Damsel in Distress

Therum – Digging Site

„This place is quite unusual, Shepard, " Kaidan whispered after a long look around the large chamber. "Clearly this place had been built to endure an eternity but long ago obviously lava claimed it. It is a wonder that at least part of it is still intact."

Shepard didn't answer immediately but kicked the head of a destroyed Geth away. Since they entered the place there had been only token resistance. All in all they had destroyed not more than two fistful of them.

Garrus looked up from the canisters he had been examining. "These are all kind of explosives, mostly used for simple mining. It seems that the Geth were collecting them for something. But for what kind of action do you need so much stuff?"

Shepard bent forward over the railing to look down onto the lower half of the chamber. Some blue light could be seen there and some machines were standing around. "Certainly to blow up something very large. We'll go down. I don't trust the elevator so we'll climb." Instantly following his own advice he started to climb over the railing and search for holding at the elevator-shaft.

He had only reached the middle of the way down to the next level, as something startled him. A machine sprang into action and seconds later the elevator began to move. Slowly it descended and gave him enough time to see the big smiles of Garrus and Wrex as they passed him. Obviously only Kaidan had followed him on his climbing tour. For a moment he felt a bit stupid but then something metallic snapped. Shrieking and sparking the elevator moved much more rapidly down its shaft. Panic-stricken its passengers gripped the grids. To Shepard's regret they stayed silent. For a moment he had hoped for some girlish squeaks.

To wedged to achieve a dangerous speed the elevator went further down only to stop suddenly three yards above the ground. While Shepard climbed down the rest of the way, Garrus and Wrex forced the door open and reached the ground with a jump. "It was all only planned, Shepard. It was faster this way."

Before he had a chance to answer, a weak female voice interrupted them. "Hello? Is there anybody? I'm over here."

Following the voice to the blue light they had a weird sight in front of them some moments later. Shielded from them thru a kind of blue energy barrier there was another large room with some machines and working stations in it. But the most unusual sight was an Asari hanging midair and being surrounded by an energy bubble.

Shepard needed some seconds to close his mouth and win back control over his voice. As friendly and confident as he was able to sound he asked her: "Dr. T'Soni, I assume?"

"Yes, I'm Liara T'Soni. Could you please help me? I've tried to …" She babbled on and on, Shepard only understanding half of it. After a while a slight headache gripped him and he stopped her a bit too angry.

"Wait." Immediately her mouth closed and she stared at him baffled. "So you want to say that you erected this shield to protect you from the Geth. And that you accidentally activated some kind of security measure that now holds you in place. And we may deactivate it only from your side of the shield and have to find a way around this shield. Correct so far?" She nodded and opened her mouth again only to stop as he raised his hand. "Good, we'll look around for a solution. Don't go away." He even escorted the last words with a smile which did much to soothe her.

Therum – Corp Site

"What was that?" Ash asked. Seconds before there had been a rumbling far away and now all around the tunnels started to grate. Dust was falling from the ceiling and all in all they had the feeling that the mine wasn't secure any more.

"In case of doubt Shepard or Wrex has been doing something destructive," Udina answered with a shrug. "You," he turned to the worker. "Go back to your people. They should leave the mine immediately." The man hesitated only a moment before he nodded and sprinted away. "And we should hurry."

They had followed the tunnel only a further hundred yards, with the rumbling around them all the time, before they came across three Geth that were working at some kind of energy station, obviously powering it up. Some cables left from the chamber into another tunnel. With their shields down it was a kind of open invitation to shoot them and Ash had ever been a polite woman. Her rifle took two of them down before they had a chance to react, the last following a handful of seconds and a full SMG magazine later. Udina only growled into Ash's friendly face: "Don't say a single word."

Therum – Digging Site

"She's very young," Garrus stated. With the explosives they had been able to create a break thru the wall below Liara without endangering her and now they watched Kaidan as he tried to free the Asari, his fingers whirling on the working station.

"Is this good or bad," Wrex asked?

Garrus pondered for a moment before he answered with a wicked smile. "Good I think. You know most Asari this age work as exotic dancers. And she's surely very … athletic. Perhaps we could convince her to repay with a little …"

"Shut it," Shepard called, but couldn't help to smile a bit as he saw Liara blushing wildly at the not so silently suggested opinion of Garrus. Seconds later she was free and Kaidan even made a small bow. Always the cavalier, Shepard stated to himself.

"Dr. T'Soni, I'm Commander Shepard. We're here following a suggestion of Dr. Warren from the Mars Academy. We're in need" no, not of your dancing skills, but I see why Garrus had the idea "of your knowledge about the Protheans." A low rumbling, not the first since Garrus used the explosives, stopped their conversation. "But first we should hurry to leave this place. Our way in seems to be too unstable now. Do you know another way out?"

"There is the tunnel the miners used before they found the ruins. It should still be open. Follow me." She hurried away and only minutes later Shepard had lost all orientation. Some of the tunnels seemed to be natural; others had been crafted with mining equipment. But then another energy field stopped them, a working station not far away and on their side.

"I erected this field as I heard of an attack on the mining corporation." Liara said gasping for breath. Coughing she collected some energy before she went to the station.

"Wait," Garrus stopped her. "There is someone on the other side." Stepping closer they detected a group of Geth working on a mining driller, following the commands of a very large Krogan. As he detected them, he smiled broadly and ordered his Geth into position. He waved Shepard's team too attack and reloaded his shotgun, eager to combat them.

"Ready your weapons. Liara into cover as fast as possible after opening the shields. Garrus, I need some smoking grenades in the tunnel. Wrex, the Krogan is yours." Wrex answered with an enjoyed snarl.

"Need a minute," Liara answered. Tensed Shepard waited for the energy field to falter, as he realized some new movement on the other side. Something had called the Krogan's interest and now he was ordering the bulk of his Geth to follow him, leaving only a handful behind. What's going on there? Udina

Therum – Corp Site

"There are some energy signatures, I would say: Geth." Tali looked up as she felt herself gripped and shoved away by Udina.

"Tali: rear position, Ridein to the point," he ordered. As they followed the tunnel Ash lowly whispered: "I don't know if I like the situation to have you with a loaded gun behind me."

A bit amused Udina answered: "Oh, I like the sight enough for the two of us."

Ash giggled. "Is this so? And I thought you're more interested in Tali's ass or why did you buy her that form-fitting suit?"

Baffled Udina turned around to Tali and hoped that she was too far away to fetch that last comment. Interested in her? No, that would be like … Trying to cover the situation he smirked: "I could nearly hear a hint of jealousness if I hadn't caught you too often ogling the commander."

Ash nearly missed her next step and quickly looked down to hide her blushing. "I'm not ogling the commander," she answered not very convincing.

"You are," Udina responded and for a moment Ash wondered if she had really heard some sorrow in his voice. I must have been mistaken.

Movement ahead in the tunnel let her snap back to reality and Ash lowered to a kneeling position. Something metallic rounded the corner, the Geth being stopped a step later by Ash's salvo into his torso. Two further Geth went down thru the fire of Ash and Udina before a larger group attacked and pushed them back. A wild scuffle ensued, weapon firing in close quarter, Tali hacking shields and hindering the Geths' sensors as fast as possible. Then suddenly something large appeared. For a moment Udina thought it to be a Geth Prime but then he saw a large thick-boned skull ramming into Ash, pushing her to the ground before the Krogan charged further thru the tunnel. Udina raised his SMG but the salvos did nothing to stop his enemy. He was shouldered away and lost track of the Krogan for a few seconds as two of the Geth attacked him. At least he was unable to miss them on this short distance.

As he saw Ash rising to her feet again, Udina dared to turn around only to see Tali on the ground, her left arm visibly broken. Split seconds turned into minutes as he saw in horror how the Krogan lifted his heavy boot to smash it into her visor. Not her.

A wild untargeted biotic punch tossed the Krogan a step away, his boot only hitting the stony ground. But he was unimpressed. He even smiled as he returned the punch with a powerful attack that whirled Udina back against the wall. His head ringed. Udina didn't notice how Ash brought another Geth down and tried to get into firing position. He didn't hear Shepard's voice thru the comm now able to reach him after Liara opened the energy field. He only saw the Krogan raising his boot again in some kind of slow motion, Tali moving only very feebly. But he didn't see her there on the ground but some other girl, the pictures melding, his sight unstable.

Not her. His biotic amp's security lock was now deactivated.

Not her. Udina collected his biotic powers.

Not her. He lashed out with all his might, hitting the Krogan, smashing him into the wall, shredding the flesh from his bones, tearing him away on an atomic level. Udina's voice pierced the communicators of all, shocking them with the rage within while the bloody rests of the Krogan splattered the tunnel.

His body instantly began to shudder wildly as the biotic exhaustion kicked in. Almost neutral as if he was watching another person Udina realized that he never before had used this amount of biotics. My teacher would be proud, he mused for a second while his body toppled to the ground, his head smashing against the stone. And then all went dark.