Raen'Rilas vas Myni's Story

The human frigate, SSV Leningrad, hit the Mass Relay and came into the Euler system where the planet Benning was located. Until now, the frigate and the Spectre who commandeered her had operated in utter secrecy, telling little more than they were on a retrieval mission and nothing more. Said Spectre, Seyusa Avera stood on the bridge, overlooking the various readouts and information sources being rerouted to her use. One perk of being a Spectre was simply that, having access to vast amounts of potential resources, if needed, and could simply get what was necessary done, in a short amount of time depending on the mission. It was time for the team that was assembled thus far to be briefed in greater detail, and turned to the XO of the ship and spoke softly, but carrying absolute command. "Please inform the special team to meet in the CIC and prepare for final approach and deployment." With that, she turned and strode the somewhat short distance to the CIC itself, overlooking a map and general readout of the ship's current status. Everything optimum and ready for the operation. She collected a series of data pads that had necessary information, and entered the briefing room behind the CIC, as the general call for the team came over the PA system. "All N7 Special Operatives, report to the briefing room on the CIC level. All hands, report to your general alert."

---

Raen'Rilas was down on the engineering level when the general alert came over the PA, and he looked up and shrugged. It looked like it was time to move out, and he was glad to see it done. Transit was also very slow and he had nothing to do but help keep things running on the engineering deck, which meant no real work. But he did what he had to and got the job done and, when in transit, passed time. He hadn't given the rest of the team much thought, it was just a matter of support how he saw it. So it was just a matter of grabbing his kit, which was nearby at all times, and after wrapping up the most recent tweak, nodded to the others on the deck and caught an elevator heading upwards. He holstered the shotgun, pistol always on his hip, and once the elevator reached the CIC, stepped off and, rather than head in right away, did some checking with the crew on that level to get some information before the briefing itself, see if they knew anything newer than what they knew thus far. General consensus, nothing new. But he did pause for a few minutes looking over the readouts on the ship, listening for others to arrive.

Ryak:

Ryak was looking at his knife. Honestly, it was never really used. But, he always kept a knife, just in case. When the alert came up, he was in an observation room. He walked over to the door, sheathing his knife. His Omni Blades would probably be more powerful anyways. However, his main weapons would be his Turian Harrier and his Black Widow. The Widow especially. He kept that thing in the best condition possible, and he has upgraded it about 9 times at least. Modded with the High Velocity Barrel and Piercing, he has enough force in this gun to put down a Krogan in one shot. Maybe two for some of the tougher Krogan. Though, from what he has heard of this "Wrex", he thinks he might need 3-5 shots if he ever had to fight him, but luckily, they are on the same side.

Ryak made his way to the CIC Briefing Room. After making sure he was alone, he turned on his cloaking, and entered the Briefing room unseen. He went to the opposite side of the room, decloaking. This isn't your standard cloaking device either. Its one of the brand new models, high grade, and high tech. New Turian design, making the cloaking even more effective and harder to be seen. And it saves a bit more power, and has a faster recharge. He looked at Raen, then Seyusa "So, just a guess here, but your no longer keeping us in the dark?"

James:

James Monroe wasn't doing much when the announcement came. He walked towards the ship's CIC when he came across an Asari. The Spectre. She was just entering. He saw a Quarian walk in as well, but no one else. He came in, thinking he was right behind the Quarian, only to find a Turian, Quarian, and Asari here. "There is a Joke in here somewhere....." he joked. He then noted "James Monroe, reporting for duty ma'am". He definitely didn't have any illusions of who was in charge. And his name probably would ring bells for anyone who paid close attention to Alliance Ships or Important Battles. His family were in several, including the fight against the Reaper and the Geth at the Citadel. The name Monroe was a good deal famous, even in Alien standards. Though, James had no intention of using his families name to get power, he received his rank by skill and skill alone.

Griska was next into the CIC, the Vorcha's bare claws sounding metallic clacks with every motion of his feet upon the ground. His crimson red eyes slightly dilated, a clear sign that he came from one of the darker regions of the ship. From an empty Storage department beneath the shuttle bay he had turned into his own private hideaway to be exact. Noticing the human with a wide grin he tilted his head lightly and gave a small hiss. The joke about the detained Turian hardly amusing in his case as his eyes soon traveled to that member. He observed the Turian up and down before moving his eyes to each terminal, obviously getting a good scope of the place. Next on his radar was another Turian, how typical, Humans and Turians, two of the Galaxy's most dominant military power. However, this Turian wasn't being detained by Asari Guardians. He could almost sniff out the military type from him. Finally, a rarity, A Quarian. Odd they were considered space rats just as the Vorcha were by many worlds throughout the galaxy. So it was different finding working on such a militant vessel. And finally the Asari. Griska's eyes widened as he observed her for a second. Asari always had a keen to his eye, not due to attraction, but because they drew him to his past. Of times spent zipping about the Galaxy, learning, exploring, being more than a hired killer.

Snapping too he made a hissing noise, and jerked his head about in the normal Vorcha fashion. "Griska reporting for duty, ma'am!" Uttered in his scratchy, growling voice sounding from his lungs. This was to be quite the trip, possibly a suicide mission. But he was looking forward to it, a chance to prove himself. ANd possibly a chance to prove his race as more that ship-hopping scavengers and savages who killed for whatever they could take.

Seyusa nodded calmly to both Ryak and James as they arrived and spoke, Ryak correct in his question on whether they were being kept in the dark any longer or not, as he phrased it. "Correct, once everyone has arrived, the formal briefing will begin in earnest." She didn't even miss a single beat when the Turian uncloaked at the opposite end of the room, and mentally rolled her eyes. Boys and their toys, really. If it became an issue, she would issue a general order about such shenanigans, but if it kept the other races pacified and at least content, then it would be tolerated. Of course, one of the more interesting members arrived under the armed guard of two other Asari, and she turned to give the second Turian her attention, as well as the guards as the one addressed her. Of course the tidy little information source had already found methods of digging up what couldn't be readily removed, and she smirked as she addressed the guard. "Release him from his bindings, and see yourselves back to wherever your quarters were assigned. Your condolences are not necessary, Naxyn, you of all people should know how hard information can be to eliminate fully. I expect your past vendetta will not get in the way of the tasks I will present to you." She had done some looking before accepting the Council's offer to have the turian transferred, and knew what to expect of the male, and the reasons why he was where he was. With that, she ignored the shenanigans and foolishness of the human Lucas, one of the most detested members of this team, and did not even dignify a response or greeting to the man. If it wasn't for his skill set, she would have recommended booting him right back to the Alliance, rather than operating with the N7 Spec Ops teams. Lastly, the Vorcha, and she inclined her head to the being as he reported as well. The Quarian, Raen, quietly reported in the midst of the shenanigans, keeping a professional tone of voice despite the happenings around them. "Raen'Rilas vas Myni, reporting for duty."

Beyond a simple nod, Seyusa ignored the Quarian completely and initiated an upload to the entire groups omni tools, containing various files and maps, but the most important being a Salarian intelligence report that was the reason this mission was even occurring. "Read the information I have forwarded to each of your omni tools, and once you have done so I will elaborate."

Intelligence Report #18537

Subject: Hydra Initiative

Summary: Cerberus operations located on Eden Prime discovered a second weapon co-developed alongside the Crucible, which they promptly began calling the Hydra Initiative in the intercepted communications between the dig team and various waiting vessels in orbit, which no doubt transferred this information to The Illusive Man. What little actual specifications that were intercepted, it appears the discovery Cerberus made is, rather than a device designed to interface with the Citadel and potentially destroy the Reaper invaders, a independent construct, larger then what we could consider a super massive Dreadnaught class vessel. The size of this vessel, until a clear information can be obtained, will be tentatively referred to as a Hydra Class ship. Information available indicates that the craft is capable of providing its own necessities, from crew needed to what is required to run the ship. Combine the internal manufacturing and agricultural facilities with a similar scanner system employed on the Normandy SR-2, most notably, and amongst other vessels, and it is capable of creating anything required to function. It is a space borne city, and this is before the militarization takes place. While actual specifications are scarce, the amount of armor, armaments, and defensive forces that would be required on such a craft would be enough to give most Reaper's a serious fight. What is known, however, is that in the hands of Cerberus, it will prove a nigh unstoppable threat once completed.

Recommendation: -REDACTED-

Once the team had time to digest this, Seyusa began the briefing in earnest. "I won't waste anymore time, as this bit of information warranted the Council's deployment of myself and whatever resources I deemed necessary, which is this assembly of specialists. The planet we are approaching is Benning, already contested by Alliance and Cerberus forces, so our presence will not be of note by either side. The task at hand is to land on the outskirts of the Capitol city of Benning, Joughin, and proceed onto a Cerberus base of operations. Intelligence suggests this is the command hub that the intelligence hand off, or the location of such, is occurring. This means it will be well defended, and as such two teams will be striking to improve the odds of success. Raen, Naxyn, O'Connell, Lt. Ryak, you will be the infiltration team. Get in, gather the necessary information from the Cerberus hardware, and do so quickly. O'Connell, Lt. Ryak, you are providing protection for Raen and Naxyn so the two can focus on information gathering over combat, although both are more than capable of defending themselves. Griska, Monroe, and myself will be providing the distraction that you four will require. We will meet up with your team in the command center of the complex after we break through the defensive line. Depending on the information gathered, that will dictate the next course of action. Questions?"

Ryak:

Ryak watched the crew members, having his own opinions on each. James seemed to follow protocol and rules to the letter. The Turian Prisoner made him cautious, and added another firewall to his already Fort Knox Omni Tool. Lucas made him feel uneasy, and made him hope he never had to deal with him. The Spectre, even if it might now show, he had respect for her. He didn't know what to feel about the Quarian or the Vorcha, they were Wild Cards in this.

"Just a few. Well, the first one is slightly a comment, but also a question. Cerberus is known to establish listening posts. Many of them have still not been found, being very well hidden.....but, rumors have had a recent break, an actual possibility according to command, of locating some of them at least. They may be using something called a 'Ghost Station'. Its where they take over or build a small space station in the middle of a scrap yard, on land or more commonly in space, and occasionally underwater. If they have one of those there, what are we going to do about it? It will stay hidden and harass us most likely. And, if its one of the bigger ones, its possible it will drop an Atlas Mech right on top of your distraction team....if its in the space at least. And having our communications tapped into doesn't sound like something we want....."

He then asked his second question. "Also, do I have to have any concerns about our prisoner here? Like, running off, trying to stab me in the back, the usual? I like to be prepared, and I hate surprises that I don't plan". Ryak talked with certainty and strength, but also some caution. He was not some "Rookie" to this. However, slightly layered in his voice was a bit of hatred when he said "Cerberus". Slight however, and barely noticeable. But there none the less.

He then added another question, making 3. "Finally, where is the extraction Zone, secondary Extraction Zone, and the Backup Extraction Zone? Or is that not determined yet?" Ryak didn't joke around when it came to extracting his team either. Even if he wasn't leading, he was very adamant in making sure no one died unnecessarily or got left behind....

Monroe:

Monroe understood his orders. He listened to the chatter, and then the Turians Questions. "Wait, just a thought, but couldn't you hack the defenses when you get into the command room? Turn the base against its owners? That would make our meetup a lot easier. Also, they might have an Atlas Mech or two inside the base as well, waiting. And the Phantoms. Those we will need to look out for....." He then turned to the Spectre, and noted "Ma'am, when we move in, we will most likely encounter heavy forces. Will we be bringing any heavy weapons in, or using any special strategies to avoid flanking maneuvers? The fact that they out number us means a flank could effectively kill us if we are not careful......"

James then also noted to the Turian Ghost "Three Extraction Zones? Wouldn't the second one be the Emergency one?" He was somewhat confused on why the Turian said 3 extraction zones. He had never heard anyone using 3 before.