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It had been nearly a month since the First Contact War, a month since the Incident at Relay 314.
Peace was achieved under tense negotiations.
The System Alliance was now the leading governmental body in charge of humanity's future due to Earth's governments' paralysed behaviour and excessive amounts of filibustering during the whole conflict and in the period of peace talks once they began taking place with the aliens.
And now they had joined the Citadel after carefully sifting through the terms and conditions that they would be beholden to, but considering the actions of the Turians were still fresh, and the display of power by Black Fleet, any and all tech they recovered was wisely 'misplaced'.
They would follow the rules, show themselves as paragons, while secretly carrying out renegade-like actions, what the Council didn't know couldn't hurt them nor get humanity into trouble.
But for the average citizen, they were ecstatic at avoiding total war with an alien superpower, excited at the prospect of exploring the cosmos and learning all they could about the galaxy and its inhabitants, at least that's what the majority felt, for the minority, it was betrayal.
For 2 in every 10 human, more or less, they didn't see joining humanity to alien hips as a great thing, it was an insult, a afront to ideals of independence and the freedom to choose their own future, they hated the idea of being restricted by alien policy and legislation, restrictions to research ventures and now because of Citadel Conventions which they now had to abide by, technology developments in all avenues were now all subjected to alien overview, these beings who this minority of human citizens they felt had no right to tell humanity what could and could not make.
It was a logical complaint, but for other things, it was very illogical, and yet, these very few people were sought out by a certain AIS double Agent, they were directed to an organisation that stood true to their ideals.
Across Alliance space, various individuals would be approached by Agents from the Black Fleet and offered a place within the budding organisation.
Ah yes, Kali's organization has taken excellent shape within this month, as their actions during the First Contact War had not gone unnoticed by the powers that be.
The main core focus of the Citadel Council after the First Contact War, aside from smoothly integrating Humanity into the galactic community, was the tracking and subduing of the Black Fleet.
The reason was that within that month, Kali had been directing her organisation into attacking and wiping out scores of alien criminal gangs, slaver ships and warlord-held systems by the dozen, and this included groups of interest with variable connections to Citadel Space itself.
To the Systems Alliance, the Black Fleet was recognised as a paramilitary xenophobic splinter faction that didn't follow the direction of humanity's leadership, such a move was done to show the Council that they had no dealings with the Black Fleet nor were sanctioning their raids, in spite of this though, S.P.E.C.T.E.R. teams were still dispatched to scour every corner of human space to find any sort of lead on the Black Fleet.
Even with the directed effort, the Citadel Council was quickly finding Kali's organisation to be a nightmare to deal with, a paramilitary force with technology beyond their control, free from the grasp of Element Zero, engaging in open conflict with scum of the galaxy was unacceptable, it threatened the status quo, undermined their authority, the order of the galaxy was being shaken violently to its foundations by these mere humans who had access to more power than they were allowed to wield.
It didn't matter if those they destroyed were the worst of the worst, a perception had to be maintained, and the actions of the Black Fleet, galivanting across the cosmos, could not be allowed to stand.
But they also didn't wish to send their fleets after them, as that would trigger warlords in the Terminus that would love to jump at the chance to fight or acquire the vessels of the Citadel to bolster their own fiefdoms, but more than that, it would likely agitate the warlords enough to join together and embark on a massive raid into Council space, they were already dealing with the Black Fleets' incursions, if the Council sent in their ships it would be war, and nobody, not even aliens wanted war.
So they dealt with it how they deal with everything else that they didn't like, covertly made the problem disappear through STG strike teams and S.P.E.C.T.O.R. assets.
But the Black Fleet was not a problem they could solve with conventional means, such was the case with an ill encounter with a Batarian slaving group enroute to an Asari colony.
It was an accident that brought these two forces to clash over the world, as neither knew the other was going to be there.
First to enter the system were elements of the Black Fleet, consisting of 3 Charon's and 5 Stalwarts with 2 first-generation Halcyon light Cruisers, which were flanking the sides of the recently acquired Athens Carrier.
The reason why this fleet was here was to test the stealth capabilities of the aerospace craft sitting inside the Athens hangar bays, and the Asari colony on the 4th planet just so happened to have a proximity alert station, which would be ideal for testing purposes.
However, as the flight of stealth bombers readied for take-off, the whole process was soon aborted as the long-range scanners of the fleet detected the arrival of the incoming Batarians, who quickly became aware of the Black Fleet once they jumped in system.
The slaver fleet wasn't big, 5 Frigates and a lead Cruiser were all they needed to nab the population of such a small colony.
When they became aware of one another, conflict was inevitable, from Kali becoming aware of an acceptable XP source to the slavers' unawareness of the true danger the ships posed, they saw vessels lacking any sign of Element Zero, thus equating it to primitives ripe for the taking, a happy bonus to their real target.
They moved to intercept, paying no heed to the small attack craft seemingly blinking off their sensors, they thought it to be them running away, what they didn't know was that several squadrons of stealth bombers were on attack vectors.
The only warning the aliens got was multiple registered target locks and the streaks of launched munitions from foes previously unseen becoming real.
Explosion rocked the vessels, draining their kinetic shields but not breaking them, but the strike was effective nonetheless; it allowed the small detachment of the Black Fleet to get off the first shots, which all but eradicated the slavers to the last.
In the end, the test was successful, even if the intended target changed, they got more out of it, for the Asari, they knew two fleets fought above their world, they would find the wreckage of Batarian ships, but nothing on the ones who destroyed them.
Data recovered from the destroyed vessels would show who it was.
The incident would be covered up, no one aside from the higher-ups would know such a conflict took place, and because of it, it would further stress the Council and their affiliated groups to step up their efforts to apprehend the subjects of the Black Fleet quicker.
[]
After the successful test of the stealth bombers' deployment and acquisition of some more XP, Kali spent the next few weeks streamlining her fleet, retrofitting existing vessels, and upgrading her forces of both natural-born's and NPC summons.
Personal shielding was still in its infancy, and her researchers were just starting to understand the new technology she was dumping on them through the use of the [Store], she had to dial back a bit to avoid overworking those poor souls.
In fact, in the very next month, an idea occurred to her.
For the rest of the year, Kali was busy setting up a business front, a shell corporation to be used as a convenient recruitment base, like many other bases she has set up around the galaxy.
However, this business was more so to have a legitimate place of leisure, she set up a beachside hotel resort on Elysium just so she could have a vacation spot for herself and her loyal followers to enjoy some downtime.
Working to save the galaxy requires meaningful breaks and reminders of why they do what they need to do, she didn't want her people to burn themselves out.
Such was her mindset upon dragging Fenja and some closely loyal high-ranked Fatui members along with her to the world.
Kali sighed contentedly, leaning back in an adjustable beach chair under an umbrella while holding a cold beverage in one hand.
The other beachgoers gawked at the goddess before them, along with all the top-tier beauties before them; men and women alike felt lust, greed, and envy at the sight.
Kali was aware of these stares, especially the ones directed at her chest, she was reminded once more of her blunder of not looking at the SCP document first before drinking that glass of milk.
Though because of it, her subordinates now had an alternate form of power acquisition in spite of the side effects, very few men volunteered for a power-up.
To her side was Fenja, pale, lean, muscled body exposed, sifting uncomfortably on her own beach chair, Kali noted how her eyes every so often glanced to her, staring intently over her body before her own, then towards the Fatui members around them.
The Fatui had taken to vacation very well.
A Mirror Maiden and an Anemoboxer were playing volleyball against an Electrohammer and an Oprichniki Thunderblitzer, with other Fatui members cheering on either side against the other.
Team water and wind had joined forces against team electric, while the other teams debated on what games and matches they should play next, while others broke off from the group to enjoy the water or build sandcastles without using their elemental powers.
It was incredibly amusing to see them act like this, to behave casually and playfully outside of their near-strict military lifestyle.
"Is the hotel to your liking," Kali said to Fenja.
The woman in question, who was gazing down at her chest, snapped up.
"It's…been very relaxing, certainly not something I'm used to," and that was the truth, for Fenja has spent most of her life as an intelligence agent, wet working and dealing with most unpleasant sights before being 'recruited' by Kali.
While she continued with her previous work, it has been expanded in scope, and with the acquisition of powers, her workload has not been kind to her time schedule.
More often than not, coworkers or Kali herself would need to drag her out of her lab to ensure she got proper sleep from tinkering all day, every day.
Holidays like these were wonderful things to have with such a busy life.
Thinking about it more, Kali decided once this trip was over, she would assign more personnel to ease up Fenja's workload.
Cheering briefly distracted them as they turned their sight towards the Fatui, it seemed team electric had won, and the look that the Thunderblitzer was giving the Electrohammer was a look that promised a wild night, the behemoth of a man's cheeks were tinged with red before following after his partner.
The following evening, they were all treated to a wonderful dinner provided by hotel staff.
Yes, this business venture was indeed an excellent idea.
[]
Of course, once vacations end, it's back to the grind, the galaxy wasn't going to save itself.
An operation was in the works, Kali was sitting down at her desk with her office looking over her table with holograms displaying graphs and various other windows projecting columns of data relating to her troops and the enemy movements.
Her plan was the eventual takeover of Omega, which was to be used as a staging ground against the Collectors and a blockade against their vessels exiting and entering the Omega Relay.
But first, she needed to pacify the locals, which would be a nightmare considering how gang-infested Omega was, and once it was taken, the local warlords would likely ally with one another to attack her holdings.
"[Status]"
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Name: Kali Elicitor
Level: 31
Credits: 111,339
Titanium: 511,905
Deuterium: 279,552
Gacha Ticket: 33
Research Points: 1,154
Unique Blueprints: 5
Capital limit: 10/35
Ship limit: 320/500
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"[Fleet]"
[]
Tier 1 Ships: Winter Prowler 9/ Razor Prowler 12/ Phoenix Colony Ship 8/ Geneva Envoy Ship 0/ Cradle Repair Ship 5/ Gyges Construction Drone 23/ Mako Corvette 0/ Scholte Missile Corvette 0/ Gladius Heavy Corvette 19
[Locked] Sahara Heavy Prowler 0
Tier 2 Ships: Charon Light Frigate 41/ Stalwart Light Frigate 44/ Paris Heavy Frigate 69/ Diligence Light Destroyer 15/ Hillsborough Light Destroyer 15/ Halberd Destroyer 25/ Able Heavy Destroyer 5/ Halcyon Light Cruiser 20/ Noryang Light Carrier 10
[Locked] Halcyon Refit 0/ Mulsanne Light Frigate 0/ Anlace Light Frigate 0/ Strident Heavy Frigate 0
Tier 3 Ships: Marathon Heavy Cruiser 5/ Orion Assault Carrier 3/ Athens Carrier 2/ Epoch Heavy Carrier 0/ Valiant Super Heavy Cruiser 0
[Locked] Punic Supercarrier 0/ Vindicator Light Battleship 0 /Thanatos Battleship 0/ Autum Heavy Cruiser 0 / Artemis Battlecruiser 0/ Phoenix Support Vessel 0/ Point Blank Stealth Cruiser 0
Tier 4 Ships: Infinity Supercarrier 0[Locked]/ Ragnarök Dreadnought 0[Locked]
Unique Ships: (40k) Hades Heavy Cruiser 0
[]
"Let's order 5 Valiants and 3 Epochs, 2 Orion's, get 5 Athens and 10 Marathons ."
[Building Order Acknowledged: Notice Capital Limit Reached]
"Next… let's get 20 missile corvettes and 20 more Ables, and then 25 Stalwarts, 5 more Winters, 10 Halcyons, 15 Noryang's, 15 Charon's, and then the final 70 into Paris Frigates."
[Building Order Acknowledged: Notice Ship Limit Reached]
All these new vessels will be necessary in securing the regions of space that she is going to be taking over, once the heavy fighting is over, they will be placed in guard positions and performing other mundane tasks.
All the other important tasks would be handled by her subordinates, who would be using either their own vessels or ships she created via her System.
"Good, now roll all 30 Gacha tickets."
[Affirmative, Beginning Roll]
[Results: 1# Red Wallet / 2# Broken Jar / 3# Small Rock With Googly Eyes / 4# Airsoft Rifle / 5# Insect Spray / 6# Bible / 7# Laser Crusader (Command and Conquer: Generals Zero Hour)/ 8# Pizza Oven / 9# Metal Bat / #10 Rusty Harpoon]
11# 2020 Calendar / 12# Teddy Bear / 13# Broken Pencil / 14# 3 Regular Blind Mice / 15# Size 10 Men's Underwear/ 16# 1$ Coin / 17# Prank Booklet / 18# V-string Bikini/ 19# Regular Metal Gear / #20 Heroic Spirit Summon Set (Fate/Grand Order)]
21# Beach Towel / 22# The British Museum/ 23# Torn Page / 24# Taylor Swift Music Set / 25# Acid Perfume Bottle/ 26# Reverse Bunny Suit / 27# Red Brick / 28# Magic Pleasure Rope / 29# Toothbrush / #30 Invasion Invite Ticket (Note Attached For More Details)]
…
Well, that's a lot to unpack.
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