A Long Time Coming

February 17th, 2227
SSV Tokyo, Alliance Space

Major Rachel Elizabeth looked over a report handed to her by her Marine complement commander, another requisition order as expected, the latest batch of Avenger parts that had come in were defective and they needed to be replaced yet again, she was considering going to an outside source at this rate, this was the fourth time this had happened. “I’ll get on this right away Captain, return to your duties.” The Captain saluted, which the Major returned, and walked away, before another Marine walked over, a Service Chief this time.

“Chief Bradley, what can I do for you?” The Service Chief saluted briefly “Sorry ma’am, a letter came in for you, came with the recent supply shipment we received.” The major was confused for a moment “Letter?” “Yes Ma’am, a paper one.” The Service Chief handed the letter over, Elizabeth looking it over for a moment before shaking her head “Thank you Bradley, you may return to your duties.” “Yes ma’am.” The soldier walked away as Elizabeth headed to her quarters, placing the datapad and the note on the table before taking it and opening it up. She was confused at first when she read it over. It was a list of names, none of which seemed familiar.

'Marcus. Evelyn. Erin. Taylor. Arnold. Trever. Hubert. Oliver. Michelle. Eddie. -Snowman'

At first glance it meant nothing, then she read the last part. ‘Snowman’ It was the codename that Flynt Thatcher used while on Covert assignment, and he used names as a code to pass along messages. Reading the first letter of each name, she deciphered his message quickly.

‘Meet me at Home.’

The major stared at the letter for a few minutes, unbelieving in what she just read before raising her omnitool and activating her radio. “Watch Lieutenant Marcus, how far are we from the Sol system?” A pause, “3 Days ma’am, why?” “I think it’s about time for a bit of shore leave, set a course and take us there with all possible speed, we’re overdue for a check up anyways.” “Yes ma’am.”

The ship briefly lurched as it headed towards the nearby relay, before shooting off through the stars towards the Alliance homeworld.

February 20th, 2227
Sol, Ireland

The trip was uneventful, and Alliance Command wasn’t too picky about the sudden return of the Tokyo and agreed to give the ship a checkup while it was here. Major Elizabeth let her crew have some shore leave before descending down to an Alliance base in Ireland and borrowing one of their single-seat recon cars, a motorcycle in a sense. She was still wearing her N7 armor, her helmet was on and her Talon was holstered to her side as she shot through the city, eventually reaching a small, secluded home on the outskirts. A red air car was parked in the driveway as she pulled up to the street, turning the engine off and taking her helmet off, leaving it on the bike before taking a deep breath, walking up the steps of her old home and reaching the door, quietly listening for a moment before knocking twice.

Silence reigned for what felt like an eternity before the door opened, revealing none other than Flynt Cole Thatcher, dressed in a green long sleeved shirt and blue jeans, a smile lit up his face as he met eyes with the Major. He said nothing for a moment, content at looking her over before speaking with a soft tone. “Liz… I wanted to speak with you. Come inside, please, no traps I promise.” Elizabeth gestured with her hand as Flynt went back inside, the N7 command keeping her hand hovering over her sidearm as she stepped inside. A rush of warmth filled her as faint echoes of her past life played before her, happier, more simpler days. She allowed herself a small, weak smile before looking towards Flynt, who took a seat on one of the chairs in their living room and producing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, pouring it out and placing one on the table before gesturing to the couch across from him.

“You must want something pretty bad if you went through all the risk to come here…” Elizabeth said as Flynt nodded “I wanted to see you. It’s honestly worth the risk.” The major stayed standing, picking up the glass and looking at him as he took a swig of his own drink. “I know it’s not exactly easy to trust me but I promise I intend nothing more than to talk to you today.”

The major studied him for a moment, before running her finger along the edge of the glass, staring into the liquid inside it before glancing at him. “What do you want Flynt?”

The irishman took a deep breath, looking into his own glance before meeting his wife’s gaze. “I want...need, you at my side Liz. We’ve been separated for far too long. The Alliance has failed. Staying with them is wrong, so I want you to join the Venir as one of my Lieutenants.”

Elizabeth sighed “I was honestly expecting that question...and I admit I have been having my doubts about the Alliance for some time now, but I owe the Alliance everything, They brought me back, gave me a second chance at life...You’re asking me to turn on the very people who brought back a lowly soldier from the ruins of London for a second chance.”

She sips her drink, not knowing what to say next as Flynt spoke “Project Phoenix was incomplete, and because of that, you were robbed of many other things.” He paused, taking another sip to calm his nerves.

“Project Lazarus however, is complete and in working order.” Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the man “And what was I robbed of, Flynt? Enlighten me.” Her cybernetic hand gripping the glass ever so slightly, a faint crack appearing near the center of it.

“You were robbed of a child of your own. When you came back and found me with Emma, I know you wanted a child as well. Project Phoenix’s tech was very limited and they had to skip certain steps and cut corners to ensure you lived, and because of that, they took that away from you.”

“Phoenix did nothing of the sort. My ability to have a child was removed by the Reapers that caused my death in the first place. They stole that from me, not the Alliance, not ever.”

Flynt twirled his glass in his hand, staring at it. “Don’t you think it was odd that they could completely remake you after you nearly completely decomposed and the only thing they couldn’t fix was that? And also don’t you find it funny that after a few people the project was scrapped? If the tech wasn’t so incomplete, you and all those people could have come out whole. One guy even died soon after he was resurrected. It was faulty.”

“What does any of that matter? So what if the project was scrapped, it was expensive and dangerous, I’m sure even your Lazarus project has its own drawbacks as well.” The N7 walked over to the window, glancing outside as she sipped her drink again.

“It took me almost twenty years, but the technology is complete. Anyone can be revived, completely intact and fully aware. There are no drawbacks, faults, mistakes… They are truly reborn.”

“No strings attached? How incredibly kind of you. So if that’s the case, why go terrorist then? Why turn against the very foundation that we both fought to keep alive all those years ago?” Elizabeth asked, glancing at Flynt for a moment.

Flynt sits idly for a moment, silently. He would appear somewhat sad for the time until he spoke. "Trust me, it's an incredibly long story, forty years long. We can speak of it another day. And, I'm no terrorist. I'm trying to undo the Reaper War and dismantle the corruption of the Alliance and the Council. The only terrorists around are the Alliance. They glassed a populated planet with millions of people on it. I'm still fighting against terrorists, Liz. You know just as much as I do that this is wrong and it needs to be corrected."

Flynt would place his empty glass down and stand, moving towards Liz, but keeping his distance to make sure Liz didn't feel threatened. "The Alliance have been putting people like Michael Wolff in power. Wolff is the one who glassed those people." He would stand by a door leading into a bedroom. "He's the monster who took Emma from us..."

Elizabeth's eyes flashed with rage, the faint orange outline around her eyes flashing red for a moment, a side-effect of the cybernetic upgrades she received "Emma died a hero, protecting those she cared more about than any other in the world. The same goes for Anne, the Alliance didn't take them away, Wolff didn't take them away, they earned the rest that they fought for."

Flynt would look to Liz with his demeanor shifting completely as he did so. "Wolff had Emma's body burned and blown apart! Do you think she died just so her comrades would disrespect her and not even allowed to rest in peace! Don't lie to me and tell me you wouldn't give anything to bring your daughters back!" After the rant, he would seemingly calm down a little, the coldness in his eyes fading.

Elizabeth’s voice and tone shifted as well as she glared at Flynt "You think I don't hold Wolff in contempt for that?! If I had the power to do so I would have killed him myself! Or at the very least made sure he suffered as well! And I do wish I could bring my daughters back, every single day that goes by I don't think about what I could have done better to ensure that they were right here with me!" Elizabeth smashed the glass in her hand during the rant, as her mechanical hand began to shake, the woman grasping her wrist and swearing briefly before taking a few breaths to calm herself down, not looking towards Flynt during that time.

"Anne and Emma died bravely and as heroes... But, I want them back..." The man sighs,  looking down and closes his eyes. "Look, I'm sorry that I'm a shit husband and a shit father. In many ways, I became Eamon... But, I'm doing the right thing here. The Alliance and the Council need to be disposed and replaced. I never brought you in before because i know you never saw the Alliance as such, but now with Keiva IV and Wolff's decision to take Emma from us, you now should see that the Alliance we fought for is gone. I need your help and I'm asking you for it."

Elizabeth looked over to Flynt, looking him over for a few moments, staring "You're asking me to turn against my word, my honor, my duty...for what? For you? The man who left his family, who betrayed them, who murdered them...You're asking me to turn away from everything I stand for; For you?" The soldier reached to her side, drawing her Talon and aiming it at him, staring at him, the barrel slightly wavering side-to-side as she awaits his response.

"Honor and duty are just words, Liz. I never wanted to leave you guys, I had no other choice... I've never and have no intent to betray any of those I consider dear to me. And murder isn't what I'd call it. If you're speaking of Uriel, I recovered his body and brought him back. Wasn't the happiest Drell when I did, but when I showed him everything, he chose to be by my side. I never killed Travis, he's currently aboard my Flagship and is living comfortably. Even Sanctum, who has nothing to do with the Venir has defected and has my back, if anyone knows the corruption of the Alliance, it's them." The man moved to the nearest couch as he sat down and sighed. "You know... Being here, home, with you. It really brings back warm feelings. Makes me almost feel at home." He would then look up to Liz as she aimed the Talon at him.

The marine stared at him, processing what he said for a few moments, before sighing, lowering the pistol and staring at the side of it, before giving a soft chuckle. "It did...y'know something? This thing isn't even loaded. I knew from the start I wouldn't have been able to shoot you anyways. Even convincing the Alliance to let me hunt you down, I knew when it came down to it I never would be able to do it. Knowing what my daughters would say, what they'd feel if I did...But this place? It's not my home, not anymore. My home is...wherever you are, now and forever." She holsters the pistol, walking over and taking a seat next to him, looking over her mechanical hand once more. "I can't join you just yet...The Tokyo crew is loyal to me, if I can make sure they all are...I might be able to bring more over than just myself...and not to mention Abner holds me in his confidence, and as one of his advisors...I might do better here instead of next to you, for a while anyways."

"Liz, I don't need a spy, I don't need the Tokyo or anyone else onboard. I can't trust them, and that's coming from a man who leads a bunch of mercs. What I need is you, you're one of the last remaining people I can truly trust and I intend to leave it that way. I need you to be one of my Lieutenants, and I need you by my side again..." He said quietly, glancing at the floor.

Flynt paused, moving closer to her and placing his hand in hers before continuing in a soft-spoken voice. “If you join me, I need you to bring me Anne's body, I can never get close enough to it, I want to bring her back and let her go live her life. I wanted to bring them back so they could go be with their families, I never intended to bring them into the Venir, I know they would never want to. Emma, maybe, but It's not what i wanted for her."

Liz looks shocked for a moment as she stares at him "You...That's not an easy decision to make, Flynt...You know she might stand with her crew against you and I can't choose between family, not like...that."

"I can hold onto her until we finish this war, once it's over, I'll revive her and give her her life back, what she decides to do with it afterwards, I'll support her. She may or may not resent me, but as long as she can have a second chance at life, then I'm content."

"You might not be able to keep that promise...there's no guarantee that we'll win." She looks at the floor "Corruption aside...this is the Alliance we're talking about...they're stronger than ever..."

Flynt looks at Liz and a grin grows on his face. "We defeated the Reapers, some corrupt leaders should be a piece of cake."

She looks up at him, meeting his eyes before gently, and playfully, slapping his cheek, almost no force behind it. "Smartass...Where should I bring her?"

"Take her to Omega. Speak to Aria T'Loak and tell her 'Flynt comes to wager.' She'll know what that means and will notify me of your arrival and I'll pick you and Anne up. Make sure you're not followed, if Aria smells any foul-play, she won't be very kind."

"It won't be easy to just...vanish like that, not with my ship and crew waiting for me. I don't even know how they'll react. The Tokyo became my home and the crew there put their trust and faith in me, standing by everything I did, one of them even agreed to go watch over Emma for me when I asked...I..." She trails off, not sure what to say.

"Now you understand. Making the right choice is never easy, Liz." He firmly squeezes her hand, he then releases and stands after a moment. "As much as I would love to remain here and spend more time with you in this place, I must head back. I have an organization to run." He looks back to Liz and smiles. He then looks towards the door and walks towards it. "I'll see you on Omega, don't take too long please... I love you.."

The major stares at him for a moment, taking a breath and sighing "I love you too."

She sat there in silence for a while, hearing the air car take off and leave as she sighed, her omnitool going off as she looked towards it, seeing a message from Wilhelm Osborne

‘I heard from the crew you’re back on earth, we should meet up, I need to know if you want me back on the Tokyo or not.’

The major sighed, closing the message before standing up, taking one last look around the house before stepping outside, knowing what she had to do, and what would happen when she did.

End of Part I, written by Sargo/Sly
Second part to come later ‘Choices and Consequences’

Author's note - Yeah, been awhile since I've been around, but I'm ending my break and going to slowly be coming back into the MERP once again, with some interesting things been cooked up! I'll be posting part 2 later tonight hopefully.