Alliance Mining Facility
Shepard leapt off the hovering shuttle onto the pavement outside the main facility, Jacob, and Jack quickly followed him.
The base looked oddly like the one that was on Zorya, being of the same type and rough composition, mining the same basic materials. The Alliance had dozens of these things scattered around.
The shuttle rocketed off again and Shepard gave it an acknowledging hand signal.
"Hmmm nothing to kill." Jack noticed somewhat disappointed.
Shepard thought she was trying to get better but still liked to make those oddly murderous comments to annoy him.
"I noticed." Shepard replied looking around the perimeter. No large venous fly traps coming at them from all sides, no half plant half animal things coming to rip their intestines from their bodies, and no pale blue mutated humans lumbering at them.
The Spectre was not exactly sure what to make of their lack of opponents. On the one hand he was glad they were not currently under attack shortly after landing but Zaeed did say that the area had been mutated.
He shrugged it off hoping there was a logical explanation for it, and also praying they were not ambushed just as they were coming up to the facility.
They got to the entrance as one group and Shepard looked around. The area looked peaceful. No signs of battle. No scouring on the concrete structure, no spent thermal clips, and no blast marks on the ground. He began to stiffen getting ready for combat.
Shepard entered the code on the door panel as it whooshed open, there was a woman dressed in private mining regalia lying face down in the entrance, bullet holes in her back.
The squad traded knowing looks and began to prepare themselves for the battle that was likely to come.
Shepard ran to the door at the other end before looking at the squad covering either end of the opening. He nodded and then slammed the activation plate home. The door flew open revealing one of the main processing yards.
The Commander and his squad entered the room with Zaeed at its center. He had a smug expectant look on his face.
"Ah Shepard, glad you could come." Zaeed greeted pleasantly.
"Zaeed." Shepard nodded in return, "I have noticed a singular lack of anything resembling a threat."
"Ah yes, I am sorry about that Commander, but it was the most plausible story." Zaeed replied conversationally. "In fact I am very sorry for you but pay back is a bitch, and I am being paid handsomely for this."
On his signal fourteen more mercenaries popped out of the doors and began to take cover.
"You are being paid?" Shepard inquired.
"Yeah, by Cerberus, apparently leaving their employ just pisses them off. They want their ship back and they don't want you." Zaeed explained.
Shepard considered his options briefly and smiled, his hands went to his sides as his knuckles flexed.
Zaeed smiled. "Come on Shepard I know you are a big goddamned hero and all but I doubt you can take out all of us before we can get you."
Cameron returned the smile. "Well…I am sorry to."
Suddenly an explosion broke out from the other end of the room followed almost instantly by one of the mercs dropping dead from a precise shot to the head. Another one of the mercs fell to a burst from Garrus's Incisor.
Shepard drew his Phalanx quickly and fired at Zaeed who scowled ferociously, his shields held and he began to retreat opening fire with his Revenant.
Jack and Jacob drew their Scimitars simultaneously and swept up a few of the reserves, but more entered.
Miranda and Grunt entered from the left side of the room both of their weapons joining the rapid crescendo that was reverberating up and down the chamber.
Shepard found cover and drew his Tempest instead aiming at the last mercenary who had failed to find any cover. Shepard quickly fired and dispatched his foe.
He gazed around the room to look at the rapidly changing combat situation finding it to be a chaotic melee as the two groups who were now in cover began trading fire with one another.
There were three main combat zones throughout the area. Miranda and Grunt who was holding off from the occasional onrushing merc, him, Jacob, and Jack held the center keeping Zaeed pinned. While Garrus and Legion held the right flank raining fire on anyone stupid enough to try and rush their twin Sniper Rifles.
Shepard grunted hoping that this was not going to evolve into a prolonged fire fight but Zaeed happened to be one of the best.
Jack let out a frustrated yowl and unleashed a biotic shockwave at a group of cowering soldiers positioned by a steam pipe.
They yelled in shock and tried to scatter but were hit anyway causing them to be knocked left and right, the biotic freight train kept on going though, as it slammed into a valve that was regulating the fuel output.
It snapped off with a crash and a loud bang followed by a large explosion as an errant bullet hit the escaping fuel.
Mercenaries flew in every direction with howls of pain and shock.
Shepard ducked back under cover just as a large piece of metal flew over his head.
Not again! He raged taking in the developing situation.
He felt secondary explosions race down some of the rooms around him causing the ground beneath his feet to rock violently. They now had very little time to escape with their lives.
Shepard vaulted over his cover and fired expertly clearing the way of two dazed mercenaries that were trying to recover from being knocked off their feet.
Yet another explosion nearly took him out but he kept on advancing over by Zaeed's position.
His shields flared to life briefly as two bullets found their mark against him. He lowered his head and rushed over to another cover attempting to gain a better angle on Zaeed.
He fired but the bullets just bounced off his foe's cover.
Zaeed returned fire with the Revenant and began his slow retreat back the way he came. Another explosion caused gout of flame to burst from a ruptured fuel line blocking Garrus's line of sight preventing him from taking a shot at their former squad mate.
Shepard set off in tight pursuit hoping to catch the man off guard.
The battle around him continued as he could hear the bang of shotguns followed by the rapid stutter of SMG's and even assault rifles.
The temperature spiked rapidly with the burning fuel raining down on them and the heat based weapons that were firing constantly.
Sweat began to bead on his face and his gloved hands felt muddy and dirty.
He ran through a gout of flame splashing against his shields briefly causing them to collapse. He ignored it and continued in pursuit of Zaeed.
Zaeed smiled at him before trying to draw a bead on Cameron with his own weapon. Cameron beat him to it firing a long burst from the Tempest at the man, who was then hit by another blast wave from an explosion causing his shields also to collapse.
He got up slowly and moved to face Shepard.
"I must say I underestimated you Cameron," He started, "I expected you to play by the rules of your squad. But you should know I will do whatever it takes to win."
"I will make sure you lose Zaeed, surrender and tell your Mercs to leave. I owe you that much." Shepard replied before reloading his weapon.
Zaeed looked over Shepard's shoulder and smiled.
Shepard froze and turned with him for a second curious to see what was back there. He gaped shocked at the display. Two of the Mercs were there, one of them dragging Miranda by the arm, and the other one holding a Shuriken against her cheek.
Shepard winced at the display as Miranda looked a bit worse for wear.
"Miranda?" He inquired about her position.
"Hey Shepard." She smiled ruefully.
"Where's Jack?" Cameron asked approaching her. One of the mercs gestured with his pistol at him threateningly.
"She was taken out. I think she's fine but down." Miranda explained.
"And Grunt?"
"Last time I saw him he was pinned."
Shepard frowned at that. At the impossible situation he was in. He just wanted to reach out and blast them away from her but he was not sure he could react in time. And the thought that he failed her terrified him.
They got him right over a barrel.
"So Shepard, your girlfriend or your ship? Which do you choose?" Zaeed pressed behind him. "You cannot kill me and strike before they kill her, and you cannot kill them."
Shepard turned around and gaped at Zaeed for a second, feeling frustrated and alone. He could not believe this had happened to him that he was in this situation where he had to make such a choice, there had to be another way.
He smiled suddenly and turned to Miranda, "do you trust me?"
She smiled at him through a cut lip, "always."
"Shepard what are you-"
Shepard launched himself into a biotic charge at the person holding Miranda hostage at the left. He tried to let go of Miranda and escape, drawing his weapon at Shepard.
He slammed into the merc at full force knocking him back like a rag doll. Miranda and the other merc who had managed to hold onto her toppled over hard and hit the ground.
Shepard ripped out his weapon and fired at the first merc, killing him. The other one tried to get up and draw a bead on Shepard, but he would have no part of it.
Cameron stepped inside the mercs arch grabbing his hand hard and firing two quick bursts into the man's stomach.
He broke away and looked around the battlefield. He saw Miranda, lying there…lying very still.
His eyes widened and his stomach felt like it was about to fall into his shoes. He froze in dismayed shock, he wanted to get on his hands and knees and crawl to her. Trying to see if she was alright, if she had any life at all. He just could not tell from this vantage point.
He began to move, painfully slowly, over to her, his hands reaching for her shoulder.
"Miranda…" He started to whisper, "Miranda….please." Nothing else mattered to him, not the battle that was still raging, not the position of anyone on the battlefield, only Miranda, to see if he had just killed her.
He saw her twitch, slowly stirring, showing some signs of life. She suddenly got up with a start catching her bearings, slowly turning to face him. He smiled relieved, but she looked to the side, her eyes widening in alarm.
"ARRGGGH!" He heard a yell and tried to turn to face the threat before Zaeed tackled him full bore in the side.
Cameron was knocked off of his feet and hit the ground hard with Zaeed on top of him. Zaeed dragged him up by the scruff of his armor and then attempted to strangle him.
The wall next to them exploded knocking them both back into the opposite wall causing Zaeed to stop the choke hold Shepard and release him from the vice like grip.
Shepard coughed and rolled around for a second before trying to get up.
He looked for his weapons and could not see any.
Zaeed smiled aggressively before advancing on him.
Shepard grunted and limped over to Zaeed, closing the distance quickly.
Zaeed hit him across the jaw and then moved into a body shove. He proceeded to wrap his hands around Cameron's neck to try and choke him again.
Shepard grunted and moaned as he fell to the ground with Zaeed. He hit Zaeed in the stomach causing him to lose his grip slightly and then chopped him twin handed across the neck causing Zaeed to let go.
Shepard unleashed a shockwave on his nemesis causing him to be launched back.
The Spectre picked up a Shuriken from one of the fallen mercs trying to get a shot off at him. Another explosion ripped through the facility causing a blast of flame to divide the two. He fired twice into the fire hoping that he hit the former comrade but knowing he probably didn't.
He saw Zaeed attempt to limp away.
Cameron grunted and began to run towards the fleeing mercenary, but was interrupted by the flame bursting forth even more intensely then before. A beam crashed behind him causing a resounding clang.
Garrus and Grunt came up behind him.
"Shepard we have to get out of here, the whole place is coming apart!" Garrus announced.
Cameron nodded running his eyes around the entire facility.
"Come on help me with Miranda" he ordered.
Garrus nodded taking Miranda up by one arm and he got under the other.
They began to limp as a group to the door, Miranda participating as best she could, but the facility continued to explode and come apart around them.
Shepard could just see Jack dancing around on her heels anxiously as Jacob held his position covering the rear.
They moved out and stepped into the courtyard heading for the shuttle.
They arrived there just as a large explosion ripped through the facility behind them, causing it to collapse.
The shuttle zoomed back to the Normandy and to safety.