The sound of distant gun fire disturbed an eerie silence of what was left of the colonial superstructure. It carried among the ruins of once vibrant settlement. Echoing through empty, lifeless buildings.
"M-8 Avenger assault rifles..." she knew that sound by heart.
"…marines…" she noted quietly, more to herself than to anyone else.
"That appears to be a likely scenario…" her combat VI chimed an acknowledgement into her earbud.
"They are late…" she sounded disappointed.
"They have most likely been forced to engage the hive of Husk you have managed to evade on your way into the target structure…" the VI continued providing a likely tactical assessment.
"Do they have enough time to link up with us?" she queried as she once more checked her surroundings wondering if the sudden sounds of a distant battle would reveal any signs of enemy presence nearby.
"Negative…" the VI responded, "…updated intelligence suggest that the device is near critical charge levels."
"Viee…" she hesitated. "…I don't want to do this on my own…" it was perhaps a rare moment of weakness, an indication that maybe, after all those years of vicious fighting, she understood her mortality all too well.
"Would you like me to plot an exit route from your current position?" there was no judgement in the VI's voice.
She checked her rifle, cleared her cover and pushed forward, towards the alien object that the reports suggested pierced a nearby building some hours ago. The VI needed no further clarification of her intent.
The corridors were empty, filled with ash and burnt memories. No one could have survived this close to the impact site and so she expected no friendly company as she moved from cover to cover under the camouflage of her infiltration field.
Generic paint used in colonial structures still cover nearby walls, it's particularly boring shade of grey was now marred with signs of recent fire, most likely the same fire that consumed standard issue carpets, furnishings and bodies of those that were caught in the surprise attack. Charred bones of colonists observed her stealthy passage in absolute silence. There was not too many of them and for that she was thankful. Even now, she could almost hear their screams and cries of pain and agony. The sounds of death and loss were no less terrifying when played back by the unruly mind of tired and emotionally scarred soldier but even they were preferred over that mechanical noise that re-purposed humans, often called Husk by the military, made. She crossed another corridor, never lowering her rifle, half expecting the bodies of the fallen she came across to raise, re-activate and pursue the lethal programming infused into them by alien intelligence nano-swarms. Despite her fears, the place remained as still as a long abandoned tomb. Just like those Prothean ruins her recon unit was tasked with scouting in what seemed to be a distant past now.
"Now logged 76 casualties with 41 active identification implants…" the steady voice of her VI managed to interrupt the horrors of the past, though she found herself lacking appropriate answer and so she said noting. She moved, feeling strangely numb yet strongly committed to her objective. She did not dare to look back.
Finally, she reached an opening on the other end of the structure, a shattered wall, damage most likely caused by high yield explosion of some kind. What remained was sufficiently intact to provide a cover and a moment of respite. From her vantage point she was able to examine her surroundings and she saw a movement on nearby ledge, a pair of Marauders re-purposed Turians.
"And here is the infantry…" she noted.
"Part of close protection force…" her VI chimed.
"Unusually light, though I am not detecting any additional mass effect fields in your proximity…"
"Well, it is possible they are planning to simply draw us in and then detonate the charge without pulling the troops out, in which case they are simply minimising their losses." she offered her own insight into the enemy actions and hated herself for thinking like the Ancient Super Machines did.
"Given the enemy's ability to re-purpose organic life it would appear to be an efficient tactic…" her VI continued to offer unwelcomed tactical assessment in cold, almost calculating tone.
She flicked her omni-tool and re-connected to previously positioned combat drone. The machinelike Turians were within its engagement envelope. She briefly hesitated. Engaging would give away the drone's positon and possibly deny her the ability to use it again. That being said she did not fancy an open firefight with the pair of re-purposed foes and noted that using a drone just might draw away any other surprises the enemy had hidden nearby.
"Calculate a firing solution… and engage when ready…" she made a request of her VI.
Less than a second later a distant sentry engaged, rumbled, twice, in short succession. Two mass effect accelerated shells caught a pair of Marauders by surprise, if a machine could be surprised that is. In both cases large slugs connected with what constituted as weak points in enemy's' silhouettes, successfully breaking through barriers, penetrating armours, expiring foes and showering surroundings with superheated sparks.
"Good shots…" she smiled.
"The sentry drone was effectively positioned and calibrated." the VI declined to take a credit for well-executed kills. "Is that a complement…" she grinned while observing the ledge for any further activity.
"I am not programmed to give complements Lieutenant…" the VI responded.
She waited another minute or so, looking, hoping for a reaction of some kind. Aside from a constant shower of sparks and a bothersome mechanical twitching noise coming from the remains of one of the Marauders, there was nothing else that could have indicated any additional enemy presence.
From there, she proceeded downwards, towards lower levels, via large, scenic staircase and then across an open space between colonial buildings. It was a park of some kind, a children's park, with swings, slides and other toys of all kind scattered around, most of them burnt or broken. She dared not to examine the remains of the playground closer, she feared what she might find in there.
Under cover of active camouflage, she quickly passed motionless, mechanical, burnt corpse of a Harvester, thankful for earlier gunship strike that befallen the giant monstrosity. The distance to her objective drew closer with every hurried step she took, her HUD now marking the meters from estimated location in double digit only. Everything remained quiet, too quiet, except for the occasional sounds of distant firefight, no doubt Marines, still lagging behind, knee deep into Husks.
"Active fields detected ahead…" VI issued a quiet warning.
"How many?" she asked, troubled by briefness of the caution.
"The data is inconsistent due to excessive interference from hostile technology…"
"I can confirm two independent occurrences." VI added.
"Extrapolate…" she persisted as she came to a stop past the open space and took cover by the concrete wall leading to the hallway she intended to proceed into.
"Medium silhouette, mass effect barrier and weaponry, most likely Marauder class." VI offered.
For what seemed like a hundredth time, she checked her rifle, ensuring that correct firing mode, sufficient ammo and heatsink were all in order. Then slowly crept towards the entrance.
She heard footsteps, steady, machine like and that nightmarish mechanical noise all re-purposed made, they were close and getting closer. This was going to be a close quarters engagement, a knife fight. She shifted her rifle into her left arm and readied her right, briefly relaxing the wrist, disabling safeties on her omni-blade and waited. A humanoid shape emerged from the hallway, its form too heavily modified by the forceful re-purposing process to offer insight into its origin species, at least at first sight. It seemed that the creature failed to detect her and she seized on the moment. Her wrist flash-forging a silicon-carbide blade, half a meter in length, her arm striking the opponent into its central mass with the superheated edge. The first strike connected, igniting and piercing hostile barrier, stopping short of penetrating the armour. The second, hit close enough to the first, cutting through the armour, igniting insides of her opponent. The creature shrieked in mechanical tones, perhaps a warning to its companion, perhaps an expression of pain from what might have remained of its original nervous system. She followed in with a third that disrupted her opponent's mobility apparatus and she pushed its unstable form back into the hallway and into incoming fire from its companion.
The falling Marauder caught the initial burst of fire from its follower. The second creature, mere meters behind continued to fire, indiscriminately, forward, in wide, full auto bursts but she has already moved past the opening of the hallway. Then came the familiar hiss as its weapon announced brief overheated state, a moment she waited for and she sprang into action appearing in an entrance again, sending pairs of accelerated projectiles down the hall and toward her intended target again and again and again. The creature's barriers ignited under fire as it continued, seemingly unconcerned, the process of venting excessive heat from its weapon and briefly she worried that it would win the race when all of the sudden it's barrier flickered and dual projectiles from her Valkyrie rifle began to demolish its metallic skull.
Suddenly her suit flashed red, she saw her own barrier ignite and felt a kinetic force of multiple impacts as her shields consumed a series of slugs fired at her from the side. From there, a third hostile advanced at her position. She desperately ducked into the hallway just as her barrier burnt out under fire. The third Marauder, working in union with the other two advanced at her position, in wider arc, to deny her close quarters engagement options, all while keeping her supressed with short, well aimed bursts, ensuring that its rifle would not overhear too quickly. Given the stress to her own armour she knew it would take her barrier at least several seconds to re-charge. A time she did not have for her opponent was drawing closer.
"Viee… engage with drone…" she shouted inside her helmet.
"The target is outside of engagement envelope…" VI reported, its voice cold, calm and unconcerned by her owner's situation.
"Fire to distract…" she had an idea.
"Firing…" VI immediately acknowledged, understanding the intended tactic.
Distant drone engaged, its accelerated projectiles impacting the side of a nearby building. There was no targets there, but the unmistakable sounds of consistent, high calibre fire and impacts of superfast rounds into already ruined structure behind the Marauder have forced a change in its tactical posture. It briefly paused its constant suppressive fire and turned towards the source of the new noise with aim to assess the emergence of possible, new threat. Before it managed to evaluate the situation and turn back to pursue its original objectives, a series of well-aimed shots from the very hallway it left unchecked, have permanently ended its ability to process any further inputs.
"Thanks Viee…" she whispered as she collected herself, staying in cover until her barrier was fully recharged.
"Just following your commands Lieutenant…" VI responded.
She smiled to herself knowing all too well that technically her VI just saved her life and wondering if it could ever be programmed to fully understand and appreciate the value of such action.
"Lieutenant, the objectives…" VI chimed a polite reminder interrupting her philosophical musings.
She cautiously peered back and down the hallway. The remains of two Marauders were still twitching, their re-purposed limbs attempting to interpret corrupted signals sent by their damaged nervous systems. They were no longer a threat.
The objective was almost in sight now and given the resistance she just encountered she felt much better about the whole situation.
She glimpsed towards the sky for one final time, hoping for some encouragement from the sunlight, but there was none. The gloomy, broken colonial superstructure remained ignorant to life and death struggle that took place among its smoke filled ruins. She pushed forward, through hallway littered with previously dispatched Marauders, slowly, steady, checking her corners, barrel of her trusty assault rifle always on the point.
The walls were heavily cracked here, damaged from impact of recent hostile insertion. Encouraged by silence, adrenaline still pumping through her veins she made her way into a large, severely damaged chamber, its walls scarred, loose rubble littering the charred concrete floor. In the centre of it was her objective - a high yield neutron purge device, enhanced radiation weapon.
She scanned the room as she approach the charge, her VI diligently assessing it, analysing output and looking for possible interfaces for electronic incursion.
"Viee…" she asked, her voice trembling ever so slightly.
"Marking compatible interface on your HUD Lieutenant…" unlike its owner, the VI remained unaffected by the destructive capabilities of the device, its vocal subroutines calm as they always were.
She kneed before the large metallic sphere like object, resting her rifle against its cool, almost shiny casing, detaching VI's interface module from her combat harness and pressing it at previously recommended point. A quiet beep announced successful contact and her HUD briefly lit up, registering sudden increase in VIs processes. All that was left for her to do was to maintain a close proximity with the interface module. The final part of this battle would be fought by artificial constructs on virtual battlefield.
"All right… do your magic…" she noted, her heart racing, she was so close.
"Lieutenant, my formal classification is that of combat appliance, therefore I am incapable of doing any of this so called magic." the VI chimed as it began the process of breaching the trigger mechanism and she briefly wondered if this were those so called humour subroutines that VIs used with an intent of relaxing their overly stressed operators.
"ACTIVE FIELD DETECTED…" VI issued a sudden warning.
Even before the VI's alarm finished she was already moving away from the device, rolling sideways towards the nearby wall. She came to stop and raised to her knees in almost exemplary recovery. Her side arm was poised, already seeking targets as her helmet quickly adjusted perception filters in order to account for excessive dust, ash and change in local illumination.
Dark, tall, sleek, monstrosity blinked through mass effect accelerated manoeuvre into the hall, its female like features twisted by machinelike extensions, its elongated limbs armed with nano sharpen spikes. For a moment, her heart sunk for she recognised her foe as a re-purposed Asari, infamously designated as Banshee.
"One, Two, Three…" she counted the number of times she squizzed her side arm's trigger and a number of times she saw a flash of Banshee's biotics barrier as mass effect propelled projectiles attempted to break through the re-purposed's defences.
"The standing directive from Systems Alliance strongly recommends full fire team when engaging Banshee…" her VI advised, in pre-recorded like fashion, sounding all of the sudden so very distant.
The creature's barrier, severely tested, held against the outgoing barrage of well-placed shots as it slowly turned to face its opponent and then… it screamed. The thing one had to know about the Banshee's scream was that the audio part was just added for the effect, a morale destroying, presence announcing element of the attack. Easily filtered away and muted by modern armours. The true power of the attack rested in the wave of devastating modulated biotic field that the creature simultaneously produced.
Everything shook. Ground vibrated, sending plumes of ash into air, shattering nearby debris, turning it into shrapnel like projectile pushed away from the epicentre of the effect at almost supersonic speeds in all directions.
"Four, Five…" her count was interrupted by multiple objects impacting her body.
Her own barrier ignited and red warning lights lit her HUD as the scream continued, somehow its audio piercing the safety of her combat armour with unnerving ease. She fell backwards against the wall, hitting it hard, gasping for air and suddenly realising that the scream within her suit did not belong to the Banshee but rather to her.
She raised her weapon seeking the creature and pulled the trigger the moment its ugly head appeared within the ash filled surroundings. The Banshee's barrier consumed her projectile as the monster leaped forward, its movement once again accelerated by mass effect field. It came to rest right next to her and in an instant that followed she felt one of its spike armed limbs cut through her barrier, her armour and penetrated right through her lower torso, impaling and pinning her to the wall in one brutal and very efficient motion.
She retched blood inside the confines her helmet. Her vision blurred and yet her training did not abandon her. Her right arm swooped from the side, superheated omni-blade forming around her fist in an instant. The creature's reflexes were faster however and its alien intelligence anticipated incoming strike and to her horror she saw the blow harmlessly deflected. It was at this point that the pain finally hit her, briefly overwhelming her senses. She started to cry, tears mixed with blood as the disturbing, deformed head of the monster slammed into her helmet and glared at her through now partially dented visor.
She swallowed hard, trying to speak, but no words came on the first try.
The Banshee persisted with vicious slams against the front of her now cracked helmet.
"Missed… other hand… you fuck…" she finally managed.
The Banshee continued its relentless assault. Its head smashing into her helmet again and again but not for long for the creature failed to observe the left hand of her victim, armed with primed omni-grenade embracing its metallic torso. Then there was a flash and a searing sensation where her arm once was.
The anti-synthetic component of the charge detonated inside the Banshee's barrier envelope. Its payload inflicting massive damage along its sleek, metallic form, breaching armour, burning electronics, paralysing data flow. Circuitry and re-purposed tissue bleed equally electrons and nano-modified organic fluids as catastrophic fissure expanded upward scorching creature's nervous system. Finally, a secondary explosion of its power systems, accompanied by spectacular display of sparks, separated its cranium from the rest of its mangled upper body.
The Banshee, now finally came to rest, looking almost beautiful, in its very own unique way. It somewhat reminded her of that one particular Asari she found herself briefly entangled with during her shore leave at the Citadel, when the Citadel was still there. She grinned at the memory of that encounter then gasped in pain. Given her circumstances it was a completely inappropriate thought. Though perhaps it was a random part of her life flashing before her eyes for reasons that were quickly becoming all too clear.
"Lieutenant… you have suffered critical injuries." her VI politely interrupted.
"I know Viee…" she was not entirely sure if this was a mental or verbal reply.
"Without immediate medical assistance…" the VI continued.
"The marines… were late…" she cut her virtual intelligence assistant short.
There was a long pause in their exchange. The ground felt very uncomfortable and given the ash on the outside and blood on the insight of her visor she could not establish her exact position or bearing. Nor could she see anything past the Banshee's remains and its severed head in her bloodied field of view. She could not feel her legs, her left hand, the one that moments ago held the grenade to the back of the re-purposed Asari was just a burning remnant now. Her armour, stopped beeping alerts at her some time ago, most likely, given her current condition it gave up on her all together or perhaps, just like its maimed user it too was excessively damaged. It was becoming increasingly hard to breathe, things started to slow down and feel very distant for reasons she could not clearly understand and everything, everything smelled of burning metal and plastic and tasted of copper and medi-gel.
"It has been an honour Lieutenant…" the VI noted with a certain degree of finality in its words.
All she could managed was a blink before the world turned black…