Author's Note: I continue to be a bit manic in writing this story, which I think is good since I'm currently getting a lot done. When the convention of muses in my workroom moves on to someone else, I hope the rate at which I put new chapters up won't drop too badly. Thank you all for your comments and your support. It keeps me motivated.
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Mass Effect: Event Horizon
A Mass Effect Fanfiction
By Drussius
Chapter Seven: Mistakes
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Above Terra Nova, Now…
Selura ran for the storage locker near the cargo bay doors, as Neela had instructed. She found a number of pistols inside, as well as a few sets of environmental gear and some other equipment. The protective suits were left behind for the moment; Neela said they would need two of the guns from the compartment and all of the thermal clips for her plan to work. She cradled the weapons and ammunition in one arm and closed the locker – she didn't want the outfits inside to be damaged by a stray bullet – and then hurried back to the quarian.
Neela had activated her omni-tool and was busily working on it. Selura was about to ask what she was doing when a large section of the cargo bay wall suddenly swung outward, revealing the ship's cargo drone. The loader floated out of its niche and immediately rose to the ceiling, drifting toward the back of the chamber.
The puncture in the cargo bay's wall from the earlier attack by the fighter drone was growing larger by the second. The machine was systematically demolishing the wall around the breach, working to create an entryway spacious enough for its bulk. Neela and Selura took cover behind the closer of the two prototype fighters. Under the direction of the quarian, the cargo drone settled above the hole, and it waited there for further input.
"I already see where this is going," Selura whispered, "and it is brilliant."
"Thank you."
"But what are the pistols for? The plan is to crush the drone with the cargo loader, correct?"
"No," Neela shook her head. "I'll certainly try. But I'm guessing that the enemy fighters are heavily armored. The cargo drone can exert a lot of pressure, but I don't think it'll be enough to do any real damage."
"Then what is your plan? I thought you intended to squish the thing like a berry."
"I'll use the loader to grab the drone and keep it in place. If I can, I'll keep its eye off of us. Your job is to keep shooting it with those pistols until it stops moving or you run out of thermal clips."
"Me?"
"I have to control the drone," Neela turned to look at her. "I don't see anyone else here to do it."
"Right. Of course," Selura fell silent. She was a scientist, not a soldier. She turned the weapon over in her hand, examining it closely. She'd never held a pistol in her life. Finally, she cleared her throat. "Uh… how do you reload it?"
"Please tell me that was a joke," Neela did not sound at all amused.
"I wish I could say it was," Selura sighed. "I have been working in a laboratory for the last year, remember? I have never fired a pistol in my life."
"Keelah," Neela's head bowed, and she sighed in resignation. "I was hoping you could use them both simultaneously… But now I think it best if you stick to just one at a time. Give one to me. I'll show you how to reload."
Selura paid close attention while the quarian gave her a crash course in firing and reloading the pistols. Their time was limited, so she knew it was important that she absorb the information quickly. Even so, she found herself wondering why Neela had developed the skill that she was now teaching. She didn't think that starship pilots needed to be trained to use a sidearm. But the quarian clearly knew what she was doing, and the young scientist was glad to see that the thermal clips were easy to fit into the pistols. She imagined that a skilled soldier could eject a thermal clip from this particular model and slap in a new one in about a second.
"Get ready," Neela warned, handing the second pistol back to her.
Both of them watched as the huge spherical form of the enemy fighter started to squeeze its way through the gap in the wall, apparently unaware of the cargo drone that lurked above it. Once it was halfway through, Neela activated the loader, and the massive floating clamp descended upon the oculus from above. Its arms closed in on the side of it, trapping it firmly.
Selura started firing immediately. She could see small flashes – sparks perhaps – where the bullets were striking the carapace of the fighter and ricocheting off of its armored plating, but the majority of her shots were missing. The oculus was moving around, trying to free itself of the vice-like grip of the cargo drone. Occasionally it unleashed a crimson beam, tearing holes in the ceiling or walls of the bay. The wrestling match between the two machines was making precision terribly difficult for the untrained scientist. She imagined that Prathus or Captain Nisaria would have been doing a much better job.
Selura was ejecting her second thermal clip by the time she realized that her shots were doing next to nothing. The pistol was probably perfectly effective against a humanoid figure, even in armor, but the machine's defensive plating was too durable for the pistol to penetrate. She tossed the weapon aside.
"What are you doing?" Neela shrieked. "We have to destroy it!"
Selura didn't answer. There was no time for explanations. She activated her omni-tool and cycled through the few bits of combat software installed on the device. Unfortunately, she had never imagined being attacked by synthetics, so she didn't have any EMP Overload functions installed. She had to make do with the programs at her disposal. She brought up the incendiary-dispersion routine and raised her arm, initiating the attack sequence with a quick press of her thumb against the holographic trigger.
An orange trail streaked outward from her hand, curving up and striking the struggling oculus from below. It exploded in a fiery burst, and glowing droplets of smoldering thermite clung to the machine's armor. Selura glanced at her omni-tool, watching the indicator that served as a countdown to the completion of minifacturing for the next incendiary drone. She knew that her omni didn't have the power to construct and fire the incendiary bursts for long, but she hoped that after a dozen or so, she would have done enough damage to disable it.
Neela kept her attention on controlling the cargo loader, ordering it to change direction frequently, pulling and tugging and turning with the oculus in its grasp, preventing the thing from getting either of them in its sights. Selura continued to pelt the target with incendiary blasts every time she was able to do so. It wasn't long before the exterior plating of the Reaper drone was glowing with the heat of the accumulated attacks.
"Shoot it! Shoot at the armor! The heat may have softened it!"
Selura nodded in response to Neela's suggestion. She readied the second pistol and ran toward the struggling machines, firing one more incendiary burst at the underside of the oculus as she approached. While she would have expected to be terrified, in the excitement of the moment, she felt no fear… only exhilaration at the prospect of destroying their enemy.
Once she was almost directly beneath it, she started firing at the glowing underbelly of their synthetic foe. From her closer vantage, she could see holes in the plating where it was melted away entirely. She wasn't accurate enough with the pistol to hit the gaps intentionally, but she hoped that the hail of gunfire might manage to score a few lucky shots.
Her incendiary assault had caused much more damage than she realized. The bullets from the simple Predator pistol sheared right through the superheated plating, penetrating deep into the heart of the machine. She fired the pistol until the thermal clip was at capacity, ejected it, snapped in a new clip and resumed her onslaught. So intent was she on destroying her foe that she didn't even hear the warning Neela shouted at her.
The oculus suddenly exploded, sending pieces of debris hurtling in all directions. The force of the detonation also destroyed the cargo drone, scattering its remains across the bay. A massive chunk of twisted metal hurtled directly toward Selura, who was standing below the two machines. Her reflexes were sharp enough that she was able to turn, intending to dive out of the way, but she never got to complete the dive. The hunk of wreckage came down upon her right shoulder just as she was starting to leap, taking her off her feet and driving her into the deck. Pain exploded through her entire torso and lower back. By contrast, her right arm instantly went numb.
Her mind barely had enough time to register the two conflicting sensations; the pain was too intense. Darkness quickly descended upon her.
Ilos, Three weeks earlier…
Selura, Illitha and Prathus stood together in the cargo bay, waiting for the ship's internal pressure to equalize with the atmosphere outside. Selura cradled her datapad against her chest, fidgeting in anticipation of seeing the Ilos landscape. It was a landmark moment for the young asari scientist. The planet she was about to see was something new and alien… her first taste of travel outside of asari-controlled territory.
She knew very little about Ilos. The data her company had given her warned that all information regarding the planet was classified by the Council and should not be discussed with anyone. The only details provided for her aside from that warning were the relevant facts regarding her company's facility on site. The installation was tasked with the study of Prothean ruins and artifacts, with a focus specifically on Prothean technology.
She understood why the council would restrict as much information about the planet as possible. If rumors of relatively undisturbed Prothean ruins became public knowledge, the planet would see an influx of activity. Every researcher, businessman and pirate within a thousand light-years that was looking for a quick profit would rush to claim whatever they could from the planet. The fact that she had been given clearance to visit the site at all was a great honor.
When the bay doors opened, she was greeted by the sight of docking platforms and surrounding structures that were unmistakably asari in design. They were made of bronze steel-polymer blends and had rounded edges, vaulting decorative arches, and floor-to-ceiling windows, just like the buildings on Lusia and Illium. She was intensely disappointed. Her imagination had been filled for days with images of ancient stone ruins, perhaps with bits of Prothean artwork or sculpture nearby. She sighed softly.
"Not exactly what I was expecting," Prathus echoed her thoughts.
"Nor I," Selura murmured.
The three of them descended the ramp to the platform. The docking area and the main facility were perched atop a cliff face, overlooking the landscape below. The instant Selura caught sight of the view, her disappointment evaporated, and she ran to the railing to get a better look. Spread out below her were crumbling buildings of stone, overgrown with vines and moss, surrounded by a verdant carpet of green flora. She grinned excitedly. The vista was much closer to what she had imagined.
"Beautiful, is it not?" a rich female voice called to her. "Prothean ruins, undisturbed since before the Rachni Wars… more or less."
Selura turned toward the sound of the voice, and saw a small retinue approaching. The group was composed of five asari, four of which were dressed in gray and blue uniforms identical to those of the guards employed by her company on Illium. Each of the guards was holding a rifle in her hands. The only standout from the group was the woman leading the way, who wore a pair of white slacks and a bright red shirt, with a white lab coat over it. She smiled pleasantly as she approached, walking directly up to Selura.
"I recognize you from the personnel file logistics sent over. However, protocol must still be followed. Can I see your authorization permit?" she held out her hand expectantly.
"Hello," Selura greeted the woman as she activated her datapad. She scrolled through the files for a moment, quickly retrieving the requested information, which she then handed over. The other asari examined the display briefly before handing it back.
"Welcome to Site T-133. Around here, we refer to it as 'Destiny Facility'." The asari's gaze wandered to each of them in turn before settling on Selura. "I am Vulera Aesiri, head researcher."
"It is an honor to meet you," Selura smiled and bowed her head in greeting. "I am Selura Leneur. This is Prathus Ganarius, the executive officer of the Sileya," she gestured to the turian, who shook the woman's hand. "And Illitha T'Zari, chief engineer," she gestured to the girl in question, who bowed slightly in greeting. "We are here to steal one of your discoveries," Selura joked.
Several of the guards raised their weapons. Selura felt her heart skip a beat.
"Are you insane?" Prathus shouted, quickly raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "She's joking! She has a terrible sense of humor! Don't shoot!"
Illitha backed up several steps, turning as though she was going to run for the ship. It was Vulera that diffused the situation, putting her hands on the arms of the guards closest to her and calling for her people to stand down. With some reluctance, the guards lowered their rifles.
"I would avoid any more jokes like that," Vulera warned. "I apologize for the scare, but we take security seriously. It is a pleasure to meet you all," her smile was warm, if a little strained. "I hope you will take the opportunity to enjoy the view while you are here. Unfortunately, I can only allow company employees into the main facility. I hope you will forgive the discourtesy," her eyes lingered upon Prathus and Illitha.
The turian merely nodded, slowly lowering his arms. Behind him, Illitha slumped to the ground, putting her hand to her chest. Prathus whirled at the sound and hurried to her side, crouching and asking after her well-being.
"It was only a joke," Selura said weakly. She felt awful. The joke had just slipped out, and if it had prompted the guards to shoot all three of them, it would have been her fault. "I do not always think before I speak…"
"Miss Leneur-"
"Please, call me Selura," the young scientist cut in.
"Selura," the researcher amended. "Please make an effort to choose your statements more carefully while you are here."
"I will. I am sorry," Selura hung her head.
"Now if you would follow me into the research wing, I will brief you on the contents of the cargo containers you will be transporting. Of course you understand that your non-disclosure agreement covers everything you see or hear in this facility?"
"Of course," Selura smiled sheepishly and fell into step with the elder asari, as did one of the four guards in her detail. She kept glancing over her shoulder at the guard, who was glaring at her. Beyond the glowering asari, she saw Prathus doing pretty much the same. The remaining guards lingered on the docking platform, watching over the Sileya and its crew intently.
"Destiny Facility was constructed almost three years ago, after the Alliance uncovered the location of the Mu Relay and found the ruins here. There were no records of this settlement in any Prothean data cache the council races ever discovered, though it was referenced in certain historical texts and artwork. The Citadel Council placed a high priority on recovering any information and technology that could be obtained from this site."
While Vulera explained the background of the facility, the three of them entered the largest building adjoining the docking area. They moved down a long corridor, past dozens of doors that led into decontamination airlocks. Selura had seen similar sections in the laboratory complex where she worked on Illium. Many projects used clean rooms for research purposes.
"There is an extensive series of catacombs beneath the surface, with Prothean technology spread throughout. We have found databanks, VI interfaces, and dozens of other artifacts. Most were damaged, and the data was degraded beyond recovery, but it has still been humbling to study these discoveries. However, we are most excited by the artifact we are sending to the Thessian facility."
"The one I am responsible for delivering?"
"Yes," Vulera said softly.
They stopped at a heavy metal door, and Vulera pressed her hand against a scanning grid. Selura had seen similar bio-locks in the facility on Illium. It analyzed the DNA of an individual and compared it to a company database to confirm identity and level of clearance. There were a series of loud clicks as the locks disengaged, and then a drawn-out hiss when the airtight seal was broken and the portal opened.
Beyond the threshold was an observation deck with a transparent floor and walls. Selura stepped out onto the clear polymer surface, looking down through the floor in wonder. Below her was a deep pit, obviously constructed by intelligent life rather than natural erosion. The walls were made of stone, and the hole was perfectly round. Lights and scaffolding lined the surface, and she could see cylindrical objects protruding from the stone at regular intervals.
"This is the entrance to the catacombs?" Selura crouched, just to get a slightly closer look at the vista below.
"One of many," Vulera nodded. "The catacombs seem to have been designed to hide the Protheans from a great danger. You see the cylinders protruding from the walls?"
"Yes."
"We thought at first that they were some form of sarcophagi. When we broke a few open, we found the bodies of Protheans inside."
"You said 'we thought at first.' Something happened to change your mind?"
"We found one that was empty, deep in the tunnels below. After carefully extracting it and bringing it up to our laboratories for study, we discovered scanners and temperature monitors within. We have come to believe that these pods are some sort of cryogenic freezers. The Protheans may have intended to wake after the danger had passed so they could return to ruling the galaxy."
Selura stared down through the floor in silence, trying to imagine the desperation that would drive a race to such a plan. She could think of a half-dozen ways the scheme could have unraveled. The bodies discovered in the pods were a clear sign that the outcome wasn't what the Protheans hoped.
"You have heard the rumors of the Reapers?" Vulera asked.
"Everyone has. I am not sure if I believe them."
"I believe that the Protheans did. It is my hypothesis that the Protheans sought to put their people in stasis here because they believed the Reapers were going to wipe them out. The scarcity of information about their presence here on Ilos might have been a way to protect their plan from discovery. But some sort of failure caused the pods to lose power."
"A reasonable guess," Selura nodded.
"If the rumors about the Reapers are true, this technology could be the key to our survival. If we could learn the principles behind these stasis pods and replicate them, we could learn from the mistakes the Protheans made and put an emergency plan into action. We could put some of our greatest artists, philosophers, commandos and leaders into stasis. We could work up a more reliable power source and redundancy features, and could create a secret facility that no one outside of the project would be told about."
Selura said nothing. She wasn't convinced that the Reapers were real, and while the idea the elder asari was outlining made sense, she didn't really think it would be necessary. The idea that an army of synthetics would be able to wipe out all intelligent life was almost laughable. Machines could always be broken.
"We are hoping that a better-equipped facility might be able to learn how the stasis pod works. We do not have the appropriate specialists here to carry out the research."
"Even if the Reapers are not real, I can see the potential of the technology," Selura rose to her feet. "It could be used to put the terminally ill in stasis while cures are developed. And it would be a dramatic upgrade to emergency medical technology for military operations, when trauma centers are not close at hand."
"Exactly," Vulera's eyes were alight with excitement. Her passion for the discovery and its implications was obvious.
"I look forward to seeing what the experts on Thessia can do with it." Selura was grinning at the other asari's enthusiasm.
"We will have it loaded into a cargo container and brought out to your vessel soon. I need to get down to the lab and oversee the preparations," she gestured to the guard that had been accompanying them. "Jaila will escort you back to the docking area."
"Thank you for letting me see a little of your work here. I have been extremely eager to see some of our company's other facilities and hoped to learn a bit more about our projects. This has been everything I anticipated."
"You are welcome. Just avoid any further jokes about piracy or theft, yes?" Vulera's smile was playful, her tone light.
Selura glanced at the guard, who was still glaring at her, and she nodded. "I will. Believe me."
The guard escorted Selura from the room, always keeping just a step or two behind her. The young scientist was nervous, but more embarrassed than anything. She was certain that when she returned to the Sileya, Prathus was going to strangle her. And she knew she owed a huge apology to Illitha. The timid engineer had seemed on the verge of passing out.
When she emerged from the facility into the sunlight and fresh air, she saw Prathus leaning against the railing, looking down on the ruins below. Illitha was nowhere to be found, but Neela was standing at the foot of the Sileya's docking ramp. She headed straight for Prathus, intending to apologize.
Prathus never even gave her the chance to open her mouth. He turned his head when she approached and fixed her with a stern glare.
"I know you're a guest on the ship, but if you ever put us in a situation like that again, the guards won't have a chance to shoot you. I'll do it myself."
Selura's shoulders slumped and she nodded slowly.
"I'm glad we're clear," the turian turned his gaze toward the horizon.
"I am truly sorry," Selura said softly, heading for the ship. "Is Illitha in the cargo bay?"
"Stay away from her," Prathus growled. "She was pretty upset. She went to find Aida. Leave her alone."
Selura sighed and nodded. Her flippant comments had finally managed to land her in hot water. She found herself looking at Neela anxiously as she approached the cargo bay's ramp, wishing that she could see through the visor of the quarian's helmet well enough to read her expression. Without any visual cues as to what the pilot might have been thinking, Selura decided it was best not to say anything at all as she passed by.
"Did everything go pretty much the way you planned?" Neela murmured as she passed. "Illitha may never forgive you."
"I am sorry," Selura frowned. "It just came out."
"No need to apologize to me. It wasn't me that you almost got killed."
Selura was miserable. She managed to offend people from time to time with her sense of humor, but she was starting to think that one poorly-chosen comment had just turned her into a pariah on the ship. She was not looking forward to hearing what the captain would have to say on the matter.
"If anyone needs me, I will be… someplace quiet and out of the way."
"You don't get off that easy," Neela's voice brought her up short. "You need to be here to take possession of your cargo. I'm sure they'll want you to be present. To provide your employee ID number or something…"
Selura rubbed her eyes. Neela was right, of course. She sat down against the wall, waiting patiently for the Prothean stasis pod to be brought aboard. The first five days of the voyage had been wonderful. She hoped that her mistake didn't mean the remaining twenty-five or so would be awkward and uncomfortable.
"Don't worry too much," Neela said softly. "Prathus might threaten to shoot you-"
"He did," Selura sighed.
"Ah… Well, then that's behind you. The captain will almost certainly want to have a few words with you. And Aida and Illitha might be distant for a few days, but they won't stay mad for long."
"What about you?" Selura looked up at her uncertainly.
"I've already come to the conclusion that you'll say something dumb from time to time," Neela shrugged. "As long as you don't actually get anyone shot, I can live with your witticisms."
A hint of a smile settled over Selura's lips. At least one member of the crew wouldn't be treating her like an outcast. She could live with a little ostracism from the rest as long as she had Neela to talk to. Still, she thought she might make herself scarce for a few days, just to give everyone time to cool off.
Above Terra Nova, Now…
When Aida dove through the hole in the door leading out of upper engineering, her gaze almost immediately fell upon the hatch to the escape shuttle. However, she could never have lived with herself if she abandoned her friends, so she didn't even briefly consider using it. Instead, she pressed her back to the wall of the corridor, waiting anxiously to see if the massive fighter drone was going to follow her, or if it would concentrate on Neela. She owed the quarian her life, so she hoped that the machine would choose her.
She was unsure how much time passed while she remained in the corridor, waiting. It seemed like an eternity. When there were no signs of pursuit or attack for what she felt was an adequate amount of time, she hesitantly left her position in the corridor and crept to the upper engineering doors, peering through the gap Neela had carved out of them. She saw no sign of the fighter drone, but she could see a massive hole torn in the wall where the access to the maintenance area had been. The breach was easily large enough for the drone to fit through. She slipped through the door into upper engineering, and peered through the sundered wall to try to get some idea what was going on.
Her eyes widened. Through the hole, she could see the drone thrashing around, and occasionally caught a glimpse of what she thought was the cargo loader holding onto it. Orange light flared repeatedly from beneath the oculus, and Aida could only conclude that Neela had come up with a plan to deal with the Reaper machine. If she'd been in possession of a weapon, Aida would have happily joined the attack. Since she was unarmed, however, she hoped that their plan would work without her. She imagined that Selura and Illitha were both down there with Neela, so that the quarian wouldn't have to fight alone. The thought was comforting.
She glanced around uncertainly, trying to decide how she could best help the remaining crew. The fighter drones were dangerous, and she was afraid that someone in the cargo bay might be injured during the fight. She was the ship's medic, and they might need her expertise if her fears proved valid.
I need to get to the infirmary, she told herself firmly. She needed to stock up on all the medical supplies and medigel she could carry, and then she would return to the cargo bay, perhaps with the captain and Prathus in tow. She knew that the elder asari would never have abandoned the ship without making certain the crew had evacuated first, and was sure the same held true for the turian.
Now that she had resolved on a course of action, Aida found herself thinking with a clarity that surprised her. In their previous brushes with danger, she'd repeatedly found herself at a loss when the severity of the situation increased. The same had been true this time, until that moment. Suddenly she felt calm and collected.
She headed for the access ladder that led down to main engineering, because she knew that from there, she could climb through the hole into the maintenance area where she and Neela had first come under fire by the oculus. The lack of gravity made it a simple matter to walk up the wall to the massive rent in the ceiling, and to climb through into the area beyond. From there she quickly ascended the ladder and followed the crawlspace to the hallway where she had been when the ship first lost power.
She slipped out into the corridor and hurried to the opposite end, where another maintenance hatch awaited that would take her to the upper deck of the ship. She'd seen Neela detach several of these access panels, and she quickly set to work with her omni-tool, copying the procedure as she remembered it. When the panel came free in her hands, she smiled to herself, pleased with the simple accomplishment.
It wasn't long at all before she was pulling another panel free of its moorings and scrambling out into the corridor on the upper deck. Once there, however, she stopped. She hadn't been on the upper deck since before the Sileya came under attack, and she didn't want to walk into another enemy fighter or some other hazard.
She crept along through the corridor slowly, wary for any signs of an ambush. The door to the crew quarters was the first one she reached, and she found that it had been pried open about halfway. There was no light beyond, so she stepped up to the gap between the doors slowly, peering into the darkness. She didn't see any signs of movement or life, so she continued on down the hallway, quickly coming to the mess hall. From there, she would be able to access the infirmary.
The doors leading into the dining area had been shredded near their center, and Aida's pace slowed as she approached the breach. She crouched low and peered through the hole apprehensively. There was no sign of movement in the room beyond, but there was a tremendous amount of debris floating in the air. The blue emergency lights glinted off of the edges of twisted metal and polymer fragments, and shone upon the jagged boundaries of a huge tear that ran the length of the ceiling, providing an unobstructed view of space beyond.
Climbing through the hole, Aida started to cross the debris-strewn chamber, heading for the infirmary. However, something caught her eye as she swatted hunks of metal out of her path. At the far end of the mess hall, a shape was floating motionless in the corner near the ceiling. It stood out to her gaze because it was the only thing floating in the room that wasn't twisted and black. She took a few steps closer, and realized with shock that it was a person!
"Captain!" she shouted, stumbling as quickly as she could toward the inert form.
She grabbed hold of one of the elder asari's wrists and dragged her down toward the floor, activating her omni-tool's medical scanner. She ran the device along the length of the captain's body, and then anxiously waited for the holographic display that would highlight the results of the diagnostic. When the miniature representation of her patient's skeletal structure and internal organs came up, she felt tears sting her eyes. The captain was alive, but only barely. She quickly ran down the list of injuries, chewing on her lip as she took stock of the damage.
Respiration shallow and uneven, pulse weak, blood pressure falling… Six broken ribs, fractured right femur, dislocated right shoulder, several herniated discs in her spine, several lacerated internal organs, some internal bleeding, severe concussion…
Aida felt tears slide down her cheeks, and ground her teeth in helpless frustration. The entire ship was exposed to vacuum conditions. The captain required treatment as soon as possible, but Aida couldn't do anything for her unless she could get her to an area that still had an atmosphere so that she could get her out of the environmental gear. The minute she pried open the infirmary doors, the air in the room would be lost, so she wouldn't be able to treat her there. She sobbed, trying to figure out how she could save the captain's life.
Neela's quarters!
The idea came to her suddenly, and she closed her eyes and thanked the Goddess for the inspiration. After taking a moment to make certain the captain wouldn't drift out into space while she was occupied, Aida ran to the infirmary doors, grabbing a twisted piece of metal pipe from among the floating debris on the way. Using the scrap metal, she levered the doors apart, quickly squeezing through to the other side as the atmosphere trapped within vented into space.
Hastily, she dumped the contents of boxes and bins, stuffing anything she thought might be useful into one large plastic case. She made sure to grab all of the medigel, painkillers, artificial blood packets, anti-viral meds and antibiotics they had, and then took every piece of equipment suitable for emergency medical treatment and every roll of sterile bandages she could find. Once she filled the case to the top, she snapped it closed and dragged it out into the mess hall.
"Stay with me, Captain," she said softly, slipping an arm beneath the woman's uninjured arm and across her chest. "The path from here to the cargo bay is clear. Once I get you to Neela's quarters, I'll do what I can to stabilize you. Stay with me."
She headed for the doors as quickly as she could, making sure to hold the captain close in a protective embrace. She was not going to lose Julisa. Not today. Not if she had anything to say about it.
Ilos, Three weeks earlier…
"What was she thinking?" Aida demanded, her hands clenched into fists. "I swear I am going to find her and shake her until I rattle some sense into her head…"
Illitha had been shaking when she walked into the crew quarters, and Aida was so concerned by the pallor of her friend's flesh that she'd hurried to the engineer's side, guiding her to the nearest seat. Once the girl was seated, the story had come pouring out. Their guest had made a stupid joke and nearly prompted the docking security forces to gun them all down. Aida was stunned at first. She thought that Selura was a bit odd, but likeable enough. After her initial surprise passed, however, she couldn't feel anything but anger toward the scientist. She rose from her seat and stalked toward the door, with every intention of finding their guest and doing… something. She wasn't sure what, but she would make sure it was something that would remind the girl that the lives of her friends were too important to be risked on stupid comments.
"Aida, stop," Illitha's protest brought her to a halt.
"Why? She might have meant her statement as a joke, but-"
"I-It was a joke," Illitha assured her. She bowed her head, wringing her hands anxiously. "I just… I never meant… I-"
"How can you even think of defending her?" Aida demanded. She was furious, and she couldn't understand why the engineer wasn't just as incensed.
"I did not come to you so that you could defend me," Illitha said softly. "I just… For just an instant, I thought I was going to die. When the guards lowered their weapons I-I just wanted to… to be close to my best friend."
Aida watched the young engineer as she sat on the sofa, twisting the fabric at the bottom hem of her shirt into a ball, her head bowed. All at once, her anger evaporated, and she smiled fondly at her friend, crossing the room and sitting down beside her on the sofa. She slipped an arm around Illitha, and her smile deepened when the girl leaned into her, turning slightly and laying her head against Aida's shoulder.
"You are not mad at her at all?" Aida asked softly.
"Maybe a little," Illitha murmured. "But I am sure the captain will have a few things to say to her when she finds out what happened."
"Good point," Aida smiled. "I cannot imagine the captain will be pleased. Or Prathus, for that matter."
"So no lecturing her, okay? I think lectures from two people will be enough."
Aida sighed softly. She really had a few things that she felt needed to be said to the foolish young scientist, but she supposed that for Illitha's sake, she could refrain.
"You are too sweet," Aida shook her head. "You should let me yell at her. But I promise not to, since you asked."
"It was just a mistake. I have thoughtlessly said things that I wished I could take back. I imagine you have too."
"Of course," Aida nodded. "But I cannot promise not to be a little… distant to her."
Illitha said nothing, but she drew her legs up onto the sofa and turned into Aida's embrace a little more fully, slipping an arm across her midsection to give her a gentle squeeze. Aida took the small hug for a simple gesture of gratitude, and she closed her eyes, resting her cheek against her friend's scalp crests.
"Wait," she said suddenly. "If you are up here, who is going to be loading the cargo?"
"I called Neela down to the bay to do it."
"You should have stayed to do your job. You could have 'accidentally' dropped a container on Selura's foot," Aida joked.
"If I wanted to injure her, I would have called you down to operate the drone. Then she would definitely have been squashed."
"Hey!"
Aida playfully shoved her friend away, drawing laughter from the engineer, who fell over onto her side on the cushions. Aida punched her lightly in the thigh, prompting the other asari to scramble for the far end of the sofa. Unwilling to let her escape so easily, Aida grabbed her ankle and pulled her back.
A wrestling match ensued, during which she wedged herself between Illitha and the back of the sofa, while her friend tried to keep her place. It wasn't the first time they'd engaged in this particular contest, and it ended this time as it had all of the previous ones, with Aida finally shoving the smaller asari unceremoniously off of the sofa and onto the floor. She grinned victoriously, and then grabbed Illitha's plush Krogan and threw it at her. The stuffed animal bounced off of the girl's head and landed on the floor.
"Growf!" Illitha picked up the stuffed toy and hugged it to her chest protectively. "No using my childhood friend as ammunition!"
"Who names a stuffed krogan 'Growf' anyway?"
"I was a child! I think it is a cute name."
Aida watched her friend pout for a moment, and then finally nodded. "I guess you could have picked something worse."
"Thank you," Illitha's tone was one of sincere appreciation, and Aida knew that she wasn't being thanked for the comment about the toy's name.
"Feel a little better now?" she smiled at her friend.
"Much," Illitha nodded.
"Wish I could say I did," Aida frowned.
"I know what will make you feel better…"
Illitha activated her omni-tool and dimmed the lights in the room, after which the vid screen flashed to life. Aida watched as the selection bar scrolled down past dozens of romance and action vids, finally settling on 'Blasto: The Jellyfish Stings'. She had to grin at her friend's selection. They both had a great fondness for the Blasto movies.
"I will even refrain from picking apart the misrepresented tech," Illitha grinned. "Can I sit with you? Or will I end up on the floor again?"
Aida patted the seat beside herself. When Illitha sat down, she pulled her friend close and gave her an affectionate squeeze.
"What would I do without you, Lith?"
"Stare at the captain's posterior a lot more?"
Aida shoved her friend off of the couch amidst a gale of giggling.
Rapidly Approaching the Surface of Terra Nova, Now…
Prathus stared at the scanner display that showed the surface of Terra Nova rushing up to meet his shuttle, glaring at the warnings that were flashing across the screen. Apparently the escape pod had suffered some minor damage, because the screen repeatedly displayed the words 'Auto-landing sequence offline,' and 'Rate of descent exceeds safety parameters.' Strapped into the harness, he could do nothing but wait for the inevitable impact. To give outlet to his frustration, the turian kicked the console.
The only consolation he had was that the projected course of the shuttle's descent led directly to a sizeable lake. The fact that the shuttle wasn't going to smash into the ground at high speeds was a small piece of favorable news, even if the water wasn't much better. The flip side of the coin, however, was that the shuttle was going to land in water. Prathus didn't know how to swim. Not many turians did.
"Emergency braking thrusters firing," a synthesized voice announced.
"Thank the spirits," Prathus growled.
The was an audible roar as the propulsion system engaged to slow the rate of the pod's descent, and Prathus was jerked forward in his harness by the sudden decrease in velocity. Seeing on the display that impact with the water was imminent, he closed his eyes and braced himself. Even with the braking thrusters engaged, the pod was still coming in at high speed.
When the shuttle impacted with the surface of the water, the sudden stop jarred every bone in the turian's body. His head snapped forward so violently that it sent a shooting pain through his neck and down his back, and for a moment he was stunned by the force of the journey's end. When he came to his senses, his eyes returned immediately to the holographic display to see what was going on outside. His heart sank.
The pod was sinking to the bottom of the lake. Worse, the display was flashing the words 'Hull breached. Foreign material detected.' No sooner did he finish reading the words than water started trickling into the cabin through a crack near the ceiling. Prathus fumbled with the release on the safety harness with one hand, the other rubbing his aching neck. When the restraints snapped free, he dropped from his seat to the opposite wall, which was oriented downward.
Prathus had been terrified when he thought he was going to die aboard the Sileya in space. That panic was now returning in full force. Dying submerged in a lake on some human world was just as bad. In fact, he was starting to realize that he just didn't want to die. The location didn't seem to make much difference in the vehemence with which he objected to death.
"I didn't even grab my helmet," he muttered.
When the Sileya came under attack, the captain had ordered him to the cargo bay to help prep the prototype fighters for use. He hadn't taken the time to grab his helmet from the crew quarters. If he had it, he could have engaged the environmental seals and perhaps walked to shore. Now he didn't have that option. In fact, he didn't know if he had any options. The water in the pod was already ankle-deep, and before long the shuttle would fill entirely and he would drown. If he opened the hatch and tried to swim to shore, there was a strong likelihood that the same fate would befall him…
"Think," he told himself. "There has to be a way out."
Looking around frantically, he spotted a locker in one of the walls. He tore it open, quickly rummaging through the contents. There were several asari environmental suits, a few pistols, a first aid kit, and some field rations, but no turian protective gear. He took one of the pistols and the thermal clips and secured them to his armor, and grabbed the first aid kit as well. On impulse, he grabbed the box of field rations and flipped it open. There was a store of dextro-based rations among the other varieties inside. It was the first bit of luck he'd had. Without some dextro-based food, he would have had to pray that there was a store somewhere on the planet that stocked food he could eat, and that a Reaper hadn't stepped on the store in question.
However, the issue of edible food was secondary. First he had to figure out how to avoid drowning. It wasn't an easy dilemma to solve. He searched the escape pod thoroughly for an answer, but he found nothing. In fact, the water was almost up to his knees before he gave up his search and contemplated admitting defeat. He didn't see any option but to simply open the hatch and try to swim to the surface. It was a terrifying idea, but there didn't seem to be any other choice. He reached for the hatch…
…and stopped. His eyes were drawn by the padding that covered the seat on the wall that was oriented downward. As the water level rose, the padding was lifting away from the seat, remaining on the liquid's surface.
"I'll be damned," he chuckled. "Perhaps this is my lucky day after all."
He pulled one of the asari environmental suits out of the locker and stuffed his rations and first aid kit inside of it. Then he pulled the cushions off of all the seats and stuffed them into the enviro-suit before he sealed the suit up, snapping the helmet into place to keep all of his supplies safe and dry. With all of the buoyant cushions inside of the suit, he hoped that it would be a simple matter of holding on and holding his breath while the makeshift floatation device carried him to the surface of the lake.
He put his hand on the release lever for the hatch and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly in an attempt to calm his racing heart. He was optimistic about his chances, but opening that hatch to let the water pour in was still a monumental undertaking. He waited, steeling himself for what was to come, and when he felt he was ready, he yanked the release lever.
Leaving Ilos, Three weeks earlier…
Prathus stood in the corridor outside of the mess hall, listening to the muffled voices coming from within. He'd informed the captain immediately after the cargo was loaded about the idiotic comment that their guest had made to the security forces on the dock, and was not surprised when the captain's expression darkened with anger. Aida and Illitha were in the crew lounge, so the captain had ordered the young scientist into the mess hall so that they could 'talk'.
It had been a number of years since the turian last had a weapon pointed at him, and it wasn't an experience he ever particularly enjoyed. In truth, he had been hoping to hear the captain yell at their guest a bit, but the voices in the next room never increased in volume. He shouldn't have been surprised, he supposed. The captain rarely lost her cool.
The door opened, and a very subdued-looking Selura stepped out into the corridor. She met his eyes briefly and then turned away, trudging down the corridor toward the bridge with her head bowed. The captain emerged a moment later, regarding him in silence briefly before gesturing for him to join her in the mess hall. He nodded and followed her into the room.
"I think in the future, she will choose her words with greater care," the captain informed him. "I made it very clear that contract or no, I will not hesitate to maroon her and her company's cargo on the nearest habitable world if she puts my crew at risk again."
"I figured that's how you would feel," Prathus nodded, watching as the asari opened the refrigeration unit and removed some leftover cake from inside. He shook his head slightly. The former commando did love to indulge her sweet tooth from time to time.
"Speaking of risk, there is a matter I wanted to discuss with you."
"Oh?"
Julisa seated herself at the table, so Prathus pulled out the chair opposite and settled into it, rubbing his scarred leg absently once his weight was off of it. He watched her take a bite of her treat, waiting patiently for her to come to the point.
"An old friend of mine passed along a warning," she finally said.
"About the scientist?"
"No," Julisa shook her head. "She is harmless. The warning was actually in regards to our last job. As it turns out, we may have been smuggling tech on behalf of Cerberus."
Prathus's expression hardened. He didn't like humans, and the thought that he had assisted a human supremacist group – knowingly or not – didn't sit well with him. The idea that Cerberus would use batarians as a front for their operation seemed strange, however, and he couldn't help being a little skeptical.
"Cerberus? In league with batarian pirates?"
"I was given the impression that this is a case of multiple intermediaries working without knowledge of their true employer," the captain nodded. "But my friend would not have contacted me if she was not sure. She says that Cerberus is tying up loose ends in their operation. They are eliminating all of the middlemen and couriers so that nothing can lead back to them."
"Meaning…" Prathus trailed off. He was starting to see the picture in greater detail, and was uncomfortable with the conclusions he was drawing.
"I believe Cerberus will eventually try to track us down and deal with us."
"Wonderful," Prathus shook his head. "So what do we do?"
"After this job is complete, I think I may disband the crew and hide my vessel somewhere," Julisa said softly. Prathus, watching her, could tell that she wasn't happy about the idea. "If we fall off their radar for long enough, they may forget about us."
"And if they strike before our current job is finished?"
"It is a possibility," the captain fixed him with an intense gaze. "I want you armed whenever we go ashore from here on out. Our next stop is Noveria, where Cerberus could have some kind of presence, given the anonymity offered by the local government to business interests. And then we will be traveling to a human world…"
"Where Cerberus is sure to have a few agents," Prathus nodded. "A little caution is prudent. Don't worry, captain. I'll make sure to keep a sharp eye on our surroundings from here on out."
"Please do not mention this to the rest of the crew," Julisa glanced toward the door. "I would rather not worry them unless we have good reason. Cerberus cannot possibly know where we are now, so they cannot ambush us. Any confrontation with them would be the result of mere happenstance."
"The schedule you forwarded said that we would be spending several days on Noveria. Shouldn't we cut our stay short to limit the risk that Cerberus will become aware of our presence?"
"It is a part of our contract, so it cannot be helped," the captain shrugged. "That scientist will be spending a few days with her company's outfit on Noveria. They did not say why."
Prathus only grunted in acknowledgement. The involvement of Cerberus in his future wasn't something he particularly relished. However, there was a small part deep inside of him that was eager for the chance to perhaps gun down a couple of humans. He supposed it wasn't very practical to hold a grudge against humankind for as long as he had, but he couldn't help the way he felt. Humans didn't deserve all of the advantages they'd taken from the galactic community. His hand lingered idly upon his crippled leg at the thought. Humans had almost been the death of him. Even after all of the years that had passed since that day, he still wanted to return the favor… with interest.
