July 7th, 2175
14:23
Citadel, Widow-System
Presidium
Human Embassy
"... and that is the current status of Operation Sidebreaker," finished Admiral Hackett, his eyes looking up from the hologram between us and looking me in the eyes. "Any questions?"
As with most of Hackett's earlier briefings, I shook my head and replied negatively. Only Operation Iron Wall, focused on defending our border with the Batarian Hegemony and set to last for years, had received more than this routine response.
In my opinion, Operation Iron Wall was one of the, if not the most, important military tasks the Alliance had. And a highly political one, too.
I had to know every detail and be updated quickly, as the Council could call on me for an update at any time. Our border with the Batarians was also the Citadel's border, and their responsibility—though they gave us full control over its management.
"That should have been all current military operations of the Alliance, correct?" I asked, trying to steer my thoughts away from that particular situation, at least for a time before it inevitably came up again.
"Yes, Ambassador Denebren. Those are all the military operations I was supposed to brief you about," answered Hackett while folding his hands behind his back and straightening his posture.
For a moment, we looked into each other's eyes, neither of us saying a word or twitching a muscle, before I gave him a minuscule nod.
His words were easy enough to understand. Almost all operations Hackett briefed me about could be found by the public as long as someone knew where to look on the extranet. Of course, I had been told more details than were publicly available. The few that the public didn't know about were well known to the different intelligence agencies, so there wasn't anything wrong with my knowing about them as well.
He didn't say it out loud, but there were operations he kept from me to maintain plausible deniability. That way, I could truthfully claim no officer told me about those operations. This might not stop insistent questioning, but it at least gave me a way to maneuver through tricky situations. Still, sometimes I had to deny knowledge while managing the fallout. Such is the ambassador's life on the Citadel.
"Very well, Admiral. Should we get on with the agenda, or would you like a short break?" I asked and walked around the briefing room toward a small table, where a couple of glasses and several different beverages were set.
"I would like to continue, sir. A break is not necessary," replied Hackett while connecting another data drive with the holographic table before him.
"Alright, but do you want anything to drink? My secretary got us a nice assortment of choices."
"A simple water would be enough."
"As you wish," I said, and filled a glass with some still water. Yet, when I looked at the etiquette, I scoffed. To call water from that brand simple would be further from the truth than to say that Krogans loved peace. The water came from Earth, specifically from one of the few still completely untainted springs. A single bottle cost more than some people paid for rent.
Perhaps it was a mistake to give Miranda limited access to one of the bank accounts I used for my expenses as an ambassador. That woman had expensive tastes.
Or perhaps that was her revenge for the dozens of small tasks I gave her every day that had only to do with her actual job in the broadest sense. After all, I had this weird feeling that she would be really good with malicious compliance.
Well, as long as she didn't start using the dirt that called itself instant coffee, I would let it slide. Otherwise, it would mean war.
Nevertheless, I filled my own glass and brought them both back towards the holographic table, where Hackett was busy adjusting some settings and pulling up some pictures before putting them away as if he was making sure that everything he wanted to talk about was actually there.
I handed him his glass, and after thanking me, he took a swig before putting it down.
"There are some projects coming directly from the Olympus-Systems that you should know about," began Hackett, propping his hands on the side of the table, "but I guess you would like an update about the Ruler-Class first?"
"I would like that, yes," I replied, and an undertone of eagerness slipped into my voice.
Hackett nodded and pushed off the table before crossing his arms in front of his chest. "The construction is going better than expected. From the latest reports, it seems like we are ahead of schedule. Most of the actual construction of the hull is finished, and around this time next year, it should be completed. But the installation of the internal components is going to take another year, or longer, since..."
"...since we are improving our technology fast. And people in charge of the project want humanity's flagship to have the best of the best," I interrupted Hackett.
"You would be right about that," nodded Hackett, who didn't seem irritated by my interruption. "At least someone put their foot down when someone suggested that they should rip off some walls to redo the electrical engineering again, when some new wires showed a 0.01% increase in conductivity."
Hackett took another sip from his glass before continuing: "At least, they decided to wait to install the equipment after the construction of the hull is finished and to make a hard cut when it comes to improvements."
"Good," I replied. "Otherwise, the project would never be complete because there would always be something that had to be exchanged for something better." A question appeared inside my head, and I vocalized it since I hoped that Hackett would have an answer for me. "Are there any plans already where the Ruler-Class is going to be deployed?"
"It won't be deployed immediately," said Hackett. "The plan is to stress test every system of the ship for at least a year before it gets deployed to any mission where enemy contact is possible. Possibly even two years."
I hummed my consent. "That's a good idea. It is an ambitious and unprecedented project. It would not do for it to malfunction during its first mission. Yet, I am still asking if there are plans for its first mission."
"There are," confirmed Hackett. "But there are very few that have the Ruler-Class in the eye of the public. Most want to use the Ruler-Class as a secret weapon, keeping it in reserve for a decisive strike."
"And what is your opinion, Admiral Hackett?" I asked, and I could see him raise an eyebrow in response.
"My opinion, sir?"
"You are an admiral, and as far as I know, you are the foremost candidate to take over as the fleet admiral of the Fifth Fleet in a couple of years. Your opinions will shape our military strategy in the future, and I would like a sneak peek at it, especially since you will have a say about the Ruler-Class' mission if the timeline of its construction is correct."
For a moment, Hackett looked taken aback at my confidence that he would one day be the fleet admiral of the Fifth Fleet before his composure returned. "I thank you for your vote of confidence, but nothing is set in stone at the moment."
I have his answer away and said: "We will see what will happen. Nevertheless, I would still like to hear your thoughts about how the first Ruler-Class ship should be utilized."
After I finished speaking, silence began to fill the room. Yet, it wasn't the uncomfortable sort of silence. Instead, it was a contemplative one. I could see it in Hackett's face that he thought about my question, perhaps even creating a strategy for the Ruler-Class on the spot.
The silence continued for a minute or two before Hackett began to speak.
"The Ruler-Class is a special asset, that much can't be contested. As such, the ship should not be used like a conventional dreadnought. Furthermore, keeping it out of the public eye for now appears to be the right course of action as well."
"I agree with that," I added. "The Ruler-Class will change the political landscape irrevocably. The Council will not be able to overlook this. After all, a Ruler-Class will not only be a symbol of our strength on the battlefield but a symbol of our ambition and ingenuity as well. Even the Asari's vaunted Destiny Ascension is more akin to a pleasure ship in comparison to a Ruler-Class. I will need time to prepare the Citadel for the grand reveal, so that the Council can't simply try to take it away from us without heavy repercussions."
With a nod, Hackett agreed to my words and continued: "Another point that has to be taken into account, you are right about that." He took a moment to collect himself and to make a clean break to continue with his hypothetical plan. "I would deploy it at our border with the Batarians. Its DR drive is slated to be the fastest we have ever constructed. Therefore, it could jump to any skirmish where it would be needed. Furthermore, a Ruler-Class isn't just a battleship or a carrier, but a mobile base. From it, we could coordinate our defenses against the Batarians from systems where they couldn't even travel to without weeks or months of travel time. I would use the Ruler-Class as a projection of force over a large territory, which the Batarians wouldn't be able to oppose without expanding significant resources."
"Resources that would then be missing at another point," I added, to which I got an agreeing nod from Hackett.
"The Batarians don't even have to know the exact specifications, only that we have an asset in the area, and they would have to investigate. Either way, the Ruler-Class would be a great asset in the area."
After Hackett finished, another thoughtful silence entered the room. I rubbed my thumb slowly over my chin, thinking about everything Hackett proposed. My field of expertise has never been and would never be military strategy, yet I could see the benefits. From a political standpoint, there was merit in his plan, too. Keeping the finished Ruler-Class out of view of the public, and the Citadel in general, would give the Alliance time to continue working on the next two, whose hulls had already begun to be laid down. If we managed to keep the finished one out of view until the other two were almost finished, our potential military power would be great enough to object to any Council intervention.
"When there's a meeting about how you want to use it, and you think I can weigh in on the decision, give me a call. I believe there is a benefit in your plan in comparison to simply letting it sit within our borders, letting it do nothing," I said after a while.
Instead of giving me an answer, Hackett just nodded, and I could see that he was considering why I would want to weigh in on that decision or why I would support him with his proposal instead of someone else.
Besides his plan being probably the best for me, I wanted Hackett to see me, if not as a friend, as an ally who could support him. It had been Hackett who had led the war effort against the Reapers in canon, and I wanted such a man on my side. Of course, Shepard had been the face of the war, and as the protagonist of the games, you had been following their career and were emotionally invested in them, but Shepard hadn't been doing more than gathering all those very different parties. It had probably been Hackett and others who had done the most behind the scenes to weld them together into a force that could stand against the Reapers, ensuring that they coordinated their counterattacks and evacuations, and that every battlefield received the troops and supplies it needed.
A soldier to change the tide of a battle was important, but so were the people who made it possible for those soldiers to even know where they could do so.
"Anyway," I said, wanting to close the topic, "there are more projects ongoing, right?"
"Correct," nodded Hacket, using one of his hands to pull up a holographic picture of a missile. "This project had been in the theory stage for some years, but until now, the practical capabilities lagged behind. Our technological means weren't advanced enough to make the theory possible. You remember what happens when Eezo is exposed to the emission of the Rift Dimension?"
"I remember some test with bringing active Eezo into the rift. As far as I know, the container unhitched itself from the ship that pulled it through the rift."
Hackett nodded once again. "As far as most know, eezo and the DR drive simply don't mix. It is the reason why ships have to power down their shields when they enter the rift and are vulnerable for a time when they leave until they power up their eezo engines. A weakness we have not found a solution for yet. If our enemies manage to create something that detects the opening of a rift, they could manage to counterattack without us being able to do anything but take it."
A slight grimace found its way onto my face. An expression that was mirrored by Hackett. Right now, our strategy was to suddenly appear behind enemy lines, striking them in the back during a surprise attack. The delay between the opening of the rift, the emergence of our ships, and the enemy's reaction gave our ships enough time to power their shield and weapon systems and to attack them before our opponents managed to react. If the delay between reactions were to shorten or even disappear, or if the enemy were aware of where the rifts would open, our military strategy would have to be rewritten for ships using the DR drive.
"A problem that is still being researched. From his last update on all the projects he is overseeing, Takahashi is certain that they will manage to reduce the time needed for reactivation if they can't manage to eliminate that weakness entirely. He is not researching it directly, but he guaranteed me that the people working on it are competent. And if he says so, then I believe him."
"If Dr. Hoshiyume thinks so, and you are supporting his statements, then I will believe them, too," Hackett said before he shook his head lightly. "Anyway, back to the topic at hand. The research on the interrelation of the rift and eezo continued. The people who worked on it never had a big budget, but they continued nonetheless. Years ago, they found out that the erratic behavior of eezo when hit by the emissions of a rift had an effect on the surrounding materials. As one of the scientists explained to me, although I try to refrain from the highly technical and cumbersome explanation he gave me, and instead try to explain it as I understood it, is that the excitement of the eezo particles is being transferred to their surroundings."
During Hackett's explanation, I tried to visualize it in my mind. How points of blue, symbolizing eezo, started to move around wildly and hit a grey box surrounding them, which stood for iron or another metal that enclosed them. Soon, in my mind at least, the grey box lost its cohesion and splintered apart, with grey points starting to move away from their neatly arranged state.
When I started to vocally express the picture in my mind to Hackett, he nodded along with a serious expression and said: "Your visualization is not too far off from reality. It is a bit more complicated than that, but it works.
From there, two different applications have been theorized," explained Hackett further. "But both are dependent on the miniaturization of the DR drive. Small enough to fit into a missile."
"Making it possible to send them toward opposing ships, using the reaction of eezo with the DR emissions."
"Correct, but not just against ships, but against fortifications, too," added Hackett. "One of the applications has fallen by the wayside by now, but the other one has been taken further and a few prototypes produced."
"And how good are they?"
"My personal opinion?" asked Hackett, to which I nodded. "If I take everything into account? It is terrible."
His blunt verdict caused both of my eyebrows to rise, making my eyes bulge out slightly in surprise. "Terrible? Really?" I couldn't help but ask.
"Yes, currently the missiles are too big to fit into the standardized launcher tubes, making it necessary to outfit a ship with a specifically created one. And that brings us to another point, which leads me to conclude that the project in its current form is not workable. Those special tubes only fit onto dreadnoughts due to their energy consumption. They need so much energy that any ship with a core below dreadnought level will have energy fluctuations, compromising other systems every time they want to launch a missile. And don't get me started on the cost of a single missile. It costs almost as much as the construction of a DR drive, making it the most expensive weapon in the Alliance's arsenal, especially for a single-use weapon."
Those were some good points. And from those alone, Hackett was right in his verdict, in my opinion, to declare the project terrible. But before I could ask or say anything, Hackett continued.
"Yet, I can see the potential. While it is terribly expensive, the results speak for themselves. They tested the weapon on an asteroid, and it broke apart into dozens of pieces after the impact, while conventional weaponry didn't leave much more than some craters. And if the theory is sound, and it works exactly how the scientists envisioned it, a single missile should be enough to tear apart any ship. It wouldn't matter if it is a fighter or the Destiny Ascension itself, even a Ruler Class should not be safe from it."
"Why?" I asked.
"Because the missile uses the enemy's ship's shields against it. All shields are powered by eezo, and the missile effects eezo. Ergo, there is no defense against it."
I couldn't help the groan that escaped me. My right hand found its way to my forehead to massage the slowly building headache away that started to come up after the implications of having such a weapon in our arsenal started to hit me like a freight train.
When I went over to refill my glass after emptying it in a single swig, I saw from the corner of my eye how Hackett watched me with a questioning look. After refilling my glass and emptying it once again, I turned around and gave the admiral a pained smile.
"I hope the information about the project is secured, and the people working on it know better than to gossip about the potential of it, because," I took a deep breath before continuing, "because it is a Doomsday Weapon."
When Hackett's questioning look mixed with confusion, I chuckled and began to explain: "It is not an official term, but my own for weapons that could change, no, shatter the status quo. And this, let's call it Rift Missile, could do so. A weapon none of the powers of the galaxy can defend against, not even us. I believe I don't have to explain what could happen if a single prototype fell into the wrong hands. Even the knowledge that something like this exists is dangerous." While I was talking, my voice took on a sharper and dangerous tone, one that brooked no disobedience, and Hackett's posture became as stiff as a pole.
"It doesn't matter if they are expensive enough to buy a fully outfitted warship, and that the Alliance would beggar itself trying to make enough of them to make a difference on the battlefield, the fear of them would spread regardless. Even a fleet of Ruler Class ships would not generate as much fear because the only difference between them and regular dreadnoughts is the size, at least in the heads of the other galactic powers.
But a weapon no one can defend against? A weapon that shatters their understanding of everything they believed to know? Much too dangerous.
When we are finished, you will destroy this information," my finger pointed toward the holographic picture that floated between us, "and go back to the people in charge and tell them to do the same. Their research team will be restructured into one that looks into the miniaturization of the DR drive, at least on paper, and any networks that don't have Omega-Security-Measures, am I understood?"
Without saying anything, Hackett simply looked me into my eyes for a moment that seemed to stretch into eternity before he slowly gave me a nod. I knew that he would do as I said and not try to go behind my back.
"Furthermore," I added, "If anyone tries to gainsay or counter your orders, tell them that this is Oscar Denebren's order, and if they don't want to be demoted to scrubbing toilets for the rest of their lives, they better listen."
And I meant what I said. I may have put down my office in my own company, and gave the reins into hands of some people who were competent and trustworthy, but that did not mean that my influence and my power had disappeared. Oscar Denebren and Ad Astra were inextricably connected, and even my death would not change that.
A single message, and I could put enough pressure on the highest echelons of the Alliance that they would have no other choice but to listen to my words.
I had never used my influence beyond simple suggestions, since often my words were enough, to pressure the Alliance to do anything, especially since it would change our relationship irrevocably, but if need be, I could do it.
And this was a situation where I would do it if it came to it.
After all, letting it become public knowledge would probably set us against every other galactic power, not just the Council, but everyone would look at us with suspicion. The other Citadel races, the Batarians, who were already set against us, the Migrant Fleet, and the Terminus Systems. Leaving us in the galaxy without any friends.
Perhaps the Krogans would still like us for coming up with such a weapon, but they were not the most useful friends outside a fight on the ground.
And without any friends, the Alliance would never be able to rise towards the heights I knew it was capable of.
The weapon would be useful for taking out Reapers, yet their numbers, which I didn't know since the games were always kind of vague about actual numbers, were too high for a weapon we would only be able to build a very limited number of.
No, it would be far better to keep it a secret.
At least for now.
I would have to push Takahashi in the direction of developing a method of shielding that didn't rely on eezo and would be able to stand against the power of the so-called Drift Missile. If that technology fell into the hands of our enemies, which it probably would, our Ruler-Class ships would be nothing more than oversized and overpriced targets.
The thought of Cerberus being in possession of one if they still became agents of the Reapers sent shivers down my back. The organization would probably never be able to build a Ruler-Class, since the needed facilities and materials were enormous, but building a Drift Missile would be well within their means.
Furthermore, I was glad that I checked for listening devices once again after Miranda brought the refreshments. Otherwise, I would have to give the order to kill her immediately to keep this a secret, throwing canon completely off the rails in the process. Letting her live meant nothing in comparison to keeping the Citadel races friendly towards us, even if it meant Shepard's death after the first Collector attack. After all, without Shepard, we may still have a fighting chance, but on our own? Humanity would probably die a slow death while the Reapers scoured the galaxy of us.
"Let's continue with the presentation," I said to Hackett with a sigh, hoping to put the topic out of my mind for a few minutes.
Just as Admiral Hackett was about to continue, a signal echoed through the briefing room, announcing that someone was at the door, demanding entry. Without me doing anything, the door opened, giving me the first hint that something was wrong since nobody would interrupt one of my meetings without my permission if it wasn't urgent.
The second hint was the heavy breathing of the person who had stormed into the room as if she had run from the docks to the embassy.
"Sir, there's a situation. You are needed immediately!" the messenger gasped out between breaths, making me grimace since my worry had been confirmed.
Bracing myself, I asked: "Tell me what is going on."