-tool. Looking down at her arms, she shakes her head at the thin layer of snow that's formed and brushes it off her suit to the best of her ability. While it's not a problem for her suit, if she was running on a mini fusion reactor rather than magic, the frost would have increased the fuel usage by an order of magnitude.

Jane slowly works her way around the water tank, before checking it with her omni-tool. It's already completely frozen, and the ice is continuing to sublimate into water vapour before refreezing as it comes in contact with the vacuum of space.

"Fortunately, water won't be a problem with the cabinet."

Slowly Jane starts to inventory the rest of the room, and smiles as she comes across an EVA suit with a full oxygen tank. The rest of the supplies are now frozen fruits, veg, and protein. While she's inventorying stuff by the door, her lights catch the edge of the bulkhead to the rest of the ship.

With a frown she walks out of the store room into the corridor and stares at the partially open bulkhead, "Well, that's a pain."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Cautiously, Jane pushes the bulkhead open into the cargo bay and stops in dismay as she sees the bare floor where there should be cargo. Looking up she sees all of the panels hanging down, and where there should presumably be wire runs are instead empty ducts.

Cautiously she makes her way towards the front of the ship, first checking the kitchen, where all of the cupboard doors have been ripped off, and the cupboards stripped of anything that can be easily taken. Just past the kitchen is the centre of the ship, and a gaping hole in the floor that's open to space. Around the walls of the room is evidence that there used to be a fair amount of equipment that has been ripped out. Finally she reaches what used to be the lounge. Instead, it's now a virtually empty shell with the skeleton of the couches the only thing left, as they're welded to the wall.

As Jane slowly looks around, an oddity crystalises in her vision and she suddenly realises that all of the doors have been destroyed, even the internal airlock looks like someone took a fusion torch to it.

With hurried movements, Jane checks the quarters and the freshers to find the same thing. Anywhere that has a door has had it brutalised. Even if she could expand her cabinet somewhere, she couldn't make it air tight enough to open the door without killing everyone inside it. Additionally, anything that might be worth even a few credits has been taken, including the ships black box and emergency beacon.

With sagging shoulders, Jane lifts her wrist so she can see the cabinet. "Sorry everyone, I'm going to have to stay out here. Damn it, I know they can't hear me."

Despondently, Jane pulls the Alliance Emergency Beacon out of her pouch and activates it before putting it in the cockpit, briefly noting the ragged edges where they've take a torch to the view ports after the ship was exposed to space.

With a bitter laugh she does some math, "Well, I'm fucked. We're around 25,000 light years from Alliance space, that means that the fastest they could get here is 125 days. At least you guys will be fine, as… six of you, 730 days of supplies for one person, as you've got 121 days of supplies before you start eating into the dry food. Longer if you plant the seeds I bought."

Absently Jane reaches into her pouch and pulls out a water bulb to squeeze into her intake port. As she squeezes hard and nothing comes out, her attention is drawn away from her situation to the water bulb. Holding it up to her face-plate she bends the thin neck of the bulb and frowns as it snaps off. Then she really looks at it and watches as it's quickly freezing from the outside into the centre of the bulb. Holding her hand out, she lets the bulb go, and frowns as it doesn't fall to the ground. Instead, it slowly drifts away from her at the same speed she let it go.

Shaking her head, she pulls her pouch off her waist and brings it closer to her head so that she can more easily move the next bulb into the intake port. An idea the works enough for her to drink half the bulb before the ice clogs the stem of the bulb.

With a hysterical laugh Jane launches the bulb with a spin, "Why did I think only 10 days of water would be enough in an emergency?"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Two days later, Jane looks at the discarded bulbs dotted around the lounge as she does an inventory of her supplies.

As she's feeling through her pouch she pulls out her spare omni-tool.

"I forgot I had this. Now what am I going to do with you."

Glancing down at her wrist, she smiles and pulls the cabinet off the sheath. Leaving the omni-tool to float in one hand, Jane fishes around in her pouch for her ID stone.

Once she's found the stone, she places the cabinet on the floor in front of the door to the rest of the ship and holds it in place gently. With her other hand she touches the stone to the cabinet and ensures that the sticking charms have taken hold before she removes her hand.

Grabbing her spare omni-tool, Jane deactivates the mag-boots and pulls herself to the top of the cabinet. Once there, she activates the omni-tool and gently affixes it to hang over the top lintel. Once she's sure it's not moving, Jane gently pushes off the cabinet to bounce off the ceiling and land on the floor as she reactivates the mag-boots. Turning towards the cabinet Jane leans forward into a bow, and turns the torch of the spare omni-tool on in a wide beam.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Four days after the attack, Jane is floating above the floor of the lounge as she looks up from her omni-tool where she's been reading the full technical manual for her suit, rather than the maintenance manual she read before. With a sigh she activates her mag-boots and twists in just the right way to orientate her feet to the floor.

Now anchored once more, Jane turns to the cabinet and projects a 3D model of her suit above her wrist.

"Well, I assumed I was fucked before, but now I can officially say I'm fucked. See this module on the back of the suit here?" Jane points at a thin addition to the suit in the image, "This is a water tank. If I had one of those I could activate the recycling features of the suit and reduce my water needs by 84%. As it stands, I don't have that, and I have one water bulb left. I've still got plenty of food though, so at least I know I won't starve."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Six days after the attack, a delirious Jane licks her dry, and cracked, lips as she carefully places the last water bulb in space. Carefully stepping backwards, she turns around to face the cabinet and shakes her hands in a 'tada' motion.

"Th…" Jane coughs and tries to moisten her throat enough to talk.

With a cracking croaking voice, she says, "This is my mum, well a poor portrait of her anyway. I was on my way to meet her for the first time in… in… a long time. I figured that as I was on medical leave I should really make the effort to visit. After all, I see my other mum every few months. Or I did anyway. Where was I…"

Jane trails off as an angel appears standing next to her, a spherical halo hanging above her head and illuminating the entire room. In awe, Jane watches as the angel raises her hands and gently pulls the faceplate off her suit.

It's then that Jane realises that she's died, as there's no rush of air, or the feeling of vacuum forcing the air from her lungs.

With that realisation, Jane's posture relaxes, and a faint smile cracks her face, "Hello, I know I've passed on, but if you can talk to the goddesses. Can you let them know that the asari crew are in my cabinet. We're in the Shadow Sea. They've got enough food for a few months, but I think they'd appreciate being rescued sooner than later."

In front of her, the angel laughs and hands her a golden goblet filled with liquid water.

Jane bows her head and croaks, "Thank you." Before taking the goblet with both hands and bringing it up to her face to take a sip. Apparently, just because she's dead doesn't mean she's suddenly become hydrated.

As Jane lowers the goblet, despite her desire to gulp as much water as she can, the angel says, "I'm no angel, you can call me Petunia."

Jane carefully takes another sip before saying, "Hello Petunia, I'm Jane."

Petunia smiles, "I know you are child. I also know you could have saved yourself at any time, just by opening that door."

Jane shakes her head, "But then they would have died."

Petunia nods gravely, "They would. But is their life really worth yours?"

Jane looks at Petunia like she's stupid, "Well, duh, I'd have opened the door if they weren't."

Petunia smiles gently, "It seems like that won't be necessary, as I'm responding to your emergency beacon."

Jane shakes her head, and almost wobbles off balance, "You can't be, only the gods could do that."

Petunia shrugs, "That's what they say, yet here I am. A housewife from Surrey saving your life."

Jane takes another sip, and has to hold her stomach as it cramps up. Once she's recovered, she smiles wanly at Petunia, "I'm going to skip the philosophy, and just say thank you. But if you've got a dive ship, it won't be suitable. You'd kill all the asari before we even reached the aether sea."

Petunia nods seriously, "You're right, that would be a problem. Tell you what, would you be willing to take my mark in return for saving your life. I'll then repair the ship and fill it with air. Then I'll make sure that it's a relay ship that comes to perform the actual rescue."

Jane nods easily, "Sure, that sounds good."

As soon at the last word leaves her lips, Petunia reaches out to touch Jane on the forehead as she says, "With this mark, you will be my eyes, ears, and hands in the world."

As the last word registers, Janes eyes roll up and she blacks out.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane wakes up to find her face is lying against a hard carpet. Confused, she carefully pushes herself to her feet and looks around the lounge. Apart from the carpet, the entire lounge looks exactly like it did when she boarded originally. Cautiously, she walks over to the cockpit and pokes her head inside.

"Oh, that's a relief, I thought I was dreaming."

From behind her Petunia says, "Good morning sleepyhead. Could you be a dear and open your cabinet door please?"

Jane spins around and stares at the armchair that's sitting in the middle of the lounge.

"What? How?"

Petunia shakes her head, "I've been sitting here the whole time. You're just too out of it to pay your normal levels of attention. Now, I meant it when I asked you to open the cabinet door. As I don't want to go through this more than once."

Jane reaches up to touch her forehead as her mind finally catches up with what she was doing before.

Petunia shakes her head, "Don't worry about that, it won't do anything unless you're using a lot of magic. Magic that you don't actually have."

Jane just nods agreeably and walks across the lounge and opens the door. As she comes face to face with Aeuna, Aeuna stumbles backwards in surprise, her rifle pointing to the ceiling. As she recovers from the shock, Aeuna then starts to laugh hysterically at not dying.

When none of the asari venture out of the cabinet, Petunia looks around the doorway with a smile, "Well, come on then. I don't bite… Well, I don't unless you're my wife and we're in bed together. But you're all safe."

With that absurdity given, the asari crew gingerly walk out of the cabinet and immediately head for the furthest points of the room away from Petunia.

With a sigh, Petunia sits back in her chair, "My name is Petunia and I'm from the Systems Alliance responding to the emergency beacon that Jane activated. If you want to know my rank, then N9 will suffice. That's by the by, as Jane is still seriously dehydrated, so I need you to keep an eye on her and make sure she drinks a couple of sips of water every hour." Petunia shakes her head, "I swear she's looking to be almost as bad as my nephew on the whole self-sacrificing front."

Looking up again, Petunia gestures to the room around her, "I've repaired everything I can, I even found your engines. I'm sorry, but I couldn't replace the computers though. Or the eezo core for that matter. But hey, at least you have your fusion core back."

Petunia points at the cabinet, "I'm sure you're going to continue using the cabinet, if only for the beds and the bath. Just remember that there should always be one of you inside at all times, as the door can always be opened from the inside. But only Jane can open the door from the outside."

As the pause stretches out, Aeuna squeaks out, "We will."

Petunia nods, "I'm afraid I can't stick around, as if I make a mistake, you'll all catch something like Prothean Syndrome, except for eezo. At which point you'd all die screaming. But there is a rescue ship on the way, and I'll make sure they can travel by relay."

All six of them watch as Petunia vanishes into thin air, leaving only the armchair and carpet to show she was ever here. A moment later, Emezie gasps and rushes over to Jane, who has collapsed on the carpet again.

Together, three of them pick Jane up and move her into the cabinet while Kelessa heads to the ships stores to find a medical kit.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 12: N8 – part 5

A few days later, Jane wakes up naked in a soft bed, covered by sheets. As she tries to lift her right hand, she find's it's been held by someone, so she lifts the other one, only to find a mess of tubes around it.

Craning her neck, Jane looks around in confusion only to see one of the asari, either Emezia or Kelessa by the colouring, asleep half in a chair and half on the bed. Her other arm has a tube that leads to an empty bag.

Carefully, Jane reaches over with her left hand to shake the asari awake.

Emezia jerks awake as someone shakes, her, "I'm awake, I'm awake. I was just resting my… Goddess, you're awake! Kelessa, Aeuna, she's awake!"

Jane looks at Emezia in confusion as the language isn't automatically translated. "Um, sorry about this, but I don't understand you."

Emezia looks at Jane in surprise, before pulling open a drawer and taking out her omni-tool, "Here, this should help."

Jane gratefully takes the omni-tool and slips it uncomfortably onto her left hand, trying not to disturb the tubes, or maybe it's just one tube that's coiled up.

After switching the omnitool on, Jane asks, "What happened? And why am I naked?"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Emezia frowns, "One of your goddesses came to our boat and gave you some water before touching your head. After you drop anchor, she'll fix the boat. I mean, the thing is...it's so distracting, it's not what I'm talking about at all." She trails off as her own translator starts speaking in her ear.

As she stares at Jane's omni-tool, Jane follows her gaze down at the omni-tool in confusion, "What do you mean, that made perfect sense to me?"

"Your jack-of-all-trades it just says I say you're broken. now it's saying something else." Emezia stops speaking as her translator garbles another sentence.

Kelessa and Aeuna both come running into the bedroom, as though they were outside the cabinet when they got Emezia's message.

Aeuna gives a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, the goddess is still alive, and has been in a coma for the past two days... The goddess is broken, doesn't she have earplugs?"

Jane shakes her head, "No, we either use an eyepiece or our suits for sound. Sorry. On that note, where is my suit?"

Emezia points at a wardrobe, "We put it there. Oh, thank Goddess, that makes sense. I can't handle this double translation. Aeuna Can we exchange languages?"

Aeuna shakes her head, "You know the rules, not the passengers."

Emezia angrily retorts, "Jane is no longer a passenger."

Jane looks between the two asari, "Sorry to be the human in the room, but what's this about exchanging languages?"

Aeuna huffs and looks at Emezia, "Ok but if she accepts it's your responsibility you have to explain to Jane."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane shakes her head, "Explain what?"

Emezia reaches underneath her crest and removes an earphone before placing it on the bedside table, "Please listen to me before you say anything, as I won't be able to understand you until I put my translator back on."

Jane nods and gives a thumbs up.

Emezia sits back in her chair, "As you're from Systems Alliance space, I will assume you know little to nothing about asari. We don't have gender the way that other galactic races do, instead we are able to modify the genetics of our own eggs using the genetic information of another sentient. However, where other species require a physical donation, we are able to join our nervous system with that of our partner. By doing this we can select desirable traits from their genetics, along with a random sample of traits that then get implanted in our egg. We call it embracing eternity, though I'm sure now that it doesn't translate correctly."

Wide eyed, Jane nods at Emezia to indicate that she's following so far.

With Jane's confirmation Emezia continues, "That is not all we can do with this joining. Instead of joining so completely, we can also join more shallowly, to reconnect with our family, or to provide reassurance as a mother to her daughter. We can also share experiences, and we can share languages. Some people fear our touch, others crave it, or desire to possess us. As you will be unable to wear your suit until Kelessa has decided you are hydrated enough, I would like to join with you so that we can share languages. It would allow me to learn your language, and I would attempt to grant you my own language at the same time."

When Jane doesn't respond, Emezia picks up her translator and reseats it discretely. When there's still no response, she slowly stands up and walks to the door.

Jane looks at the wall across from her while she's processing what she's just been told. As a dejected Emezia passes in front of her, Jane blinks, then shakes her head.

Just as Emezia gets to the door, Jane looks over, "Emezia, wait. I was just thinking. Look, I'm going to be stuck using just an omni-tool for translation until my suit's finished the sterilisation process. That takes a week to complete. I… Can you promise me you won't go looking for any Alliance knowledge?"

Emezia turns around and nods, "I promise that I will only be looking for your native language."

Jane nods and looks down at her omni-tool, "Ok, then let's do it, maybe then your holos will start making sense."

Emezia laughs as she returns to her chair, "No they won't, Aeuna should be in her matron stage of life, but she's still going around the galaxy like a maiden. Doesn't stop her enjoying holos aimed at matrons though. Goddess that translator is bad."

After taking her earpiece out once more, Emezia takes Jane's hand, "Honestly, I'm considered too young for this sort of contact, but I'm curious about your language, so I'm not going to get one of the older asari. Normally, asari would do this with a kiss or some other form of intimacy. But I don't like you that way, so I'm just going to hold your hand. Nod when you're ready."

Jane nods, and then her omni-tool says 'Embrace Eternity'. The last thing she sees, before it begins, is Emezia's eyes turning pitch black.

Later, Jane would never be able to explain properly what it felt like. But for her, in this moment, it was like finding a new sister. While they were intertwined, she caught snatches of Emezia's childhood, and returned the favour with her own childhood.

As they separate, Emezia says, "Goddess you have a beautiful soul."

Jane smiles as she speaks in Athamian for the first time, "You do too. You feel like family."

Emezia nods, "Like we are siblings through our father."

Switching to English, Jane shakes her head, "That's so odd. That word father is so close to father, but it almost means something completely different."

Emezia thinks for a moment, "That's because it's the word used for one who has had no role in the raising of the child."

Jane nods, "I can see that, we, that is humans, have come up with terms for those sorts of father's, from sperm donor to deadbeat."

Emezia thinks for a moment, and tries speaking English, "Is this language really called English? I always thought it was called… Human."

Jane nods, "It's one of many human languages. Give me a mo, as I seem to remember something about it." Tapping on her omni-tool, Jane pulls up her old history books and goes through them for a few minutes, "Ah, here it is, 'In the late 19th century English became the defacto international language due to the influence of Hollywood, Computers, and aviation. Since then it has grown and expanded to form the distinct dialect we call Common English.'"

Emezia smiles, "That's so interesting, our own histories say that we've only ever had one language with different dialects, because the goddess granted the language to us."

The two of them continue to practice their new found language skills, switching between the two languages depending on the subject.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Several days later, Jane wearing a flowing robe she bought in the magical district on Shaanxi:3 when she was a teenager. Surprisingly it still fits her when she's not wearing her suit.

Pensively, she opens the door to the wardrobe her suit's hanging in. Her omni-tool is showing that the suit has finished its sterilisation cycle and can be worn again.

A few minutes later she's still looking at the suit when Emezia bounces into the room wearing a pair of jeans and a purple t-shirt that complements her skin colour. Walking over to stand next to Jane, she touches Jane's hand and joins briefly. "Jane, I thought you were only going to be a minute."

Jane smiles at the contact, something that has become a regular occurrence since they've been treating her as an asari since she started speaking Athamian. It's nothing deep, just a very quick and shallow affirmation of family.

Jane glances back, and the smile turns into a mock frown as she looks Emezia up and down, "Emezia, have you been stealing my clothes again?"

Emezia spins around, "You like? I'm amazed that you have clothes like this as you're so much slimmer than me."

Jane sighs, "They fit perfectly over my suit. Speaking of which, I'm trying to decide between baths and wearing the suit."

Emezia looks at Jane curiously, "Why would you even need to choose? I've seen how much you enjoy baths."

Jane shakes her head, "I know, you and the others have walked in on me, or joined me, often enough. It's like you've never heard of nudity taboos."

Emezia shrugs, "We do, just not in familial situations like this."

Jane shakes her head, "Anyway, I noticed I was spotting, which means my period's starting."

Emezia frowns, "What's that?"

Jane opens her mouth, and starts to blush slightly before pointing at a drawer, "You know what, my spare omni-tool is in the drawer there. It doesn't have anything sensitive on it, so look it up yourself. It will be in biology under human reproduction."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

An hour later, Jane has found some hygiene supplies that came with the cabinet, and is sitting in the lounge learning an asari strategy game from Holiss, when Emezia looks up with a horrified expression.

"Oh goddess that's gross."

Holiss turns around, "What's gross?"

"Human women, child bearers, bleed from their reproductive organs for nearly a week every month."

Holiss turns back to Jane, "How do you not die?"

Jane stumbles, "I, um, Emezia is reading about it now, why don't you ask her later. When I'm not around."

Holiss looks at Jane curiously, "Is this like your nudity taboo?"

Jane nods as she flushes scarlet, "Yes, I'm going to have a bath!"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A couple of days later, Jane is back in her suit after a couple of accidents have freaked the rest of the family out… Jane's brain stalls and she leans her head against the bathroom mirror. Goddess, has she picked up another mother? A couple of seconds later she pushes herself up and starts brushing her teeth.

A couple of hours later, after Aeuna has just touched Jane's face, Jane light-heartedly asks, "Should I call you mother now?" Using the word that means 'one who has taken over from the bearer'.

Aeuna shrugs, "Probably. I've never lived with humans before, and you speak Athamian all the time, so I guess your as much one of mine as the rest of the crew."

Jane smiles, "Thank you."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

It's later that day when Jane's omni-tool starts to beep to indicate an incoming call. Frowning, she looks at it dumbly for a couple of beeps before answering the call.

Immediately, a small hologram of a human male pops up above the device, "This is the SARS discovery responding to an emergency beacon."

Jane blinks a couple of times as her brain shifts gear into English. "This is PS-N5 Captain Jane Shepherd, I'm glad you're here."

"Sorry we took so long Sir, the original relief craft was recalled and we were on deployment in turian space."

Jane nods, "Understandable, we'll need six I5 isolation suits before you board."

"I'm afraid we can't do that sir, as they are only available for Alliance civilians. We were also under the impression that you had a cabinet."

Jane glances at the mans epaulets, "Lt, with all due respect, you know the regulations as well as I do. That includes no cabinet use while there is a risk that an emergency dive may be required. Put me through to your captain."

"Aye aye sir."

A moment later an older man appears in the holo, "Captain, you wanted to speak to me?"

Jane salutes, "Yes Lt Commander, I asked for I5 suits for the asari aboard this ship, and I was told that wasn't possible. Your Lt then insinuated that they could stay in my cabinet."

The man shrugs, "We're travelling by relay, it's not like anything's going to go wrong."

Jane looks over at Kelessa for a moment, then back at the captain, "Lt Commander, I Captain Jane Shepherd of the PS-N corps am officially advising you that I am standing as sponsor for the citizenship of the six asari that are aboard this vessel. I request that you bring over the relevant parchment work needed to progress this here and now."

The old man scowls at Jane, "You better believe the cost of those suits is coming out of your pay captain."

Jane nods, "Yes sir, I would much rather be poor and know they arrived planet side safely, than be rich and have their deaths on my conscience."

As the captain terminates the call, Aeuna speaks up from behind Jane, "You didn't have to do that you know."

Jane turns around, "I did, though. During my training it was drilled into us that the enchantments that make the cabinets safe for people like us to use also stop the protective enchantments on the ship from working inside the cabinet. Ships like the SAAS Agincourt have their own cabinets built into ship that share those protections. But SADS and SARS ships don't as they're intended for short or no dives into the aether sea." Jane holds up a hand, "Don't ask me why, as I don't know. Just as I know it's naval doctrine that all ships inspect their dive engines every 200 light years of dive travel, or more frequently if possible. It's important for me to know that detail, as I could be given command of a SADS or SARS for a short deployment from a planetary base."

"But still, if they're a relay ship they're not going to be going into this aether sea."

Jane shakes her head, "By law, all Systems Alliance ships must have at least an emergency dive system installed. It's saved the crew of at least 5 ships I know of as they also have a potion to put everyone in suspended animation. But time in the standard destination passes at around 3 years for every standard day that passes. So even if you survived the emergency dive, you'd die by the time help arrived if you were in the cabinet."

Aeuna starts to look worried, "That's not comforting."

Jane shakes her head, "It's not supposed to be. As it's a warning not to use a cabinet while an Alliance ship is under weigh."

Aeuna pointedly moves on, "What was that about I5 suits and citizenship."

Jane sighs, "You're going to need to wear isolation suits on the ship, as the standard crew are going to be Prothean Syndrome negative. If they don't let you use I5 suits, they'd be giving you I4 suits. And they're only suitable for short term wear. One of the soldiers I was serving with was on a two day patrol, and needed to change after the first day. I am not going to put you through that, especially as our relay ships are a lot slower than Council relay ships. Anyway, we should make sure the others are awake and presentable before the captain comes aboard."

Aeuna reluctantly nods, clearly wanting to ask more questions.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

By the time the relay gets to Shaanxi:2 five days later, all of the asari are going stir crazy with the lack of contact.

Emezia, being the youngest, is one of the first two through the airlock, which doubles as the decontamination chamber. As Jane walks down the provided ramp with her, she can't help chuckling as Emezia pulls her faceplate off. The chuckles turn to squawks when Emezia touches the release on Jane's faceplate and pulls it off before leaning her forehead against Jane's for reassurance. A minute later Aeuna and Holiss chuckle on the ramp.

A moment later, Aeuna says, "Emezia, don't make me send you back to Thessia."

Emezia reluctantly pulls back from the contact, "But Aeuna, I'm an adult. I'm 102 after all."

"Then start behaving like one. How do you know was safe to take your faceplate off here?"

Emezia looks down at the floor, "I'm sorry, but we haven't been able to touch for almost five days."

"If you were trained as a huntress, you'd have experienced far longer periods without touch."

Emezia wilts, "But I don't want to be a huntress."

Jane shakes her head in amusement, "Come on everyone, I've got a house nearby that you can use. How are you all feeling? Is your itching subsiding?"

Holiss nods, "My itching has subsided to a feeling of pins and needles in my back."

Once everyone else agrees, Jane leads them out of the docks to her house.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few days after they've settled into the two bedroom house, Jane's cabinet is seeing such regular usage that Aeuna has already paid for a ward book to be added, allowing each of them to open the door. Additionally, apart from Emezia, all the asari have taken off their I5 suits.

As the doorbell rings, Jane rushes in from the kitchen, where she's got a soup cooking, and answers the door. "Good morning."

Outside the door are two humans in I4 suits, "Good morning captain, you booked an appointment with a suit technician. I'm Healer Samson, and base command felt that I should give you a check up given you feel that there's something wrong with your suit."

Jane looks open mouthed between the tech and the Healer, "Um, actually my suit is working fine. One of my house guests is having trouble with theirs."

The Healer shrugs, "Well, you're due a check up anyway, so I'll have a look at your heart while I'm here."

Jane nods and steps backwards with the door, "Yes healer. Would either of you like a cup of tea while you're here?"

The tech shakes his head as he walks in, "No, I'm fine. I'd like to see the malfunctioning suit, and then I'll be off."

As the Healer walks past and gives Jane a thumbs up, Jane closes the door and calls up the stairs, "Emezie, the tech is here."

Emezie runs down the stairs in a hurry, her face plate held in one hand. As she reaches the bottom, she looks at the wand in the healers hand and trots up to her, "Hi, I'm Emezie, are you hear to look at my suit?... Hey that itches."

The healer looks down at her wand curiously while Emezie scratches at her chest futiliy, "How curious, are you an asari?"

Emezie nods, "I am, and I want to go shopping with my sister."

"Fascinating, did you know that you have levels of eezo in your body that would be lethal for a human?"

Emezie shakes her head, "No I didn't but that would explain why so many asari are biotic." Suddenly she yelps and spins around, "Ow! That hurt!"

The tech looks unapologitic as he looks down at his wand, "This suit seems to be fine."

Emezie slaps the tech, "The suit is obviously not fine, as I have pins and needles in my back all the time. I've been using Jane's datapad while I'm here, and these suits are supposed to raise levels of aether inside the suit to no higher than 1%. The recommended tolerances are between 0.7% and 0.9%. According to the what I've read since we got here, eezo starts to react in aether concentrations of between 0.9% and 1.2% and begins to break down in concentrations greater than that. As the healer just pointed out, I have eezo in my body, all asari do."

The tech raises his wand to do another diagnosis, when the healer calmly says, "Expellimaris." Before catching the wand. "Are you trying to kill the young lady?"

The tech shakes his head, "I ain't no murderer. I just needed to get a diagnostic from the suit to check the levels."

The healer holds out the wand towards the front door, "Get out, and send an expert with the right equipment next time. Preferably a goblin."

Scowling the tech leaves, and the healer turns to Jane, "Is your kitchen through there?"

Jane nods and goes over to hug Emezie, "It is, I've got both an electric and traditional kettle."

The healer nods, "I'll put the tea on. Emezie, I appreciate that you want to get your suit looked at, but my professional advice is that you remove the suit until your pain subsides. Either way, I'm going to have to monitor you until you're pain free."

Emezie looks at the Healer doubtfully, "What do you mean by monitor?"

"Well, normally I'd cast a monitoring spell on you. But that would be contraindicated in this case, so I'm just going to make a cup of tea and sit here."

Jane looks incredulously at the Healer, "I'm sorry, I need to make a recording of this for posterity. A Healer with a bedside manner."

The Healer chuckles dryly, "Oh ha ha. We all have a good bedside manner when we're not dealing with idiots."

Jane goes to say something when a spell hits her and the Healer looks at her wand, "Like you young lady, you've been stressing your heart, and you now have elevated levels of element zero. They should burn off next time you visit the magical district, but it's still concerning that you have them."

Jane points her thumb at Emezie, "They've sort of adopted me, or I've adopted them. Either way, they have this joining thing they do where they connect to you, and as a family they do it as a reassurance thing."

The Healer taps her pouch with the wand and a dicta-quill floats out with some parchment and sets itself up, "Fascinating, and they've been doing this with you for a while now?"

Jane nods, "15 days now?"

The Healer mutter something to the quill before looking up again, "I should probably come by when Emezie is better and monitor both of you when it happens. Absolutely fascinating, and Emezie, you said something about reading up on the suits and asari?"

Emezie nods, "Uh huh, it's all available on through Jane's tablet, though I couldn't find it with her omni-tool. The spare one, not the one she's using now."

The Healer hums and nods, "It's probably on the aethernet then, only magitech devices can access that."

The whistle of a kettle comes from inside the kitchen, and the Healer casually waves her wand in that direction. A few seconds later a tea-pot and three mugs float out to land on Jane's coffee table. As she sits down on the sofa, she asks Emezie, "How are your pain levels on a scale of 1-10?"

Emezie looks at Jane in confusion, "What does she mean?"

Jane thinks for a second, and switches to Athamian, "It's a way human doctors use to measure how much pain you're in subjectively. One could be knocking your arm on a door hard enough to raise a welt, while 10 would be the worst pain you could imagine. They then ask you about your pain over time, and after treatment. If it goes up, they try to bring it down. If it goes down, then they assume something's working."

Emezie nods, "It's probably a three then. It's not that bad, just annoying as it's my whole body."

The Healer nods, "How about your back, is that any worse?"

Emezie shakes her head, "Not really."

The Healer nods again, and taps her wand on top of the teapot. The teapot then pours out three mugs of tea, before setting back down again. As it sits down, the three mugs float over to the three people in the house.

With a sigh, Jane takes a seat herself, and indicates Emezie should too. One sniff of the tea tells Jane that she needs to take it slowly, as it is an asari blend that Emezie seems to like.

The Healer on the other hand, sniffs the tea curiously, "What tea is this?"

Emezie holds the mug to her nose and breathes in deeply, a happy smile on her face, "Oh, this is my favourite tea. They make it on Ilium."

With a nod, the Healer takes a large sip, and nods before her face turns into a grimace and she swallows hard, "Gah! What was that?"

Jane shrugs as she takes a tiny sip, "Something about the spices they use makes it taste pleasant, then turn bitter and the aftertaste is really mellow and sweet. I'm just glad you didn't get Aeuna's favourite tea, as that will take the roof off your mouth."

Emezie frowns, "Hey, Aeuna's tea is only mildly spicy. You're just sore because the stimulant doesn't work for you."

The Healer takes another, smaller, sip, "Mmm, I think I like this. Do you know where I could buy some?"

Emezie shrugs, "We'd buy you some on our next run to Ilium, but our ship was destroyed and looted by pirates."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

While they're talking about tea, the door bell goes once more, and Jane gets up to answer the door. Down at waist height is a grumpy looking goblin in an isolation suit.

"Well, are you going to let me in?"

Jane steps back, and fishes out her half remembered lessons in gobbledegook, "Welcome to my home craftsman. I hope your time here is well spent."

The goblin sneers up at her, "We shall see. Well where's the suit?"

Jane lets the goblin into the front room, where Emezie is still savouring her tea. As the goblin walks around so they can see Emezie, the Healer pointedly asks her, "How are your pain levels now?"

Emezie pulls her mug away from her face, "Oh, the pains pretty much gone, I just feel itchy all over, and inside."

The Healer looks at the goblin, "Emezie here is an asari, and they seem to have an allergy to magic. It's sensitive enough that you are not to use any magic on her."

The goblin looks at Emezie, before reaching into their bag and pulling out a necklace with a dial on it. Turning the dial to the lowest setting, they then look at the necklace thoughtfully before looking up at the suit once more. With a growl they pop the dial off before throwing the necklace at Emezie, "Put that on for now, and come to my workshop tomorrow morning. I'll have a look at your suit then. I'll want that back once we've fixed the suit, or you can pay the 10 galleons it will cost to replace."

Turning around they start to storm out of the house before they stop, "Is one of you Jane Shepherd?"

Jane nods, "I am."

The goblin reaches into their bag and takes out a letter, "Some pissy human handed this to me at your front gate. I'm going back to my workshop now."

Jane tears the letter open and glances at it, "Craftsman, would you be able to help me with something before you leave."

The goblin turns back around, "You better have some money for this."

Jane nods, "I've still got some. I've just got my redeployment orders, so I'd like to transfer ownership of a blooded cabinet to Emezie. While you're here."

"Fine, 10 sickles."

Jane nods and fishes the money from her pouch.

Emezie looks at Jane concerned, "Jane, why are you giving me the ownership? Wouldn't Aeuna be better?"

Jane nods, "She would, but you're the only one here, and I leave tomorrow. They feel, and I quote, 'The interview and initial instruction are all light activity and can therefore be done under the conditions of your medical waiver'."

"That's another 4 knuts."

Jane winces, and pulls out a sickle, "Come on let's get this done, and we can talk about it when everyone else gets home."

The Healer trails behind everyone else as they go up to Jane's cabinet.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few days later, Jane's sitting in the dedicated decon chamber of a dive ship that should be arriving at Earth soon. In her hands is all the parchment work for her N7 recommendation.

After the last few weeks, Jane is seriously wondering if N7 is really what she wants. Turning her left wrist over, Jane activates a recording of the conversation she managed to have with Juvetana the night she got her transfer papers.

Pressing play, she listens to her nest mother, "I am as proud of you as I would be of my own fledgling. You have not only gained the high ground, but you have used it as a Hunter should use it, to guide and protect others. Go and take up your new position, and use it to protect and guide others too."

Juvetana isn't the only one that's said something about that. Her human mother has too, and so did Aeuna, after she tried to give back the house keys and cabinet. It's not like she can use the house while she's off planet, so they might as well get some use out of it.

Realising that she's made her decision, Jane picks up her facemask and puts it in place. Standing up she walks into the de-con booth and presses the button to let her out.

A minute later, Jane has made her way to the bridge to watch the landing.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A couple of hours later, Jane walks down the boarding ramp on to a lawn outside Sandhurst Academy, England, Earth. As soon as her boots touch dirt, the ramp retracts as the ship lifts off behind her.

Looking around at the pristine environment, Jane sighs and opens her letter to scan the code at the bottom with her omni-tool. As she does, a map opens up in the corner of her HUD and a large blue arrow appears hovering over a path. With a sigh, Jane starts to walk towards the blue arrow at a casual pace that keeps her BPM below 80.

After nearly 10 minutes, Jane approaches a building with a single guard standing outside. As she gets closer to the door, she can see the utter distain the guard has on their face at both the suit and her slow pace.

Her skin crawls as she walks past the guard and into the building, and forces herself not to shudder. At a small wooden desk inside, sits a Major with a stack of parchment work on his desk.

As she comes to attention in front of the desk, the Major continues to write on the parchment for a good minute before he looks up and his nose wrinkles. "Yes?"

Jane presents the parchment work summoning her to the meeting, and the Major takes it with a sneer. "Very well, follow me."

The Major stands up and sets off at a fast march before Jane can explain the medical waiver. Her shoulders slump as she loses sight of him almost immediately. A minute later the Major comes back with a thunderous expression.

"I told you to follow me."

Jane nods, "Yes Sir. I have a medical waiver Sir!"

"Well, let's see it."

Jane points at the parchment he's holding, "I gave it to you Sir!"

After some shuffling of parchment, the Major's scowl deepens. "Fine, we'll go at your pace."

Jane nods, "Thank you Sir!"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

After 10 minutes of following a labyrinthine path, that involves too many stairs. Jane follows the Major through a panelled wooden door.

Pointing at a star in the centre of the room, the Major barks, "Stand there Captain."

Jane says, "Yes Sir!" and moves to stand at attention on the star.

At the same time the Major walks over to the central General, "Captain Jane Shepherd reporting as ordered sir."

The General looks up, "You're late Major."

The Major salutes, "The Captain was slow sir."

The General looks at the Major, "This is why we have a lift in the building Major."

Jane forces her face to remain impassive as the Major's complexion turns puce, "Yes Sir, I will remember that in future Sir."

The General nods, "See that you do, you are dismissed."

As the Major turns and marches out the room, the General draws a wand and taps the stack of parchment four times, before passing a copy to each of the other Generals sitting at the desk.

After a couple of minutes reading, Jane's heartrate monitor is edging up towards 80 despite the fact she's just standing there. Suddenly, the central General puts the parchment down and looks up, "Captain Jane Shepherd, field promoted and later confirmed. Enlisted two years ago in the N5 track on Shaanxi. High scores across the board, and awarded a Star of Terra during your first tour of duty. We also have… a…"

As the General trails off, Jane becomes aware of the click of high heel shoes walking across the wooden floor behind her.

When the sound stops just behind her, Jane fights the urge to turn around. Especially when a woman says, "This one's mine General. Don't mind me I'll see myself out. Come on Jane, this way."

As the clicking starts up again, Jane looks at the General silently pleading for some advice. Seemingly reading her mind, the General shakes their head, "Better do as she says lass, she outranks me."

Turning around, Jane ignores her heartrate monitor as she hurries out of the room after the woman.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

After a short walk, a ride in the lift to the basement, and another short walk, Jane is lead into a quarantine room.

Pointing at a locker inside the quarantine chamber, the woman says, "Suit off and stow all of your equipment in that locker. There are some clothes in the locker for you to wear in the meantime."

Jane walks into the airlock and waits for it to cycle before turning on the intercom on the inside of the room. As she starts to stow her gear, she asks, "Uh, ma'am, what's going on?"

The woman smiles, "Petunia rather than ma'am please. To answer your question. You're getting ready to transfer to your new training ground. Welcome to the N8."

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 13: Spectre – part 1

Jane stares at all the people standing in front of a rustic wooden lodge that looks like it's been repaired so many times there's nothing of the original building remaining.

Selene, the goddess she remembers seeing once on Mindoir just before she left for good, smiles, "This is your welcome to the N8 party."

Jane looks back at Petunia who now has a shit eating grin on her face, "But, what? What was the last three months?"

"That was the most basic training you needed to not kill anyone accidentally. Now you are ready to start learning. Officially, N7 training takes 8 months, that means that we don't have a lot of time to teach you everything you need to know. That's only around 7,000 years if we stay here the entire time. Which we won't as you need to practice your skills, and you need socialisation and to learn how to cope with your new lifespan."

Jane goggles at Petunia, "What?"

One of the other people laughs, "This is what I love about welcome to the N8 parties. The absolutely gobsmacked expression once they're faced with how long training is going to take."

Another person says, "Daphne, shut up. Can't you see she's overwhelmed."

Jane slowly turns around, to stare at Daphne, "Daphne? As in one of The Triplet's Daphne?"

Daphne nods and holds a hand out to one side as Jane's legs give way.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A moment later Jane wakes up with a gasp. Crouching next to her is a white man with short cropped dark hair and deep brown eyes.

"Hi, sorry about Daphne and Hermione, they've been like that for as long as I've known them. I'm Sabastian Ashmead, the first N8."

Jane pushes herself into a seated position, "But they're goddesses, or occasionally gods."

Sabastian laughs, "Don't call them gods, it's a very sore spot for them. Hermione is frightfully smart, and can learn just about anything you put in front of her in the time it take to flick through the book. However, she doesn't have a deceitful bone in her body, and her out of the box thinking is equally lacking. Daphne, on the other hand, is the consummate slytherin, sly, cunning, ambitious, and scarily good at reading people. There's generally a betting pool whenever we get a new member, to see how long it takes for them to become overwhelmed when they meet the rest of us."

Jane shakes her head, "Huh?"

Sabastian sighs, "Hela is obviously your sponsor."

Jane looks around for Petunia, only to find her cuddled up with another woman, "Petunia's Hela?"

Sabastian nods, "She is, but she only uses Hela for official appearances so that she can go out with Karen, her bonded partner."

Jane sways a little, "Karen, as in archmagi Karen, the one who won't leave Earth because…"

Sabastian nods, "Yes, that Karen, and yes Petunia is that partner. Back in the sleeper wars they both had very close encounters with death, and their bond was stretched to the point Karen couldn't feel it. She thought that Petunia had died when she'd been pulled into the sea of magic… You might know it better as the aether sea. Anyway, when the books were written the author didn't intend the implication that Petunia was dead and gone. But that lot over there told them to keep it like that."

"But, but…"

"Jane, relax. With the exception of Selene and Lyassa, everyone else here is as human as you are. It took me a while to learn this, but they really are just people. All be it, people who will occasionally talk about life before computers and the aethernet as if it was yesterday. Just be glad you're not going to have any lessons with Hogwarts, as you've only got eight months for your training."

Jane blinks as another famous name from the history books is just dropped as though it's nothing, "I shouldn't be here, there must be some mistake."

Sabastian puts a hand on her shoulder, "Jane, you deserve to be here. If you didn't you wouldn't be here. You are officially the 10th N8. There's no application process to become an N8, you can only be sponsored by an existing N8, an N9, or one of the goddesses here. You should have been the 15th N8, but in the early days of the Systems Alliance, the ranking board demanded that a squad of elite soldiers were trained as N8's. I was the newest recruit of that squad. On paper we were perfect for the position, loyal, efficient, and well trained. The problem was arrogance, ruthlessness, and a disassociation between themselves and the humanity of their targets." A haunted look passes over his face, "We were trained up much like you have been so far, and we thought we knew everything we needed. Brass sent us out to one of the newest planets, where their intel said pirates were hiding out in the civilian population. Our task? To capture or kill the leader, and eliminate the pirates. They…" Sebastian's voice cracks, "Suffice to say, I tried to object, but they were used to operating in a certain fashion. Roughing up suspects to get information, bribery and intimidation. Then ruthless efficiency when eliminating the target. Only this time we had magic to help. It was sickening, and they just laughed. To my shame, I can still see how I could have crossed that line myself if we were still a mortal squad."

Jane shakes her head, "What do you mean?"

Gently, Sebastian asks, "Have you seen any of the Human First propaganda, and I don't mean the large billboards, I mean the introductory pamphlets."

Jane nods, "My father used to have some laying around."

"Did you notice how the 'facts' in the pamphlet looked reasonable at first glance, and even made sense if you squinted slightly?"

Jane shakes her head, "No. I've always had non-human friends, so they didn't."

Sebastian nods his head sagely, "Ah, well you'll be learning all about that in your time with Daphne. Suffice to say that for most humans, even magical humans, those initial pamphlets and books seem reasonable, later arguments seem understandable based on those initial pamphlets. Eventually, you see evidence that the things the pamphlets said are true, and the understandable arguments become reasonable. The same thing happens in a specialist unit like ours was. It might start with a punch or a slap of a reluctant informant. But then that gets results and you save lives. So you don't object when they go a little further next time. Before you know it, you're joining in and laughing about it with them."

Sebastian inspects his hands in his lap, "That's what was happening to me, except this time we had magic, and the goddesses were watching, and recording to prove a point. We were all court-martialled and sentenced to prison. That's where the goddesses stepped in again and revealed the reality of the situation to the assembled 4 star officers. We are immortal. No matter how long they threw us in prison for, we would outlive it, assuming we consented to stay in prison. That's when they let the Magi take over the trial and we were all forced to take a truth drug. In the end, I was the only one not sentenced to death. Instead, I was made a probationary N8 until such time as the goddesses felt I could be trusted with the power."

Sebastian looks up at Jane, "That's when they started the system of sponsorship."

The woman that was hugging Petunia, presumably Karen, walks over and places a hand on Sebastian's shoulder, "And since then you have proven us right time and time again. You really need to stop beating yourself up about being human. Remember, even the sidhe have their own bad apples."

Karen smiles at Jane, "Jane, welcome to the N8. You really should socialise, as all of us are going to be involved in your training. But first, I'm going to shatter some of your expectations about what the N8 are. The N8 are not a military unit, even though you have a military rank. We agreed to the formation of the N8 as a counterpoint to the Magi. Where the Magi order is devoted to the protection of their planet from Sleepers, and those who may summon them. The N8 exist to go out into the galaxy and protect it from threats like the Sleepers. 50,000 years ago, Realm:2 time, something wiped out the galactic civilisation that existed before ours. Unlike the mortals, between us we've seen enough to believe the myths. So far as the Citadel knows, you are the equivalent of their spectres. But now you know the truth."

Numbly, Jane doesn't resist as Karen takes her hand, and pulls her to her feet before leading her around the gathering.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane glides across the dance floor in a cocktail dress and heels. Her partner for the night spinning her into a pirouette as the music comes to a crescendo.

Then everyone freezes and Daphne strides onto the dance floor, "What's going on in this ball, and what are the problems?"

Jane glances around the room "Those two groups are refusing to interact with each other…"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane leans over a desk with a slab of marble in front of her. Carefully she positions her small chisel and taps it gently with the hammer in her hand.

A couple of taps later, and she has a neat line next to her Halgez rune.

From behind her Beth shakes her head, "Incorrect, your spacing is wrong, and the line isn't perfectly straight. Do it again."

Jane sighs as the shards and dust fly back into the groove, leaving the marble unblemished.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane tiredly looks up from a dry old tome on magical farming and yawns. Sitting next to her, Hermione looks slightly disappointed, "You did well, but I think you're going to be more Harry's student than mine. Go and take a break and next time we'll start building up your foundation of utility spells and Harry can show you how to use them for other things."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane winces as a small stone hits her arm. From her position 10m away, Petunia flicks another stone at her, which catches her in the shoulder.

"You're supposed to be stopping these. Come on, you know everything you need to do it."

Jane shakes her head, "It's not working, they're too fast."

"Bullets are even faster, and if you have to fight another magical their projectiles will be faster still. Stop thinking about it. You have your sensing circle, and you have your absorption field. When you sense something, you should stop it. No thinking, no reacting, it's just done."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane sits on a hill with the Honoured Elder of the Yewglisten Clan watching the sun set.

"You life such a busy life. But you also need to learn how to slow down. How to do things, not with a purpose, but because they bring happiness or contentment. You wanted to know why you were spending so much time with our clan. This is why. Even Arch Magi Karen has learnt this lesson, and she's still as human as any human I've ever met. Maybe while you're here, you'll also learn more about being an adult, and what it means."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane stands in front of a blank canvas next to Harry.

"Magic is an art not a science. It always has been, and it always will be. Like this canvas, you can make it do whatever you want, if you can envisage it. For people like my Hermione and the scientists on Earth, they need lots of tools and rules in order to make their art. For people like me, all we need is a paintbrush, pencil, or even just our finger. For now, I just want to see how creative you are."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

"Why aren't you knitting?"

Jane winces as she looks up at Minerva, "Um, I'm working on runes?"

Minerva just gives her a look, "That's no excuse. No matter what, while you're here you should be working on a project. Now pull out your knitting and get started."

Jane winces again, "Yes professor."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Two weeks after her training started, Jane marches into the Generals assembly in her isolation suit. Petunia at her side.

Coming to a halt on the star, she comes to attention and salutes, "You wanted to see me Generals?"

The central General looks up with a tired expression, "Indeed captain. Thank you for being so prompt. We have just received orders from the diplomatic corps, through Systems Alliance Command, to cancel your Promotion to N8 and put you into the N7 program. I'm sorry captain. If it's any consolation, we have been able to have your mother, Hannah Shepherd, fast tracked to the sidhe clan on Shaanxi:12."

Jane opens her mouth to protest, and then closes it again as her lessons with Daphne come to the fore. Instead she looks downcast, "I understand sir. At least I'll be able to hug her again."

Behind her, Petunia looks equally disappointed, "I am sorry to hear you bowed to external pressure gentlemen. But if those are the wishes of the government, who am I to stand in their way." All of the Generals wince at that, "We will of course continue training Jane at our training grounds, where her PS status isn't a risk to the other recruits."

The central General nods, "That would be wise. We have already started to upgrade our own training grounds to accommodate PS-N personnel in the future. But obviously those accommodations will not be completed until after Captain Shepherd has completed her training."

Petunia smiles, "I'm glad we understand each other General. Come along Jane, we've wasted enough time here already."

Jane turns around and salutes Petunia, "Yes Ma'am."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once they've left the chamber, Jane asks, "What are we going to do, as I can't exactly stop being magical now."

Petunia smiles, "First of all, we're going back to your locker room, and you're going to change out of your suit. Then we're going to a Radio Shack in the USA to buy some cheap purely electric dodads. We'll leave most of them in my home here, and you'll be carrying one at all times. By the time we're finished you will be able to appear non-magical regardless of what you're doing."

Jane groans, "Really? Everything?"

Petunia nods, "Yes everything. By the end of your training you should be able to maintain a PS infection for years at a time, and operate your kit in Realm:15."

Jane's shoulders slump, "This is going to suck. Am I at least going to get out of the sword work then?"

Petunia laughs, "You must be joking, if anything your tutors are going to drill you even harder."

"Bollocks."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Later, sitting around a campfire at the lodge, Jane and Petunia have both finished passing the memory of the brief appearance in front of the Generals around the group.

Daphne looks thoughtfully into the fire, "I think this is an ideal opportunity. I'll be gone for a couple of days Earth:2 time to verify this. But I think this is a move by Human First, specifically the faction that's started the Independent Human Alliance in Citadel space. I think that's the name they've settled on anyway. Publicly they've been playing up Jane's role on Elysium, especially her PS-N status. Privately they've also been increasing their demands that we stop patrolling human colonies." She looks up at Jane, "I'd have to check, but I think your rescue of the asari crew has probably hit the extranet too. At this point, I'd like to apologise, as it's my fault you were pulled off medical leave early."

Jane looks at Daphne with a confused expression, "How did you know? I'd not even been back on planet for two days."

Daphne laughs, "Did you forget who responded to your emergency beacon, and marked you? Good news, according to these papers, you have another four months training with us, as even the fast track N7 training takes 12 months. Just be glad you were an N5 when you came in, otherwise you'd be stuck with us for two years."

On one side, Beth shakes her head, "Daphne, you know we all get frustrated with you when you pull your seer act, so don't be so mean to Jane. I was born before you, you know, so…"

Daphne sticks her tongue out at Beth, "Just because I'm basically in charge of SA intelligence doesn't make what I do a seers act."

Beth sighs, "I suppose so, I think I'm going to dust off my stylus project and see if the eggheads can get it working. Even if they can't I'll teach Jane how to use a magical stylus to carve runes on most materials. That means that we can say we're using you as a test subject, and give you an excuse for being able to do some magic when you need to."

Jane nods, "Thank you, I can't imagine not being able to do magic anymore."

Petunia sighs, "I'll send a message to Selene and commission a new cabinet for you. That way you'll have a place you can still do magic safely."

Jane gapes, "You can't do that, do you have any idea how expensive they are."

Harry laughs, "I guess prospecting is going to be the next lesson then."

Petunia shakes her head, "No, Dark Walker training is. We need to get Jane used to keeping her magic levels at Realm:2 regardless of what she's doing. If she can't maintain the Prothean infection, the whole idea is scuppered. Don't forget that the military is starting to bring in new rules for ship based units based on Jane's response times, and since then Charlie's Angels, and The Dogs. Congratulations Jane, you've single handedly made the Alliance Navy look at quarian made I5 suits as a tool of war rather than a less comfortable I4 suit that can be worn long term."

Daphne leans back, a padded support appearing behind her, "Does anyone know what's going on with our Citadel embassy?"

Harry shakes her head, "No. Last I heard, Victoria and Sirius took it on themselves to relieve the previous ambassador after he deliberately exposed himself to Prothean Syndrome. They'll probably stay there for the next few hundred years, or we discover another species. I don't think she's forgiven Selene for being first contact with the turians."

Jane looks around the campfire as one of her illusions is shattered. She'd always imagined high level discussions like this would be held in wood panelled board rooms with a large desk and padded leather seats. Not around a campfire…

Karen walks into the camp, "Sorry I'm late. I did bring marshmallows and digestive biscuits though."

…toasting smores…

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

"Jane."

Jane turns around from watching the streamers of magic run through the sky, "Yes Petunia?"

"I have here your OWL and NEWT scores, as well as your personal evaluations. I'm happy to say that you scored outstanding on all of the ones you took."

Jane smiles, "It's not as though those were hard considering all the personal tutoring I received. I'm more worried about their evaluations."

Petunia nods, "Well, we'll start with me then. I think you've done acceptably with your Dark Walker training. Though I'd require a far higher level of proficiency before I allowed you to take the oaths. Beth said that you're barely acceptable with runes, so keep practicing them. Daphne praised your occlumency, but said your diplomatic and subterfuge skills were poor."

Jane shakes her head, "I'm a soldier, even after all this time, that way of thinking just confuses me."

Petunia nods, "That leads on to the Honoured Elder, he still thinks you're too hasty, but you've got the idea. You just need to pay more attention to the world around you sometimes. Hermione and Harry both said you exceeded their expectations.
Though Hermione's disappointed that you're more artistically minded than engineeringly minded."

Jane nods, "They gave me plenty of incentives. Where did they get their ideas from?"

Petunia laughs, "Pre-sleeper war film media mainly."

Jane puts her head in her hands, "Great, just great."

Petunia pats Jane's shoulder comfortingly, "It's ok, you've only got two more evaluations left, and one week Earth:2 time before you graduate."

Jane freezes and looks up, "They're not putting me up against him are they?"

Petunia laughs, "No, Beth has been working on something just for you. She says it will simulate some of the situations you may come across in the wider galaxy."

Jane winces, "I'm dreading it already. What do I need to do?"

Petunia nods approvingly, "We're running two tests at the same time. The second test is your ability to manage your magic, and it will run for at least a year. You're going to head to Earth and change into your old suit and omni-tool. You'll find a vial of the virus that causes Prothean Syndrome on the shelf of your locker. Drink the vial and then go to the clan. If at any point your virus load drops to zero, you have to restart the year. If your suit or omni-tool fail, you fail. Understand?"

Jane grimaces as she nods, "I understand."

Petunia adds, "Oh, before I forget, the swords master said that you can retry the task as many times as you want, and to try and enjoy yourself, as he certainly did. Well off you go."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane sits on a chair outside a room at Sandhurst in her I5 suit. Sitting next to her is Petunia, sitting primly in an actual military uniform.

With a groan, Jane rolls her shoulder. Petunia looks at Jane, "Are you alright?"

Jane nods, "I am, I shouldn't have had another go in the simulator, I think I pulled a muscle in my shoulder."

Petunia nods, "At least you didn't die."

Jane groans, "Petunia, please don't. When they said it was based on a 1986 film directed by James Cameron, I had no idea what to expect. Then they told me that it was aliens through that door. The briefing before heading for the drop ship lulled me into a false sense of security the first time. Even the colony didn't seem that bad, until it did. Then there's the bullshit about saving one civilian. There was only one civilian that could be saved."

Petunia nods understandingly, "Did you have fun though?"

Jane give a broad smile, "Oh hell yes. Well I did once I worked out how to spread out my magic without raising my magic levels. I lost count of how many times I had to restart because I wiped out my infection."

Petunia smiles, "It was only 37."

Jane shakes her head, "Gee thanks, it's not easy you know."

Petunia puts a hand on Janes, "Jane, remember that most of us had to live like that full time for a while. It's easier if you start your training on Earth:2, but we didn't have the time for you to spend a month or so learning how to find and control your magic here."

Jane nods, and falls into contemplative silence.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few minutes later, a Major opens the doors, "N7 recruit Shepherd?"

Jane looks up, "Yes sir."

"The board will see you now. Hopefully I will be the one saying sir when you leave."

Jane smiles in appreciation as she stands. Together, Jane and Petunia walk into a large hall with a dozen Admirals and Generals standing around. All of them stop what they're doing and salute when they see Petunia walk in.

Petunia smiles and waves her hand, "At ease everyone, I'm here as a sponsor, not an official."

The Major stumbles over his feet as he simultaneously tries to salute the Generals, and goggle over the fact that they're saluting anyone, and turn around to salute Petunia.

Once he's recovered his composure, the Major points at a star on the floor, "Stand there Shepherd."

Jane marches to the star and turns to face the assembled board, before coming to attention and saluting.

An old grey haired Admiral waves his hand, "At ease recruit. I have to say that I'm impressed young lady, you have shown exceptional scores across the board. With one exception. Did they not have a driving instructor at your training grounds?"

Jane replies, "They did sir, and they declared me passable." It's even true, Harry taught her to drive using a conjured shell and broom charms. Then said she survived, and so passed.

The Admiral nods, "Indeed. Your examiners also passed you, but only because you set a new course record and the vehicle was still driveable afterwards."

Jane winces imperceptibly, as she may have used a little levitation to soften some of those landings.

The Admiral continues, "However, that is the only record that you've broken. After deliberation, we have decided that we can overlook the comments on your driving test, and just look at the pass mark. As such we have decided to award you the rank of N7, and the Military ranks of Commander and Lt Colonel. Commander Jane Shepherd, please step forward to receive your epaulets."

Jane takes two steps forward and comes to attention in front of the Admiral. There she waits patiently as he places a N7 insignia on a red background on the breast pocket of her uniform, and a single Commander epaulet on one shoulder, and a Lt Colonel epaulet on the other shoulder.

Stepping backward, the Admiral salutes her, along with the other staff members there. Jane salutes back proudly.

As she continues to stand there, the Admiral says, "You're dismissed, I believe you have an appointment with the doctor before heading back to Shaanxi for some R & R before your next deployment."



Jane salutes once more, "Yes sir! Thank you sir!" Before turning around and marching back to Petunia. Who similarly turns around and walks out of the door they came in.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 14: Spectre – part 2

Now on her own in a compound that she's never even looked around, Jane clamps down on her reflexive need to pull out her lace work and continue it. Instead, she activates her omnitool and puts her appointment in the map. Belated she remembers she's supposed to use her hands for things like that.

"This is going to be harder than I thought."

With a big blue arrow providing way points on the paths, finding the hospital building is a simple matter. On the way she passes a few people in I5 suits and blue tags. Probably PS-N's that are here for additional training.

Once she arrives at the hospital, the tags lead her round to a small clinic with a single receptionist.

"Good morning Commander, how can I help you?"

Jane looks around as the receptionist talks, eventually she looks back at the receptionist.

The receptionist shrugs, "I could use Lt Colonel if you'd like?"

Jane shakes her head, "No, sorry. I only got my commission less than an hour ago."

They shake their head, "Ah, I understand. How may I help?"

Jane presents her omni-tool, "I've been ordered to have my physical."

The receptionist nods, "I'll let the doctor know, just head on through the door behind me."

Jane smiles and says, "Thank you." Before walking through the door.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As she walks through the door, she stops in surprise and checks her omni-tool. Five minutes early.

From a small desk to one side of the large room, a man looks up, "Well don't just stand in the doorway, take a seat."

Shaking her head, Jane walks over and takes a seat, "I was expecting to need to wait."

The doctor smiles, "Since they brought in the new orders for all shipboard N series troops to wear I5 suits at all times, the time it takes us to do physicals is now less than five minutes. As all we do is connect to your suit and omni-tool and hey presto, it tells us everything."

Jane blinks as her HUD shows a medical access alert. "Wait, that's it? What happened to using all the equipment around the lab?"

The doctor shakes his head, "We still use that for the S series, as they're not expected to go planetside except for shore leave, so they don't wear suits. Looking good, though your viral load is a little low. Hmm, your filters are showing elevated levels of sub µm particles at the moment, have you been doing strenuous exercise?"

Jane nods, "I decided to spend some time on the course to work out my nerves."

The doctor nods, "That could be it. In future, please refrain from vigorous exercise for 24 hours before your appointment. Other than that, your suit says you're in excellent health. Far better than I'd expect for someone that overdosed on pepper-up just over a year ago."

Jane nods, "I was selected for N8 before the brass changed their minds and demoted me."

The doctor nods again, "I'll make a note on your records that you received magical healing for your heart. Now get out of my office so I can start prepping the equipment for my next appointment."

Jane nods and flees the clinic.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Almost as soon as Jane walks out of the hospital, she gets an alert from the quartermaster that she is required.

Turning to face the new large blue arrow, Jane sets out in a ground eating run along the waypoints. As she gets closer to the quartermaster, she's pleased to note that it's close to the small spaceport.

Walking into the quartermaster's lobby Jane is confronted by a low wooden counter, with a chain-link wall above it, that stretches the entire length of the room. At one end is a woman wearing overalls and reading a specialist magazine of some description.

Walking over to the woman Jane says, "Captain Shepherd reporting as ordered."

The woman looks up, "I'm pretty sure you're not a captain. Let's see your orders."

Jane ducks her head, "Sorry, Commander Shepherd reporting as requested." Holding out her omni-tool, she brings up the orders.

The quartermaster picks up a wand and a device from the other end of the counter floats over to touch the hologram. Looking down at a datapad, she reads for a minute.

Looking back up the quartermaster shakes her head, "You lucky SOB, I have one personal package for you that arrived while you were in blackout. You also have a new uniform, a first generation slimline watertank, a runic stylus, and a first generation magi-tech omnitool."

Jane's eyes widen as the bits and pieces are summoned off the shelves behind the quartermaster. "Watertank and omnitool?"

The quartermaster nods, "Apparently, a suit tech on Shaanxi developed them 5 months ago, and according to this magazine they're working on integrating the tank into a future line of suits, along with magical isolation runes to guarantee that the internals and emitted magic matches the background levels for Realm:2. If they get it to work, this would be massive, as it would open up careers in high precision electronics to magicals. Maybe even working on eezo tech too, rather than just the end products."

Jane nods, "Sounds fascinating. What about the omni-tool?"

The quartermaster picks up the new omni-tool, "Technically, I'm not supposed to give these out without watching you blood it. Rune Master Beth and Engineer Granger developed the magitech chip at the heart of this 8 months ago. It's taken the eggheads 7 months to integrate it into a standard omni-tool. With this you'll have access to the aethernet as well as the extranet. It also provides a secure storage and communications module. Hela appeared in the Assembly a little over 2 weeks ago and commanded that all warrant officers are supplied with these omni-tools rather than the normal ones. The rest of us are stuck with the old omni-tools, and we can't even buy these new ones. I'm surprised you haven't asked about the stylus though."

Jane shakes her head, "I've been training with the prototypes for the last 8 months. I was selected for the N8, and the Assembly decided that I was more useful as an N7 for political reasons. I still got trained by the N8 team, as Sandhurst didn't have facilities for training a PS-N sufferer."

The quartermaster whispers, "Lucky bitch." Before more loudly saying, "That must have been galling, having that in front of you before being snatched away."

Jane nods, "I'm just unlucky I was still on medical leave at the time, so they started with the theory work. Including runes, I swear I've been dreaming in runes."

The quartermaster laughs, "I know what you mean, I took runes as an elective, and the teachers are so strict about the size, shape, and placement of runes. We weren't even allowed to create an array until our OWL year. I heard that Beauxbatons found a savant a few decades ago, and arch-magi Beth taught there personally until they graduated."

Jane's omni-tool pings to inform her of her berth for the return journey to Shaanxi. As it does, Jane starts to quickly stow her new equipment.

Putting her hand on the personal package, the quartermaster says, "This came with a note saying it must be opened by the recipient before it leaves my custody."

Jane groans, and picks up the package, that's wrapped in a pink ribbon, and unwraps it. Inside is a shrunken cabinet and a new wrist-holster.

The quartermaster nods, "I see why they had the note now. You can't put these into your bag, as the holster has a small expanded space for storing whatever. Be sure to blood everything as soon as you can, and good luck sir."

Jane nods, "Thank you, and it was nice talking to you."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

"Attention. All hands return to your stations, ship will be returning to Realm:3 in 15 minutes."

Jane looks up from her seat in the small quarantine room on the SADS Flamingo, where the captain requested she stay for the journey. On the plus side it allowed her to blood everything except the cabinet.

15 minutes later, the magical intelligence of the Flamingo calls out, "Beginning descent. Commander Shepherd, please report to the airlock to disembark in Realm:2 before we dock in Realm:3."

Jane smiles as she puts her texture pack of snacks away and fits her faceplate in place. It seems like some good things have come out of the push to have shipboard N-corps in I5 suits.

As the ship appears above Shaanxi:2 and starts to descend into the atmosphere, Petunia sends, 'Remember to be surprised'.

Jane blinks as she tries to remember what she's supposed to be surprised about. Before she remembers, the airlock in front of her hisses open to reveal the spaceport of Shaanxi:2 and a set of stairs leading to the ground.

As she steps out, the airlock hisses closed behind her and the ship takes off smoothly. At the bottom of the stairs is a delegation consisting of the base commander and mayor, a trio of a turian, sidhe, and someone wearing an I5 suit. Surrounding them is a crowd of civilians and reporters.

As she reaches the bottom of the stairs, the person in the I5 suit clears their facemask and Jane's eyes widen in happy surprise, "Mum!"

Quickly she walks across the tarmac only to break into a run as her mother reaches up to take off her faceplate, "Mum! No!"

Jane staggers to a halt as her mother finishes removing the faceplate and says, "Surprise."

"What?"

Hannah closes the gap between them to pull her daughter into a hug, "They've given me permission to join a sidhe clan, and Adrien and Siúsan are my new parents."

Jane leans back as something tickles her memory from the meeting when she was told she would be an N7. Before she can say anything else, a fuzzy microphone is placed between them.

"Jonas Jonson from SR2 News, Commander Shepherd how does it feel to see your mother able to walk around without a suit?"

Jane steps back in surprise as a couple of guards run forward to pulls the man back, "What the?"

With the moment ruined, the base commander and mayor walk over, "Commander Shepherd, welcome home. I'm sorry that your reunion with your mother was ruined, the Press were told not to approach until the welcome was concluded."

Jane turns to face the commander and snaps a salute, "Pleasure to be home Colonel."

"At ease Lt Colonel. We both had some pretty speeches lined up, but at the moment you should go home with your mother for some well deserved R & R. You can watch the speeches on the news later, as long as you don't watch SR2 News that is."

Hannah links her arm around Jane's arm, "Don't worry, I can jump us home."

Jane just nods, "Just be careful, I've let some asari use the house."

Hannah smiles, "I know, I met them, they're doing a run to Illium to buy more tea and they should be back next week. You could have messaged me to let me know before I returned to Shaanxi."

Jane shakes her head, "Let's go home, I'd rather not talk about it here." She points her chin at the journalists.

Hannah bends her knees and jumps to the house.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once they arrive, Jane staggers over to a chair and sits down with her head in her hands, "Goddess mother, that was awful."

As Adrien and Siúsan appear in the house Hannah puts her hands on her hips, "I'm sorry, I only arrived at the village two weeks ago."

Siúsan nods, "She did, and she's got the scars to prove it too. It will be many years before they heal enough that she can attempt to go further if she wants to."

Jane looks up, "I've got a new cabinet that I need to blood, would one of you mind unshrinking it for me?"

Adrien nods, the human gesture looking odd with how naturally the turian does it, "I can do that."

Jane stands up and moves a couple of pictures so she can place the cabinet against a wall. A moment later she opens the door and walks into a library that's easily the same size as the house she just left.

"Is this someone's idea of a joke?" In the back of her head Petunia laughter can be felt as she withdraws from Jane's senses.

From behind her, Siúsan says, "This is a hansom gift worthy of a scholar."

Behind them Adrien closes the door after Hannah as walked in. As it does, Jane turns around, "Does mum know?"

Siúsan smiles, "It depends on what you're talking about. If you mean does she know the real reason why she's been accepted into my clan, then yes she does."

Jane gives a sigh of relief, and summons a ball of light over her hand, "Go and find the fireplace."

Behind them, Hannah gasps, "Jane, what was that? I thought you were an N7."

Jane looks at Siúsan accusingly, "I thought you…" she cuts off as Hannah starts to laugh.

"You should have seen your face. I got the message once I was in sanctuary. I had no idea that once you're an N8 that's it, you're an N8."

Jane nods, "It's not quite that simple, but yes, that's it in a nutshell."

Taking her face plate off, she puts it in her bag as her lacemaking comes out, "Oh that feels good. Sorry, I've just had people breathing down my neck any time I don't have a project out and on the go. Let's go find the fireplace."

Hannah shakes her head, "First of all, you're going to tell me why this is a joke."

Jane whines, "Really mum?" When Hannah nods, Jane sighs, "I'm a soldier not a scholar, and some of my trainers took that a little personally. When Selene was talking about giving me a new chest, she joked about including a proper library. I just wasn't expecting to have to walk through the library to get anywhere in here."

"Now, what's the deal with the asari? I mean I don't mind bunking with Aeuna, but it was a bit of a surprise to come home and find them here."

Jane sighs, and Siúsan chuckles as Adrien says, "I'm sorry, we are still trying to teach the young one patience."

Jane nods, "In that case, how are you able to be here mum?"

Hannah at Jane in confusion, and Siúsan answers, "We've given her an isolation necklace, the sort the mayor uses to visit every month. It will prevent her discomfort from travelling to Shaanxi:2 even once she knows how to travel the realms on her own."

Jane nods thoughtfully, "Well, maybe you could get her a desk job here so that she doesn't forget how to act on human time scales, like they did with The Triplets. I rather think that Command would like to have someone they can send to any quarantine situation without worrying about infection. I've been having to learn how to relax like you do, so it evens out in the end. Anyway, the story about the asari starts with arranging to visit Juvetana, my nest mother…"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A couple of days later, Jane and her mother are both reading in her library, with the door open. Jane is very happy with the library and small kitchen downstairs, with a modest garden out the back. Up a spiral staircase in the kitchen is the bathroom and two bedrooms. Absolutely perfect for her needs, as long as she ignores the blood locked door in the kitchen that's only visible to people who's names are in the ward book. Jane shakes her head as she tries to not think about the lavash mansion on 10 acres of land, or the extra turian garden with a cave for growing turian food plants in, connected to a kitchen stocked with dextro supplies.

"Is everything alright Jane?"

Jane looks up at her mother, "Yes mum, I was just trying not to think about the rest of the cabinet."

Hannah laughs, "And failing at that by your expression. What's your book about?"

Jane groans, "Runes, I found my 'homework' in the workshop. Beth wants me to have made a pensive by the time she next sees me."

Hannah shakes her head, "Jane, you're supposed to be relaxing."

Jane shakes her head, "Not in the deep desert I'm not."

"Deep desert?"

Jane screws her eyes shut, "I've been spending too much time around old people and sidhe. It's what they used to call realm:2-4 before the scientists got involved, the desert is realms 5-9 and the sidhe don't really have a name for the realms after that until you reach the shore of the sea of magic."

Hannah shrugs, "I guess I've still got a lot to learn."

"I heard you got a ping earlier."

Hannah scowls at Jane, "It seems that command jumped at your suggestion, and I'm now a port liaison officer for Shaanxi until I take my adult oaths."

At that moment Jane's own omni-tool pings, and she stares at it hoping the ping will go away. With a sigh she looks at the message before putting her lace away, and floating the book back to the shelf.

"That's the quartermaster, they want my old omni-tool back."

"Have a good walk."

Jane scowls playfully as she puts her facemask on, "You could always come with me and make the journey quicker."

Hannah lifts up Pride and Prejudice, "Sorry, I'm enjoying my 19th century literature too much."

Jane shakes her head as she sets out to jog to the N compound.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once she's finished handing over her old kit, Jane uses her new secure omni-tool to access the base schedule to test its capabilities.

With a smile she notices that she doesn't have anything scheduled in the near future. Idly she looks up the Dogs, only to see they're on base for shore leave.

Turning towards the barracks she gets around 10 paces into her jog when her omni-tool pings. Coming to a stop, she checks the message, then checks her schedule once more.

"You've got to be kidding me, I just checked that. I'm supposed to have another five days R & R."

With a growl, Jane turns around and runs back to her house.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Coming to a stop inside her cabinet, Jane looks at her mother apologetically, "Sorry mum, I've just got my marching orders. Dock 4 in less than an hour."

Hannah shrugs philosophically, "That's life I'm afraid, but don't tell me you don't have time to say goodbye to your dear old mum."

Jane laughs, "Old? I'm older than you are mum. Now put a bookmark in the book and I'll make sure it's available next time I'm around."

"Can't I just take it with me?"

Jane nods, "They're spelled to remain in the cabinet, as there's some books they don't want leaving Alliance hands."

Hannah chuckles in amusement as she follows her daughter around the house while she loads up her pouch. "Jane, slow down, you've got plenty of time."

Jane looks at her mother with a calculating expression, "Are you volunteering to jump me to the docks?"

Hannah backpedals, "No, not at all, just pointing out that a ground car will get you to the docks in a couple of minutes."

Jane steps forward, "How about I step us there and you can practice your jumping on the way back."

Hannah shakes her head, "I'd need to get into my uniform, and you know how long that takes."

Deliberately, Jane lifts up her hand and slowly snaps her fingers. As she does, Hannah's current clothes switch with the uniform hanging on the back of her door.

Hannah looks at her daughter, "We can do that? I haven't seen anyone at the clan do that."

Jane nods, "You should apply for the Dark Walkers then. It's something they're drilled on, amongst other things."

Hannah shakes her head, "I'm far too old for a career change now."

Jane pinches the bridge of her nose, "Mum, you're effectively a child in an adults body as far as your new clan is concerned. You've got thousands of years ahead of you. If you want to learn something you've got time."

"My ID says otherwise."

Jane folds her arms, "Mum, you were supposed to get that sorted out before you started your journey. Please promise me you'll get it sorted before you return to the clan."

"I…"

Jane stares at her mother, "Mum, I'm older than you, so I know what I'm talking about."

Hannah folds at that. Laughing she says, "Ok, ok, I'll do it. I bet there aren't many mothers that have their children pull the age card on them."

Jane nods, "Ready?"

Hannah checks herself over, "Whenever you are."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few seconds later the two of them step out of thin air on the tarmac of the military part of the docks.

Hannah shakes her head, "That was amazing, how did you do it so smoothly?"

Jane smiles, "Join the Dark Walkers, Magi, or the N8 and you'll find out."

Hannah huffs as the two of them start to walk towards the docking bay Jane's been assigned to.

A minute later they slow as they catch sight of a long sleek ship that has hints of the old concord with a slightly more avian appearance to it.

Jane whistles, "Have you ever seen a ship like that?"

Hannah shakes her head, "Never. It must be new."

As they get closer Jane realises that the comparison with an avian is apt, as the side panels stretch back towards the rear of the ship, finally connecting against the wings of the ship at the rear.

As the two of them reach the boarding stairs, Jane can see people working under the middle of the ship, probably loading up supplies.

Turning around, she gives her mother a hug, "I'm sorry we didn't have more time to catch up."

Hannah kisses Jane on the cheek, "It's ok, I am military too remember. Have a safe trip commander."

Jane steps back and salutes, "Yes Captain. See you on the other side."

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 15: Spectre – part 3

As Jane reaches the top of the stairs, she's surprised to see both sides of the airlock open. Cautiously she walks aboard and looks around until she sees an officer.

"Good afternoon Warrant Officer."

The male officer turns around, startles slightly then salutes, "Welcome aboard sir."

"At ease. I'm Commander Shepherd, where can I find the Captain?"

"The Captain is in a meeting sir. He left orders that you be allowed to stow your gear in the officers lockers on the deck below us." Jane is about to nod when the man adds, "Can I just say, you're an inspiration to all of us red tags sir, Ma'am. We never thought a red tag could ever be selected as an N7."

Slightly uncomfortably, Jane sketches a quick salute, "Thank you for saying so."

Not waiting for another bout of hero worship, Jane heads to the back of the deck past two banks of manned stations, one on each side of the walkway, for the different sensors and systems on the ship. Each one almost a cookie cutter copy of the previous one, apart from the data being streamed to the stations.

At the end of the walkway is the command and control [CiC] of the ship, with a hologram of the galaxy currently displayed in the pit. Jane frowns and stands on her tiptoes as she looks back down the ship. At the far end she can see what looks like a navigation area. Which is not a very human design. Walking around the CiC a downward ramp is immediately obvious, so following orders, she makes her way down to the lower deck.

At the end of the ramp is a corridor leading fore and aft. Offset towards the stern of the ship is a narrow corridor, just wide enough for one person in armour to walk down comfortably. On the stern side of the corridor are two banks of lockers broken up by the doors to two cabinets that are set back from the lockers. It's likely the corridor was regulation width before they decided to put the lockers here too.

Walking over to the lockers, she touches her omni-tool to one. As she does, it buzzes and a computerised voice says, "Invalid locker bank. Commander Jane Shepherd is assigned to berth 3."

As she's frowning at the bank of lockers, one of the cabinet doors opens and a tall human soldier walks out with an N4 tag on his chest, and 2nd Lieutenant pips.

As the soldier turns in the other direction, Jane calls "Excuse me!"

The soldier turns around and salutes, "How can I help you sir?" Then his eyes see the red tag and widen.

Jane waves, "At ease Lieutenant. I was just wondering if you knew where the berths are."

The soldier relaxes, "Right this way sir. Can I say it's a pleasure to meet you Commander, you've been an inspiration for me."

Bemusedly, Jane follows the N4 down the corridor to the other end, where it opens up into an identical corridor to the other side, "Sorry about that Commander, informal policy is to exit the cabinets to the port side, and enter from the starboard side. I'm Kaiden Alenko by the way, and I'm looking forward to serving with you. To be honest, I thought you were a blue tag when I first saw you."

As they walk down the corridor they come to an offset door Kaiden says, "This is the sick bay, and just past this are the berths and hot bunks. Actually sleeping pods because bunks take up too much space."

Jane nods "Thank you. I think I can take it from here."

Kaiden salutes, "Thank you sir, I look forward to serving with you."

Jane nods as she walks past Kaiden into the berths. Inside this area of the ship there are doors on the stern side of the corridor, while the bow side has a wide corridor leading forward.

Finding berth 3 is as easy as counting the numbers on each door, and a tap of her omnitool sees the door slide neatly into the wall to the left hand side.

Inside is a narrow walkway only the width of the door. Just by the door on the right hand side is a shallow indent, just deep enough for a standard cabinet if you remove the coat hooks. On the left hand side is a narrow floor to ceiling wardrobe with three drawers at the bottom. Next to that is the bunk and desk that take up the last of the rooms 3m depth.

The desk itself is slightly inset to the bunk so that the supplied chair fits neatly and out of the way of anyone walking around. At the far end of the desk is a stack of five drawers.

As Jane walks into the room the door slides closed behind her. Turning around she can see the internal controls are set into the door itself, with a simple open and do not disturb button holographically displayed from a small emitter above the door.

Shrugging, she looks at the small alcove and the coat hooks. After a second she brings her palm up sharply to hit the underside of a hook. When it shifts slightly, she smiles and does the same to the hook on the other end. With that the whole row of hooks comes away from the wall to reveal two small keyhole slots where the hooks were.

It only takes her a couple of seconds to set up her cabinet in the alcove. As she tests the door, it opens smoothly into the room with only millimetres to spare as it passes the wardrobe door handles.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

With her equipment now stowed, Jane leaves her berth and curiously looks down the corridor that leads forward. At first she wonders why the corridor is so wide at nearly 3m wide. Then she notices the sleep pods on each side held by six robotic arms. With dawning horror she realises that the hexagonal pattern on the walls are actually chambers for the pods. After a quick count, she sees 48 separate hexagons split between both sides.

At the far end of the corridor is a small bulkhead, which leads to the head, with one waste management station, and three individual cubicles for non-suited individuals.

After taking advantage of the station, she frowns as she notices a distinct lack of showers.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A quick check of her omni-tool shows that she has now been registered on the ship. Bringing up the ship's duty roster, she can see that the captain is still in a meeting, along with a VIP. Her own schedule hasn't yet been set, which is a little concerning, though she can see she's here in her capacity as a member of the N corps.

With some free time to kill before the ship is due to depart, Jane heads to the sick bay to introduce herself to the doctor.

She's not even finished walking into the sick bay when the doctor, a grey haired woman, looks up, "Good morning Commander, can I help you?"

Jane shakes her head, "Not really, I found myself with some free time after registering onboard, so I figured I'd have a look around."

The woman nods, "Well, I'm Dr Chakwas from the IHA."

Jane looks at Chakwas in surprise, "I thought this was a Systems Alliance ship."

Chakwas tips her hand from side to side, "Sort of, it's a joint project between the Systems Alliance, the IHA, and the Turians. Many of the crew have their own IHA ranks, and have been granted Systems Alliance ranks equivalent to their own. They're still working out my position as I don't have the qualifications the SA require for their doctors."

Jane nods, "I assume that means we're getting no magical support on this trip then."

Chakwas nods tentatively, "Probably, I've got a list of reading material longer than my screen to go through. We do have a new development from the IHA that's almost as good as magical healing is reported to be. Medi-gel, completely bio-neutral and you can either place it on a wound, or inject it, and it will form a scaffold around any part of the body that is showing clotting or inflammation markers."

Jane nods, "That will be useful. It was good to meet you."

Chakwas nods, "Likewise, before you go. I'd like to say thank you for what you did on Elysium, I have family there, and they only survived because of you."

Jane smiles, "I was only doing my duty Dr, but I'm glad they're safe."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane taps her foot as the lift from the stern of the crew deck to the deck below it has already taken a good 30 seconds to go less than half the distance needed.

Finally in annoyance, she opens the emergency access panel. Her eyes widen in surprise when she spots a crank handle sitting in front of a fast spinning gear that's driving a chain. On the back of the door are some instructions that explain what's going on.

"Why would they use screws instead of runes… Oh right, joint project, the ship needs to be run without a magical crew or maintenance. But still, screws? Why not hydraulics?"

An amused voice from outside the lift says, "Because the screws also provide structural support if we have a gravity failure."

Jane turns away from the open compartment to see a balding human, "Engineer Adams at your service Ma'am."

Jane nods, "Jane Shepherd. What do you mean by structural support?"

"This lift is rated for heavy equipment. As we don't have magical assistance." He sneers the word magical, "We have to rely on physics. If our gravity systems shut down with a piece of heavy equipment in the lift, then the supports have to not only hold the lift steady, but also support the mass of the equipment during any manoeuvres the ship is going through. This lift is rated at 5 tons with a maximum of 6g acceleration in any direction."

Jane nods, "Impressive. Why not use hydraulics though?"

Adams looks at her as if she's a school child, "Because then the pipes, pumps, and holding tanks need to be rated correctly, and inspected regularly. A leak at the pressures caused by a 6g manoeuvre could be disastrous to the ship and crew. Not to mention the effect that having something with an effective weight of 29 tons smashing into the bottom of the lift shaft would have, as the hydraulic fluid being forced out of the failed pipe or joint wouldn't stop it."

Jane holds her hands up in defeat, "Ok, ok, you've made your point. I'll leave the engineering to those who are qualified."

Somewhat mollified, Adams nods, "If you'll excuse me, I was about to head up to the mess cabinet to use the facilities and grab some lunch before we lift off."

Walking off the lift, Jane deftly steps out of the way of a couple of technicians that are wheeling a large trolly load of ingredients into the lift. Slightly incredulously, she asks, "Is that going in the cabinets?"

The technician nods, "This lot is, as it's got fresh ingredients."

Jane shakes her head, "How are you going to fit that past the lockers?"

The technician laughs, "Simple, they've got maglocks holding them to the walls. We just unclamp them and move them out the way."

Jane nods in understanding, "That makes sense, thank you."

With that niggling bit of curiosity out of the way, Jane looks around the hanger deck while she's out of the way. To one side she can see a Mako infantry fighting vehicle, something that the IHA developed to support their own troops. Behind that is the quartermaster, and she can see that they're bringing in plenty of stock for that, including some I5 suits and a lot of I4 suits. On the other side is a backup mess where some technicians are installing a magical sink, while others are loading pallets of MRE's into storage units built into the walls.

Spotting a group of N-corps hanging around a bank of lockers, Jane decides to walk over.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane smiles as she approaches, "Good morning gentlemen, ladies."

The soldiers all stop chatting and turn to her. When they see her rank they come to attention and salute, "Sir! Ma'am!"

Jane shakes her head, "At ease. I'm just looking around and getting to know everyone."

Everyone there relaxes, and the corporal says, "I'm Richard Jenkins, transferring in from the IHA, it's a pleasure to serve with you."

Jane nods, "Interesting, are all of you from the IHA?"

Jenkins shakes his head, "No sir, Rice, Peters, and Hope are from the SA. Can I just say that I'm looking forward to kicking some xeno butt sir!"

Jane groans, "Corporal, this is partially a Hierarchy ship too, so it's as likely that we'll be kicking human butt to defend 'xenos'."

Jenkins nods, "That may be true sir, but there are more xenos out there than humans."

Jane shakes her head and changes the subject, "Moving on, why are you all dressed for shore-side duty?"

Rice puts her hand up, "We've been transferred in from shoreside duty Ma'am. This is my first shipside tour."

Jane nods, "Have any of you ever been on a Systems Alliance ship?"

Peters puts his hand up, "Only as a passenger sir."

Jane nods, "If I'm assigned to this ship, and not just in transit elsewhere, I'll run drills on ships doctrine, so be prepared. Is that the armoury behind you?"

Jenkins nods, "Yes Sir!"

Jane smiles, "Thank you. As you were."

Turning around she spots a corridor leading behind the lift. As she walks away, the troops conversation starts up again.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Walking into the engineering bay, Jane stops to stare in awe at the massive piece of machinery that dominates the stern wall. Between three massive claws is a brightly glowing blue ball of something. As she gets used to the sight, she's able to see the computer stations arrayed around that machine in an almost semicircle.

While she's watching, an access panel opens on the starboard wall, and an engineer steps out before straightening up. With a shake of her head, Jane resolves to come back later when she feels up to a headache.

As she's walking back to the lift, Jane stops and stares at the large Systems Alliance insignia inscribed on a panel directly behind the lift. The panel itself is inset into the wall by nearly a centimeter.

As an engineer passes her, Jane asks, "Excuse me, what's up with that panel?"

The engineer turns around in puzzlement, "What panel?"

Jane points at the panel, "That one right there."

The engineer runs his fingers over the edge of the panel, and the next one, "It's just poorly fitted, you've got good eyes to spot that. I'll make a note of it for the next maintenance cycle."

Jane nods, "Your welcome."

As the Engineer walks off, Jane is absolutely certain that it won't get reported, as a gap that deep isn't just poorly fitted.

Slowly she lowers her magic levels to the lowest she can safely hold them. It's not as good as a notice-me-not or disillusionment charm, but it does make her harder to notice as her presence isn't pressing in the world so much. Once she's happy that nobody's going to pay any attention to her, she touches the insignia and pushes a tiny bit of magic into it.

As she watches, the panel seems to fold away from the centre, until all that's left is a narrow shaft with a ladder heading down.

Turning around, she starts to climb down, noting that wearing any sort of armour would make this climb almost impossible. At the bottom, it opens up behind her into a long, low, chamber that seems to be running along the top of the spinal gun.

At the far end of the chamber she can see a dormant magical intelligence, and a large, clear, box containing a chunk of magicite the size of her double fists. On the floor below that are another four boxes containing similar sized chunks of magicite.

Jane makes her way down the chamber, being careful not to bump her head. Around a quarter of the way down, she comes across the first marble slab, with 'Stealth' written across the handle at the top. Next is isolation, time dilation, life shield, and hull. Finally, underneath a switch that can be set to 12 or 16, is a slab that says magical intelligence.

"It seems that the Systems Alliance had more involvement in your design than just the utilities, doesn't it girl."

As she turns around to leave, she sees a couple of expanded cubby holes where the ladder is. Each one is filled with potions of Living Death, enough to dose double the maximum crew for a ship this size.

Jane nods, "Definitely more involvement."

As she climbs out of the shaft, Jane checks her omni-tool and nods as she sees the Captain is now available.

Making her way back into the hanger, the bay doors are closed, and there are no technicians in sight. If she didn't know that there were storage areas built into the various walls, she'd never be able to tell.

Shaking her head, Jane makes her way up to the command deck.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As she walks past various crew members, Jane breathes a sigh of relief when they don't keep throwing her salutes, instead going about their business. Back at the CiC the Captain seems to be talking to someone on the command podium, while at the bow of the ship a turian is talking to the pilot.

Not seeing anyone else to talk to, Jane walks over to the highest ranking person she can see around the CiC.

"Good afternoon officer."

The officer jumps in alarm and turns the half turn needed to face her, "Commander, I didn't hear you arrive."

Cursing to herself, Jane raises her magic levels back to Realm:2 norm, allowing her to appear more present to the people around her. "Don't worry about it, I was just wandering around the ship. I see the Captain is showing as available?"

The office, one Lt Presley according to his nametag, shakes his head, "Sorry Commander, Captain Anderson is only free to oversee the launch of Normandy's maiden voyage. He then has the next 4 hours blocked out for meetings and reports in the Captain's quarters."

Jane shakes her head, "Damn, I was hoping to find out what my duties are. Anyway, maybe you can tell me what's going on with the crew."

Presley nods, "The JSV Normandy is a joint project between the Systems Alliance, Independent Human Alliance, and the Hierarchy to push the boundaries of ship design. Because the Systems Alliance and the IHA invested the most money into the project, they are sharing joint command of the ship for the moment. I myself was a Systems Alliance officer, and I think this is a great opportunity for those like me with Prothean Syndrome. As if we can get more eezo ships maybe we'll get less naval crew leaving for the IHA Navy if they get infected. Like Captain Anderson there, his wife is a scientist and she got infected five or ten years ago now. As he had to choose between his career or his wife, he left."

Jane looks around, "Is that why nobody's wearing isolation suits?"

Presley looks happy, "Yes, it's great. For once it's the blue tags that'll need to wear a suit full time rather than us."

Jane nods, "I've been hearing blue and red tag a lot on ship, what's that about?"

Presley snorts, "Where have you been hiding, under a rock somewhere?"

Dryly, Jane says, "Sandhurst actually."

Presley looks closely at her face for the first time since she brought her magic back up, "Sorry Ma'am, I didn't realise it was you. They introduced the tags when they introduced mandatory suits for all shipboard soldiers and all N4's. That's also when they got rid of the PS classification. We've all decided to own the colour, and refer to ourselves as red tags."

Jane sighs, "What about troop doctrine?"

Presley shakes his head, "The Captain's IHA so we're following their doctrine."

Jane wanted to point out that the doctrine was introduced to save soldiers lives, to rail at the idiocy of the captain. Instead, the pilots voice comes over the ships comms, "Captain, we are approaching the relay."

Suddenly, the CiC goes from being a place where quiet conversations are taking place, to a hive of activity.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A few minutes later, the ship passes through the relay into another system. A couple of minutes after that, Captain Anderson returns to his quarters, and the turian leaves the bow of the ship. As the turian passes, Jane frowns as she doesn't recognise most of the markings from Juvetana's brief lessons.

Shaking her head, Jane walks down to the bow of the ship where the pilot is busy on his console.

Leaning on the back of the chair, Jane says, "Hi, I'm Jane Shepherd."

The pilot doesn't look up as he replies, "Joker Ma'am."

Jane smiles, "Call sign, or did your parents hate you?"

Joker laughs, "Call sign Ma'am. Name's Jeff Moreau, but everyone calls me Joker."

Jane nods, "Call me Jane, except when it's official, then it's Commander Shepherd. How are you finding the ship?"

Joker smiles as he says, "She's great, and she flies like a dream. Even better, these are the most comfortable pilots chairs I've ever sat in. They're so comfortable I prefer to sleep here rather than the pods."

Jane laughs, "I can get behind that. The same's true of these isolation suits. Set them to sleep comfort and even a barracks floor is like the best bed you've ever slept on."

Joker snorts, "Want to know a secret?"

"Go on?"

"I'm wearing one myself, and all SA pilots chairs have waste collection built in."

Jane shakes her head, "I didn't know that."

"Yes, this is the one position where a single crew member could need to spend days at a time. So the SA started fitting all the seats with plumbing for when the ship's on alert."

Casually, Jane asks, "What do you think of the crew?"

Joker sighs, "I'm not sure. A lot of the grunts seem to have something against those that don't have Prothean Syndrome. Me, I sometimes think we're the lucky ones. I mean, sure we could do with the aliens keeping their noses out of our shit. But, in fairness to them, they have been landed with a load of our disgruntled citizens. You'll also hear a lot of them complaining that the SA keeps the best medical treatments to themselves. But look at me, I've got applications to sidhe clans across Alliance space, as well as a standing application to emigrate to Mars. I was born with Vrolik syndrome, and if me Ma hadn't had a suit failure early in her pregnancy, they'd have stuck a chip of magicite to her belly, and I'd have been born magical. Or they might have taken me to Sanctuary, and then given me back to Ma. Either way, by the time I was 8, they'd have vanished all my bones and regrown them with skeligrow. By the time either of those were viable, the precursor to the cure would have killed us."

Jane's eyes raise, "Taken to Sanctuary?"

Joker nods, "I know right, any adult can apply to be taken to Sanctuary to become magical. It's like filling out an immigration visa, as they want to ensure they're not giving magic to people who are already known to be criminals or abusers. Then they take you there for 30 seconds and send you home. Tada you're magical."

Jane shakes her head, "Why don't more people do it?"

Joker laughs, "Two reasons, Prothean Syndrome, and the risk of becoming a squib."

Jane nods, "That makes sense, my mother was a squib."

Joker's voice fills with awe, "You're that Shepherd. I heard your mother was granted expediated access because you failed the tests for the N8. That has to suck you know, to be selected by one of the gods, and then not be able to progress because of a technicality."

Jane swallows hard, "It did, problem is I didn't fail the tests. Also, they told me once, verbally, that mum had been selected at the same time they said I was going to be an N7. Then I entered hell and forgot about it. Then I get back and mums there and she takes her mask of, and all I can think is that she's just committed suicide."

Joker looks up briefly as he winces, "I remember that, it was on the news across the whole Alliance, and the IHA from what I've heard. It's one of the reasons so many of us look up to you. First you prove that we're as good as them, then you go and save Elysium, and once they've taken notice of you, some political bullshit keeps you from going forward. Probably some pencil pusher that looked at your age and said, 'Nope, too inexperienced, failed'."

Jane shrugs, "I can retest in several years' time. In the meantime I got to play with some new toys." Jane pulls out her engraving stylus, "This is a runic pen, they want to train some PS-N3's, I guess that would be N3's now, in runes so that they can use them in the field. You can scribe on pretty much any hard surface, then touch the green end to the runes and they work. Imagine being able to make the windscreen on a ground vehicle impervious and unbreakable so it can't get dirty, and won't break from shrapnel. Or a water rune so you never run out of water. A bubble headed charm over an area if there's an emergency on ship. Or even a mending array to close small holes in a ships hull. We tried a cooling array on a rifle, and it was able to fire full auto for a week before the small eezo supply evaporated from the magic."

Joker laughs, "I can think of a few times when I could have done with a cooling array myself before they got the I5's working. How much did they…"

Captain Anderson's voice comes over the intercom, "Commander Shepherd report to the Communications Room."

Jane whispers, "Where's that, as I haven't found it yet."

Joker chuckles, "Right behind the CiC, the door is hidden by a privacy panel."

"Thanks, I'll see you around."

Turning around, Jane walks aft to the comms room, and stops as she walks through the door. Standing in front of three holographic projectors is the Turian talking to three figures. It only lasts a few seconds before the call ends, but it's long enough to regain her composure.

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 16: Spectre – part 4

The turian turns around as the holograms blink off and gives a wry smile, "Ah, I was hoping you would arrive first…"

Jane raises her eyebrow as the turian speaks English, only the second turian she's met that does. Her lowering into a turian bow of equals causes the turian to trail off.

Speaking in Hierarchy turian, Jane says, "Greetings Lone Hunter, this Hunter is known as Jane Shepherd." While she's talking, she specifically uses the version of Hunter that means protector and provider.

Curiously, the turian returns the bow, "Greetings Hunter Shepherd, this Hunter is known as Nihlus." Nihlus on the other hand, uses the word that means bringer of justice, "It is a pleasant surprise to find a human that is fluent with our ways."

Jane flashes her teeth at him, "Good neighbours learn all they can about each other. Friends so they can help. Enemies, well…"

Nihlus flashes his teeth back, "Very turian of you."

Jane chuckles as she returns to English, "I would much rather be friends than enemies, it's far too easy to destroy, so it's better to build instead."

Nihlus's crest flares with surprise, as the phrase seems familiar for some reason. Instead, he returns to English himself, "It seems to be a very wise way to live."

Jane nods, "I had some very good teachers."

Nihlus inclines his head, "Thank you for showing some of your vantage point. Before you greeted me, I was going to ask what you think of Eden Prime."

Jane looks at him curiously, "And now?"

"Now I wish to know how you know of our ways."

Jane switches back to turian, "My nest mother and her partner taught me their ways at the same time they taught me. My nest mother then adopted me into her clan before we left Mindoir."

"I see, does your nest mother have a name?"

"She does, she is Juvetana. Her partner no longer needs his name though."

"It is a sad time when we lose those who raise us." Jane looks up at Nihlus in surprise, "Don't be so surprised. Not all clans practice stoicism to the same extent as others."

Jane nods, "Thank you for expanding my horizons."

Behind Jane, the door to the room swishes open and Captain Anderson walks in, "I think it's time to let the Commander know why she's here."

Jane smoothly steps to one side, both to be polite to the Captain, and also to have the best view if either of them try something. Nihlus chitters his mandibles as he recognises the move.

Nodding at Anderson, in a very human gesture, Nihlus says, "Perhaps you're right. It is no mistake that I am on this ship at this time. In ideal circumstances the Normandy would have still been going through tests at Shaanxi. However, circumstances arose that required a good excuse to head to Eden Prime."

Anderson shakes his head, "What the spectre is dancing around is the fact that scientists found a Prothean Beacon buried on Eden Prime:2. They've quarantined the area, but we need to get it off planet as quickly as possible, so we can avoid another Mars. Once we have it on board, we will be heading straight for the citadel, and the area will be scorched. We have also put your name forward to be the first human spectre, and Nihlus is here to evaluate you for that."

Jane opens her mouth, "Who…"

Over the intercom, Joker's voice interrupts their conversation, "Sorry to interrupt you captain, but there is an issue on planet. I think you need to see this."

Before anyone can say anything, Joker has disconnected and a video starts to play on the screen at the back of the room.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

"Mayday, Mayday, if anyone can hear us, we are under heavy…"

The sound of gunfire cuts the voice off as the camera falls to one side. A second later a woman in red and white garrison armour runs into view and leans down to check on the fallen person.

A moment later, she looks back the way she came as energy bolts fly past her, and raises her rifle to return fire.

Silently, Anderson, Jane, and Nihlus watch as more humans in patrol armour come into view in a fighting retreat.

Around 30 seconds into the footage one of the humans trips over the body, causing the camera to swing wildly before it looks at the sky. In the middle of a cloud of lightning, squid like tentacles reach down towards the earth, like a giant hand.

At this point, Jane hisses, "Sleeper!"

Anderson looks at Jane sharply, "Are you sure?"

Jane shakes her head, "No, it's not quite right, but it's similar to the histories on earth."

As Anderson walks over to a console, Nihlus looks between them, trying to understand the context of that one word.

Activating the internal comm, Anderson asks, "Joker, how far away are we?"

Joker responds, "I can get us there in 10 minutes if I push it."

Anderson nods sharply, "Do it, and drop a beacon when we hit orbit."

"Aye, Aye Captain." Joker leaves intercom, and the ship has the very slight lurch as the gravity generators compensate for the change in acceleration.

Anderson turns towards Jane, "Commander, this mission just got a lot more complicated. Suit up and meet your squad in the vehicle bay. You've got N4 Kaiden and N1 Jenkins as your squad."

Before turning around, Jane asks, "Is the ship fitted with an emergency portkey programmer?"

Anderson nods, "It is."

Jane nods and jogs out of the comms room, at the same time as she pings both Kaiden and Jenkins, "Kaiden, Jenkins, suit up, we're dropping in hot in 9 minutes."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once Jane's safely in her cabinet, the soothing clack, clack, clack, of her lace making fills the air. Taking a moment she stares accusingly at the work that's half floating out of her pouch before deliberately pulling the rest of the work and threads out and floating them over a side table.

A simple thought and click of her fingers has her armour switched onto her body from the stand in one of the bedrooms.

With her prep now done, she concentrates on the memory from the comms room, using her occlumency to ensure it's as crisp and isolated as possible. Once she's sure the Yewglisten Lore Keeper would call it a poor attempt, Jane says, "Hela Goddess of Death and Darkness."

Almost immediately Petunia's presence can be felt in her mind. A few seconds later she has Petunia's undivided attention.

Pushing the presence to the memory she's holding, results in a feeling of grim acceptance.

After a couple of minutes Petunia says, "If it shows any sign of trying to dig into the planet, drop your cover and hold it off for as long as you can. Until then, if you get a moment slip into another realm and see if it's still there."

Jane nods, "I will, but I'm going to be on tacmap. Can you contact anyone on Eden:3 to check it out?"

"We don't have that many marked, and Eden is only 10 years old, so there's no sidhe clan there either. I'm heading down to Central Command to order a SAAS to be redeployed to the planet."

Jane nods grimly as Petunia's presence falls away, before retrieving her bronze sword from its stand. Then, very deliberately, she places her lace making on a book table before leaving the cabinet.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane gets to the hanger bay with four minutes to spare and marches over to the marines, where Kaiden and Jenkins both still getting into their armour. While she's moving, she lets her magic permeate the area as a fine mist covering around 20m [66ft] in any direction. It's not as good as her teachers can do at such a low level of magic, but it should help on the ground.

As she gets closer, she can't help letting out a groan when she sees that both of them are wearing body sleeves rather than isolation suits.

"Kaiden, Jenkins."

Jane scowls as both of them come to attention and salute her, "At ease. Arming up is more important than protocol right now."

At her words both of them continue to put on their armour, "The mission is simple. Locate and extract. There is a prothean artifact somewhere on the surface. We need to get from our drop point to the artifact and prep it for removal. There are hostiles down there, and they've already encountered the local garrison. Pick your equipment appropriately."

Kaiden nods as he puts on a half face helmet with a plexiglass cover over his eyes, "Understood ma'am."

"As a side note, why are you wearing that trash?"

Kaiden walks over to the weapons table, and retrieves a sniper, standard rifle, shotgun, and a side arm. All of which collapse down to sit neatly on his back, fastened by magplates, "It's standard N series armour Ma'am."

Jane shakes her head, "Not in the Systems Alliance it isn't, that's garrison armour. Only good against small arms fire and rioters. Next time pick something that needs an isolation suit. That goes for all of you."

A chorus of "Yes Ma'am!" comes from the soldiers.

"I take it that means you've never used an emergency portkey programmer either?"

Kaiden shakes his head, "No Ma'am."

"Kaiden, Jenkins, hand me your N tags, I'll program them this time."

As she walks over to the programmer, Jane feels Nihlus pull away from the dark corner he's been hiding in.

Pausing in her stride, Jane stops and looks directly at him, "Are you hunting with us?"

Nihlus' mandibles hang low in a smile, "No, I hunt better alone."

At that moment, Joker dips the Normandy low and opens the central part of the hanger ramp as Nihlus jumps out.

Jane sags a little in disappointment as she completes programming the emergency portkeys.

As she gets back to Kaiden and Jenkins, Jenkins looks at her in awe, "How did you do that Commander?"

Jane shakes her head, "I'll explain how to use the programmer later."

Jenkins shakes his head, "No I mean speak turian."

Jane sighs, "You mean Hierarchy turian. Lots and lots of practice. I've been learning since I was 12, and I still struggle with the dual tones. Here's your tags, they will go off automatically if they don't detect a heartbeat, otherwise just snap it and it will go off two seconds later."

As the ramp opens Jane shouts, "Step smart, this is our stop!"

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once the three of them are groundside, and the Normandy is climbing for geosynchronous orbit, Kaiden looks around, "Area's secure sir."

Jane nods, "Find cover, I'll set the tacmap up."

A few seconds later, Jane curses, "Well this is a balls up. We have no ship tacnet. I'm setting up a local tacnet, the last known location of the artifact will be marked with an amber cross. Or a large amber arrow in the distance if you're using AR. Jenkins take point and tag any enemies you encounter, Kaiden cover…"

Jenkins interrupts, "Sorry sir, I don't have a tacmap interface."

Jane bashes the back of her head gently against the boulder she's hiding behind, "Kaiden?"

Kaiden replies, "Same sir!"

"Fine! Change of plans, I'll take point. Kaiden, you're on overwatch while Jenkins seeks cover, then switch. Kaiden, is there anything you bring to the table as an N4?"

While Kaiden is replying, Jane lopes over to a boulder at the top of a rise, "I'm an L2 Biotic, I can throw things and people, and raise a barrier to protect me from incoming fire. I'm also trained in electronic countermeasures."

As Jenkins is moving towards a new overwatch position, Jane asks, "What are electronic countermeasures?"

Jane and Kaiden both move up to new positions, with Kaiden passing Jane once she's got point, "Hacking mostly, with a bit more training I'll be able to affect battlefield opponents. But at the moment, I need a few minutes to use my omnitool to bypass most locks."

Jane takes her eyes off of Jenkins for a moment to look at Kaiden incredulously. At that moment, Jenkins spots something lying on the ground, "Commander, there's an artifact here."

Jane spins back round to see Jenkins ignoring cover to walk over to the artifact, "Jenkins! Take cover before…"

The sound of energy weapons fire drowns out her voice, and Jenkins gets hit three time, one above the other, and the last hits his face and burns straight through the visor.

Swearing, Jane brings up her SA issue rifle and fires a burst of slugs in the direction the shots came from as she moves towards the cover Jenkins was supposed to be using.

"Kaiden! Cover me!"

Just before she gets to cover, her field covers something that would have a clear line of sight over the last couple of meters. Pushing off her backfoot, Jane turns her next step into a long, low roll, and energy blasts pass through the air where her torso should have been.

Coming up from behind the boulder, Jane uses her field to help her pre-aim, and empties her magazine into the small floating platform she could feel. A simple thought switches the empty magazine with a full one, and she tags the other two platforms, she can now see, with her omni-tool.

"Kaiden, move up, I'm on overwatch."

When she pops up to fire a burst at the closer of two platforms, Jane notes that Jenkins body has disappeared.

Once Kaiden has finished moving up, the last two platforms fall under the withering fire from two directions.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Cautiously, Jane and Kaiden move to a position that has a good view of the surrounding area.

"Normandy, do you copy?"

Jokers crackling voice comes back, "Affirmative Commander."

"Do we have orbital tacnet?"

Andersons voice comes over, "Negative Commander, there's heavy interference. You're on your own down there."

Jane growls before she responds, "Is there anything you can give me? And can you ID these floating platforms?"

A few seconds pass and Anderson's voice comes back, "We're burst transmitting a topographical map, with material compositions. IHA databases say that they were Geth platforms."

Jane shakes her head, "What on earth are they. Don't answer that, just send me the FoF data when you can."

Joker says, "Affirmative Commander."

Jane omni-tool starts to render a new tacmap, integrating it with the data she's already recorded. As it does, Jane says, "Kaiden, you have an omni-tool?"

Kaiden nods from his position on the other side of cover, "I do Commander."

"Call me Jane, it's quicker. Why aren't you using it for tacnet?"

"I don't have that software sir."

"Right. Overwatch while I grab the package, then I'll take over and you can install. Once you've done that, connect it to your overhead, and it will start sending telemetry to the tacnet."

"Understood."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

With two omni-tools feeding the tacnet, Jane is more comfortable moving forward at a faster, and slightly less cautious pace. Trusting in both omni-tools to tag mobile things with grey marker.

After a few more encounters with the floating drones, Jane's omnitool is starting to build up a profile to automatically tag them as enemies.

After one such encounter, a red message flashes on her HUD – Tacnet update incoming – so she takes cover with Kaiden.

"Kaiden, what's those blue bars that appear above red and blue marks?"

Kaiden looks at Jane incredulously, "They're mass effect shields, I thought you'd know that."

Jane shakes her head slightly, "Negative Lt, the first time I came across them was on Elysium. I went dark shortly after that. I don't think they play well with dive ships, so the SA hasn't included them in our briefings. What's the short of them?"

"They're computer-controlled emitters that deflect incoming projectiles with a carefully controlled mass effect field. Our armour contains limited capacitors, and the shield will automatically shut down once they're empty."

Jane's response is cut off by her HUD reading – FoF records updated – "Ok, let's move, I'm setting the Geth to default to hostile. We've got a lot of ground to cover."

With active FoF helping them, Jane leads Kaiden at a punishing pace, as they cover the next kilometre in just under 30 minutes. More roving groups of recon drones are dealt with easily with the automatic tagging, as they don't seek cover.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As the two of them reach the top of a low hill, Jane shakes her head as they spot the bodies of some soldiers on the ground halfway towards what appears to be a circular concrete wall in the valley. Even from their vantage points, the metal supports holding back the surrounding earth from the dig are clearly visible. On the other side of the valley the ground is bare, compacted dirt with a some prefab buildings on top of a rise on the other hill.

Kaiden observes, "Looks like a lot of digging down there."

Jane nods, "Probably more geth too. Watch your cover, I don't want to lose any more men on this mission. One is already far too many."

As they're watching, a group of drones becomes visible as they're making their way up the hill, before disappearing behind a stand of trees. Off to one side the sound of gunfire suddenly becomes audible, as though the person has just crested a hill, or moved from behind a solid barrier.

"Kaiden, overwatch. I'm going down to flank the drones. Watch your fire as there may be a friendly."

Kaiden nods as he pulls the sniper rifle off his back and looks at the stand of trees, ready to fire if any of the drones show their shiny white domes.

At the same time, Jane cautiously makes her way down the hill to the trees. Once she's under cover, she draws her sword and fades into a disillusionment. Guided by her field, and the years spent training, three swift strikes later see the drones fall to the ground without even getting a shot off.

Over her comms, Jane says, "Clear, watch for our friendly."

Kaiden confirms, "Roger."

They don't have to wait long for the frantic gunfire to come closer. Suddenly a soldier in white and red armour breaks cover around some trees and runs across a stretch of open ground to take cover behind a boulder. At the same time, Jane and Kaiden both open up on the three drones that were pursuing them.

Caught in the crossfire, the drones go down quickly, and the soldier sags in exhaustion.

Over her comm, Jane calmly says, "Kaiden move up, I'm on overwatch."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Once Kaiden has made it to the soldiers cover, Jane makes her way over too. And pulls out a water bulb.

When the exhausted soldier speaks, it becomes clear it's a woman, "Oh thank the gods, I thought, I was going to, die here."

Jane nods, "Drink the water slowly, you've got plenty of time. Do you have a name?"

The woman sucks greedily at the stem of the bulb, "Gunnery Chief, Ashley Williams. Eden Prime, N-corps."

Jane frowns, "Lt Colonel Jane Shepherd, that's Lt Kaiden Alenko, Local garrison?"

Ashley nods, "Yes sir. I followed in, my grandfather's footsteps."

Jane puts a hand on Ashley's shoulder, "Call me Jane while in the field. I'm afraid you're now part of the PS-N. Do you have an emergency portkey?"

Ashley shakes her head, "Sorry, I don't. We never, expected to, need them, here."

Jane nods, "Sitrep."

As Ashley's breathing starts to calm down she says, "Radio is shot, though my HUD is still working. I have an eezo rifle, I scavenged from one of the guards, the IHA scientist brought with them."

Jane interrupts, "IHA scientist?"

Ashley nods, "They were brought in a couple of days, after they found the ruins. It was on the local news."

Jane looks skyward, "Tell me they were at least wearing isolation suits."

Ashley shakes her head, "Not when I took the rifle."

Jane curses and sends an urgent message to Alliance command through the aethernet with the last 30 seconds of conversation. "Sorry about that Ashley, it was unprofessional. Kaiden, what's your opinion on the rifle?"

Kaiden holds out his hand, "May I?"

Ashley nods and hands over the rifle. After a minute Kaiden shakes his head, "It's a Mark I Elanus, not the worst on the market, but down there."

Jane nods and pulls out her scribing tool, "Where's the heatsink?"

Kaiden just looks at Jane as he points to the large slab of copper on the bottom of the rifle, "Right here."

Jane nods and takes the rifle. A couple of minutes later she finishes scribing the cooling array, and touches the magicite flake to the rune to activate it.

Handing the rifle back to Ashley, Jane says, "Here, you shouldn't need to worry about overheating for a week."

Kaiden shakes his head, "Can you do that to mine?"

Jane nods, "I could, bear in mind that in a week the eezo in the rifle will be gone, and it will be a very expensive paperweight."

Kaiden pulls his rifle back, "I think I can deal then."

Jane nods, "If we come across another one of those, then I'll scribe it for you too. Ashley, you good to go?"

Ashley nods, "I can walk sir."

Jane take a couple of seconds to register Ashley in her squad before they move out to the dig site.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

They make it down the hill without incident, and Jane stops when she sees some red dots appear on her HUD. Switching off her external speakers, Jane says, "We have enemies in ambush positions. Silent communications only. I'm going to head around to the right to flank them, you two get ready to move in on my mark."

As Jane moves off, Kaiden points at Ashley, some cover, and then gives the hand sign for overwatch.

Ashley nods as Kaiden gives the hand signs for a sniper is behind that cover. Returning an I understand hand sign, she moves quickly behind some cover that will get her out of the line of fire, and allow her to cover that area.

At the same time Kaiden moves to the same cover from the other direction, in order to cover the dig and Ashley's position.

When the two meet behind the same boulder, Kaiden quickly signs that she should be providing overwatch from there.

Ashley nods, and hand signs that she's watching for the sniper from here.

After a couple more exchanges, Ashley hisses, "I know there's a bloody sniper over there, that's why I'm here."

At that point, the three red dots leave their ambush positions and start to converge on their location. Seeing the movement in their HUD's, they both look alarmed and take position at either side of the boulder to return fire, only pausing for a moment when they see the humanoid forms of the geth.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As she's almost in position, Jane swears under her breath as the three dots suddenly move out of their cover towards the two blue dots on her HUD.

At the sounds of gunfire she gives up any pretence of stealth and moves through the arch in front of her to provide cover. Deliberately she ignores the three spikes on the far side of the dig in order to concentrate on the enemy. While it's not a perfect turn around, the flanking manoeuvre does work out well, as she catches the three humanoid geth unawares.

Once they're all dead, Jane allows herself to look at the grizzly sight of impaled civilians.

"Ashley, Kaiden, all clear, proceed into the dig site."

As they come in, Jane covers the far side with her rifle.

As she comes in Ashley looks directly at the centre and refuses to even look at the spikes, "The artifact was here last time I saw it."

Jane groans, "When was that?"

Ashley shrugs, "Last night?"

"Do you know of anyone that's seen the artifact and has returned to Eden:3 without quarantine procedures?"

Ashley nods, "Um, yes, I think the patrol before mine did."

Jane facepalms hard, "What were your leaders thinking?" Activating her comm, Jane calls, "Normandy, we have a situation."

Joker responds, "Go ahead Commander."

"We've come across one of the garrison guards, one Gunnery Chief Williams. Local designation. She's just informed me that the garrison patrol before hers may have gone to Eden:3 after seeing the Prothean artifact. You need to let planetary security know that they may have a PS outbreak and quarantine procedures are needed."

"I'll pass it onto the Captain Commander."

Jane shakes her head, and sends a message to Alliance Command with the recording of both conversations.

With the urgent matters taken care of, Jane joins Kaiden as he looks at the spikes with morbid fascination. Raising her hand, she starts to scan the spikes.

Kaiden shakes his head, "What's the point of this?"

Grimly Jane says, "Intimidation mainly. There's also something going on under the skin according to my omni-tool, that's why they're twitching. Whatever it is, I think it's going to be for the scientists to have nightmares about, not me."

Kaiden shakes his head, "Why are you scanning it then?"

Jane simply says, "FoF"

When her omni-tool beeps, Jane says, "Come on, let's get out of here."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

On the other side of the dig is a packed dirt road leading up an artificial plateau. As they get closer to the top of the road, a number of spikes slowly start to come into view. As they do, Ashley starts to hyperventilate.

Jane stops, "Kaiden, keep watch."

Turning to Ashley, Jane holds one arm, "Ashley, how are you feeling?"

Ashley shakes her head, "Scared sir. What if there's people I know on those thing?"

Gently, Jane says, "Ashley, look at me. Look at me. If anyone you know is on those things, you say a prayer to Hela, goddess of death and darkness. Then you take that grief and hold it in your fist and use it to fight back against the geth that did it. After that, we hold a wake and you tell us all about their life. What you don't do is allow it to make you hesitate. Because if you hesitate, then you die. If you die, who will protect your family and friends?"

Ashley gives a small nod as she sniffs.

"Do you think you can go on, or do you need a calming draft?"

Ashley swallows hard, "I think I can go on."

Jane nods, "Good girl. Take over from Kaiden."

As Kaiden comes back down the path, Jane asks, "How are you holding up?"

Kaiden shakes his head, "It's bad sir, it's the worst thing I've ever seen."

"You seen action before Lt?"

Kaiden nods, "Just pirates on routine patrols."

Jane nods, "Let me know if you start having problems, and keep an eye on Ashley, as I think she's as green as they come."

Kaiden nods, "Understood sir."

Jane walks up to Ashley, "I'll take point, Ashley, you're on rear guard. Kaiden, use your omni-tool to keep an eye on the map. Ashley, you're local, where's the artifact likely to have been taken, and where's the base camp for the dig?"

Ashley shakes her head, "Base camp should be just up here. There's a small spaceport with a transport hub about three miles in that direction."

"Kaiden, bring up the map, Ashley point it out on the map."

As he does, Jane walks both of them through how to set a point of interest [POI] on the tacmap, as well as how to set personal waypoints and target priorities.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As they crest the top of the hill, Jane looks over at the small scattering of spike she can see. As she does, her eyes are drawn further towards the POI, and what seems like a veritable forest of spikes between here and there.

Tearing her eyes away from the sight, Jane looks around the camp and the signs of ruined equipment everywhere. Even the diggers have been broken beyond repair, the complicated runes exposed and defaced.

Suddenly, a flash of green light catches her attention, and Jane holds up her hand to stop everyone, "Ashley, does that look like an active door lock to you?"

Ashley nods, "I think that was the office. At least it's where we met the bodyguard that showed us the map."

Jane nods, "Ok, we're checking it out. Ashley, check your own ID first, see if you still have access."

As Jane covers their six, Ashley takes out her id and places it against the lock, "Nothing."

Kaiden volunteers, "I might be able to crack it."

Jane smiles, "How familiar are you with magitech?"

Kaiden frowns, "That looks like a normal lock to me."

Jane shakes her head, as she pulls a cable out of her pouch and attaches it to her omni-tool, "It's a normal lock for here. And we use magitech for most things so they can be used anywhere, not just Realm:2."

While her omni-tool is rebooting in a secure mode, Jane fiddles under the lock to find the administrative port, and plugs the cable in.

Kaiden shakes his head, "Why would they look the same though?"

Once the omni-tool has verified ownership, Jane selects one of the many highly classified programs and sets it to automatically start hacking the lock, "The IHA was formed from humans that left the Systems Alliance because of the promises by an organization called Human First. Those humans took their own stuff with them, so why wouldn't they make new things to look the same."

The lock flashes green, and then clicks, "Kaiden try the door while I'm stowing my gear."

Kaiden steps forward and twists the knob before pushing the door forward. While the door moves a little, it doesn't clear the doorjam before there's a sound of metal hitting wood.

Leaning his shoulder into the door, it still doesn't budge, so he calls, "Ho in there, I'm with the Systems Alliance."

From inside a woman's voice answers, "Give us a moment to move the cabinet."

The three of them step back from the door, and several seconds later it's opened by a woman in a lab coat.

Taking a step forward, Jane looks up at her, "I'm Commander Shepherd, are you the only survivor?"

The woman shakes her head, "No, I'm Dr Williams. My assistant Dr Manuel is also here. Are you here to rescue us?"

Jane shakes her head, "Not at the moment, we need to retrieve the Prothean Artifact."

Williams shakes her head, "Mars protocol?"

"I don't know yet. That's down to the Assembly to decide. Do you know where the beacon would be taken?"

Williams nods, "It was taken to the spaceport this morning after we evacuated it. There should only be volunteers there now. We were left behind to secure the camp before going into quarantine."

Jane sighs, "Do you know anything about garrison troops being allowed to return home." At the scientists shocked expression Jane adds, "I guess not. How about the IHA scientist?"

Williams nods, "He was an acquaintance of the Mayor, and had been on prothean digs before."

"Was?"

Williams points at the spikes, "He was further away when the attack happened, he didn't make it to the cabin. One of his guards did, but they died of their wounds."

"I'm sorry you had to see that. This may be a big ask, but do you mind if I inspect the body?"

Williams shakes her head as she steps out of the way, "No, go ahead."

Jane nods and walks in. As she does, the assistant, Manuel, notices her and bows as he says, "Darkness, we've brought darkness down on all of us."

Jane crouches down in front of him, "Manuel, are you ok?"

Manuel ignores her question, "I've seen it, I've seen the growing darkness consuming all life across the galaxy."

Concerned, Jane looks up at Dr Williams, "Does he have a touch of seer's blood?"

Williams shakes her head, "No, he's been like this since we found the beacon. He was the first scientist on site in fact."

Jane shakes her head, "That's not good. When you're extracted, or you're ground zero of Mars Protocol, make sure that someone knows he needs to talk to a seer. Maybe they can see what he's seeing and get something intelligible out of it."

The doctor nods, "I will. Is there anything I can do in the meantime?"

Jane nods, "Do you have any atmospheric samplers lying around?"

"We do, they've been packed away though, and they were calibrated for rock dust."

"See if you can recalibrate them for viruses. When rescue comes it will be helpful if they can easily plot out where the virus has spread to."

Williams nods, "I'll do that if you can keep an eye on us while I unpack them."

Jane nods, "Kaiden, check the body for anything we can use. Ashley take the dig entry, I'll take the other side."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

10 minutes later, Jane has an eezo sniper rifle while Kaiden has a runed rifle.

Just before Dr Williams closes and barricades the door again, Jane calls out, "Don't forget you can blood the cabinet!"

With that the three of them set off towards the spaceport.

As they stumble across the uneven field, following the deep wheel tracks as best as they can while weaving around the impaled bodies, Ashley whispers, "I think these are the farmers."

Curiously, Jane asks, "Why do you think that?"

"Three o'clock, in the distance, that's the farm compound."

Jane lowers her eyes in respect, and inadvertently walks closer to a spike than she really wants to. As she does, the particulate monitor for her suit flashes red in the corner. Jane immediately signals a freeze, and dives into the alert.

A moment later she calls the Normandy, "Normandy, do you read me?"

Anderson answers, "We're here Commander."

"I'm starting to upload our tacnet and suit data. Be aware that I will be uploading real time data from here on out."

"What's going on Commander."

"I'm picking up elevated nano-scale particles around the impaled victims. Whatever they are, they're almost certainly not good news for the planet."

"Understood. I'm watching your live feed, is that body supposed to be moving?"

Jane looks up, expecting the slight twitching they've been seeing. Instead the spike starts to retract as the body's limbs start flailing around.

"Kaiden, Ashley, weapons hot and watch your six. Normandy I need you to start building a FoF for these things."

The three of them start to pour fire into the spire, and flares of blue light appear in the air, indicating a mass effect shield. This lasts just long enough for the corpse to stagger to its feet.

As they drop the corpse under a hail of fire, Kaiden nervously says, "Ah, Commander, the other bodies are starting to move."

Jane groans, "This day just keeps getting better and better. Ashley, you're on point, Kaiden, back her up. I've got the six. Weapons free, if it moves kill it, and head for the spaceport."

With the cooling runes on their weapons, Kaiden and Ashley make quick work of the corpses in front of them. At the same time Jane spends most of her time walking backwards while firing controlled bursts from her rifle, and changing the magazine every few seconds rather than wait for them to refill.

Despite this, the corpses soak up enough fire that the occasional one is able to get into close quarters combat [CQC] enough to get a few hits in on all of them.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

After several minutes of slow walking, they finally clear the last of the spikes and gun down the few corpses that try to follow them.

Once they're sure they're not being pursued, Jane calls a halt.

"Sit rep everyone, how are you?"

Ashley looks at a tear in her elbow joint, "A bit roughed up, but otherwise alright."

Kaiden nods, "Nothing life threatening here."

Jane nods, "Kaiden, do you have any of the medigel I was told about?"

Kaiden nods, "I do."

"Both of you use some while I keep watch. I'm a-ok by the way, nothing got through my suit."

While they're applying the medigel, Ashley hesitantly asks, "Um, Jane, why aren't you freaking out?"

"I'm an N7. I know it's not a complete answer, but the only other thing I can say is that I have seen Histories from those who have suffered under the worst humanity has to offer. We have a lot more freedom than other classifications, and the Brass wants to make damned sure we know what we're fighting for."

"I'm sorry I asked."

Jane shakes her head as her eyes rove the horizon, "Don't be. We had to study the events before we were given the histories. I already knew what I was fighting for, and they just cemented my opinions."

Kaiden asks, "So what are you fighting for?"

"A galaxy that is free from bigotry, slavery, and discrimination. I'm fighting to protect, not to avenge. To build, not tear down. I don't want anyone else to go through the things I've been through, so that's why I fight. If you have time to talk, we have time to walk."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

With clear visibility, it only takes the group 20 minutes traverse the 1½km between their rest point and the spaceport. As they climb the small, manmade hill that protects the surrounding farms from the sounds of space craft coming and going. Signals them to crouch.

Crawling their way to the summit, Jane unfolds the sniper rifle and uses the scope to look over the spaceport. When she spots Nihlus creeping past some crates Jane opens a private comm channel to him, "Greetings Lone Hunter, it seems I have the High Ground."

Nihlus laughs softly with his mandibles as he looks around, "It seems you do Young Hunter. You must be very high up, as I can't see your ground."

Jane chuckles back, "Not so high, just better eyes than you."

Nilhus turns back to a loading area and walks up the stairs, out of sight of Jane, "I see, well done on only being slightly behind me… That's odd, what's he doing here?... I'll speak to you later Young Hunter."

Jane's radio then goes dead as he switches channels.

While Jane keeps searching for any sign of Nihlus, she opens comms to the squad again, "Kaiden, find Nihlus, something's going on. Ashley, see if you can plot a fast route to the spaceport if he needs backup."

As they're working, the sound of a single gunshot echoes around the spaceport.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Without waiting, Jane smoothly stands up and starts walking forward, "We're moving out, double time. There's a man down and we have minutes to reach them and get them under stasis. We're going in fast and hard. Kaiden, keep trying to find the VIP's comm. Ashley, watch out six, don't worry about being heard, if there's trouble I want to know."

Breaking into a fast jog, Jane easily runs down the hill on the other side as she stows the sniper rifle in her pouch. Before she pulls out her normal rifle, she sets the omni-tool to automatically tag spires as enemy targets. As they hit the edge of the spaceport, Jane's rifle starts to unerringly find geth targets as they pass into her field. Behind her, Kaiden, using his side arm, and Ashley both struggle to keep up and fire their weapons with any sort of accuracy. However, it is enough to clear a path to a storage area.

As Jane leads them over to a crate for cover, Kaiden shouts, "I've got it, above us and to the left about 14 degrees."

Jane nods as she is peripherally aware of Ashley wheezing like a pair of old bellow. Spotting a set of stairs, she shouts, "Ashley, take point up the stairs, Kaiden you're next, I've got the rear."

Together, the three of them move from crate to crate to the stairs, and Jane waits as Ashley and Kaiden clear the line of fire. Her own rifle letting out a steady beat as she fires burst after burst at even the smallest targets as magic unconsciously infuses her body in the sidhe way. Once she sees that Kaiden and Ashley are clear, Jane walks backwards up the stairs as none of the incoming fire even touches her.

As Jane clears the top of the stairs she can see Ashley jumping over a waist high crate to get cover. She's not sure if she's seen it with her eyes or her field. Once Ashley's on overwatch, Jane turns and runs to Kaiden's side as he kneels down beside Nihlus' body.

"I'm sorry Commander, he's dead."

As she draws her stylus, Jane notices that the holographic display on Kaiden's omnitool is fuzzing, so she lowers her magic again. "Is the wound through the brain case?" Kaiden shakes his head, so she continues "Then we still have time. Cover me while I scribe a stasis array. And give me your emergency portkey."

Kaiden kneels beside her as she starts scribing, and lets off a constant stream of fire to cover their position, "My what?"

"The insignia I took and gave back to you."

Given how often she's had to scribe this array, Jane finishes carving it into Nihlus' armour in only 30 seconds. Touching the back of the stylus to the charging rune, she activates the array, and pushes enough magic into it to last a week.

As Kaiden hasn't given her his insignia, Jane reaches up and pulls it off his chest before snapping it and dropping it on Nihlus.

Taking a step away from the body, Jane comms the Normandy while she joins in with shooting at the geth hiding on the stairs.

"Normandy, incoming emergency porkey. Nihlus is under stasis, I repeat, Nihlus is under stasis. He requires Warlock or Magi healing. Do not disrobe his armour."

As the body disappears behind her, Ashley calls out, "Jane I have a non-com back here."

"Make sure they stay down, you're on overwatch! Kaiden, we're pulling the plug, head for the container to my left and work your way around. Once you're in place I'll take the stairs. Oh, and if you can throw something down the stairs that would be even better."

With the aid of Kaiden's biotics, the three of them are able to clear the stairs, and then eliminate the 10 or so geth and animated corpses they charged past.

Though the firefight takes long enough for a squid like spacecraft to take off from further in the spaceport. A sight that causes Jane to breathe a sigh of relief, as no Sleeper would ever need to achieve orbit.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

With the area now secure, and an elevated position to watch from, Jane slowly becomes aware of the suit breaches her HUD is screaming about.

"Ok everyone, we're taking 30, 10 minutes on overwatch each. Kaiden, I could use some medigel, check yourself and Ashley too."

As Kaiden and Ashley move to their assigned tasks, the non-com tries to sneak away. As he gets to the stairs, Jane's hand lands on his shoulder, "Where do you think you're going?"

The survivor squeaks, "I was going home."

Jane nods, "And where is home?"

"Eden:3?"

Jane shakes her head, "No you're not, you're under quarantine until you test PS negative in 6 months."

The man tries to escapes Jane's grip, "But my family."

Jane has no pity in her voice as she says, "You should have thought of that before you volunteered to work here without an isolation suit."

The man shakes his head, "I didn't volunteer, I came into work at 5 like normal."

Jane stares at him, "And?"

"I, ah, may have hidden behind those crates to catch 40 winks." As Jane continues to stare, he amends that to, "Ok, maybe I didn't wake up until those things came into the port and killed everyone else. It was horrible."

"Did you see or hear anything before we arrived?"

The man nods, "I did, I don't know what they said though. But the other turian shot the one that was on the floor."

Jane looks at him suspiciously, then turns his head from side to side. Carefully she pulls out an ear bud translator and holds it up, "You don't know what they said?"

The man shakes his head, "I don't have the full language installed. I did hear one of the call the other Saren, while the other was called Nihlus."

"Can you describe Saren?"

The man shrugs, "He's a turian with silvery skin and he had metal bars instead of the plates the other one had over his jaws."

Jane sighs, "Where would they have taken the Prothean Artifact?"

The man shrugs, "Probably Pad 5, as it's the only one that this bay serves. There's a monorail about a quarter of a mile that way."

Jane taps the translator to her omni-tool and reads the ownership information, "Powell, I suggest you make yourself scarce, but do not go to Eden:3. Unless you fancy facing murder charges. I'm sure some Alliance personnel will be along to debrief you properly."

After she hands the translator back, Powell runs off.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

At the end of the half hour, their wounds have been patched up as well as they can be in the field, and Kaiden found a medical supply crate filled with medigel.

Once Kaiden refilled his supply, Jane took some of the cartridges and put them in her pouch.

"Kaiden, Ashley, we're off to the monorail. I know you're both tired, and we've had a hard fight, but you need to stay alert."

Kaiden and Ashley both nod, though Jane can see the fatigue in their motions and alertness.

During the walk to monorail, Ashley almost gets shot by a geth drone, but Jane's able to shove her out of the way as Kaiden belatedly returns fire.

After that, their alertness levels return to what they were before the spaceport. Something that Jane is thankful for, as the monorail is occupied by 10 geth, and they have to go carriage by carriage to clear them out.

Halfway down the train, Kaiden shouts, "Jane, why don't you throw a grenade?"

Jane calls back, "I don't have any, they don't play well around magic. Could you throw one of those gas canisters down the train instead?"

With the aid of a few ad hoc explosives, the trio make it to the front of the train and start it working.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As the train pulls into pad 5, Jane looks curiously at a tubular device sitting on the platform as a blue light flashes irregularly, "Kaiden, do you have any idea what that is?"

Kaiden's eyes widen, "That's an EZ bomb, and it's big enough to vaporise this platform and the train."

Jane looks around worriedly, "Eezo tech is more your forte than mine, can you disarm it?"

Kaiden nods, "I should be able to. Can I check on the trigger first in case there's more, and they're on a shared trigger?"

Jane nods, "Go ahead."

Almost a minute later Kaiden stands up from the bomb, "It's disarmed. But I'm getting confirmation pulses from for other locations. I don't think the trigger is anywhere near here though, but they have a backup timer that has 26 minutes left."

Jane looks up at the sky and pulls her sword from her bag, "Kaiden, give me your shotgun."

Kaiden eyes the sword incredulously and hands over the shotgun without a word.

Jane looks at the back of the shotgun carefully, "Does this use a heatsink, or does it need to be racked?"

Kaiden swallows hard, "Heatsink sir!"

Jane nods, "Kaiden, I've given you permission to set squad waypoints. Ashley, you're guarding Kaiden, I'm the vanguard, I'm trusting you to cover me while I'm open. Go!"

As the first waypoint comes up on her HUD, Jane ducks beneath the barrier on the stairs and swiftly makes her way to the top of the stairs to the bridge across the tracks, as Kaiden and Ashley try to match her pace.

Feeling something that isn't alive walking around Jane looks around the corner and nods as she spots a signal box on the walkway of the bridge. On the landing that runs along the track on the other side are a number of cargo containers left wherever they were when the spaceport was evacuated.

As the geth moves behind a cargo container on some sort of patrol route, Jane keeps low as she runs along the bridge to stand behind container. At the same time, Kaiden and Ashley reach the top of the stairs.

Using the polished edge of her sword, Jane checks around the corner of the container before signalling the other two to stay low and make their way to her.

As the geth comes back towards her, Jane waits until it's almost at the edge of the container before spinning out to decapitate the geth as the shotgun comes up in case that didn't kill it. As the head starts to leave the body Jane smoothly hooks the arm holding the shotgun underneath it and drags it with her into cover behind a buttress for the wall.

Now in cover, Jane deliberately huffs for breath as Kaiden and Ashley watch open mouthed. Looking back up, she signals to the waypoint, and Kaiden jumps before heading for the bomb.

Using the same tactics, the three of them are able to clear four of the five bombs before Jane is forced to use her shotgun against a geth with blue colouring.

This leads to a frantic firefight as the last few geth move to defend the bomb. Eventually, they are able to win through when Kaiden remembers he can throw stuff, and throws the previous bomb at the Geth.

With over 4 minutes left on the timer, Jane turns to Kaiden and Ashley, "Good job both of you."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As the three of them enter the launch pad proper, it's clear from the lightly scattered geth, that they have been pulling out, as every single one of them is so spread out, that they are sniper bait.

With a tired smile, Jane opens a comm to the Normandy, "Normandy, we have secured the objective."

 

[Darkphoenixlady]

Chapter 17: Spectre – part 5

Anderson contacts the ground crew, "Commander, the interference has cleared up now. ETA 20 minutes to pick up."

Jane sags with relief as she gets that news and the tacnet updates with red dots moving around back near the dig site. "Kaiden, Ashley, we have full tacnet, and pick up's on the way, ETA 20 minutes. Relax for a bit, you deserve it."

As Kaiden starts to wander around, Ashley stand in the middle of the landing pad looking a little lost, so Jane walks over to talk to her.

"Hey Ashley, you said you followed in your grandfather's footsteps?"

Ashley shakes her head, "Huh? What?... Oh. Yes. He served on Shaanxi during first contact."

Jane nods, "Your last name was Williams, any relation to the General Williams that authorised the snatch and grab?"

Ashley looks down and away, "That was my grandfather."

Jane puts a finger under Ashley's chin and lifts her head up, "Don't be ashamed of your grandfather. I happen to think he made the right call. Both with the initial snatch, and the subsequent quarantine decision."

Ashley shakes her head, "It's kind of you to say so, but he still got two people killed."

"Ashley, I know what the papers and some history books have said over the years. But you need to take those with a large grain of 'fuck nazi's'. I've seen the original reports and Histories, and I don't know of any responsible officer that would make a different call."

Ashley snorts, "'Fuck nazi's'? Really?"

Jane nods seriously, "Really, The Stellar Star and the Galactic Times are both run by people with close ties to Human First. The same organisation that started the rapid colonisation process outside Alliance space."

Out of the corner of her eye, Jane notices Kaiden get closer to the artifact until he crouches down just out of arms reach to look at something. As he leans forward to get a closer look, the device activates and catches him in some sort of force field.

Jane breaks into a run and leaps at him while reaching for her emergency portkey. Just before Jane collides with Kaiden, her hand whips away from the portkey as she remembers the Normandy won't be in that orbit.

The next thing she knows, her arms and legs are being pulled apart, and Kaiden is sprawled on the floor as she's turned to face the device.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

She reaches out to the Pillar of One and puts her hand down to join The One. As she does, she is one with the others, looking up at their worlds as thousands of black ships with tentacles at the rear attack the various worlds. Some, as few as three, others thousands.

Pulling her hand back, she separates from The One the familiar feeling of loss compounded by the news she's just received. Turning to one side she has a brief conversation with another that ends with briefly becoming one with the other.

As she does, she sees everything at once, and then the contact ends. After the contact, she has a long conversation with the other before turning back to the Pillar of One.

Reaching out her hand once more, she touches the Pillar of One, this time it's to add a destination and message of hope to the collective.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

With a groan, Jane reaches up and pushes the heel of her hands into her eyes. Abruptly, she sits up and looks at her hands in a panic, "Where's my suit!?"

From across the room, Dr Chakwas stands up from her chair, "Easy Commander, you're safe on the Normandy." Jane looks around wildly, as she pats her body, "Relax, your pouch is in the cupboard by the bed."

"Why am I here?"

"Kaiden and Ashley dragged you in when we landed. Apparently you saved Kaiden's life, as the beacon exploded. I've been told your omni-tool, armour, and undersuit were all damaged beyond repair. Probably the only reason you're still alive."

Jane shakes her head and clamps down on her occlumency. Like an ice water bucket being poured over her head, it brings Jane to instant alertness and clarity.

Now professional, Jane asks, "How's Lt Alenko?"

Chakwas looks at Jane curiously, "He suffered some burns and contusions, but a little medigel sorted that out."

"And Gunnery Chief Williams?"

"She was outside the initial blast area, and her armour prevented any other injuries."

Jane nods, "You said my omni-tool and undersuit were damaged beyond repair. Who made that call?"

"Commander, what's got into you?"

"An Alliance technique to suppress your emotions and allow you to think clearly when under stress. I asked you a question Doctor."

"The quartermaster, I sent them down for maintenance when they didn't respond."

Jane nods, "I saw him earlier, is he Alliance trained?"

Chakwas shakes her head, "No, he's part of the IHA complement."

Jane nods and takes her bag from the cupboard, "I see. In future Doctor, Systems Alliance equipment is blood bound to the owner, and will not work for anyone else. I will show you what to look for later. Right now I need to retrieve my equipment."

Chakwas steps in front of the door, "Now see here Commander, I have not yet done my final exams."

Jane looks at the Chakwas icily, "This is more important. You can accompany me, and ensure that I return to the sickbay for your final evaluations. However, my omni-tool is classified Systems Alliance equipment. It must be retrieved."

Chakwas doesn't resist as Jane pushes her out of the way of the door and marches through towards the lift.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Jane walks out of the lift still wearing her sickbay issue clothes. Looking to the right, she puts on her best, 'The shit's rolling down hill fast, are you at the bottom' smile as she stalks over to the desk that the quartermaster is standing behind.

"Quartermaster?"

The quartermaster looks up with a bored expression, "Yes Commander?"

"I want my personal blood bound I5 suit and faceplate returned to me. I also require that you hand over the Systems Alliance Issue omni-tool that is also blood bound to me."

The quartermaster shakes his head, "I'm afraid I can't do that commander."

Jane arches an eyebrow, "Oh, and why not?"

"As they were irreparable, they have been disposed of."

"Then you will get me the records of the people who authorised that disposal, as well as the details of the person who disposed of them. Additionally, I require the Systems Alliance certificate from the evaluator, showing that they are qualified to work on Systems Alliance magitech. I will then be arresting all of those people for improper destruction and disposal of classified military equipment, and sue them for the cost of replacing my personal I5 suit. Which would cost them 300k Citadel credits to replace, plus any additional damages the court awards."

Very confidently, the quartermaster shakes his head, "You can't do that, you don't have the authority."

Jane cocks her head to one side, "Don't I? I am N7 Commander Jane Shepherd, N8 candidate. Where does it say I don't have the authority?"

The quartermaster smirks, "I'm not a Systems Alliance citizen."

Jane's smile widens noticeably as she draws her sword from her bag, "I wanted you to say that. You are under arrest for international espionage and alleged destruction of Systems Alliance military property. You may comply and retrieve the equipment, or I will subdue you and search the stores myself."

As the man steps backwards, Jane adds, "Before you wonder if I can use this sword, I am an N8 candidate, and I have been trained by the N8 team. While I don't have the thousands of years experience they do, I have been deemed competent for a human."

From behind her, the sound of the shutters of the lift door opening is loud in the silence as everyone else in the Hanger has crowded around to see what's going on.

From the middle of the rush of crew pouring out of the lift, Captain Anderson sounds amused as he calls out, "Commander, I hope you have a good reason for threatening my crew member."

Jane nods, "I have arrested this man for international espionage after he admitted to authorising and destroying or disposing of classified Systems Alliance property, namely my N7 omni-tool that was blood bound to me. I will also be suing him for the destruction of my personal blood bound I5 isolation suit, that was a gift from my mother. This was after he claimed I didn't have the authority to arrest him, due to not being a Systems Alliance citizen."

Anderson sighs, "I see, Marines take the quartermaster into custody, Lt Alenko, take an inventory I want to know if anything is missing."

Anderson then pulls out his ID and swipes it over a spot on the table, before overriding the storage locks.

Jane puts her sword back in her bag and draws her stylus, "Captain, permission to use magic on ship."

Anderson frowns as he looks at her, "I thought you were PS positive."

Jane holds up the stylus, "I am sir. One of the benefits of being trained by the N8 team was playing guinea pig for their new ideas. This is a rune scribe specifically designed for non-magical use, the flake of magicite in the end is used to activate the array. Last I heard, they were going to train other N7's in its use, before creating a new N3 specialisation for it."

Curious, Anderson walks next to her, "What do you need commander?"

"A piece of metal, ceramic, or something equally hard about the size of a note."

Anderson turns around and shouts at a Marine, "Find something in the armoury."

While the marine was away, Jane lowers her occlumency until the effects of the beacon can just be felt.

Less than a minute later, the marine returns with a spare covering for the inner forearm of their armour, "Here sir!"

As she has an audience, Jane pulls out a book of runic arrays and pages through it, "Sorry about this sir, while they drilled me on runes, they only made sure I memorised a few of them, like the stasis rune I used on Nihlus. On the plus side, I've also been trained in portkey programming, and I have a programmer in my bag too."

Once she finds the summoning array, Jane reads the text at the bottom of the page, before putting the piece of armour on the book, just below the runes.

As she carefully copies them out, deliberately making a mistake on the rune that governs how much force the item will be summoned with, Jane says, "Because we don't have magic, this stylus is enchanted to carve 1mm deep grooves into whatever you're using it on. That's why we can't use parchment."

As she finishes the array, Jane curses, "Damn it, now I remember why we didn't memorise this array. It needs a description, one moment."

Flicking to the back of the book, Jane looks up the runes for 'My suit' and adds them to the array.

Behind her, in the crowd, one of the engineers says, "That would reduce the utility of it. But I can think of a few places it would still be useful."

One of the other Engineers laughs, "You just hate crawling down the ship to check the radiation stickers."

The chatter dies off when Jane turns the stylus over, and touches the flake of magicite to the array. Immediately, a bang sounds from one of the lockers on the wall, followed by a louder bang.

Following the sound, Kaiden walks over and touches the opening switch. As he does, the panel flies up as Jane's suit flies out and bowls her over, to the laughter of the crowd.

Groaning, Jane pushes herself up, "I guess I need to practice that more."

As the laughter intensifies, Kaiden looks into the locker, and pulls open a concealed compartment in the back of the locker.

"Captain, you need to see this."

Anderson walks over and the laughter dies down as everyone watches the locker intently.

Stoney faced, Anderson reaches in and pulls out a portkey programmer as well as a box of ceramic N1 insignia's. As he puts them on the table, he says, "I may not be SA anymore, but even I know this is a restricted product that should have been given to me as soon as it arrived." He puts his hand on the box of insignia's "The lack of these could have cost lives."

Over the next 10 minutes Kaiden finds three more concealed compartments at the back of different storage lockers. They all look like they were added after the quartermaster was assigned, as there are a few tap welds concealed by the standard equipment in those lockers. Jane's omni-tool is at the front of the last locker, that also contains six suits of Alliance armour, I5 suits, and the omni-tools to go with them.

As the first one is pulled out, Jane looks at Anderson, "Captain, may I take one of the suits while I find out if my suit can be repaired?"

Anderson nods, "Go ahead."

"Corporal Williams and Lt Alenko should both be given a suit each. The rest should be spread out amongst the other soldiers."

Anderson looks at Jane questioningly, "Why?"

"When they're blooded, these suits save lives. Jenkins may still be alive to be put in review today if he'd been wearing one, as the faceplate will protect your head and brain from incoming fire."

Anderson nods, "Well, you heard the Commander."

Chakwas steps in, "If the excitement is all over, I need to take my patient back to the sickbay."

Anderson chuckles, "Go on. She's not as bad as the Healers, but she's getting there."

Jane nods, "Before I go, we need to deliver the quartermaster to Shaanxi on the way to the citadel."

Anderson shakes his head, "No can do Commander, we don't have time to dock."

Jane hangs her head before picking up the portkey programmer, "We don't need to. We can send both of them to the surface from orbit."

Anderson frowns, "Both?"

Chakwas replies, "I have Nihlus' body in the research room. The Commander claimed he needed Magi or Warlock healing. My professional opinion is that he's beyond saving, as the shot tore through his spinal column at the base of his skull. If it wasn't for his own armour, the shot would have penetrated the skull."

Jane turns around, her eyes wide, "You didn't remove his armour did you?"

Chakwas shakes her head, "I didn't, after reading up on the stasis charm, I decided it would make transporting the corpse easier than needing to take up a bed to preserve it."

"Thank the goddesses."

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

A couple of hours later, Jane has been released from the sick bay after a full IHA standard physical. Privately, she thinks that Chakwas was just punishing her for leaving AMA.

As she's fishing around in her bag for her ID card, Anderson walks up and taps his card on the scanner, overriding the lock. "After you, I need a private chat."

Jane nods and walks to the back of the cramped cabin as Anderson walks in after her.

"Commander, I'd rather you had reported your concerns to me before you confronted the quartermaster. But I can't fault you for your actions, as I almost certainly don't have clearance to know what's on that omni-tool, let alone why it's special."

Jane nods, "Thank you sir, and under other circumstances I would have informed you on my way. But I didn't have my omni-tool to communicate with you."

Anderson snorts, "I can see that. The other reason I needed to talk to you, is that we're not just going to the Citadel to drop off what's left of the beacon. You're going to need to give evidence to the Citadel Council."

Jane nods, "I see. What's our ETA?"

"11 hours, as we had to turn around to return to Shaanxi. We should be sending the two of them planet side in 50 minutes. You were right about how quick it would be, as they have already given us portkey coordinates. Why don't the Alliance use them more often?"

Jane shrugs, "Because they're dangerous. A portkey will take you precisely where you tell it to. If that place is currently occupied by something, you'll appear in and around that something. Even magicals need special training before they are allowed to make them, as they need to have a clear picture of the destination in mind, or use coordinates."

Anderson nods, "I can't say I've ever been trained in their use."

Jane shrugs, "If you use the computer, or provided coordinates, the reader will give you a checksum that you can compare with the source. Part of my training was how to calculate the coordinates myself."

Anderson raises his eyebrows, "Sounds like you had a packed visit to Sandhurst."

Jane nods, "All I'm allowed to say is that the N8 team sacrificed my R & R for more training sir."

"I will leave you to it then."

Jane nods and salutes as the captain leaves. Then she sits down at her desk to write a report to Shaanxi command on her old datapad.

With her official duties out the way, Jane walks into her cabinet, where her lace making jumps up from the table and the soothing sounds of the clacking bobbins fills the air while she repairs her I5 suit and manually sterilises it with a scourgify before she puts it back on.

Now re-suited, Jane puts the face plate on, and uses her spare omni-tool to monitor her viral load.

When it comes up zero, she throws her hands in the air, "Oh, come on! It was only a couple of minutes, if that. Fine!"

Fishing around in her pouch, Jane pulls out a syringe of virus and injects it through her intake port. A quick check of the other omni-tool reveals it's dead. Which necessitates another report, this time to Central Command, where she summarises the mission, and recommends that all garrisons have at least I4 suits on hand. And that future joint operations have the blood bound equipment blooded in front of a ground-based quartermaster, rather than just being assigned on ship.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Finally, after 2 hours, Jane brings up all the information the ship has available on the IHA, and retreats into her cabinet. Walking through the library and kitchen, she makes her way into the small garden.

Finding a sunny spot, she sits down cross-legged and starts to go through her occlumency exercises. Once she finds her magic, she calls out, "Hela Goddess of Death and Darkness."

While she's waiting, she begins to look around an icy tundra that wouldn't look out of place on the surface of Europa, where she was born. Dotted around are the asari influences from her repeated exposure during her time living with the family. Showing her that their joining is far more than they think it is. If only she had more to show from her turian upbringing, but that's not how the magic works.

Suddenly, a strange bird with four wings flies out from a patch of tundra grass, and Jane reaches out to catch it.

From the inky black tree near the centre of her magic, Petunia's presence steps out and looks around. "I thought you swore off inviting me in here after the first visit?"

Jane shudders as Petunia's sheer presence begins to energise her magic, and the tundra starts to melt away into a summer meadow, more suitable to Mindoir than any of the sol system planets.

"I did, but this is more important. What do you make of this?"

Petunia takes the bird and looks at it, "What is it?"

"I think it's prothean. Look." Jane pulls a silver strand from a nearby plant and holds it out to Petunia.

Petunia takes the strand and stretches it between her fingers as she considers it. Finally she reaches up to her head and holds it against her forehead, where it jumps off the finger and burrows into her head.

Grabbing the end of the memory, she pulls it back out, "My, isn't that interesting. I take it you want help getting rid of this infestation?"

Jane nods, "I will do, but first we need to understand what I saw, and what they were saying."

Petunia nods, "I will approach the courts and see if there are any apprentice Lore Keepers that are willing to move to Shaanxi."

Jane nods, "Thank you. I'm going to try and keep pruning my magic whenever I can."

Petunia nods, "That's a good idea, especially if we need to do magical healing afterwards. What about these bits, they're not native to sol."

Jane smiles, "I think they're from the asari I was rooming with. At least the resemble some of the plants native to asari space."

"So what's the difference?"

Jane looks fondly at a bush, "I consented to these, while that is an invader."

Petunia nods, "Well said, I'll return this to you. Try to compile the vision into a History and put it into a crystal."

Jane nods, "I will. I'm due to meet the Citadel Council to give evidence, do you have any suggestions?"

Petunia smiles, "They have a memory viewer."

Jane smiles, "Thank you, that will help a lot."

After Petunia leaves, Jane spends a bit of time looking for anything that doesn't match her magic, and trying to eliminate it.

Once she's done as much as she can inside her mind, she returns to the waking world to put her memory of the mission into a crystal before starting to read up on the IHA, starting with the manifesto of the leaders and the rights their citizens have.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

As the alarm on her omni-tool goes off, Jane jerks awake in her garden, the artificial moon high in the sky above her. Glancing at her omni-tool she groans as she fell asleep halfway through some of the reading the IHA site recommends.

Shaking her head, she pushes herself to her feet and staggers into the kitchen to make a mug of coffee. While that's brewing, she puts her faceplate on and frowns when her viral load shows zero again.

"Gee, thanks Petunia. I really wanted to infect myself twice in one day."

Grumbling, Jane checks her bag, and then groans when she finds no more vials. Grabbing her mug of coffee, she climbs the spiral staircase, and goes through the 'hidden' door into the main part of the cabinet.

As she's trying to ignore the subtle luxury of the place, her heels click on the marble floor, making it difficult. Eventually, she makes her way to the small hospital and takes a couple of vials out of the medical stasis cabinet. Swigging one down, she places the other one in her bag as she makes the walk back to her part of the cabinet.

As she passes one of the bedrooms, she spots a black cloak lying over a bed. With a smirk, Jane duplicates the cloak twice, and turns one red, and the other purple, before adding a sizing charm so that they'll remain floor length.

═══════ ೋღ ֍ ღೋ ═══════​

Whistling a jaunty tune inside her face plate, Jane walks into the hanger 10 minutes before they're due to arrive at the Citadel.

Making her way over to Kaiden and Ashley, who are armouring up. She throws each of them a cloak before putting the spare I5 suit on the armoury table.

"Put those on, and make sure your faceplates are slightly tinted. Ashley, do you have an expanded pouch?"

Ashley nods and looks down, "I do, it's at home though. I can't go home again, can I?"

Jane lets her shoulders sag as she puts her hand on Ashley's shoulder, "I don't know what they're going to do with Eden:2. For all I know, they could be planning on turning Eden into another Shaanxi. Also remember, I lived with my mum for six years before I had to go off planet for training. It's certainly possible to see your family again, but get used to living in that suit. Read the manual and buy yourself an omni-tool. For today, grab one of the Systems Alliance tools, and link it to your suit. Kaiden, you should link yours to your suit too. Once you get used to it, you can do a lot using just the sensors in your hands, and eye movements."

While they're arming up, Jane slips into a new suit of Alliance Armour and shrugs her own cloak back into place.

20 minutes later, the three of them are waiting by the airlock for space traffic control to direct Joker to a landing berth.