Dark energy swirled along Shepard's skin as she mentally prepared herself for what had to be done. The bright blue flickers shimmered in the faint orange rays of the descending sun, catching the attention of those huddled next to her behind the barrier. All heads snapped to face her in a mixture of mild surprise and shock, save one. Jayden gasped and lurched away dramatically, landing hard on his backside. His eyes narrowed on the woman he'd shared a bed with less than a full day ago as he choked back a gag. "You're one of those freaks!" he spit in a harsh whisper.
Shepard flinched inwardly as that all-too familiar insult hit, just as it had the last time. Instead of reacting, she busied herself by glancing over their cover, ignoring the fool of a man as well as the pain his words had caused. Smoke filled the air around the barrier, too thick to see through properly, but insurgents were close. A barrage of gunfire forced her back down, the bullets peppering the area just above her head stalling any action.
"I should've known something was wrong with you," Jayden continued his verbal attack, lashing out to cover his bruised ego. But something was different this time. Shepard realized his words didn't really hurt – he simply wasn't important enough. That didn't stop him, though. "You probably used your freak powers to trick me, you bitch."
Talons shot out and grabbed Jayden by the collar, violently jerking him off his rear and sending him airborne, but the flight was over in an instant. The human colonist found himself face-to-face with the turian, his complexion paled dangerously until it almost matched the white clan markings covering most of the turian's pissed features.
"That woman is a damn fine soldier, and she's the only thing standing between you and those invaders. Show some respect, or I'll toss your ass to the enemy myself."
Shepard pulled the assault rifle from her back and shoved it into Jayden's chest, putting a little more force than necessary behind the action, which caused the man to fall from the turian's grasp and land on the pavement with a solid thump. Surprise replaced the open contempt he'd shown her as he looked at the new weapon.
"If you shoot me, I swear I'll kick your ass before I kill you." Shepard's threat had the tone of a vow, and the man's face took on a green tinge, which was enough of a payback for her… for now, at least. She turned to face the onslaught once more, prepared to do what was needed.
"I'll cover you!" the turian shouted as he unleashed a hail of fire.
Shepard launched over the barricade and ran towards the chaos caused by the explosion of the bomb. A small horde of combatants swelled towards the smoking area; the enemy knew they'd created a chink in the armor, and they were moving fast to exploit it. Thick smoke made it impossible to see if the barricade, or the people behind it, still stood. She hoped desperately that they did, but it wouldn't change her goal. The enemy could not be allowed to breach their defenses.
Dark energy gathered within Shepard, filling her with hope as well as a reminder of the power she possessed. It felt good – even better than she'd remembered. The hairs along her arm stood on end as the energy cascaded down to her outstretched hand, which she flicked at the nearest merc. The batarian sailed directly towards her, the confused panic on his face mirroring her own. It was supposed to be a throw, not a pull, but the gesture was sloppy and she was out of practice. Hand scrambling for the weapon at her hip, Shepard lurched to the side and hoped she could be fast enough to kill him.
A burst of shots from her nine o'clock shattered the alien's face moments before he reached her. Shepard wiped the gore from her face as she side-stepped the body, glancing over her shoulder to thank her assistor. Jayden made eye contact and gave one barely perceptible nod.
Shepard pushed on towards the thinning smoke, the dark grey clouds now taking on an almost blue tinge. It took a moment to realize the blue wasn't part of the smoke; it was a faint biotic sphere crackling within the chaos – survivors. Whoever was holding the line was fading fast. Shepard darted forward; determination renewed, she biotically lifted and threw everything in her path without breaking stride. Her team would take care of them for her.
Within a matter of seconds only one krogan remained between her and the team huddled under the biotic dome, and time was running out for the survivors. The asari at the center stood tall, but her arms shook violently above her head from the exertion as a human woman bled profusely at her feet. A human male at her side struggled unsuccessfully to staunch the bleeding. The krogan was closing in; Shepard had to act now.
A desperate twist of one hand bathed the krogan in blue light, but she acted too fast, didn't put enough power behind it; the biotic lift was no match for his mass. Her heart dropped as the hulking beast turned his attention on her, but at least he was unarmed – the lift had managed to strip him of his weapon, if nothing else. Shepard threw a warp at him, hitting him dead center, as she ran towards the fallen barrier. His armor creaked and groaned as she dropped on one hip and slid on the pavement between his legs, her armor protecting her from what would've been a sure case of road rash, and popped up behind him. She was now the only thing standing between the krogan and the survivors.
"Go!" Shepard screamed as she threw up a mediocre barrier. The asari dropped her sphere and knelt down to help the man gather the injured woman. "Get her to the medic in… UGH"
Something hit Shepard hard while she yelled over her shoulder, knocking her back several yards despite her barrier. The sound of armor hitting pavement was drowned out by the battle going on mere yards away, but the impact was enough to knock all the air from her lungs and pop her gun free of the holster; the weapon spun in tight circles away from her as she lay in the street and struggled to catch her breath. She never got a chance to regain her feet. A hand grabbed the front of her armor and hoisted her into the air, dangling from one outstretched arm like a rag doll. Bursts of gunfire illuminated her captor's grizzled mug, and the look in his eye was nothing she wanted to be part of. Shepard thrashed about, desperate to break free, her legs kicking about for purchase and hands clawing ineffectively against his armor.
An arrogant grin spread across the krogan's scarred face as he watched her struggle, confident she had no escape from his attack. He pulled his head back slowly, savoring the build-up to the infamous krogan head-butt. He wanted her to know what was coming, wanted to watch the terror build in her eyes as she realized there was no escape. He was about to be sorely disappointed. Shepard snorted, coughed, and then hocked a loogie into his milky left eye. The slimy glob of spit and snot dripped down his face as he blinked in surprise. Enraged at the gall, the krogan howled and threw his head forward with surety.
Shepard twisted in the air, but was unable to break free. She'd taken charge of the situation and managed to stir an emotional reaction, but it hadn't made him as sloppy as she'd hoped. In fact, she'd only managed to give him direct access to her swollen brow. The inflamed skin burst open like an over-ripe melon and her own blood blinded her once more. Pissed and hurt, she lashed out without thinking. Dark energy coated her arm as she struck out with a hard right hook and connected with his left eye in a sickening crunch. Pain lanced up her arm as a violent crack echoed through the empty portion of the street, the sound carrying over the gunfire.
The krogan threw her aside with enough force to send her sliding on her ass. The extra space was welcome, but it was not enough to keep her safe if he charged and she knew it. There was no way they would do this a second time. Scrambling, she got her feet under her just in time to see the krogan's head jerk back. He fell, lifeless.
"I thought you could use a bit of help, kid." Dumas strapped his sniper rifle over one shoulder as he jogged towards Shepard. Two asari followed closely in his wake.
"I owe you one," Shepard spoke as she wiped the sweat and gore from her eyes.
"Woulda got him sooner, but you were in the way of a clear shot. You really pissed him off, didn't you?" Dumas chuckled as he studied Shepard's bloody brow. "I thought you were a goner, but then you knocked him on his ass and got out of the way. You can take a blow like the best of 'em, though."
"Do you think the four of us can hold this position? The barricade's dust, but if we use biotic barriers…" Just like that, Shepard was back to work. No time for congratulations or back-slapping when the battle still raged on.
"We will do what we must," the first asari spoke with conviction. "I failed to hold this barricade once; I will not fail a second time."
The second asari, clad in nothing but a revealing dancer outfit, strode forward and engulfed them in a strong biotic dome. The other three took that as a cue and jumped into action. It was pure luck that the area hadn't been overrun while Shepard and the krogan tangled, and they couldn't count on that luck holding out. Everyone else had picked up the slack, keeping the invaders off them, and it was time to repay their efforts.
The first asari conjured a strong singularity in the middle of the carnage. Several unsuspecting mercs were dragged into the vortex and swirled helplessly, and people stationed along the other barricades finished the attack. Shepard threw warps at the heavily armored combatants that were too much for the singularities and Dumas picked them off once they were weakened. They got into a comfortable flow, using one another's strengths to deal with the enemy effectively. Of course, it was only a matter of time before the invaders noticed the pattern and changed tactics. Smaller, less armored attackers used their larger and heavier comrades as shields to skirt the singularities, as their mass was too much for the swirls. Without the assistance of the singularities, there were just too many to deal with at once.
Frustrated, Shepard threw a strong warp at one of the shielding krogan. He was prepared, and jumped out of the way. Time seemed to slow as the warp flew past the target and continue directly towards an empty singularity spinning in the distance. Shepard's stomach dropped. Human biotics were rare enough that she'd never worked with another, and other species weren't exactly forthcoming in biotic tactics, so she had no idea what to expect when they collided, but the possibilities terrified her.
Blinding blue light accompanied a large explosion as the two biotic attacks collided; a shockwave strong enough to knock everyone in close proximity off their feet rippled outward from the center. Shepard and the asari both froze momentarily as they took in the chaos before looking at one another with wide eyes.
A feral grin spread across Shepard's face. "This is going to be fun." Her green eyes danced in the dimming light. The two asari next to her grinned as Dumas barked a deep laugh.
"At least we'll go out with a bang, eh?" His speech was crisp, all traces of the slur completely gone. There was a fire and mirth to his voice that hadn't been there before, and its presence was almost soothing.
"We aren't going anywhere, Dumas. We've got this."
The two asari traded tasks, each picking up where the other left off. The dancer threw out a singularity so powerful it made Shepard question how she ended up in that particular career. Maybe the money was too good to pass up. Or maybe she just really enjoyed it. It wasn't Shepard's place to judge. The churning blue energy spun patiently in the middle of the battlefield, waiting for unsuspecting individuals who now knew enough to avoid it. Shepard did it one better – she carefully aimed another warp at the swirling center and detonated it with a wild glee; the ensuing explosion tore through several more troops with ease. The few other biotics within the resistance didn't need direct instructions to understand the new tactic. Within minutes biotic explosions rocked everything within the attack zone. Everyone else took the opportunity to pick off stray combatants while they staggered.
The resistance kept the pressure up as the sun set, but they were not equipped for a night battle. Hell, they weren't properly equipped for any battle. They proved to be a capable bunch, but now that they were flying blind it was only a matter of time before the enemy gained on them. Thick heavy darkness fell over them, so oppressive it practically obscured sound and obfuscated every advantage they'd had. The non-biotics had to rely on the flash of biotic explosions to illuminate the enemy, leaving mere seconds to aim and fire. To make matters worse, the biotics were beginning to tire. The two asari at her station were struggling just to maintain a weak barrier, and their singularities were little more than glowing blue puffs of smoke.
Shepard was a trained soldier – she knew how desperate the situation was. They had to maintain this position for the safety and security for Elysium, for the continued existence of Elysium. Digging through a hidden compartment in her armor, Shepard found something that would help in the short-term, at least.
"Take a breather and refuel. I've got the barrier." Shepard tossed the energy bars she'd grabbed from the station to the waiting asari. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the dusty void of the ruined barricade alongside the second asari.
Shepard had been using her left hand exclusively since her little run-in with the krogan. The pain that radiated up her arm with that biotic punch pretty much guaranteed a dislocated wrist at best, but several broken bones in her hand and arm were more likely, and she didn't want to find out the hard way. This was one of those times her stubborn need to be over-prepared had come in handy, as she'd taught herself to be ambidextrous as a child. Unfortunately, maintaining a barrier of this level required the use of both arms, especially since the biotic glow was now a beacon to the enemy – the only distinct target in the darkness.
Planting her feet firmly in a wide stance, Shepard gathered all remaining power at her disposal. Her face was a mask of fierce determination, hiding any doubts and fear lurking underneath the surface. A guttural yell tore from her dry, cracked lips as a strong biotic barrier enveloped the weaker existing one. The dark energy danced along her skin, relishing the feeling of being unbound after being hidden away for so long, denied. In that moment, as all energy seeped from her body, she realized with a small shock that she would do anything in her power to protect every life in the colony.
Maintaining the barrier was more difficult than she'd even imagined; it was beyond anything she'd ever attempted, but she would not fail – she couldn't. Her knees trembled from effort, but it only reinforced her drive. Gritting her teeth, she pushed harder. The base of Shepard's neck started to grow uncomfortably warm; her underused amp now pushed to its limits. Sweat mixed with the blood on her face creating rust-colored streams that streaked her features and burned her eyes, but she would not ease up. All eyes were on her. She was their leader, and they were looking to her in their moment of need. She could not show any weakness.