To everyone wondering why this update took so long - the unthinkable happened. No, not finding water on Mars. No, not a pope being compared to a democrat. Bigger even than that. Someone has decided I'm worth dating (may god bless her soul). You can probably guess the rest. No, I haven't given up on this story. No, not all updates will take this long. I think I have a routine that should work pretty well now.
Well, without further ado, here's the chapter.
"My station!" roared the Blue Suns commander as he cowered behind a blue shield, his eyes shining with a desperate, futile rage. He knew what would happen. He knew from the way the shield was already beginning to flicker, two of its power sources now lying in a smoking heap of metal. He knew it by the way his men fell around him like marionettes whose strings had just been cut.
It felt good, Harry had to admit. Out of all the evils he had encountered in his life, very few things stung quite like betrayal did. False pretences. Hiding true intentions behind a mask of truth. His blood boiled even though he had anticipated this particular betrayal. Every fiber of his being itched to tear down the pathetic shield before him and make the commander beg for death. But he restrained himself, knowing an intellect as keen as Mordin's could not be lied to for very long.
Huh. Is it bad that I've felt anger like this more times than I'd care to count? Maybe I do need to talk to a shrink. But really, Kelly seems like she'd faint if I told her even some of what I feel.
It wasn't a particularly fair assessment of Kelly, he knew. The woman possessed an unusually mind - Strength to hear out the torments of people and help them heal, and yet, an almost child-like naivety when it came to her ideals and how easily she trusted.
"Shield down!" Garrus roared in victory as the azure dome around the warden faded out of existence. Harry sighed and launched a mildly powered blast at an already downed mercenary who had been crawling towards his weapon. He really needed to stop sinking into thought in the middle of a battle.
"Bringing down enemy's shields," Mordin muttered, his omnitool flaring to life as he attacked the warden.
"Firing concussive shots!" Garrus called, and the blue suns commander was soon being tossed about like a ragdoll. To his credit, the enemy turian sprang for cover immediately, tossing a grenade at them as he did so. The warden could take a beating. But it was nowhere near enough.
Harry flicked his hand, blasting away the grenade before it could reach his squad. Then he dashed forward, vaunting through a barricade smoothly before bringing up his heavy pistol, firing steady but powerful shots at the warden. The turian's defenses, already torn apart from previous attacks, put up little to no resistance as his body was torn apart, the hateful gaze in his eyes long since replaced by fear.
Well," drawled Garrus, leaning his rifle against the ground, "Is it just me or was that a letdown after all the Heavy Mechs?"
"I think the explosions rattled your head pretty hard," Harry replied, drawling just as effectively as Garrus. Draco Malfoy - bless his little blonde head - had known how to modulate his voice if nothing else, "Wouldn't most people be happy that this didn't top the YMIRs?"
"Well I'm not saying I'm happy," Garrus scratched his ch- chin? mandible? ...thing? idly as he recovered his breath, "I'm just saying. Shouldn't places like these be harder to get through?"
"Well maybe it was a breeze coz we took care of half of 'em, princess," Zaeed's ever-charming voice reached their ears, causing Garrus to grunt noncommittally before kicking over a nearby corpse.
"Yes, resistance would be much heavier without flanking attack," muttered Mordin as he salvaged whatever he could from their vicinity.
I do like how efficient he is Harry thought amusedly. It was the problem of working with remarkable individuals. They were great to have around in a fight, and yet, keeping secrets from them would be all the more harder for it. Well, he'd have to rely on half-lies to avoid overt suspicion. Dumbledore had been a master of the art after all, and he had certainly been around the old wizard long enough to pick up a thing or two.
"The station is collapsing," Miranda stated calmly as an explosion rocked the entire prison, "And we still don't know where Jack is."
"Prisoner Jack is nearing the transport bay. Her path will lead her to a dead end."
"About time something went right," Jacob sighed, "Let's just recruit her and get off this damn station before all of us get blown to hell."
Harry grinned viciously. The YMIRs Jack had dismantled before escaping had only been the start. She had left a trail of destruction behind her that was, quite frankly, impressive. The sheer power behind her attacks put her on the same level as a competent force mage. Mordin's muttering had reached a capacity beyond sentient comprehension as the trail had continued.
"Well then. Let's not keep our newest recruit waiting!"
"Why do I get the feeling this is the recruit he's most interested in?" Jacob muttered as he watched Harry almost skip through the dead bodies as he began to move towards the docking bay.
"I'm not certain that should surprise us at this point," Miranda replied, rolling her eyes as she too began to follow Shepard, as did the rest of the crew.
"Get the fuck outta my way," snarled Jack, her entire body densely coiled, as one would see in threatened animals. Her lips were pulled up in a feral snarl, blood splattered across a portion of her face.
She definitely looks the part of the psychopathic killer if nothing else Harry thought wryly as she raised a hand threatening, the air humming slightly because of the biotic energy she had gathered. Impressive.
"Oh? And where do you think you'll go if we step aside? The whole station's falling apart, and my ship is the only way out of here," Harry shot back amusedly, though he stayed on his guard. His nonchalant attitude only seemed to anger Jack even more.
"Yeah? Then maybe that's where I'll go when blow you all to fucking pieces," Jack cut in, her eyes blazing. Harry was about to shoot back another response, thoroughly enjoying the bravado, when Garrus stepped up near him.
"This isn't the time for your stupid games," Garrus growled softly into his ear, "This station is a fucking time bomb. Knock her out and take her if you have to."
"I'm not stupid," Jack continued ranting, "That ship has Cerberus markings. What the fuck is Cerberus even doing here?"
"It's a long story, and Garrus here just reminded me that getting my team trapped in here isn't really going to help," Harry replied lightly, making Garrus snort behind him. Good. He hadn't lost his flair for understatement just yet, "All you need to know now is that we need your help on a mission. That's why we came to Purgatory. That's why you're free right now. I'd say you owe us for that alone."
"I'd have broken out eventually," Jack sneered, "You're gonna have to do better than that. If you Cerberus creeps want me to help, I want something in return."
"Apart from your continued existence?" Harry asked mildly, making her scowl, "Name your price."
"I want access to Every. Single. Cerberus file. All the dirty little secrets that they've been hiding. You aren't even wearing the Cerberus uniform. Do you what kind of people you're riding with right now?"
Another explosion rocked the prison, and the grates beneath their feet screamed in protest as they were strained beyond their limits. Harry signalled with his hand, gesturing for his crew to head back to the ship. They did so slowly, trailing many glances behind them until only Miranda and Garrus remained. Miranda was practically radiating fury at Jack's request.
"Shepard, you can't seriously be considering this," Miranda spat, "You may not agree with our methods, but that doesn't mean you should give this psychopath everything!"
"Oooh, the cheerleader looks pissed. Even better," Jack grinned viciously, "So, whaddya say?"
Harry considered quickly for a few seconds.
"Done. But you don't get the files right away. Once you get what you need, there's nothing stopping you from blowing the ship apart. First you earn your stripes, then you get your access."
"You don't have the power to authorize that!" Miranda exclaimed in outrage. Harry quirked an eyebrow in her direction.
"Cerberus is using me just as much as I'm using them. Our common goal is to stop the Collectors and the Reapers. For that, we need people like Jack. I have every right to do this."
"And how do I know I can trust you?" Jack growled, looking ever-so-tempted to attack them. But she stayed her hand. Good. That meant she didn't lose herself to violence, and could focus. Or so he hoped. There was little room for wildcards when they were so few in number.
Well, except me Harry thought smugly And I'm an awesome wild card.
"Like you said, I'm not Cerberus. And as you just saw, I don't answer to them. I've made my offer. I'm going back to my ship now. If you accept, join us. If you don't, good luck finding another way out of here."
With that Harry spun on one heel and walked away, not even bothering to look behind him as Miranda and Garrus quickly followed suit. He didn't need to. Jack was radiating her emotions so intensely that he could sense all the elements of a decision forming within her. Miranda and Garrus, on the other hand, looked as if they expected her to attack their backs at any second.
Then they heard footsteps behind them and whirled around, only to find Jack stalking up to them, ignoring both of his squadmates in favor of look straight at Harry. She brushed past them without saying a word, bumping into his shoulder hard as she did so.
"I think that's a yes," Harry muttered, rolling his poor shoulder slightly, more out of reflex than anything else.
"Yes to what? Having a mentally unstable person on board one of the most covert ships in existence?" Miranda asked rhetorically before hurrying behind Jack. Harry had a funny feeling she wanted to make sure Jack didn't wreck anything on the way in. He also had the funny feeling Miranda wanted to assign Jack's living space before anyone else could.
We may have all the makings of the first Normandy catfight Harry snickered internally, before flinching almost reflexively as he expected a slap to the back of his head. His eyes darkened for a second as he realized that would never happen again. The love of his life had never approved of that phrase.
"Wonder what kinda character we're gonna recruit next," Garrus muttered before he too began to head towards the Normandy.
Harry smiled widely at what Garrus had said, the remaining dossiers already on his mind. He had to give it to whoever shortlisted the candidates for this mission. They sure knew how to pick 'em.
Harry couldn't take it anymore. He hadn't realized how suffocating it was aboard the Normandy until a few minutes ago. Before, he had never felt the need for secretiveness. But now? He had no intention of confining himself to operating within Cerberus lines. Nor did he have the slightest interest in anyone monitoring his communications and movements. It was truly a pity that EDI, for all her intelligence, was still firmly tied to Cerberus protocols.
Heh. I just called an artificial intelligence 'she'. Well, I also called Fawkes 'he'.
There was no level of comparison between Fawkes and EDI, save for the fact that they were both rare miracles in their own spheres. He had only met one other phoenix in his life apart from Dumbledore's bonded. Nevertheless, the comparison made him feel somewhat better. And that was the whole point of justification, really.
Harry sighed and ran his hand over his hair roughly. Even if he purchased some kind of secret communication system, what was the guarantee that EDI wouldn't be able to access it? And frequent visits to Aria's station would look beyond suspicious.
'Commander, the ground team has just landed on Korlus. I have detected considerable mercenary presence in the area. It appears Okeer is being held captive for his research.'
Speak of the devil. He had split his crew members into two squads, one headed by Miranda and one by Garrus. He was genuinely curious to see how the team dynamics worked when the principal commanding figure wasn't present. But more importantly, it meant he had more solitude than he normally would. Miranda had looked suspicious, but hadn't put up much of an opposition.
Nevertheless, he wasn't completely helpless. There was no video feed of his own cabin, of that he was fairly sure. This allowed him a degree of privacy, as long as he didn't make any suspicious noises. The object of his interest was scattered over his bed - about half a dozen of the heat absorbing clips that were so crucial to warfare in this century. It was ingenious and yet so restrictive.
Harry was seriously considering the possibility of casting an Undetectable Expansion charm on the clips. Shepard had been given a working knowledge of most equipment, and that been further bolstered during the N7 program. Nevertheless, he was hesitant. Magic had reacted so badly with the electronics of his time. Padma had mentioned that it was because no device was sophisticated enough to handle the fine, chaotic energy that magic inherently was.
"Well. Staring at it isn't gonna help me any," he muttered. He began with a simple spell.
"Forma revelare," he whispered and felt tendrils of magic explore the heat clip he held in his hand. It was a spell he himself had come up with after seeing how the Homenum Revelio spell worked. The human detecting spell too required magic to thoroughly explore the area kept in mind by the user. In this case, rather than searching for life, he willed the magic to remember the form and recreate it in the space before him.
He had seen far too many sci-fi movies to NOT will it into the form of a three dimensional holographic display. Parchment was the more traditional approach. His friends had been amused, once they'd understood what it was.
Somehow, it feels less special now. 3D displays are everywhere he groused to himself as the last strand of magic weaved itself into the air before him, showing him the structure of the thermal clip with delicate, emerald green strokes.
He would have to understand every bit of this thermal clip. See the complete picture even with his eyes closed. Feel the shape even when he was-
Harry sighed. His inner monologue was getting out of hand now. He reached for the drink he had kept at the bedside table, taking a sip before focusing himself and looking at the image of the clip. This would take some time.
"Sir, we've detained a low-level information broker from Omega," one of the aides spoke up as he cast his eyes swiftly over the updates on the major bases. They would need every edge they could get to even stand a chance of fighting the collectors. He looked up in mild irritation.
"And you felt the need to mention this to me why?" he snapped. One of his most promising experiments had just failed. He was not pleased.
"It was the information he put up on the market sir. I-I took the liberty of shutting down his operation and retrieving him immediately."
Now he was curious. He closed the holographic display and turned to face his aide, gleaming cybernetic eyes picking out the tension in the man's posture.
"You have my attention."
"It has to do with Commander Shepard's operation to retrieve Archangel. Almost anything worth scavenging was destroyed in the building collapse. But this broker found something. An omnitool recording of Commander Shepard's abilities."
He raised an eyebrow. Comprehensive footage of the commander's fighting style could potentially be a weakness, but this? And yet, his aide would not bring it before him without a reason.
"I-I think you should see this for yourself sir."
A large display sprung into being, revealing footage of Commander Shepard looking somewhere with a feral snarl on his face. He felt a mild jolt of apprehension despite himself. The look on the commander's face was intensely intimidating. It was what made him a leading hope against the Reapers. It also made him highly dangerous as an enemy if his calculations ever fell apart.
Then again, his calculations never fell apart.
And then the recording began to play. His eyes widened as he watched Shepard thrust his hands out, exhibiting biotic ability that was at least on par with Jack. His fingers began to clench the chair he was sitting on, digging so deep that it began to bleed after a while.
"Sir!" cried the aide, attempting to step forward, but he shot the aide a poisonous glare, stopping him dead in his tracks.
"How. Did. This. Happen?" he ground out, crushing the cigarette in his hand, the tobacco falling to the ground unnoticed. How had all his teams not noticed this? They had the chance to collect information on every facet of Shepard. His implants had been standard issue, nowhere near the experimental technology Jack possessed. Or at least that was what the study of his body had revealed.
Impossible!
This wasn't about mental strength. It wasn't about willpower. An implant could not be stretched beyond capacity. Biotic ability was not like a muscle that could be trained. Not unless you were Asari, and even then there was a limit to the growth.
"How should we proceed?" the aide asked uncertainly.
"Delete every copy of this except for the one in my personal server," he ordered, "Has anyone else seen this?"
"No sir, the ground team was strictly instructed not to investigate what they retrieved."
He nodded, his eyes now contemplative. This was an unexpected variable. He hated it when the equation was thrown off course. Then again, in the larger picture, this just meant Shepard's biotic abilities had to be reevaluated. It affected the individual assessment of him, but it was too insignificant to throw a wrench in any of his larger plans.
"Send Kai Leng to interrogate this broker. We need to know he doesn't have anything else that could be compromising."
The trembling in his aide's body was painfully visible. Kai Leng certainly cut a most intimidating figure. Miranda commanded authority through talent. Jacob commanded authority by inspiring respect. Kai Leng simply commanded with fear. The operative's presence alone was enough to make every Cerberus operative in the area tremble a little. Combined with his utter reliability in the field, Kai Leng was a tool he valued greatly.
"And once the interrogation is complete?"
The answer came forth easily, without even a moment of hesitation. He did not even move his eyes away from the now paused holovid of Shepard thrusting his hands out even as the gunship was torn apart.
"See to it he doesn't become a hindrance."
"I-I can't do this anymore," Kelly sighed, rubbing her forehead as she stepped away from the object currently occupying her attention, "I knew you were unorthodox, but this is like a carnival of the weird."
Harry chuckled slightly, his eyes too focused on what stood before him. He had significantly more experience with the "carnival of the weird" than anyone in this age could even dream about. The warped foetus that had been part of Voldemort's soul was perhaps one of his crowning moments.
I like that phrase. Carnival of the weird. I should try to use it in conversation he thought absent-mindedly as Miranda and Jacob continued to throw different opinions at each other. He understood why the Illusive Man tended to let them operate together. They covered a wide spectrum of differing thoughts and beliefs, making them ideal when brainstorming. But for now, he turned his attention back to the frozen krogan in a pod.
Oh, it was much more complicated than that. The krogan wasn't even really frozen, more like suspended in what looked like one of Neville's early attempts at potion-making. But he didn't care. It was as if every bad sci-fi stereotype in existence were in fact prophecies of what would happen. A super alien warrior in a freezer. Really.
"EDI, did you take a look at what the pod was programmed to teach this guy?" he voiced out loud, making his crew go silent for a moment.
"The krogan specimen was, by Okeer's own words, intended to be his crowning achievement. His genetic make-up is remarkable. In addition to knowledge of the galaxy and other fields, Okeer took great care to educate him in every aspect of warfare, including strategy and commanding."
"Great. Crowing krogan achievement probably means it'll kill everyone on board the ship and then take over the galaxy. I say we space the pod and cut our losses now," Jacob spoke up, his eyes conveying clear sighed a little to himself. This was perhaps why Jacob fell short of real command. To automatically reject the unusual or ambiguous was not a good quality to possess.
"That would be the most irresponsible course of action to take!" Miranda retorted, her hands on her hips.
Atta girl. Maybe you're not totally heartless after all.
"A specimen as remarkable as this one would be invaluable to the scientists at Cerberus!"
Why did he even hope anymore? Resisting the urge to plant his face firmly in his palm, Harry continued to think through what he knew. The krogan would be aggressive, as all members of his species were. But it didn't seem as if Okeer programmed him with a specific kind of hostility. Then again, he probably didn't need to. If Shepard's memories of Wrex were anything to go by, krogans made for wild drinking buddies as well as frightening enemies. That was a combination he decidedly liked.
"Everyone, vacate the room," he said casually. All three of them looked at him as if he'd grown dragon scales on himself.
"Are you insa-"
"Commander, you can't be thinki-"
"Shepard, how co-"
All three stopped on their sentences midway as he raised his hand, gesturing for silence. In Kelly's case, she went bright red as she realized that she had referred to the commander by name in the presence of two people who most definitely ranked as her superiors. Fortunately, it appeared as if the slip had gone by unnoticed.
"I've taken your opinions into consideration," Harry replied with unusual seriousness, "But at the end of the day, this op is still mine. Return to your stations. If the krogan proves to be hostile, I'll take care of it. If not, we get another major boost to our fighting power."
Miranda appeared to speak further, but he cut over her words ruthlessly.
"Like your boss said, we don't have an army. That means every individual needs to be worth it. This is a risk we can't afford not to take."
"Alright Commander," Jacob replied in a tight voice, "We'll be at our posts."
With that, he snapped a stiff salute and left the room, followed closely by Miranda. Kelly lingered near the door, shooting Harry a worried look. He merely smiled at her reassuringly. She smiled back uncertainly, and with a hiss of the door, she too was gone. Harry turned back to face the pod, hoping he had been right about his decision. A casual legilimency scan had not helped at all. Not surprising, given the krogan was in stasis.
"You heard all that EDI? When I say no outside presence, I mean you can't maintain an active presence either."
"Yes, Commander. As you have been duly cautioned, the pod controls and the consequences of using them are entirely yours. Only my vital system functions will remain active here."
"Great, even the AI is giving me grief," Harry muttered as his fingers flew over the controls, hoping he had spoken too low for EDI to pick it up. He wouldn't bet a Knut on it though. EDI was frighteningly well engineered. The pod doors smoothly fell back even as the liquid within it drained away. Harry's eyes widened as the krogan stumbled out, coughing up the disgusting looking liquid even as he stretched to his full height. The krogan was...more intimidating than he had previously thought.
In that slight moment when Harry had hesitated at seeing the krogan's stature, he attacked, pinning Harry against the wall of the chamber viciously. Harry felt the breath being knocked out of him despite using magic to increase his body's endurance slightly.
Without that protection, this would have hurt,he realized. Not that he was fine now. He was certain he would be taking shallow breaths for a few minutes. Now, however…
"Name?" grunted the krogan, panting as he rapidly became accustomed to the use of his lungs. Harry immediately threw out his mind, knowing he needed some inkling as to what was happening in this krogran's mind.
It hit him with the force of a truck. Memories of ancients, and yet the blank slate of a newborn. A body that had been forced to grow; a mind that had been forced to learn. And yet, he didn't even know who he was. Was he one of the great warlords of the past? Was he all of them? No, at the end of the day, they too had failed in their task. The voice in the tank told him the krogan had not yet regained their former glory. He was not a failure. He had to be more than what they had been.
And yet, why did he not have a name?
Harry's heart filled with a rare moment of true sympathy. He too had been raised with the sole purpose of being used as a weapon. At least he had known what his name was. He had known the name of his parents. He had taken comfort in the fact that they had truly loved him. Who could this krogan turn to? This was not the time to show his sympathy, however. Krogans respected strength. He would have to show strength.
"Your name," he growled and struck the krogan's shoulder with the speed of a viper, dispersing magic and shocking the krogan's upper body, "Is something you shouldn't be asking me while attacking me."
The krogan's knees buckled, but impressively, he stayed upright. He made no further move to attack, however, instead choosing into the distance.
"I have purpose, but no name. The voice told me to tear my enemies limb from limb, but who do I fight for? I am the best of my ancestors, but their names aren't mine. They're just words. Hollow. No connections."
Harry showed no visible reaction on the outside. The krogan's deceptive stillness did not comfort him. His mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Anger. Rage. Confusion. Violence. He breathed a silent sigh of relief when he realized that hatred had not taken root in the krogan's mind. Anger and violence could be channeled. Hatred was far more corrosive in nature.
"Grunt. That was among the last. It'll do. I am Grunt. Now tell me, why must I obey your command?" at this the krogan's - Grunt's - eyes snapped up to face.
Harry stared back coldly, allowing some of his power to flow into his now dangerously gleaming eyes. There was no visible result, and yet he knew Grunt would feel the authority he was projecting. The presence that demanded obedience from the one it was directed at. The krogan's body went rigid as he stared at Shepard with wary eyes.
"Because," Harry spoke in a low voice, "Under my command you will face opponents stronger than any the voice in your tank told you about. You will discover yourself for who you are. And the name you chose for yourself will be met with respect in every corner of the galaxy...if we all don't die horrible, gruesome deaths," he added as an afterthought, unable to resist making the comment.
He sighed, partly in disappointment and partly in relief when he realized that the krogan didn't even seem to register the last comment. Grunt's mind told him that he had managed to earn respect by repelling the krogan's initial attack. So long as Shepard continued to prove himself, Grunt would follow him. Apparently he now acknowledged Shepard as a kind of battlemaster.
Harry's ego swelled massively at that last thought. Battlemaster. Well, that was a title he hadn't earned yet. Best of all, it had no hyphens in it! Unless there was supposed to be one between battle and master…
"Very well," Grunt spoke in a low growl, stomping away from Shepard to look at his open pod, "For as long as you command well, I recognize you as battlemaster. I don't know who I am. Maybe I'll find the answer in battle."
Harry had a sudden vision of him standing before Grunt with a serene expression and twinkling green eyes, telling him that peace and forgiveness and love were the only worthy emotions. He shuddered, but thankfully, the vision passed quickly. Perhaps his mental state was worse than he thought if he could see such vivid hallucinations. A talk with Kelly might just be in order soon. Or perhaps a highly specific memory spell cast on himself.
"Then welcome aboard the Normandy, Grunt. You can use this cabin as your own. When you're done looking around, go see Jacob and outfit yourself with some proper gear. You'll be needing it soon."
"Hah. Armor and weapon first. Wandering around is for old varrens and pyjak salarians."
Harry snicked as Grunt lumbered out of the room, intent on arming himself as soon as possible. He was really starting to feel sorry for Kelly. Excellent psychologist she might be, but it appeared as if the Normandy mission was intent on bringing to her the most outrageous characters in the galaxy. Deciding that the command deck would likely be exuding a nervous atmosphere as Grunt leered at them, he did the only responsible thing any responsible leader could do in this situation. He decided to dawdle around the engineering deck and let the chaos unfold.
"Really, Ken? So to you, Miranda's just someone with a really nice ass?" attacked Gabby, initiating a dance that was already becoming familiar. Ken had just made yet another inappropriate, highly perverted comment that had set the genius duo off on another one of their patented to-and-fros. Harry was happy to just lean against a console and relish in another opportunity to hear Ken's thick Scottish accent. The first time he had heard it, all he wanted to do was drag Ken off to the nearest seedy bar and let things unfold from there.
Well, there would be time enough for that later. For now, he contented himself with some light banter with both engineers. Their personalities were so refreshing from the typical Cerberus mindset. Most of the crew on board the Normandy were decent people, simply looking to do whatever they could to fight the Collectors, and by extension, the Reapers. The Illusive Man had clearly gone to great lengths to surround Shepard with the kind of people he could trust. It was a smart move. For every person he connected with here, it became harder and harder to view Cerberus with suspicion.
Well, thank goodness I'm more cynical than three Aberforths put together he thought dryly.
"Come on Gabby!" Ken protested, his accent making it sound as if he had just said 'Gabbeh', "Ye can't look at her and not think that!"
"Well, she IS beautiful," Gabby reluctantly conceded, "But that shouldn't be the first thing you think about your boss Ken!"
"Hey hey hey! Last I checked, the Commander is me boss, and I don't think of him tha' way...no offense, Commander."
"None taken," Harry replied amusedly. Gabby started, as if just remembering that Shepard had been witnessing the entire scene. She stalked away to her console embarrassedly, looking as if dark storm clouds would appear over her head any second. Harry was quite tempted to make that happen.
"I mus' say Commander, I wasn't expectin' you to slum it with us grunts so much," Ken commented as he tried not to look at Gabby, who was trying to glare holes into the side of his head.
Well. It's mostly out of a desire to preserve my life he thought sheepishly, thinking of the many times he had travelled down to the engineering bay to escape Miranda's fury. That was how he had first met Gabby and Ken, in fact. Of course, when they assumed he had come down specifically to meet them, well, who was he to tell them otherwise?
"Just like to keep an eye on the ship Donnelly," he replied easily, "Speaking of which, anything you guys need when we make one of our stops?"
"Not at all Commander. Cerberus knows how to pick its equipment, I'll give them that," Ken replied, before scratching his head rather sheepishly, "Well, there IS one thing. Nothing serious, you understand. But we're having to spend a lot of time on the FBA arrays. Not to bore you with tech, Commander, but-"
"He'll bore you with tech," Gabby cut in, ignoring Ken's look of mild outrage, "Fact is, Commander, having some FBA couplings would really make things easier. You're most likely to find them in back markets, they're not really available anywhere else these days."
"You got it," Harry nodded, realizing this gave him a plausible enough reason to head to Omega. He would need to bring up the matter of private communication with Aria as soon as possible. Then again, he didn't want to have to tell her about EDI either. The element of surprise was just as essential as EDI's advanced capabilities when it came to battle. Well, he would wing something.
"Thanks Commander. You're the best!" beamed Gabby.
"Hmph. Don't ye think ye hand out compliments too easily when the Commander's around Gabby?" Ken sulked, only to be hit on the head by a furiously blushing Gabby.
"Shut up, Ken!"
And thus it started again.
The mood in the command room was tense. The usual buzz of activity had subsided into a tense, worried murmur as the Cerberus staff moved swiftly around the ship. The Illusive Man's urgent message to him had brought the entire picture back into perspective for many people. Their foe had proved extremely elusive despite their best attempts to find them. Now, they finally had them within their grasp. And that made it all the more real for them.
It was at Horizon that their foe had resurfaced once more. EDI continued to update the entire crew on the status of the colony, but there wasn't too much to tell. The Collector's method of neutralizing people meant there was almost no opposition, and no chance to even send out a distress signal. In other words, they were largely left without any information until they actually got there.
Mordin has just confirmed that he had a way of keeping the Collector drones away. At least in theory. Harry had been sorely tempted to put the mouthy salarian on the ground first so he could 'test his hypothesis" firsthand. Unfortunately, common sense won the day and he realized that there was no one would be able to further Mordin's research were he to meet his rightfu- that is to say, highly unfortunate demise.
He had no illusions about finishing the Collectors based only on one encounter. They still knew far too little about their capabilities to finish them once and for all. Ideally, this mission would be about foiling the current abduction and learning as much as they could about what opposed them. This also meant that it wouldn't be as simple as landing every person who could hold a gun onto the colony and storming through it.
"Here's the plan," he began, looking at the squadmates gathered around him. For once, they all appeared to be serious. Well, serious in their own ways. Miranda, Jacob and Garrus looked grim and ready to begin their mission. Jack and Grunt wore almost identically vicious grins on their faces, which was quite an achievement given the difference in their races. Grunt kept punching his fists together in excitement.
"Our main priority is to prevent the abduction of the colonists. We don't know how far the abduction has proceeded, but we save whoever we can. This is also the first time we'll be facing a good amount of collectors. That means this is the perfect opportunity to get a first-hand understanding of what exactly these people are capable of."
"Good to get fresh material to analyze. One drone and grainy holo footage not sufficient. Must ask to be on ground team," Mordin spoke up. Harry nodded immediately.
"Mordin, you and Kasumi will hit the ground after the main team removes any immediate threats. Garrus will cover you from a distance so you don't run into any unpleasant surprises. While we move ahead, you stay out of the battle and gather whatever you think might be useful. Cerberus will pay for Collector tech, right Miranda?"
"Indeed, there's a standing bounty for anything useful concerning the Collectors," Miranda confirmed.
"Whatever you salvage goes by me first," Harry refuted firmly, "I decide how we allocate it. Understood?"
"We can't keep what we steal, Shep?" Kasumi asked him, her eyes revealing how heartbroken she was.
"If it isn't useful to the mission, you can keep what you take Kasumi," he grinned reassuringly in response, "I just want you to run it by me so we don't miss anything important."
"Who's gonna be on the main strike team?" Jacob looked impatient, as if wondering why they weren't on the ground already.
Probably because we haven't even reached the place yet spoke up the wry voice in Harry's mind.
"We don't know what kind of numbers we'll be doing with. We'll be dividing into two squads and moving around the areas where the enemies are concentrated. EDI will guide us. We stand a much better chance with a flanking maneuver," Harry explained.
"The second flanking squad will have Jacob, Zaeed and Jack. Jacob, you're be leading and coordinating with me."
"Really? He'll probably be too busy polishing his shoes to lead anything," Jack drawled, grinning widely at Jacob as if baiting him into responding. Jacob merely nodded stiffly, showing no sign that he had even heard what Jack said. Harry felt like hitting his head against the wall. This had all the makings of a ticking time bomb, but the adepts in the team had to be spread out.
"I WILL KILL WITH THE BATTLEMASTER!" roared Grunt, banging his hand against his armor plated chest.
Yeah. Mostly because you looked like you'd snap me in two if I put you anywhere else.
"Miranda, we have no clear idea about their tech capabilities. You're best suited to help us with that. Grunt and I will try to draw most of their gunfire."
Miranda nodded grimly, her eyes already gaining that cold glint which promised pain to whomever it fell upon. Between her and Grunt's outright enthusiasm to slaughter life forms, their principal squad looked as ready as it could be to take on the Collectors. Harry quickly finished the meeting.
"Remember, this is about saving the colony and finding out as much as we can about the Collectors. Only then can we go in for a kill strike. Mordin, distribute your countermeasures to everyone who'll be landing."
"Hope they work."
"If they don't, I'll beat the collectors and then snap you like a twig, salarian.'
"Mmm. Sympathies for Miss Chambers. For krogan to stand out as psychotic among other krogans is big accomplishment. Dubious one. Fascinating research opportunity, however."
"Trample the bugs!" roared Grunt as he fired another devastating shot with his shotgun before tackling another Collector with his shoulder. The impact produced a sickening crunch following which the Collector collapsed, moving feebly. Another burst from the shotgun, and the area was completely free of hostiles. Grunt turned and pumped his hand in the air, only to be met by two very blank faces.
"...I have a feeling he should have been a squad on his own," Harry confided quietly to Miranda as Grunt began to rummage through the corpses for heat clips. Harry's hold over his pistol tightened discreetly. The gun now sported the very first heat clip enchanted with an undetectable extension charm. He went to great lengths to appear as if he was changing clips, however. The clip was meant to be an ace up his sleeve, it wouldn't do for people to become suspicious of it too soon.
"Perhaps," even Miranda sounded a little off balance, "Nevertheless, this gives me the time to study the Collectors without gunfire cornering me."
Harry nodded before activating his omnitool, "EDI, send in the second strike team and the salvage team. Tell Mordin his countermeasure worked. Obviously. Grunt no longer wants to snap him in two."
"I am certain Doctor Mordin will be delighted. Both teams will be deployed shortly."
"Their technology is as advanced as we thought it would be. If these are just the troops on the fringes, things will get much tougher as we move further in," Miranda spoke up, examining one of the collector weapons. Harry hummed in agreement, preoccupied by how much the Collectors resembled insects. Yet another sci-fi trope from his time becoming the truth. Bad aliens that wanted to wipe out humanity did indeed look like insects. Damn writers would never let him live it down if they knew of this.
"Heh. Don't know 'bout their tech but they break easy," grinned Grunt, "Not as easy as salarians though."
Right. He definitely needs to break out of this compulsion to snap salarians. I'm no expert, but that can't be healthy for him.
"Let's keep moving," he ordered, already stalking ahead, "The less colonists they take, the better for us."
"Husks!" Miranda cried out, and Harry turned to face what he had only seen in Shepard's memories before. Gruesome, twisted shells of humanity raced towards them in odd, loping motions, dull blue orbs glowing where eyes had once been. The first of them exploded in a sickly green fluid as Grunt's shotgun rang yet again, spurring him into action.
Inferi.
That was the one thought that ran in his mind even as he fired mercilessly, tearing apart three husks in a matter of seconds. Oh, he knew they weren't the same. Inferi were, though it was rather hard to believe, even worse looking than these husks were. And yet, appearances and methods aside, the end result was the same. So many denied even a peaceful final rest, the body that once encased their soul used as cannon fodder.
He growled low in his throat before blasting away the remaining inferi in a single, powerful push. Death roared inside him, raging against the desecration of the soul containers. Few things bothered him these days, but this was one of them. Too many inferi had been faces of those he had once known, fought with, laughed with. With these husks, at least there was the mercy of any facial features being completely stripped away.
The battle passed in a blur, with him barking out instructions as they advanced through the colony. Soon, they stumbled upon colonists who were still frozen by the Collector drones. He immediately directed EDI to send Mordin and Kasumi to his location before moving ahead. The second squad worked through their part of the colony, occasionally maintaining radio contact. Jacob was doing well, as expected, though if the explosions in the background were anything to go by, Jack was having as much fun as Grunt was.
He had come face to face with Harbinger in a disturbing fashion that reminded him forcefully of possession. A normal Collector had suddenly frozen before writhing and contorting before energy broke out of it in a blaze of yellow and orange. Then Harbinger had spoken, the very voice sending mild reverberations through him. But he was given almost no time to ponder it. Harbinger had been dropped eventually after copious usage of the very laser weapon that had caused them so many problems.
"Resistance is getting heavier," grimaced Miranda, applying medi-gel to a wound that had been caused by one of the pesky laser weapons the Collectors carried. That thing had cut through their defenses distressingly quickly. Thankfully, the range of the attack was concentrated, which meant the Collector wielding it could be dropped with relative ease. Grunt sported a plethora of smaller injuries, but he seemed too delighted by them to even consider medigel. Oh well. More for the rest of them.
He snorted internally. If only he could think like that, but as the leader, he was bound to keep a close eye on Grunt. Any serious injury and he'd hold the damn frog (did the French still exist, he wondered) in place with "biotics" and apply medigel if he had to.
"Commander, schematics indicate you are reaching the inner portion of the colony."
"Yeah. Direct the second squad to clean up every area thoroughly before advancing. A lot of people are still here, I don't want any remnant Collectors taking them."
"This would considerably slow their advance."
"I know. But this isn't something we can afford to ignore."
"Acknowledged."
"Heh. Good. That means more for us!"
He wouldn't be handing out prizes for guessing who said that particular statement. Could the day get any worse?
"No!" shouted Miranda as a blast struck the laser rifle she was holding, reducing it to a smoking heap of metal that she dropped quickly before diving back into cover. Harry swore. They were near the controls for the GARDIAN lasers towers that EDI was preparing to fire, guarding them from the swarms of Collectors and husks that were now crashing against them in heavy waves.
"Damn. Slippery. Bastards," Grunt growled as husks swarmed around him, wildly trying to sink their jaws into him. The krogan was starting to buckle under the sheer number of husks that were surrounding him. Harry immediately sent a mildly powered burst of energy at the husks, throwing them off balance without harming the much bulkier krogan who promptly dismantled them.
"Ugh. Anyone has some water?" Grunt muttered, grabbing a few seconds of respite while Miranda renewed her attack on the praetorian. Harry immediately reached for some medigel. This was probably the closest Grunt would come to asking for help.
"Commander!" cried Miranda as the Praetorian attacked her position viciously. Her cover was literally being chipped away by the second, and she was seconds away from being completely exposed.
Dammit! We don't have anything that can damage it fast enough.
Harry's mind raced as he saw Grunt continue to handle the husks that were trying to overwhelm them. No serious firepower could come from him. The second squad would take a while yet to reach their position. The worst they had expected to encounter were Scions.
"Oh for fuck's sake," he snarled, thrusting his hands out to focus his energy through his exhaustion.
Confrigno!
The Praetorian was engulfed in an emerald explosion, throwing it out of its position in the air. Harry watched, panting, as it emerged, parts of its body torn off, but still hanging unsteadily in the air. Harry's eyes narrowed at its resilience as it shakily turned in his direction.
Confrigno Maxima!
The explosion this time was thunderous, the emerald flames so bright that it eradicated all else from sight for a few seconds. When the flames died out, only a few scraps from the Praetorian could be seen, the main body long since torn to smithereens by the force of the blast. A vicious smile adorned Harry's face as he surveyed the Praetorian's remains. Oh, that had felt good. Stupid bug-like machine had been getting too big for its own britches.
"GARDIAN lasers fully charged. Firing will commence."
Harry turned to find both Grunt and Miranda simply staring at him as tiny emerald flames slowly burned out of existence around the debris surrounding them. Behind him, as if on cue, thunderous explosions rocked the Collector ship as it slowly rose in the air. The cannon continued to fire as the ship moved away at a rapid pace, having clearly taken considerable damage.
His cowardly adrenaline abandoned him as soon as the Praetorian was destroyed, leaving him to face the real danger without support.
"...I'm not even gonna try."
You know the drill. Reviews are fuel. Fill up the tank!
Till next time.
SK.
