Mass Effect 3 was announced while I was writing this. Woohoo! There goes my free time...and the game hasn't even come out yet. As always, read and review...please?
Chapter 2: Migrant Fleet Marine
Name: Klenon'Lehto vas Onara nar Ghalia
Age: 26
Years of Service: 4
Weapon Specialization: Sniper Rifle
Rank: Verrunt
Current Squad: Bravo Squad led by Kal'Reegar
Klenon'Lehto is perhaps the most controversial marine in the service due to his biotic abilities. It was a great cost to the fleet to bring him to his full potential. He is an expert in Stealth and Hand-to-Hand combat, and is able to adapt to multiple situations. His psych report show that he is completely dedicated to the fleet and will respond to any order given. I, Admiral Han'Gerrel, believe that he should be placed on this assignment. Below are a few exceptional qualities.
All four admirals read the dossier on Klenon while Han sat back and watched. He had personally watched over Klenon and saw the potential the marine had.
"Are you sure you want to send only Klenon to find Arenia'Sare? What if his status as a quarian impedes his progress to find her?" questioned Shala'Rann
"I am aware of that, he is trained in the arts of stealth. He will be able to evade anyone who will be a threat to him." Han answered.
"I agree, he has been on tougher assignments. He can handle it." Rael'Zorah said.
"He has only been with the marines for four years, don't you think we should send someone more experienced for a task this important?" Shala questioned again.
"But in those four years he has done more than the average marine, plus he has biotics so he'll be able to fight even when unarmed." Han replied. Shala nodded with satisfaction, all her questions were answered.
"If no one else has any objections I suggest we call for a vote." Zaal' Koris said. All five admirals began typing away on their omni-tools, dispensing their votes to decide if Klenon was up to the task. After a few seconds all votes were casted and Shala viewed the results. Han sat back in a relaxed posture, but deep inside he hoped all the admirals would agree to his suggestion.
"It has been decided that Klenon'Lehto vas Onara will be tasked with retrieving Arenia'Sare nar Qwib Qwib." Shala announced. Han was close to getting up from his seat and doing a victory fist pump.
"When Klenon returns from his current assignment he'll be given this mission. Han, since you are his mentor, you will give him the message." Shala said. Han nodded in agreement.
"This meeting is concluded. Go in peace, Keelah se'lai." Shala finished.
"Keelah se'lai" replied the rest of the admirals in unison. All the admirals gathered their things and left the conference room.
"Congratulations, Han. Your pupil is has been assigned to a mission that could very well rescue our people." Rael praised, outside the conference room.
"I know he can do it. I've watched over him as if he were my own." Han replied.
"You act as if he were your trophy." joked Rael.
"Is that so wrong?" Han joked back. The two chuckled quietly, Rael opened his omni-tool and noticed the time.
"Well I would love to continue this conversation but I have to go see my daughter. Her pilgrimage is starting soon and I have to tell her what is expected of her while she is gone. Our family reputation is on the line after all." Rael said. The two shook hands and Rael turned around and left. Han hesitated for a second then turned on his omni-tool to deliver the message.
Rael might be pushing Tali too hard...but *sigh* its not my place to tell him.
...
"Damn it, Gar! Open the door now!" shouted Kal'Reegar.
"Hey, you wanna do this? If not, wait a few seconds and I'll open it!" Gar shouted back. The squad was in a slaver base on a moon close to the Migrant Fleet. The slavers kidnapped a whole ship of quarians and the squad was sent to rescue them. They were currently in a hallway trying to open a door with slavers shooting at them, and they had very little cover.
"Oh for the love of Keelah!" groaned Klenon. He fired a singularity at the center of the hallway, catching three slavers in its grip.
"That's better! Squad, focus fire on the targets in the singularity!" Kal ordered. The team obeyed and mowed down the slavers. They were killed within seconds.
"Gar!" Kal shouted again.
"Hold on! Got it!" Gar said. The door immediatly opened and the team quickly ran through. Gar turned around and locked the door. They were inside a small chamber with a dark red lighting The team took a moment to catch their breath.
"Everyone okay?" Kal asked. Klenon quickly looked over his suit, which was generally white in color. The linings, trim, and his sash were blue, but the insignia was white. He patted his visor, which was also blue, to make sure it was still holding together.
"Kal, Jak's been hit!" shouted Lota, the squad's medic. Kal turned around to see Jak laying on his side with Lota hovering over him. Both Kal and Klenon briskly walked over to Jak. Klenon did a quick diagnostic and Lota desperatly applied medi-gel to his wounds. Kal turned Jak over and saw multiple suit punctures on his back.
"I was able to turn on his section seals... but I think the damage has already been done." Klenon said sadly. Ket, the squad's demolitions expert and Klenon's closest friend, walked over and grabbed Jak's hand.
"Come on, Jak! You can get through this! Just hold on!" Lota pleaded.
"Klenon, put some omni-gel on the punctures." Kal ordered. Klenon applied a large dosage, sealing most of the punctures.
"Jak, how are you holding up?" Klenon asked. Jak coughed violently, his grip on Ket's hand weakning.
" Horribly. Too many hits. Too many suit punctures. Hah, never thought some dirty slavers would get their paws on my life." Jak said in a raspy voice.
"They didn't Jak. You can make it." Lota cried. Jak shook his head in response.
"Ha-ha, no, they did. Sorry, Lota, but the bastards got me good." Jak replied. Lota looked down in grief.
"Lota, Ket, Klenon, you guys, tell my daughter and my drema I love them." Jak asked. Everyone nodded except for Lota. His grip on Ket's hand was weakning by the second. Klenon looked at his visor and saw that his eyes were being drained of life.
"Keelah se'lai, my brother." Klenon whispered. Jak nodded and let go of Ket's hand. He took one last breath and exhaled for the final time. Klenon brought up his hand and made a circling motion with his fingers and made a line down the middle when it reached the top. A gesture meant to honor the dead.
"Come on, we have a mission to do." Kal said. Everyone got up except for Lota. She hadn't been this upset since the death of another one of their squadmates, Nolel.
"Lota, come one. We need to go." Gar said, putting a hand on Lota's shoulder. She stood up and walked away from the lifeless body. She never liked losing a close friend. That's why she joined the marines, to make sure that the same wouldn't happen to others. The squad stacked up against the wall. Klenon pulled out his Avenger sniper rifle while Reegar, on the other side of the door, pulled out his Banshee assault rifle. Klenon opened the door, revealing a lone slaver. Kal immediatly pelted him with slugs.
The shots alerted every other slaver in the large chamber. All of them started shooting at the door. Klenon went prone to make himself a smaller target and fired a round that hit a batarian straight in the head. He fired another that hit a slaver in the leg. Lota brought out her pistol and ended the injured slaver's life. Gar and Ket took out their shotguns and fired into the chamber aswell. Klenon fired a warp which hit a turin in the head, turning it into a bloody mess. Kal was shooting relentlessly until his rifle overheated. Klenon fired his rifle again, hitting an asari straight in the forehead. He got to his feet and ran into the room, sliding to a crate that gave him sufficient cover.
"Squad, give me some surpressing fire!" ordered Kal. Everyone started shooting at the closest slavers, killing two of them. Kal ran from the door and threw three tech mines. All of them hit the center of a group of slavers and exploded in the middle of them, killing them by the explosion and shrapnel. Kal slid to another set of crates on the opposite side of Klenon. Gar and Lota quickly followed their lead, both sliding to Kal's side. Ket soon followed, sliding to Klenon's side.
"Thanks for joining me. I felt left out." Klenon joked.
"I got your back, brother." Ket replied. The squad continued their firefight with the slavers, it went on longer than Klenon expected. Gar brought up his shotgun and shot a slaver at point-blank range. making one of the biggest messes Gar had seen in his military career. Lota continued firing her pistol, she always complained about how medics are only allowed to carry pistols but by using it so long she became an excellent marksman in their use. A slaver threw a tech mine right at Klenon and Ket's cover, almost destroying the crate they were hiding behind.
"We need better cover." Klenon mumbled. they were
"We need better guns." Ket replied. Klenon popped out from cover and shot a slaver in the chest. The impact sent the slaver flying into the air until he landed on a table. Klenon put away his sniper rifle and pulled out his assault rifle. It was a Tsunami IV, a little gift someone gave him on his pilgrimage.
"Why do you get the better stuff?" Ket complained.
"Because I got the better contacts." Klenon replied.
"That's not fair. I should've gone where you did on your pilgrimage." Ket said.
"Trust me, you don't." Klenon said. They continued to fire at their targets. One by one, they all died. The squad was one of the best the flotilla had. They were always sent on difficult assignments. Klenon sometimes regretted that he was good at killing people, it always ment that he would do harder work. Well, atleast I'm not part of the Nanz'Qe he thought. A shotgun slug hit their cover, taking Klenon out of his thoughts. He popped out of cover again and fired at the shooter, quickly ending his life. Klenon noticed that the slavers' numbers were thinning, there were only four left. Klenon instantly brought up his hand and let out a devastating throw field, pushing all the slavers into the wall at tremendous force. The squad took the opportunity and ran out of cover, shooting the incapacitated slavers. Ahead of them was another door. Gar opened up his omni-tool and reviewed the schematics on the base.
"This is it! Our quarians are behind this door." he shouted. The squad massed in front of the door, intent to bring them back safely. Gar began hacking the door and disarmed the lock. The door flew open and what was inside surprised everybody.
"There's...there's nothing." Gar stammered. The large chamber was completely empty with no sign of the quarians that once inhabited it.
"Are you sure this is the right room?" Kal questioned.
"Positive. We've checked every other room and this was the last one left." Gar answered, looking at the schematics again.
"Ancestors, where are our lost quarians." Ket said quietly. Klenon suddenly heard a groan from behind him. He turned around and saw a batarian bleeding from his stomach, injured but very much alive.
Klenon walked up to him and grabbed him by his frail neck.
"Where are the quarians!" Klenon shouted in a threatning tone.
"I-uh I don't know." the batarian quickly responded. Klenon pulled out his knife from his belt and held it dangerously close to the batarian's neck.
"So there's no reason to keep you alive then." Klenon said as he poked the slaver's neck with his knife.
"I'm telling the truth! Now let me go!" the batarian pleaded.
"You're not in a good position to be making demands, bosh'tet." Klenon said. He strated to cut the batarians neck, which made him shout words not found in the translator. Klenon continued his act, cutting the batarian in the throat but nowhere near anything vital. The batarian started to go into a panic, screaming and shouting in a demoralized tone. Klenon knew he was close to breaking if he was already panicking. Klenon turned around to face his squad.
"You guys might wanna turn around." Klenon warned. Ket and Lota complied while Kal and Gar continued to watch. All Ket and Lota could hear were yelps and whimpers emanating from behind them. They knew how passionate Klenon was about proctecting his people to the point where he would butcher anyone who threatened them. They then heard a series of screams and shouts, all of which were filled with agony.
"Okay, okay I'll talk! Just please stop! Please!" the batarian pleaded.
"I knew you had some sense in you. Talk. Now." Klenon said in a hateful tone.
"The quarians were shipped off yesterday. To one of our bases in Eletania. I have the coordinates. I'll give them to you, just please don't hurt me again." the batarian said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out an OSD. Klenon grabbed it from his hand and punched the batarian in the face, knocking him out cold.
"We got what we need." Klenon said in his normal tone. He held up the OSD, which Kal grabbed and put into one of his numerous pockets. He looked down at the batarian. He was brutally beaten and several of his limbs were broken.
"What do we do with him?" Lota asked, pointing at the batarian.
"Leave him here. We can't take him with us." Kal answered.
"We need to get back to the fleet, tell them what we found." Gar said. Kal nodded in agreement and started towards the door, gesturing for the others to follow him. Most did. Klenon stayed behind and looked around him. Several bodies were strewn across the room. All of them threatned the fleet. His people were forced to live in a sterile enviroment, making their immune systems virtually non-existent. They had to suffer the cruelty, discrimnation, and rascism towards them, all because they made a mistake. It was as if the entire galaxy was supposed to be perfect, free from mistakes, and if you mess up, you were abandoned by everyone around you. Forced to live at the brink of extinction, only relying on yourself and luck to see another day. They didn't deserve this. Nobody does. They were once a proud race and now...now they are barely mentioned in a history lesson. Klenon always wished to live a better life. But that life seemed to always be out of reach. The only thing he had to look forward to was a family and retirement. And all the other races aren't content with that. Then these bosh'tets thought they could make slaves out of his people and turn their lives into a living hell. He hated them. He hated every single person that discriminated, harassed, and kidnapped quarians. He knew there was nothing he could do about it, but it didn't change the way he felt. He wished that one day his people would return to their former glory.
"Hey Klenon, come on. We're leaving." Ket shouted from the opposite side of the room. Klenon looked in his direction and walked towards the exit.
The squad walked through the chamber where Jak's lifeless body laid. Kal walked over and picked him up. No one gets left behind he thought. The squad exited the slaver base, walking towards the lading pad in front of it. On the landing pad was their shuttle. It was a small, box-like shuttle, similar to the Kodiak shuttle Klenon once read about. The squad boarded their shuttle and Gar and Klenon walked up to the front. Gar sat in the pilot's seat while Klenon took the co-pilot's. He opened up his omni-tool to send the admiralty board a mission report when he saw that a message was already waiting for him. It was from his mentor, Han Gerrel. He opened it, curious about why he messanged him.
To: Klenon'Lehto vas Onara
From: Han'Gerrel
Subject: Reassignment
Klenon,
The admiralty has a mission that could use your expertise. You are to be reassigned from your squad. You will return when your mission is complete. Since we cannot tell you the details in a message, you are to meet with Admiral Rael'Zorah on the Rayya so he can brief you on the mission.
Keelah se'lai,
Han'Gerrel
Klenon curious about what the mission was about. And why they would send only him. The fleet never sent one lone marine on a mission. He didn't want to think about it on the way back so he closed his omni-tool. He figured all his questions would be answered when he met with Admiral Zorah. He got into a somewhat comfortable position in his chair and tried to get some rest.
I wonder what amazing mission is in store for me he thought. The shuttle lifted from the ground and flew off from the moon, returning to the fleet.
That was pretty fast writing huh? Please review and maybe I'll be able to dish out another chapter before the end of the week...with a little suprise in it. :)
Also, before you ask, Klenon's rank, Verrunt, is the quarian version of a sergeant. One last thing, please tell me if the fight scenes are a little short or if its too gory. I'll clean it up if someone has a problem with it. That is all. Goodbye.