10 Months Later...

-Fran’s P.O.V.-

Marble and steel adorned the large room, structured in such a way to give a vast, vaulted ceiling overhead. The tiered floors gave line of sight to the many protruding platforms where representatives of various organizations would reside. Ruggedly constructed with an emphasis on austere decoration, the summit council chambers were intended to be used to fully and finally unite humanity, or at the very least be a step in the right direction.

The Terra Unitatis was a massive construction that was undertaken symbolically by many of the reigning entities across the world. Considering that it was built over the ashes of Geneva, most had no complaints about the cultural significance of the location. The construction of monolithic monuments took place around it, dedications to the casualties after The Fall - the newly minted designation of the biotic incursion - wherein the city of New Geneva would expand. Many communities contributed to the new population of New Geneva, especially amongst populations that were displaced by especially aggressive and deadly biotics.

After nearly three years since The Fall, the world was on the cusp of recovering.

And yet, for all that we’d done, there were still things that needed doing. For the fourth time in as many minutes, I checked over the information on my PDA, cross-checking it with the Obelisk Shard on the back of my hand. Out of any city on Earth, New Geneva had the highest concentration of Obelisk’s, albeit man-made. There were fifteen in total - so far - surrounding the city, each constructed by one of the leading organizations of the Summit to represent their commitment to humanity’s shared cause. However, there was also talk of constructing an Obelisk in honor of those that had made it possible to fight back against the biotics. It was a somewhat divided issue, given that the presence of the Obelisks was intended in part to reap some rewards from humanity fighting for its survival, but the majority of the population was fully aware of the greater picture besides Earth.

The fact that aliens were undeniably real, had made the possibility of a true human alliance more likely. Yamak Rettle and his mercenary company had made an impression on a lot of people, and more and more the people of Earth called on them and the Legion for assistance in dealing with biotic threats. In return, the Legion asked only for their participation in the World Summit at the Terra Unitatis. Thus, the agglomerate organizations were under a new whole, the Terra-Union.

Considering the success the Legion was enjoying, and the significant decrease in biotic activity, most of the common populace around the world was finally experiencing some semblance of safety. New Damond itself, though still a super-fortress, had also become a city that was equal to or greater than any other that I knew of. It had been expanded with the possibility of a massive biotic presence, and could house ten times over the population that resided there comfortably even without the prefabricated constructions that could be put together rapidly. A more human touch had emerged within the city as well, giving us some culture beyond the militaristic mindset of the Legion. It was a good place to live, safe and secure, and that was something that I valued more these days. Absently, I put a hand against my stomach, feeling warm and happy even in spite of all the difficulties that we’d gone through.

It was bittersweet that not everything was as it should be.

“Something on your mind, Fran?” A voice beside me brought my attention back to the present.

“Nothing important.” I said, donning a cordial smile, “Derrick, do we have any official word on the number of attendants? The Summit starts in ten minutes.”

Derrick Faun nodded, glancing at his PDA, “It appears everyone who promised to come is here. So... nearly sixty. And we’ve a few coming of their own volition, and some more who express their disappointment at not being able to appear due to increased activities at home.”

“Not bad, then.” I nodded, not wishing to read any further on those who weren’t going to make an appearance. “At the very least, we can take this as a positive opinion for the Legion. Any word on our neighbors?”

“The United Government Coa-” Faun paused mid sentence and cleared his throat, “-pardon, the Unified Coalition-” he smiled just slightly more broadly, something I shared a moment later, “-and the National Peace Force are officially in attendance. Basilisk is, of course, in attendance as well. We can expect every major North American organization to be here, most of which are officially behind us, or our allies.”

“Excellent. Then we shouldn’t have too much to worry about from home. What about the situation down south?” I asked, idly considering how nice it would be if the Unified Coalition and National Peace Force rolled over and stopped being stubborn for once.

“Ah, well, South America has four in attendance... but considering how things were down there, they’re probably the only organizations that are large enough to be really worth considering.” Faun made a sour face, one that I understood well enough. I shifted in my seat, as comfortably made as it was, disliking how close our southern neighbors had come to being annihilated.

Biotics had ticked up radically in aggression nine months ago, Gen 3 creatures had formed regional threats, and two Gen 4 creatures had become nigh-global threats. The Legion had worked itself to the bone to fight on as many fronts as was necessary, along with the Artorian Mercenary Company. In the end, the orbital defense systems hadn’t just been helpful, they’d been necessary to deal with the Gen 4’s. After most of South America had been overrun and half of South Africa had become a bleached hell, the rest of the world took note that a full extermination campaign was the only way to guarantee the survival of the human race. If a Gen 5 appeared... Well, I of all people knew what kind of terror a biotic could produce, let alone something on that level.

I peered out at the other platforms, seeing them fill rapidly. There were more than a hundred available, each bearing several seats for like-representatives to fill. Behind me, I could hear chatter getting closer, and Derrick and I waited to see who was coming.

“-and that’s that. I don’t care what we have to do, I want sensors in that thrice-damned rift now. I don’t want to have to have a team sweeping those depths every week and miss something.” The familiar voice of the Basilisk representative disturbed the relative silence of our platform as she and her assistant entered the room. I smirked as she unceremoniously cut off the connection, the annoyed expression that she wore one that I could perfectly understand.

“Mary,” I stood to greet her with a handshake, “I take it that there are still some growing pains?”

She gave a half-apologetic smile, “You know what they say, routine breeds complacency. It’s good to change it up on my fleets every now and then. But enough of that, how are you Fran, Derrick?”

“As well as could be hoped,” Derrick answered, shaking her hand and then repeating the action with her aide.

“Turnout is better than we’d hoped,” I nodded, “We should be able to officiate the Legion’s stance as an autonomous military body.”

“On paper.” Mary Morrison corrected, “Remember that not everyone is exactly happy with the motion.”

Derrick shrugged, “There’s not really anyone that can fill the roll. We’ve already taken care of many issues globally, and we’re the only ones with a regular contract with the Artorian Company and the Titherin Mercantile Group.”

Mary seemed unmoved, “People are people. What floats one boat sinks someone else’s.”

The four sat themselves and turned forward, the empty space in the center of the room filled with a holographic projection that bore only the 3D representation of the Earth. Several locations across the board were spotted with red, representations of continued and new biotic contacts. I idly mused that many of them were manned by Legion and Bulwark personnel in the form of biotic farms for Matter Energy.

Some, though, were wild, and those, while fewer in number, were now the most dangerous places in the world.

The projector blinked once, bringing the delegates attention forward as the holographic projection of the Head Minister came online.

“Welcome, all of you, to the first World Summit in a new era,” the man spoke, his hologram giving the illusion that he was staring at me. It was a clever optical illusion, designed to ensure everyone had the best view of the speaker at any given time.

Stolen story; please report.

“That said, there are a few things I’d like to say before we officially commence with the topics.” The man’s warm smile adorned his face kindly, “We, humanity, have struggled long and hard to come to this moment. When The Fall happened, we’d gone from being the uncontested leaders and dominant lifeforms of our fair Earth to fighting merely for our right to survive. In the months afterwards, many were lost, and it is no exaggeration to say that every day was a new fight for life. I mention this not only to pay homage to those passed, but to highlight one fact. We, all of humanity, are survivors. Amidst all of this chaos and confusion, we came together, and when the Obelisks came, we took up arms and reclaimed what belonged to us. But more than that, we retook what made us human. We rebuilt our homes, reforged our dignity, and continue to strive to protect all that we hold dear to us.”

“All of you present, I put it to you that you are the very front of humanity's march forward. Progress will be made, or it will falter, on your shoulders. Know that with the convening of this Summit, you will never face your troubles alone. Together, we will be strong, and together we will thrive.” The Head Minister’s speech stopped, and for a polite few seconds none made any sound to applause.

Then all at once, it filled the room.

I couldn’t help but smile as I listened to the cacophony, knowing that the emotions those in the room felt were genuine. No one who was alive today hadn’t lived through hardship, some more than others, and the Head Minister used that to set the tone. Still, that didn’t mean that everyone’s views lined up with one another.

“Thank you all once more for coming. Now, without further adieu, we’ll jump straight into the topics for the day.” The man gestured, and data popped up in front of small screens set in front of each platform.

I listened as intently as I could to the opening motions, primarily those to ratify official membership of organizations and their subsidiaries. The second and third dealt with trade agreements and territory disputes. Fourth came the more sensitive topic of biotics as a resource, which not every organization was especially happy about. Still, most of the biotic farms were under close and merciless scrutiny by Bulwark, an organization that had been moving at a blistering pace ever since the Legion began wider operations and setting up in any location where we didn’t have time to play babysitter. They worked on a lateral basis with local governance, ensuring that local policy was upheld whilst also ensuring that an impartial party was able to weigh in on disputes. In a way, the Bulwark was the strongest organization in the world, but they also kept almost entirely out of politics.

Charlie Song, a man I still kept somewhat in touch with, was the man who headed the organization, and he ensured that the goals of the Bulwark ever remained with the people, rather than for any one person. He was present somewhere in the building, but wouldn’t participate in shaping policy, and utterly forbade any of his organization from playing the political field in any fashion. That, combined with the local cooperation they upheld, made many eager for the stability they could bring.

The Legion, however, hadn’t managed to stay entirely out of politics, though we knew that couldn’t last. Matthew had washed his hands of the mess, leaving it for me.

Not that I could say entirely I minded. It gave me direction and distraction, something I’d needed at the time. Now, it was coming more naturally than I’d expected, and I found I enjoyed it well enough.

“And for our next topic,” the speaker began, “We have the topic of a designated anti-biotic strike force. Given that this is a topic that we’ve addressed outside of this room, I’ll merely provide a brief overview.” For a moment the holographic image blurred, only for a second image to join him, the map of the world. Only, it showed a far different map from what we’d seen at the beginning of the meeting.

The image was dotted with far more red and in some cases the blots of red were large, reaching like a creeping plant across its area. Several more images scrolled by demonstrating localized regions, rotating to new locations like a slideshow.

“Before you are the estimates, corroborated by eyewitness accounts by local governing bodies, of every biotic infestation as of one year ago. Please watch the screens as I speak, it will be important.” He gestured to the images beside him, “Roughly nine months ago major operations were being carried out by certain organizations, namely The Reaper’s Legion, the Artorian Company, Vespa Black, and The New People’s Republic. On screen, you can see these major regions through time as they took care of their respective areas. If you’d like, additional information is provided on your PDA.”

I knew what I would be seeing already considering we’d assessed our own progress with biotics. At that time, though, myself and Daniel had taken a break from direct combat, and I couldn’t help but feel bittersweet at the rate at which biotics had been dismantled. In no small part, the new Legionaries had picked up the slack, and gone on to make their own team. Aside from pockets of biotics that had been missed on initial sweeps, much of our coast in North America had been completely cleared, as well as a sizable chunk of territory inland.

“As you’re watching, you can also see blue blots that represent human habitation. Red represents biotic, and green represents known military movements of various organizations as they clear threats. In North America, the Legion and Company were capable of clearing vast tracts of land efficiently, whereas we see Vespa Black clear much of Australia and move part way onto the African continent before progress was inhibited. It was at this point that The New People’s Republic reached out for assistance against local biotic forces as they began to become unmanageable. The Legion and Company then began operations in the Gulf of Mexico and moved southward steadily.” I felt my mouth dry at the sight of red swathes expand across the South American continent. Though I knew how it turned out, it was no less a nightmare than what we’d faced in the waters on the coast.

“Tragically, six months ago the New People’s Republic that formed in South America was overrun, and much of the population in the central and southern sectors of the continent were lost. At that time, the Legion and Company continued to be engaged in extermination efforts in South American against biotics present there, finding the first Gen 4 biotic on record. More information can be found in the files presented.” The man gestured to the screens, “It was this incident that enlightened many to the true threats that these biotics still present. At that time, other incursions were stepping up, and the Legion, along with the Bulwark, began to spread and reinforce human populations while aggressively expanding. The Company supported Vespa Black and extermination of the African incursions was resumed.”

“Four months ago, the Reaper managed to destroy the Gen 4 biotic in South America, wherein extermination efforts became far more successful. By the third month, South America was clear of surface level threats, and local installations were established to monitor and destroy biotics as they were detected. Unfortunately, at that time, the Antarctic infestation went largely undetected, and only through the aggressive application of orbital weaponry was the Artorian Company able to later suppress the biotic there. We suspect that the biotic was a Gen 4, but have yet to confirm. Considering it’s capacity to seemingly create massive weather systems, we estimate it to be so.

What we do know is that this biotic was capable of manipulating wide-ranging fields of pressure and temperature enabling it to create extreme storm systems across the globe. While we can’t be sure the number of storm systems we can directly attribute to the biotic, we are certain that every major landmass on the planet experienced vastly increased incidence of extreme weather, with residual effects still ongoing. Between the two Gen 4 biotics, over three-hundred million lives were lost, the largest loss to human life since the Fall.”

Silence fell over the room then. Especially among the coastal countries that hadn’t been prepared for the storms, the Antarctic biotic had been a force of nature. It was a massive creature, and though it seemed to have had no other biotics around it, that hadn’t mattered. It had been unassailable for three days before the Artorian Company and Legion were cleared by the still forming global government to engage in the use of weapons of mass destruction.

“If the Terra-Union had had a system in place at the time, we may well have averted much loss of life.” The speaker said with careful neutrality, though it was a deeply saddening event for many. It was also, I reflected sourly, the reason why Matthew had completely washed his hands of politics, and for the very same reason that the speaker had just stated.

“Fast forwarding to current days, the Legion, in cooperation with local forces, has managed to curb biotic threats across the globe. Thus, we come to the motion presented before this Summit.” The man paused for gravitas, his gaze somehow seeming to bore into my own, “The formation of a semi-autonomous, biotic strike force and global military presence that can act within and without borders with the trust and guidance of the organized peoples of the world. What say you?”

Without hesitation I affirmed the decision, a choice that was similarly met across the room. The vote took less than ten seconds, faster by far than any previous issue that had come up. The speaker nodded, the votes either unanimous or close enough to not matter.

“Now, to the issue of who will fill this role. A list of candidates will appear on the screens before you - bare in mind that Vespa Black has withdrawn themselves from being considered voluntarily.” The speaker once more swept a hand out and lists popped up in front of everyone.

I looked at the list, a meager one with an assortment of ten organizations, most of which I suspected had been added to appease said organizations even if none would really vote for them. To be presented here was to have the recognition of the Summit, to effectively be acknowledged as the greatest military forces on the planet.

My eyes narrowed as I considered the list, seeing the Legion as the obvious choice. However, I was less happy about seeing the United Coalition on the list.

Even so, I cast my vote, even as I listened to others speaking to one another, some I knew would be testing the waters in the event that there was another realistic option.

“I see the Coalition is on the list. I’d hoped that they’d have withdrawn their consideration.” Mary commented acidly.

Derrick sighed, “I’ve the feeling that the move is only symbolic. They’ll accept the decision of the Summit, of that I’m sure, but they’re also saying that they aren’t happy with a neighbor being placed in such a position.”

“The only reason they’re accepting it is because they know your leader really doesn’t care about amassing territory.” Mary leaned back, “Where is Matt, anyways?”

A chagrined expression appeared on my face even as the votes were tallied in overwhelming favor of the Legion. “Where else? Probably knee-deep in biotics somewhere.”

“You don’t know where he actually is?” Mary looked to me with surprise, “Isn’t that…” she paused, looking bewildered for all that our leader wasn’t likely anywhere near headquarters at the moment.

Derrick snorted a laugh before his cheeks reddened in embarrassment, “Erhm, excuse me. But, well, what I find is that while Matthew may indeed abstain from the… minutiae of leadership, he takes active roles in other, equally critical areas.”

“So, biotics?” Mary quirked a brow as Derrick and I exchanged bemused glances.

“Biotics.”