Hey guys faithless here bringing you another chapter in this great journey
I know the last chapter did not have too much story development but i got into an argument with my sister in law because she argued that the flood could not have personality and as such the last chapter is what happened
Anyway moving past that today's chapter will continue the adventures of our beloved character Amos the coward of space!
Will Amos escape his doom?
Tavi will grow and scheme the salvation of his people
And our friend Major shaska will have to combat zeros Legacy
Ps..i will be continuing off from each of these cut offs in the next chapter so don't complain about half scenes people
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Amos couldn't help but hate himself
First the parasite turned out not to be a new rare element but instead a very foreign virus that infects and consumes organic biomass
Then his pet Salarian Lizard becomes its newest snack only to cultivate the virus and OH Yeah EXPLODE
that's not normal that shouldn't ever be normal but he persevered
He hoped his actions insured that the Fleet admiral received ample warning and lead him to take the necessary steps to save the Prothean Empire
After all this could have horrible consequences just from what he observed a single piece of the virus could collapse entire systems
After doing his part Amos went back to the Testing room with the intent of destroying the samples only to find the containment unit compromised
With a sigh and a grumble Amos followed the trail of knocked over lab equipment over to the nearby secondary exit to the lab
There was no more trail to follow at that point but he had the worst feeling that the little critters would not just roam around blindly in the halls
With a sigh and a cautious step Samos began the start of what would be a terrifying experience for him
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Amos)
Why couldn't things ever be easy, I warned the fleet admiral at that point I should have just returned to my research
But nooo the research subject in question decided to go for a stroll across my ship and possibly get a snack to eat consisting of one of my crew
I should have just found a place to hide and send an alarm to reach the Fleet admiral and save my neck but...then I would die
Damn I had quite literally screwed myself by convincing the admiral to destroy all traces of the virus
'Crap that means that this ship is doomed and so is anyone that doesn't get to an escape pod'
'...which are located across the path that the virus took'
'... on the other side of the ship'
'Damn it what do I do think Amos think'
Alright alright just think things through..okay..okay
option 1 attempt to save my crew and do so by letting them know there's an extremely dangerous all organisms eating virus...
that I released...and be subsequently sentenced to death by imperial law for failing to follow proper safety guidelines as per imperial mandate 429
So that's out, sorry guys but it's me or you and I love me
'Okay..okay deep breaths Amos you'll get through this'
so option 2 I trigger the alarm for a containment breach and alert everyone..after I reach the escape pod...if I reach the pod
A shiver went down my spine at the thought of that happening, after seeing the agonizing look of the salarian lizard as it was torn apart while still alive
I know better than anyone that death is by far the better alternative, 'okay get it together Amos you will survive, you're the smartest person on this ship, you just need to focus'
One pep talk later I got my mojo back and prepared to make a run for it hoping if nothing else to escape this nightmare
I continued down the main hall in the ship, I thought about going down one of the side routes but those have areas out of sight where the little parasites could hide out of view
I immediately imagined myself running down one of those side routs and subsequently having my throat torn out and my body violated by the parasites
The image was not pretty and definitely more than enough to have me pick up the pace, I wanted to get out as soon as possible
I passed my personal quarters but i did not stop, mainly I was motivated by my hope that the parasites wandered into a room
Then I passed the personal labs of the others, I was tempted to enter and warn them but they all took samples of the parasite and that meant every room could be compromised
I convinced myself that entering any room regardless of the possibility of someone being in there to be too risky
I knew that it was solely motivated by me being a coward at heart but I was scared of dying so I kept moving forward
Would I blame myself after the danger passes, of course but I planned on making it that far first
I got to the control room of the ship by the pods and got started with my 3rd plan and the one I was going to initiate
I began by overriding the security protocols and locking down the ship down to the bulkheads and trapping all the crew in their personal rooms
They would be alarmed of course but for my plan to work I needed to masterfully control the situation and its developments
By now the crew should have seen the alarms going off and began attempting to exit their laboratories and cue their calls coming to his omnitool
Tululu...Tululu...Tululu...Tulu-
"Amos what's going on the alarms are going off, I am locked in Get me Out"
"Nerci calm down and listen I will be contacting the others and saying to them what I'm going to say to you, there's been a breach as a sample of the parasite clung to the probe that brought ours in"
"How did that happen Amos, we have protocols that shouldn't have been possible"
"Listen Nerci there's no time to ask how just listen to my instructions and you'll be ok, now listen carefully, is your lab equipment connected to the ship's main control"
"whu- no its not, Damn it Amos what does that have to do"
"Damn it Nerci will you just shut it and follow, now listen and don't you dare interrupt me am I understood"
"..yes"
"Good now listen you need to connect your lab equipments terminal to the ship's systems"
"Ok, i'll get started on that, but I demand you tell me after"
"Alright Nerci I'll explain everything once you get that finished"
Some time passed as Nerci connected the systems during which Amos began contacting the others and repeating the exact same story to get things aligned for what he needed
Once he got a confirmation from everyone he connected the lines across all the rooms so that they would all hear him but not each other for this next part
"Amos here, now i'm going to explain the reasons that this is being done, the parasite has been found to consume all organic life and there is a high risk possibility that it will soon be running rampant across the worlds in this system"
"The admiral has called upon us to do extensive research since we've already introduced the virus into the ship so he wants us to do all we can to discover anything that can be done and then send the research we'll be running to the admiral"
"The reason you're locked in like I am and so are the others is so that we won't place the others at risk if this research has any accidents"
"The samples are considered bioweapons capable of exterminating all organic life in a planet wide scale so be careful"
I am truly sorry that we have to go through this but it's for the good of the Empire and this will allow us to discover how to keep ourselves safe from the virus"
Nerci voiced the thoughts of the others, it was almost hysterical how even as different as they are from each other the circumstances dropped them into the same train of thought
"What but I didn't volunteer to do bioweapons research this is too dangerous, I want out of here"
"I'm sorry but no one can leave until we can isolate a possible cure, now it's important that you using your sample attempt to replicate my results"
Once again it seemed like Nerci would voice the thoughts of all the others just before they'd voice them out loud themselves
Too bad they can't hear each other
"What results I have no data on what you did to achieve whatever it is you did"
"I'm sorry but the admiral wants no experimental data to pass hands in order to isolate and compare results so you'll have to replicate it based solely on following my steps in your own way"
"What that's not the scientific method"
"I'm sorry everyone I truly am but we have to work with what we have"
"I will remain in contact with you as best I can but for now what we need to do is prepare ourselves"
"Goodbye for now and be strong"
Amos felt that he had played his role stupendously but he wouldn't know for some time
Now the tricky part was convincing the separate individuals to break protocols as he had in the way that they follow his research so that the virus cultivates into the mobile form
Then he'd release all the safeties in their equipment and have them break out and attack the researchers
Amos planned on destroying the evidence by detonating the drive core to "purge" the ship of the parasite
If things went his way he'd have all their research to present to the admiral for the loss of the samples of the different species throughout the galaxy and the parasite
But Amos planned to spin it as a good thing, to prevent the parasite from growing stronger from the samples
Oh yes he was going to live
And when this was all over he'd also be quite the hero
xxxxxxxxxxxx
(Nagu Station)
(Tavi)
'Damned bugs they're everywhere, it's like they knew when we started having problems'
Tavi was running across the station's headquarters well at least the area they used to plan out their strategies and defences
The enemy had breached one of their lines and were now pouring in and trapping the defenders at each of those locations
Tavi wanted to reach the communications room and send out an order to have all of the 5th line retreat
Their lives were more important than whatever time they held off the parasites
The perimeter was shaped like a diamond as that was the positioning of the buildings
At the 1st line was a trench that they dug all around the courtyard both with explosives and by hand
The 2nd line was the officers taking cover behind all the debri that they had pushed out if the buildings just outside of the buildings and at a fair distance from the trenches
It was mostly made up of various types of metal furniture and some vehicles that were so shot to hell that they had no hope of getting them operational
The 3rd line was at the 1st floor of the building since they had an elevation putting the 1st floor above ground level
The 4th level was the higher floors that connect to the elevation station where the 5th line would make the last stand and sabotage the lift if there was no hope left
Better for the damn bugs to climb up than to get a ride
And with one of those lines broken the parasite is swarming the trenches and overwhelming the 1st line
Better for the others to help the 1st get to the 2nd or even the 3rd
The only upside is that the majority of the infected don't carry weapons
But their fast, Tavi ran faster trying to get there in time
He slammed into the room the doors just barely opening ahead of him
The room was in chaos as all the people were giving out different orders and shouting over the best course of action
There were calls pouring in from the people outside asking for instructions
Tavi was stunned..these idiots
With a snarl and his fists clenched Tavi Struck the closest moron who was screaming his head off for the 5th line to hold off the parasite
The moment he dropped Tavi barked out his orders while raising 'iola'
"Anyone want to tell me why the 5th line hasn't retreated yet"
They were stunned and silent, Tavi was giving off a presence of fury and death
There was silence aside from the constant calls coming in
"Speak Up!"
Again the room broke out into shouting as all the different officers tried to explain their decisions at the same time
The sound of 'iola' blowing out a chunk of the ceiling and then having those chunks fall on then shut them up real quick
"Now listen up, order the men to fall back and for th other lines to cover them, We are Prothean and that means we stand together, to leave those men to die is to damn ourselves"
They were quiet and waiting for Tavi to finish, even moments after he finished they were still standing there
The bark of 'iola' going off again got them moving though as they raced back to their stations and began relaying out orders to have the trenches evacuated and to send those retreating to bolster the 2nd and 3rd line respectively
Tavi watched this play out knowing that in a crisis people needed to be lead with decisive action and a firm hand
The officers who sowed dissent were dealt with by Tavi after the result of their expedition out to hunt the parasites leaders
They led thousands away from the station and marched them off to fight
They weakened his defenses and make him look weak
For some gun weapons fire was heard off in the distance leading more and more of his men to question his decision
More so when the number of parasite attacks drew off and even stopped for a time
But tavi was proven right in the end as a few of those men returned screaming in fear and being followed by a massive swarm that cost hundreds of lives to stop
When the parasite retreated again Tavi rounded up the men who returned and executed them with 'Iola' for treason while broadcasting the signal to the others manning the defenses
Tavi would allow no opposition any more, too many died for the mistakes of idiots
Now it was time for a cruel man to lead not one who showed any softness
He was old and tired but he still drew breath and he could still bark out orders and in times like these that's all that really mattered
Whenever a wave was beaten a smile would come to Tavis face, small victories was all they were but those times of rest were all that Tavi waited for
When he could sit and retire from leadership until the next wave arrived
But when it came time to lead once more Tavis face no longer reflected his age
It would become stern and mean, a Man to be followed and obeyed never questioned
He would lead these men with a heart of empty of compassion and when the army comes to cleanse these parasites from this world
Then there they will find him and his officers, the first to stand firm against these attackers
And if more of his enemies needed to die to make it happen then so be it
Beep beep beep
Tavi looked at his omni tool pinging with a transmission coming from the upper cities local forces
Had help finally arrived
Tavi quickly answered but remained firm, he had to project strength at all times
With a click the line opened and the local Commander of the Dawn forces a Prothean by the name of Tsukan if Tavi remembered correctly
"I an Commander Tsukan to who am I speaking
"Commander it's good to hear from you, I am or rather was one of the chief Imperial officers of the eastern sectors stations, Imperial officer Tavi here to help sir"
"Ah so there are still some officers fighting in the lower sector that's good to hear"
"Yes sir, we have been holding off the advancing forces of the parasitic invaders and have been evacuating any local civilians still remaining"
"Yes we had received some information about fleeing civilians from the lower sector by way of one of the transport hubs"
"Yes sir we surrounded one and reinforced the position to use as an elevator to raise up the non-combatants"
"A good Idea I must admit and I commend you for it"
"Thank you sir-"
"But one I must end immediately"
Tavi was stunned unsure of what he heard
"What sir, what do you mean to end it"
"It is as you heard, I've decided that the lower sector would be better used as a blockade to keep the parasites forces from exiting to the surface"
"But sir that will doom us all, if you just send us some more men we can push back and exterminate the parasite"
"I'm sorry to say that it can't be done, as it is there are parasitic hives being found all over the eastern sector in the surface"
Tavi was stunned believing that the parasite originated in the lower district or at least he held the hope that it had
The worst part was the knowledge that his men would receive no aid
"As of this moment we will be detonating all the stairwells and elevators connecting all evac zones to the surface as well as having all military personnel pull out of the lower sector "
"But sir there's thousands of us fighting the parasite for the millions still trapped down here"
"And you all have my fondest gratitude for your sacrifice"
"Screw your gratitude, send us reinforcement we can't hold out forever"
"This will be the last transmission, know that you've done the Prothean empire proud"
"Damn you"
With that the connection was cut and Tavi was left with nothing but rage even the vain hope that he had once held began to leave him
What choice was there to make
Stay here and protect the life until its detonated from above or order his men to evacuate and surrender the last hope of the millions down in the lower eastern sector
….a plan formed in his mind
His men had fought too hard to be betrayed like this
He and them fought for the people not the Commander
He'd need to act immediately
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Upper City)
(Commander Tsukan)
Commander Tsukan was a decorated military man with an extensive history of achievements to his name
At least officially, the truth was far lesser than fiction
Tsukan came from a wealthy family with connections in many places and in order to get their family further in a imperialistic society military service was a necessity
His name became better known after each achievement he supposedly accomplished
But in truth it was always done for him by mercenaries he hired to make him appear invincible
They would go in and eliminate his target and their forces and he would come in after claiming to have done it all himself
It was a simple strategy but it was an effective one
Tsukan also got ahead by taking credit for the achievements of his subordinates but that was usually lesser commendations
But even so it was still more fame to his and his families name
Yes he'd gotten far but when his name began to be suggested to lead big operations from the Metacon Wars he became frightened of the severity of the consequences to his achievements
And against his family's wishes he instead got himself assigned as the commander of the forces on a smaller colony system
It wasn't so grand but he did have the safety provided by the local fleet always above him
And he just had to stay on the planet and let his name carry him around
Until today and this damn parasite that chose to target the planet he was on
It was just his not his lucky day as he lost contact with the fleet and was left without orders
That meant that he was responsible for everything that goes wrong as a result of his decisions
He couldn't blame his superiors and using his name and wealth to escape scrutiny anymore
He tried his best and did well if he had any say at it
And even though he was now being strangled by the major shaskan for no valid reason he couldn't help but think back on what he did
(Flashback)
'Damn it another report of attacks in the lower city, when will those damn wretches deal with their own problems'
'sure the reports are strange what with the bodies of the people killed disappearing and the subsequent reports of those people being recognised with deformities'
' but seriously when will they get that i'm the commander of the military forces on Dawn bringing me report abouts crimes amongst the poor is only going to upset me'
'I am Commander Tsukan a decorated Imperial Naval Hero, the pride of the empire and a member of one of the wealthiest families in the empire I don't want to read constant reports about the activities the poor in the slums'
Beep beep beep
'damn another call'
With a huff I answered the call on my terminal
'damn it why do I have to answer my own calls I'm a Commander for crying out loud'
The monitor displayed an officer of the empire who quickly snapped of a salute
'That's...well I can't remember his name, damn ok you know what to do just pretend you know it and move past it'
"I'm sorry to disturbed you Commander Tsukan but this is urgent business"
"Then let us skip the pleasantries and tell me what is the matter of such importance"
"Yes sir, there are reports of attacks by some unknown groups that are ravaging locations across the sector's"
"Yes, i've received such reports but they have appeared to be minor cases so i've decided to let the officers in charge of upholding the law handle it"
"Well it pertains that very issue sir, according to eyewitness reports it appears that the groups running around killing are now bearing weapons"
"Well that's concerning but not an issue for the my forces just yet, continue to monitor the situation but do as I suggested and allow the local police handle the situation"
"Sir I highly suggest against that"
"I will pretend I did not hear that now good day"
With a tap I ended the call
'that damn prick thinking he can tell me what to do, like I'm going to take suggestions from some peon, really the nerve of some people'
I turned my chair back around away from my monitor and laid my feet in my desk again to lean and leaned back
'now time to relax again, maybe even take another nap, it's good to be in charge'
And so I napped and ignored the new reports coming in and allowed all the calls to go to his inbox and leave him a message
'I guess losing communications with the Orbiting fleet does have its advantages, I'm the highest ranked officer on the planet so until someone higher arrives I don't have to do anything'
But eventually my nap ended and I decided to do a little charity work and listen to my messages that were left by the officer that annoyed him earlier
The voice of the sounded strained, I smirked knowing he was watching his tone any breach in proper protocol when speaking to a higher officer can be career ending in the empire
Blah bahblah something about more attacks blahbablah something about more of the lower city
When that message ended the next started
It was the same officer again but this time he sounded somewhat unnerved which was just hilarious
To think he can't handle some measly commoners getting uppity and throwing a fit
I tuned out the rest after seeing how he looked as my imagination filled with creative and fun ways about how I would solve something so trivial
'I could handle that one easily just throw some concussive grenades at them and that'd sort them out'
That message ended
'not that I bothered to listen anyway'
The next one was the only one That got my attention
I heard sobbing in the background followed by growls and snarls
The officer jumped into view while frantically looking around him
He was covered in flecks of blood and his uniform looked damaged
I almost clicked off just in principal of the fact that he dared to present himself like that to his superior officer
But seeing it was the last recording I watched and listened to the idiot claim to have lost large portions of the lower city before being swarmed by an army and losing the western side of the city
I sat up from my laying position and prepared to call him to demand an explanation for these impossible claims
For an imperial officer to report such idiocy to his superior as if he were some sort of joke that could be mocked by lessors in the empire
he then babbled on something about the lower city bunkers and preservation
My rage was growing until I saw him turn and fire outside of the screen the sheer panic in his eyes before a claw? Came down and split him open
A grotesque..thing wandered into frame and proceeded to look toward the camera before waddling off after letting off a groan and scream out of its...mouths?
I quickly rose off my couch and walked over to my armor and equipment on a bench at the corner of my office
Though I may be the commander in charge of this planet that doesn't stop some loony from blowing my head off if i'm not prepared
I hustled out of my office and went to work by establishing contact with the communication hubs we established in the interim while the long range communications were reestablished
'If this was an older colony we could have used the land lines that were part of the protocol in case of these situations'
The building I was in was one of four of the main base for the forces on Dawn
The one I was in happened to be based in the western section of the city
I chose it for the view of the planet's environment from my office near the edge of the city and i had never regretted it until today
As I ran I looked out of the windows I passed and all I could see as far as I looked was fire and smoke
"What the hell happened while I was sleeping"
I began voicing my thoughts soon after I realised the danger I was in
Since I started moving I have nor seen a single people and that worried me deeply
Not for them, their commoners but for myself
If THEY were gone then who was supposed to hide me from whoever did this
I sprinted out the building rushing towards my private shuttle
If I could get to it I could escape and find somewhere to reconnect with my men
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I can't believe it, this can't be happening, those bastards , Why damn it , Why
I felt a swelling burst of anger and rage there ahead of me was my personal shuttle
It was a tip of the line model the kind rarely made and completely custom for comfort in luxury
I expected something wrong the way that world is but this..
But this was simply unbearably painful to see
My shuttle..my precious shuttle...was …
RUINED
It was still perfectly operable but it just looked nasty
There was bodies all over the shuttle bay both of protheans and of the infected with blood splattered around
But what I focused on were the scratch marks from weapons discharge on the side and the chipped spots of paint from the dead parasite that obviously jumped on the front of my baby and was gunned down,scratching the shuttle and warping the metal
I cleared the bodies off my ride and fired an appropriate amount of slugs in the body if the one that obviously jumped on my ride
I almost did not want to enter my formerly beautiful shuttle but I needed to escape and it would be almost impossible to find another like it so I made do
I opened my omni tool and started the engine while I checked to make sure that it wasn't damaged any further
While I was upset by the scratches I wasn't stupid enough to stay here and risk more of those…..things from coming after me
I got in and got comfortable and then lifted off and began to have a look around
I flew by over the majority of the land routes connecting the buildings together for easier crossing
Some were destroyed and others were covered with shuttles that obviously crashed
Otherwise how could you explain the cracked glass and the massive stains on the front of their shuttles
It wasn't till much later that i realised why it happened and further regret not simply flying above the buildings instead of in between like i had been
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
(Western Sector)
(Major Shaska)
The situation around the City was grim even with his forces bolstering the defenses across the sector junctions
The number of people escaping the western sector was thinning and there has been an n
Increase of parasite related attacks in the other sectors
I left the command camp many times to bolster morale and fight alongside the men holding back the parasite
The experience of those battles continues to haunt me, even when far from the battlefield
' I was dispatched to the western border to sooth the heart of the frantic refugees and inspire the soldiers at the front
I arrived at the location and went straight to the very border we had built to see what it was that stood across from us and saw nothing
The streets were clear and empty
The sounds came only from our side of the border
These men were made up of my fresh troops
Those that had been fighting from the beginning were sent to be debriefed and and to rest for some time before returning back to the front
These men were tense and restless, looking at the empty streets like the earth itself would rise up and charge the wall
I asked one of the most anxious
'this...silence...it's too quiet...their never quiet...always talking..groaning...trying to break us even from afar..but never quiet..never quiet
I left him and moved further down the defining line
The men at each of those posts told different but unnervingly similar stories
All believing wholeheartedly that the enemy had never left that it never retreated, that it was there just out of sight waiting for the first lesson to walk out of the wall
I could see that these men saw the enemy as an unseeable but ever present threat
But more than that they began to idolize the parasite making it appear greater and stronger
This would not do I needed my men to think that these battles could all be won
So I being the fool I was ordered one of the gates be opened and for myself to be allowed to cross to the other side to prove my strength and to raise the morale of my men
They needed to see me be greater than their fears, for me to stand there and basically mock the parasite they would be reminded of the empire's strength and of the prothean spirit
I marched out beyond the wall
I could feel the pressure beginning to rise as thousands looked out to see me the fearless Major Shaska
The prothean without fear of the coming hordes
Unmoved by the parasite
Unshackled from any worries of what may be hidden in the shadows outside of the sight of prothean eyes
I marched forward without worry and without doubt
It could have been moments, maybe minutes but i marched forward
I risked more than just my life with this decision but i was willing to gamble on the odds to secure the spirits of the men guarding this wall
The silence was broken with a snap
Then another and another
The men guarding the line between the prothean People and the parasites hunger stood watch as hell rose to greet them again and again
And now this man, the Major walked out beyond the safety of their posts onto the ground many began to see as NO Man's Land
The further he walked the more looked out to him
Soon one prothean slipped into a proper salute and slammed his fist into his chestplate over his heart
Followed by another and another
The prothean spirit, the pride of the empire was returning into the hearts if the defenders
Major shaska began to slow his gait as a smirk began to grow on his face
His gamble had paid off
The rumble and roaring of their fists slamming their chests filled the air and shook the earth
..Wait shook
The pounding began to fade out as the now renewed warriors began to feel the earth shaking beneath them
The towers of prothean engineering swayed in the air as the very earth underneath them shifted
A groaning rang out followed by a massive rumble and a haunting mesh of pained howls filled the air
The soldiers began to pound their chest plates again trying to renew their courage for the coming threat
They could not yet see this enemy but the fear was slipping inside their bones and that was a greater threat
Shaska was the first to see, and just another one of many who ran away at their first encounter with the flood hordes advance
When the parasite came into view it blotted out the sky and earth
Many thought they were seeing things but as the wave rose higher and higher they began to lose such hopes
The flood had breed another, this one capable of sustained flight
It looked like a swarm of birds when it was afar, but as they came closer the stench reach the defenders first
The smell of decay, slammed into the senses and disoriented many
Shaska passed through the front door before it was shut and the defenders fell into their posts to begin their defence anew
Many Prothean lives were lost in the first waves against the parasite, and this would be no different
Shaska soon bore witness to slaughter, it would be the most brutal battle he had ever fought and one they were unsure to have won
xxxxxxxxxxx
And then this arrived the newest report from the scouting division, they were sending warnings of a massive incoming wave of parasitic forces
The scans of heat signatures confirms the reports and numbers the enemy force in the millions
There were few options left to him to take, Shaska couldn't bring down orbital strikes due to the nature of the city
Any strikes would destabilise the foundation of the upper levels of the city and collapse the lower sectors
And in the process bring down the entire city killing tens of millions
This was reminiscent of a similar reported instance from days prior when the outbreak first began
It was partially written by the Commander Tsukan himself, or so he claimed detailing the method by which the parasite claimed the western sector
It began with multiple attacks across the sectors simultaneously triggered and spreading out the defenders only for the eastern section to be overwhelmed and taken
The reports indicated 'that it was a massive force of infector forms, they came in quietly and without signal'
'Then they began to target the slowest of protheans and reanimating the defenders that were felled by the combat forms'
'The swarm was massive but easily felled, sadly the defenders were uncoordinated and many broke under the pressure and abandoned their positions'
'The deserters doomed the loyal and were in turn mauled by the infected inhabiting the forms of their former friends'
'the defenses were weakened by falling morale and nests within the borders requiring forces to be diverted'
'the undercity was a large drain on manpower to evacuate as the parasite had a natural advantage in enclosed spaces and with the ability to climb surfaces they attacked our forces from all sides'
The next part was a recording of the commander's second in command
The recording began and a prothean came into view looking unkempt and sleep deprived
'large numbers flooded into the city from the outskirts originating from the western side, there's so many...we can't hold them back'
He stops and looks off out of frame
'The lower city is more important to preserve, I repeat protect the lower city- if it is lost then the entire planet is lost, the tunnel bunkers down there will protect the parasite from any orbital strikes'
I stopped reviewing the report for a moment and thought
'The pace at which the parasite consumed the city was horrifyingly efficient'
'so little time has passed and already large portions of it were lost and unrecognisable from the symbols of prothean might that they once were'
'meanwhile we are unable to bring down orbital strikes to cleanse this City, at least the strike runs with gunships have worked wonders for destabilizing the parasites nests'
'Even so the amount of infected tissue has reached a great enough mass that entire buildings have been swallowed by the nests'
'the majority of what's now covering the city was once miles of forests and vegetation'
That thought irked Major Shaska more than any other, the victory secured by the rear admirals sacrifice and that of his men only delayed the parasite
'Or so we thought until that godforsaken rain came, across the city and many other portions of the planet a rain fell spreading death and devastation'
'it appeared fine at first glance but over time a build up over time began to become clear across all the surfaces
It was almost like pollen until it began to grow and spread that was when I immediately ordered all forces with incendiary weapons to begin torching the locations with the highest build ups
Many thought I had gone mad and that the thing spreading was only a strange environmental shift as a result of the warhead detonated to clear the forests
But then many began to change, the refugees that were the most exposed began to behave erratically
Some became aggressive, others filled with panic, many complained of aches and pains
'Sadly that was only the beginning to the horrors we've faced on this once great world'
With my mind filled with the knowledge that we needed to understand our enemy I turned back to the reports on the initial outbreaks
The video continued but only for a short amount of time before an infected came into view and split the officer open with its claw it turned to look at the terminal and growled for a moment before it waddled away
I sighed knowing that the experiences of that young officer would have been invaluable as he was the one who was leading the original offensive against the parasites first hives
I turned away from the monitor and continued my attempts to formulate any defense, the parasite had taken the lower city and it had claimed the lives of millions
We have lost the western sector to the parasite as well as the lower city 'more like surrendered it to the infection because of Tsukans idiocy' and soon I fear we will be facing their renewed force's assault
One of the first orders I sent was to secure the widest structures to use to life the evacuated civies out and off the planet
But once the rain came the people evacuated are now being rerouted into a set position outside of the city into a ground level area designated as the cleaning ground
A premade structure was deployed and used to process the people for the infected and those that were clean or so they claimed
But if the rebels claims are true then it's nothing more than a death camp for my failures
xxxxxxxxxxxx
( Entry's recovered from Major Shaska's personal Journal '
Since the rain entire slices of the planet fell under the parasites endless hunger
The earth shook for hours and flashes filled the night as Fleet Admiral Avox ordered volleys of strikes at every new outbreak across the planet
Screams and booms dominated the minds of all the planets inhabitants
Many prayed that the next strike be ever further and never closer than the one before
Only the city was spared the onslaught due only to the millions still being evacuated and this was enough to buy the people hope..for a time
It wasn't long after the days that the falling storm of fire and death ended that the hearts of the prothean people grew dimmer with each days beginning
The beauty of the world was replaced with a dreary void of gloom and devastation
The air smelled of fire and flames, the land looked ravaged and torn, the only sound continued to be the endless shuffle of advancing refugees
Then the rebels rose and chaos ensued
When the city was filled with the chaos of incoming orbital strikes many lost faith in us and began to steal weapons and armor
They were rebels filled with the belief that we were using them as test subjects to some crazy new bioweapon
They were further incited by the rainfall that affected them more than any other
The civilians panicked and attacked rioting out of fear and desperation that somehow they could save themselves
That was when the fire came, Fleet Admiral Avox ordered a minor strike into the western sector to test and assess the structural integrity of the city
As well as displaying the might and firepower of the prothean fleet that was defending them from the parasite or any other enemies
But that was not they all heard, what they saw and felt was the screaming and groaning of skyscrapers falling and tearing away at one another filling the ears of every prothean who heard it
It was a painful screech that drove some to smash their own skulls against walls to escape the chaos that the falling structures brought to their senses
When the final strike fell and the final tower fell a silence rang out across our people
Should we have felt hope, hope at our own creations being struck down by our weapons
The men were losing hope I could see it in their eyes, the refugees were more desperate every day fearing for their lives
We were trapped on this world though I dared not say it, after the rain fell many of those affected began to act out, some disappeared only to come back long after changed and trying to tear their loved ones apart
Others were found attempting to sabotage our ordinance by triggering explosives
Not all were stopped but all achieved the one thing i knew would damn us, these acts caused every prothean to look at one another as an enemy waiting to plant a claw in their throat
It's only a matter of time now. Only a matter of time
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Author's note : hey guys this marks the end of this chapter and it reminded me that I had not explained the structure of this metropolis on dawn.
Alright so I believe some people might see this city somewhat like Ilium of the asari with the city being far into the heavens and that's close but not it exactly
I see it as the lower sectors being underground with little portions of it being exposed to light
Almost like slums, it's a bit cliche but in all societies and races that establish economics and some form of monetary system there will always be the less wealthy and the super wealthy with some in between
Anyway so large positions of the areas beneath the cities is hollow with the supports to the buildings being deep underground
As to why the bunkers well because in a time of war against a synthetic enemy the infrastructure is of far lesser value as are the lives of the people
Anywho i'm switching my story into a more direct perspective from the characters because 3rd person omniscient can be a pain in the butt
Also guys I'm sorry to say that i will likely only be updating once or twice a month as i've come to realise that work gets in the way of writing like a lot..lol
I know that you guys probably think I'm a moron for not realising that before but meh it happens
Anyways so i will be posting some finished first chapters for other stories that i wrote before and will likely not update any time soon so be warned.
Pps…..still my beta betrays me refusing to check my stories even after he said he would, for shame man for shame
Well that and he's on vacation but still man for shame
