Author Notes: Introducing a couple new faces in this one. I'm doing my best to keep the established ME characters as "in-character" as possible while still expanding their storylines and personalities. Also, I'm not an expert in the technicalities of the ME universe, so some of the detailed inner workings of the technologies, space travel, etc might not be perfect. I filled in some of the holes with my own assumptions. If it's something really glaring, feel free to mention it in the comments and I'll try to fix it in later chapters.
As always, Mass Effect doesn't belong to me and neither do any of the characters. I'm just borrowing them for a while.
Shout out to Oxiddi for being my very first review ever!
Reviews and constructive criticisms are welcome. Eden Prime: Part 2 will be up soon. Enjoy!
Chapter 2
Eden Prime: Part 1
Shepard methodically laid out the necessary equipment on her bunk in preparation for her pre-combat check. It was the same routine before every mission, no matter if it was a simple cargo drop or a front line assault. It was something they had preached religiously at N7 training – do it the same way, every time, and you'll never miss anything. She had taken it to heart and, so far, it had paid dividends. She started at the top left corner and worked her way clockwise, meticulously checking all her armor components for damage, verifying full shield power cell charge and ensuring she had a full load of heat sinks and medi-gel packs. At this point in the process, any additional mission-critical equipment was also checked for full functionality, but for this particular mission, no specialized items would be required. She would just need herself, her armor and some firepower. Lots and lots of firepower.
Pulling out her datapad, she sent a quick message to her two new squadmates requesting a status update on their own equipment checks. This would be her first mission with both men. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, her senior squad member, had a good reputation as a reliable and level-headed soldier with high biotic aptitude. She had spoken to him on a couple occasions after the daily operations meeting that all officers were required to attend, but that had been the extent of their relationship until today. Her second squadmate, Corporal Richard Jenkins, however, was all but a stranger to her. A couple quick chats with his fellow crewmembers eventually led her to his workstation in the CIC, where it quickly became evident that she needn't have put any effort into finding him. If she hadn't located him already herself, she was sure he would have tracked her down and sought her out directly. The kid was chomping at the bit to get some action and could barely stand still long enough for her to complete the mission brief. After she dismissed him, he had practically scampered down the corridor to his quarters. He was young, yes, but he had grown up on Eden Prime and his knowledge of the area could be invaluable. She was sure this was why Anderson had selected him to accompany her on the mission.
Her fingers worked quickly, deftly securing the final clasps on her chestplate. She cradled her helmet under her arm, roughly pulling on a pair of tactical gauntlets with her teeth as the cabin door hissed shut behind her. A quick stop by the armory and she would be ready to go.
"The usual?" queried the specialist working the armory locker. Charismatic and extremely passionate about his job, Specialist Perez could talk for hours about the subtle differences between each year model of the Kessler series pistols. Shepard enjoyed their occasional debates over which weapons manufacturer was really superior and how to best properly create the optimum accuracy testing conditions for a sniper rifle.
"Am I that predictable?" she scoffed lightheartedly.
He merely grinned in response as he laid out an assault rifle and heavy pistol on the armory bench before her. Like most soldiers, the assault rifle was her weapon of choice, offering a balanced harmony of accuracy, fire rate and damage. The heavy pistol acted primarily as a back-up, typically remaining in its holster the entirety of the mission. She was equally deadly with either.
After a quick visual inspection, she holstered the pistol on her back and picked up the assault rifle. The metal felt cool in her hands and she felt the tinge of adrenaline starting to trickle through her veins. After years of combat training, her body had subconsciously conditioned itself to react when she held a weapon.
"Thanks, Perez," she said as she applied her digital signature to the datapad containing the weapon check-out log.
"Happy hunting, Commander."
She reached the cargo bay with five minutes to spare. Nihlus was preoccupied making small adjustments to the sights on his assault rifle while Corporal Jenkins hovered over his shoulder, watching the turian work with interest. Nihlus' mandibles twitched with what Shepard could only assume was agitation as he attempted to answer yet another question from Jenkins about turian culture. Sighing inwardly, she strode toward the two. She didn't know Nihlus personally, but she was pretty certain that turians weren't known for their patience. Best to not poke the bear.
"Commander Shepard," exclaimed Jenkins with a salute and a grin as he spotted her approaching. She gestured for him to fall in step with her as she crossed toward the cargo bay hatch, catching Nihlus' knowing eye as she passed. He gave her an almost imperceptible nod of gratitude as he turned his attention back to his weapon sights.
"Thanks for taking me along on this mission with you, Commander," Jenkins said as they approached the bulkhead. "I've been itching for some real action. I won't let you down, I promise. This is my chance to show the Alliance brass what I can really do!"
Shepard leaned against the bulkhead, rolling her neck and lightly stretching out her arms and legs to loosen them up. Jenkins followed her example and began to do the same. "Don't get too overeager, Corporal," she advised. "You're young. You've got plenty of years ahead of you in this career. Rushing into something is only going to get you hurt, or worse." She straightened up as she saw Alenko enter the cargo bay and head toward them.
"Easy for you to say. You already proved yourself at Akuze. What you did there was amazing. How did you do it, Commander?"
Alenko, who had since joined the duo by the bulkhead, stiffened beside her. It was poor form to bring up a soldier's prior combat history, especially when it involved so many friendly casualties. As a seasoned soldier, Alenko understood that. Jenkins, with limited battlefield experience, clearly did not.
To her credit, Shepard handled the unknowing blunder with grace and didn't miss a beat. "That's not a memory I'm fond of reliving," she replied evenly as she readjusted the fit of her holstered pistol on her back. It wasn't the first time she had been asked that question, and it wouldn't be the last. Akuze had been six years ago, yet the story seemed to only gain momentum with age. In that time, she was certain that it had been embellished, misremembered and warped so much that the currently circulated version was far more legend than truth. Regardless, the events of that day preceded her wherever she went – her reputation in the Alliance built on a foundation of ghosts. Her response to such inquiries about it had become automatic.
She could feel the Normandy slowing as they approached the drop zone. Joker had already started lowering the cargo bay platform and the wind whistled past the widening opening. With it came the acrid smell of burning earth. She did a final helmet-to-helmet communications check with her squad, her rifle resting lightly in her hands.
Nihlus approached the group, addressing Shepard. "I'm going to scout up ahead. I'll radio you status updates and pertinent information. Stay in contact." And just like that, he was gone, jumping off the loading ramp without even waiting for Joker to land.
Moments later, the platform made contact with the planet's surface. Shepard was already halfway down the ramp when she looked back over her shoulder at Jenkins. "Just remember what I said earlier and don't do anything stupid."
Upon exiting the Normandy, the squad immediately took cover and scanned the immediate area for enemies. Joker had dropped them off on the apex of a rocky hill. A sheer cliff face provided protection to the rear and a well-traveled path stretched in front of them. Things seemed quiet, at least for the time being.
Shepard relaxed slightly, and motioned for the squad to rise from their positions. Jenkins, however, was already standing and silently looking out over the cliff face. She approached him slowly, following his gaze. The once serene landscape was now pockmarked with still-smoking craters, with the occasional twisted metal frames of what had once been a grain silos or harvesting plants jutting out from between the fields. Sparse pockets of lush greenery that had escaped the initial bombardment were in stark contrast to the amber glow of smoldering earth that dominated the horizon.
"Eden Prime will never be the same," Alenko remarked softly from behind them, shaking his head.
When Jenkins didn't respond, Shepard clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Jenkins," she stated loudly, trying to wake him from his reverie. Then, softer, "Jenkins, I know it's hard, but I need you with me here."
Her voice reanimated him. "I'm sorry, Commander. It's just…" he hesitated, scanning the horizon where multiple plumes of smoke rose up like giant chimneys. "Oh god, what happened here?"
"That's what we're here to find out," Shepard answered stoically, dropping her hand from her shoulder. "And when we do, we'll make whoever did this pay."
Her words seemed to visibly steel him. He turned, squaring his shoulders with new resolve. "Yes, ma'am," he agreed through gritted teeth, starting down the crude path toward the colony. The others followed his lead, Shepard jogging up to her position in front of the squad and Alenko trailing in the rear.
Even if there hadn't been a path to follow, they could have easily found their way by simply following the trail of bodies. Jenkins spotted the first two in the brush less than ten feet from the trail. He blanched at the sight, but recovered quickly under Shepard's watchful gaze. He was learning quickly to compartmentalize his emotions, an adaptation essential for a combat solider. He might just make a fine soldier yet, she mused.
Shepard examined the bodies while Alenko and Jenkins kept a watchful eye on their surroundings. Both victims were civilians and both had identical entry wounds in their backs, presumably inflicted while they were attempting to flee up the hill. An enemy that didn't distinguish between combatants and non-combatants, and hunted down those in retreat no less, was a dangerous enemy indeed. To Shepard's tactical mind, this was valuable insight into the illusive enemy they were facing. It meant an enemy without a clear objective, and an enemy without a clear objective cannot be negotiated with. An enemy without an objective simply seeks death and destruction not as a means to an end or a consequence of attaining its goal, but instead seeks it as a perpetual means with no definitive end at all. The death doesn't end until either the enemy is defeated, or until there is simply nobody else left to kill.
She hastened the squad down the path. She didn't want the second option to come true for the colony of Eden Prime.
Abruptly, the path down the hill ended, opening up into a much larger flat area dotted with rocky outcroppings. While it offered ample cover for the squad to push forward, it also offered a place for the enemy to hide – and they would have to cross a small open area to get from the bottom of the hill to the nearest rock formation. It would be easy pickings for any enemy with decent aim that was watching. Shepard gave the hand signal for a halt and the squad remained hidden and motionless, scanning the area for any enemy. For five minutes, they crouched in position trying to detect any movement among the rocks. There was nothing, and Shepard could spare no more time waiting. She motioned the squad forward across the open area.
She heard the rounds bouncing off the rocks around them before she ever saw the enemy. Three hovering droids with mounted turrets emerged from their hiding spots. Jenkins was already sprinting through the middle of the open area when they opened fire. He had nowhere to hide, nowhere to take cover, and she watched helplessly as they directed their rapid fire weapons on him. He screamed at first, but the screams ended long before the turrets stopped firing.
She was sprinting across the same opening in an instant. Alenko wasn't far behind, peppering the droids with suppressive fire while she moved to a position to engage them. She slid to her knees as she reached the protection of the outcropping, breathing heavily. A fraction of a second later, she was on her feet again, popping out from behind the cover of the boulder to unleash a burst of rounds at the droids. Alenko had already taken out one, and the other two were quick to follow suit. She signaled to Alenko to hold in position, and together they waited another sixty seconds to ensure there were no more surprises, silent except for their uneven breathing.
Once clear, the two soldiers approached the body now laying face-up in the bloodstained grass. Alenko knelt gingerly, closing Jenkins' eyes with his fingers, while Shepard stood over him, looking on. She already knew what they would find here. Alenko straightened to face her. "Never stood a chance. They ripped right through his shields." His voice was tinged with regret, a regret that she shared. 'You've got plenty of years ahead of you in this career,' she had told the kid, barely over an hour ago.
"We'll make sure he gets a proper burial. But right now, there's nothing more we can do for him. We have to continue on with the mission." Her words sounded calloused even to her own ears, but there would be time to mourn later. Until then, compartmentalize. The mission comes first, and they had a beacon to find. "Can I trust you to stay focused, Alenko?"
He nodded firmly and they continued toward the colony, leaving the body Corporal Jenkins behind.
As they picked up the trail again, Shepard received an update from Nihlus. Burned out buildings and more dead bodies. "What about you?" he asked.
"We lost one," she answered, her voice neutral. There were a couple moments of silence before Nihlus responded. "I'm sorry to hear that." He sounded sincere, adding, "Be careful out there, Shepard."
"Likewise."
The scattered boulders began to give way to thick trees that turned out to be excellent hiding places for more turret droids. Clearly the droids were disposable commodities. What they possessed in firepower, they severely lacked in defensive capabilities. As long as they remained alert and avoided getting caught in the crossfire, Shepard found that she and Alenko could dispatch the droids with relative ease.
A quick burst of gunfire ahead of them brought their steady jog to a full run. If somebody was firing back, that meant that there was still at least one colonist left alive and still actively resisting the enemy. That person also probably had some valuable intel about the enemy they were facing, and perhaps they even knew the location of the beacon.
Shepard pulled Alenko down behind another boulder and they crouched into defensive positions as the gunfire drew closer. A blur of pink and white armor sprinted towards them, followed closely by two turrets unleashing a spray of bullets. The soft blue glow of shields indicated that at least some of the droids' rounds were finding their mark. Luckily, the runner was not only quick, but had good aim. Despite losing footing and stumbling, the runner was able to fire off two perfectly aimed shots from a heavy pistol to neutralize the droids.
Shepard stood to call out to the newcomer when the sound of struggle coming from the left of the now smoldering droid wreckage drew her attention. An older colonist, injured but still alive, was being restrained by two dark-skinned creatures. They held him tightly between them, dragging him toward a domed metal base embedded in the ground while he struggled feebly to resist. He seemed more terrified of the dome than the hulking creatures holding him, and she soon saw why. The creatures forced the colonist down on the metal surface. Without warning, a large spike emerged from dome, impaling him as it rocketed skyward to a height of roughly twenty-five feet. The colonist remained suspended high above the ground, the spike threaded through his torso.
"Holy shit," Alenko murmured, eyes wide. He exchanged a glance with Shepard, to find her expression mirrored his own.
But bullets were flying again, and there was no time to process what they had just seen. The creatures were firing on all three of them, and, unlike the droids, these models were built for long-term combat, complete with regenerating shields. It took several well placed shots from the three of them to bring them down.
Shepard approached the creatures warily, nudging the closest one with the toe of her boot. Her rifle remained at the ready, cradled in the crook of her right shoulder. They were humanoid in design, but their bodies seemed to be made up of a combination of flexible hoses and large dark colored plates. While the components were reminiscent of some of the mechanized combat units she had encountered before, the engineering was markedly more advanced. Likewise, they had moved with a coordination that indicated a much higher level of programming.
"I think they're geth," asserted a feminine voice. The stranger approached, removing her helmet to reveal a young woman with dark brown hair bound haphazardly in a loose bun. The Alliance logo on her armor was partially obscured under a layer of dirt and grime and her boots treaded heavily on the grass, weighted with fatigue.
"You alright, soldier?" Shepard asked, taking in the soiled state of the other female's armor and the circles under her eyes.
The solider nodded. "I'm fine, though I'm not sure that would be the case if you two hadn't shown up just now," she responded, gesturing toward the now-defunct creatures with a tilt of her head. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, of the 212th," she continued by way of introduction, rendering a shaky salute.
Shepard returned the salute. "What's going on here, Williams?"
Williams began to pace. "My squad was assigned here a few weeks ago to secure the dig site once the beacon was uncovered. A bunch of construction workers had stumbled upon the ruins and the beacon on accident while digging and, as soon as word got out, scientists from all over were coming here to study it. Our mission was to keep the order. We were attacked a few days ago while we were patrolling the perimeter. Those things…the geth….they came out of nowhere, cutting off all our communications. We tried to double back to the beacon to regroup with another squad but then we were ambushed!" She spoke quickly and breathlessly. It was clear she was still shaken up by recent events.
"And the rest of your squad?" asked Alenko, prodding gently.
She stopped, shaking her head and shrugging as she answered. "I'm the only one left, sir. Since the ambush, I've been on the run. They've been hunting me down."
Alenko grimaced. "We're sorry to hear that."
There was a brief moment of respectful silence before Shepard turned the conversation back to the motionless bodies lying at their feet. "So, geth? From my understanding, they disappeared behind the Perseus Veil over 200 years ago. What are they after?"
It was a rhetorical question, really. Undoubtedly they were here for the same reason her squad was here, and for the same reason Williams' unit had been here before – the Prothean beacon. But the bigger picture remained unclear. The geth, a synthetic race of networked artificial intelligence, had not been seen in the modern galaxy for over 200 years. They had rebelled against their creators, the quarians, and then retreated beyond the Veil where they had remained silent and elusive. If the beacon contained information important enough to draw out the geth, it must be something big.
Williams pointed toward a nearby ridge. "The dig site is just over there. That's where you'll find them."
"Then that's where we're headed," directed Shepard, placing a fresh heat sink in her assault rifle and starting toward the ridgeline. She only heard one set of footsteps following her. After a few paces, she turned back to see Williams, still standing in the same spot and looking longingly at her and Alenko's retreating forms. "Williams!" called Shepard, waving her over, "Get over here!"
Williams trotted over toward them, looking hopefully at Shepard. "Yes, ma'am?"
"If you think I'm going to let you sit this round out after seeing how good of a shot you are, then you are sorely mistaken," said Shepard. Williams grinned, falling back to cover the rear with Alenko. Shepard smiled to herself under her helmet at the look of pure relief on the other woman's face.
The lighthearted moment quickly turned somber as they passed the spiked device. Thick rivulets of blood continued to trickle down the spike to its base. The device itself was a dark metallic material that emitted a blue glow from the small fissures in its surface. Shepard could not identify any sort of control panel that seemed to operate it. She turned to Williams. "Do you know anything about this?"
"Not much," she said, looking up and grimacing at the sight of the colonist hovering fifteen feet above them. "Only that they have a lot of them around here. And they only use them with living victims…"
Shepard walked slowly around the device and looked at Alenko. "Thoughts?"
He shrugged. "A scare tactic? Leave the bodies of the rebellious colonists up as a deterrent to the rest?"
Shepard nodded, motioning them to continue on. "Definitely a possibility," she agreed. As Williams had mentioned, they passed several more of the devices as they continued over the ridge and down into the valley toward the dig site. Most had bodies in varying states of decay on them. Some were empty, presumably waiting for their next victims.
They reached the dig site in good time and with suspiciously little interference from the geth. The enemy's light defenses began to make sense as they came upon the ruins, however. A stone pedestal rose from the center of a dais, surrounded by archaeological lighting and equipment. The pedestal itself was empty.
"The beacon was right here before."Williams indicated the empty pedestal. "It's been moved by someone…or something."
"I would put my credits on the 'something,'" muttered Shepard, glancing around the area for any possible clues to the beacon's new whereabouts or to who might have moved it. Nothing.
"The research camp is right up the other side of the valley, on top of the hill. Maybe we'll know more if we check it out," offered Williams, guiding the group to a path that led up the side of the valley.
The research camp had been hit hard. Shepard didn't have to reach the top of the hill to know that. She could tell simply by the smell of burnt metal and the thickness of smoke in the air. Regardless, the sight still surprised her. Active fires continued to burn throughout the camp and stray ashes tossed around by the wind burned her throat when she breathed. She coughed involuntarily as Nihlus came through with another status update. He had located some sort of spaceport and wanted to meet her there. "Roger that," she choked out, eyes watering in the hazy air.
Movement in the sky caught her eye. Her squadmates noticed it as well. Three more spikes, their pointed tips obscured by smoke, were retracting back into their bases. And on them were the human remains of the colonists. Except, they weren't human anymore. Their skin, now blackened and partially rotted by the sun, had fallen off in places to reveal white patches of bone underneath. A blue glow, the same blue glow emitted from the spikes themselves, now emanated from the beneath the missing skin. Their bodies seemed to be held together by some sort of black synthetic webbing. It was a harrowing sight, and even Shepard, seasoned combat veteran as she was, knew that she wouldn't be sleeping well tonight.
As the spikes finished retracting and the bodies reached the ground, there was a burst of blue light – and the bodies began to reanimate. They milled about in confusion momentarily and then spotted the squad, running toward them disjointedly, mouths gaping in silent screams.
Shepard was the first to recover, yanking her assault rifle from its cradle on her back and firing into the group. She could see her rounds impacting but it seemed to barely even slow their advance. They were close now. She could see the holes where their eyes had been, now pockets of eerie blue light. Swearing, she reached for her heavy pistol and leveled a headshot at the nearest one. It was only ten feet away now. She squeezed the trigger and was rewarded with a satisfying thud as the body crumpled in front of her. She turned in time to see Williams dispatch the final body in the same manner with her shotgun.
Alenko, looking visibly shaken, gave the mangled bodies a wide berth as they continued into the camp. "I guess we know what those spikes are for now. Turning our own people against us. And into those…..things," he spat in disgust.
"Husks," corrected Williams quietly. "They take away all the humanity and replace it with that blue energy. What's left is just an empty husk."
In silence, the trio inspected the remaining structures in the camp. The camp was comprised of four rectangular sheds arranged in a roughly semi-circular pattern. Excavation equipment and stacks of machinery scattered the inner perimeter. Of the four sheds, only one appeared to be stable enough to be safe to enter. It was locked with an encryption code. Shepard stepped aside as Alenko used his omni-tool to hack the lock and gain entrance.
The door opened with a hiss and they were greeted by two frightened humans, who ushered the squad in urgently and rapidly sealed the door behind them. They were scientists, by the look of their uniforms. Each wore the insignia X-05 on the shoulder of their coats, indicating their status as part of a research and development unit. A tall woman with cropped auburn hair addressed them. "Thank god you're human." The other scientist, a male, fidgeted behind her, muttering nervously under his breath.
"Dr. Warren?" questioned Williams, stepping forward.
"Ashley!" replied the scientist as recognition set in, a warm smile ghosting across her tight lips.
Williams turned to Shepard in explanation. "Dr. Warren is the head archaeologist here. Her team was in charge of the main excavation of the beacon. My squad often interacted with them between patrols."
Dr. Warren nodded, extending her hand to Shepard and then to Alenko. "I'm glad to see you're still alive, Ashley."
Shepard's gaze danced around the shed. It was small and cramped, but the scientists had at least had the foresight to stock it with basic provisions. Pre-packaged food and cases of purified water were arranged on pallets in the corner, along with basic medicine supplies. Two makeshift cots had been set up along the wall. Clearly, they were prepared to stay here a few days if need be. Her attention refocused on the female scientist. "Doctor, what happened here?"
"I'm not really sure," answered Dr. Warren, a puzzled expression on her face. "They attacked so suddenly, without any warning. I don't know where they came from." She rubbed the back of her neck thoughtfully. "They must have come for the beacon. Luckily, it wasn't here. We moved it to the spaceport for transport just this morning, along with most of my research team. Dr. Manuel and I were only here to pack up some of the remaining equipment before heading out there ourselves when the attack hit. We've been hiding here ever since."
The male scientist, presumably Dr. Manuel, perked up at the mention of this name. "We have unearthed the darkness and summoned the beast," he spouted urgently, eyes darting between them. "The eve of our extinction is upon us!"
Shepard raised a curious eyebrow toward Dr. Warren.
"You'll have to excuse Dr. Manuel. He is a brilliant scientist, but…unstable. The attack has made him more anxious than usual," explained Dr. Warren.
Shepard appraised him warily for a long moment before turning back to Dr. Warren. "The beacon – what do you know about it? Do you know what it does?"
Dr. Warren's eyes lit up at the mention of the beacon. It wasn't every day that one had the opportunity to be the first to study a piece of alien technology, and one of Prothean design no less. "It's spectacular! It's some sort of data module for a long-range communications network and perfectly preserved. Judging from its design, we anticipate that it holds massive amounts of information, though we have been unsuccessful in recovering the data so far. Who knows what could be inside? It could be the scientific breakthrough of the century!"
Her passion for her work laced each word, but unfortunately, it was nothing Shepard hadn't already known, and nothing to give them an idea of the geth's motivations.
"Thank you, Dr. Warren. We'll radio a shuttle to come pick you both up. Until then, stay here and lay low," instructed Shepard. Then, turning to her squad, "Move out. Let's see if we can find our turian friend."
They were already exiting the shed when Dr. Manuel's frantic ramblings permeated through the heavy outside silence. "Wait, wait! I saw him!" he cried desperately. "The prophet. The leader of the enemy. He was here before the attack." Shepard turned back to him with interest. Through the haze of confusion and sedatives, Shepard thought she could see a spark of lucidity in his eyes.
But Nihlus had been on the Normandy the whole time before the attack, so he had to have been mistaken. "Thank you, Doctor," she said, attempting to sound sincere. He dropped his gaze in defeat, becoming silent once more. She didn't believe him, and he knew it. She grimaced inwardly at her failure to be more convincing.
Williams took point as she led the way to the spaceport. There, they would rendezvous with Nihlus and formulate a plan to secure the beacon. Undoubtedly, the geth were already there in force. It was going to take some resourceful thinking on the part of herself and the Spectre to overrun the geth if they had already established a foothold.
A bend in the path revealed the location of the spaceport, and with it, their enemy's greatest asset. Hovering in the air above the spaceport, the hulking behemoth of a massive spacecraft cast an ominous shadow across the valley. Shepard recognized the spindle-like legs from the distress transmission she had seen on the Normandy. Now, the entirety of the ship was visible – and it was bigger than she could have even imagined. The legs were attached to an elongated oval body that tapered into a point at its apex, reminiscent of the giant squids that lived in the oceans back on Earth. Red tendrils of lightning danced around its frame. They would need an entire fleet to take down a ship that size.
The trio watched breathlessly as the ship began to ascend into the clouds. It appeared to be leaving the planet. Shepard gritted her teeth in frustration. If they were pulling back, it was a good indicator that they had already found what they were looking for. That meant that they had beaten her squad to the beacon, and assuming they had taken it with them, then she had failed the mission. Potentially life-altering information would be lost. Corporal Jenkins' death would be meaningless.
Renewed determination coursed through her. They needed to reach that spaceport, and fast.
