Chapter 6: Spoiled Seafood
While I've been at my position on the Normandy, I've still been providing commands and directions to various squads throughout the Galaxy on their own missions against horrendous odds. For the most part, they're parties of Terren soldiers, with the occasional exception of mixed-race operations, where there is no definitive leader besides some poorly defined conglomeration between races. They manage to gather some resources for the final push, but it all seems like an endless series of games for survival. Survival... is that all we can hope for now?
May 08, 2186
14 hrs/00 min/45 sec
SSV Normandy medbay, Century System, Hawking Eta, checking for salvage
"Negative sergeant. You are to head to the evac point and hold your position. You've completed your objective, now get to safety," Fredrick insisted.
Fredrick had been watching over his various monitors as a squad of Terran soldiers carried out an mission to extract data from a Cerberus camp, killing any hostiles they encountered. Sir, I repeat. There is a local civilian populace that is under heavy fire from Harvester forces. Permission to engage sir?
"Permission denied. It's what the Harvesters would expect from us. With your current squad count, there is no way you can help them, much less provide the necessary transportation to get off world. That is an order." Dreadfully, he watched as the squad returned to the insertion point for exfil. It was a mission accomplished, but the oculus feed provided by their implants gave a thorough description of what the Harvesters were doing in the distance. "They're just fucking with you. Ignore it." The Harvesters were equally capable of making dumb miscalculations thus far, but that didn't mean that they hadn't mastered the art of psychological warfare after eons.
Now his screen beeped. Closing the feed from the squad he was commanding, he found himself looking at a still annoyed Wrex. Müller.
"Wrex, look. I know you're still pissed off about that bomb. And frankly, I am too. It was a severe miscalculation on behalf of the Hierarchy, but no one had a fucking clue this would happen. Besides, we defused the bomb and saved the planet. That's all that matters," Fredrick ranted, allowing his voice to escalate in volume. Ever since the conclusion of the mission two days prior, Wrex had been going on about if anyone else knew of the bomb's presence. "Besides, now we've got a nice big bomb on our hands we can catapult at some Harvesters. It's not the end of your race. Yet."
Alright, alright, I'll back off. At least you were down there when the thing was triggered, Wrex acknowledged, shying away.
"Good. I didn't need to hear anything more about that bomb anyways." He slouched in his seat as he stretched his arms before pressing his palms hard against his face. He constantly had the Primarch's son's death on his mind for the last two days now and was actively avoiding most outside activity in case he ran into the Primarch again. It was just a bad case of survivor's guilt.
"Müller, you holding out alright?" He hadn't noticed Shepard enter again.
His arms fell lifelessly down to his sides. "It's just war. It's sad and agonizing in the short run, but this too shall pass. As long as we don't fuck this up more than we have. I'm glad we still have Wrex. I'm not sure if he could've died along the way, but at least we have him in charge. He's taking this business about the bomb rather lightly. Obsessively, but lightly." He felt empty, so soul-crushing-ly empty. He tried brushing the worries off his mind, desperate to hide his loneliness like an orphaned child huddling in his dusty, bombed-out house. Even with his friends close, he needed something a bit closer.
"Shepard, I-" She'd left again while he lay his head back, returning to feeling sorry for himself. He had his mind set on the matter, but he didn't have an idea as to what would be appropriate. Jack walked in to check with Chakwas about the health of one of her students. With the current pressure, they hadn't had the time to stop by the Citadel to drop her and her students off. "Should wash your hands more frequently, kid. Just because you're in space doesn't mean you can't get food poisoning."
Jack rolled her eyes as she walked up. "Har-dee-har, Dr. Holmes. So what's up?"
"Just finished up guiding around of group of clueless men, trying to get shit done from afar. In a bit of a break session for now, and had my mind on other matters. Speaking of which, what makes an especially appealing gift to a woman?" Fredrick asked.
She simply squinted, giving a sideways glance. "How should I know, creep? I never grew up with fancy toys and shit, remember? The Cerberus lab? Look, if you really wanted to get a girl something, get her a necklace of Cerberus tags. They're less inclined to rot over time, like if you gave her a necklace of toes, fingers, or ears. It still looks nice."
He raised an eyebrow for a moment before staring off with an idea. "Actually, thanks. That gives me an idea." Fredrick turned back to his console to send an equipment request to the Sokol, still stationed at the Citadel last he heard. They had 3D-printers on board, they could work something.
May 11, 2186
08 hrs/43 min/00 sec
Utukku, Mulla Xul System, Ninmah Cluster
He desperately wanted to sleep in, but Shepard had other plans for him. Wrex had asked them to investigate a missing squad of Krogan scouts sent to investigate rumors of a Rachni activity through the relay along with a platoon of Krogan commandos called Aralack Company. Garrus, Fredrick, Javik, and herself were the only members aboard the Normandy who had direct combat experience with Rachni, and were subsequently needed for the mission. For a race of insectoids that nearly drove the other races to extinction two millennia prior, none of them needed reminding why this was a crucial mission.
"I distinctly remember suggesting we gas that queen rather than spare her when we were last on Noveria," Fredrick pondered sarcastically, looking to the ceiling of the shuttle. "Hopefully, those commandos know how to deal with some Shrimp."
"We don't know much, but no Rachni activity has been reported officially," Linda replied, ignoring the doctor's quip. "Just be ready for anything, guys." The Alliance shuttle touched down in the middle of a small crevasse, facing a group of Krogan-made prefabs. Outside were roughly a dozen Krogan in black armor. Amidst the middle was a Krogan in chrome armor, with a gray head crest and blue eyes. However, this Krogan looked to be more in his teens rather than a full-fledged adult. "Grunt?"
"Shepard? Heh! Shepard! Hahahaha!" He rushed forward to give a friendly jab on the shoulder pad.
"Grunt! What are you doing here?" Shepard asked, chuckling. It was an amusing sight to see what she only though of as an overgrown toddler leading a squad of Krogan commandos.
The others began to gather their gear as the group continued to converse. "Wrex assigned me as squad leader of this company, said he wanted someone who represented the future of the Krogan to help lead. After I went through the Rite of Passage, I'd found my place in Clan Urdnot. It still took me a couple of months to earn my place in the clan. But through sweat and blood, I earned their respect."
"I wish I could say the same. The Council didn't put me in lockup like how Müller was shipped off to maximum security, but I nearly went deaf from their squabbling and drama," she said, beaming with pride for their young Krogan.
"You said it. That's why I'm out here running Aralak Company. They may be reckless and excessively overextend, but they're tough and effective."
"You were a pain in the ass. But if these commandos are half the Krogan you are, we might have a chance to get out of here in one piece."
"Which is why I'm glad you're back at cracking some skulls, Shepard. Hard to believe this might be Rachni! A chance to face the old enemy? Impossible to resist!"
Javik took note of Grunt's attributes. "Yes, you are the Krogan who had occupied my quarters prior to my arrival. You'd left your mark."
Grunt was still young. Even with knowledge that the Collectors were heavily modified Protheans, he couldn't exactly put two and two together just yet. "What! Who's this, Shepard?"
The Prothean continued to warn, "You shouldn't be so enthusiastic to face the Rachni. They were a formidable opponent, even to my people."
"Javik's right," Fredrick commented. "If we are heading face-first into a Shrimp nest, you can't be too careful. Dealing with mines full of those things was hard as a kid."
"We can explain later," Garrus shrugged, meeting Grunt's confused glance.
The young Krogan's expression didn't change. "Whatever. Move out Aralak Company." Grunt hung back at the back of the pack to continue talking to the others. "This is bad. This place smells wrong, like an infected wound. Scans showed the tunnels leading to a central chamber, but that's it."
"We hadn't noticed any activity on the way in," Linda informed. "We know as much as you do about the scouts or the Rachni presence."
"Great. Time to teach you kids how to clear out a Shrimp nest. This'll be fun," Fredrick laughed nervously. Okeer had implanted the Rachni's history and knowledge of their encounter with the crazed drones on Noveria three years prior, but had otherwise not been granted any knowledge on tactics. Aralak Company, as Grunt described it, was a collective of the best Krogan warriors from various clans compiled into one. They were young, but strong, capable, and were probably classified to handle the situation. But from the brief description of Grunt's life on Tuchanka before the war started, he'd earned his place and his team's respect.
Approaching what was left of the established prefabs, half were missing, replaced by an enormous sinkhole in the valley where the scouts had set up. There was minimal signs of struggle, no bodies, no blood, no shuttle, and no record established as to what happened before all coms were cut. Down below was a large chasm, with the remains of equipment crates and prefabs down below, about thirty meters down. Fredrick and Javik used their biotics to gently leap down and scout around while Linda and Garrus peered down from the prefab on the ledge above. "See anything?" Shepard asked.
"Nothing, commander. We'll be returning shortly," Javik yelled, voice echoing off the chasm walls. The pit did meet with a cave mouth, leading deeper underground, but wasn't very revealing of what lay ahead.
*Crunch* Above, the cliff face underneath the prefab Garrus and Linda were in began to crumble. "The ground is giving way! Get back! Get back!" Grunt ordered. Javik and Fredrick raced away to avoid the falling debris. As the dust gradually cleared, they could see Garrus helping Shepard to her feet. "Shepard! You guys alright down there!?" Grunt and his company peered down from the ledge above, careful not to fall themselves.
She winced with pain, but her armor and barriers kept her otherwise safe during the fall. "We're fine! Keep in radio contact, we're going in!"
"We'll find our way to you! Hang in there!" They quickly disappeared, scampering off to find another entrance.
Gathering their wits, they walked in, eyeing the shadows cast by the cave's mouth. Soon enough, they found their first scout, dead only ten meters in. He'd only been dead a few days, but the muscles had gone slack over the flamethrower in his hands. Picking up the weapon, Fredrick muttered, "If we're walking into a hive, we'll need this. Especially for the webbing. Looks like the Shrimp have made a home here, but the coloring looks rotten." Not much further in was a series of webs, stretching the entirety of the tunnel.
Fredrick burned away the gray mess as Javik commented, "Indeed. Their webbing is more of a silvery gray. This is almost black, like a rotten fruit." Besides their armor floodlights, there was a pool of a glowing blue substance down below reflecting light off the stalactites above. As they got closer, they found clusters of purple pods with a thick gray base supporting them. Dull chrome cables wove in and out like blood vessels, and around the ground like roots from a tree. "Those eggs – if they are eggs – are definitely not natural. Their eggs are more of a leathery brown. Not... that."
They gradually burned their way into large chamber with bridging paths over more of the serene blue liquid. The silence and tranquility was finally broken when what looked to be a Rachni warrior entered from a pathway near the opposite end of the room. The Rachni had clearly undergone transformations enforced by the Harvesters, including replaced limbs with mechanical replacements, grayed and decayed skin, an artificial blue glow from its eyes and implants, cords weaving through its body, and a blue circle behind its head. It's tentacles had been replaced with small cannons and enormous, veiny, fleshy pods grew under its stomach, releasing small critters as it crawled along. Along side was the familiar screech of husks, as undead Krogan meshed with twisted Human corpses lunged forward. "Grunt! We've got company!" Shepard informed over the coms.
Light 'em up! Fredrick rolled to the side, narrowly dodging a small blast of red energy before torching the group of approaching husks, reducing them to wet ashes. Even as the mindless drones were disposed of, the almost artillery-like pounding of the corrupted Rachni continued to pound away at his cover. Garrus took a shot at the front-most sac on one of the approaching hostiles, breaking it open to unleash a horde of offspring. What looked like corrupted Rachni workers, they were fast, small, and relentless in their approach, nearly overwhelming Fredrick as he raced to pull out his sidearm. Aggressively shaking them off, made quick work of them, stomping them under boot. Just lost a man up here to a sink hole. What a waste. What's going on down there?
"It's Rachni alright, but it looks like the Reapers got to 'em," Linda reported, reloading her shotgun. "We also found some of what's left of the scouts."
Aaah! Finally! Something to kill! Shame about the scouts though.
"Whatever those things are hiding, it must be big. And it looks like the Harvesters have already had their way." The group continued to sweep the chamber for additional egg sacks before looking up to see enormous, metal claws clinging to the interior walls of the cavern.
Found more about those scouts. We found more of the team along our path, including their team leader. They were hit hard, and were ordered to bring heavy weapons into the caves. They knew the next team would need help, Grunt explained.
"They died to ensure we made it to the central chamber. Come on!" Burning more egg sacks and damaging the invading infrastructure, Fredrick burned down more of the webbing in their path when the ceiling began to violently shake. Rushing forward, the team narrowly avoided the cave-in as the pathway behind them disappeared. "Is everyone alright? Looks like we're finding a different way out of here," Linda called out.
Grunt called in to make sure. Heard a disturbance. Was that you?
"Just a cave in. We're still alright, but our pathway out is blocked," Shepard answered.
Stay safe down there. I don't want to have to dig your remains out.
09 hrs/53 min/34 sec
"Die you Shrimp bastards!" Fredrick loaded another fuel canister into the salvaged flamethrower before letting out another burst.
We're getting close, Shepard! Grunt reported. These bastards are picking up their fight!
"Casualties?" Linda asked, popping the Batarian head off of a cannibal.
Negative. Besides, Krogan fight better when they're angry.
They walked further down the winding cave, the group jumped into a foggy opening with a number of pods waiting for them. They were blacker than those encountered earlier, and pulsated more aggressively. The sacs burst to reveal more of the corrupted Rachni workers. "Fucking piece of shit... Die! And stay dead! Fucking Shrimp!"
More pods were found around the corner. "This is unusual. In my cycle, we found the Rachni in especially hazardous environments."
"I agree," Fredrick reminisced. "Still, they're biologically different now, whatever the Harvesters did to them. Either way, they're breeding an army down here. It's dark, quiet, and secluded. Just how the Shrimp liked it normally."
"Shh! Do you guys hear that?" Garrus hissed. Distantly, they could hear numerous shotguns firing. "At least we're on the right track too if Grunt's squad is near. Let's keep moving." They didn't have much time to destroy more of the eggs before coming to a cliff facing a pathway where Grunt's squad was holding out, with their backs to a door.
Grunt tossed one of the corrupted warriors off the ledge as he yelled, Shepard! We're getting blocked and we're getting overrun! We're stuck at a door that's definitely not Rachni webbing. Where are you?!
"We see you. We're making our way around. Maybe we can open that door on the other side." Burning the path through more webbing, the group saw a Harvester-built terminal up ahead, quickly shooting it to open the door behind them and the door on a ledge above them, allowing Grunt's squad to fall back through it.
Grunt's team had suffered severe casualties, when they arrived. They were down six of the twelve men, excluding Grunt himself on their way in. "Thanks, Shepard. That wasn't Rachni webbing keeping us out. It's some sort of Reaper structure."
"We ran into the same thing earlier. Looks like they were keeping something locked up down the other passage. We should hurry," Shepard suggested, pointing to the other door.
"No. If it's anything Okeer taught me about the Rachni, it's that they will find a way to pen us in. We'll hold the fort here, keep the exit open for you guys to finish off whatever's down there. Now get going," Grunt denied.
Fredrick sighed, handing back the flamethrower to one of the men. "Good luck holding the line. Just make sure they're funneled into one path."
"We don't need luck. We have ammo. Still, thanks for the advice. We did bring some explosive charges for that." Turning away, they progressed down the tunnel, with Grunt's shotgun ringing behind them. Advancing to the end and through a small crawlspace, the group entered the central chamber. It was large, had numerous supports around some central biomass, with tendril supports attaching it to the pillars around it, with dim lighting from the pools of blue liquid.
"Let's go have a closer look before-" Tooth-like gates rose around their entrance and behind the biomass in the center of the enormous room. "Oh, for Christ- move!" Even as they sprinted, more gates rose around the biomass and walled them off from the area surrounding the middle of the chamber. "Damn it! Find those power nodes! Hurry!" she ordered, barely audible over the sound of the undead roars filling the room.
Quickly shooting a node right above them situated on the pillar, one of the gates dropped to reveal a group of husks, cannibals, infectors, and the corrupted Rachni, ready to ambush them. Biotically yanking up another flamethrower, abandoned in the corner of the room, Fredrick initiated his nanite barrier, walked forward, and held the trigger down. It was certainly wasteful of bioelectric energy as he continued to keep the barrier up instead of reserving it for the rush out of the tunnels. He was still tired and now irritated. Damaging the last power node, he looked around with some lingering satisfaction at the moldy ashes of the undead put to rest, watching as the rest began to scamper down the other tunnels. "Clear."
Shepard, is everything alright down there? Grunt inquired. Whatever you did, it's scaring the Rachni and husks off. You better hurry up down there and finish.
"Will do. Müller, patch up Javik and catch up. This window won't stay open for much longer." The gate facing the front entrance opened up as they approached, revealing the Rachni queen, with black tendrils of artificial webbing keeping her in place. Along the walls, more Krogan corpses were cocooned to the walls, acting as the medium for which she spoke to them.
The corpses bellowed along with the queen's own hissing, combining like the wind of a typhoon. "Si- lence. The maddening sour note has silenced."
"Are you the queen we released on Noveria?"
"We are the last queen. We listen for the children. Their voices are... hollow. The machines took them, changed them, twisted them to their needs before sending them to war. They die alone, silent, and far away." The dead Krogan spasmed in their cocoons as they spoke their queens words. "We have thus far resisted the corrupting taint of the machine enemy."
"We can see. My instinct tells otherwise, but we are short in allies, and we cannot afford to turn down more allies. We'll get you out," Fredrick reassured.
The queen hissed angrily. "You bear the machines' note. Your word carries little weight."
"The fact I haven't shot my allies or they haven't executed me are grounds that I just might be trustworthy, am I not? If it earns your trust, I have reason to trust you for the remaining duration of this war. Your mind hasn't been affected by their taint like the remains of your children have."
"Your music has a note of sincerity to it. We will trust you. Break our last shackle and break us free!" The ceiling above them violently shook with heavy movement. "Aaah! The children return to drown us out!"
Shepard, we're picking up a lot of movement up here. Whatever it is you're doing down there, hurry it up. We won't last long against this next wave, Grunt called hastily. Is that clear?
"We hate the machines!" the queen begged. "We will fight for our unborn children. Release us! We know of alternate routes to the surface!"
"Get back to the surface, don't wait for us Grunt. Garrus, break that lock. Fredrick, Javik, how would we combat Rachni on the run like this?" Linda began ordering.
"Our best chance would be to cover our tracks with explosives, and detonate them as we return to the surface," Fredrick started.
Javik nodded in agreement. "He is correct. The Rachni heavily rely on numbers from numerous positions to overwhelm their prey. If we funnel them into a single entrance, they'll be forced into approaching from a single direction. It will then be a matter of maintaining constant fire."
The Rachni queen tore herself from her binds. "This way, we don't have much longer," she said, stomping towards the other side of the cave.
The scratching steps of the corrupted Rachni warriors filled the corridors on the other side of the chamber as Fredrick rigged the mouth of the tunnel the others exited through with explosives. Seeing the large wave descend upon his position like locusts, he turned around and ran, triggering the explosives as he ran to cut them off. Fredrick and Javik brought Alliance detonation charges with them for the mission, and would alternate as the dropped explosives along branching tunnels that fed into the one they ran along, detonating them to cut off more Harvester forces. "Commander! We are almost out of explosive charges!"
They could still feel the subtle rumble of the horde's footsteps as they ran up the tunnels. "Keep moving and make those explosives count!" The group continued to run to a small chamber with two other necks to their sides. Above them was a large gate, sealing the path off. "Dammit! It's blocked!"
Fredrick handed one of his two remaining charges to Javik. "Last one. Place it well. So now what?" The group prepared to make one more stand against the approaching hostiles. With two tunnels destroyed, they at least had the benefit of only needing to fire down one tunnel to hold them off.
The Rachni queen simply hissed at the gate before opening her maw to release a spew of a caustic green liquid, which began to rapidly eat away at the door before using her claws to heavily scratch at the path way onward. Aralak Company has successfully returned to the surface, Shepard. Where are you?!
"We're making our own way out!" she yelled over her biotic shockwave. "The Rachni queen found a way out, but it will take some time to get through the Reaper infrastructure!"
What! A Rachni queen? Shepard you do realize th-
"She's still at war with the Reapers, she's friendly! Besides, this is the same queen we encountered on Noveria. She knows us. I'll talk with you later. Keep firing!" She slid in a new thermal clip as the others kept the corrupted Rachni and husks back.
"Linda, I'm running low on thermal clips!" Garrus informed as he reloaded his assault rifle.
Javik tossed another ball of biotic energy as he quipped, "Don't say I didn't offer to train you in the use of our particle rifles, Turian!" Along with the stasis pod they'd found Javik in on Eden Prime, Linda and the others also found a locker full of Prothean particle rifles, still relatively functional after years of disuse.
Howling, the Rachni queen stopped scratching and took a few paces backwards before running forward, ramming through the weakened gate. "The path is clear! Go! Go!" Fredrick yelled, putting up a wall to cap off the undead rush.
Outside, two Alliance shuttles awaited them along with five of the remaining members of Aralak Company. Spotting them, Grunt and the other four rushed over to meet them. "There you are! I was about to head back down there to get you! And I see you've got another friend along."
"Yeah, I'm not sure how we'll be getting her off the planet..." The group watched as the enormous Rachni scampered past the group of shuttles and towards another enormous cave nearby. Linda got onto the shuttle and was about to order the pilot to take them along to investigate when a large blue light flickered from inside before a dreadnought-sized ancient ship rose from within to take off.
Cortez the pilot looked down to see the ship intercom flashing. Accepting the call, he could only hear a sharp static for a few seconds. "Shepard. We are grateful for your help. We will join the effort to combat the machine threat, and we will continue to sing about you."
The others got aboard the shuttle, with Fredrick standing close behind the pilot. "Okay, maybe this will work for once."
The burning city. All roads led back here again. He was the machine again, but this time it was different. Leaping forward, he used one claw to grab the neck of another drone before taking its head and tearing it off. Tossing it aside, he fired a single rocket into the chest of another, charging him head on, generating an explosion that left little more than a set of limbs and a head. "You fight. You push. You lead the way." He continued to fight against the other drones in the city, with little the other drones could do to fight back. Perhaps it was because his platform was of a superior build, but the combat felt more fluid and natural compared to how he initially remembered it.
There wasn't a sentry nest halting his progress, allowing him to cleanly move onto the open courtyard. The metro entrance was empty, but had signs that someone had previously been in there, with marks on the ground showing crates and supplies had been dragged away. Standing in the middle by a broken fountain, he looked around him as more of the drones began to leak into the square, either from the other streets or through the damaged remains of the buildings around them. He stood alone against a dozen.
Narrowly dodging a barrage of rockets, exploding some distance behind him, he extended his arm to fire back upon one of the assailants as shot several rockets behind him, flattening a group of drones attacking his flank. Using a statue as cover, he fired another set of rockets at the lobby of a building, causing it to topple onto another squad of hostile drones, before leaping over the statue and crashing down upon them, tearing through the four with his claws. Feeling another hail of rounds graze his shoulder plates, he switched around and attempted to fire more rockets before realizing he was out. Rushing to cover, he waddled his way back to the center of the square, gunning down the last of the drones in close quarters.
He'd expended a lot of energy and much of his ammo reserves to fighting them, but he'd won, scanning the area, he had just noticed a large group of survivors exiting the metro station, now surrounding him in the center of the square. "You fight. You push. You lead the way. You resist us, but can they really tell the difference?" The various survivors were clearly not approaching with friendly intentions in mind. He simply sat there not raising his weapons, allowing them to approach. One Krogan amongst the crowd was the first to charge upon him with a clenched fist. Leaping into the air, he rushed forward and painfully hit the side of his head.
He snapped back awake as Grunt slugged him across the head. "Are you even listening?"
May 16, 2186
11 hrs/34 min/03 sec
SSV Normandy medbay, en route to the Citadel Station, Serpent Nebula
"Mmmmm, sorry. You were saying?"
"You seem awfully sluggish recently. Are you alright?" Grunt inquired.
Fredrick stretched as he slowly answered, "I was sleeping rather well until you hit me across the head, thank you."
Grunt glared. "Am I boring you? You were just fine listening to my story until I woke you back up."
Now it was starting to come back to him. Grunt had been telling his side of the war and what happened to his squad during the mission to the Rachni's system. "No, just getting a little extra shut eye. I've been having several system-problems recently, I'll have them thoroughly checked when we get back. Anyways, I've got to get back to work. Talk to you later."
Grunt waddled away as he turned back to his work, looking over his . With a bird's-eye view, he watched as the shuttle approach its destination. Instead of just Terrans this time around, it was a Terran vanguard, a Quarian technician, a Drell scout, and an Asari commando on the ground, exiting the shuttle. Sir, we've landed groundside.
"We've got the coordinates to some very shiny equipment down there. Secure the LZ and await further instructions."