A/N: Shepard's use of a large *Possibly Krogan* knife will be a more common use of threatening, persuasive, fighting uses. So all in all, knife usage will be a little more common then assault rifle usage an whatnot. As it turns out, knives can be more intimidating then military-grade assault weaponry. Go figure :/
Shepard approached Tali in full combat gear.
"Tali."
She turned to view his serious face a foot from hers.
"Yes, Shepard?"
"I'm taking a small group to Noveria with me. Suit up, you're my second wingman." he said. He tossed her a second shotgun he had been carrying.
Though she didn't expect for the shotgun to be thrown to her, it didn't stop her from attempting to catch it. At first it fumbled, but she managed to grip it before it hit the floor. In the end it appeared as though she was bowing. She raised her head nervously to see him with a questioning look.
"… suit up." he repeated and marched out of the engine room, authority in each step. She took this as a sign of heavy military doctrine. She sighed to herself and went to prepare for the mission.
…
Noveria. The cold was everywhere. Under his feet. In his hands. On his face. If it weren't for the suit, he'd feel as though he were near-naked. Years of military discipline had forged him into what he was, and as such, he never shivered from the cold. That and unforeseen events.
Though his fellow environmental suit wearer shivered slightly, he learned to subdue this natural instinct and make himself stiff. He looked around at the port. He moved, Wrex and Tali in close pursuit.
Their walk was interrupted with Port Hanshan Security at the door to the 'lobby'. Shepard squinted his eyes menacingly at the trio of 'guards' standing before them.
He glared at them. "Move aside." he said deeply.
"We're here to secure your weapons, it's my authority to secure all firearms." said the tall, dark haired woman. If Shepard was correct, then she was Asian.
The two 'guards' beside her started to advance. Wrex made a small movement to reach for his weapon, but Shepard nudged him to do no such thing.
"Hey. Why don't you get your blonde friend over there to TRY and get my weapon." he taunted.
The blonde woman approached him, anger evident on her face. "What did you say, Quarian?"
As her hands started to spark blue, Shepard returned the gesture, making his hands faintly blue as though he were a weaker biotic.
The blond, and apparently Wrex, scoffed in disappointment. Shepard ignored it. The blond took another step and he enjoyed the look on her face when he added more power to his hands, making her face and everyone else's light up blue from its powerful light.
They glared at each other, the Asian woman appearing to become increasingly uncomfortable with their initial meeting.
"Try it." dared Shepard.
The woman took his dare. Before she could do any actual damage, a woman's voice sounded over the intercom.
"Stand down!" came the voice, hastily. "We have confirmed their credentials, The Spectre is allowed to carry his weapon!"
Shepard and the blond never stopped glaring at each other.
"I'm sorry for intruding in on your business, Spectre. Enjoy your stay." said the Asian woman.
Shepard eventually broke his glare and moved past the security to the lobby. He looked at the scenery extremely briefly and continued up the stairs. As he reached a small hall, the sound of alarms sounded to their left and right. Tali jumped while Shepard and Wrex made annoyed groans.
…
Kill the guards, Get the evidence, Get out. Simple.
Shepard grabbed his knife and started to fiddle with it, tossing it around and making a few well learned tricks with it.
"Commander, is that wise?" asked Tali, concerning the fact that Shepard was waving around a sharp knife while he was in his environmental suit. Shepard continued his movements without turning to her.
"Of course not." he answered eventually. He then swiftly made the tip of the knife stop at the tip of her visor, though not enough to scratch it. "That's why its fun." he finished. Wrex chuckled in agreement.
The door opened and Shepard motioned for them to stand still. He crouched and moved along the wall. After marking the two people at the entrance, he activated his camo and disappeared.
It was a few seconds before the Human fell with a twist of her neck. The Turian motioned to yell, but something grabbed him by his mouth and there was a gapping slice on his neck as he fell. His body was convulsing on the floor, with him coughing blood silently, as Shepard came out of his camo.
The two advanced and were close enough to hear Shepard mutter, 'Keelah se'lai'. Tali was going to speak when he raised a hand. He disappeared once more. Unsure of what to do, they moved to the entrance only to be met with a Human who seemed to hear them.
The Human looked at the bodies, then the Krogan and Quarian standing by them. He raised his weapon, only to have it knocked upward onto his face. Shepard swung him to the floor and put his boot on his neck. Another Turian came out and was quickly shot by Shepard's pistol. Turning his attention back to the man under his boot, Shepard started to kneel, increasing pressure onto the foot on the mans neck.
The Human started to swing his hands violently, but Shepard ignored it. He stared the man in the eyes as the air in his lungs started to escape him violently quickly. Eventually the fists slowed down until they were on the floor. The man made a few obstructed chokes before finally giving in to loss of air. Shepard, making sure he was dead, twisted his foot, hearing a loud snap.
He turned to his flabbergasted Quarian friend, and his amused Krogan friend. Without speaking, Shepard made them follow him up the stairs. Once there, only two guards remained. They appeared to know of their presence as they started to form cover. Shepard turned to Wrex, made a fist and a wall with his hands, and smacked them together. Wrex nodded.
He turned to Tali and, using his thumb and middle finger, traced the outline of his face. He then proceeded to make an explosion gesture, unraveling his hands in front of his face. She nodded.
"…go."
Wrex charged. Tali peered from her cover and gave cover fire while Shepard threw a mine.
Wrex took out the Human, making a crunching noise upon contact. The mine that Shepard threw blew up the Turians cover. Tali took him out with a few shots to his shields and two shots to his torso.
Shepard stood before his team and nodded in approval. They moved to retrieve the data and, once they had it, moved from the room.
It wasn't to his surprise when he found the blond woman he met earlier standing before him. He tilted his head mockingly.
"Well well well. Nice to meet you again, Spectre." she stated. "Anoleis would throw you offworld for what you did here. I won't. You know what we did to cop killers on my world?"
Shepard gave a short, but loud enough chuckle.
"Your not supposed to be here, miss. If I had the authority, do you know what I would do to dirty cops?"
Her face flared again with anger. She shouted as she sent a biotic wave to him. Shepard dodged it while Tali and Wrex moved behind cover.
He raised himself from his cover. Stirling was going to attack again, when she was surrounded by biotic energy. She was raised high in the air. Shepard's hands convulsed with blue energy. Her 'partner' came to help, but he was lifted as well. As the two lifted people could see, Shepard had a hand raised to the both of them.
"THIS is what I would do to DIRTY cops!" he shouted. He threw her partner to the far wall, hearing an inhumane crackle as he came into contact with it with bone-shattering force. Stirling managed to look at Shepard before he brought her to him. As her body stopped before him, he raised his palm to her chest and blew her to the wall.
The result was the wall nearly shattering, with Stirling making a hole in the area of impact. He approached her again and was surprised that she was still breathing. He raised his hand to her face.
"Dirty cops don't live."
He sent a biotic force onto her. Tali was glad that she wasn't looking when she heard a loud snap. Wrex laughed in amusement.
Shepard felt disgusted at what he had done. He didn't see dirty cops when he killed them. He saw something else. Something that made his blood boil and made him loose control. He wanted control. He didn't know how to get it.
"Damn, Shepard. That's nothing compared to what my people do to dirty cops." he commented, meaningfully. "You probably didn't need us on this mission to begin with. The way you killed everyone almost by yourself proves it."
Shepard turned, but pulled out his pistol. He, without looking, shot the Turian 'reinforcement' that was hiding behind a decoration. His body slumped to the floor. Shepard groaned in annoyance.
"I'm glad this is over. Qui'in better be grateful." he muttered.
And indeed he was.
…
Peak 15. Shepard wasnt there yet, but he knew it wasn't going to be pretty. Wrex was having fun, gunning down Geth with the Mako's cannons and managing to drive it while shooting, while Tali and Shepard sat in the back. She fidgeted nervously as the constant fire and bumps forced them closer together. Shepard sat, cross-armed, while Tali sat with her hands on her lap. To her curiosity, she took a glance at Shepard. His eyes were closed and his breathing was relaxed, which was strange since they were being shot at and the fact that they could die at any moment.
Shepard didn't have to look at her to know that she was eventually going to ask him a question. He might as well bring it up.
"Something on your mind?"
She jumped at his question.
"Well… yes."
Opening his eyes, he turned his head slightly to look at her. "Go on."
"Where did you learn to fight like you did?" she asked. IT wasn't the question she wanted to ask, but it was a question nonetheless.
"An old Turian named Gavin trained me. Stubborn bastard as he was, I cant complain. He is the reason I am what I am physically." he answered honestly. He didn't believe in lying to people. It would only make the outcome worse.
"So he trained you to fight and kill without mercy?"
Shepard gave a single soft chuckle. "No. He trained me to kill without feeling. He trained me to the bone. Sometimes he broke them. I would sit and listen, but that was never enough. Eventually I learned that his 'methods' were necessary. A man without feelings in the battlefield makes a perfect soldier, and that is what I intended to be." he answered. He didn't like his response, but it was the truth.
'I never actually used his teachings until I joined the marines.' thought Shepard.
She nodded in acknowledgment and remained silent for the remainder of the trip. He liked her curiosity. She was the only one who dared to dig into his past. He gave an unnoticeable grin. It reminded him of Vextri…
…
In his life Shepard had many firsts. First kill. First dead friend. First personal weapon. First encounter with a biological weapon. This was an event that added to that list. First visit to a science facility experimenting on a supposedly extinct species.
As far as he could tell, it had gone to hell way before he even got there. Having 'fixed' Mira, Shepard and his group were at the next station and were currently waiting for the elevator to stop at the next floor.
What they found was enough to surprise Shepard himself. Survivors. They raised their weapons at each other, but their leader soon recognized them as friendly.
"Stand down," their leader called out a second later.
Shepard holstered his weapon and approached the men and their poor blockade. From first impressions, Shepard knew that the men were starved and hadn't slept for hours, maybe even days. Not the best type of guards, but he guessed that they would have to do.
"Sorry," apologized the leader of the guards. "We couldn't be sure what was on the tram."
"Not a problem. What's the situation here?" asked Shepard
The man started to move around, maybe collecting his thoughts. "Oh man. We've been trapped down here for days. Actual aid hasn't arrived yet and our foods being depleted faster then we thought. In other words, its gone to hell." he answered blankly.
Shepard nodded in understanding. "I'm Imre'Shepard," he introduced himself. "I'm a Spectre."
The man tilted his head quizzically "Huh. Didn't know they were any Quarian Spectres."
Shepard let out a small sigh of annoyance. Sure it was a common mistake, but lately it had been happening almost on a daily basis. He may as well put a sign on his back stating that he was Human.
The man shrugged. "Well, I won't look a heavily-armed gift horse in the mouth. Name's Ventralis," he said.
"Ventralis." acknowledged Shepard. They exchanged a hand shake. Apparently, only then did the man notice he was Human.
"Uh… your Human?"
Shepard nodded. "Not common knowledge. Short story, I was raised by them. I need the suit to live. Understood?"
The man nodded, but not in complete understanding.
"Any idea where they came from?" asked Shepard.
"The aliens? They overran the hot labs last week. They might have come through there. Only Han Olar got out of the hot labs." he explained.
"Who's Han Olar?" asked Shepard.
"One of the scientists assigned to the hot labs," Ventralis elaborated. "Anyhow, he's the only survivor."
"So he knows what happened down there?"
"Maybe. He ain't all there anymore, though."
"But he was able to warn you about those aliens?"
"Actually, we found out about those bastards when they clawed their way into my command post." He looked around. "We had a lot more staff back then."
"Don't blame yourself. You did what you could, and by the looks of it, you've done good."
"Yeah?" he asked skeptically. "Sure as hell doesn't feel like it. The Board sent an Asari to clean up the mess. She just showed up yesterday and headed for the hot labs. We haven't heard from her since."
"Asari? Is he talking about the Matriarch?" asked Tali, silently
Shepard asked the man, who shrugged.
"Guess so. She hasn't come back here. You guys came through Central Station, so she ain't there. Mind you, I don't see what one person can do."
"Any chance we can get into the hot labs?" asked Wrex.
Ventralis shook his head. "Nuh uh. First thing I did when everything went to hell was to cut the hot labs off the network."
"So there's no way to know what's going on down there." Wrex concluded, giving a humph.
"Not without sending someone down the elevator to the hot labs. And I'm not sending my people to their death."
"Fair enough," conceded Shepard. "What kind of research is done down there, anyways?"
Ventralis shrugged. "Beats me. I'm not supposed to know. So long as people didn't start dying, it wasn't my problem."
Shepard nodded and pulled out his assault rifle. "Time to get to work." He spoke to his two team members, who nodded.
"Yeah, I hear th—" He was silenced by the sounds of something walking on metal with several legs. They all knew what it was. "Hell!" he cursed. "Man the perimeter!" he yelled to his guards.
Shepard and his group jumped over the cover and aimed at the direction of the sounds. The metallic floor panel lifted up, revealing two of the nasty creatures. Shepard was the first to fire, aiming at its two floating appendages. The rest of his team fired strategically while the exhausted guards fired lazily at the creatures whole body, not caring about strategic dismemberment.
One of the creatures died and the other pounced at one of the guards. Before it could strike it, Wrex hit it upward with the tip of his shotgun and pulled the trigger, spilling its alien organs all over the small area.
Though thankful, the guard spat out in disgust over the limbs and organs that littered the small area. Wrex did them a favor by moving the body to a corner. Tali and Shepard approached Ventralis.
"You okay?" asked Shepard.
"Yeah," he panted, padding off the blood and fragments of what appeared to be an intestine. "Thanks for the help. Every few hours, a group comes up the tram tunnel. That was one of the smaller ones."
Shepard nodded and the group advanced.
…
The Matriarch stood before them, observing the Rachni Queen from the platform.
"You don't know the privilege of being a mother." she spoke without turning. "There is power in creation. To shape a life; to turn it toward happiness or despair." Benezia turned her head slightly, to stare at the intruders. "Her children were to be ours, to raise to hunt and slay Saren's enemies."
Shepard approached her, Tali and Wrex shifting, ready for a fight.
"Matriarch, I mean you no harm. Should you resist to your arrest, I will be forced to take matters into my own hands." said Shepard with authority.
She ignored him and continued to speak blankly. "Have you faced an Asari commando unit before?" she asked Shepard. "I doubt Quarians ever have."
Shepard continued to glare at her, ignoring her accident in species, like many do. "I've seen enough." he eventually answered.
As soon as when started to move, Shepard dove for cover. Before he could get to cover, she put him in a stasis. A Commando approached from behind Benezia while she moved to the platform.
Shepard, now out of stasis, fell to the floor, but squirmed to cover. He started to bark out orders.
"Wrex, charge. Tali, cover me!"
They did so. There was little they could do, however, when Shepard and Wrex were thrown against a wall. Tali ducked, so instead of her being lifted, her cover moved upward. Shepard shouted in pain as he fell to the floor. The loud thud of Wrex followed.
He stood up and felt a searing pain. 'Must have broken a rib' he thought. He raised his tired arms and pulled the two Asari commando's towards him. The force was too strong as they rammed into the railings at high speeds, no doubt killing them. Shepard ignored it. Either way, they were dead.
The Matriarch moved her hands and a few doors opened, revealing several Geth and few Commando's. Shepard cursed and started to move cover to strategic locations biotically. The three troops took cover and started to fire at the several Geth that were assaulting them from two sides.
He made sure to give Tali higher cover due to her condition of the suit and expertise with a shotgun. Wrex enjoyed having some, if not any cover at all. He seemed to chuckle a little with each kill.
More common Geth approached. They weren't the strongest, but they weren't the weakest. Shepard peered over his cover, only to duck just as fast when a missile came his way.
"Geth Missile Troopers!" shouted Shepard. Whether or not it was their designated name, he didn't care. His troops knew what he was talking about. They changed priority to the red Geth and took it out in less then a minute.
A few Asari moved in, but were shot down while they tried to get a clear shot. Eventually, the shooting and shouting had silenced save for the Matriarch, who was panting. Shepard ran up the stairs and aimed at her. His two friends followed suit aiming at the slouching Matriarch.
She eyed them tiredly and managed to speak from between her pants. "This is not over… Saren is unstoppable. My mind is… filled with his light. Everything is… clear." The Matriarch turned around and stared at the Rachni queen.
"The Rachni beg to differ." stated Shepard.
"Saren still whispers in my mind." she talked almost instantly. "I can fight his compulsions briefly, but the indoctrination is strong."
"Control? Is this indoctrination? How can you resist?" asked Shepard.
She turned around, a struggling look on her face. "I set… apart of my mind away from… indoctrination. Saving it for… a moment when I could help destroy him. It… will not last long."
"So you can kill us when we believe you?" asked Shepard, tightening his grip on his assault rifle.
"Yes. But it would… n-not be my will S-Shepard. People are… not themselves around Saren. You come to… idolize him. Worship him. You would do anything… for him." She started to move around a little, her panting going away. "The key is Sovereign - his flagship. It is a… dreadnought of incredible size and it is extraordinary."
"Where did it come from?" asked Shepard. He noticed Tali release her grip from her weapon.
"I cannot say. The Geth did not build it. Its… technology is more advanced than any known species. The longer you stay aboard the more Saren's will seems correct. You sit at his feet and smile as his words… flood in to you. At first I thought I was strong enough to resist, instead I became a willing tool ever to serve."
She looked at the three people solemnly and spoke again. "It is a terror to be trapped in your mind, to beat upon the glass as your hands torture and murder." She took a few steps to the Commander, who aimed at points of her body that wouldn't kill her, should she attack. "I was powerless, nothing but a tool for Saren. He sent me here to find the Mu relay. Its position was lost thousands of years ago."
Shepard's face quickly became quizzical. "How does something that big go missing?"
"Four thousand years ago a star nearby went supernova. The shockwave propelled the relay out of its system but did not destroy it, its precise vector and speed impossible to determine. Millennia passed the nebula created by the nova enveloped the relay. It is difficult to find any cold object in space. Particularly something swathed in hot dust and radiation." answered the Matriarch.
"Someone on Noveria found it? I assume you have the coordinates."
Benezia nodded, no longer tired. "Two thousand years Rachni inhabited this region of our galaxy. They discovered the Mu relay. The Rachni can share memories across generations. Queens inherit knowledge from their mothers." She glanced over to the Rachni Queen. "I took the location of the relay from the queen. I was not gentle." Grief overwhelmed the once proud figure.
"You can redeem yourself, Matriarch." said Shepard, finally releasing his grip from his weapon, only slightly. He never truly trusted people. "Give me the location of the relay."
Benezia nodded and slowly gave him an OSD. Shepard took it cautiously and gave it to Tali, who started to scan its contents.
Shepard returned his attention to the Matriarch. "Do you know where Saren is headed?"
She shook her head. "Saren would not tell me his destination. But you must find out quickly. I transmitted the coordinates to Saren just before you arrived. You have to stop him! Stop me!" Benezia grabbed her head. She moaned in "His teeth are at my ear! His fingers at my spine!" Benezia screamed in pain. "You should…you should…"
She rose, no longer moaning or screaming in pain. She, instead, looked darker. Shepard noticed the difference faster then his friends would.
"DIE!" she declared darkly.
She raised a hand to Shepard, who shot at her 'soft spots'. She registered them with pained shouts. Taking the advantage to suppress her, he gave a respectful 'sorry' before running up to her and hitting her in the gut with his knee, full force. She fell in pain. He turned to see Tali and Wrex take out two Commando's. he nodded at them in approval and looked down at the Matriarch, who reverted back to her 'good' self. She stood up wearily and with Shepard's help.
"I cannot go on. You will have to stop him Shepard." Benezia uttered in a desperate voice.
Shepard hissed a curse. Had he really hit her that hard? He tried to tend to her wounds, but she gently pushed his hands away.
"No." Benezia said calmly. "He is still in my mind. I am not entirely myself. I never will be again." She spoke sadly.
Shepard nodded in understanding and laid her to the side, respecting her decision. She nodded and gave a short moan as the wounds started to bring her closer to the dark void people called death. She held Shepard's hand in hers with both of her hands. She tightened her grip softly.
She looked around with her eyes somewhat wildly. "Where is the light?" she asked sadly and softly. Shepard looked at her compassionately. Its not every day he was with someone when they died somewhat peacefully. "They said there would be a… light…" Her grip on his hands fell. After muttering a farewell, Shepard stood up.
The team proceeded to leave, but Shepard eyed the Rachni queen in her cage. He felt something behind him and raised his weapon instantly. The Asari moved to where he stood and turned to look at him. Her eyes opened lazily and stared at them
"This one will serve as our voice."
…
The return trip wasn't as eventful as the trip they went through to get to Peak 15. The blizzard never let up, so they were forced to make their way back in the Mako. Saving the Rachni Queen. Another act of Compassion.
Compassion. He actually showed compassion. He showed a feeling that hadn't been shown in 13 years. What did this mean? Something was making him soft. He hated it. He needed to fix the problem. The mission depended on it.
…
[Entry from Shepard's journal]
Entry 10101K1 - Wrex
The Krogan is of little worry to me, but he may be troublesome in the future.
His response to my commands is more then enough proof of his eagerness to fight. He is a Krogan of significant strength and it is an honor to meet a Krogan who I cannot defeat physically.
He is wise for a Krogan of his age. Being as old as he is, I'd say that he's been in the mercenary business far longer then I initially thought.
I have nothing more to say per this entry.
A/N: There. Ya happy?
