"Commander, I'm not so sure this is such a good idea. I never understand what the hell she is on about."
"The one that you call Ashley sings in hues of red and black. We need harmony from another."
"See? What the hell does that even mean? I don't think she was saying she wants to take me to the dance, though."
Verity Shepard turns to Ashley, "Okay, Williams, knock it off. We don't have time for this. I think she's basically saying you need to just chill out. In the meantime, if anything happens to Liara because of your intolerance to the queen... I don't think I need to say any more."
"Hey, she's the one who doesn't like me. I think she made that clear from the start."
"In fact, both of you. Play nice. Williams, you just carry Liara, and queen, you just, well, just don't. Okay?"
"We... do not understand."
"Gah! This was never going to work."
Liara has agreed to be the Rachni Queen's avatar through whom she can speak. Ashley has been charged with protecting and carrying Liara in this vulnerable state. As the queen had already demonstrated on Illium and Noveria, the asari's physiology and melding ability made them ideal for this role. But only implanting memories, as she had before, would not be enough for this current task. The avatar must be either willing or incapacitated, she cannot take control of resistant minds at will. The Rachni Queen has taken direct control of Liara's mind, but only has limited motor control.
They are making their way through a valley, rocks and boulders of all sizes everywhere.
"Our children sing. The black oily ones. There."
After speaking these ethereal words, Liara's arm moves to a pointing position in a very unnerving and unnatural way. She points to the only gap in the rocks ahead of them, a perfect kill zone.
"Take cover. Move Liara out of the way."
EDI scans the area.
"Multiple hostiles, coming from the north west."
"C'mon, missy, let's get you over here."
Ashley directs Liara behind a rock grouping, while the queen attempts to assist with at least a few steps.
"I heard that, Ash."
"Aw c'mon Commander, what's wrong with 'missy'? She looks like a 'missy'."
"You ever gonna stop giving her a hard time?"
"They come." Liara says.
Ashley, EDI and Shepard take cover behind a row of boulders. Husks start pushing through the gap. Shepard throws out a singularity right into the centre front of the hole. Ashley begins popping Husks' heads with her Black Widow sniper rifle while EDI expertly downs a few with her Locust followed up with an incendiary attack. A few run into the singularity and begin floating around the dark sphere, moaning all the while. As soon as charged, Shepard throws a warp attack. The singularity booms and the remaining husks are dispersed over the area. Ashley jumps out of cover, and pulls her Argus assault rife from her back to finish off the crawling survivors.
"Williams! Liara! Me and EDI can get these."
The queen leaps a distance of twenty metres, to land amongst the fallen Husks. She begins tearing them apart with her front legs. Soon, there is no movement from them. The queen trots back to the group. They think she looks pleased with herself, but it's hard to say.
"C'mon, miss..." Ashley sees the Commander staring at her.
"uuuh... Miss Prothean Expert."
She picks up Liara and carries her.
"Ashley. Did you think that was better somehow? You know she hates that one."
"Well. Now she can't hear me. So what's the diff eh? You can't hear me at all, can you, my little blueberry?" she coos.
"Man, I knew telling you that was a bad idea."
Ashley studies Liara's face.
"Hm. Didn't her freckles used to be more pink?"
"Just shut up now, okay?"
"No fun, Commander."
"So, we'll have the support of your troops, er, children when we reach the objective?"
"We will be as one. We will stop the dark oily ones. Our children will come from above."
"You mean north right? Good. Move out."
The Commander takes point. The queen, Liara and Ashley move as a tight group, with Ashley looking over her with general suspicion, then to Liara, then back to the queen. She's waiting for the next comment, and she's sure the queen is being facetious about her. EDI brings up the rear.
Their objective is a large Cerberus facility, overrun by Reaper forces. They are approaching from the west. The queen has offered her soldiers to take the brunt of the enemy to allow their squad to gain entry, hopefully unimpeded. It seems that Cerberus has developed a sister for the queen and the Reapers want a replacement. Clone or not, she's Rachni.
The queen can almost hear her. A distant song of brown and green. Pain and suffering. But muffled. Muted.
"Green. Brown. Hurry."
"Commander?" Ashley pleads for a translation.
"Double time it."
"Have you been feeding her blueberry pies? This is hard going."
"We don't have time this, LC. Stop it, now!"
The queen speeds ahead of them, the facility now in view. She traverses a larger rock formation with ease to mount the top then stops, raised high on her straightened legs. She waits for the group to catch up.
"Wait. Here."
They are around ten metres now from the end of the rocky valley and the beginning of a further hundred metres of paved area before the facility entrance.
"That's exposed. Zero cover to the facility." Ashley assesses.
"What are we doing?" Shepard asks.
"Waaaaiiiit." Liara says.
The queen pushes out with her mind, searching for her children. To the north of the facility, there is thick foliage. She pushes through it and finds them. She issues her instructions then moves her focus to the facility. She consciously pushes through the concrete and metal exterior, seeing structural detail at an astonishing level. Her massively powerful brain able to process all this information. One of the reasons the hive is able to produce such perfect precision engineering. Few have seen the Rachni's technical abilities in detail, but all would be astounded.
She pushes through to a large spacious area, the gases present giving off an array of colours. If she cared to, she could concentrate on individual elements, oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, each a unique colour. She also finds an army of Husks, too many to count but certainly in the hundreds. But she pushes on through interior walls to a further chamber. It's almost clear now. There is still suffering in brown, but she can sing. In the briefest of conversations, the two queens have exchanged more than any other species could, possibly in a lifetime. Memories, feelings, songs, colours, ideas. And purpose. The cloned queen had not been able to make sense of any of her inherited memories due to the powerful suppression of Cerberus chemicals.
But now, she understands. Her ancestral memories coming into focus. Before it had been like an arrhythmic mess. With the help of her sister, now it is like a symphony. Joy.
"Waaaiiit." Liara says again as the queen leaps off the rock, and scuttles off towards the facility.
"What's she doing, Commander?"
"I dunno, LC, let's just do as she asks for now."
The queen stops at the edge of the paved area. The large glass windows of the facility begin to shatter as the Husks pour out.
"Shit, this is bad. I'm moving Liara back."
Ashley jogs to what she hopes is a safer position back from Shepard and EDI.
"Even with strength such as hers, I doubt her chances. Does she hope to stop them all, Commander?" EDI asks with her usual calm tone.
"I've no idea, but I think we should let her take the lead here."
The husks are now a thick wall, charging down the queen's position. She just stands there, slightly bobbing up and down on her legs.
"Is that a rumbling sound?"
The horde of Husks is now beyond halfway to the queen, moaning and screaming horrifically.
"I can detect something, Commander."
"Nooowww." Liara says.
"Uuuuh, Commander?"
Suddenly, the rumbling bursts through the forest to become a sea of Rachni soldiers, moving at incredible speed. They smash into the Husks in a surprise flanking manoeuvre that any general across the millennia would be proud of. The Husks are scattered high into the air and in all directions, the ones at the right flank pushed over like dominoes. Toxic spit is spraying all over them as the seemingly never ending column pushes over them, biting and tearing.
The attack begun, the queen rushes forward, throwing and stabbing any Husk in reach. The Husks are devastated.
"Come, we are ready."
"I think we're ready to go, Commander." Ashley jogs back up to Shepard's position.
"Thanks for your concern about Liara, Ash, I appreciate it."
"What? Screw her. I was protecting my own ass."
"Whatever, Ash. You don't fool me. Let's move up. Slowly."
They walk to the edge of the paved area. There is still some melee on the battlefield, but the soldiers are quickly quelling any stragglers. The queen waits near the building's edge, occasionally stabbing at any husks that crawl near.
The group make their way slowly across the paved area, Shepard and EDI taking down any Husks that head in their direction. The Rachni are dealing with the rest. What was, only a short time ago, a massive horde of dangerous Reaper Husks, is now a sea of broken bodies.
"Glad they're on our side, Commander."
"You said it, LC."
The Rachni divide to allow the group safe passage to the queen. No sooner do they arrive at her position, she scuttles into the facility though the broken windows.
"Looks like we're going inside then." Ashley comments. "Come on, poppet."
"Actually, that one's quite cute."
"And she is cute like this eh? Well, she's not banging on about the protheans anyway."
"You had to ruin the moment."
"I aim to please, Commander."
"EDI?"
"Yes, Commander."
"If I find out that you've recorded any of this to show to Joker, I am spacing that body. You got that?"
"I do not understand, Commander."
"Hmmm, sure you don't. Come on then."
They enter the facility cautiously.
"Watch for hybrid Rachni, who knows what the Reapers have started already."
The queen is impatiently bobbing in the first large reception area.
"Come."
She smashes through the large doors on the far side. The group move up to the doorway.
They find the clone queen much how they found the other one, restrained and writhing.
"Help us. Now."
"Man, she's pushy sometimes."
"Williams!"
Shepard recognises the Reaper panels from Utukka, where they rescued the first Rachni queen. She shoots the panels, releasing the clone queen. The clone queen drops to the ground, looking exhausted. Her sister scurries to her position and begins tenderly removing the remaining tubes still attached. After the tubes are removed and a few more gentle tweaks to ensure her new sister's comfort, the Rachni queen turns to the group.
"We sing. We are in harmony. We will stay. Grow. Build. We will help you two-fold. We release and gift our voice. We thank you."
Liara starts twitching.
"Woah! Commander?"
"Place her down, Ash."
Ashley kicks away some space amongst debris, and places her on the ground.
"Oooh, goddess..."
Shepard kneels over her.
"Take it easy, are you okay?"
"I think... oooh, but I'm a little woozy."
"Take your time, don't get up too quick."
"I don't remember anything but... it feels like she is still in my mind. No, wait, a gift. Memories. She left me some memories."
"Of what?"
"Ooh, it is hard to focus, wait a moment. I do not understand a lot but I think it is songs. Information. Of the Keepers?"
Ashley puzzles, "Songs of the Keepers? What have they... never mind. I never understand any of this stuff anyway."
"Wait, there are more memories. Errr... I can almost... they feel very recent..."
"What is it?" Shepard asks, breathless for what further the queen has provided.
She slowly sits up, then stands with Shepard's assistance. She waits to re-gain her balance, then puts her hands on her hips and frowns.
"Ashley! You rotten thing."
"Told you the queen hates me."
"It seems the Rachni share a sense of humour." EDI chips in.