Decelerating through the atmosphere the Normandy came soaring down towards the closest drop site. The bay opened up, sucking in the hot air from the lava pools below. Shepard smashed the icon keeping the mako attached to the ship, sending the combat rover overboard.
Smaller jets on the bottom of the craft slowed down the descent, but gravity was still ever present. Once the tires touched down on the rocky surface below everybody inside was thrown around the confines of their seats. Arthur had a laugh at Garrus' expense as the Turian had his eyes shut the whole way down.
"Ok Arthur, you're on the turret, so keep an eye out for Geth. Garrus you're keeping an eye out for potholes and lava."
"Understood commander." Arthur answered as he he shifted his seat towards the controls.
Looking through he sights in front of him, the cameras mounted on the cannon gave him a view of the terrain outside. Only problem with being the cannoneer were the bumps. The cannon itself had a gyroscopic stabilizer, which helped with outside movement, but inside the tank his face was taking a pounding.
Shepard made a hard turn around a small lava pool, lurching the rover to one side. They could hear the jets outside working to rebalance the craft. Reaching a straightaway she stomped on the gas pedal, throwing dirt everywhere as well as the outside cameras.
They came over a hill when they felt the entire tank rattle. Garrus checked the radar screen for a moment and sat back in his seat when a Geth dropship soared above at breakneck speeds, slowing down just enough to drop something off. With a press of a button Arthur loaded the main gun, licking his lips as he locked onto the its optics.
"Let's see how you like this!" He yelled as he fired the main cannon, shot bouncing off its shields.
"I think it didn't like your present. Try taking down its kinetic barriers!" Garrus shot back.
Squeezing the trigger in his left hand a smaller turret let loose a torrent of fire, peppering the Geth's shields. Arthur carefully watched for the sign around the Geth and squeezed his other hand to send the armature to the scrapyard. Bolts of plasma blasted in every direction as the machine collapsed to the ground.
"Hell yeah!" Shepard yelled as she drove past its corpse.
"That was fun." Arthur replied.
Up a hill the rover bounced as it hit more cracks in the all-natural roadway. Garrus looked down again at the radar screen keeping an eye out for any more Geth as Shepard throttled them towards a sealed gate. All momentum shifted when rockets started flying from a previously immobile turret as well as a few Geth firing out of a few windows.
"Hang on!" Shepard yelled as she switched gears, gunning the pedal in reverse.
The turret swiveled to meet the turret in front of them and whittled away at its shields. Once they broke the cannon belched fire, and soon enough the Geth turret was as well. Turning right this time the commander took them down a new path, maybe one with less turrets, she was mistaken.
"I've got it!" Arthur stated as he opened fire in the turret ahead.
This time he was using both functions, completely annihilating the turret, but overheating theirs. So as they ran through a group of crates they ran into another Geth ambush. Arthur cursed silently as the heat bar kept the anti-personnel canon locked down. Shepard saw the signs and decided to test the integrity of the armor.
With one hand on the emergency brake she whipped the mobile tank around, running Geth over with ease. She might have been getting a little bit of enjoyment out of it too as she licked her lips. Garrus held onto the arms of his seat for dear life as the mako ran over a Geth hunter. The vessel lurched up and down, a little more than he wanted.
"Finally!" Arthur proclaimed as he started firing at the scattered Geth all around them.
By the time the dust settled, Geth lay everywhere. Arthur stayed on the turret as Shepard and Garrus ran over to the other gatehouse. He sat and waited with the turret aimed at the doorway just in case. Both ran in, guns blazing. Sounds of explosions could be picked up from the cameras mounted on the mako, as well as the silence that followed.
Worry nearly settled in on the cannoneer until the gate slowly came down. A triumphant commander walked out, wiping Geth fluid off of her armor. They rushed back to the mako as fast as they could, slamming the bulkhead shut when they came back in.
Shepard never even buckled in as she slammed her foot down on the pedal again, kicking dirt in every direction. The rover shot over another hill, coming up on a massive lava lake. It took so long until they came under fire again.
Arthur swiveled the gun around, working each Armature's shields down until he could open up with the main gun. Every now and then they nearly toppled over when shots were sent across the lava lake, but Shepard did not care. Geth dropped from a distance away and that is all she wanted.
"Having fun back there?" Shepard called back.
"Fuck yeah commander! I mean...damn it." He yelled back hitting the console.
"Don't have too much fun now." Garrus added, right before they hit another crater. "We should be coming close to a tunnel commander."
"Got it..."
"Commander, there's something large blocking the way up ahead!" Garrus interjected.
Shepard squinted her eyes as they came over the hill, seeing a few Geth scattered around. What caught her off guard was the plasma charge that slammed into the side of the mako. The impact tossed the tank against the closest rock wall, rattling everything and everyone inside. As tight of a grip as she had even Shepard let go of the controls.
"Balancing..." a monotone voice repeated over the sound system.
Internal programming made sure the tank was back on its wheels. Jets swept the mako back up, but the same could not be said for everybody inside. Arthur and Garrus were still picking themselves back up as Shepard frantically regained the controls, throttle into the engine.
"Quinn, you better be fucking ready to shoot at whatever just took a cheap shot at us!" She yelled looking back at the gunner.
"Aye aye commander! I've got it in si...whoa." He stopped just short as he saw the Geth colossus charging up another shot.
"Incoming!" Garrus yelled.
"I know!" Shepard fires back.
Right outside the main gun was working away at the shields, just bringing it down to half health when the rapid fire function overheated. The mako swerved to dodge another blast, flattening a Geth hunter in the process. Whittling down the shields just a bit more Arthur took a shot at its optics. He hoped the shielding, or what was left of it, would be too weak to block anything.
"Direct hit!" Arthur cheered.
Sparks flew out of the gaping hole where the colossus once fired from, collapsing on itself. Shepard turned the wheel to drive around the newly made pile of scrap, taking them up a ramp. As soon as the got in, she leaned back in her seat.
"Just how close are we to her location?" Shepard asked, stretching in place.
"We're not far off Shepard, another lake, a tunnel, and we should be there." Garrus replied.
"So between one and ten, how would you rate that firefight?" Arthur asked with a grin.
"How about fuck you and just watch out for Geth?" She fired back, briefly turning towards the gunner with the meanest look she could give.
Choosing to stay silent the rest of the way there might have been the best idea for him. Shepard was never one to get too friendly with those she fought with. Getting friendly could get in the way of the mission, the battle, and most importantly the enemy. She learned all too well about not getting too attached from Torfan.
Almost going airborne down the hill the mako crushed both of the Geth lying in wait. Arthur never fired a single shot, now letting go of the turret controls and setting the gun to auto-stabilize. He looked down at his omnitool and saw a message pop up. Looking ahead all he saw was rock and lava, with a tunnel in the distance. Since there was no immediate threat he decided to check on the message, update, whatever it was. He typed in a few commands to open the chat and probe away at the sender.
AQ: Who is this?
AQ: Is this Galu?
?: Maybe, maybe not. Would it make you angrier if you found it to be anyone else?
AQ: ... Who are you and what do you want?
?: To be quite frank, I want you. You've wronged me and sometime soon it will be time to pay up, with your life if need be.
AQ: I still need to know who this is, I'm not responding any further until I get the response I want! Now tell me who is this messaging me?
?: Someone with a particular set of skills, maybe a chip on their shoulder.
AQ: Saren? You sent your agents to kill me after all.
?: Nice try but no, guess again.
AQ:... Al-Saddir?
?: No, but for your information he's not who you should be truly concerned about.
AQ: Enough with the threats. Who are you! Last warning!
(Connection terminated)
"Damn it!" Arthur yelled as he closed the app away.
"What the hell is that all about?" Shepard commanded.
"Some asshole I don't know making threats through a messenger app." He shot back.
"Ok, first off lose the fucking attitude. Second, why the hell do you have your omnitool open for something other than combat purposes? We're out in the field Quinn and I need you to man the damn gun! Get your head out of your ass!"
"Aye aye." He replied.
Reaching the other side of the tunnel two Geth stood behind cover, rocket launchers at the ready. Right as the mako shot out of the other side they jumped out in the open, letting loose a barrage of firepower. Arthur saw the two and aimed down the sights, getting ready to take them down when the commander throttled the engine.
Garrus and Arthur fell back in their seats while the commander licked her lips as they ran over the synthetics. Shepard hollered as the last wheels snuffed the sparks from their optics. Her little celebration was cut short when they came across a dead end and a path too small for the tank.
Slamming on the brakes she drew the tank to a stop, throwing the other two aboard forward out of their seats. The commander looked around at three other two shaking her head as she reached for her her helmet under the seat and pistol overhead. Everyone else did the same, following the commander out the side, exposing the inside once more to the hot air.
"This place seems like a real nice vacation spot, we should come back Shepard." Garrus chimed in.
"Can it Vakarian. We don't know what's on the other side and I need full concentration." Shepard replied, causing Arthur to snicker.
The signal was given to move ahead and each drew their weapons. One at a time they went through the opening, scanning the rocky ridges for any signs of Geth. They piled up at the closest group of rocks waiting for the go ahead. Looking around their position Shepard gave them the signal.
"Seems kind of suspicious the Geth aren't moving in force around here. We're practically at the mine." Arthur stated.
Those few words caused the commander to tense up, not from anxiety but from muscle memory. She wished the sensations would go away, all of the premonitions of what may be up ahead. Hope for the best was what always let her down on Torfan, and right now the very same applied to here.
"Contact spotted!" Garrus yelled.
Everyone went to cover as Geth came swarming down the hill. Bolts of energy flew from the squad of synthetics up ahead, keeping their heads pinned down. The commander cursed silently as she tried to gain a grasp of the situation.
Arthur breifly peeked from behind their cover taking aim at a Geth trooper off to the side. With steady aim and a few trigger pulls it fell back on its heels, clutching the hole in its chest. Garrus followed up with an overload on another off to the side, causing its optics to flicker. He too took a few shots at it sending the trooper down to the ground.
Looking around Shepard saw everyone else taking the initiative and primed a grenade in her free hand. Just taking a peek over the rocks through rounds of Geth fire she picked the best spot to throw it at and chucked the explosive their way. All three of the remaining Geth stopped firing and watched as it landed before them, right before they were disintegrated. Parts went flying everywhere as she pumped her fist.
"They're down and out right now, push it!" She yelled.
Both Arthur and Garrus went charging up the hill as the commander hopped over the rock. Each made it up the hill taking cover where they could as more Geth fire came pouring from the area up ahead. Shepard barely made it as a Geth sniper took down her kinetic barriers from afar.
"Shit!" Arthur yelled. "Did it go through your armor?"
The commander shook her head, still trying to catch her breath. "No! Don't worry about me right now and start firing on those snipers dammit!"
Garrus was first to respond putting his auto rifle away for something more precise. Down the scope which just popped out he saw an optic each staring down at them from the towers on the hills above. A simple squeeze of the trigger took out the one on the highest ridge whereas the other was quick to respond. Just as he went to take another shot he was sent back into cover by a close call.
On the other side Arthur decided to deploy something of his own. He waited as a couple of Geth troopers came charging up the hill guns blazing. Shepard took out the first one as it came it came up and stopped as the other froze in place, quickly turning around and sending shots towards the other Geth down the hill.
In the confusion the saboteur ran down behind his borrowed squadmate and used it for cover as he took a few shots at the tower off to his right. Sliding down towards a rock he fired a few shots off at the tower, dropping the sniper perched up on high. Garrus never hesitated a moment longer as he came charging behind Arthur, firing shots off toward the Geth above.
Shepard stayed back with a sniper rifle now at the ready, shaking her head at the display. Scoping in on the ridge above she fired in on the first Geth in her sights, sending sparks out the other side as it dropped. Waiting until the right moment came she too ran up with the rest of the squad moving towards a nice sized boulder off to the side.
More fire came down from up above, sending the once controlled Geth below to the ground. Seeing another opportunity, Shepard charged her biotics, focusing on the Geth destroyer coming down the hill. With the power of her mind and much more she lifted the synthetic up in the air with the greatest of ease, making it an easy target.
The entire squad ripped the Geth apart, sending bits and pieces everywhere. Once Garrus threw an overload at the trooper on the ridge everything stopped. A powerless shell fell before them, dropping its rifle as well.
Area now clear, Shepard called on the other two to follow her up the hill. On their way they stepped over a few deactivated Geth. Parts lay everywhere as well as whatever fluid the Geth used, maybe blood.
"Damn Quinn, what did you use on that Geth earlier?" Garrus asked.
"Well...I've used it before on mechs so I thought it might work on the Geth since they seem to operate the same way." He replied checking the sights on his rifle.
Not even looking ahead he accidentally bumped into the commander, standing back and facing him. "First you check your omnitool messages in a combat area like a damn teenager, then you pull that theatrical bullshit back there because it worked on a mech? Are you fucking stupid!? You could have gotten us killed!" She yelled, punching him in the chest with a little biotic help.
Arthur fell flat on his butt, dropping his rifle off to the side. To say that he was the only one surprised would be a lie, Garrus looked back and forth between the two, puzzled at the sudden outburst. What made everything worse was the following reaction.
Bolting up from where he lay, Arthur's adrenaline kicked in as he picked his rifle up, making sure to aim it at the ground below. Shepard readied her biotics, a grin forming underneath her helmet. The temptation to fight back against her was strong, but he knew better.
"Are you done commander?" Arthur replied, checking his rifle.
Shepard grinned, "Ok Quinn, we'll talk about your field discipline later."
She turned around motioning for the squad to follow her. Not once did she see Quinn telling her how great a commander she was. Garrus rolled his eyes at the two. His first true mission with humans and this is how they acted?
Up ahead was the entrance to the mine, a wide area littered with crates. Catwalks and towers looked over them as they made their way toward the entrance jutting out of the hill. Right as they passed under the first catwalk Shepard held her hand up high enough for everybody to see.
"Did you hear that?" She asked, scanning the area around.
"No, hear what?" Garrus asked.
"The fuck!?" Arthur yelled as he opened fire on a nearby wall.
Everybody scrambled for cover as Geth leaped from the crates all around. None of them had ever seen anything like it, the way he newer Geth latched onto walls and bent in ways an organic never could. No matter what they could do, they would still be gunned down.
Taking out his shotgun, Arthur waited for a certain Geth to come his way. Right when he heard it magnetize itself on the closest wall he sprang from cover and blasted it away. Turning in place he blasted away at another one of the fighters. Flighty as they were, they waited all too long in place to take their shots.
Just as the firefight seemed to be going their way a Geth dropship came soaring out of the clouds. The fire team ran for cover expecting a barrage, only to catch a glimpse of something large dropping down. Dust flew in every direction as they tried to get sights on whatever it was up ahead.
"Anybody got eyes on whatever the Geth just dropped in?!" Shepard yelled.
"I can make out a few soldiers, but that's...Wait I see something else." Garrus replied as he looked down his scope.
Their answer came in a ball of hot energy, blasting away at the pile of boxes Shepard was hiding behind. Arthur started off by hacking the closest Geth unit, sending it on a frenzy against the others. It's efforts only lasted as long as the hack when the Armature blasted it to pieces.
Garrus used the opportunity to land a shot on the Armature's optics. He waited to see it maybe flicker or dim, only to run when it tossed another blast his way. As it refocused itself so did the team, all gathering up behind another pile of crates.
"Our guns aren't making much of a dent in that things shields. We need to come up with something new, we need something heavier." Garrus said, almost out of breath.
"Wish we could bring the Mako up here." Arthur replied.
"I might have an idea. Just give me some covering fire." Shepard replied, glowing brightly.
Both went into action rushing over towards a broken down mining vehicle. They waited for the Armature to fire a blast and then peeled out of cover with their weapons at the ready. Rounds went off into the Geth, making small dents in its shield. None of them looked off to the side to see what the commander was making in the palms of her hands.
Jumping out of cover she let loose a ball of biotic energy. The impact sent the Geth reeling on its hind legs, it's shield now down. Arthur aimed for one of its legs with the commander, at first crippling it then snapping it in half. In the firefight Garrus took aim and fired straight into its optics.
A small explosion came from its head as sparks flew everywhere. The Armature listed from side to side, eventually collapsing into a heap. Dust flew everywhere as they all tried to get a view on the newly made pile of junk. Arthur walked first towards it, rifle at the ready. He was halfway there when he had a stasis field thrown on him.
"And...just...where the hell do you think you're going?" Shepard sorely asked, slowly marching towards him.
"I'm inspecting the Geth just to make..."
"I didn't tell you to move Quinn. You wait for the rest of your squad whether you want to or not!" Shepard fired back.
Arthur sighed as the rest of his squad caught up. The commander simply walked past, pulling out her handgun. Approaching the Geth she aimed it at the head and took a few shots, even kicked it for extra measure.
"Good work Garrus, now let's get into the mine shall we?" She said, shoving her way past an already agitated Quinn.
All three stormed up the ramp, running in as Shepard locked the door behind them. Making her way back up to the front of the group she led the charge into the depths below. The sounds of condensation dripping from the cave ahead filled the tube along with their footfalls. As they closed in on the catwalks however, that all changed.
Sounds of Geth chiming to one another echoed all throughout the tube. Shepard charged ahead with her biotics at the ready, blasting through the closest Geth in front of her. Garrus and Arthur stayed back, allowing the commander to rip everything up ahead while they watched for stragglers.
Right out of her field of view a few rocket drones came up from the lower floors. Arthur watched as one of the leaping Geth from earlier latched on the ceiling above. He set his omnitool to a certain setting, gaining brief control over it.
The Geth dropped from the ceiling latching to the drone and firing away at the flying turret. Eventually it reached a vital compartment at the base of the head, causing it to explode. Parts went flying everywhere. Shrapnel hit the commander's barriers, only making her angrier than she already was. Garrus overloaded one of the drones hovering by the elevator on the other side of the cave. Sparks flew out of it as went down into the cave below, exploding at the bottom.
In a fit of rage Shepard charged her biotics and threw it right at the last one, holding it in place. Then as she held both of her hands out she pushed towards the cave wall, sending it crashing against the rock. Letting go she let parts fall down to the ground below, bouncing off of whatever surfaces there were on the ground.
Suddenly Shepard lost her footing, falling to the ground. Arthur ran up to her first, lending a hand to help her up. Right as he got a grip on her arm she shoved it away, pulling herself up with he help of a nearby crate. He just shook his head as she marched towards the other end of the catwalk, Garrus in tow.
"What are you two doing?" She asked in a demanding tone. "Did I saw that you could go ahead without..."
"Commander the area is secure!" Arthur fired back. "We're merely moving forward to check out the area ahead and this field."
"Did you just fucking talk back to me?!" She shouted back, stomping towards him now.
"Yes ma'am!" Arthur replied. "You might be leading this squad, but it's like my drill told me, can't keep up, then get left behind."
Garrus mumbled something under his breath as he walked closer to the field, not even wanting to take in the carnage that was about to be unleashed behind him. Arthur on the other hand wanted to see the look on her face, see how far he had gotten under her skin. The blue glow surrounding the commander told him just so.
"You know, I don't like subordinates talking shit like you are." She stated poking right in the middle of his chest for emphasis.
Arthur scoffed, "Oh so we're just lackeys now are we? I thought we were a squad of experts, a team."
Grabbing the collar of his armor she brought his face close to hers. "This may be a squad, but it's my squad. In my squad you do what I say when I say it, you don't take a shit unless ordered to. This goes for you too Vakarian!"
The Turian turned around as soon as she brought him up and saluted. Refocusing on Arthur she shoved him away and tried to shove him off to the side. What she never expected was him acting like an immovable object. She tried to shove him out of the way but he still stood right in front of her.
"Look, you may be the one 'leading' the charge against Saren, but I'm not going to listen to a crazy bitch order me around. It's not how I play." He replied with a twitch in his eye. "Stop shoving me and Garrus around like we're nothing and maybe you'll earn some respect."
Turning around he motioned for Garrus to follow him. He looked in between the two for a moment before he followed Arthur into the elevator standing inside as the commander stood in place. Arthur shook his head as he called the commander inside.
"Come on Commander, we've got a doctor to save." He shouted.
It took only a moment before Shepard marched over to the elevator moving inside next to the control panel. Garrus moved as far as he could into the far back corner and stayed quiet as the elevator made its way down. Only the screeching of metal against metal made its voice heard throughout the cavern
Nobody made a move or a sound against one or the other, even when the lift came to a grinding halt. The door crackled and zapped with electricity as it came up. Shepard was first to hop out of the mess followed by the rest of the squad. She pulled out her handgun and surveyed the area ahead, maybe expecting Geth. What they were not expecting were cries from down below.
"Hello? Is anybody out there?! Please I'm stuck in this field!" A voice yelled from below.
One by one they dropped down the broken catwalks, making almost to the ground floor. They all stopped short of an Asari as they saw a field up in front of them. Arthur was the first to test it and waved his omnitool in front of him. He hoped something would happen and tried again.
"I don't think that's going to work but maybe if you keep trying it just might." Shepard said with a grin.
"I could have told you that." The Asari replied. "When the Geth came I panicked and activated the panel behind me. A field came up immediately afterwards, stopping the Geth from coming through... Speaking of which, do you know why they are here beyond the Perseus Veil?"
"We'll need to talk about that later." Arthur replied, switching off his omnitool. "Right now we need to get you out of there miss?"
"Hmm? Oh right! T'Soni, Dr. Liara T'Soni."
Turning away from the struggling doctor Arthur almost ran into Shepard, arms crossed ever so confidently. He just moved around her and towards the catwalk behind, waving his omnitool at a large laser just down from him. She just scoffed at him, looking up and down at the field before her.
"And just what are you thinking up now Quinn? How are we going to get the good doctor out?" She said with a grin.
"Well now that my scan is finished I just realized that we can use the mining laser to burrow underneath. Bet the Geth never figured that one out." He shot back.
The commander rolled her eyes as he leapt to the ground below. Garrus just shrugged and followed him down. Reaching out for the side panel, Arthur wielded his omnitool as the squad finally caught up.
"Are you sure this isn't just going to destroy us all?" Shepard asked, a hint of anger in her tone.
"Absolutely commander, I think that..."
"GETH!" Garrus yelled as he pulled out his rifle.
Shepard leveled her handgun as they both went for cover. Arthur quickly shut off his omnitool and ran towards the closest rock. The crossfire coming from the Geth pelted their cover as they tried to find an opening to retaliate.
"Take this scrap heap!" Arthur yelled as he tossed an overload on the closest Geth.
As big as it was, the Geth hunter still took some damage. Shepard finished it off by tossing it into a Geth trooper behind it, smashing both against a mining truck. As soon as they both went down Garrus popped out of cover to send some shots out when one of the leaper Geth landed on top of him.
"Spirits!" Garrus yelled as his rifle went flying across the cave floor.
The commander held her composure as Arthur unsheathed a knife from its holster. He sprinted at the Geth, switching his grip as he landed on top of it. The impact threw it off, and Garrus as he straddled its back. Locking it into place he took the knife and jabbed it into the optics.
Arthur shoved the robotic husk off him as he got up, yanking the knife out of its host. While he was helping Garrus off the ground Shepard threw weapon off to the side, glowing a bright blue. Soon the two remaining Geth were hovering in the air, and just as they were right in front of them, they were gone. The biotic blast sent them slamming against a nearby rock wall, throwing Geth bits everywhere.
"So...the, uh...laser." Shepard replied, huffing as she reached to pick up her gun.
"I'll get on it." Arthur replied, opening up his omnitool again as he ran over to the drill. "Got it!"
A loud whirring filled the chamber as the laser charged up. A bright red light filled the space along with an even louder noise. Rocks went flying everywhere and parts of the catwalks above fell off. Garrus jumped on Shepard as a sizable chunk of rock nearly crushed her.
Arthur turned away from the new opening right before him to check on the sight behind. Running over he tried to help both of them up, and watched as Shepard tried to hide her face. Garrus brushed himself off as he cleared his throat.
"You ok commander?" He replied sheepishly. The immediate response was a hand to the face and a nice mark to boot. She shoved both of them out of the way as she marched over towards the hole in the wall.
"What did you do?" Arthur asked, whispering.
Garrus scratched the side of his head. "I don't know. I think it might have to do with the new mark on her face."
"What new Mark?"
"The one that looks like my visor...I hope I didn't damage her sight too bad." He replied, rubbing the back of his head.
Arthur facepalmed. "Let's worry about that later, right now we...we." he started as he stared off into the distance.
Sitting on top of one of the crates was a familiar figure, a hole in her mask. Garrus looked back and forth between Arthur and the space around them, confused. He only continued on, hand trembling as he hid it behind his back.
"Shit not now."
Reaching out, Garrus laid a hand on his shoulder and shook him. "Arthur, are you all ri..."
"What the fuck are you two doing back there?!" Shepard yelled. "Fucks sake, you can admire our handiwork later now come on!" She yelled, standing there for a movement longer as she stared at Arthur. "What's up with him?"
Shaking his head Arthur shoved Garrus away. "Just uh, checking to see if the Geth are dead commander...just making sure."
(One year ago...)
"Are we sure they're all dead?" Arthur asked.
"Only one way to find out." Tuvok replied.
Leveling his shotgun he aimed it at the corpses head and squeezed. Blood splattered all over the ground, only confirming what they knew. Turning to the nearby console Arthur opened up his omitool. Typing in code after code as the Krogan beside him examined his shotgun.
"You know how much you baby that thing?" Arthur asked.
Tuvok snickered. "Baby it? Please Quinn, you know how often I like to get up close and personal. I have to run a weapons check every time the gunfire stops, otherwise I get some assholes last thoughts stuck in the barrel."
With a swipe on the interface the entire system opened up to him. Tuvok whistled as screen after screen with information popped up. Each screen contained a dossier on the prisoners kept here, including one target they were looking for.
"Damn. How many times do I have to plow a Quarian to get those kinds of skills?" Tuvok asked, immediately getting an elbow to the gut.
"Shut up." Arthur replied. "For your information it's free, also we need to be in deck 'E'."
"Deck E?" Tuvok replied, looking around. "Aren't we on deck A?"
"Yep."
"So that means we get to mulch more of the guards?" He questioned, cocking his shotgun.
"I mean, if that's what you want to do. We could always just do it the clean way." Arthur replied, shrugging his shoulders.
Shoving the human out of his way Tuvok reached for the controls of the door, choosing to smash the keypad instead. As soon as the door opened a couple of guards trying to get in were met with a few shotgun blasts. Arthur followed suit, shaking his head as he tried to keep up with the one Krogan wrecking crew.
"RAAAAAAAAAUGH!" Tuvok yelled.
Guards were sent scrambling as he knocked out a guard with an LMG. The Krogan licked his lips as he unleashed a steam of chaos out on the populace before him. Their cries for help echoed across the walls, mixed with the yells of Turok.
All Arthur did was cleanup behind him. Every now and then he would come across a stray guard crawling across the floor or maybe one like he found trying to put his arm back on somehow and ended him. Carnage like this was not new to him, though it would have fazed the average human.
As soon as he could he caught up with Turok's last known location. The elevator door was wide open, revealing a vast chamber down below. Looking around he put away his shotgun and activated a few functions on his gauntlets. Taking a few steps back he ran forward and jumped for the other side of the shaft.
"Let's just hope the magnets don't fail." He said to himself as he jumped down.
(Present Day...)
Shepard stood by as Arthur ran his fingers over the virtual keyboard. Alien symbols were hard to decipher but with the codex he pulled of the extranet he was able to translate commands. The bubble field dropped around the doctor, fading then completely disappearing.
"Aaaah!" Liara yelled as she fell to the floor. Garrus ran in past the commander to catch her and slid right underneath.
"Thank you." She said looking down at him.
"Your welcome." A muffled reply came from between her thighs.
Shepard helped a blushing Liara up as Arthur did the same with Garrus, a light snicker between the two. Nobody else noticed the exchange, just stopping before they got on the elevator. A handgun came out as Shepard held it chest level with the doctor.
"Commander, what the hell?!" Arthur exclaimed.
"I want a question or two answered and you're going to answer them right now. Why were the Geth trying to get to you if you're related to Matriarch Benezia?"
Hands in the air she replied, "I don't know, we haven't spoken in years! Commander, I think it would be wise to leave now."
A boulder came crashing down the elevator shaft making Garrus and Liara flinch. Shepard never budged for a moment, pushing the barrel into the doctor's gut. Another rock came down from the ceiling above along with a series of light fixtures.
"I decide when we leave! The mission comes first and I'm going to get my damn answers! Answer me this, just how many other Geth did you count while you were in there?"
"Uh, not too many more. There was a Krogan battlemaster along with a few others, some Geth." She replied, breathing a sigh of relief when the commander put her weapon away.
"Ok doctor, get us out of here." Shepard commanded.
Without hesitating a second more she ran over to the closest terminal typing in a series of commands. The others joined her, surprised at her knowledge of the Prothean language. Below them the lift jolted as it started it's ascent. Everybody was readying their weapons and checking heat sinks on the way up.
"A battlemaster? I don't think I've come across any of those." Garrus stated, checking the scope on his rifle.
"You can thank the genophage for that." Arthur replied.
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing." Garrus replied.
"Not to you maybe, but to some people..." he stopped as he checked his cyberwarfare apps. "...It literally is the worst thing possible."
As the lift came to a stop at the top everybody paused at the sight before them. A Krogan in heavy armor stood by with a sizable contingent of Geth all around him. Liara slowly started backing away when Shepard grabbed her wrist.
"Give us the Asari and nobody has to die, or not." He yelled.
"How about this?!" Shepard retorted, throwing him backwards.
The Geth around him took the action as a threat and opened fire. Hot bolts plastered the area around them, including the Asari that had just thrown up a barrier around them. Shepard took the reprieve to charge her biotics and then charged out of cover to press the attack.
Arthur ran out next, hacking one of the nearby troops and laying down some fire with his handgun. Reaching down to his side he detached a small, boxlike object and typed in a few commands into his omnitool. Then looking around his cover he tossed it onto the ceiling above. The cube transformed into a turret, a singular barrel laying down fire on the Geth from above.
He cringed as the hacked Geth was hacked apart by a hunter and laid down some fire on the ones charging at his position. Just as one hopped over his cover he unsheathed a knife and buried it right into its optics, sending it straight to the ground. One Geth crumbled and another took its place. The hunter from earlier had closed in with its shields down and Arthur knew.
Coming in for the kill it thrusted it's weapon forward, throwing him to the ground. His handcannon flew off to the side, all to the Geth's advantage. Pinning his arms to the ground with its legs it aimed its weapon right at his face. Arthur could feel the heat coming from the barrel, closing his eyes to possibly shield himself from certain death, but if never came. The hunter was floating in the air, caught in a biotic field.
Off to the side Liara stood, sweating profusely now as she lowered the barrier around her and Garrus. With what strength she had she threw the hunter against the wall headfirst. The other Geth around them saw the display and started backing up, almost like any organic would in fear.
Once the Geth were being pressed back, the Krogan battlemaster was back on his feet, angrier than before. He roared as he charged at the commander head first. She barely had any time to dodge the attack before he slammed right into her side, knocking her out of a soldier's grip.
Garrus saw the attack and charged forward out of the cover, leaving Liara to defend herself. A harsh spray of fire spewed out of his assault rifle, up until the heat sink overloaded, and even then he never brought the battlemaster's barriers down. Tossing it off to the side he leapt on the Krogan, trying to throw him off Shepard, only to be shoved off.
"Ha! What do you think a scrawny Turian like you is going to do? Show more courage welp!" The Krogan said with a smile.
Unlike before the former C-Sec officer leapt from where he fell, charging wholeheartedly this time at the Krogan in front. Out of his rage he could never see his plans coming together. Just before he could make another attempt at freeing the commander the soldier from earlier jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground.
Up above Arthur's turret overheated, exploding from the damage it had taken. Arthur looked over to see Liara passed out behind the elevator console, and right out front were Garrus and the commander surrounded by two more Geth. Running through all the options in his head, he knew there was only one choice.
Compressing a compartment on his back a medium sized blade unfolded out. He reached for the grip and readied it as he ran out of cover. The first two Geth guarding the battlemaster turned to open fire, only to get their optics blown out by few blasts from an overcompensated handgun. Heatsink at its peak he holstered it at his side and pressed the attack with his sword.
The battlemaster was able to catch a glimpse of his oncoming attacker, holding one of his punches just long enough to pull out a blade of his own. He grinned as Arthur ran up to him, clashing steel with his own. The sounds reminded the Krogan of home.
"Nice weapon human, it looks Krogan...say, why do you have a Krogan blade?" He said as he forced Arthur on his heels.
"It...belonged...to a friend of mine!" Arthur shouted back, surprising the Krogan with his strength.
"He must have been quite the friend. Blades like that don't come for free." He replied, straining against his opponent.
"You're right...he died to give me his blade."
Using what consciousness and strength she had left, Shepard used her biotics to trip up the Krogan. The sudden shift caused him to lose his grip and leave just enough of an opening for Arthur to give him death's stroke. Lunging in he spun and slashed at the Krogan's neck, spraying the immediate area and himself with blood. Then with another swipe he severed the Krogan's head entirely.
Adrenaline running through his veins he roared as he charged at the Geth wailing on Garrus and kicked it off him. In one motion he jammed the blade through its throat, or at least where the throat would be, and pulled with all of his strength to the side. With enough force from him and the joints in his suit he slashed through one side of it, splattering Geth matter on the ground. Its optics began to flicker in and out as he finished it off with another swipe, covering the ground beneath in a bright white fluid.
Arms trembling he let the blade go, falling to his hands and knees. He never saw Garrus or Shepard get up to run and help up the now slightly conscious Asari doctor. Reaching off to the side he picked it up by the hilt and stored it in its proper compartment.
"What are you doing Quinn? The whole damn place is coming apart!" Shepard yelled as Garrus ran ahead.
"I'm coming command..."
"I SAID GET TOUR FUCKING ASS IN GEAR!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.
Jumping to his feet he bolted towards the catwalk ahead, steps behind Shepard. They both felt as part of the ceiling behind them slammed on the catwalk sending it down below. With just enough speed they made it to the entry tube just before the supports gave way. The whole catwalk came apart right behind them as they sprinted for the exit, side by side.
Daylight flooded in as Garrus opened the door, Liara leaning against him. They didn't even look back as a sudden burst of heat came up behind them. The blast threw both Arthur and Shepard our of the mineshaft and down the walkway, almost tripping up Garrus.
Finally hitting the dirt below, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief finally getting a chance to slow down. Up above the Normandy soared closer and closer, eventually coming down close enough to board. The ramp dropped down along with Wrex, Kaiden and Ashley.
Garrus was helped first, taking Liara out of his hands. Then Kaiden came for the commander, putting her arm over his shoulder before the trudged off to the ship. Ashley ran over to check on Arthur, eyes widening at the bloodstains on his armor. The first thing she did was to check for injuries, a blood sweep. Arthur shoved her hand away shaking his head.
"I'm not hurt..." he said taking a breath. "...just, just got in a big fight."
"Must have been a damn big one. I had no idea Geth had blood." She replied, a smile on her face.
"No...not Geth...Krogan."
Thankfully she was not the inquisitive type. She simply helped him to his feet and brought him aboard with the others. Quickly the ramp behind them closed and the familiar feeling of artificial gravity and take off kicked in.
Just like his CO always told him, "That feeling of climbing aboard a ship, right off a victory...that's the closest thing to sex as you're ever going to get son."