March 6th, 2175
15:54
Arcturus-Station, Arcturus-System
Secure War-Room 4
Andrew watched as the last stragglers entered the room, arriving shortly before the doors would be closed and only opened after the first part of the meeting again.
A security measure that would only be helpful if none of those present would talk to outsiders.
Considering that he smuggled in a Cerberus agent as one of his officers to coordinate with Harper, he shouldn't be judging others.
Yet, it was one thing creating a security leak where you knew where the information would go and another to have one where the leaked information would go who-knows-where.
It should have irritated him that he trusted Cerberus more than some of the present Alliance members, but he felt weirdly nonchalant about the situation.
Perhaps the constant stream of information from Cerberus over the last week was the reason.
It didn't mean Andrew was willing to trust Cerberus in any important way, but it showed him that if humanity had to close ranks in a crisis, he could count on the rogue organization to do its part.
That was the only reason Andrew had been willing to take the Cerberus agent into the meeting. Giving them information about the upcoming operation should keep their relationship amicable whenever another crisis pops up.
Shortly before the clock struck four o'clock, every officer, whether navy, army, marine, or intelligence, took their seat. When the clock hit the full hour, the door to the war room was sealed magnetically and would only open again when the commanding officer of this briefing willed it.
The room was circular and arranged like someone had put circles with different radiuses above each other. One could even liken the room to an upside-down cone, giving everyone in the room a perfect view of the holoprojector in the middle of the room, no matter if the projected picture was of the voluminous or flat variety.
As a semblance of quiet embraced the room, the relatively new fleet admiral stepped forward, capturing the attention of every person present.
This, and the operation as a whole, would be a trial by fire for the new fleet admiral, who had been promoted to the head of the 5th fleet not half a year ago.
The operation would be highly publicized, and the fleet admiral would have to manage the egos of the officers of the different branches under his command.
Yet, with his track record of successful operations and skillful political maneuvering, Andrew was sure Fleet Admiral Hackett would be up to the task.
"Thank you for coming. I will skip the remaining pleasantries since we all know what is at stake," said Hackett gruffly, his tone a pleasant mix of commanding yet not too forceful—a perfect fit for Hackett.
"As you all undoubtedly know, a coalition of different pirate and slaver groups attacked the Alliance and abducted people numbering in the thousands."
The reminder that countless people were captured and likely forced into slavery during and after the attack caused every face in the room to turn grim and the mood in the room to turn even more serious than before.
"You should all have read the briefings and memos about the background of the attack, so we won't go over it. We all know who the backer of the attack was, but there isn't enough evidence or probable reason to justify an all-out attack, at least not for the politicians. Rest assured, all parties have been identified, and the elements within the Alliance who sold out their fellow humans for profit will be appropriately punished. The same can probably said for the outsiders."
Hackett's last sentence was accompanied by a nod toward Andrew, who sported a bloodthirsty grin that sent shivers down the back of more than one of the hardened soldiers in the room.
Andrew knew he looked a bit deranged at that moment, but he didn't care about that. The memory of how every trickle of information led to a clearer picture of the hows and whys was a good one. Furthermore, the AIS got most of the people involved on the Alliance's side, and they either got arrested for treason or quietly disappeared, either through the AIS' or Cerberus' hands.
Yet, there were still more on the AIS target list, with the STG leading the way and the Asari Republics, Salarian Union, and two-thirds of the Council following close behind.
Of course, the Batarian Hegemony was somewhere on the list, too, since they were the instigators behind everything, but they were easy targets compared to the others. Besides, an all-out war with them wasn't an impossibility right now. After all, the counterattack could lead the Batarians to do something drastic.
"I can't say much," Andrew commented, "but the Fleet Admiral is correct. The AIS is still on the case, and we will shift more resources toward it after we do our part in this operation."
"Director Clark," Hackett said with another nod toward Andrew, acknowledging his comment.
"As you heard, the AIS is working on it. That way, we can focus on our operation. And we owe it to our citizens to give this our best."
A series of nods around the room followed after Hackett's statement, one Andrew could wholeheartedly agree with.
"The operation will composed of two overarching parts. While both fall nominally under my overview, I will only be directly responsible for realizing one part. At the same time, the other will be directed by Director Clark of the AIS, who has a better overview of the situation and more experience in coordinating operations needing a more delicate approach. Especially since we want both parts to happen at the same time, and the second one shall not give anyone a reason to declare war on us for conducting operations in their territory against their citizens."
Who the "anyone" Hackett mentioned was did not need any explanation.
"The two operations are being called "Hammer" and "Dagger." I will begin briefing you on "Sword," while Director Clark will take over to inform you about "Dagger. " You all were notified before this meeting which operation you will be joining, but I expect you to listen to the other one in case some of you will be reshuffled. This meeting will give you a general overview, while a follow-up meeting will clarify your specific positions and roles."
After finishing, Hackett stepped forward to the terminal and dimmed the light while activating the projector in the middle of the circular room.
The semi-transparent picture of a dark brown and slightly orange sphere that one could mistake for a desert planet but actually was a moon appeared above the projector and started to spin slowly.
"This is the fortress moon: Torfan," Hackett started, walking around the projector in the opposing direction of the picture's spin. "It's called a fortress moon since the Batarian Hegemony used the moon as a military outpost until roughly a hundred years ago. The Batarians officially abandoned the moon for some or another reason, and it didn't take long before the first pirate gang took over the largest military complex among those dotting the planet. Surprisingly or not, the pirate gang was composed completely of Batarians who probably had been part of their military until that morning," Hackett finished in a dry voice, electing a few chuckles from his audience.
While the implications Hackett alluded to weren't too surprising, the fact that this particular pirate gang was still situated in the same former military complex and essentially in power over the rest of the moon was by far more interesting to know.
Normally, no pirate gang should exist for a hundred years, external and internal power struggles almost guaranteed it. That this one continued to exist under the same name showed that the Batarian Hegemony had vested interests in the survival of the group, which was probably a paramilitary organization.
Perhaps Andrew should ask Hackett to remind the troops tasked with taking that particular complex to try and capture the leader. That one should have some nice information the Batarian Hegemony wouldn't like to see in the hands of the Alliance. Perhaps even some tidbits that could turn on the heat for the Council if they were lucky.
Andrew turned his attention back to the projection of Torfan when a pulsing dot appeared on the northern hemisphere of the moon.
"The base of the group called "Kash'kars Pillars" is located there, on the northern hemisphere of the moon, built into a canyon. The whole area is dotted with AA batteries, making an attack by air impossible, and you can be sure that they have enough gun emplacements to make a foray via the ground a costly endeavor. Sadly, that will be our only option here since the analysts say that anything approaching from the air will be shot down before they can even make out any details on the ground, meaning we can't send in the Helljumpers to take out the AA defenses.
Nevertheless, we will have to take them out since intelligence says that many of our fellow citizens are being held and processed there."
It was a depressing start, but when Andrew looked around, he did not see anyone with an expression saying they were afraid of walking into that potential hell. And Andrew was sure that when the officers told their troops about it, their reaction would be the same.
"While this base will be our main objective, it won't be the only one," Hackett continued after he looked over the gathered people, seeing the same as Andrew. Hackett pointed toward the projection, and around two dozen bigger dots, similar to the one marking the main objective, appeared alongside countless smaller and dimmer dots.
"We will have to deal with a number of similarly defended bases and dozens of outposts that are nothing more than lightly defended warehouses where either pirates or slavers gather to rest before their next raid, yet we will take them on, too. To keep them from organizing and attacking our flanks while we march toward the better-defended bases and to put a dent in the pirate numbers so that this part of the galaxy won't return to its previous number for the next few decades. Furthermore, after this operation is finished, I doubt the Alliance will have pirate troubles for the foreseeable future. After all, they will have a vivid example of what would happen to them should they dare."
The meeting continued without any interruptions. Hackett briefed the present officers on the general information about the more fortified bases before opening the floor to questions and answering them as best as he could. Terrains, numbers, and more.
Andrew listened and took over for Hackett in some cases since it was his agents who brought together the needed information, and he was the only one who had access to their full reports.
Yet, some of the officers asked questions even Andrew could not answer, but he promised them that his agents would get back to them with the needed information. Furthermore, he took note of those questions and added them to the survey whenever his agents had to scout a location in preparation for an assault.
Finally, Hackett's part ended with the words: "... anything further will be discussed in the designated task groups. I will now pass on the position of speaker to Director Clark. He will explain the second half of the operation as he will be the one coordinating it."
Andrew stood up and walked over to Hackett's position, nodding at him thankfully before the fleet admiral took a step back to let Andrew take the central position.
"Firstly, this operation will be conducted by the AIS and the Special Operations Divisions of your respective branches. So, I will politely ask everyone without any clearance for SOD reports to leave the room."
Many officers stood up at Andrew's words, and the magnetical lock of the door disengaged to let them leave the room. Some only started to move after Hackett nodded at them to give his assent.
After they finally left the room, Andrew ordered that it be sealed once again and changed the picture the projector showed from Torfan to a galactic map of the sector the Batarians inhabited.
"Information shows that most of our captured citizens are still on Torfan, and the operation Admiral Hackett explained will free them. Yet, there are some that have already been sold or given to wealthy Batarians in exchange for their help in the invasion itself," Andrew started without any preamble. "It will be our duty to get them back without, hopefully, triggering a war with the Hegemony."
"Are we sure that not more of our people are going to be relocated from Torfan until we make our move?" asked someone in the audience.
"We can't be sure," answered Andrew truthfully. "But Ambassador Goyle is managing that front for us. She's tying up the Council and the Batarian embassy in proceedings that make it unadvised for the Hegemony to buy or sell human slaves until they are finished. Ambassador Goyle is using the angle that while slavery is allowed in Batarian territory due to their cultural practices, the citizens of the Alliance have not agreed to partake in that specific practice. It's tying them up in debates, and the Turian Councilor, who is apparently partial to our side, basically ordered the Batarians to hold off on buying any human slaves until the matter is solved if they don't want a Turian fleet going from one human slave to another to ask if they want to be one. The Batarians are following the decree for now. Somehow, they have the insane hope that something will happen that will legitimize their possession of human slaves."
Andrew could only shake his head theatrically at this statement, eliciting a few chuckles.
"Are we sure that Ambassador Goyle can stall them long enough?"
"Yes," replied Andrew to the next question without hesitation. "She has the nominal support of the Turians and isn't alone in her endeavor to put political pressure on the Batarians."
Among the people helping the ambassador was Andrew's friend Oscar, whose "house arrest" had been rescinded.
He had arrived on the Citadel last week after leaving the last preparations for the military in the hands of his most skilled administrators.
It had to be said that while the "house arrest" had been rescinded, Oscar was still under the thumb of the Alliance government, at least officially. Andrew and Oscar both knew that the latter could do more for the Alliance if he was on the Citadel, so they convinced the Alliance's president to order Oscar to the Citadel as support for Anita Goyle. To keep the illusion that Oscar was still on thin ice with the Alliance's government and under their control, his usual bodyguards had been swapped with a squad of the Alliance military's finest.
Hardly a hindrance since their orders had been to simply keep watch over him and not interfere with anything the influential and powerful man was doing.
"For now, let us not worry. Our politicians have our back in this and will continue to support us even if we are identified during or after our operation with evidence to back up their claims. And don't think for a moment that we can keep them from guessing it was us. After all, there is no other group but us interested in bringing the already sold slaves back home."
Well, that statement was only a half-truth, as the Cerberus agent still sitting in the audience was proof of. The rogue human organization had an interest, too, perhaps an even greater interest than the Alliance, as it would mean a huge popularity boost for them among the populace if they managed to take credit for the rescue operation.
Normally, Andrew would be alright with presenting Cerberus as the scapegoat whenever the AIS had to accomplish a mission that would be popular among the Alliance's people but damaging to the Alliance's relationships with the other star-nations, yet this would be a too great popularity boost for them. Furthermore, the implication that Cerberus had the necessary resources to conduct an operation of this magnitude would bring closer scrutiny and more interest from the Council.
Something Andrew wanted to prevent as the Cerberus name was a good smokescreen for the operations of the AIS nobody should be able to connect to them.
"We have to do our best to keep the evidence of our involvement to a minimum. That means "Deep-Cleaning"-Protocols. Inform your troops and let anyone uncomfortable with it transfer out from under your command."
Andrew did his best to catch the eyes of everyone present one by one to make sure everyone understood. The "Deep-Cleaning"-Protocols were the most extensive evidence-denial protocols within the Alliance.
The bodies of ground troops would be burned to cinders in seconds by devices connected to their combat suits when they died, activated the device by themselves, or someone tried to open their suit without sending the correct identification codes before. Even their weapons had small devices affixed, which turned them into little more than slag if they got too far away from their owner. Furthermore, their suits were hermetically sealed so that not even the smallest skin cell could be left behind.
Even the starships would not be exempted from this rule. Should any of them be in danger of being destroyed, captured, or even boarded, their cores would overload in such a way that nothing but stardust would remain of them.
The names of anyone dying on this mission would never be honored beyond a simple star on a marble plate.
Officially, they wouldn't even be dead but listed as MIA during the Torfan operation.
After getting either a nod or whispered vocal confirmation from every officer that they would inform their troops about the protocol, Andrew continued with his presentation.
"While not many Batarians acquired human slaves in the wake of the attack, since as a new "commodity" they were either used as presents for backers or sold at very high prices, they are scattered around the Batarian territory. Furthermore, as you can already guess, the target locations will be the estates of influential, wealthy, and powerful Batarians, so their security will be accordingly heavy. Yet, I don't believe that getting around or through them will be our main problem for most of the targets, except those on Khar'shan. Our main problem will be to get to the planets where our citizens are undiscovered and to get out of there, too. A fact that means that in this area," Andrew highlighted the area around Khar'shan and its closest systems, "we won't be able to operate."
"So we will abandon those held there? If I read the reports correctly, it is the area where most of the people already sold are held," asked an officer from the Navy's Special Operations Division according to her uniform. While some would frown at the wording of the question, Andrew noted that she asked it without any heat behind it and more with a cold and analytical detachment, even if a hint of resignation came along, as if she had already known it would be in the realm of impossibility.
"Abandon? No," replied Andrew with a shake of his head. "We will simply delay their rescue. Some agents of the AIS have volunteered to keep an eye on their situation and to inform the Special Operation branches the moment an opportunity appears to rescue even a single person. Besides, there are several projects in development that should allow us to conduct operations in the area without being detected by the Batarians. I believe that we will be able to bring every abducted person home in the next three to five years."
A number that wasn't perfect but better than nothing.
Nevertheless, Andrew saw that the eyes of the military officers lost a bit of the anger hidden in them and got replaced by hope and determination.
Yet, he couldn't say more, especially with the Cerberus agent among them. Most of them did not have the necessary clearance, and it wasn't his job to inform them about Project "Ghost."
A project with higher security and secrecy than the Ruler-Class ship.
But to be honest: a Ruler-Class ship was difficult to keep secret. A far smaller ship could at least be hidden inside a hangar.
Of course, a smaller ship would also be less powerful, but since Project "Ghost" wasn't intended for the frontline. Rather, the ships from that project were intended for behind the enemy frontline.
A stealth ship, co-designed by Dr. Hoshiyume, which would improve the effectiveness of the AIS tremendously. Scouting deep into territories without being noticed and then sitting in the middle of their networks, able to access them more easily than ever before.
A metaphorical shiver went down Andrew's back when he thought about the possibilities.
Focusing back on the meeting, Andrew continued to name the targeted systems and the officers assigned to them.
He wouldn't dictate the approach of the strike teams as the teams themselves knew their strengths and weak points the best and could create a plan suited for them when they knew the plans for the locations.
The only thing he hoped would be that the political side of the aftermath would be handled well by their assets on the Citadel.
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March 6th, 2175
19:11
Citadel, Widow-System
Human Embassy
I fell into the seat in front of Anita's desk, sighing before looking at humanity's ambassador, who sat on the opposite side.
Right now, she looked as exhausted as I felt and probably looked.
"Hard day for you, too?" I asked despite knowing the answer already.
Anita gave me the appropriate look at my question. The look that said if I was seriously asking her that question.
"You should know the answer already. After all, I am sure you had to deal with similar people as I did today. Now, shall we tell each other what we managed in the last few hours?"
"Not that much," I admitted. "At least not much more than we already managed. Public opinion is against the Batarians all around the station, and that stance is spreading throughout Citadel space. I talked to some people close to the local leaders of anti-slavery movements. They want to convince them to hold another rally in front of the Batarian embassy. Of course, they expect certain concessions if they are successful. If we get media coverage, those could be powerful pictures we can use."
"Nothing concrete, but better than nothing," Anita said. "Having the public on our side during the aftermath will make things easier. The Council will not be able to censor us. At least not without serious pushback all around the Citadel. And among their home territories. That is far more important to us. The Turian government will be pressured by their people which will put pressure on the Turian Councilor who is already something akin to a friend in this case."
"And the Turian Councilor will help us with the other two," I finished for her.
"Correct." Anita leaned back in her chair, tipping her fingers on the table rhythmically. "I just can't decide whose hands we want to play the little notes Andrew gathered into."
I hummed at Anita's musings. Andrew did good work by finding indicators that the Salarians and Asari were involved somehow in this mess. The question was now if it would be better to let the Turian councilor know or to give hints to the two other councilors letting them think we had more in our hands than we did.
While the latter could be more effective if they called our bluff, they could prepare and erase all traces before the Turians could use it.
Furthermore, if the Turian Councilor decided that the actions of the other two were necessary for the greater good of the galaxy by trying to limit and reduce our advancement as a great power, things could go sideways quickly.
Those tree species stood side by side for centuries, deciding together how the galaxy should be run. Power struggles between them were common but ultimately they would stand together if something were to threaten one's dominant position within the galaxy as that could negatively impact their own position.
"Let's sit on it for now," I suggested, getting a wave from Anita to explain my reasoning. "Right now, neither of the councilors knows that we have hints of their involvement. They may suspect that we have knowledge of something but they can't be certain. As such they can't move boldly as that would give us more credibility."
"Helpful, detrimental, or nothing. Those are the three outcomes that could happen. And your suggestion is probably the best. It is the only outcome we can control. Any other move and the outcome becomes uncertain. Besides, just letting them think about what we may have in our hands should make them more cautious than otherwise."
Anita sighed. "I think after this mess I am going to resign. The aftermath is going to be one huge diplomatic mess even with all the preparation we have done and will still do. Getting tired of this job is sadly a serious side effect, and I want to spend some more time with my family. I think I deserve a nice cushy job without much responsibility and work after serving as the Alliance's ambassador since we made contact with the Citadel."
"You deserve it," I replied, giving my friend an understanding smile. "Thank you for the heads up. Seems like I should send a message back home for my people to begin to line everything up and remove any obstacles in my way."
"You should," said Anita, returning my smile.
It looked like my time as the Alliance's ambassador was coming ever closer.