Date: 4/12/2210
Ria sighed as she tossed the fried circuit-board aside. After picking through the pile of possible replacements she had salvaged from the outpost's trash depot, the quarian returned her attention to fixing the damaged communication relay.
Three weeks had passed since Ria had begun her Pilgrimage, during which she'd first set out to visit some of the places that she'd learned about in the stories of her parents' adventures. Due to its location within quarian space, her first stop had been to Haestrom; where she'd spent a few days helping the out at the research station on the planet. However the visit ended up being both uneventful and incredibly underwhelming, so she'd set off once more after only a week on the planet.
Her next stop ended up being the nearby human colony of Horizon, choosing it due to its significance in her father's adventures, being both where he'd first battled the collectors and later had fought Cerberus in their research base on the planet.
Since she stepped off the transport four days ago, Ria had mostly wandered, looking for work or something of interest before moving on. As tradition dictated, quarian pilgrims were given very little money when they set out for their journey; so she'd need to find a way to earn enough credits to move on.
News of a prothean dig-site that had been discovered several weeks earlier had brought the young quarian to her current location as the small town far outside the more populated regions of the world.
She had found work repairing the town's communication relay, which had been been badly damaged in a power surge some days before. The people of the town were nice enough, letting her have free reign to salvage anything she needed to repair the relay. She had hoped the prothean dig-site would bring some excitement or interest, but had discovered the ruins had yielded little but a few broken or badly damaged pieces of tech; though what had been found must have been deemed important enough to warrant the small Alliance platoon guarding the site.
The sun was setting fast, so Ria decided to abandon the task of repairing the relay until tomorrow. Heading to the small room she had been given to stay in, the quarian finished gathering her repair tools and began walking through the abandoned dig site.
The sound of thrusters caught her attention as three Kodiak shuttles flew overhead. Those don't look like Alliance shuttles. she thought to herself as she watched the transports zoom out sight. Watching the direction they'd gone for another moment, she turned away just in time to see a figure quickly dart into a nearby prefab. Something about the way he had acted, obviously having been trying to not be seen did not sit right with Ria; which along with the appearance of the mysterious shuttles left her feeling a bit on edge.
Dropping a hand to her pistol, the quarian drew the weapon, activated her shields, and crept forward; following the man into the prefab. She found the building empty but for a couple of shelves containing boxes of mining charges and other excavation equipment.
Calm down, it was likely nothing. You are just tired and a bit on edge from the task of somehow fixing that damned relay. Ria scolded herself, though she couldn't fully shake the foreboding feeling she felt. The quarian dropped her pistol back to her side and turned to leave.
An earth-shattering boom shook the prefab and echoed over the dig-site. Smoke began to rise from where the military outpost stood at the opposite edge of the dig. Cursing herself for leaving her father's rifle back with her other belongings she drew her pistol once more.
She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she spun just in time to see a rifle slam into her visor. Stars flashed before her vision as she was sent staggering into the prefab. Her head throbbing in protest, the quarian fought to focus, awareness returning only to see a rifle being raised to point at her. Her pistol had been knocked from her grasp, so she grabbed and tossed a flashbang that she kept hooked to her belt to land at the feet of her attacker. The grenade detonated right as the man opened fire. The first few rounds deflected off her shields as the grenade detonated, sending her attacker stumbling back as he clutched at his eyes.
Ria threw herself at the man, sending them both tumbling to the ground and the man's rifle spinning out of reach. The attacker recovered quicker than she expected, slamming a elbow into her stomach as she tried to rise to her feet. A hand grasped her neck as she was slammed into the prefab, the grip releasing to let her slide down and slump against the wall.
Time seemed to slow as the man drew his pistol and carefully aimed it at her head. Dazed, Ria acted not on thought but on instinct driven into her by many arduous combat training sessions with her father. She lashed out with her leg, knocking the gun from the man's hand. Grabbing his arm she half pulled him toward her, half pulled herself up; even as she drew her combat knife. At the last second the man caught the sight of the weapon and tried to pull away from her grip with desperate strength; but Ria managed to keep her hold on the man long enough to drive the blade into his throat.
The man continued to struggle even as crimson blood began welling at his throat. For several moments he thrashed and clawed at her, then suddenly stoped as he realized his doom and with his last moments of life reached for a small device on his belt as he slumped lifelessly to the ground. Ria staggered back when the man had finally stilled, leaning against the prefab and breathing heavily. She saw the man's hand slowly open, a detonator rolling out.
Panic filled Ria as a shrill whistle emanated from the prefab. Throwing herself to the ground she frantically activated her omni-tool, running emergency protocols to boost her shield strength with reserve power from her suit. There was a loud bang and a flash of light, before everything went dark.
. . . . .
The pounding of dull agony in her skull was the first sensation Ria experienced as consciousness sluggishly returned. It took her several moments to remember where she was or what happened. She struggled to move, only to be greeted by the same throbbing pain that seemed to fill every fiber of her being. Slowly the paralyzing agony faded to a dull aching as she lay there, struggling to find the strength to even move. With a surge of effort, Ria opened her eyes.
The sun had sunk lower into the horizon than she remembered, indicating she could not have been out for more than twenty to thirty minutes. Periodically the sharp crackle of gunfire cried out in the distance.
Get up Ria, you have to move, now! A voice in the back of her skull screamed at her, urging her to move. Following its instructions she crawled her way towards her fallen pistol, clumsily grasping for it with a shaking hand. Just as her hand closed around the weapon she recoiled, collapsing in a shaking and sobbing heap as the full realization of what had just happened slammed into her like a truck.
This was not just some scuffle with bullies growing up, or a bar-room brawl with a drunken thug she and her friends had encountered on their latest trip to the citadel. She had been in a fight for her very life, and to save herself had killed her attacker.
Killed... killed... killed! The thought echoed through her head like a lingering wail of agony. Growing up she'd heard stories of her father's adventures, she had watched numerous vids full of of violence; but none had warned of the numbing pain of taking another's life. No matter how justified the act had been, she'd ended another living thing's existence, decided her life was worth more than her attackers. She fought the urge to vomit as she lay sobbing in the dirt, tears streaming from her eyes to pool at the bottom of her helmet.
Get up, stop cowering you bosh'tet! the same voice from before scolded her, taking on an almost harsh tone. She tried to heed its instructions, only to collapse on the cold unforgiving ground as her body was wracked once more with uncontrollable shivering.
Look at yourself! Your father didn't curl up and die on Akuze when everyone died around him. Your mother didn't cower after she was shot by Saren's men, nor did she curl up and hide after she was forced to kill Fist's men, The voice continued, growing even harsher and commanding than before. You have no excuse, you have to get up and do something. There are more of them out there, and if dad was in this situation he would do whatever it took to stop them.
Steeled by thoughts of her parents, of their example, Ria pushed herself to her feet. Slowly she picked up her pistol, gaining resolve for what needed to be done. People were in danger, and she would save them, no matter the cost.
She started forward towards the sound of gunfire, only to turn around after a moments hesitation. She began heading in the opposite direction to where her father's Vindicator was stored inside a prefab along with the rest of her belongings.
Gun held at the ready, she moved silently through the camp. She had almost reached the prefab when she heard voices coming from up ahead. Keeping low, she crept around the corner to see two men in white and gold armor, their assault rifles held casually at their sides.
Ria felt anger surge up as one of the men laughed, nudging the body of a dead worker with his foot to punctuate some cruel joke. All fear fled as she stood from her hiding place, thrusting her arm at the men as her omni-tool flared to life, overloading their shields. Before either could react she took aim and fired with her pistol, dropping one of the men with three shots in quick succession. The other man spun to face her, raising his gun to fire, only to crumple to the ground as a fourth round struck him between the eyes.
Ria felt a pang of guilt as both men fell lifelessly to the dirt; but the feeling was quickly drowned out in her growing anger as her gaze fell on the murdered workers, seeing that they'd been shot in the back while trying to flee.
Tearing her gazed away from the dead, Ria continued forward, sprinting over the bodies and entering the prefab as quickly as she could before more enemies arrived. Snatching up her pack and father's rifle she carefully loaded a thermal clip into the gun. Okay Ria, think. Why are they here, what do they want? Whoever these men are, they don't look like slavers; too well equipped. That must mean they probably aren't here for the colonists, so they must be after something in the dig-site. she nodded to herself.
Acting on this hunch, the young quarian stepped back out into the twilight, Vindicator at the ready. Moving quickly, only stopping to retrieve grenades from the two men she had killed. She made her way to the opposite end of the dig, careful to skirt the edge as she drew closer to the sound of fighting.
The commotion had mostly died down by then, with one side likely having won. Ducking behind a crate Ria could see three more of the attackers approaching, not yet aware of her presence.
Tightening her grip on her gun, she took aim down its scope. Firing off two controlled bursts, she tore through the man's shields, dropping him in a spray of blood. She dove forward as the two remaining men opened fire, tossing a grenade while shots whizzed past. The grenade went off right in the middle of the two men, and rolling to her feet she fired twice more, finishing off the wounded and shield-less attackers.
The sound of gunfire returned, only this time it was not far off. Someone is still fighting back, she thought, hurrying towards the sound. I have to get there before it's too late.
. . . . .
Corporal Laura Alenko dove forward, sliding behind a large pile of stone just as bullets filled the area she had occupied moments before. Panting, she reloaded her standard issue Avenger assault rifle, desperately trying to assess the situation.
The attack had came out of nowhere, dammit. None of them had been prepared for this. Nearly all the soldiers at the camp had all been killed in the explosion, only she and a few others who had been on patrol elsewhere throughout the colony had been left to respond to the attack. They had been easily overwhelmed; too disorganized, spread out, and outnumbered to put up any real fight.
She could tell her chances of survival, let alone victory, were slim. I am pinned behind cover, alone, and facing four heavily armed enemies. But she was an alliance marine, dammit. Her father was a spectre and fought in the Reaper war. She could not run away and cower like a child.
Reaching for her last grenade and taking a deep breath, she broke cover, tossing the explosive as she ran. Rounds ricocheted off her shields, nearly collapsing under the the enemy assault before she made it behind a second pile of rocks a few yards away.
As the grenade detonated she broker cover once more, firing her gun in controlled spurts into the chest of one of the soldiers, his body falling to lay next to the badly mangled corpse of the man who the grenade had killed.
A hail of rounds caught her in the chest, staggering her and breaking through her remaining shields to strike her armored torso. Stubbornly she held her ground, firing burst after burst, another attacker falling in a spray of blood.
Suddenly she found herself flying back through the air to land on her back with a crunch. A biotic! Her mind screamed as she struggled to stand, but she found her movements sluggish in the wake of the biotic assault. A man entered her vision, staring down at her, his rifle pointed between her eyes. So this is how it ends.
A gunshot rang out, and a spray of red filled her vision. It took a shocked moment for her to realize she had not been shot, her would-be-executioner tumbling to the side.
Still stunned, she slowly began to push herself to her feet, looking around for the source of the shot. She was surprised to see a quarian a few dozen yards away, rifle held at the ready as she began to approach. A quarian? Here?
. . . . .
Ria lowered her rifle and hurried over to where the woman began to groggily push herself to her feet. Drawing closer, Ria came to a halt in shock as she recognized the human.
"Laura?" Ria asked, rushing over to help pull the soldier the rest of the way to her feet.
"Ria?" the woman asked, just as shocked to see the quarian. "What are you doing here?"
Like most children of her parent's friends and allies, Ria and Laura had met on several occasions over the years, mostly at reunions her father and Garrus liked to hold every year or so.
"Pilgrimage." Ria simply answered, glancing around alert for any sign of enemies approaching. Exchanging glances, the two dropped down behind a boulder where they would be less exposed before either spoke. Once behind cover Laura as the first the speak.
"I hadn't heard that there was a quarian here on Pilgrimage, let alone that it was you. Not that I am complaining."
Ria nodded in response, sliding a fresh thermal clip into place. "If I'd known you were stationed here I would have dropped in. Still..."
"Any idea who these guys are?"
Ria shook her head in answer. "Was going to ask you the same thing. You're the professional soldier here."
"Well, they could be mercs, but they seem too well equipped and organized to be anyone but one of the major mercenary bands, but they don't match up with the appearance or tactics of the Blue Suns or the Eclipse." Laura breathed heavily. Slowly and purposefully she reloaded her Avenger, taking deep breaths to calm her rapid intake of air.
"So, what's the plan?" Laura asked after the two had finished exchanging what little either knew about the attack.
"Plan?" Ria asked incredulously. "I thought I just mentioned that you're the actual soldier here, I'm just some girl on Pilgrimage."
"I've just been trying to stay alive so far, while you saved my ass and were already trying to do something about this. They way I see it you're easily in more control of the situation then I am."
Me, in control? Barely. Ria mused, though now was not the time to argue. "The smart plan would be to get the hell out of here. But... I don't think I want these bosh'tets to get what they are after"
"And that is?" The alliance soldier asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No idea, but it has to be something from the prothean dig-site." Ria stated, standing up. "Ready for a little payback?"
"Hell ya." Laura grinning, reading her weapon.
The duo made their way through the camp quickly and quietly. They took out two groups of the invaders with little trouble; in both cases catching the men off-guard. It seemed the attackers believed all resistance had already been crushed, and weren't expecting any sort of counter attack.
At the center of the dig was a single prefab. Looking through the scope, Ria spotted the shapes of several figures moving inside the windows. Remembering some of the alliance hand-signals her father had taught her, she motioned for Laura to advance low and silent up to the building.
Crouching out of view under the window, Ria activated her omni-tool, boosting the sensitivity of of her suit's audio receivers, trying to pick up what the men talking inside were saying.
"Squads 5-A, 7-B, and 11-B have failed to report in"
"It seems someone is still putting up a fight."
"Should we go take care of it?"
"It doesn't matter, we have what we came for. Squads 2-A, 6-A, 1-B and 3-B are already pulling out with the Matrix. We have our orders, keep transmitting the prothean data the excavation team recovered, along with their records and research data."
Ria and Laura traded glances. Gesturing at the building, to which Laura nodded, the two stepped to either side of the door.
On her cue the two burst inside, guns raised. Inside were five men, all wearing white and gold armor like all the other attackers. "Put your hands up! If you surrender we won't have to kill you!" Ria shouted in what she hoped was a intimidating tone.
She was met by laughter as the men brought their own weapons up to point at the two. "So, here are the people causing us trouble," laughed a man wearing armor more ornate than the others, who appeared to be the leader, speaking in a mocking tone. "A quarian and a single alliance soldier, what a joke. Come now little suit-rat, who do you think you are, ordering us around? You are way out of your league, talking to us like that." The man approached, assault rifle held casually at his side, confident they posed no real threat. "But you have guts, I will give you that. Tell me, what's your name little girl? I would like to know who my men are about to kill."
"Ria, Ria'Shepard nar Rannoch" the man halted, all turning dead still at her words.
"That's right." Ria smirked from under her helmet. "My father is Commander John Shepard, and lets just say he might have taught me a thing or two about dealing with the likes of you."
"Kill her." the man snarled.
Before he even finished his order, the two women were already moving, diving to either side as Laura tossed a flashbang grenade Ria had given her, while Ria herself activated her omni-tool. "Go get them Tikkun!"
Rolling to their feet, they opened fire. their combined rifles tearing into the soldiers to cut them down with swift efficiency. With the confusion caused by the grenade and the combat drone attacking from behind, the men were unable to put up much resistance , most never even getting a chance to fire off a single shot.
"I did try and warn them." Ria muttered as the last soldier fell.
A gurgling cough alerted her that one of the men was still alive. Glancing around she found its source, the leader of the men, badly wounded but still weakly reaching for his fallen gun. Rolling him over with her foot, Ria drew her pistol and pointed it at his face. "Who are you, what are you after?"
The man attempted to laugh, only managed a gurgling cough "It's too late for you. Once w- we have the Darkforge... No one... No one will be able to challenge us." The man once again broke into a fit of coughing, his movements growing weaker.
"Who?" Ria demanded, grabbing the man by the front of his armor and yanking him closer. "Who sent you?"
"Cerberus..." the man half snarled, half coughed, convulsing in a last violent coughing fit before falling still.
Ria let her weapon drop, arm limp at her side. Looking over at Laura, her expression no less shocked than her own. Outside thunder rumbled far off in the distance.