Chapter Text
Stray Effect
Chapter 1: Pilot
‘ When the Prothean Archive was found on Mars, it was met with excitement and annoyance. Samurai were expecting a giant underground Antithesis Hive, and instead, they got a facility based on what was considered to be common technology.
Most Samurai viewed the Archive as an intriguing find but nothing more than a footnote in the more extensive campaign to wrestle control of Mars away from the Antithesis. A few were interested in the mastery displayed in the ‘Mass Effect’ Technology. The find was used to tweak existing technology and add another Catalog for Samurai after being improved upon by the Protectors. ’
Excerpt from the ‘ The Mars Theatre, A History by John ‘The Wanderer’ Doe Samurai Historian, 2067.
POV: George ‘Ground Pounder’ Stanley
With my feet on the desk in front of me, I reclined back in the Shanxi Defense Network Command Information Center. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to be here, but the System Alliance personnel knew better than to follow silly regulations like that when a Tier 4 Samurai was in play.
Strictly speaking, I would be considered a Tier 5 if all my assets were with me, but I spread them out. I knew I couldn’t be in more than one place simultaneously. I also liked giving the girls and boys on the ground proper coverage, Although that might be why they’re so chill with me being in here.
Antithesis Incursions have taken a ‘slight’ uptake in recent months. If Shanxi had been fully colonized, this wouldn’t have been as much of a problem, but its half-colonized state allowed Antithesis to move almost uncontested around a third of the planet.
‘ Getting bored again? ’ my AI companion Hector’s feminine voice broke through my thoughts.
“A little bit. Baby-sitting an entire colony while wiping out as many Antithesis hives as possible is simultaneously boring and exhausting. At least the point income is good.” I knew I was being grouchy, but I didn’t care.
‘ Agreed on all counts. Even a hive being removed from existence becomes… stale after many repetitions. I’m afraid I can do little to alleviate such a thing. ’ Hector sounded almost remorseful.
“No worries, Hector. It isn’t your fa—” An alarm repeated three times from the intercom interrupted my words. The CIC immediately became a hive of activity. “I had to open my mouth… Hector? What’s going on?”
‘ The research vessel, the Curious Cat , has returned from the uncharted Mass Relay and is transmitting on the emergency frequency. They report that their escort, the Tenure , has been destroyed by an unknown alien force. They believe their attackers are following behind them.’ Hector info dumped everything in half a second.
“Have the teams continue Hive clearing in the mountains. We might need the extra breathing room if things get nasty. Recall the System Alliance troops, but keep the pressure on with my stuff and get our orbital defenses into high gear.” I pulled my feet off the desk and moved to the holographic map at the CIC’s center.
“You know?” General Tie Williams was already standing at the map's head, reviewing a holographic report from the Curious Cat .
“I do. Did the Curious Cat get a tally of how many ships we’re dealing with?” I looked over the colony defenses. They were built to withstand Antithesis waves. Not a group of unknowns pulling us into a shooting war.
“They did. 94 ships in total. One Battleship Anolog while while the rest are Cruisers and Frigates. The Tenure brought down 4 frigates before being mission killed, then scuttled with all hands lost, damaging 2 more frigates.” General Williams pulled up a photo of one of the hostile alien ships. Likely taken by the Curious Cat as they bailed through the Mass Relay.
The photo was a bit grainy due to its distance, but the ship's features were still visible. It was an angular thing. I pegged it as a frigate. There wasn’t nearly as much armor as it could have on it.
‘ Interesting. They appear to be using Prothean tech extensively. ’ Hector chimed in the back of head.
“Are they using only Prothean tech?” I asked aloud, causing General Williams to look up at me.
‘ Based on the energy readings taken from them by the Curious Cat, I believe so. They will be weak to any kind of direct energy weapons. Rail and Coil guns would also be devastating at sufficient power. ’ Hector sounded almost disappointed.
“Good thing we’re already fielding a fair amount of those. I don’t think our Garrison fleet will be able to take this whole fleet on. They won’t go quietly, though.” General Williams remarked before shifting to issue orders.
“Hector, you remember those Railgun tanks we were holding in reserve? We’ll need more of those and a Coil-assisted one that can take the standard 120mm shells the colony has stored.”
‘ Of course. How many should be autonomous? ’ Hector inquired.
“All the Railgun tanks. I don’t trust all the System Alliance soldiers and militia will check their shots. No offense, General.” I pulled up the vehicle pool of the Colony’s military base.
“None taken. I’d rather have those death machines of yours piloted with competent hands.” General Williams replied with no heat in his words.
“I’m glad. Hector, you know those two million points I was holding in the bank for an emergency? I think it’s time to use them.” I grinned.
“Should I even worry about this then?” General Williams gestured toward Curious Cat ’s report.
“Yeah. Probably. If only to ensure your boys and girls aren’t caught in the crossfire. I doubt this will be smooth sailing.” I nodded to him.
‘ I have several ideas on how to spend these points. What do you have in mind, George? ’ Hector almost purred. Leave it to the Protector AI to get extremely happy with me using a massive amount of points.
“I know Planetary Defense Cannons aren’t exactly in my expertise, but I think I can slightly bend the theme.”
‘ Cannons on such a scale will require a large amount of space to be effective. The Colony has little room unless you're willing to destroy a few parks. ’ Hector commented.
“What about the mountains the colony is next to? A fair amount of those have been cleared out.” I pulled my side of the holographic map to the nearby mountains.
‘ Those would suffice, but doing so would increase the point cost due to the amount of material being displaced. ’
The Alarm in the CIC triggered again. General Williams pulled up the alert, showing a swarm of ships emerging from the Mass Relay—126 in total. Looks like they pulled reinforcements.
“Work fast, Samurai. We’ll buy you what time we can.” General Williams watched the ships start moving toward Shanxi in formation.
“Understood. Expect the Cannons to be ready shortly. Hopefully, this lot will be willing to talk after getting stung a bit hard. I’d rather focus on the Antithesis, but if they want a fight, let's give them one they’ll never forget.” I growled as I left the CIC and started heading toward the mountains.