Disclaimer: -copy&paste-
Authors Note: God... how long has it been since my last update? –TO LONG-
So yeah anyways... Heres PartTwo!
Last Son of Chiron
Chapter Nine: Flashback One: Eden Prime: Part Two
The touchdown had been smooth and the area around it clear. Skye, Jenkins, and Kaiden had been put down about four kilometres away from the main colony site with Nihlus. Nihlus had gone off ahead towards the colony on his own, citing he worked better on his own.
First Lieutenant Darius "Jenkins" Draven was like Kayle, an Infiltrator, but as Kayle would just as likely use his cloak to sneak close and get up close and personal, Jenkins was a sniper through and through.
Not long after Nihlus left Kayle gave Jenkins the go ahead and Jenkins cloaked and headed towards the colony on his own. When Kaiden questioned this Kayle merely shrugged and said better to have him as overwatch then risk his eyes and possible death if he was on the extreme front line, which was were Kayle and Kaiden were headed.
Kaiden and Kayle had been walking for about twenty minutes when Kaiden stopped.
"Something on your mind Kaiden?" Kayle inquired. Kayle held his Mantis sniper rifle out and ready while his Katanna shotgun was stored on the small of his back folded and ready to be used at a moment's notice.
Kaiden seemed to mull a question over in his head for a quick second before continuing on walking at pace with Kayle.
"I was wondering Commander. The rumours are true right? You're a Muslim?"
Kayle stopped and Kaiden had walked a few steps ahead of him before he noticed the Commander had stopped. A chuckle cleared the air as it came over the communications link.
"Careful were you are treading Kaiden. You have stepped on thin ice. And the good commander is waiting underneath."
Kaiden looked at Kayle's visor and saw his eyes burrowing into his. Kaiden gulped down a breath and straightened his shoulders.
"Where are you going with this First Lieutenant Alenko…"
Alenko had not heard Kayle ever refer him to his full rank save for when they first met.
He started to raise his hand and stopped himself. Then again and managed to force a second question through.
"I was just wondering because I have heard you say God a lot, as in God damnit, God above and so forth. Why don't you say Allah?"
Kaiden could see Kayles eyes bugout for a second before he raised his left hand to his visor and held it there shaking his head back and forth. His hand slid down off the visor and Kayle continued on past Kaiden. He heard Jenkins laugh out loud over the .
"Ahahahahahaha! Oh Kaiden… You have got a lot to learn friend."
A confused look scrawled its self across Kaidens face before Kayle spoke up.
"That's it? That's all you wanted to know? God above help me! Allah is Arabic for God. I don't speak Arabic as a first, second, or third language, so there is no sense for me to say Allah every time instead of God. Jesus Christ Kaiden you had me worried there for a minute! I thought you were gonna berate me for having a religion! If you have a question like that again just ask it! Don't beat around the damnable bush."
Kaiden could feel his cheeks flush red, but he ignored it and quickened his step to catch up with Commander Kayle.
About ten minutes later Kayle held up his fist and they both stopped. Kaiden saw a small light appear on the bottom of his Visors H.U.D (Heads Up Display). Jenkins was reporting something in.
"What have you got Jenkins?" Kayle asked when Kaiden saw a vid pict appear over his left eye visor. It came in grainy at first but it quickly cleared up. It was focused in on something dark but big it seemed. Kaiden saw Jenkins zoom out quite a bit. Before he was staring at something that could best be described as a metal cuttlefish that reached towards the sky.
"It's over two kilometres tall. Possibly just over three maybe. Too much of the top section is in the clouds at the moment."
The video zoomed out more and both Kayle and Kaiden saw it parked just outside the main colony site.
"How the fuck did we not pick this up as we entered atmo or from space. Or for that fucking matter when we landed?"
"Some kind of EM shield I'm guessing. Maybe a kinetic barrier tuned way to high? Cause the Manticore* is only picking up a very faint energy signature of some kind around that entire thing. But otherwise noth- Wait… I am picking up a comm signal from inside the colony. Judging its direction its closer to you. Its Alliance code. Patching it through to you now Commander."
A female voice spoke up against constant background fire and explosions. "This is Gunnery Sergeant Ashley Williams! My unit and I are pinned down under heavy fire from Geth platoons! They came out of fucking nowhere! We are stuck in the original colony control buildings on the south side of the site! Any unit not currently engaged we need a priority pick up and evac! We have colony director Michael Steiner with us!" The signal went dead.
How far was all Kayle asked before ordering Jenkins to pack up and move closer to the colony and get in a good spot to cover the entire site. Kayle waved Kaiden on and they headed towards the colony post haste.
They arrived near were the transmission had come from none too soon or late it seemed. From what both Kayle and Kaiden could see it was, for the lack of a better term, a real shitstorm. From the immediate sight there was about six primes, eight or nine rocketeers, and A LOT off regular troopers, all of whom were pouring unending amounts of concentrated fire on a somewhat blocky and tall building surrounded by low walls about four feet high with various abandoned vehicles in the front parking lot.
Jenkins keyed in after about minute of them looking over the situation.
"I count some fifty four troopers, ten rockets, seven flamers mixed in with the troopers, and six primes, and a seventh standing back about one hundred feet, most likely the main control prime for this group."
"Set up the Manticore and take out the Prime-prime. Cannot believe I just said that…" Kayle said with a shake of his head. He turned his head towards Kaiden and motioned towards the rear of the building.
"That is where we will be heading. Then through the back door to provide direct support and extra fire power. After all this is locked down Ill signal the Normandy for a priority pick up. Any questions?"
Kaiden shook his head. With that Kayle took off towards the rear door with Kaiden in tow. They had managed to reach the rear door with drawing any fire and found it locked. Kayle pounded on it with some force to get attention draw to it from the inside. The door opened and Kayle and Kaiden were both welcomed to the site of two Avenger-Rifles pointed in their faces.
The men behind the rifles hesitated for a split second before lowering the rifles and waved them inside. Kayles H.U.D pinged the two as First Private Michael Shanks, Corporeal Daniel Jackson, both of whom had a strong resemblance to each other.
Shanks saluted and Jackson merely nodded. "It's nice to see a friendly face around here sir! Although we all wish it was more than two." Shanks stated. Shanks started to lead them towards the front of the building and towards the fighting.
Jackson again nodded. Clearly not the talking type Kayle thought.
Jackson-Human related to Shanks-Human. But Jackson-human is aware of Voice. Jackson-Human a psionic.
You sure Voice? Psionics are rare, even on Chiron. You absolutely sure?
Voice unsure. But Jackson-Human aware of mind-touch.
The feeling Kayle received from Voice, was at best, a mental shrug. They had arrived at the front windows which were barricaded with the various desks, cabinets, chairs, tables, and other large solid objects to block the incoming fire from the geth and provide cover. Kayle could see what was left of this brigade and also several bodies off to the side with blankets, sheets, and other cloth materials draped over them. He counted a total of perhaps fifteen dead in here alone. Ducked under cover at various points of the makeshift cover was another twenty marines.
Jackson went up to one of the windows and started to return fire back at the geth while Shanks lead him and Kaiden towards a woman currently in cover and ducking next to a man in a ruined suit who was also holding an Avenger rifle. He looked to be about his late sixties, with salt and pepper hair and a struggling moustache which matched the hair on his head in colour. But he appeared to know how to handle the rifle and was in good shape for a civilian of his age.
Kayle crouched and tapped the woman on the shoulder.
"Gunnery Chief Williams? Commander Kayle Skye and First Lieutenant Kaiden Alenko. Normandy. We picked up your transmission about ten minutes back. I hope three extra guns can help." He smiled a little under his helmet as he saw the ping in his visor that told him Jenkins had set up the Manticore.
Williams turned her head towards Kayle. "Three extra fucking guns is not gonna cut it at the fucking moment! And I only see two of you! Where is this third you speak of?" The scowl was plenty evident on her face.
The man in the suit turned towards him and Kayle got the match from his V.I that it was Michael Steiner.
Michael Steiner, the Black Lotus of Austria. Formerly the head of the Austrian "Schwarz Nacht" brigade, perhaps the best Special Forces unit on Earth.
Kayle saluted to him and Steiner waved it down.
"I am retired from the Black Night now. I just wish to leave that life behind me now. But nice to notice some one knows who I am."
Kayle smiled a huge grin at the statement. "Every N7 knows who you are. Anderson is in orbit on the Normandy. I think he will be glad to know you're alive. But for now we have a more pressing concern, tun sie zustimmen Herr?"
Steiner gave Kayle a curious look and shook his head. "That was terrible. But yes I agree. And I am looking forward to seeing Anderson again. He is a good man." They both ducked as a geth rocket sailed through one of the windows and exploded behind them. Steiner stood up and sprayed a burst at a geth trooper and he smiled a little as the sparks leapt off the trooper's chest and it dropped.
"I am glad I did not forget all that training I received. Never did think I would ever use it again." he shook his head again.
"Where are the stairs to the second floor? I need a good LoS for my Mantis. And I do not feel like sticking my ass on the line with my cloak out there."
Steiner pointed towards a door with a bar across it. "This building hasn't been used in over fifteen years. Those stairs take you up to the second and third floors." Steiner tossed Kayle a set of archaic metal keys and pointed to the third, bronze one.
Kayle nodded and headed to the bar to unlock it and the door.
Five minutes later after struggling to clear the various debris and crap left over from fifteen years ago, and he heard a most usual sound. All the fire seemed to stop for minute. Kayle smiled a large smile underneath his helmet. Jenkins had let loose the Manticore. Kayle keyed his comm to Jenkins.
"What you take out Jenkins. Something good I hope? Like the Control Prime?"
Jenkins response of a rough no.
"Couldn't find a clean line of fire. Well… by clear I mean I don't want to rick tearing down half the bloody colony to get at it. I took out one of the primes instead. Watching that fucker melt was a pretty slick sight. Gonna be another two, maybe three minutes before the pellet is cool again."
Kayle sent a green wink on the comm and he finally reached a suitable window with a commanding view of the open battle field before him.
Crouching down enough to rest the Mantis's barrel on the window ledge Kayle sighted down the scope and took out a geth rocketeer.
Kayle backed off from the window he was in as incoming fire poured up towards him and he crouched over towards a window further down.
He poked up and found another geth, a flamer this time, working its way forward. A single shot to the canister on its back and it went up taking another three troopers with it. He ducked down again and moved to another window.
A curious sound again and a single distant flash of blue light and one of the primes left simply melts to the ground in a puddle.
He grins and sights back down his scope to another flamer. Alone this time. It explodes.
A small group of troopers is seen off to the left of the main group, making its way forward ignored. He sights and fires. One drops as its senor light explodes. The other duck for cover, but too little avail.
Superior firepower and training may win battles, but height advantage takes all. Three more go down in quick succession. The fifth and last one is taken out by Avenger fire from inside the building.
The third prime seeing the sudden death increase began to scan the upper levels of the building and spotted the slight barrel protrusion. Raising its pulse cannon to fire at it, its audio sensors once again hear that strange sound.
The last image it captures before being sent to a hub is of a single brilliant blue flash almost too small to see, but being a geth its picks it up clearly.
The rest of the various geth units, seeing as their controls being brought begin a retreat away from the humans. Their primary objective almost done to begin with.
Kayle held his fire as the geth began to withdraw, but not before Jenkins got another shot off with the Manticore and melted the last prime into a puddle.
Kayle withdrew himself from the window and headed back down to the first floor.
He saw Steiner tending to a marine who had gotten shot in his left arm.
Gunnery Chief Williams saw him and saluted to him.
"Sir! I apologize for my earlier outburst sir! It was uncalled for."
She seemed to get even straighter. Kayle began to laugh, which drew the attention of several of the other marines who were left. He waved his hand dismissively at her. His omni-tool lit up and he pressed the pause button.
"At ease I guess? Don't worry about it. Perfectly understandable."
She dropped and the salute and seemed to fidget a little bit. Kayles left eyebrow shot up quizzically.
"You have a question Gunn Chief?"
She shifter from her left foot to her right before asking.
"Sir… What the hell happened to those big red geth out there. They just melted."
Several other marines also nodded and voiced their confusion at its happening, not that they were complaining.
Kayle shrugged and simply stated the most basic fuck off he could think of. "It's classified."
Several audible groans were heard.
Steiner, meanwhile, got up from the marine with a grunt and walked over to Kayle and extended his hand.
Kayle shook it.
"Commander, thank you. Your timing was impeccable. On behalf of the colony of Eden Prime blah blah blah blah blah. Just… thank you. I assume you have an exfil point?"
Kayle nodded and his omni-tool brought up a route they took to get here.
Fifteen minutes later, Steiner and the marines were off towards the LZ, except for Williams, who at Kayles behest, was added to his squad as his local guide for the colony. They still needed to find out why the geth were here after all.
Half an hour of trudging through what was left of the colony they came across a warehouse. Breaching the door proved unnecessary. They found it mostly deserted, various geth troopers, flamers, rockets, and hunters all scattered and disabled around the warehouse floor.
However near the far door they saw a turian body. Kayle and Kaiden both recognized the red and black armour of Nihlus.
They rushed over to him and saw he was bleeding, or had been bleeding, from a wound going through his left shoulder and exiting from his stomach.
A quick omni-tool scan showed he still had a heartbeat, if only faintly.
"Williams. Patch him up best you can and keep him stable. Kaiden head up to the warehouse control room and see if you can get a video off of the security cams."
They leapt to their tasks. Kayle stood up and looked around. Not much in this warehouse to begin with save the control room overlooking it. He several of those… corpse things they fought on their way here scattered around the warehouse floor as well. The eerie skeletal visage to them was defiantly human, if turned into techno zombies. On the opposite side of the warehouse from where they entered Kayle saw an open door. Gripping his Katana tightly he walked towards it and peered past the open door into a hallway with a few destroyed Geth trooper units. A slight eerie green glow emanated from the door at the far end of the hall.
"Commander. It's Chief Williams. I got the turian patched up and he is stable at the moment but he is not gonna remain that way for long."
"Alright Chief. Try to find a stretcher of some kind, possibly with a gravunit and head towards the secondary pick up site. Kaiden you find anything?"
"Yeah gimmie a second. The cameras got something but the video is for the lack of a better word, shittey."
"Ok. Download it and come to my position."
Kayle stepped past the doors threshold and pointed his Katana down the hallway. His footsteps echoed a little loudly and seemed to get louder as he approached the opposite door. He raised his hand and reached out and opened the door.
The green light got brighter and he saw a stone obelisk of some kind emanating the light. He stepped into the room and saw more destroyed geth units and several marine bodys.
Kayle thought towards Voice but got nothing and was a little bit worried. It wasn't uncommon for Voice to be silent for hours or even days at a time but he felt no connection whatsoever to Voice at this moment.
As Kayle stared at the obelisk more and more he felt himself walk towards it. He saw his hand rise towards it but not on his own will. He brushed it ever so slightly when he felt his entire body go stiff and Voice screaming not to touch it.
The last thing Kayle saw before darkness over took his sight was a being with four eyes staring at him.
He found himself among a field of fungus and flowers. The Worm Pillars reached high towards the sky not far from where he was. The Swarms of Chiron were floating away from them and around them. He felt peace like no other in a long time. He felt several worms tug at the pant he was wearing and he looked down and picked them up. They coiled around his fingers and hands and he lowered them to the ground again.
He smiled as he found himself among a field of fungus and flowers. As he dreamt the sky began to darken. Lightning as red as blood crashed and shot through the sky. A giant tree amidst the field was struck and set ablaze. The fire spread and consumed the tree and to his right a woman with red hair was crying. She could not see him but he had a feeling she could feel him. And through the dark clouds over the tree a ship of impossible size drifted down towards it and the fungus and flowers began to scream.
*Codex Entry: Weapons: Manticore,
The Manticore is a prototype energy weapon that was developed alongside the Normandy. Using a experimental plasma power source (called a pellet), it directs and targets a invisible targeting laser that then guides a visible shot or bolt of superheated plasma at its target. Initial test runs against a wide variety of targets, by far the most... vicious of the targets was when it was directed against a dead pig. Even at low charge the plasma "ate" through the three hundred pound pig in under six seconds. When tested against metals of all kinds, it melts them. Although powerful, the biggest drawback is the power source itself. Having to be ejected after every shot to be cooled off, limits its Rate-Of-Fire considerably. One theory on how to increase RoF is to equip Manticore users with multiple plasma pellets, though most cite the slow RoF as acceptable.
Well then. Sorry for the long delay in betweens updates. But MassEffectOne has finally come to PS3 and I have been SUCKED IN! As I find as custom MaleSheps to be Fugly mothers I just use base appearance MaleShep. Still all in all: FEMSHEP/LIARA 4 LIFE!
Also I am taking a skip with the Manticore, but come on! Chaos Gun! Controlled Mind Worm boils. Plasma Shard. Then the final tier weapon.