682A/N: Apologies for the delay. Blame a combination of exams, writer's block and Battletech.
"Today my life is forfeit. I enter now into a pact with death to trade my life for the victory of my cause. I will ensure to the best of my ability that my sacrifice is not in vain. I am a hero and a martyr. This I do swear." - Turian oath, traditionally taken before suicidal missions.
Chapter 11: Hutch's Gambit
Drescher looked around the augmented reality of the meeting room as the other officials either entered physically or had their own holographic avatars flicker into view. A few of them gave her looks that ranged from quizzical to disappointed, which was to be expected. After all, the stalemate at Palaven had been going on for nearly a month now with no decisive engagements aside from her initial destruction of Turian facilities on the planet's moons.
The Turians had been stubbornly keeping their ships close together in one group, their admiral seeing through her every attempt to bait them into splitting their fleet while jumping away from any fighter-based attack. Drescher had in turn refused to respond to her enemy's provocations, not once jumping into battle when the enemy paraded their full fleet through the system in an attempt to draw her out.
All this maneuver, however, had borne little fruit for either side, and everyone in the meeting room knew it.
After what felt like an eternity, the High Commander called the meeting to order.
"Grand Admiral Perry has signaled that he will be late to attend this meeting due to recent events on the Perseus Front. Thus, I call this meeting regarding the future of Operation Sally Port to order." As he spoke, the attention of the room focused on Drescher.
"First and foremost, I would like to request a status report on the Palaven situation from Grand Admiral Drescher." Aaron finished, and Drescher responded immediately.
"At the moment the battle remains a stalemate. We have not been able to successfully isolate portions of the Turian fleet for destruction, and carrier strikes on their orbital and moon-based installations are yielding diminishing returns. Anti-surface munitions are starting to run low, and what bunkers may remain on those moons are dug in too deep for us to take them out with anything short of a fusion bunker buster, of which we do not have many. Anti-ship munitions, along with gas reserves, remain high, ensuring that we will not run out in the event of a fleet engagement." She finished.
"And how long do you believe it will take before the stalemate is broken?" Aaron asked.
"I do not know. Theoretically, the Turians can keep this up until they run out of food, and that planet has an immense amount of agricultural centers still active, meaning that it could take years for famine to set in, and we were not provided with herbicide bombs at the start of this campaign, preventing us from striking at those directly. With much of our anti-surface munitions already spent, our only real option for destroying these centers is orbital bombardment, which would render our forces vulnerable to massed enemy attack." She finished.
"So what you are saying is that it could take months, if not years, before the planet itself can even be invaded?" Laura Takamura asked.
"Yes, and considering how fortified that planet is, it would take a similar amount of time to take the world itself." Drescher replied.
"The Perseus Line does not have months, Drescher. If the stalemate cannot be broken by the end of the week, we might have to pull out of the system and commence Sally Port without it." Grand Admiral MeiLi added.
"On that note, unless there is some sort of strategic importance to taking Palaven, I do not believe its capture is necessary for the operation to be successful. We have taken more than enough territory to accomplish the operation's objective." Grand Admiral Martin Hernandez of the First Grand Fleet spoke up.
"Do you believe that taking Palaven is vital to the success of Operation Sally Port, Drescher?" Aaron asked. Drescher considered her words carefully before nodding.
"Indirectly, yes. As it stands, the Turians have every reason to hate us, and they are already learning how to counter our technological advantage. If we don't crush them now, they will have time to adapt further and become a much greater threat than they are at the moment, and could potentially hamstring Operation Sally Port's success." Drescher replied.
"That is true, a Turian armada with upgraded weapons and technology could be a real threat a few years from now. However, as I said before, the Perseus Front needs to be relieved now." Bai stated.
For a few moments the room was silent, before Simon Hutch raised his hand. The commander of the ASP had done well for himself since the outbreak of hostilities with the Council, going from the head of a unit that was verging on redundancy to being the man in charge of human-alien relations. That meant he was in charge of keeping the Quarians loyal and the Turians under control.
"Perhaps a diplomatic solution is in order." That comment earned him no small amount of puzzled stares.
"Diplomacy? Now? Have you lost your mind? We've taken hundreds of their worlds, killed hundreds of millions, if not billions, of their people, fired the first shots of the war, and that's not even getting into your reeducation camps! No, the only solution to this situation is to take Palaven and subdue the Turians permanently." Drescher was the first to reply.
"Under any other circumstance I would agree with you, but we do not have the time to take that damn planet. We-" Hutch was interrupted by a new hologram flickering into view.
"Apologies for my tardiness, sir. I had to make sure the system was clear." Grand Admiral Warren Perry said as he joined the meeting. Judging by his hologram, he was still in his combat pressure suit, although the right half of its faceplate was obscured by emergency patches and his right arm was locked in a pressure sealed cast.
"Thank you for coming, Grand Admiral Perry. What is the situation on the Perseus Front?" Aaron asked.
"Not good. We've been bled white over the past few months, and two thirds of my ships are in urgent need of repairs. We've stopped their last big push, but one more like it and we'll have to pull out." Perry replied, and Drescher stifled a grimace.
"I rest my case, Drescher." Hutch added a moment later, causing her to turn to him.
"Then what do you propose I do? I'm no diplomat, but I know very well that if we were to go from besieging their homeworld to suing for peace, we appear weak and that sort of thing won't bring about the lasting ceasefire we need." She demanded.
"Then it's a good thing we don't have to bring the Turians to the table directly." Hutch replied, smiling.
"Explain." Aaron ordered.
"The Turians will fight us to the death, but the rest of the Council races lack their backbone. Thanks to the spy network we've inherited from the Quarians, we know that right now, the Asari race is firmly against the war, to the point of actively hampering the war efforts of the Turians and Salarians. However, recent reports have shown that the Asari have been convinced to dispatch an unarmed relief fleet to Palaven in order to deliver food and medical supplies to the Turians. The Turians are almost certainly counting on us destroying that relief fleet, turning them into martyrs and forcing the Asari into the war." Hutch explained.
"So you want me to do the opposite and let a fleet carrying vital supplies reach Palaven and prolong the siege?" Drescher asked.
"Not quite. If we were to simply let them pass, they might think that we did notice them, especially considering how you are currently positioned at the distant edge of the system. My suggestion is for you to intercept them and contact them directly. Ensure that they know you are aware of them and listening to them, and then let them convince you to let them through. At the end, hint that you are open to negotiations so long as the Turians are willing to put aside their pride and come to the table. Mention the Quarians if you must, although keep the pilgrim network's existence hidden if possible. I would rather not have to explain to the Admiralty why their pilgrims are being arrested as suspected spies." Hutch replied.
"Ah, I see." Drescher mused, considering his words as Aaron nodded. Such a plan was far from ideal, as it still resulted in an independent alien power that had an immense grudge against humanity, but in this case it would at least be reined in by their allies. Moreover, if all went according to plan, it could drive a permanent wedge between the Council's member races, making them easier to deal with once hostilities resumed.
"That is acceptable, although in the event of it failing to produce results, I want you to be ready to pull out of Palaven and establish a blockade on the other side of its relay." The High Commander ordered, and any objections Drescher may have had died.
"Understood, sir. I will do so." Drescher replied.
"Good. Hutch, do your Quarian spies know when this relief fleet will be arriving? I would rather not place my ships in unnecessary danger or tip the Council off before their ships enter the system." She asked, turning to Hutch.
"Negative, although judging by starmaps it will be forced to pass by the Citadel. Orders have been relayed to pilgrims on the Citadel to keep their eyes and ears open, but so far I have no concrete information regarding exactly when they will arrive." Hutch replied.
"Understood. Keep me appraised as to the situation with the relief fleet." Drescher replied.
"I hope this works, Drescher. We've staked a lot on this plan of yours, and if we don't start seeing results within a month, we are going to lose a lot of planets. Don't fuck this up." Perry spoke up a moment later.
"You are dismissed, Grand Admiral Drescher." Aaron said a moment later, and she cut the link.
Saren entered the Oreha's communications room, Captain Astekis right behind him.
"Did your SpecTRe contacts give you any idea of what our orders are?" Astekis asked as the door shut behind them.
"No, but it has to be important if they are calling for the Oreha specifically." Saren replied as he switched on the terminal before settling down to wait. Two minutes later, exactly on time, the hologram of Primarch Sterakos shimmered into view. Saren immediately stood and saluted, Astekis following suit beside him.
"At ease SpecTRe, Captain." The primarch stated.
"You had orders for us, your excellency?" Saren asked.
"Yes..." The primarch paused for a few moments before he sighed and continued.
"The mission your ship is about to undertake is critical to the survival of the Turian Hierarchy. That is, your task is to transport General Kariten into the Terminus Refuge Zone." Saren could hardly believe his ears. The overall commander of the entire Turian Army was leaving Palaven?
"What I say now does not leave this room, understood?" Sterakos continued.
"Understood." Saren and Astekis chorused.
"Good. As things stand right now, we believe that the invaders are attempting to starve us out in lieu of them being able to overwhelm our navy. Considering how they seem to be in no hurry to engage our fleets, we believe that they are willing to devote months, if not years, to a planetary siege that Palaven will not be able to survive. With that in mind, I have confirmed General Kariten as my successor, and am sending him out to take charge of the Terminus Refuge Zone and assume the mantle of Primarch after Palaven falls. You will remain in the Terminus Refuge Zone afterward, where your ship will serve as the basis for the armada that will eventually reclaim our lost territory."
"Is Palaven really doomed?" Saren asked once the primarch had finished.
"Barring a miracle, yes. Either the invaders bring in reinforcements and achieve orbital superiority for a land invasion, or they starve us out over the course of a few years until our fleets are dead hulls full of emaciated corpses and our garrison has been cut in half by famine. That is why the Terminus Refuge Zone must be protected at all costs. Understood?" Sterakos asked.
"Understood. We will carry our mission or die in the attempt." Saren replied.
"Good. You will leave in two days, at approximately 8:30 Citadel Standard time. That will allow your jump to the mass relay come on the heels of an Asari relief fleet. Our own ships will jump in ahead of you to both cover the Asari transports and distract the invaders while you jump to the Citadel. That will ensure that you don't have to worry about being ambushed by one of their stealth ships at the relay."
"Understood. We will begin preparations immediately." Astekis answered.
"Good. You are dismissed." The primarch's hologram faded away a moment later.
The room was silent for a few long moments before Astekis spoke up.
"So they're abandoning Palaven?" He demanded of nobody in particular.
"No, from what I've heard they're still planning to fight to the death for it, and with the Asari about to enter the war, they're not going to go down easily." Saren replied.
"The Asari are joining the war? I thought that was an unarmed transport fleet. Not much in the way of fighting power there." Astekis pointed out.
"That's not a relief fleet, it's a mass martyrdom in disguise. The invaders are going to detect them, jump in, and slaughter them before our fleet will be able to respond. The Asari will then have no choice but to join the war in earnest." Saren replied.
"What... We're sending them to die?" Astekis exclaimed.
"No. We're going to do our best to save as many as we can, but as it stands there is little we can do. We can't picket the relay ahead of time, as the invaders will detect us and tear our picket fleet apart, so we have to wait until the Asari enter the system. However, the invaders will in all likelihood know that before we do, which means they will be able to attack the Asari while their FTL drives are still inoperable thanks to the relays. Knowing that, it's going to be a slaughter." Saren replied.
For a few moments Astekis looked like he was going to respond, only to sigh and stand.
"At least some good will come of it." He said as he left the room. Saren couldn't help but agree.
"Admiral, the Loki-12 is reporting a successful jump for its task force." Drescher smiled at Kurt's report.
According to Hutch's latest intelligence, the Asari relief fleet had stopped at the Citadel three hours ago, in order to take on several media representatives from the various Council species, as well as some additional supplies. They would be departing for Palaven in eight hours, and Drescher intended to be ready to greet them. More importantly, she intended to be ready to greet the Turians who would jump to their aid. After all, in eight hours the first major battle since the destruction of Palaven's orbital installations would take place, and she intended for it to be on her terms, not theirs.
Every single fighter and bomber she had was loaded for anti-ship combat, and in six hours her carrier group would be jumping to launch their compliments along the Palaven-Relay axis. That would give her at least three hours of undetected leeway before Palaven-based sensors would detect her forces. Depending on when the Asari actually arrived, the Turian fleet might not even be able to detect the fighter launches until they jumped to the relay, allowing them to finally reap the same devastating toll they had at Shanxi.
At the same time, she intended to use her fleet's FTL advantage to its full effect, using it to scatter the aliens' numerically superior forces while taking advantage of her ships' greater main gun range. As soon as the Asari fleet entered the system, they would be greeted by a small interception force of decloaking destroyers that would establish contact and allow her to engage in mercifully brief dialogue with the aliens. She hoped she would be able to get her point across in the conversation, but in the event of her being unable to do so, she had given out strict orders to avoid firing on any ships that come through the relay, which her fleet's AI network had dutifully obeyed.
Once the Turians jumped in, her interception fleet would scatter, and the rest of her forces would jump in, with small battle groups being positioned at various points on a sphere roughly two light seconds in diameter, allowing them to strike at the initial Turian force without fear of return fire. Her fleet had already been dispersed in a rough sphere throughout the system, ensuring that their guns would all be pointed at the enemy when they jumped in. This would force the Turians to similarly scatter their reinforcements, but unlike Human ships, their FTL drives lacked the ability to chain jumps one after another. This meant that once their fleet was suitably scattered, Drescher's forces would jump again, bringing the entirety of their force to bear against small fragments of the Turian fleet. Depending on proximity, some Turian ships would attempt to close at sublight speed, while others would wait for FTL drives to recharge before jumping in. In either case, Drescher would be afforded a short period of time to strike with impunity, and if she was feeling particularly reckless, she could order her ships to jump again, but that would put her in a corner in the event of the enemy overwhelming her.
"Good. Remind them that they are not to fire on the Asari ships. I don't want a single fleck of paint on those transports burned away, and if any of my ships ruin this encounter, I will have their heads." Drescher finally replied. It was bad enough that the situation had degenerated to gunboat diplomacy, but a trigger-happy captain could make even those plans fall apart.
The hours ticked by slowly, Drescher using the passing of time as an opportunity to catch a bit of sleep. She was only woken up when alarms began to blare, signalling imminent atmospheric evacuation. She immediately checked her suit, making sure that its seals were secure, before standing up from her chair.
Soon, the air began to once again hiss out of the ship, being deposited in its centralized storage tanks. Twenty minutes later, the carrier task force jumped.
Not even a second after the jump was complete, fighters were already streaming out of the hangar bays and accelerating past the immense bulk of their carriers. Fifteen minutes later, Drescher's carriers jumped away, leaving the fighters to their own devices.
Once again it was time to wait, and the minutes passed by with agonizing slowness. Drescher spent the time in her ship's communications room, ready to personally address the Asari when they arrive.
Then, after a small eternity, a signal came in from one of the destroyers picketing the relay. It was time for her to take the stage.
"This is it. As soon as we send the request, we are in Trebia." Matriarch Alyssia looked down at the helmsman as she spoke. She was a maiden, barely into her second century and still gripped by what the matriarch remembered as a youthful lust for adventure. That said, with their lives on the line, Alyssia would bet that she was having second thoughts about volunteering her ship for this task.
"Goddess willing, we will be able to sneak past the enemy fleet and accomplish our mission. Siara, is the rest of the fleet ready?" She replied, addressing her second question to the transport's communications officer.
"All ships are in position. Waiting for your orders, matriarch." At that, Alyssia smiled, before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.
"Goddess Athame, keeper of knowledge, protector of the kind and just, and guide to the faithful, today we risk our lives to save countless others. I ask for you to extend your protection to your humble servants, so that we may complete our mission and continue our service in your name. All ships of the Palaven Relief Fleet are authorized to jump immediately." She prayed, her voice building to a crescendo until she gave the order.
The ship shuddered slightly as the relay catapulted it across the vastness of space, embarking on the final, most perilous leg of its journey.
"Helm, how long do we have before our drive is ready?" She asked once the light faded from outside.
"Twenty minutes, give or take a few." The helmsman replied, and Alyssia groaned internally. Damn drives on these freighters were probably as old as she was, and took twice as long to prepare to jump after a relay transition than the cutting-edge drives used by military ships.
"As soon as the drive is done, jump. Until then, be ready to take whatever evasive maneuvers you can. Illana, are all our ships through?" She asked, turning to her sensors officer.
"Yes, all fifty ships are through... Wait..." Illana trailed off, narrowing her eyes at the holo-screen in front of her.
"What is it?" Alyssia asked.
"Three... No, five... Multiple unidentified contacts just appeared out of nowhere on my screen!"
"That can't be, the Turians said they wouldn't be... No... Impossible, did they somehow-" The helmsman exclaimed, only for Siara to cut her off.
"We're being hailed on a civilian frequency. Unknown sender." The communications officer reported, trying and failing to keep her voice calm.
"Put it through to my station." Alyssia replied, and a moment later interface in front of her shimmered, being replaced by an image of a biped clad in full body armor, adorned with alien insignia. The sight was enough to cause her to freeze, her centuries of experience suddenly feeling very paltry in the face of the unknown.
"Attention unidentified Asari Republican Ships: You are entering an active war zone. For your safety, you are ordered to turn around and immediately depart the system." Any response Alyssia had died on her lips. She wasn't sure what exactly she had been expecting, but it was certainly not an order to turn around and depart peacefully. Perhaps a notification of her impending demise, or a bombastic speech from some alien warlord before annihilation, but not this.
It took her several seconds before she was able to formulate a response.
"I am Matriarch Alyssia, commander of the Palaven Relief Fleet. We are unarmed and unescorted. Our only goal is to deliver vital supplies to prevent starvation on Palaven and evacuate civilians from Palaven's surface. The Asari Republics are a neutral third party in this conflict, and do not desire armed conflict with your people. However, we must refuse your request to leave the system, as we must carry out our mission to deliver and evacuate." She finally said.
"No. While we are not opposed to the evacuation of noncombatants from Palaven, we cannot permit you to deliver any form of material aid to our enemies until this conflict is concluded." The alien answered, its expression unreadable behind its tinted faceplate.
"But your blockade of Palaven is causing mass famine throughout the system! Thousands of Turian men, women and even children may be dead soon if we do not deliver our supplies!" That was an exaggeration. Palaven had enough stockpiles to last for nearly a year before starvation would start to become a problem, but hopefully the aliens did not know that.
"If you wish to aid the Turian people, you will convince them to meet with us at the negotiating table and force a quick end to this conflict. Until such an event takes place, we will continue to apply pressure on Palaven and the Turian government, and we will continue to treat the residents of captured Turian worlds as prisoners of war. Your food supplies will only prolong their suffering, assuming that it is indeed food you are carrying, and not hidden weaponry."
"No, we are not carrying any weaponry. However, this shipment must reach Palaven. We will even carry your message if you so wish, but we must carry out our mission!" Alyssia exclaimed.
The alien was silent for a few long moments, before it nodded its head.
"Very well. You will deliver your supplies and our message to Palaven. However, any further supply convoys will not be permitted to reach Palaven, even if we must resort to lethal force. You have been warned." Before Alyssia could respond, the transmission was cut.
"By the Goddess... We're alive..." Siara whispered.
"That we are... Helm, set a course for Palaven, jump as soon as the drive is ready." Alyssia ordered, before settling down to wait. A few minutes passed in silence before disaster struck.
"Incoming transmission, it's the Turians!" Siara suddenly exclaimed.
"Matriarch, this is General Keras. The Turian Navy will cover your escape."
"Hundreds of contacts just jumped in all around us! It's the Turian fleet!" Illena reported.
"What? No! We're-" Alyssia's protest fell on deaf ears, as the Turian had already closed the channel.
"More alien contacts just jumped in! I'm picking up gunfire from every direction! By the Goddess..." Illena's voice rose in panic as the first distant streaks of white light made their presence known outside the bridge windows.
"No..." Alyssia murmured as she caught a glimpse of the sensor display. It had been almost clear when they had jumped into the system, but now it was cluttered with thousands of signatures, bearing either a Turian insignia or an unknown marker. As she looked on, she began to see Turian signatures begin to disappear, replaced by symbols indicating destroyed starships. Hundreds of Turians had to be dying every second, and it was all for nothing. Not a single alien shot came close to her own ships, and when the time came to jump, her entire fleet was still in one piece.
The ship shuddered, and the scene of battle was replaced with a view of Palaven, although the computer continued to warn her of nearby shipwrecks. After a few moments of confusion, Alyssia realized that it was because the orbit of Palaven was filled with new debris where there had once been stations.
"Everything is gone..." Illena muttered as she stared at her screen.
"Siara, announce our arrival to Palaven orbital control. Send word to the rest of the fleet that we are landing." Alyssia sighed, mopping off the sweat that had appeared on her brow. She tried not to think of the thousands of Turians that were still dying at the relay for nothing.
"This has to stop." She muttered to nobody in particular. One way or another, she would do everything in her power to stop this war before it could claim any more lives.
As soon as the first Turian battle group jumped in on top of the decloaked destroyers, the entire Human fleet sprang into action. Thousands of warships jumped to preset coordinates, already oriented to face the enemy. Seconds later, the first fusion lances struck their targets, and by the time the first Turian reinforcements began to arrive, three quarters of their original escort force had been destroyed.
Drescher watched the system map intently as fleet after fleet jumped in on top of her ships, trusting in their shields to hold out for a few more critical seconds in order to allow more and more Turians to pour into the battlefield. They could not hold indefinitely, however, and three minutes later Drescher ordered her ships to make their second jump.
As one, her fleet of capital ships jumped away, abandoning their sphere around a now-dead fleet to reform into a single fighting force. It took a few seconds for the Turians to realize what was going on, and by the time they had Drescher's ships were already acquiring targeting solutions and opening fire once more. Drescher smiled as the first volley hit home, a second hot on its heels. With their FTL drives stuck recharging and her forces far out of their guns' effective range, now was her chance to inflict maximum casualties. Before her eyes, thousands of fusion lances tore into the Turian fleet, their targets unable to do anything aside from maneuver desperately. A glance at her system map told her that her fighters were a mere six minutes away from optimal weapon range.
"New contacts detected! They're jumping in behind our main force!" Drescher's smile faded at that. Evidently, the Turians had kept a force in reserve. Fortunately, the majority of their fleet was still too far away to support them.
"I want the second and fourth task forces to turn around and engage the Turian reserves. The rest of the capital fleet is to continue engaging with the enemy main force." She ordered.
"Detecting fighter launches from the new enemy force." The sensors officer reported.
Had she been fighting Ethereals, Drescher would have been concerned. After all, her main fleet had no fighter cover, meaning that even a small force of Ethereal strike craft could wreak havoc on her ships. However, she was fighting Turians, and experience had shown that their fighter capabilities were negligible.
General Keras had a predatory smile on his face as he gave the order to engage. At his command, two thousand of the best Turian warships activated their FTL drives and jumped into the space behind the enemy fleet. Already, the Vengeance's gunners were scrambling to get a sensor lock on an enemy vessel, but his force's true striking power lay somewhere else entirely.
"Give the special unit the all clear to launch. Tell them to make their lives count." He ordered. A few seconds later, magnetic clamps on the underside of his ship released their payload.
The plan had originally been to convert the effectively useless Type-219 Vespe fighter into an automated relativistic kill vehicle designed to target hostile warships, finally giving the Turians an answer to their devastating primary armaments. However, while an initial batch of thirty fighters had been converted, the VI systems designed to control them were not ready in time. Thus, with the invaders on their doorstep, the weapon's developers had gotten desperate enough to propose an alternative method of control.
Ever since the ancient nations of Palaven had first employed the airplane in warfare, it had not been uncommon for desperate pilots to ram their craft into their targets, be they buildings, warships, or even other airplanes. In a few documented cases, specialized suicide units had even been formed exclusively for the task.
Now, for the first time in millennia, such a unit was formed once more on Palaven, comprised of three hundred volunteers. Thirty flew the suicide bombers, hastily modified to once more accept a live pilot, while the rest flew standard fighters and acted as decoys to draw the fire of the devastatingly effective alien point defense systems. None of them expected to make it back. The bomber pilots would be killed by the lack of inertial dampeners on their craft, crushed into fine paste by the sheer force of their craft's acceleration, while the decoy pilots' only purpose was to draw fire, and the alien guns almost never missed.
That unit had just been deployed at just outside the range of their target's point defense guns.
"All ships, launch torpedoes! Give them as many targets to take out as possible!" Keras ordered as his ship's main gun spoke, spitting what had once been the most powerful shot in the galaxy at its target. Thousands of torpedoes soon joined it, as every ship under his command emptied their launchers. The fighters of the Special Unit followed in their wake, followed in turn by the rest of the fleet as they rushed to close the distance with the enemy.
A few moments later, the first loss reports began to sound out as the aliens opened fire. Keras' fist tightened around the railing as thirty assorted cruisers went down in an instant. Then, the floor spun beneath him and alarms began to blare, while the temperature on the bridge suddenly rose several degrees.
"Damage report!" He called out as he steadied himself.
"Shields are down! They've clipped our starboard wingtip... Antimatter tanks are still in place. Damage minor."
"Is our FTL drive still operational?" Keras asked.
"Yes sir, it is intact." Keras breathed a sigh of relief at that. Given time, his ship could escape and limp home, but he was certain that the next shot would not miss its mark and would thus decapitate his fleet's command structure. Then, an idea came to him.
"Helm, keep us spinning. I want all escape pods launched. Make it look like we're abandoning ship." Keras ordered.
"Understood!"
The dreadnought continued to spin, firing off escape pods as it did so. When no second shot came, Keras smiled. That smile was short lived, as suddenly a cloud of signatures entered the battlefield map from the direction of the relay. Zooming out, Keras cursed. An immense swarm of alien bombers was inbound at full speed, poised to fall on the back of his diversion fleet in a matter of minutes.
"What's the status on the first fleet's FTL drives?" He demanded.
"Still charging. I'm estimating another eight minutes." A quick look at the map told him that the bombers would be in range before then.
"Tell them they have incoming bombers." Keras ordered, cursing his inability to do anything else. Instead, he continued to watch his main fleet close with the alien force, counting down the seconds until the special unit was in range. Alien point defense fire had already wiped out more than half of the torpedo screen, and was even now starting to tear into the escorting fighters, but the suicide craft were still unscathed.
His capital ships were also suffering, as they were now within the ideal range of the alien ships. His only other dreadnought, the Trebian Glory had gone down in a single shot from an alien equivalent, and over a hundred cruisers and frigates had already joined it. There was no escaping or outwitting the alien gunners. If a ship was chosen then, barring a fluke like what happened with the Vengeance, it was dead. One by one, his fleet's numbers were whittled down, being cut in half by the time the cruisers entered gun range.
"The Asari are away. Their relief fleet just jumped." The sensors officer reported. That was something, at least. Keras nodded in response, too busy staring at the battle map to give a proper response. Thus, he was able to see the first Special Unit suicide bomber vanish from his screen, and for a moment he thought it had been shot down.
Then, he just barely held back a cheer as an alien dreadnought went down. His sensors officer didn't have the same restraint.
"Scratch one alien dreadnought!" Even as those words were uttered two other alien ships, classified as pocket dreadnoughts by the tactical VI, were also claimed by suicide strikes.
The rest of the alien ships began to maneuver erratically, their point defense guns seamlessly switching targets from the few remaining torpedoes to the incoming fighters. Several of the suicide bombers went down, but the alien gunners were too late to kill them all. In a matter of moments, every suicide bomber made their lethal jump, and every single one hit home. Twenty three more alien ships, including one more dreadnought, went down almost simultaneously. Twenty six fighters had been traded for twenty six ships, their pilots forever remembered as heroes.
Then, his capital ships entered secondary gun range, speeding past the alien warships in a matter of seconds before decelerating and turning around, running rings around the less agile alien vessels and doing their best to stay clear of their primary weaponry. The aliens had lost their advantage and their commander clearly knew this, as his cruisers barely had a minute to engage before the alien capital ships vanished off his screen, having jumped away.
However, that did not mean the battle was over. While their capital ships had left the field their bombers still remained, and they had just entered missile range. As Keras looked on, thousands of missile signatures appeared on the star map. GARDIAN lasers stabbed fruitlessly at the incoming warheads, but against so many targets moving at such high speeds, there was not much they could accomplish.
"Cruiser Sergassas lost."
"Frigate Stares lost."
"Cruiser Dekerian lost."
Once more the tactical VI began listing the names of lost ships as the alien warheads hit home, the list growing further as the enemy closed and began raking his frigates with gunfire.
"General, the Oreha has reached the relay and jumped away." His sensors officer reported.
"Good. Order all ships to jump away as soon as their drives are ready. We have no more reason to be here." Keras ordered.
"Frigate Rethanus lost."
"Frigate Ledena lost."
"Frigate Kerates lost."
The seconds ticked down with agonizing slowness, until finally his ships began to jump away, and the tactical VI was silenced.
Drescher sighed in relief as her ships jumped away to safety. In the span of seconds, two of her battleships, the Ruhr and Ontario, had been destroyed by relativistic ramming attacks. How they had managed to fit FTL drives into such tiny spaceframes she had no idea, but it had cost her two battleships and twenty four heavy cruisers.
In hindsight it had been idiotic to just assume the alien fighters were negligible threats. However, she refused to be caught like that again. Of course, her options were limited thanks to her fighters not possessing FTL capabilities. That meant either her carriers followed her fleet and participated in the battle directly, exposing themselves to the enemy in the process, or she sent out fighters ahead of time and had her fleet jump to them as needed. In either case, her fleet's mobility was now hamstrung.
"Our bombers are entering combat range. They're firing missiles now." Kurt notified her.
"That's something, at least." Drescher sighed, watching as her bombers released their ordinance. It slammed home a few seconds later, and the flimsy Turian warships began to crumble as expected. She took a certain vindictive pleasure in watching the damage done to her fleet by the enemy drones be repaid tenfold, both in tonnage and in crew, but it did little to change the long-term implications.
After all, the Turians only had deployed a single, likely experimental, unit and it proved extremely effective. Thus, any continuation of the war would see them deployed in the thousands, and if Humanity did not have a countermeasure ready by the time hostilities resumed then the Turians could become a significant threat, especially once they refined the acceleration technology to make their drones travel faster than her own interceptors.
When the Turians finally disengaged, almost certainly jumping back to their homeworld to lick their wounds, Drescher finally turned away from the system map.
"I want all bombers that still have munitions onboard to continue on to Palaven. Have them prioritize destruction of Turian fighter hangars and capital ships undergoing repairs. Any bombers that are out of ammunition are to return to the preset recovery point. Next, I want damage reports from every ship. Depending on how much damage they've sustained, we may need to send some of them out of the system for repairs." Drescher finished.
"Yes ma'am!" The bridge crew chorused, and Drescher smiled under her helmet before leaving the room. No matter the losses, her crew would still do what was asked of it.
Then she frowned as she entered her private communications room and set up a priority transmission to Earth.
Two minutes of waiting later, Simon Hutch's hologram flickered into being. Drescher promptly held back her laughter, as the XCOM propaganda and alien relations director looked half asleep, and was wearing little more than a hastily thrown-on shirt and a pair of long johns.
"I've sent the Council the message you requested, Hutch. I am sending you the full comm record now." Drescher said.
"Good, good. I-" Drescher held up a hand and continued.
"I wasn't finished. Today, I lost twenty six of my heaviest warships because the Turians figured out how to turn their fighters into relativistic torpedoes. Right now, my intuition tells me that this was an experimental deployment, but your plan will give them time to mass produce them. In a few years time, they will be able to deploy them in the thousands, alongside stronger warships and with experienced commanders in charge. That new military will be aimed straight at us, and I am willing to bet that they aren't going to stop at reclaiming lost territory. So I hope you know what the hell you're doing, because if you screw this up we will soon have to deal with another threat that is damn near equal to us in capability." She finished.
"I understand that very well, Drescher, but the Ethereals need to be stopped now. That said, I am aware of the threat the Turians can pose in the near future, and my analysts are already working on ways we can keep the Council in check without breaking any potential ceasefire. However, until the treaty is in place and we have a better insight of how the Council works, there is little I can do. I will keep you updated as time goes on, as I may need your ships to get work done." Hutch replied.
"See that you do." Drescher answered. When there was no reply, she cut the link.
"Verlin, we have a problem." Barakis announced as he entered the meeting room. The Salarian councilor looked up as he entered, her face blank.
"Does it concern the Asari recording?" She asked, likely already knowing the answer.
"Yes. It is clear from the circumstances surrounding it that the Invaders have spies on the Citadel, and I need your help to root them out." Barakis replied.
"And the offer within it?" Verlin asked.
"Lies, of course. They are saying exactly what they know the Asari want to hear in order to keep them out of the war." Barakis answered.
"But what if it is genuine?" Barakis paused at that, confusion plain on his face.
"Verlin, you can't honestly believe that they are telling the truth and are willing to talk! You know as well as I do that there hasn't been a single message coming out of our space ever since the Invaders made contact. That can only mean one thing, and that is genocide!"
"But what if they are? Barakis, I will personally stand beside you no matter what, but my superiors on Sur'Kesh think differently. If there is a chance at peace, even with the borders as they are, they will take it and I will be ordered to agree with it." Verlin sighed.
"The Dalatrasses can't-"
"They're desperate, Barakis. Desperate enough to believe that damn message. The Salarian Union doesn't have your numbers, or your discipline, or your fleets of capital ships! The only reason we are still in this war is because almost all the Invaders' efforts have been focused on the Hierarchy. If they were to turn their full forces on us, they would tear us apart!"
"So they are just going to turn their backs on my people?" Barakis exclaimed.
"No! But the fact of the matter is that if they think there is a legitimate chance at peace, or even an armistice for a few years, the Dalatrasses will take it and order me to vote for it. We both know where Tevos stands on this, which means that when the vote comes, I will be the deciding factor, and in that chamber I speak for the Salarian Union, not for myself."
Barakis was silent for a long moment at that.
"What happens if the vote for diplomacy goes through?" He finally asked.
"Then the Asari strong-arm you into sitting down at the negotiating table and all but hold a gun to your head to accept the terms handed to you. After Tevos ran with Alyssia's message to the media, the Asari factions supporting the war have suddenly evaporated into thin air... What's worst is they think they're helping you." Verlin muttered in disgust.
"So what, our victory at Palaven means nothing then? We forced them to retreat and destroyed two of their three dreadnoughts!"
"You lost nearly two thousand ships in that battle, while taking out just over one hundred. At this point, even you can't sustain such a casualty rate!"
"That's why we need reinforcements! If the Asari were to commit now, we could finally drive them out of Palaven and begin our counteroffensive!"
"But how much longer until they send another fleet? It would take half of the Council's combined navies to destroy the fleet that menaces Palaven. How much would be left to take on a second fleet like that? What about a third? We're losing this war, Barakis, and the Dalatrasses see that! If we had a decade or two to prepare, my people could do much to even the technological playing field but we don't have decades. We have as much time as it takes for the Invaders to bring in reinforcements to Palaven, take out what's left of your battered fleets, and proceed to a ground invasion."
"They haven't brought reinforcements yet." Barakis pointed out.
"They haven't needed reinforcements until now. That one fleet wiped out practically all opposition it faced until it reached Palaven, and you've managed to stalemate them at best. From what I've heard, they've managed to take out quite a few ships while they were undergoing repairs."
"It's only a matter of time until their munitions run out." Barakis protested.
"Listen to yourself Barakis! Are your people really basing their plans around the enemy shooting at them so much that they run out of ammunition?" Verlin shouted.
Barakis did not reply to that, and Verlin's furious expression faded.
"The vote on whether or not to ask for peace at Palaven is in two days. I will do what I can to argue for you and keep my people in the war, but when it comes down to it, I vote with the Dalatrasses." She sighed.
"And if they vote for peace?"
"Then I will do what I can to ensure my people make the most of the armistice. I suggest you do the same." Verlin replied.
Two days later, Barakis found himself standing in front of a tense audience, listening to Tevos address the entirety of Council space.
"This war has dragged on for far too long! Millions, perhaps even billions, lie dead on their worlds and in the cold void of space, and for what? What is the purpose of this senseless conflict? What has been bought with all these lives lost? How much longer before your children are sent to an early grave? These questions have weighed heavily on the galaxy, but I say enough! Enough death, enough war, enough lives lost for a pointless cause! The offer of peace has been made, and we would be fools not to take it. With that in mind, I call for a vote to end this pointless war and allow diplomacy to save the Turian Hierarchy where brute force cannot!" Tevos paused, and Barakis struggled to force down the desire to strangle the Asari woman who mocked the sacrifice of his people.
"The Asari Republics vote for peace. What of the Turian Hierarchy?" Tevos asked, logging her vote and turning to him.
"It is obvious where we stand. These invaders have bombed our colonies, slaughtered our people, and even now use a so-called peace offer to sow division within our ranks where there should be unity. The Turian Hierarchy knows that there is only one way this war can end, and thus vote to continue." He replied, logging his own vote.
"And you, Dalatrass? What say the Salarian people?" Tevos asked.
For a few long moments Verlin stood still, before finally hanging her head in defeat.
"After much deliberation, the Salarian Union votes to attempt diplomatic contact." She logged her vote.
"I'm sorry, Barakis." She whispered as she turned away from the console and walked out of the room. Tevos and Barakis followed behind her, the three councilors leaving the chamber as one.
As soon as the door slid shut, Barakis spun to face Tevos and lashed out, relishing the feeling of cartilage breaking as his fist connected with the blue woman's nose. It wouldn't change the fact that the war might be lost in a matter of days, but it was certainly satisfying.'
Verlin grabbed him a moment later, holding him back but not quite far enough to prevent him from getting a few more blows in.
"Is your peace worth leaving billions of lives unavenged?" He shouted, his next kick slamming against a biotic barrier.
"Is your war worth the destruction of the Council?" Tevos spat back, struggling to her feet.
"My war? Is that what you think this is? That this is just some Turian scuffle you can watch safely from Thessia? This was never my war, Tevos, this was OUR war! Mark my words, these invaders will not stop for a peace treaty. First they'll take Palaven, and then when my people are no longer there to defend you, they will come for Thessia next! Today, you have played right into their hands, and taken the entire Hierarchy down in the process!" He growled, before tearing his way out of Verlin's grasp and storming away. Breaking the news to the Primarch would not be pleasant.
A/N: I am honestly not satisfied with how this battle turned out. As many of you already know, Palaven was originally supposed to be a series of epic space battles followed by a ground invasion. However, such a protracted engagement would in no way be in humanity's best interests, and I quickly came to the conclusion that Palaven itself did not need to be taken, only the space around it. Thus, a long ground invasion lasting several chapters was scrapped, taking with it scenes such as Humans and Turians fighting over massive beachheads, Turian pilots striking at Human tanks, Saren and Tarkus taking part in a covert mission that leads to the capture of several intact Human laser cannons, and many fanmade regiments making their appearances.
As for the space battle, I feel like I was somewhat limited in the points of view I could use. I wrote the battle from the PoVs of the two fleets' leaders, and as a result the battles had to be told from the perspective of an outside observer as Drescher was commanding from a carrier far from the battlefield, while Keras faked his dreadnought's abandoning and stayed relatively distant as a result.
Now, I could have created several other characters who participated in the fight more directly, and originally that is exactly what I planned, with a Human captain, a Turian captain, a Human fighter pilot, and a Turian Special Unit member all making their appearances. However, I ended up cutting them as well. The Human captain was cut because aside from a few jumps there was little he did other than give targeting commands and watch his gun shoot. His Turian counterpart was cut because I felt like he was a bit too plot-armored while not contributing anything to the battle that Keras was not already doing. The Human fighter pilot was cut because his scene turned out to just be a rehash of the similar scene from the battle of Shanxi, where Human fighter pilots just run roughshod over Turian ships, inflicting heavy losses while taking none in return. Nothing we haven't already seen. Finally, the Special Unit pilot was cut due to his scene being too brief and difficult to insert in between Keras' observation of the Special Unit's deployment.
Depending on how much time I have, I may go back and revisit this battle later on, but right now I just want to finally release this chapter because it has spent way too long in the oven already.
Now on to better news! A writer named TonyJC has recently released the first few segments of a story called 'The Battle of Yellowstone: A Story from The Human War'. As the title implies, it is set way back in the past of the THW-verse, during the pivotal Battle of Yellowstone mentioned in the story timeline. I love his take on this background event, and thus highly recommend it to the rest of you. The extension is right here: s/12946749/1/The-Battle-of-Yellowstone-A-Story-from-The-Human-War
With all that said, I hope you have all enjoyed the story. As always, feedback is very welcome as I am always looking to improve the quality of what I am releasing.
