Chapter 6: Invasion
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So this is how it would end. More and more waves of these damn things keep pouring into the cavern. By now, we're pinned down and every other weapon is either jammed or overheated. FUBAR. The three Asari had a somewhat secure position on a bit of a raised ground… But I'm not that fortunate. I'm right down in the mess of things, fighting these fucking monsters off.
It's a nightmare come to life. Our enemies have been modified, implanted with cybernetics to the point that they share no resemblance to their former selves. All different races, outfitted with an additional set of arms. So in place of four hands, there are four razor-sharp swords. The saving grace is that they don't bear any weapons other than their blades, and they have no shields. That doesn't make it much easier though.
I duck as another lashes out at me, then I take it down with a shotgun blast. Two take its place. I'm running off of instinct now as I kick one in the chest, sending it staggering away while I mash the other back with a biotic throw. There's no way I can keep up. The only chance I have is making it back to the rest of the squad. No, that's the only chance for all of us. There's too many goddamn cyborgs.
I watch as Delina gets tackled by one jumper, immediately disappearing from my sight. I tried to move, to scream out, but I end up just standing there and struggling against more of the machines. I blast one more away, but then I feel a searing pain in my arm – as another drives a blade right through my forearm. I try to shake it off, but I'm even more stuck. As I try to break free, more attack from the opposite side. I'm screwed. Before I know what's happening, I'm down too. Already they are swarming like moths to the light. My time is out. With a final scream, I try to break out, at least get a single hand out of the cluster. But even that cry is smothered as they compress in. Light gone, breath leaving…
In the complete darkness, there's a flash of red. Two eyes focus in front of mine. Crimson, synthetic, glowing. And I realize I'm not looking into them.
I'm looking through them.
I snapped back to the subdeck in a cold sweat, breath coming in short jerks. Looking up, I saw the dull red illumination that characterized my sleeping quarters on the Akina. I slowly sat up and looked around, shaking my head a few times to try and get my eyes to focus. Everything was in place. My armor was folded up next to my cot. My small arsenal lay on a crate next to my bed. Apart from being groggy, I was fine. In an effort to try and forget that nightmare, I rubbed my hands over my face.
I wasn't about to go back to sleep. According to my omni-tool it was 0630 ship time, and about midnight local time. I remembered that we were still docked at Illium. Begrudgingly, I located my ship casual wear – jeans and a white t-shirt from Earth – and got dressed. I could probably go find trouble around the ship.
I stumbled my way up the stairs, looked to the doors of both the armory and engineering, figured both were empty, and continued on to the lift. I didn't really know where I was going. I was just wandering.
As I stepped out of the lift, the combat deck was empty. I thought it might be a good opportunity to open a secure channel to my folks, see how they were doing back home… Earth was starting to seem distant, like a place I had only seen years ago. It had been two months.
I twitched defensively as the door of the comm room opened. Kaira was walking out, absent-mindedly studying a tablet. She glanced up and nodded at me. "You're up early, Forrest."
"Yeah…" I admitted, over my initial surprise, "Same goes for you though."
"This isn't unusual for me." The commander shrugged, passing me the tablet. "Can't sleep?"
"Not really." I began, only to be distracted by the schematics of a skyscraper. It looked like it was there on Illium. "What's this?"
"The Illium peacekeepers found the Red Suns outpost here. They don't want to have to deal with it themselves, since it's bad for their business to crack down on outfits." Kaira explained.
"So they want you to deal with the 'Suns?" I felt a little bit of resentment towards Illium authorities. Why can't they take care of themselves?
"Effectively, yes. Problem is, the only way to get to the top of the tower is along the bridge from a nearby tower. The mercs are fortified right above it, so anyone who tries to cross is as good as dead. Then they've got turrets on the top that will shoot down any shuttle that gets too close."
"So what are you thinking?"
"Well, those turrets aren't calibrated to target small objects like people. And they have a limited range."
It was early. I wasn't quite thinking clearly. "So we jump out of a shuttle and bam?"
She nodded, chuckling at my simple explanation. "You got it. We'll use jump packs. Parachutes, I think you called them on Earth. That way we can drop right in on their command."
"I trust you, Kaira. It sounds crazy to me, but I'm willing to give it a shot."
"I appreciate that." The commander nodded, taking the tablet back. "We'll need to have a good plan. We've had bad luck on towers like this before. It's going to be a few more hours before we kit up. Just be ready then."
"Yes ma'am."
I didn't have the opportunity to send a note home.
xxxx
I sealed my helmet down, smacking the side once to make sure it had seated correctly. The four of us, the ground squad, were crammed onto the corvette again and making our way well above Illium. It was still night on the planet, but on our ship time it was afternoon. We were wide awake. I tested the clips on my jump pack for the hundredth time. I had a habit of checking things repeatedly when I was nervous.
The commandos wore full-face masks instead of helmets, probably to deal with the wind in our upcoming drop. Plus we would need to be able to communicate. It also made them nearly impossible to tell apart. Tiny details were the only markers; Delina's wider shoulders, Rana's narrower. Stuff like that.
The corvette came to a slow stop, hovering without protest as the door opened. I couldn't quite peer out, unfortunately. I wanted to see how just how high we were.
We stood up and the commander gave the jump order. "T'Lan, Jackson, T'Kasan – go on me!"
Then she jumped.
The knot in my stomach got much tighter - something that didn't seem possible. I watched as Rana held back for a second, and then made her exit into the night.
I was up. I stepped to the edge of the corvette, grabbed the sides of the door, glanced down long enough to make out blurry lights from the skyscrapers below, and launched myself into freefall.
I gained velocity. Air tore at my armor. After falling for a second, the adrenaline began to dissipate. At least become more manageable.
I knew what being without gravity was like, but not like this. I'd never gone bloody skydiving before. Especially knowing that I would land with people shooting at me. Shit. Still, it was a rush. And of course I had to push it; I brought my arms to my sides, picking up a little more speed until I was about thirty meters to the side of the first two commandos. Then I slowed down.
I guessed we were about 500 meters up from the top of the tower when Kaira yelled over our internal comms: "Activate chutes and prepare to land hot!"
Everyone else seemed to comply, disappearing from my view as their chutes opened and pulled them back. But as I tugged on the activation cord again, I realized I had problem.
The cord had come loose. I stared at the handle blankly.
I was at terminal velocity and the tower was coming in fast. Goddamn, I was terrified as I fumbled for the second pull cord. I didn't know it was there until I yanked it.
The chute activated. It was not a moment too soon, yanking me back to a manageable speed before I hit the roof.
An unsuspecting Red Suns engineer was looking over one of their AA cannons. And I smashed right into her, using the hostile Asari to break my fall. We both went down in a pile, crumpling up at the base of the turret as my chute came down over me. She took the brunt of the impact, through.
I scrambled back to my feet, fighting off the chute fabric and lines, and finally ditching my jump pack. I was on the roof long before the rest of the squad. Good. That gave me few seconds to get my bearings, draw my shotgun, take several deep breaths, and get my nerves back under control.
Kaira was the first to land, completely smooth and graceful. She looked around as the other two commandos hit the deck, making sure we were clear before she said, "That's not exactly what I had in mind when I said to come in hot…"
"My bad." I responded, playing off the technical difficulties. Hell, it couldn't be that bad. I was still alive.
Delina, on the other hand, was laughing as she tore her drop mask off. "Hah! That was a brutal takedown!"
The three of us stared at the arms specialist for several seconds.
"What?" She asked, as if wondering why now was a bad time to talk about that sort of thing.
"Right." Kaira shook her head. "Everyone ready to move?" A pause. Three nods. "Good. Let's see what's happening downstairs."
xxxx
We broke and entered through a roof maintenance hatch, making our way down several stories before running into any sort of resistance. The first mercs we came across were three Asari, babbling away and looking out the window over the bridge below. They didn't notice as we approached.
I wasn't exactly stealthy in my hard armor. Rana hung back, leaving the three of us to deal with the three mercs. Delina was the first to strike, a knife right to one merc's neck. Kaira struck a moment later, using a single biotic throw to send the hostile flying out the window and towards the bridge a hundred meters below.
I was slower. The merc I was supposed to take out was already turning towards me with her rifle drawn. I improvised, knocking her knees from the back, sending her down, grabbing the rifle right out of her hands and kicking her back across the floor as I blindly chucked the cheap rifle out the window.
Still on her back, she scrambled away from me towards the broken window and pleaded. "No! P-please! You don't understand! I-I'm new! Just let me live – I won't cause you any trouble!"
My hand was already on my pistol. But I wasn't heartless. I warned her: "You're wearing a merc uniform. That's reason enough for me to kill you. Now get out of here before I change my mind."
"Y-Yes sir!" She immediately complied, rising carefully and starting to leave. Past me, towards the actual elevator. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her hand drop to her hip. Before she could even get the safety off of her pistol, I punched it out of her hand, grabbed her wrist, and spun her around to face the window and shoved her forward.
I wasn't sure why, but I grabbed the collar of her armor and kept her from plunging out of the building. Perhaps I was too angry with the betrayal to simply let go.
"Take a good look down there. Somewhere is the second chance that I gave you – and you tossed away. I've got half a mind to let you go find it." I could feel her trembling. "I'll give you one more chance. No more. We clear?"
All I heard was a tiny "c-crystal…"
That was enough. I yanked the Asari back, sending her stumbling against the wall. Immediately her legs buckled and she fell to the floor, beginning to sob hysterically.
"Goddess, I-I didn't sign up for this… It was supposed to be f-fun and glorious!"
I looked at Kaira and shook my head. The commander signaled to keep moving.
Once we passed though another door, the commander looked at me and said "I would have just thrown her out. That was risky."
"Yeah. I get the feeling we're going to have enough blood on our hands as it is. If I can save one life, I will." I defended myself.
"Fair enough. Let's move."
So we continued in silence. It was a matter of sneaking through an empty building. It wasn't very hard, especially when there were no mercs in the way.
Well, until we reached the base of the bridge and snuck up on the mercs bunkered down there. There must have been fifteen of them about the place, most with their backs turned. Until one Salarian spotted us and screamed something to effect of "There are intruders!"
Shit. I dove for cover, a nearby crate, peeking out long enough to target a Turian merc and hit him with a biotic pull. I had barely returned to cover when Kaira followed up with a warp, setting off a biotic detonation that took out the suspended merc and several others with their feet on the ground.
Delina had set up shop near the back, far away from the action, on top of a small trailer-looking unit and was dishing out the abuse. I heard crack after crack from her sniper rifle, and as far as I saw, she did not miss a shot.
I glanced out of cover, seeing a weak spot in their right flank. It was where Delina had worked them over the hardest and there were only a few mercs left. I brandished my shotgun for a moment, then broke out of cover and right into a biotic charge. The mass field corridor must have taken me about forty meters, smashing into one of the furthest mercs and sending him flailing off the edge of the building from the impact alone. The charge also put me on their flank, so what cover they had been taking was rendered useless.
One Turian tried to make a run for it, barely out of cover before Delina tapped him right in the head. As he hit the deck, I swung over a crate, kicking one merc back, landing, and following through with a blast the Krogan shotgun. Perhaps my nerves were dulled to it, or I was jacked up on adrenaline, but it didn't seem to kick as bad as before. I ducked to the side as another merc fired back with a shotgun, then I loaded another round and blasted him back. Cheap shields and armor were about useless against my heavy shotgun.
There was one more merc standing out of Delina's sights, his shields already down. I was closing in, planning to finish him off with a easy shotgun blast. That was until he pulled a grenade from his belt, primed it, and ran right at me.
I waited for a second, bracing myself like a bullfighter as he approached. I figured there would be a fuse, and I would need to time it just right. He got closer yet. Finally, when he was right on top of me, brandishing his grenade proudly, I shoved him aside and leapt over a nearby metal crate. Rather, I dove over, landing on my chest and staying down for a split second.
That short time seemed a lot longer knowing I was trying to escape the inevitable explosion behind me.
The merc's grenade went off on the other side of the crate. I felt and heard the blast, heart stopping for a moment as the detonation rattled me clear to my bones. I was unharmed. I slowly rose to my feet, picked up my shotgun and dusted myself off. That had been, well, anticlimactic, really. I had expected way more Red Suns resistance.
"Jackson – MOVE!" Kaira yelled.
I didn't hesitate before sprinting several meters and vaulting over a nearby crate. I barely looked back when a massive, armored Krogan slammed into the floor where I had been just a moment before and left a sizeable dent in the metal.
He was Red Suns. Bright red armor. Heavy, bulky. He was a walking tank.
Oh boy.
"Blasted squishies." He bellowed. "You come to my tower and kill my men. Now I'll crush you myself!"
"Hold your ground and focus fire!" Kaira ordered.
I was still within shotgun range, so I let a blast loose and the accelerated shavings mashed into his armor.
They scratched the paint.
By then the other three commandos had opened fire as well. Delina was still tucked back out of harm's way, hammering the old Krogan warlord in the face with sniper rounds. But between his helmet and thick crest, there was little effect. Kaira's assault rifle and Rana's pistol didn't do much more.
Even though I was the closest, the Krogan charged right by me and towards Kaira. Made sense, go after the commander.
Kaira was quick to start backing up, using her biotics to pull a small crate between her and the Krogan, then hit the metal box with a throw. It smacked into the warlord with a resounding clang, stopping him in his tracks and sending him staggering back stunned.
The Krogan didn't take kindly to being hit. I knew they had a temper, even the infamous bloodrage that the extranet alleged. I didn't realize how violent the walking tank could become until he let out a bloodthirsty roar, grabbed the nearest crate and threw it at Rana.
The engineer barely dodged the projectile, diving out of the way and taking cover behind a shuttle. The Krogan didn't seem to mind that she was behind the vehicle as he charged, smashing directly into the shuttle, denting it and driving it back a meter. The impact sent Rana skidding back, stunned.
The Krogan didn't seem to mind her any more, maybe thinking she was down for a while, charging off to root Delina.
The arms specialist had time to prepare, throwing a grappling line up into the rafters above and starting to repel up. She was just out of reach as the Krogan leapt onto the tall crate, swinging at her several times before realizing he could not reach the Asari, roaring again and smashing the crate under his feet to get away from the continued assault rifle fire to the face.
I had switched to my battle rifle, keeping fire on the Krogan the entire time. Burst after burst with no effect. Goddamn, that was disheartening. Especially as he charged at me. I figured I was smaller and faster, so I started forward, hopping up onto a crate and waiting.
The Krogan nearly rammed into me before I jumped, planting a boot on his helmet with the intention of jumping over. I succeeded in part. I made it over the charging warlord, but I landed on my hands, having to roll away awkwardly. I had counted on that time to recover and avoid any further charges. By the time I had gotten back on my feet, the Krogan had turned and started to charge at me again.
I didn't have time to move as he smashed into me. My armor absorbed most of my impact, but I still went flying back and crashing into a few loose crates.
My head was spinning as I scrambled back up, adrenaline dulling the pain. The Krogan was stomping his feet, preparing to charge again, when another biotic-thrown crate smacked into his head and sent him staggering back. It wasn't much, but It gave me time to get the hell away.
"New plan!" Kaira ordered, signaling us to hold our ground. "Jackson, try to lure him towards the bridge! We'll keep you covered!"
Well, that can only end well. I nodded and took off, firing several bursts at the Krogan as I ran, making sure I had his attention. Considering he let out another roar and chased after me, I figured I succeeded. Not sure that was a good thing.
I threw myself into a biotic charge to gain distance from the raging hulk of anger. Forty meters ahead, I looked back and taunted him, then ran right to the edge. Christ, it was a long fall. I turned around, boots right on the edge, and kept the Krogan coming at me. I knew I'd only have one chance to get it right as he charged towards me.
He was about to run me over when I dove to the side. He skidded to a stop, balancing on the very edge and glaring over at me. Like he was about to lash out and smash me down. I was within range.
That is, until a biotic throw smacked him right in the side and broke his balance.
He plunged.
I hesitantly looked over the edge, just to make sure. Then I let out a laugh. Mostly because I was still alive.
"Nice work, Jackson!" Kaira praised from across the hold.
I holstered my rifle and nodded, replied: "Hell yeah! Nice timing!"
"That was fun." Delina added, rappelling down from the roof joints.
"Maybe for you." I shot back.
"Yeah. That's what I meant. Since I wasn't dumb enough to get hit by a charging Krogan." The arms specialist quipped.
"Suuuure." I drawled. "If all of us were so 'smart', we would still be shooting at that damned thing."
"Keep it down!" Kaira yelled, letting Rana speak.
The engineer was quiet and calm as ever. "According to information stored on some of these mercs' omni-tools, that was the commander of this operation."
Our work was done.
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