Chapter 6: White Knight
"You knew she would be there! The 'rumor' of my existence? About Cerberus and the colonies? I've been awake for less than two weeks. That could only have come from you," Shepard snapped.
The Illusive Man steepled his fingers and nodded. "It was necessary, now the Alliance can't completely stick their heads in the sand about the threat the Collectors pose."
"And Ashley? You said my old team wasn't available, but you seem to have known exactly where she was going to be, I even saw Tali on Freedom's Progress," he said.
"The quarian's presence was unforeseen and I had no assurance that Chief Williams would be the one dispatched to Horizon," the man replied. He pointed at Shepard, the ever-present cigarette still clasped between two fingers. "Information is my business but I needed you focused on the task at hand, not rounding up the old gang when there was no assurance they would even help."
"I need people I can trust, not just the ones with the best resume!"
"I see that now," the Illusive Man said. He reached down and lifted the glass at his right, swirling the ice in what was undoubtedly extremely expensive liquor. A small smile crossed his face. "Either way your mission was a success, Shepard."
"They took half the colony and escaped with it before we go there. I wouldn't call that a victory," Shepard replied bitterly.
"No? Saving half a colony is more than anyone has been able to accomplish since these abductions began. In addition we've now field tested Dr. Solus' anti-swarm technology and gained extremely valuable tactical data on Collector weapons and defenses. The simple fact that the GARDIAN arrays were able to drive them off proves that they're not unbeatable," he said. With the glass in one hand he gestured at a screen that popped up, showing footage from one of the colony security cameras just after Grunt had executed the possessed drone.
"And more importantly we've shown them that humanity has teeth. In the grand scheme of things the few dozen drones you killed might not be significant, but they'll be more cautious now. That gives us time."
"Call it what you will, to you its just all numbers and data. I saw what they did to those people. I won't lose one more person to those things if I can help it."
"That's why we spent billions of credits to bring you back, Shepard," he said, leaning forward, voice animated. "That is what humanity needs, it needs that determination, that will. And to show you that I can admit my mistakes, I'll widen my information net for data on the remaining members of your old team. As soon as I have something you'll be the first to know."
"Fine. What now? We know we can hurt them, but we still don't know how to do that other than waiting for more colonies to be attacked."
"You keep building your team, Commander, and try to muster every resource at your disposal. You said yourself that you might be able to wrangle some support from the Council. I don't have much faith in them, but maybe you're right. We'll keep analyzing the data we have and looking for leads."
"You do that. Shepard out," he said, cutting the connection. Taking a step back to allow the table to rise back into its usual place, he couldn't help but give a tired, frustrated sigh. It annoyed him in a petty way that the Illusive Man was technically correct, they'd faced what by all rights was a superior enemy and sent them into retreat. But it just didn't feel like something worth celebrating. He hit the door control, shaking his head. As soon as the briefing room door opened, he found himself ambushed by Dr. Chakwas. The next thing he knew he was sitting on one of the medical beds, his armor sitting neatly on the adjacent bed as he was examined.
"Doc, I'm fine."
"Fine? Half your body is bruised and you have a few micro-fractures on your ribs that would have been complete breaks for someone without your cybernetic augmentation," she scoffed, quickly hitting him in the arm with a small device. A quick pinch and she had a blood sample. "I had the others in here too, well Jacob and Garrus at least. The krogan just said 'any wounds are well deserved reminders' and wandered off. Both of my other patients, however, told me you had been hit by something from one of the Collectors that had caused you serious pain."
"It was some kind of biotic attack, but I was able to shake it off."
"Maybe, but better safe than sorry. You're not immortal, Commander."
"I know that all too well," Shepard replied with a frown. He extended his right hand, slowly clenching and relaxing his fist. It felt like it always had, but under the skin he knew it was different. The punch he'd delivered to the Collector's chest should have left his hand aching even with his armor on.
"Sorry, John. Poor choice of words," Chakwas said, far more quietly. She took hold of his chin and made a quick examination of his face. "Your scars do seem to be healing, albeit slowly, but I don't know if they'll ever fade completely."
The process the Lazarus Project had used to bring him back was nothing short of amazing, but it hadn't been perfect. Of the people he'd known on the old Normandy that he had encountered since awakening only Ashley hadn't commented on them, and that was from a combination of his helmet obscuring his face and her own hatred of Cerberus occupying her thoughts. The longest mark ran just above his right jawline all the way down to his chin, another above the same eyebrow and cutting down to the bridge of his nose, while another followed the curvature of his left cheekbone to just short of the base of his ear. The faint orange glint of the cybernetics that lay beneath his skin where the scars were the deepest served as a constant reminder of just what price had been paid for his resurrection.
He forced a smile and slid off the examine bed. "I'm sure Garrus would say they just add character."
"Maybe so," the doctor agreed and gave him a pat on the arm. "Go on then, but if you feel pain, any pain, don't hesitate to come back here."
"Of course, Doc," he lied and headed out of the medlab.
Horizon was far off the beaten path and it would take the Normandy some time to get back on course for their original destination. Another night of fitful sleep had ended with Shepard and Garrus down on the cargo deck once more, sparring. They had been going at it for close to an hour when by mutual agreement they had called a time out, sitting on a few of the crates and breathing heavily. Garrus idly flexed his right mandible and then grimaced.
"Still hurt?" Shepard asked.
"Only when I laugh. And when someone punches me," the turian said with a snort.
"You said full contact."
"Yea, I know," he sighed, glancing over at Shepard. "The pain isn't bad, though. I think its more the... feeling. I saw the way you favored your left there, I'm guessing you've got the same feeling."
"What feeling?"
The turian arched what passed for an eyebrow among his kind and shook his head. "Please. The feeling that it isn't quite right. Wondering if the bits that are attached with metal are still really your bits. I've only got a patch job's worth in me. From what I've been able to guess, or extort from Chakwas, it looks like you've got at least a patrol frigate worth in you."
It was Shepard's turn to shake his head. "You've gotten more perceptive since the last time, Garrus."
"Not enough," he said quietly, but continued before Shepard could interject. "It bother you?"
"I... maybe? I honestly don't know," Shepard sighed, feeling odd as he voiced it aloud. He glanced over but the turian was silent, watching him. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips for a moment as he realized he was sitting in the cargo bay with a turian, and that said turian was probably the best friend he had in the galaxy at the moment. Their grandfathers would have been appalled. Still, if he was going to have anyone subjected to his rambling, it might as well be Garrus.
"Part of it is knowing that I should be dead without the cybernetics and whatever else they did to me," he continued. "The rest is, well, every time I think of the hardware and what I can do now I can't help but think of..."
"Saren?" Garrus finished when he trailed off. At his nod of agreement he felt a rough hand slap him on the shoulder. "Don't. You're nothing like him. We're nothing like him. After all, you and I shop at the same store now."
"You know I seem to remember being on the other side of these conversations last time," he said with a smirk. "Either way thanks, Archangel,"
The turian rubbed the back of his neck in a familiar gesture. "It's, ah, just Garrus to you, Boss."
"You going to tell me exactly what went down on Omega, Garrus?" Shepard asked. His voice was quiet, level. It wasn't an order, just an offer. For his part, Garrus seemed to be thinking, pacing back and forth slowly before finally stopping. He sat down and leaned his back against the crate, forearms resting on his knees. When he spoke he didn't look at Shepard.
"I tried to be you, Shepard, and I failed. When you died it was... it was like losing a member of the family, for all of us. Williams and Joker got shuffled off into the Alliance military pretty quick. Wrex was already gone. Liara... Liara just shut down, became very focused on something but she wouldn't talk about it, then she disappeared too. Tali stayed on the Citadel for a short time during the reconstruction, I tried to keep an eye on her. She cried for days after the funeral, you could hear her even when she tried to shut off the suit speakers to try to hide it. I never felt more useless, even back when C-Sec's rules hampered me so much."
"Like I said before, I went through Spectre training, tried to do what I told you I would. But the Council ended that. When Tali went back to the Flotilla to finish her Pilgrimage after a few weeks it was just me," Garrus continued to explain, his voice thick and scratchy. "I got fed up. With the way they ignored everything we tried to tell them, with the red tape of C-Sec, with everything. So I struck out on my own, ended up on Omega."
"Definitely a change of scenery," he commented.
"I'll say. I got my wish. On Omega there was no red tape, as long as I didn't mess with Aria I could do whatever I wanted," he said, chuckling ruefully. "So many criminals. I went to work, hitting them where I could. At first it was just breaking up some protection rackets or saving someone from a dealer or gang. But I started getting a rep, hooked up with others... ex-C-sec types like me, mercenaries looking to turn over a new leaf, those sorts."
"Before long I had my own team all looking to me for leadership. So I stepped things up, started hitting the smuggling operations, the slave rings, and red sand dealers. We'd get in and get out, take whatever was handy to finance ourselves and torch the rest. I thought I'd really done it, we worked well together. Even had a batarian in the group, amazing hacker. But I got careless. I should have seen it coming."
Shepard nodded. He had already put the facts together. "Who was it?"
"Sidonis. A fellow turian, no less. He lured me off on a fake job, but when I got there he was nowhere to be seen," Garrus growled. "I double timed it back but I was too late. All but two of my team were dead by the time I arrived, they didn't last much longer. Then it was just me in that damn building, waiting to die. I was just too stubborn to make it easy for them."
The rest, as they said, was history. Shepard had arrived, the mercenaries had been almost entirely wiped out and even with their assistance Garrus had nearly died. Now his friend shared a burden he'd never have wished on anyone, knowing that someone under your command had died in the line of duty. Vigilante group or organized military, it didn't change the facts. No matter how they died you always felt responsible.
When Garrus spoke again it was in a flat, cold tone. "I lost my entire team except one man that day. If I ever find him I intend to remedy that mistake."
"Don't let it run your life, Garrus," he said, returning the man's gesture from earlier and placing a hand on his shoulder. "But if you find him, you know I'll be there when the time comes."
"I know, Shepard," Garrus said, levering himself to his feet and giving the turian equivalent of a smile. "After all, you taught me how to get the job done in the first place."
"Flattery will get you everywhere," Shepard laughed, accepting the turian's help up, gripping his forearm tightly. He looked Garrus in the eye. "You going to be okay?"
He nodded. "Are you?"
"I'll be fine. Can't show any weakness, I think it might trigger a varren-like attack reflex in Miranda," he replied. They both laughed, finally calming themselves when they noticed Zaeed walking across the cargo bay towards them.
"There you pups are," Zaeed said, sounding like an odd cross between an exasperated parent and the ruthless mercenary he was. "Goddamn intercom must be on the fritz. One of those damn Cerberus flunkies nearly got her damn fool head blown off when she barged into the room I took. Was look'n for you, Commander. Said that the Illusive Man was on the the line for you. Something about some Tali girl, priority Alpha, all that mess."
Shepard and Garrus glanced at each other before immediately bolting towards the elevator. Zaeed was left standing in the bay, looking mildly confused.
"What in the hell?"
"I'll explain later, Zaeed. Thanks for the info!" Shepard called back over his shoulder.
Keeping up with him easily, Garrus looked confused. "Why is the Illusive Man calling us about Tali?"
"He said he'd try to get more info on the old team after I made it clear I needed people I could trust. I wasn't expecting to hear from him a day later," he explained, skidding to a stop in the elevator and slapping a button. "Him sending a message flagged priority Alpha, though, that's a little troubling. It's the same alert level he used for Horizon."
Garrus Vakarian was worried. The most recent communication from their dubious benefactor was only a small part of it. The entire idea of working with Cerberus was a little unsettling in and of itself, though he had found most the crew of the new Normandy quite easy to get along with. Even the ones that didn't seem particularly friendly were at least polite. Being part of Shepard's original crew definitely had benefits in that regard. His concern was far more directed towards the man that led them. He would follow Shepard into hell without hesitation, he practically already had for that matter. But the Shepard that had shown up like a ghost to pull his ass out of the fire on Omega wasn't the same man that had led them against Saren.
He leaned against the wall and sighed, watching Shepard speak to the Illusive Man. Shepard was still an inspirational leader, no doubt about it. Already the collection of disparate individuals all working aboard a Cerberus vessel was testament to that. His voice held that same steel conviction, the unspoken statement that once he decided something he wouldn't let anything stand in his way. Having fought alongside him before, though, Garrus noticed things he suspected the others might not have noticed. In the midst of a crisis there was no hesitation in his orders, but when they weren't on the battlefield he could tell that something bothered him. For turians it would be like saying they had an 'itch on the bottom of their plates', a feeling that they couldn't quite identify or reach. The conversation in the cargo bay had explained some of it.
Turians were probably more comfortable with cybernetics than humans were, after all they'd be using them longer. But he had seen more of Shepard's medical files than he'd admitted. He could understand the commander's concern. Had he survived the Battle of the Citadel, fallen to the Collectors, and been reborn only to be some sort of monstrous hybrid of machine and man just like Saren?
That question wasn't all of it, however. There was something else at the core of it all. Shepard was a little more reckless, a little more willing to take risks in a fight. Not to mention his surprise when he reviewed the log that Miranda had made regarding the mission to recruit him. At least his hacking skills hadn't atrophied, her security had been good. The commander had always had a sort of resigned pragmatism in the way he acted, but the way he had abruptly executed the Blue Suns mechanic had surprised him. Something clicked in Garrus' head. It was almost like he was trying to maintain control of himself, like a varren yanking hard against a chain straining be let loose, and every now and then his had slipped from the chain for a brief moment.
Garrus shuddered. He'd seen Shepard frustrated, in pain, even angry. Only once had he seen him truly enraged. It hadn't even been part of their main mission, just a side track on the hunt for Saren. A group of pirates and slavers had hit a small colony outpost on one of the remote worlds that humanity had tried to stake a foothold on. Unlike most, these had decided to set up camp instead of the typical hit and run, keeping the women and children as slaves and pets after killing anyone that offered resistance. He and Tali had gone down with him, seen the anger building in his eyes as they witnessed the dead and abused. The leader of the band had gloated about their spoils and finally made a lewd comment about 'popping the Quarian's suit and seeing which killed her first, his men's entertainment or the air'.
The result had been devastating. When the dust had settled he had broken the pirate's neck with his bare hands. One the shuttle ride back to the Normandy he'd apologized, even as he tried to wipe tacky, dying blood from his hands. Something about the combined overwhelming cruelty and the nonchalant threats of the overconfident batarian had been enough to make him temporarily lose the devil may care attitude and practiced discipline Garrus had come to know him for. The turian didn't want to think what would happen if something ever gave him a push just hard enough to send him tumbling off the edge. Giving him a reason to let go once and for all, and let that beast run free.
He snapped out of his musings when the comm finally shut down and Shepard stepped out. The commander immediately tapped the intercom and barked an order to the cockpit. "Joker, change course and make for the coordinates that were just laid in. Red-line it."
"What's the situation, Commander?" Garrus asked.
"The Illusive Man apparently is good for his word, this time at least. A few hours after sending out his feelers, he got a tip that Tali had left on route to a planet inside geth controlled territory. He doesn't know why, but it seems logical she's on some sort of mission for the Flotilla," Shepard replied, stepping aside as the table rose from the floor and locked back into place. "Turns out this isn't the only ship Cerberus has, just the fanciest. One of their scout ships calculated their trajectory to a planet called Haestrom."
The turian shrugged. "I know its Tali, Boss, but what's the big deal? She can handle herself and I doubt they'd have sent her without support. I don't think she'd appreciate us interfering with the fleet's business. She's small, but she's feisty."
Shepard's face was grim. "It matters because it's a trap."
A few hours later what Shepard was beginning to think of as his 'war council' was sitting around the briefing room table. Grunt had declined to sit, instead standing by the entrance. Joker had even made his way to sit at the opposite end of the table from Shepard while the ship approached the planet on autopilot. Mordin, Garrus, Miranda, Jacob, and Zaeed all sat looking to him, and he'd even included Kelly Chambers since he felt the 'regular' crew needed at least someone in attendance at major briefings. As soon as they'd gotten closer they had been relayed further data from the hidden Cerberus scout vessel that had originally tipped the Illusive Man, and thus Shepard, off to what was going on.
"If the information that the Illusive Man sent me is correct," Shepard said and quickly continued, looking at Miranda. "And I'm assuming it is, then there is a geth cruiser hiding behind one of Haestrom's second moon. I know geth are synthetics and patient, but even the Geth would have no reason to just have an assault ship sitting behind a moon on the off chance that someone showed up in a system that hasn't seen sentient organic visitor's since the Geth-Quarian civil war."
"Why would the geth be setting a trap for this Tali'Zorah?" Zaeed asked. "Seems a great deal of trouble for one specific quarian."
"On Horizon one of the Collectors spoke to me, it knew me and called itself Harbinger. As crazy as it sounds, I think this Harbinger is a Reaper, just like Sovereign, that has found some way to control or possess the Collectors. And since we already know that Sovereign had geth at his command, it stands to reason Harbinger might as well," he explained, his mouth set in a displeased line. "The only explanation I can think of sounds extremely self centered. This Harbinger is setting a trap for my former crew members since it can't get to me. It intends to capture or kill Tali."
He looked around the room. "I won't let that happen."
"Agreed," Garrus said.
"EDI, please bring up the data sent by the other Cerberus vessel."
"Of course, Commander," the AI said. A holograph sprung up over the table, showing a map of a large complex. "This is the area that the quarian vessel touched down, it is logical to surmise that they are looking for data from somewhere within this complex. Unfortunately the geth have reached the same conclusion. One dropship has already touched down on the surface while another is on its way from the frigate. From the size of of the Flotilla vessel we can estimate no more than fifteen to twenty quarians were on board. Each dropship is capable of transporting a standard company's worth of geth soldiers, along with support armatures if properly equipped."
"Over a hundred geth, with more on the way? They don't stand a chance," Jacob said, leaning forward.
The salarian doctor looked carefully at the map and seemed to be doing math in his head. "Odds are not favorable, would require precise execution and extreme skill."
"This is a suicide mission for the quarians. I don't see how we will fare much better," Miranda added.
"I wasn't asking for opinions on whether or not we're going. I won't force anyone to come, but I will be going even if its alone. I don't leave my people behind."
"Commander," Miranda said, her words carefully chosen. "We both know that sometimes there comes a point when-"
His fist tightened, but he planted it firmly on top the of table. "I am aware of the realities of war. But I won't abandon her on that world. The only reason they are after her is because of me. As I said, this is optional. I'm asking for volunteers, not ordering people to their deaths."
Grunt slapped his chest, nodding at him. "I will not hesitate to follow."
"You know I always liked Tali, Commander," Joker said, with his usual lop-sided grin. "I'll make sure you get there, even if its just you and the wall of meat n' guns."
"Alright," Miranda said suddenly, much to his surprise. "How do we make this work?"
He smiled. "We go in hot and fast. Joker I won't even insult you by asking if you can drop us out of FTL much closer than the enemy frigate."
"Appreciate it, Commander."
"Kelly, do you think we have half a dozen crewmen with marine training that can be relied upon to keep their heads in combat? I'm going to need soldiers to hold down an LZ."
The yeoman looked a little surprised to have even been asked a question. She opened her omni-tool and quickly scrolled through some names, nodding. A few more taps and he noticed an update on his console. She gestured towards him. "Those five either served as Colonial Marines or have equal combat experience, along with being well adjusted enough to follow orders and kept their cool. There are two more that have security and weapons training but not real combat experience."
"Five will have to do, I don't want to stick anyone in a fight that isn't prepared for it," Shepard said. He looked to Miranda. "If you're in, then I need your help. For this to work we can't let the geth focus all of their forces on a single area. We need to hit them from multiple directions, divide their attention. I'd like you to lead the second team."
She nodded. "I'm in, Commander. This may be crazy, but that's why we brought you back, no? Let's just hope your reputation for accomplishing the impossible holds."
"Thank you," he said, probably the most pleasant words he'd had for her since coming on board. He looked over to Jacob. "And you?"
"I think I can safely say we're all in, sir," the soldier confirmed, glancing around the table at the resulting nods.
"Good. I need you to lead the five that Kelly just sent to me, keep them smart and keep them alive. Hope you're ready for your first taste of command."
"I won't let you down, Commander."
"I know. Here is how this is going to work," Shepard said, his voice confident. He pointed to three different areas of the complex that EDI immediately marked with small glowing orbs. "Bravo team is you, Miranda, along with Grunt and Mordin. You'll set down here and hit them from the west. Keep in mind that apparently the sun is on its way out here, that means extreme levels of certain radiation. It'll be hell on your shields, so you want to avoid direct sunlight as much as possible. Your job is to simply tie them up, as soon as things get too heavy I want you to evac to the shuttle burn back to the Normandy at top speed."
He continued. "Jacob, Delta team is yours. I need you to land here and secure an LZ. Don't advance or do anything stupid, they'll come to you. Equip heavy, you don't need mobility for this."
"Commander, we only have two Kodiak-class shuttles," Miranda pointed out.
"Noticed that, did you?" he said with a smirk and pointed at the final location. "That's why I hope you can fly a shuttle as well as you can do everything else. Garrus, Zaeed? You're with me. We're going to do a hot drop right here and burn straight to their center lines. EDI has designated this area as the most likely destination for the quarian team, as its the largest and most intact structure."
"Now this is my kind of op," Zaeed said. The scarred mercenary's grin was almost feral in its intensity.
"Jumping out of a perfectly good shuttle? That's our tactical genius for you," Garrus laughed and tossed him a mock salute. "You lead, we'll follow, Boss."
"Plan is... audacious. Element of extreme surprise. Somewhat reckless. Multiple avenues of attack. Speed will be key. Believe it will work," Mordin said.
"Then that just leaves the last part of the plan in your hands, Joker," Shepard said.
"Me?" he asked in surprise.
"Yea, it doesn't matter how well this goes on the ground if we don't have a ship to come back to. I'm leaving you in command of the Normandy. Think our girl can outrun and if need be outfight a geth cruiser?"
The pilot smiled and patted the table. "Oh yea, Commander. I think she can."
The trio hit the ground hard and rolled, immediately taking cover as the shuttle burned away, the geth not even bothering to take ineffectual parting shots. A few of the machines scanned the area, looking confused. They never had a chance to properly assess the situation as the three enemy combatants emerged from cover in a blaze of fire. Over the radio a few moments later he got confirmation that both Bravo and Delta teams had touched down and were engaged, with geth opposition being light thus far. Standing over the broken geth patrol, Shepard looked between Zaeed and Garrus with a smirk.
"I love it when a plan comes together."
"Hah, well are we going to go save the day, then?" Zaeed asked.
Their turian companion nodded. "That's the plan. It becomes rather routine after you've followed Shepard around for awhile."
With that they moved forward, advancing quickly in a leapfrog pattern, one man point and cover, two advance, repeat. The ruins were clearly ancient, much of the details etched into the stone having faded with time, but surprisingly most of the heavy hardware was intact. Apparently back when they had planets the quarians built things to last. It was an odd juxtaposition considering the way they survived in present time, constantly salvaging used vessels and patching up damaged ones. In one of the rooms they found a dead quarian, his suit riddled with holes. The damage to the door made it clear that he'd barricaded himself in to attempt to hold back the attackers.
"This isn't good, Commander," Garrus said, checking the fallen man for life signs, even though he knew it was pointless. A few data slates and a small personal computer sat atop a stone table, obviously gear brought by the quarian team as it resembled none of the surrounding material. Shepard took a few moments to check for any useful info. He was surprised to see a holo log begin to play, with Tali's helmeted face front and center.
"This place is amazing. We're here to study why the systems sun is fading, its far too soon. When we left this world it was normal. Suns don't die in three hundred years. I just wish we had time to explore, but its too dangerous to risk staying any longer than necessary lest a geth patrol come across us. Still, it is amazing to see... so much space! After all those talks about quarian life aboard the Flotilla... I wish Shepard were here to see this."
"That your girl, Shepard?" Zaeed asked.
"Yea. I mean, yes, that is Tali'Zorah. We need to move before we attract more attention. I don't want to get bogged down," Shepard said, gesturing to the door. As they made their way through the complex they encountered more geth, but the resistance was still fairly light. He continued to check in with the other teams, though the solar radiation made it difficult. Apparently splitting their attention had worked, as neither Miranda or Jacob reported any danger of being overwhelmed. It wasn't long before they came on more fallen quarians. He was quick to scan the fallen forms, but didn't see familiar colors among them. One of their radios squawked and a rough voice come from the speaker.
"This is Kal to Eash team, is anybody left over there? Come on, you bosh'tets answer me!"
Picking up the radio, he spoke. "This is Commander Shepard of the SSV Normandy. I'm afraid your team is down."
"What? Shepard? Keelah, look I don't know what's going on but if you're not geth, that means you're alright in my book. Names Kal'Reegar, Migrant Fleet Marines. We're getting tore up here, I don't know where all these geth came from but I left the last of my squad to hold that position while I tried to get Tali'Zorah to the objective. It's a mess down here, though."
"Confirmed, we're on our way. Is... is Tali still alive?"
"You better believe it. She's holed up in the main control room for this place," Reegar replied. He felt relief even as they kept moving. The radio line dissolved into static for a moment before Kal'Reegar came on again. "Whoa. Gotta go!"
"EDI, confirm his location."
"Done, Commander. You'll find it already marked on your HUD. Also, Joker has successfully eluded the geth vessel for the time being."
"Good, keep me updated."
Now that they had a firm location, Shepard abandoned the one by two pattern and moved at a full double time. They relied on the element of surprise and superior firepower to quickly overtake the remaining geth in their path. It was also why he'd brought Garrus and Zaeed with him, both were experienced soldiers, quick and precise, wasting no time eliminating their targets before moving on to the next. Within a few minutes they had rounded a corner to find quarian soldier kneeling behind cover, holding his side. Seeing them he quickly motioned for them to get down, the reason why quickly apparent as a massive blast of energy tore into the rock face behind him. He drove and rolled, coming up next to the marine.
"Commander Shepard. Are you Kal'Reegar?"
"Hah! The one and only. So you're Shepard, huh? Thought you'd be taller from the way she talks about you. I got no idea why you're here, but I sure won't turn down the help," he said, jerking his head behind him. "Tali is across the way, she locked down that place good. The geth tried to hack their way in... but well, funnily enough its hard to hack a door when some gen'ro'sa is shooting rockets at you."
"I'm taking it there is a colossus over there if the ominous booming is any indication," Garrus asked, not even bothering to peek out from behind cover.
"That would be the big problem of the day. I can't get a clear shot at the thing where its at, best I can do is rattle its optics before it huddles down to repair and recharge," Kal'Reegar said, patting the launcher sitting next to him. Shepard noticed his other hand still at his side and it was stained.
"You're hit, marine."
"Yea, one of the bastards punctured my suit when I tried to get closer for a better shot, but don't you worry about me. I'm swimming in antibiotics and enough painkillers to make an elcor woozy. Every marine on this mission was prepared to die to protect Tali'Zorah and complete this mission, and it looks like most of them did."
Shepard nodded. "I'm sorry I didn't make it here sooner. Keep your head down, we'll take it from here. You've already given enough, no reason to get yourself killed."
The quarian growled and tried to move into a crouching position, a sound he had never heard from before from one of his people. Thought admittedly his experience was primarily limited to Tali. "Hell with that, I've got some fight left in me. This launcher still works, I can still fire."
"Look, marine, you've done your duty. Don't throw your life away out of pride," Shepard barked, dropping his rifle next to the quarian and taking the rocket launcher. "Besides, I need you to keep an eye on the way we came in case they try to flank us."
"The man's right, soldier. Dying for the cause is great and all, but liv'n to kick the crap out of the bastards another day is better," Zaeed added.
"Alright, Shepard. I hope you know what you're doing," Reegar replied, gripping the rifle tightly.
"Guess we'll find out. Garrus, remember the time we were hitting that one geth base in the Archer system?" he asked.
"Oh come on, Boss. That was a stupid plan and stupid plans generally only work once," Garrus objected. He locked eyes with Shepard for a moment before sighing. With a nod he gestured dismissively and began to fill in the mercenary on the plan. While he did Shepard produced one of his tech mines and attached it to the back of the magazine on the rocket launcher, then ejected the magazine on his SMG and locked a fresh one in. He took a moment to check with EDI. Apparently both of his other teams had performed better than expected, wiping out the geth that had tried to assault them, and were heading for his position. By the time the turian had finished explaining Zaeed was looking at him with a smirk and shaking his head.
"You're a bloody nutter, Shepard. But at least you're not boring."
His only response was a thumbs up before grabbing the launcher with his left hand, SMG gripped tightly in his right, and vaulting over their cover. Immediately his two compatriots bolted in opposition directions, one towards the gantry on the left, the other following the stairs up to the platform on the right. Shepard felt the first siege pass over him, hairs standing on end. A moment later the courtyard erupted in fire as Garrus and Zaeed began to alternate fire, tearing into the geth around the massive armature. He glanced over the piece of machinery he was hiding behind, waiting for the right moment. Then he saw the machine raise its 'head' where the main gun was housed to take aim at Zaeed on the higher platform.
"Now or never," he muttered and rolled out from cover, scrambling to his feet and running full tilt at the colossus. After some trial and error in the old days, they had discovered the large geth war walkers couldn't turn around very quickly once they'd raised their weapons to take aim at a distant target, thereby making it hard for them to track something that was coming right at them if that something was small enough. Like say, the size of a normal human being. Shepard could only hope that this wasn't a flaw they had corrected in the past few years.
The colossus turned its attention to the small organic charging it, its head cocking to the side in a way that would have been almost comical if it wasn't intent on killing him or his people. He raised his SMG, but didn't fire at the larger geth, but rather poured fire into the smaller infantry around it. One of the ones that the other two hadn't taken apart yet collapsed sparking under the torrent of fire even as the heavy armature opened up, narrowly missing Shepard as the blast went overhead once more.
Fortune apparently smiled on the bold or at least the foolhardy. Of course he nearly lost his head when the machine swung one massive leg at him when he got close. He narrowly avoided the swipe and dove, throwing his body into a roll between the geth's four legs and keeping up his momentum until he was on the other side, almost touching the door the geth had just been trying to hack. The armature clumsily tried to turn to face the human. He smiled and pressed the button on his omni-tool.
The geth never knew what hit it when the rocket launcher he had dropped during his roll suddenly exploded, first the round in the chamber and then the rest of the magazine cooking off a second later as Shepard crouched and covered his head. The explosion still slammed him back against the door, dazing him slightly, but the colossus fared far worse. Inside its kinetic barriers the blast lifted it off its feet, tearing one of its legs off and sending its long neck wrenching to the side. When it slammed back into the ground with a thud the optic in its one large eye flickered once and then died. A few seconds later Zaeed and Garrus had made their way past the smoldering hulk.
"Okay, I'll admit, that was just as cool the second time as it was the first. Just as dumb too," Garrus said, looking at the fallen colossus.
Zaeed could only laugh. "You know usually I get paid extra for armor duty, but I don't think I'll mention it this time around."
Shepard nodded. "Let's get this door open."
The seal on the door was good, but unlike the geth he didn't have any distractions. Not to mention a far better motivation to get it open, wanting to confirm that Tali was still alive and well. After a few more seconds it unsealed with a hiss and then slid open. He was about to step inside when a shotgun blast tore a chunk from the stone wall at the edge of the door. A familiar voice, clear and angry came from within the room.
"Come on, you bosh'tet. I don't care if you're a machine... I'm not going to die alone in this room, not today."
Garrus' mandibles curled upwards and he spoke loudly. "Come on now, Tali, I thought we agreed... you can call me that, but not when there's company."
Inside the sound of something heavy hitting the ground was heard and then silence. Carefully Shepard stepped inside to see Tali leaning back against the console, her shotgun laying on the floor. Shepard popped the seals on his helmet and set in on one of the large slabs of stone near the door, a mischievous smirk on his face. "Sorry to pop in unannounced, but you know, Garrus hates calling ahead."
She shook her head. "Shepard? I... but how..."
A moment later he had a grateful quarian with her arms around his chest squeezing tightly. He laughed and put an arm around her, patting her back. She stayed there for a long moment before pulling away, her head hanging somewhat sheepishly. Garrus walked up next to him, a bemused look on his face, only to have Tali give him a hug as well. The turian looked quite perplexed by the entire situation. She coughed and turned her heads towards Zaeed.
"I... uh, well I have no idea who you are but thank you," she said quietly.
The mercenary merely chuckled and tossed a lazy salute at the commander. "I'm just here because this stubborn bastard decided he wasn't going to have any mere geth messing with his people."
"Shepard, what are you doing here? I mean, I'm grateful... Keelah, I thought I was going to die, that I'd never see y- my home again. You have a knack for showing up at the oddest times."
"I got some information that you might be in trouble," he said with a shrug.
"You... heard I was in trouble and flew to a planet on the edge of the Terminus systems to help?" she asked.
Shepard rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled. "It was very reliable information. I even found this smelly old turian along the way and decided to keep him after pulling his bacon out of the fire. I watch out for my own, Tali. That includes you."
"I just don't know what to say," Tali replied, sounding mildly bewildered.
"Well, if your mission is complete after this, I was hoping I could persuade you to join the Normandy again, Miss Vas Neema."
At the mention of the mission, the quarian turned back to the console and hit a few buttons. Her shoulders slumped and she shook her head. "The mission. I hope this data is worth the lives the Admiralty Board just used up to get it. I can't believe information on dying stars is worth the lives of all those marines."
A grunt came from behind them, followed by a pained laugh. "Not all of those marines, ma'am."
"Kal!" she said, spinning on her heel. "You're alive!"
"Thanks to your Commander, here. You weren't kidding about this guy. You kept talking about him and I here I was thinking it was just tall tales from the Pilgrimage but he handled that colossus nice... if not terribly neat. Tell me, did we get what we came for?"
"We did. I just hope it was worth it."
"So do I," Kal'Reegar said. "We need to get this back to the Flotilla."
Tali's hands twisted together, fingers seeming to move like a living knot. "I'm not going back to the Flotilla, Kal. I put in a request a few weeks ago for leave to serve with Shepard on the Normandy after this mission was over. I didn't get an official response, but if the Board doesn't like it they can go to hell. Too many people died today for me to care about protocol."
The marine nodded, and if he could have seen his face Shepard almost though he probably would have been smiling knowingly. "I kinda figured as much, ma'am. Don't worry, I'll tell'em what happened here."
"We can give you a ride, Kal. Back to the Flotilla even if you need it," Shepard offered, but the marine shook his head.
"Nah, the geth never bothered to hit our ship. As long as I fly out low and then punch it I'll be long gone by the time any of their ships see me," he said. Limping over to Tali and gripped her upper arm briefly. "I know you'll manage especially with a captain and crew like these around but take care of yourself, ma'am."
"I will, Kal. Keelah se'lai."
"Keelah se'lai, ma'am ."
The quarian marine quickly left, heading back to his own ship even as Shepard was radioing Joker for pick up. His other teams checked in, confirming that the geth on the ground had been eliminated. There was nothing left to do on this planet. He would liked to have been able to give the fallen marines a proper burial, but the geth frigate would be on them too quickly. Shepard turned to Tali and gestured towards the door with one hand.
"Ready to go, Tali? The Normandy awaits."
She glanced around the room and nodded. "I am."