CRACK! Thomas's sniper rifle brought down the alien's shield, and Theodore replied with a bullet from the Longshot, blowing a hole in the alien's head, which collapsed in on its own weight. The alien fell like a sack of rocks. The aliens were storming Baird's position, but still had guards near their vessel. With any luck, this would give them a wake up call, and force the rest out. Theodore slipped in another shot, and Thomas let out another blast. Theodore followed through, taking out another alien. Thomas re-aimed, and opened fire again, then again, killing an alien by himself. His sniper rifle hissed, and Theodore could feel the heat coming off of it. It beeped a warning. Evidently, four was the magic number for the sniper rifles.
Theodore took this moment to relocate to a new window as the aliens opened fire on their position, and allowing the sniper rifle to cool off. They went up a floor, and repositioned as Clayton, Rudy, and Cole assaulted the aliens on the ground. Theodore was glad he'd grabbed that ammunition, as there was no shortage of targets. To his surprise, they didn't have any fixed emplacements. The sniper rifle had cooled off, and they started trading shots. Thomas would take the shields, and Theodore would take the target. Theodore had confirmed that the Longshot would take out the shields, but it took two shots, which was why Thomas was making the first hit. By this point, all five of them had the shields attached to their armor, and it must have saved their lives several times by this point.
Theodore couldn't help but laugh as he watched the aliens gaze in horror as Augustus charged one of the aliens with a lancer and saw him in half, turn to the alien's friends, and scream, "YOU CAN'T STOP THE COLE TRAIN MOTHERFUCKER!"
The aliens bolted for their ship, banging on the door, begging to be let in. It opened, and they poured in.
So did Cole and Rudy.
Theodore could see the blood being spilled from his position as Cole and Rudy sawed and impaled the aliens one by one with their brutal weaponry. Clayton entered the building with Baird and Sam in it alone, and Theodore and Thomas gave him sniper support, taking out several aliens through the windows. Baird, Sam, and Yassir had, indeed, managed to kill a few of the aliens, as they were now armed with their weaponry by this point, and had managed to hold off their attackers. Clayton's arrival allowed them to break the line, and they pushed downstairs, killing everything in their path.
Theodore watched as Thomas took downt he shields of one alien, and almost fired, but to his surprise, the alien went down. Baird and Sam entered the room, and Theodore watched a pair of hands go into the air, waving them frantically.
"Well, lookee here. Looks like we've got ourselves a prisoner," Baird chuckled, "Damn fine work, boys and, uh, girl."
"You ain't the only one with a prisoner, Baird. I found us a new Spook here in the ship. He's just about pissed his pants," Cole said, "Any of you know what 'Kee-lah Say-lah' means?"
"I don't know, but I suspect he's going to tell us everything," Baird said, "Get up, motherfucker."
Theodore met the other gears at the ship. Baird had tied up the alien and stripped him down naked, save for a pair of boxers. Cole had the new alien cornered in the cockpit of the ship. This one was wearing a full body suit, with what looked to be a gas mask. His legs were inverted at the knee, and he only had three fingers.
"What the fuck are you supposed to be?" Baird asked it. It reluctantly held out its hands, and mimed driving.
"I think he's the pilot," Sam stated. The alien held out its hand, as if trying to calm them, and an orange hologram appeared over its left arm. Cole raised his weapon, and the alien kept its palm raised as it whimpered, "Keelah se'lai," again and again, sniveling. It hit some buttons on the hologram.
"Not know do this adjustment work. Vocal ranges strange beans. Trying adjustment strange beans."
"Uh…What?" Baird asked.
"Vocal ranges strange beans!"
"I don't have any beans," Baird told him.
"Keelah se'lai!" the alien whimpered again, and hit more buttons on the hologram, "Understand better me?"
"That's a little better, yeah. Who the fuck are you people?" Baird asked.
"Identity confirmed as Ran'Kauwfin vas Wizaum. Pilot. Engineer. Please do not harm me."
"I've got plenty of incentive to do just that, Ran. Take off your helmet, I want to see your face."
"I cannot. I will die."
"You'll die if you don't," Baird told him, raising his rifle.
"No, you are not comprehending! Suit is requirement for life! Please!" Ran whimpered.
"Oh, well, keep your hands up, and stay two paces in front of me. You're my prisoner now, understand?"
"Yes, of course. Please, though, I have sustenance on board. I cannot consume normal food."
"Where is it?" Baird asked, and Ran pointed to one of the cupboards. He opened it, and there were several trays of what looked to be paste.
"Cole," Baird pointed to the trays, and motioned for the two aliens to walk out of the ship, and they obeyed, "Rodriguez, this is Baird. This is the All Clear, the Grubs Have Burned. I repeat, the Grubs have Burned."
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Our people owe you much gratitude," he replied.
"Remember that when this town is swarming with Gears. Also, do you have a prison? Because I have two prisoners," Baird chuckled.
Theodore never knew how much he snored until Sam kicked his chair in annoyance at all the noise. He jolted awake, and looked around the room. Ran, whose translation program was working a lot better now, was still toying with his hologram computer, while the other alien was sitting on the bed, staring at his feet. Theodore knew that look: he was thinking.
There was a knock on the door, and three Gears entered the prison. Theodore stood strait and gave a salute, recognizing one of them.
"General Hoffman, sir!"
Sam gave a similar salute, which the General returned.
"Sam," he nodded, and he walked up to the four-eyed alien's cell. The alien had stood, and looked Hoffman in the eyes with his larger pair.
"What's your name?"
Ran translated.
"Gavun," the alien replied.
"What are your people called?"
"Batar," he said.
"I want you to know this, Gavun: You've fucked with the wrong species. We just got over a war that nearly wiped us out, so you better be damn sure you understand that we're not pleased with the idea of having to put up with your shit. My name is General Hoffman, of Gears Central Command. You're talking to the de facto leader of the human race. If I were a prideful man, I would demand that you be on your knees. The only reason you are still alive is because you might still be useful to us, understand?"
"He says yes," Ran began to translate, "He also says that he understands all too well how your people have suffered in your war with your co-inhabitants. The leader of-Gavun, is this true?"
The Batarian nodded.
"He…Says that your people have been observed for over a decade now, waiting for your war to end. Then start abducting the survivors, whichever one it would be."
"Hit us when we're weakest. So why? Why hit us, what do you get from abducting our people?"
"They are slavers," Ran answered simply, and Hoffman's fist clenched.
"So I have over three thousand civilians, who have been trying to rebuild our race and our societies that are working some fucking slave camp?" Hoffman snarled. He started shaking with rage.
"Th-That's correct," Ran said, taking a step away from the bars. Theodore was worried that Hoffman was going to open the cell and beat Gavun into an inch of his life. Sera knows that Theodore wanted to.
"He says…He's seen those camps, and didn't want to do it anymore. He didn't want to see people suffer. But nobody leaves Gatatog Yarmon's service without his say-so. You must understand, General, he is a Batarian, their entire economy runs on slavery in some way. They're raised to think it's acceptable. I know Gavun, he is a friend, he is not lying," Ran said, and the General approached Ran's cell.
"That brings us to you."
"Please, General, I am a Quarian. I'm…I'm not even of age, I'm on my pilgrimage! Yarmon offered me a small ship if I piloted for him, I didn't know…Please, I didn't know…I haven't been away from the fleet for even two years yet! Please…You can't leave Gatatog Yarmon's service without…Please…" Ran started to sob, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know…Not until it was too late…"
"How old are you?" Hoffman asked.
"Eight…Eighteen…Your years…"
"He's just a boy…" one of the masked Gears mentioned.
"So you're a pilot and an engineer. Can you build more of this technology that's been used against us?" Hoffman asked.
"I can…But it would break a lot of rules…I mean, you're not an advanced society…It's wrong to uplift a race if they haven't developed on their own! That's what happened to the Krogan, and then we have people like Yarmon as a result! It wouldn't be fair!"
"It's not fair that my race is crawling its way out of the jaws of death, only to be attacked by this Yarmon. We've lost our greatest source of energy because it tried to kill us. If we don't find a solution, then my race will be hurled back hundreds of years technologically. Ran, we are going to find and kill this Yarmon. But we need your help. I believe you when you say you didn't know until it was too late. Do this for us, and I'll make sure you get your ship."
Ran paused, thinking.
"It will take years to get you to the point that you can fight Yarmon's fleets," he pointed out.
"Then you're spending a long time here, aren't you?" Hoffman replied.
"Fine. I'll need Eezo, though."
"Eezo?"
"It's this material that when exposed to some kind of power, usually electricity, changes the mass of the things it affects. You might not have discovered it yet, but I know the basics on detecting it."
"That…That sounds like Imulsion, sir…The lightmass process," Sam mentioned, "When Imulsion is given a negative charge, its mass is lessened and it gives off more energy than what's put in."
"But all of the Imulsion on Sera was destroyed," Hoffman affirmed.
"I don't know what this Imulsion is, but even if you destroyed it, there might be Eezo still left over," Ran pointed out, "General…Your planet might be worth more than just slaves. What…What is Imulsion?"
Hoffman took the key ring off the wall, and unlocked Ran's door.
"You've got a lot of studying to do, boy."
Naturally, it was Theodore's job to guard Ran as he studying some of the texts and summaries that had been provided for him. Mostly, it was just human history, and what they had managed to piece together about the Locust. Ran seemed…Enthralled by the humans' plight.
"You were nearly pushed off your planet by something you had unwittingly unleashed," he mentioned to Theo, "It reminds me of my own people, the Quarians."
"This is the first time you've mentioned them. Tell me more," Theodore's rage had subsided after the conversation with the Batarian, and now he wanted to know everything. The Locust and Imulsion had been native to Sera. In some twisted way they were both part of the humans, as well.
"We created a race of androids known as the Geth. They performed dangerous and menial tasks for us, and we continuously advanced their programming to increase their function. But then, one day, the Geth became sentient, and rebelled. They destroyed our colonies, and pushed us into space. Now we live as nomads in starships. That's why we have to live in these enviro suits. Our immune systems have been destroyed after living in the starships for so long. In times past, I would have been able to walk on your planet with only an air filter, but…That was almost three hundred years ago. No Quarian alive remembers what our home planet looks like. I mean, we have pictures, but…"
Theodore nodded, "Yeah, I grew up during the Locust War. Sera…Sera used to be a beautiful planet. Green and beautiful, even in the deserts. This town, Mercy, it used to be gorgeous. Then it got raided by the Locust, infected by the Lambent, and now destroyed by those slavers."
"That's a tragedy…But you have the chance to rebuild. All we can do is survive…"
Theodore frowned. He couldn't see Ran's face, but he could read the Quarian's body language.
"If you help us, Ran, I believe that our people will do everything we can to help yours," Theodore said, "Our government, the COG, it's destroyed, but its military, the Gears? We hold ourselves to a higher standard. It's about brotherhood and unity. If you do this for us, and you help defend our planet, Ran…That makes you a brother. And Gears never leave their brothers."
Ran looked at Theodore, and his shoulders raised from their slump.
"That's the first kind thing anyone has said to me in two years. I believe you."