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Chapter 1; Midnight on the Firing Line.
March 3rd, 2183 CE
Systems Alliance Space Vessel Normandy
0000 Hours Ship Time. (Midnight.)
"Can't sleep?" It wasn't so much a question as a statement of fact. It wasn't hard to imagine why, given what the day meant to her and the woman next to her. Suppressing a yawn, Alexandra looked to the currently vacant pilot's seat, Joker having been 'persuaded' to get some rest in an actual bed hours ago, before turning her gaze back to one of the few people still up and about. "Five years to the day Davidson, and you're still the same introspective woman as ever." Not exactly the same, I'd bet money on that. I know I'm not.
"We need to go now!"
"Not without her!"
"This place is coming down!"
"LET IT! We aren't going anywhere until I get her out of here! We don't leave people behind Alex, especially not in the hands of the enemy."
Shaking off the memory, Alex had to admit to herself at least, if no one else, that if not for the woman before her, she might not be where she was now. The kind of determination Davidson had become known for was rare. It was the kind of determination that was awe inspiring, and one Alex had taken an immediate liking to.
Not exactly the same. The thought brought a mixture of amusement and something else to First Lieutenant Giselle Davidson's chocolate brown eyes, as she turned to face her Commander. "Would you have me any other way?" A warm mocha hued hand tucked a stray platinum blonde hair behind her ear, as Giselle sighed looking to the metal deck between her feet before looking back up again. "I guess being away from home for so long….it hadn't caught up with me until now."
"We're facing an enemy I've never imagined, and you insist to go on."
"An enemy you aren't familiar with, but one I am familiar with. We can do this Shepard, but trust me, it won't be easy."
"Gee you think?"
"It's only a few giants. And we have the element of surprise."
"Giants….never thought I'd be fighting actual giants."
"Be glad it isn't demons from the Abyss."
Just as Commander Alexandria Shepard had grown stronger, the bond they had forged through the adventures they had shared had worked both ways. It had made Davidson a little more level headed and less prone to take unnecessary risks, although she still had a tendency to leap without looking. It wasn't out of a sense of suicidal bravado, but more that she was not afraid to run in where others were hesitant to tread.
It probably helps that she's every bit as strong as I am. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost consider her a barbarian warrior from Icewind Dale. Letting her brown eyes sweep Alex's tall and muscular figure, Giselle let her mind wander, briefly, to when they had first met. Out of those five years, she had hardly changed at all in her outer appearance. She towered over virtually everyone around her at six foot one inches, and every one of those inches were fit with wiry and compact muscles. An angular and well defined face, mischievous crystal-blue eyes, and raven black hair that hung just to her shoulders completed the image.
Crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall, Alex had to wonder what was on her friend's mind at the thoughtful expression that seemed permanently fixed on Davidson's face. Even when they were in the thick of battle together, she always appeared deep in thought, although said thoughts at the time always pertained on how to take their latest foe apart no doubt. "Do you regret meeting me all those years ago?" It was a simple question, but one that held great weight to the newest member of the Normandy's crew. 'Davidson' had literally been forced to jump aboard, just before the airlock had been sealed, as the ship had cast off her dock moorings back at Arcturus Station. Even after five years of living in the heart of galactic society, it was still surprisingly easy to get lost on what passed as living spaces for these people.
As Giselle stared into her Commander's crystal blue eyes, her answer was just as simple and to the point. "No, do you?"
There was regret in those eyes, but Shepard managed to keep her tone light as she asked the next question on her mind. "Is this before or after I had to take you with me when you got too involved?" She teased, earning a light hearted chuckle from the 'young woman' beside her. Considering the currently disguised woman was already over two hundred years old, 'young' was a relative term at best. At least she passes for human quite well, otherwise this wouldn't have been possible.
"If I recall correctly, I saved your arrogant rump and you saved mine several times, and that was well before I got too involved Alex. Five years ago I wouldn't have imagined anything like this, and now..." Even after all that time, Giselle still managed to be astounded by Alex's wondrous world as she gestured to the modern marvel of engineering that they were sitting in. "I regret nothing Alex, and neither should you. Do I miss my home? Yes. But I also relish the idea of waking up every morning to new and amazing things just over the horizon. Blame my father for the spirit of adventure he instilled in me if you like, but you aren't about to get rid of me anytime soon."
Alex playfully tapped a finger on her old friend's nose as Giselle utterly failed in her attempt to give Shepard a 'threatening' glare. "Even if that means hiding who you really are anytime we can't speak in private?"
Giselle's rebuttal was quick but it didn't hold the usual amount of confidence she normally gave off, despite her efforts to conceal that it did bother her to some degree. "A small sacrifice, and one I pay gladly if it means I can move about your 'world' undetected."
"Right, that's why my bullshit meter just cranked up a few notches." All the humor left Alex's face as she locked gazes with her far older counterpart. "I know it hasn't been easy, adjusting I mean, but you're one of the strongest people I've ever met Giselle. If I had been thrust into the situation we found ourselves in five years back with anyone else but you, I'd have been a lot more concerned. Hell, I'd have been in over my head otherwise."
Five years ago had seen the start of her still growing legend. Elysium had been a stepping stone, of a sort, but the accidental discovery of her old friend's home planet had opened up a whole new galaxy of trouble and discovery that few people outside the Alliance and the Citadel Council knew existed. Everything about Giselle's world was deemed classified at the highest levels, and for good reason.
But her companion didn't let Alex dwell on that thought for long. "You underestimate your own strength, as always Alex. It wasn't just my own perseverance that saw me through these last five years, it was the thought that if I failed to adapt and learn, I wouldn't be here now, with you." It only took a moment for Giselle to realize how flirtatious that sounded, and she immediately corrected herself. "I mean, that I wouldn't be able to serve under...before you get any funny ideas, it sounded much better in my head." The deadly warrior glared at her Commander, as if daring her to utter a snappy comeback.
Alex was only just able to suppress the laugh that wanted to escape at the embarrassed look in her friend's brown eyes. "I'm sorry Giselle. I know what you're trying to say, and it's appreciated, really it is. That, and I'd like to still be breathing in the morning." Alex paused for a moment as she strategically 'wandered' towards the CIC. "So, am I going to be waking up alone, or..."
"Oh do shut up Commander." Giselle shook her head and let her hands fall to her slender waist, a smirk on her face despite the obvious innuendo that had been thrown out between them. "I've told you before, as much as I like you, I don't think we can be more than friends, but your attempts at flirting are still fun to watch fall flat on their face anyway."
Damn. "Wait...did you actually think I was serious?" Alex did her best not to burst out into laughter as she, barely, limited herself to a satisfied smirk.
The sly grin on Giselle's face answered that question as her chocolate brown eyes literally lit up with humor, becoming noticeably brighter for a fraction of a second. "I've been practicing my 'poker face' for occasions such as this. You should have seen the look on your own when you thought I was being serious, at least about insulting you that is"
"Remind me to get you at a poker table sometime. You had even me fooled for a second." A loud cough, mixed with the sound of quiet laughter, jolted both women out of the slightly awkward moment.
"So this gonna be Skyllian Five strip poker I hope? Please, let it be true, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, flying spaghetti monster, need a little help here guys." Joker chimed in as he did his best to walk back to his chair at the front of the ship, past the two very dangerous women on either side of the hallway. If he was afraid of either of them, Flight Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau did an excellent job of hiding it as he got comfortable in the cockpit chair.
Giselle could only sigh at the pilot's very strange sense of humor as she did her best not to put a hand to her forehead in embarrassment at what was no doubt running through the human's mind. "If Commander Shepard and Captain Anderson didn't need your piloting skills, I might have been tempted to push you out the airlock a long time ago Joker."
"A long time ago? You've been around me less than a day lady." Jeff snarked, as he stowed his crutches within easy reach and began looking over his orange glowing data screens.
"My point exactly." Giselle countered, glaring down at the pilot, but her 'threatening' glare had no effect on him whatsoever.
If anything, Jeff only grinned wider. "Hey, just because I'm an equal opportunity insulter doesn't mean I can't enjoy the little things. A couple of battle scarred warrior women, and in your case that's literal G, are right at the top of that list, especially if they happen to be in the buff."
"Besides the obvious perverted thoughts I am sure are running through your mind, I hate it when you call me that Joker. Would it kill you to use my actual name, just once?" Alex's eye brows shot up at in amusement as she watched her friend copy the marine's habit of crossing her arms when annoyed.
The pilot was already deep into a series of diagnostics, as he grinned over his shoulder at the irked beauty. "Gee, let me think about it and get back to you."
"Joker…." The reprimand was delivered in a gentle tone of voice, but the subtle threat behind that single word wasn't any less effective. "Forgetting the fact she could have that hat off of your head faster than you could blink, I'm sure I can get you cleaning the head when we dock at Eden Prime, instead of going for any future shore leave until we're sent to some out of the way colony again." No one wanted to say it, but the 'shakedown run' they were in the middle of didn't require the amount of firepower that was behind them. A war veteran for a captain was only the tip of the iceberg. They also had a Council Spectre onboard, a turian by the name of Nihlus Kryik.
Moreau was always pushing the envelope when it came to seeing just what he could and couldn't get away with, and this time was no different. "And the fact we have a Spectre along for the ride doesn't alarm you in the slightest does it?"
"He is a surprisingly skilled combatant, I made the mistake of sparring against him not long after we left. As to whether or not it is alarming for him to be here, I will agree it does raise some questions, but I'm with Lieutenant Alenko on this one Joker. The Council does have the right to keep an eye on their projects." Any hope Giselle had of having gotten through to the figuratively hard headed pilot was quickly dashed.
"Why am I not surprised you and Lt. Kiss Ass share the same opinion?" The sarcasm practically dripped off of Joker's words as he rolled his eyes, before checking that one exhaust port that had been giving them trouble again.
"Joker…." Alex reprimanded, not so gently this time, before offering her own two credits into the conversation. "I hate to disagree Giselle, but as much as I respect the Spectres and what I've heard about them, I think there's a lot more going on than we're being told. It might not seem so strange to you, but you don't send Spectres and very decorated officers on shakedown runs."
"I understand what you're implying, but I still think you're a little more paranoid than you need to be old friend. Still, I'll let it drop for now." Giselle held up her hands in a placating gesture, her attention having been drawn elsewhere at the sound of footsteps heading towards the cockpit. If Alex noticed her ears twitching subtly with every near silent step, she didn't say anything. She had learned long ago to pay attention to the subtlest of details thanks to her friendship with the woman next to her.
"A wise choice." Nihlus, the aforementioned Spectre, said as he took note of the Lieutenant's surprisingly sharp hearing, for a human. He prided himself on his stealth and cunning, as did most Spectres, but around the strange woman, he might as well have been stomping his feet on the deck for all the good it did him in trying to surprise her. "How long until we arrive at the Relay? I'm eager to begin this joint venture in earnest."
Alex did her best to subtly jab Joker in the shoulder when she noticed him pantomiming the turian's every word. "Shouldn't be long, right Joker? What's our ETA?"
"We're making our final approach now. Two minutes tops." Right on cue, the blue orb of element zero contained within the relay itself became visible at the edge of the system. Joker quietly started making his ship wide announcement while trying to loosen his newly sore shoulder at the same time. "Attention ladies and gentlemen, we're about to hit the relay and I thought I'd give those of you who are making their first jump fair warning to hold onto your lunches." If Shepard didn't know that Dr. Chakwas would read her the riot act for so much as bruising the arrogant pilot, she would have gladly smacked him again, as she shook her head at his cruel little 'joke'.
"He wasn't being serious I hope?" When Nihlus looked at her in barely suppressed surprise, Giselle felt her cheeks redden considerably. "I didn't get out much….and let's just say the few times I've been through a relay, I was either unconscious or sick enough not to notice, or care for that matter." Being of a very unique species meant she had had bouts with nearly every common cold in existence until her body had adjusted. During one of the more severe bouts, Shepard had insisted on taking a few days leave and forcibly doted on her, despite Giselle's ardent protests to the contrary. Alex had just muttered something about, 'We can travel across half the galaxy in an eye blink, but we still can't cure the damn common cold.'
Nihlus didn't let his curiosity show, as he recalled a very classified report he had only heard of in whispers among the Council's inner circle. So, she's one of the 'first contacts' Shepard's ship brought back with them from that uncharted planet in the Bahak system. I thought the women in that report weren't human? Unless... He hid his smile as he allowed his thought to trail away. There were ways to confirm his theory without tipping his hand too far. For now he put his suspicions to rest, having a job to do which took far greater priority.
"Hitting the Relay in three...two...puke bag's under the seat...one." Giselle had just enough time to glare daggers at the pilot next to her before a bright light flooded the cockpit, and then just as suddenly, they were on the other side of the known galaxy. "Hey, look at that, nice job L T. No puking your brains out or anything. Someone needs a little gold star, Commander. And our drift...just under fifteen hundred K."
I'll give you a 'gold star' up that sarcastic, fragile backside of yours. Instead of saying what she thought, Giselle let her hand idly wander to the dagger belt she kept on hand at all times, even when she wasn't required to be in full tactical gear. Joker didn't miss the hint and promptly shut up, much to her relief.
Ignoring the perpetual sarcasm that radiated off of the pilot, Nihlus asked the next question that was on his mind. "Fifteen hundred is good, your captain will be pleased. When do we arrive at Eden Prime?"
"Twenty minutes tops." With only a nod after Joker's acidic answer, Nihlus walked away from the cockpit, leaving Joker, Alex, and Giselle by themselves once more. Once he was sure he was out of earshot, he opened his mouth. "I hate that guy."
"I think he's rather charming, a true gentleman, unlike some people." Giselle replied, much go Joker's shock which turned to disbelief when he realized he had just been played, as a sly grin returned to the woman's face.
Approaching Eden Prime.
"This mission just got a lot more interesting, indeed." Giselle muttered to herself, as she pulled open her personal storage locker down in the ship's armory. The transmission from the surface of the planet had done nothing good for her sense of impending doom. Something huge had attacked the colony, and from the sounds of battle that had filtered through until the transmission was cut off, it had gone in with everything it had while unloading troops on the ground. Grabbing her gear with that in mind, she looked to her immediate left and breathed a little easier when she set her sights on Kaidan Alenko before looking to her right to see Shepard. Her sense of calm increased considerably with Alex at her side.
Kaidan missed the fact the platinum blond seemed to visibly relax as he instead stared at her rather unique gear she was strapping to her slender hips. "Swords? Aren't they a little archaic?"
The biotic gawked at the almost meter long curved blades that had been retrieved from her locker, sheathed in metal scabbards of equal length which were part of a sturdy leather belt. "Scimitar blades, not just swords. And I've heard I'm not the only one that prefers the old ways even now." Giselle grinned as she made sure her belt was tight before reluctantly picking up her sidearm as well. "And then there's the uncivilized approach to fighting you and the rest of the military prefer."
"Because it works." Kaidan said as he made sure his own gear was operational and in its place before turning to his rather 'outdated' companion, a hint of a smile on his face at the argument that was likely to take place between them.
Giselle moved to add an assault rifle to her own small personal armory, if only because she knew Alex would insist on her taking one. The lightweight ablative armor was well suited for one like her, since she prefered to scout ahead of everyone while remaining virtually undetected. For a scout, and more in her case, it was the only way she preferred to fight. "Because it's all you know." While she wore the modern armor, Giselle had never truly felt at home in it.
"And yet you still wear the 'uncivilized' gear like the rest of us." Kaidan's smile was obvious now as he received a mild glare from the woman next to him.
Before the playful banter could become heated, Alex stepped in. "Can we get into this argument later? We do have a job to do, and colonists to help."
"Aye Commander." Kaidan immediately responded, a little shamefully as he rubbed the front of his forehead with the back of his hand.
While not as easily shamed as her superior, Giselle still hated to see that look in Alex's eyes. Specifically the 'I know you're better than this' one. While she didn't look away from 'that look', Giselle still respectfully offered her own succinct apology all the same. "Aye ma'am."
Satisfied that her crewmates weren't about to cause anymore trouble, Alex turned to Corporal Jenkins, the youngest member of her small squad, and wondered if he was truly ready for what they were likely walking into. "I hear you're from Eden Prime, Corporal. You'll be on point since you obviously know the local terrain better than any of us. Just don't get too eager, and make sure you follow my orders to the letter."
"Aye aye Commander, I won't let you down." There was no mistaking the fact Jenkins was still excited even after Alex's little speech, since he practically radiated cheer in the face of unknown odds. It probably had something to do with being able to see his home again, or it was his usual disposition. Whatever it was, Alex didn't like it one bit. The kid was green, something she'd break him out of fast enough, she had no doubt of that.
Giselle shared Alex's unspoken concern as their eyes met for the briefest of moments. Forgetting the fact I was the same way once, such obvious disregard for caution will likely get him killed. "Don't worry Corporal, I'll be scouting out ahead of you. I'll be sure to give all of you a... 'heads up' if I encounter anything hostile."
"It's good to see I'm not the only one that prefers to scout the lay of the land." Nihlus said, as he joined them in the cargo bay, already in full gear. How long he had been listening in to their conversation was hard to say, but it wouldn't have surprised either Giselle or Alex to know he had heard it all. He had revealed the fact he planned to evaluate Alex for Spectre candidacy, so it stood to reason he'd watch her like a hawk for the next several missions if he had his say. Giselle hadn't known what to make of the tinge of jealousy that revelation had surprisingly caused her to feel. Undeterred by the stony expression on the woman's face as she pulled her hair into a single braid down her back, Nihlus continued on. "Chances are I'll see just what you're capable of then, won't I?"
"Not if I'm using my skills to their fullest, you won't." Not if I can help it, in this life or the next one you cheeky bastard. There was no way in Hell she'd let him outmaneuver her. Realizing where her mind had turned, Giselle took a breath and let go of that particular line of thought. Overconfidence will get you killed. You should know that by now Giselle. Despite how old she was, some habits were harder to relinquish than others.
Perceptive as ever, Nihlus was quick to pick up on the almost overconfident woman's tone. "Confident are we? An admirable quality Lieutenant, but one that can get you into trouble quickly."
"Wise words to live by, be sure to take your own advice to heart." Giselle countered without batting an eyelash before donning the helmet at last.
A worthy verbal riposte. Now I am even more intrigued by this strange woman. Whatever else he had to say had to wait as final preparations were completed and the cargo bay ramp was lowered to allow them to land on the planet below. They had their objective, but Nihlus noted that Alex was worried about any possible survivors they might find. Nor did he miss the subtle nod of approval that her first lieutenant sent the Commander's way. They have a strong friendship between them. Interesting...
True to her word, the moment the Normandy passed by close enough for them to make a quick drop, Giselle was off the ramp and running ahead of the rest with Nihlus two steps behind. Alex, Kaidan, and Jenkins stuck to the path before them, not because it was safer, but because it was the easiest way to the dig site and the colony itself.
Seven minutes later.
This is...I fear I'm going to be ill. I can't imagine what Corporal Jenkins is going through right now, seeing his home...like this. She was no stranger to the horrors of war. But there was a distinct difference between what she was used to and what her eyes showed in front of her, as she ran a hand across the dirt, examining the tracks that were laid out plain as day. They didn't feel the need to conceal themselves. That's disturbing in its own right. Chaos had reigned supreme here given the dozens of footprints, mostly human, that had tried to flee the destruction. Many had been cut down long before they ever got to safety and dragged away, back towards the colony. Standing straight from her kneeling position, Giselle shook her head before her eyes fell on something she had hoped she would never see again. Not even the young ones had been spared the axe.
Three metallic spikes were arrayed across her chosen path, blocking her way forward through the alleyway she had ducked into on her way to the dig site. Three humans, one man, a young boy, and a small girl, were impaled through the chest on those same spikes. The children couldn't have been older than twelve, if that, and both of them had died horribly if the expressions of agony on their faces were anything to go by. Reaching for the comms device on her helmet, Giselle found the excuse she needed to look away as she sent her report. "Shepard...we have a problem. Whoever attacked this place was very thorough... Have you found any of the colonists?" Please let there be some survivors.
"No one yet, but we've seen enough signs of battle to know it's unlikely we'll find anyone. We've got to keep looking." There was a momentary pause on the comm line. Something in her voice didn't sound right, she's hiding something. "Davidson, do you have anything to report?"
"I'm guessing that you haven't yet seen what I'm looking at right now. I found….it looks as if they impaled anyone they managed to capture on these strange metallic spikes." Over her many decades of life, Giselle had yet to get used to seeing civilians slaughtered like this. No….this is far worse than anything I've seen. Even vampires are more merciful than this. At least they have a purpose behind their murder sprees. "I'd come up with a name if I wasn't so repulsed at the moment." Even her attempt at humor left a bad taste in her mouth as her sensitive hearing picked up a faint whimpering. She knew right away that what her eyes had told her hadn't been the whole truth. "Oh no….Commander...I'll get back to you." Giselle cut her comm link before Alex's concerned voice had a chance to reach her ears.
"I hate it when she does that." Alex grumbled to herself as she looked to her team before pushing forward. I really hope today doesn't get much worse. She doubted that it was going to get any better.
Running to the source of the quiet whimpering, Giselle bit back bile as the boy of the group opened his eyes from atop his spike. Tear filled green met her steel filled brown even as he hung suspended on his back, his head inverted so the world was upside down from his point of view. "Please...help me...it hurts...so much."
Sometimes a white lie makes all the difference in the world. "I promise young one, it will be over soon." Even from here, Giselle thought she saw his skin had started to turn a darker shade of gray. That spike was doing something to the child, she'd bet her life on it. As much as she wanted to get him off of that thing and to safety, she also knew that there were things so miniscule, which even her sharp eyes couldn't detect, that were deadlier than any enemy she could imagine. Holding herself in place with her legs wrapped around the spike, she gently brushed her fingers through the boy's hair with her left hand, while her right silently pulled one of her daggers from its sheath. Be at peace child...
When the deed was complete, only then did she allow herself a moment, just a moment, to mourn what she had done before pulling herself back together. Whoever did this will pay, dearly. The fire in her brown eyes was bright enough to melt solid steel as she dashed forward, silent as a ghost.
I underestimated her. It takes more than just confidence in your abilities to commit such an act. It takes compassion, or a cold killer's instinct. She strikes me as far more the former than the latter. Nihlus rubbed at his chin, having observed the entire incident from a nearby rooftop through the scope of his rifle.
Giselle meanwhile, had started back to the path that Alex had taken, having thought she heard something heading their way. Catching sight of three small machines that flew off around the bend, she had to put on an extra burst of speed to catch up with the mobile scouts, pulling her pistol without breaking stride. "You have incoming. Three unmanned drones." She whispered into her comm link, not wanting to be discovered before she had time to line up a shot.
Ducking behind several tall rocks, Alex, Kaidan, and Jenkins pulled their favored weapons just as the aforementioned drones started scanning the area, most likely for them. Shepard motioned for Jenkins to advance just as the deadly aerial trio came into the clearing ahead of them. Shots rang out just as the young Corporal rounded a large boulder to see one of the drones crash at his feet. Looking to their far right, Jenkins breathed a sigh of relief as he caught sight of their scout sliding down the hillside. Giselle's smoking pistol barrel was already aimed at her next target before he had time to blink, as she opened fire on a second drone. Alex had since taken the last drone out of the air with the aid of Alenko, much to Jenkins' annoyance at being too slow to do it himself.
Kaidan scanned the area around them, his pistol up and ready, but found nothing else approaching them. "All targets eliminated Commander." He wasn't the only one to notice the stone hard glare on Davidson's face.
"I wouldn't be too sure of that Alenko." Giselle said as she started forward, having just picked up frantic footfalls heading their way with a mixture of more gun fire. Probably another batch of drones if she wasn't mistaken, and they were chasing someone that was putting up a fight as she also detected the noise of return fire. Someone that skilled, I'd greatly like to have on our side in this battle. Without another word, Davidson dashed ahead, much to Alex's annoyance as she ran after the lieutenant.
She knew better than to tell Giselle to slow down, but it still bugged her that the woman was being so reckless with her life once again. I thought we had gotten past this? What did she see that upset her so deeply? The fact that she was ten times the warrior any of the crew suspected her to be was beside the point. Recalling something that the woman had told Alex once before, the Commander stopped her the only way she could. "You can win a thousand fights Giselle."
She stopped cold behind a rock before glaring daggers at Alex for bringing up a rather sore spot for her. If it wasn't bad enough, her mind supplied the rest of the lesson. But you can only lose one. Giselle rapidly popped out of cover and destroyed two more drones with only a handful of shots. "Thank you for the knife to the stomach, Commander. Remind me to bring up one of your sore points when we have finished here."
Sliding to a stop next to her strong willed counterpart, Alex could only offer a solemn nod in return, regretting the need to hit her below the belt at all. "If it meant keeping you alive, then you know I'd do it again."
Taking a moment to steady herself, Giselle nodded as she stuck her head out for a split second. "She needs our help." Having since spotted the fleeing soldier when she had popped out of cover only seconds ago, Alex headed right from behind the rock while Giselle went left, leaving the two men behind to catch up.
"She can really move L T! Where did the Commander find her?!" Jenkins was in pure awe of the deadly woman's grace as she managed to once again pull ahead of Shepard, although not by much. Where Giselle had speed, Alex had the endurance to match.
"I don't know, but we better move before we miss out on the action. Something tells me they aren't going to wait around for us kid." Alenko barely managed to say, as he focused on steadying his breathing while continuing to run full tilt towards the two women. Only after he had cleared the hill before him did he see that the battle was over, and two synthetic beings had been riddled with holes.
"What are they?" Giselle asked, not bothering to look over her shoulder as Alenko caught up with her. Shepard was busy with the soldier they had just saved, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, the only survivor of her squad.
"They look like geth, but that's impossible. They haven't been seen outside the Veil for over two hundred years." Alenko knelt beside the bodies, unsure if what he was seeing was real. They had learned about the quarians' fatal mistake back in Basic, but no one had seen one of their creations up close for centuries.
"And how is it impossible if they are here and at our feet? Do you not believe what your eyes tell you Kaidan?" Giselle asked, having no patience for foolish assumptions about what was possible and not. The evidence was there to see for those who accepted it. "They certainly aren't human. Last I checked we didn't bleed white ooze." Just to prove her point, Giselle pressed the gloved fingertips of her right hand into a pool of white 'blood' and swept her eyes over the liquid before wiping the remains onto the grass before her.
"Ok, you made your point. You didn't have to pick it up to do it. We need to get moving, Williams you're with us, lead the way." Once again, Alex found her irritation spiking as Giselle raced on ahead before the shaken marine could so much as nod to her.
"Is she always like that?" Ashley asked, as she fell in behind the people that had just saved her life.
"You have no idea Chief, but there's few people I'd trust more." Kaidan and Jenkins found themselves nodding in agreement with Alex's statement as the four ran after the speedy scout. They found her standing before the deserted dig site, and two more geth toast with a third well on its way. Alex merely waded through the gunfire, her assault rifle raised and already unloading tungsten rounds through the geth's mid section.
"Thank you for your aid." Giselle's smirk might have seemed arrogant to some, but Alex knew better.
The marine just shrugged her shoulders, as if shooting sentient machines was a daily occurrence. "I couldn't let you have all the fun."
"It looks like they moved the beacon we were sent after. Do you know anything about this Chief Williams?" From the look of surprise on the woman's face, Giselle was willing to bet every credit and copper coin she had that she didn't have a clue. "I'll continue scouting ahead, just try to keep up...if you can. Commander."
Alex didn't bother with a snappy comeback as Giselle took off once more. Instead, she offered a silent jerk of her head to those behind her before proceeding further.
Giselle had seen ships before, just like everyone else that called the Citadel and the worlds that fell under the Council's protection, but even the scout had to stare in awe at the massive dreadnought that was on the edge of the utterly decimated colony. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing on end well before she set eyes on it, and the feeling of sheer dread skyrocketed when she did focus on the enormous squid like craft. But her attention was quickly drawn from the massive ship, to the two turians that were at the start of the metal pathway to the colony itself. In that moment, she realized two things. One of the men was clearly Nihlus, and the other man was beginning to aim a pistol at the back of his head.
I thought I trained you better than this Nihlus. Never take your eyes off a potential enemy. Oh well. "Don't worry. I've got it under-aarrrahhh!" Saren yelped in pain as the pistol exploded in his taloned hand. Davidson had chosen her target wisely since his kinetic barriers hadn't included his gun, or the hand attached to it.
Both Nihlus and Saren turned their heads to the human that stood on a nearby rooftop, her brown eyes fixed solely on the rogue Spectre. "Backstabbing traitors, even among the Spectres. I'm not surprised in all honesty." Her pistol was now aimed at the turian's head as she stared down at Saren, unwavering as she met his unnaturally cold, almost dead gaze. Something's unnatural, even for their 'world',in regards to this turian. "All that power and freedom to complete a mission as you see fit. It's little wonder you fell off the moral cliff."
Despite his mangled hand, Saren had to nod his approval at the woman's skill to have taken him by surprise like this. "If I didn't have an appointment to keep, I'd gladly stay and rip your heart out myself human. Be seeing you Nihlus, you got lucky this time." Before either of them could think of pursuing, the deck became alive with rifle fire as several geth popped out of hiding, giving Saren the time he needed to make a run for it. Giselle still managed to nail him with four shots, the last one actually managing to wound him in his right hip, slowing him down but not stopping him outright.
How did this happen? Nihlus couldn't believe what had just played out before his eyes. If not for the timely intervention of Shepard's lieutenant, he'd be dead. The Spectre quickly snapped out of his mental shock and started methodically taking out the geth in front of him.
Just as she was getting ready to jump down to the ground, a thunderous blast of sound, many times worse than the screech of a banshee's death wail, crashed over the area. It instantly sent the woman to her knees and off the side of the roof. Davidson didn't notice as she hit the ground on her back, tightly holding her gloved hands against her helmet in an effort to cover her incredibly sensitive ears. It did nothing to block the shriek the ship sent out as it started to ascend, red arcs of energy cascading off of its arms. When she thought she could take no more, the horrific noise stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving a shaken Giselle still curled up on the ground, having bit her tongue hard enough to draw blood to in an effort to stop herself from screaming.
Alex, Kaidan, Ashley and Jenkins were already rushing towards the platform, having been delayed by the several survivors, and apparent victims, they had managed to find so far. It'd hadn't taken Alex long to realize what Giselle must have found the moment they had seen the spikes she'd described. Between Nihlus's deadly precision and their combined firepower, they were able to push back most of the geth and their monstrous 'husks'. Jenkins was the first to see where Davidson had landed, as well as the geth trooper preparing to fire on the defenseless woman.
"Hey! Hey you ugly motherfucker! Over here!" Just to be sure he had the geth's undivided attention, Jenkins immediately started to unload his rifle on the machine, which soon overheated in his haste to kill it. Throwing the currently useless weapon aside, Jenkins pulled his pistol, and after remembering to settle into an appropriate firing stance, managed to blast the geth's head off before it could fire on him instead.
Alex was the first to Davidson's side right behind a concerned Nihlus who had since shaken off the shock of the betrayal he had endured from his mentor. "Giselle, talk to me!"
With a groan as she slowly stood on shaky legs, Giselle winced as she rubbed at her bruised backside. "Not so loud Alex, give my ears a moment to stop ringing." Shaking her head to clear the spots from her vision, as well as the migraine that was already threatening to overtake her, the officer quickly got back to her feet, with a little help from their resident Spectre.
"Remind me to buy you a drink when we get back Lieutenant, your choice of where it happens to come from." It was the least Nihlus could have offered her after saving his life.
"You okay ma'am?! That bastard didn't hit you did he?!" Giselle winced even as she grinned at the concerned young Corporal, as he jogged up to her with Williams and Alenko only a few steps behind.
"I'm fine, just a little shaken up from whatever that cursed thing blasted out as it left." The gratitude in her eyes was slow in its departure even as she tried to appear imposing a moment later. "But could you please keep it down before I have to take drastic measures Corporal?" Jenkins blushed and nodded his head vigorously, not about to test his luck further.
"What was that about anyway LT?" Ashley asked, having seen the woman fall off the roof for no apparent reason as far as she could tell. The noise the ship had made hadn't been that detrimental to the rest of them, so it begged the question why it had affected the blonde more than them.
"Long story, one I'm not interesting in getting into here." And one I can't get into even if we had the time. With that, Davidson was off once more, seeing Saren board a transport train ahead of them. She also saw a geth trooper preparing to duck behind a stack of crates which was just a little too close to her chosen path. She didn't bother with her guns, but instead went for the blades on her hips and severed the geth's head from its shoulders as she passed at a breakneck pace, seconds away of making it to the train before it sped off down the tracks and out of reach. "Damn you to the Nine Hells!" She cursed, before seeing another transport train on the other side of the platform.
"Come on, we'll catch him on the other train!" Alex shouted as she ran down the stairs of the platform, hoping the geth hadn't had time to meddle with the train itself. It'd be about their luck they got on board and find out too late that the tracks were sabotaged or something equally disastrous.
"You heard the Commander, get moving!" Kaidan motioned for his squad mates to once again try their best to catch up with Shepard and Davidson, hoping they would actually wait for them to reach the train.
Even if there hadn't been a handful of geth waiting to slow them down as they jumped the gap between the platform and the train, they weren't that stupid or foolish to leave their allies behind. "Just like old times eh? At least you didn't fall!" Giselle shouted, as she ducked behind the nearest piece of cover.
"Don't even get me started Giselle!" Alex shouted in turn before letting a geth destroyer have a full clip to the chest before sending a tech attack its way. The Overload short circuited the machine's circuitry and had it convulsing on the spot.
Several geth troopers ahead of them on the long, narrow tram got a sudden case of tungsten poisoning, as their four slower companions aimed from the elevated platform across the way. "Did you see that jump Chief?! Had to be over four meters, easy." Ashley just shook her head at the awed look on Jenkins face as he continued to help them cover the daring women.
"That's an easy jump for some." Nihlus let his face uplifted into the subtlest of grins as he led the way down the ramp. As if proving his point, the Spectre made the same jump and slid to a halt next to the only N7 marine on the planet. Nodding his head to Alex and her partner, Nihlus moved to the front of the tram and activated their ride once everyone was onboard.
"Bunch of damn, reckless show offs." Kaidan grunted, as he walked past Alex and Giselle to the front of their transport.
He didn't get far before Giselle gave him something to mull over. "Upset that we got here first, or did you honestly think we'd leave you behind?"
Kaidan just shook his head and smirked as the tram quickly picked up speed. "Honestly? Fifty-fifty, Davidson." His eyebrows shot up though when he got a piece of advice from an unexpected source.
"Stop looking so jealous Alenko, it doesn't suit you at all." Nihlus shrugged nonchalantly when he felt everyone's eyes locked on him. "What? It doesn't."
"Did your turian friend just make a bad joke? Or am I hearing things?" Ashley only grinned wider when Nihlus gave her an indignant huff.
"I think I will die of shock right here." Giselle chuckled as she looked ahead and saw something that made her smile vanish. "I think we have a problem. Unless I'm mistaken, I think they've decided to blow the colony. I can see a geth working on some kind of detonation charge."
"How can she possibly know that?" Ashley didn't doubt the truth of the woman's words, but she could just barely make out several figures from where they were on the tracks.
"I don't really care right now Chief, we need to disable those charges Commander!" Alenko was the first to exit the slowing tram, jumping with a quick roll as he landed on the platform. When he regained his feet, his hand was already in the process of releasing a ball of dark energy on the closest geth platform. Jenkins was only a split second behind the lieutenant, as he finished the damaged machine off with a burst of assault rifle fire.
Alex didn't waste time with a reply since their objective was clear as Williams, Nihlus, and Davidson fell in behind her as she made a beeline for the nearest bomb. "Keep them busy!"
"Not a problem." Giselle calmly replied as she and the rest of the squad took up defensive positions around Alex while she wasted no time in disarming the device. When a red laser dot appeared on Alex's helmet, Davidson merely jerked her head to the side at the last possible second before returning fire on the sniper across the deck.
"Hey, working on a highly explosive device here!" Alex growled, as she finished disarming the bomb before pointing at the area above them. "Get your asses moving! I doubt they only planted one!"
"You're welcome." Giselle could easily imagine the irritated look on her face without having to look over her shoulder at Shepard. After the mission, she knew Alex would thank her, but for the moment, they had a job to do. Besides, Shepard was right, she highly doubted there was only the one bomb to worry about.
Kaidan made a quick gesture for Jenkins to follow him, as both men headed for the upper level. "Moving up, cover us Chief." Ashley simply nodded as she fell in behind the two, staying several meters back.
No one was left unguarded as they moved from cover point to cover point, laying geth out as they found them, all the while noticing turian blood leading away from the tram station. Saren was probably in the clear by now, but that didn't mean they were just yet. Kaidan knelt to deal with the next device to his left, as Ashley and Jenkins covered him, while Alex, Nihlus, and Giselle went for the next bomb halfway down the elevated walkway.
They ran into heavy resistance seconds later, as several massive geth constructs rounded the far corner and opened fire. "I've got this! Just go kill those fuckers!" Alex yelled, as she started deactivating her second deadly device of the day.
"Right!" Nihlus was already doing just that, having quickly swapped out his rifle for the shotgun on his lower back.
Davidson didn't waste time as she pulled a grenade from Nihlus's belt, primed it, and tossed it into the approaching swarm. "You have them, use them!" Was her explanation at the glare the Spectre threw her way, right before the shockwave hit.
"Coming through, watch out slow people!" Jenkins shouted with a huge smirk on his face as he dashed along with Ashley and Kaidan towards the far end of the platform. Giselle immediately took off after the three when she saw that Alex was finished, Nihlus two steps ahead of her.
"Move Alex! Or do you intend to lose to a mere boy?" The blonde tossed over her shoulder, seeing Shepard was already catching up with them.
"Not today Giselle." Alex replied as she caught up with her old friend, pulling ahead of the others at the last second, and sliding to a stop next to the last bomb with the barely panting blonde standing guard without having to be told. Nihlus and Ashley pushed ahead, clearing the way while Alenko brought up the rear with a disappointed Jenkins coming to halt close by.
"That might have been a little extreme Commander. It's not a race." Kaidan groused, even though the look in his whiskey colored eyes told her he believed that about as much as Alex did.
"The time on these bombs say otherwise." Alex retorted as her hands moved swiftly over the exposed conduits, disconnecting one after the other as fast as she could. "We have three minutes to get to the last one or we're toast."
"Good to know, let's move!" Giselle shouted as she darted ahead, seeing the last squad of geth was already heavily engaged with Nihlus, Ashley, and Jenkins. Considering the fact the geth were dropping like flies despite the heavy firepower they brought to bear, the fight was bound to be over before the rest caught up. Unfortunately, no one saw the huge geth unit that had hid just beneath the stairs as Davidson led them forward. It instantly reached out and grabbed the woman's head in one massive metallic hand, crushing only an empty shell as she flicked the release catches and darted back like liquid lightning.
Having put some distance between them, Giselle pulled her blades and immediately set to work to dismantling the machine before her. The hand it had tried to crush her head with was severed, but she didn't pay it any mind as she spun and jabbed her other blade straight out behind her under her left arm, her curved blade finding a weakness between its armored plates and into the delicate circuitry underneath. With a savage yank, the blade was pulled free, leaving a disemboweled machine to fall to the ground behind her before exploding in a shower of sparks and white blood.
Kaidan's jaw dropped as he watched the geth fall to the deck alongside Alex. "O...kay. That might have been a little more extreme. Your buddy does nice work Shepard."
"She's great at giving me heart attacks too, apparently!" Shepard yelled down, while Ashley and Jenkins were still too stunned for words, and Nihlus nodded his head in approval.
"I took care of the problem, that is all that matters." Davidson said, as she casually flicked her white coated sword, removing the detritus from the geth before sheathing her blades once more. Her eyes soon flicked to the proverbial 'elephant in the room', as she stared with curiosity at the large beacon on the deck before her. "That is what all this needless slaughter and destruction has been about? A green glowing piece of metal?" Artifacts of power came in all shapes and sizes she knew, but it didn't look like much to her, it definitely didn't seem worth all they had endured to get here.
"That 'piece of metal' could very well be an information cache of prothean technology." Nihlus was quick to point out.
"Your fabled protheans aren't here now though are they? Even with all of their 'advances', they aren't here now. Has anyone ever asked why they disappeared?" Curious nature getting the better of her for once, Giselle slowly started to approach the object, and then found herself unable to stop moving inexorably towards it, about the same time the device started glowing brighter than ever. "Something is wrong, I can't-" Before she had gotten the first word out of her mouth, Alex had vaulted over the short stairway and was running to her aid.
She had maybe five inches of clearance before the energy from the glowing device enveloped her completely, before she felt someone slamming into her side and knocking her free of whatever had had a hold of her. By the Nine Hells! What was- Giselle's thoughts were instantly forgotten when she looked up to see Shepard hanging in mid air, an expression of pure agony on her face."Alex!"
"Don't touch her, it's too dangerous!" Ashley shouted as she ran to Giselle's side before she could get close. Kaidan was forced to help keep the desperate woman back as well as she struggled to get loose from the Gunnery Chief.
Nihlus was the only cool headed one there but even he was worried as he and Jenkins watched Alex be thrown by the prothean beacon when it exploded. The moment Shepard hit the deck, both marines instantly let go of Giselle as she raced over to her fallen friend. I did this to her! Why was I so foolish?! Checking for a pulse just as she had learned back when she had first joined their version of a unified military, only then did she breathe a massive sigh of relief as she heard Kaidan put in a call for the Normandy to pick them up.
Jenkins was simply the first to say what they were all no doubt thinking. The four watched in confusion and shock as Giselle, now drastically altered in her appearance, gently held Shepard in her arms, a plain white stage mask laying on the ground nearby. It wasn't hard to miss her onyx toned skin, silver gray hair, and far more distinct nose, ears, and cheekbones. But what also caught their attention were her nearly identical chocolate brown eyes. "Sir...should we say someth-"
"Be quiet kid, I think Williams and I are lucky she didn't kill us as it is." Kaidan said, as he picked up the unadorned mask on his way to his Commander's side. "I think you dropped this Lieutenant." Out of everyone, except perhaps Nihlus, the biotic had been the most accepting of the small group. The brown eyed woman jerked her gaze away from Alex's face, only to realize what had happened when she caught sight of the enchanted mask in his hand.
"Just let me stay with her until I know if she'll live. That's all I ask, before you tell your superiors of me Alenko." Giselle all but whispered, as she hesitantly took the mask back, unsure if she wanted to wear the thing anymore or not. It wasn't at the top of her priorities regardless.
"Tell them what exactly?" Was Kaidan's simple reply.
Ending Notes; Vergil1989; To put this as plainly as I can, I was an idiot to let someone tell me to drop this story like a bad habit because they thought it should have never seen the light of day. It probably didn't help that my copies of this didn't survive my hard drive crashing so all that hard work was gone anyway. To correct that however, and to make it up to my loyal fans at last, I have dusted this off and given it a fresh coat of paint, along with my good friend Archer83 who has little knowledge of fantasy lol.
In all seriousness, despite that fact, it shows how good friends can be since he convinced me to pick this one back up and even offered to help me put it together anew.
Archer83; Hey! I know plenty about fantasy...if it happens to be related to Game of Thrones... Fine, it's true, my knowledge of the particular fantasy in which part of this story will take place is...slightly limited. BUT! That's what you're here for Vergil! Instead of simply abandoning Vergil's GREAT original work, we will be incorporating it into this new story with Highlander style flashbacks.
Vergil1989; So pull yourselves up to a warm fire, kick back, relax, and let us take you on a journey beyond imagination. Hopefully it'll be beyond imagination at least. D Regardless, take care and let's see how far this goes.