The Red Moon Collection - 1 - Starside

Chapter 6

MSV Hyperion, Docking Bay E-14, Omega

"So is that everything?"

Shansa spoke from the doorway of the Hyperion's airlock as Tul'Sorrin and Will approached pushing two dollies loaded with crates and footlockers. Will looked up to see her leaning casually against the bulkhead with a half-eaten seela fruit in her hand, a treat of Thessian origin that she often purchased when they docked at a station with decent trade connections. Will's purchases, on the other hand, were far less personally indulgent. The crates he and Tul pushed along contained a colorful variety of items ranging from food supplies to medi-gel, along with a few tightly sealed footlockers filled with weapon mods and even a few explosives.

"Should be."

Will pushed his dolly into the airlock as he answered and pushed it flush with the interior hatch. He turned and waved Tul'Sorrin up and directed him to push the second cart in as well.

"Did Eleena finish inspecting the hull?" Will glanced to Shansa and motioned for her to enter the airlock.

Shansa stepped in and tapped the control panel, beginning the decontamination sequence. "Yep. She said there was no significant damage."

As the outer airlock door shut the fine, decontaminating mist began to fill the chamber. Shansa quickly lifted the bottom of her shirt and used it to cover her seela fruit. She looked over the Tul as he stood watching the two humans.

"So Tul, are you gonna stay with us for a little while?" Shansa sounded hopeful as she asked.

The quarian nodded once. "Yes. For the time being."

Shansa smiled brightly. "Two new shipmates in less than a week. We're gonna be a real crew before long." She glanced to Will with a teasing grin.

Tul looked to the inner door as it began to slid apart. "Well, I think I'm technically just a passenger at the moment."

Will slid between the bulkhead and his dolly and stepped into the hall. He grabbed the front handlebar on the dolly and began hauling it toward the cargo bay. Tul and Shansa handled the other cart, bringing it into the hall and waiting for Will to return. After pushing the dolly into the cargo bay and locking it against the wall, Will turned back into the forward hall and nodded to the living quarters.

"Most of this stuff goes in there," he commented as Tul gave a push and slid the cart into the dining and living area.

Shansa nodded toward the cargo bay door. "What's in that one?"

Eleena entered the hall from the cargo bay. "Yeah, I thought we were getting food and meds. What's all that junk?"

Tul stepped into the hall with the others and glanced to Will. The human hesitated briefly before clearing his throat.

"How about I pitch you my plan for getting rid of the orb and killer batarian problem?" Will looked to the Eleena and Shansa as they stood beside one another.

"By all means," Eleena replied.

Shansa took a bite from her seela fruit and held it toward Eleena. The asari accepted the offer and grasped the fruit, taking a bite for herself before handing it back to Shansa, all while the two looked to Will.

"Alright... I think we should head back to Lorek and search the facility for anything that might give us insight toward the batarians' whereabouts and motive. That crate I put in the cargo bay is full of mods and combat supplies. You know, just in case." Will's eyes darted between the two women as he awaited their response.

Eleena shrugged and crossed her arms. "So... go to the research facility and poke around. Not much of a plan, is it?"

"Got a better idea?" Will raised a brow.

"Sadly, no," Eleena admitted flatly. "Shansa?"

Shansa took a bite from the ever-shrinking fruit and shook her head. "Nope."

Eleena gave along sigh as she stretched her back. "Okay. Fuck it. Let's go to Lorek."

"Try to contain your enthusiasm," Will remarked with a smirk. "This might be our only chance to shine some light on the situation."

Tul took a step toward the group and nodded. "He's right. There could be any number of things there that might lead us in the right direction. Security footage, shipping manifests, active research..."

Shansa finished her seela fruit with a final bite. "Alright. As long as I get to stay on the ship."

"Absolutely. Now get us clearance to leave and set us on course for Lorek," Will nodded to Shansa.

"Aye aye, Cap'n," Shansa trotted off toward the cockpit, tossing the core of the fruit into Will's hand as she passed by.

Will caught the core and leaned through the door of the living quarters, tossing it across the room and into the sink to deal with later. As he turned back to the hall he could see that Eleena was already hurrying back to the engineering compartment. Tul stood patiently a few feet away.

Will gave him a small smile. "Thanks for the plan, Tul."

"Anytime, Captain," the quarian replied. "And by the way, I will gladly accompany you into the facility if you so desire. I have a feeling you might need my technical expertise."

Will looked Tul up and down quickly. "Can you handle yourself in a fight?"

"I've lived alone in the Terminus Systems for nearly ten years." Tul motioned toward the pistol at his side. "And the ship I grew up on in the flotilla had mandatory security training for all able-bodied crew."

Will glanced down to the sidearm. "You know I picked up a few weapons on Omega if you want something with a little more punch."

Tul'Sorrin activated his crimson omnitool and tapped a few buttons, causing the orange and yellow tech drones that had accompanied him on the space station to appear at his side. Will smirked as he recognized the implication.

"Issuing orders to these two keeps me pretty occupied in a fight. I think my pistol is enough for now." Tul waved his hand, causing the drones to blink out of sight.

Will felt the ship shift slightly as it began to drift away from Omega and accelerate into the traffic lane that would take them into open space.

"Looks like we're on our way," he remarked. "We'd better rest up. It'll be a fun day on Lorek."


"Entering the storm. We'll be at the facility in five minutes."

Will glanced up as Shansa's voice rang out from above them. He had a lot to do in the next five minutes; half of his armor was still sitting in the locker in front of him. He quickly tightened his chest piece into place and began working on his biceps. While Will worked on his arms he looked across the bunk room to see Eleena was already fitting the final pieces of her armor. Tul sat on what he had claimed as his bunk and was doing work on his omnitool that caused his shields to flicker on and off. Will assumed he was getting diagnostics of some sort.

"I was hoping the weather would be better this time around." Will directed the comment toward Eleena as he finished fastening his gloves.

"I wouldn't hold your breath if we come back for a third visit," she stated. "Lorek has perpetual storm fronts moving from south to north. I betcha this is one of them."

"Uggh. I hate the rain," Tul muttered.

Eleena stretched out as she got used to her fully armored body. "I thought your suit was enviro-controlled. How the fuck would you even know that rain is irritating?"

Tul'Sorrin shrugged. "I don't like a wet mask. Makes it hard to see."

Will grinned as he finished suiting himself up. "He's got a point."

Eleena gave a "true enough" smirk as she slid her helmet into place. Will did the same and brought up his omnitool to do a quick ready check for his shield and comm system. He looked up to see Eleena and Tul'Sorrin had approached him and were standing at the ready. He glanced to either one of them and realized for the first time that he was actually leading these people. Will subdued what he deemed childish excitement and grabbed his M-15 hanging in the locker, sliding it onto his back.

"Alright." Will took a deep breath. "Let's get this done. I wanna check every inch of every room in that facility, got it?"

"Got it, boss," Eleena replied with a nod.

"Of course. Might I suggest that I locate their security database first and work from there?" Tul was still working on his omnitool as he asked.

"When Eleena and I were here before I noticed a security room near the entrance. Why don't you start there while she and I do a sweep for anything physical," Will looked to Eleena. She nodded in agreement.

Tul finally deactivated his omnitool and looked up with a nod of affirmation. "Acknowledged, Captain."

"Heads up," Shansa's voice announced. "We're gonna be setting down in about thirty seconds."

He turned and exited into the hall, giving a look toward the cockpit as he did before making his way to the airlock and opening the first door. He stepped back and nodded for Eleena and Tul'Sorrin to enter ahead of him. As he took his first step into the airlock behind them Shansa's voice broke over the comm once again.

"Will! Get up here!"

He raised a finger to Eleena and Tul. "Wait here." Will quickly spun on his heel and ran to the cockpit, ducking in and looking down to Shansa. "What's wrong?"

She nodded to the viewport. Will leaned down and peered through the large window before him. It was tough to see with the driving rain, but Will immediately located the issue: a black Kodiak dropship sat stationary at the center of the landing platform. The dropship appeared to have its thrusters deactivated and, even more worrisome, looked unoccupied. Will felt his heart drop; their job just become much more complicated.

"Damn it. Do you see any decals? Is it the local authorities?" Despite his asking, Will was sure Shansa saw nothing, just as he did.

"No idea." She paused for a moment. "What should I do?"

Will sighed and stood back up. "Take us in near the edge of the platform. We'll jump out and head in."

"Be careful," Shansa quickly demanded.

"I will. Circle around nearby in case we need to evac."

"You got it," Shansa nosed the ship forward and began rotating to bring the starboard side up to the landing platform.

Will took one last look at the Kodiak before turning and making his way back to the airlock. Eleena leaned against the wall of the decontamination chamber with her arms crossed while Tul'Sorrin looked down to his M-3 Predator, checking over the heat venting systems. Will reached for his rifle as he stepped into the chamber and shut the inner airlock door behind him. Eleena looked down to his rifle and stood up from the wall.

"What's going on?" The asari reached for her SMG, holding it at her side.

Will turned off the safety on his rifle. "We might have company."

Tul'Sorrin looked up from his pistol. "Company?"

Before he could say more Will had reached over to the door controls and opened the outer airlock. Rain and heavy winds immediately began filling the room as the door slid apart to reveal the gray, desolate hillside they had visited a few days before. The group stepped up to the outer bulkhead and looked out as the Hyperion slowly descended to just a few feet from the landing pad, offering them all a view of the complication that Shansa had spotted.

"Well, shit," Eleena stated bluntly.

With a clearer view than before Will could see that the black Kodiak had a registration number printed on one of the tail thrusters. As the Hyperion leveled off about a meter from the surface of the landing pad he jumped down and whipped his rifle to attention. Eleena and Tul leapt to the ground behind him with their own weapons readied. Despite being full armored Will could tell that the rain was as bad or worse than it was before. He hurried from the edge of the platform to where the Kodiak was landed and knelt beside it with Eleena and Tul falling into position at his side. He lowered his weapon and activated his comm link to Shansa.

"We're clear."

"I'll be nearby. Call if you need me." As she spoke the airlock on the side of the ship slid shut.

Will watched as the Hyperion's thrusters fully ignited and the ship ascended back into the nearly-black clouds above them.

"Tul, follow me." Will ordered as he moved along the side of the dropship.

As they reached the tail thruster with the printed ID Tul pulled up his omnitool and nodded toward the numbers. "Want me to run a search?"

"Read my mind," Will replied as he leaned out from behind the shuttle.

As Will peered around the edge of the Kodiak he could see the doors of the facility were still open, either from their previous visit or whoever was here now. Unlike last time, however, the base of the walls were lined with dim, red emergency lights that looked to provide enough light to anyone who might want to look around.

"Hey Eleena," Will waited as the asari stepped around Tul and up by his side. "Take a look."

She leaned around the shuttle briefly. "At least they were kind enough to turn the lights on for us."

"Maybe they set out snacks, too," Will muttered as he glanced back down to Tul'Sorrin. "Tul, you find anything?"

The quarian shook his head. "Private registration. That's all I'm getting."

Will took a deep breath to calm his nerves and raised his rifle. "Alright, let's move."

His squad nodded affirmatively and raised their weapons as Will slowly moved out from behind the Kodiak. He kept his eyes and scope trained at the center of the open double-wide cargo doors as he took his first step toward the facility, activating his weapon's flashlight as he did so; behind him two more lights illuminated. His steps were cautious, but not timid, as the gap between the group and the doors closed. As they grew closer Will could see that the bodies that had been sprawled across the entrance hall were now lined against the wall on one side, the red emergency lights giving them an eerie back-glow. The driving rain ceased as they moved under the awning and into the security checkpoint. Will activated his comm, still holding his rifle up as he did.

"Tul, there's the security room," Will stated with a nod to the large glass window to their left.

"I see it. The door is probably just around the corner," Tul responded.

Without the rain diminishing his sight Will moved much quicker as they filed through the inner doors. Tul looked down to the dead bodies as the walked by.

"Were they dead when you were here last time?" He sounded a bit shaken.

"Yeah," Eleena responded quickly as they walked through puddles of semi-dry blood. "But they weren't all nicely lined up."

"Maybe it is the planetary authorities," Will suggested as the turned to the left.

Tul let out a disapproving 'hmm'. "They took a shuttle with enough room for a dozen officers, but didn't leave anyone to guard the door? I doubt it."

"Good point," Will noted as they rounded the corner to an open door.

After a brief once-over with his light Will stepped aside and motioned for Tul. The quarian holstered his pistol and hurried through the door. After a few seconds he located what appeared to be a networked terminal for the station's security. The monitor, along with a few others, was already activated.

"Someone used this terminal about an hour ago," Tul informed them. "All the security doors have been unlocked already."

"Can you access any of the security records or vids?" Will and Eleena continued to keep their eyes on the hallway as he asked.

On the wall before them the light from the security terminal phased and danced as Tul'Sorrin worked.

"It looks like they are both archived at the end of each day, but the archive is encrypted. It will take me some time to access it." Tul had already begun his work as he informed them of the situation.

Will glanced over to Eleena. "We should poke around while he works on that. See if we can't find anything laying around that we can use."

"And if we run into our guests?" Eleena looked back to him.

"If they attack us we'll attack back. That's kinda the point of bringing guns."

"Yeah, thanks for the info, Captain Smart-ass. I meant what if we run into them and they turn out to be a whole squad of salarian STG or something?" Eleena shook her head in irritation.

Will's grin was concealed behind his helmet; he was starting to enjoy teasing her. "Throw some biotics at them and we run. Simple enough."

"How the fuck have you survived this long?" Eleena let out a sigh. "Fine, let's go. But you're taking point."

"Fine with me." Will glanced back into the security room. "You gonna be okay here, Tul?"

Tul'Sorrin looked away from his work to activate his omnitool. The two drones appeared at his side and quickly scurried through the door and down the hall a few feet in either direction before stopping.

"I should be okay," the quarian replied before returning to his work.

Feeling satisfied that Tul'Sorrin would be fine, Will walked the few feet to the entrance hall and turned left. Eleena came to rest at his side, staring down the long hall before them. Will wasn't sure what was more unsettling, the pitch blackness of their first visit or the dim red lights of the second.

"Captain Hume, Eleena, I found a map of the facility that might come in handy," Tul's voice reported over the comm. "Sending it to you now."

Will looked over to Eleena. "Keep your gun ready."

She nodded as he slid his weapon onto his back and activated his omnitool. He downloaded the map from Tul's message and gave it a quick glance.

"Two levels. The elevator is through the doorway at the end of this hall," Will noted. "Looks like this floor is just administration and living quarters. The lower floor houses the research labs."

"If someone is here looking for data they're probably down there," Eleena pointed out.

"Exactly." Will closed his omnitool and retrieved his rifle. "Let's hope we can find whatever they're looking for first."

Will raised his rifle and started off toward the end of the long hallway and the elevator door. He noticed that all of the doors they passed by were open, most likely due to the same override that had activated the emergency lighting. As the pair reached the elevator Eleena tapped the call button and turned back to make another quick look over the hallway. Will held his rifle up as the elevator doors slowly slid apart. Empty. Will's heart was pounding against his chest as they stepped in. He did his best to steady his hand as he reached for the console and ordered the elevator do descend. Will and Eleena exchanged brief glances as the elevator car came to a stop and a soft ping radiated around them.

The door parted to reveal a large room that appeared to be the central research chamber. Assorted lab equipment lay scattered around the dozen or so workstations, all illuminated by the same unsettling red glow. Each wall of the room had at least three doors leading into what Will assumed were isolated work spaces.

"This place is creepy as fuck," Eleena muttered as they stepped into the room.

"You don't have to tell me," Will quickly replied.

They walked to the center of the room and made a quick scan of their surroundings. One of the numerous work stations or terminals nearby had to have useful information. Before Will could suggest a course of action a soft thump echoed out from his side. He glanced over his shoulder to see a massive figure step from one of the adjacent rooms. As Will spun to face it with his weapon raised the unmistakable deep and gravelly of a krogan rang out.

"I don't think you should be here."