"What the hell are you on about, Uncle Wrex? Why did this Krogan attack us?" Krinda shouted.
Bakara stepped forward.
"Allow me. You see, Wrex and I did a little digging years ago and came to find out that your Great-grandfather was a Krogan, Krinda."
"I already knew that, aunt Bakara. Grandpa Aethyta's dad was a Krogan. I fully acknowledge that fact. Heck I mentioned it to a member of the council just yesterday."
"Exactly. That means, at least mentally speaking, you are one eighth Krogan. Which is good enough for Wrex apparently."
"What?"
"Krinda, it's time for the rite of passage ceremony for your generation. All Krogans, or part Krogans in your case, who are of age are supposed to participate. And, Mordin had interesting idea. She suggested that we hold the Rite as a sort of tournament style event."
"A tournament?"
"That's right. A series of contests to decide who's the strongest Krogan around. Whoever wins the tournament is then looked at as a full adult and gets to join the highest ranking guard we have. That being the, as Wrex likes to joke, 'royal guard'. As for the losers, well, there's always next year."
"And you want me to compete?"
"Exactly. Liara's already proven herself with the Reaper war. She fought hard enough to do any Krogan ancestor proud. So, in case I've never said it before, Liara, you're an honorary Krogan adult." Wrex said.
"Well, thank you, Wrex." Liara said hesitantly.
"You're welcome. Oh, and now that I think about it, I distinctly remember making Shepard an honorary Krogan after she cured the Genophage. So, that means Liara and Shepard are established Krogan parents, and you, Krinda, are their uninitiated whelp." Wrex said.
"And we can't have that. Not when we refer to you as a member of our family. So, we entered you automatically. Well, to be accurate, Mordin did. She's really looking forward to this." Bakara said.
"Aw, come on, Mordin! I came to talk serious business here. Have you heard about the attacks on Rannoch and Palaven?"
"We have." Wrex said.
"So why stall me with this?"
"Come now, Teally. Don't tell me you're afraid. Are you scared that you'll end up fighting me and I'll make you look like a fool? Is that why you're acting like this?" Mordin kidded.
"I'll deal with you in a second, jabber-jaw. Well, uncle?"
"Krinda, this is a test of your abilities. If you win it, then you're a fully-fledged Krogan adult, fantastic. But, what really matters is that you show your strength. I know you're powerful. I've seen that freakishly strong biotic mind you've got in action, firsthand. What you did to the initiator a moment ago is just a small sample, I know. You're likely as strong as your mother already, and she's been around a lot longer than you. And I just know you'll be the strongest matriarch ever once you're that old. So, I can vouch for your strength. But, even as the leader of the Krogan, my word only goes so far. Not everyone is willing to just, how does the old human saying go? Oh, right. 'Go with the flow.' Not every Krogan is willing to just take my word and go. So, you need to show them firsthand that you are a leader worth following. You know you have my backing and once you prove yourself in this Rite tournament, I'll officially add the Krogan to the list of allied forces I'm sure you've got." Wrex said.
"Okay, I get it. But, what about the cult?"
"They've invaded two planets and lost every reaper troop they've sent. They've retreated back to whatever they call home to replenish their supplies all around. Or so the reports we've gotten say. It must take time to make more reaper soldiers and restock supplies. So, while I'm sure we don't have all the time in the galaxy to do this, I will say that the tournament is only two days long. It starts today and the finals are tomorrow. That should be more than quick enough." Bakara said.
"Well, that does sound acceptable. What do you think, Krinda?" Ciala asked.
"Just two days?"
"Just two. Win it, or at least put up a good show and you'll have the Krogan at your side by tomorrow's eve." Bakara said.
"Well, alright. But, only because I know I'll need the Krogan and because Ms. Scales-for-brains over here pissed me off." Krinda said, turning towards Mordin.
"Oh, I'm shaking. Heh, I can't wait to kick your green ass all over the place."
"We'll see who beats who. When do we start?"
"You've already started. That Krogan that attacked you was the initiator, as I've already said. You have to beat him to get in fully. Now, you, Mordin and the others will travel to where the lab that Maelon guy used to work out of is. We tried to make something out it. Bakara insisted, in honor of her fallen sisters; let it serve some purpose to help future generations. So on and so on. All I know is that each room is set up to have one on one fights. Finish your fight, move on to the next. Get through five rounds and get to the back of the ruins. There, you'll fight your one and only semi-final fight. Win that and you travel to the bridge that heads to the Hollows. I also like to think of it as the place where Kalros finally shut my idiot brother Wreav up. Thank you for that, Kalros. Anyway, it's there that you'll fight whoever else made it to the finals. But the finals are for tomorrow. For now, just try to win the semi-finals. Oh, and no weapons. We're still trying to boost our numbers, so no guns. Only your natural talents are allowed to be used." Wrex said.
"That's a lot of fighting for one day." Sorren said.
"I've kicked reapers and cultists off two planets in one day. And that was yesterday."
"That's my point, Commander. Are you really fully rested after all of that with just one night's sleep?" Sorren asked.
"Sharing memories with me about dad and the 'good old days' has always been the best lullaby mom has. When I go down for forty winks with that kind of mental movie playing in my head, I can sleep like the dead. I don't know if I'd be up now if Uncle Joker hadn't yelled at me over the intercom. So, yes, I feel well rested. But don't worry. I'll pace myself." Krinda said.
"Yeah, but your pacing is also known as 'being a living wrecking ball'." Tali said.
"But that is actually pacing herself for her. Believe me, none of you have seen exactly how far she can really push it." Liara said.
"You mean this is Krinda taking it easy? Jeez, what kind of super-Asari is she?" Devin asked.
"She's not a super-Asari, Devin. She may be stronger than your average Asari maiden but that's not why she's able to go so hard. The real reason is because she is, as the old human saying goes, an 'unbridled ball of energy'. My daughter can take hyperactivity to a whole new level." Liara said.
"Thank you for singing my praises, mother." Krinda said, her brow furrowing.
"I only speak the truth, dear. And here is more truth. I have every scrap of faith I possess in you. I know you can do this."
"You're okay with this, Liara? We all know how protective you are of Krinda. To be honest, I always thought she'd grow up to be a sheltered kid." Garrus said.
"We both know Krinda could never stand to be a homebody, Garrus. She has a wild soul. She can't sit still. I learned that early on. As for this, I know Krinda will be fighting hard battles, but I'm confident that Wrex and Bakara won't allow any mortal injuries. Isn't that right, Wrex?" Liara asked, her biotic aura flaring ever so slightly in a subconscious intimidation attempt.
Wrex fired up his own biotics in response.
"Don't think you can push me around, T'soni! I'm not afraid of you!"
"If my daughter gets seriously hurt or worse because your test, you'll see how terrifying I can be!"
"Enough!" Krinda shouted before launching Liara and Wrex both into the air with a lift attack from each hand.
"Krinda! You've never used…" Liara started.
"Listen mom. I love you. I would die for you. If it comes down to either I survive something or you survive it, well, sorry, but you'll be burying your only child." Krinda said, her eyes watering with emotion.
"Krinda…"
"But, that being said, I can't let you and Uncle Wrex fight. My family will get along and stand together in these trying times, even if I have to force it. I can't afford any division in the team. Also, I'm not a child anymore, mom. You've got to let this bird spread its little wings and take flight, even if it gets bruised along the way. That's the course of life."
Liara nodded and Krinda put them both down.
"I suppose I am being a hindrance. I just want what's best for you. I know you can win this tournament and win over the Krogans' allegiance. Goddess, I know you can do anything once you set your mind to it. But, you're still my daughter. I guess part of my mind will always see you as that little green skinned angel I gave birth to. But I will try to come to grips with the fact that you're not the baby who needed me for everything anymore. You are your own woman, with your own hopes and dreams. And I need to treat you as such."
"Wow, family bonding time just before a big fight." Devin kidded.
He then noticed that Tali had walked over to Ciala and had her arm around her daughter's shoulders. He also saw that Gunny had laid her head on EDI's shoulder and EDI had hers on top of Gunny's. Even Garrus and Sorren were swapping playful jabs at each other.
"Okay, Krinda, Miss Liara, please stop. You're setting off a parent and child chain reaction thing here and it's making me miss my mom."
"Oh, sorry, Devin." Liara said.
"No need to apologize, mom. We're free to bond as much as we like, and so are all the other families present. And if Devin misses Aunt Ashley, he's free to call her and talk as long as he wants once we get back to the Normandy. Although, he should be alright, since his big sister is right here." Krinda said, walking over to and then gently elbowing Devin.
"Yeah, whatever. Come on, you need to get ready, sis."
"Sir, yes, sir. Let's go, Uncle Wrex. Oh, and Mordin?"
"Yeah?"
Krinda's biotics flared violently in a powerful aura.
"You're going to need a lot of medi-gel."
"We'll see, princess."
"Well, come on you two. Let's get this show on the road, as the saying goes." Bakara said.
The gang nodded and followed the Urdnot family to a truck that was waiting. They soon reached the lab. After a quick, severely unsubtle speech from Wrex, Krinda and the other contestants entered. Krinda wandered around for an hour before she finally found the room her first fight was in. Upon entering, she discovered her Krogan opponent.
"Man, they really slacked off on telling us how long we'd have to walk to get to each fight, huh? Oh, well, are you ready?"
"I'm more ready than you'll ever be ready for." The Krogan male boasted.
"We'll see about that."
In thirty minutes, through the generous application of a power packed combination of warp and shockwave attacks, Krinda's opponent lay motionless on the ground.
"Oh, crap! Oh please! Please tell me I didn't accidentally kill him!"
Krinda got down on her knees and leaned her head in close to the Krogan's chest. She then heard a gentle breathing sound.
"Oh thank the goddess. I just knocked him out. Man, don't scare me like that." Krinda yelled, slapping the Krogan's face.
Krinda then stood up and dusted herself off.
"Oh, well. Better luck next year, rookie. Pleasant dreams." Krinda said, blowing a kiss after the last sentence.
Thus Krinda won her first round. Naturally, she won the next rounds after that. Like a woman possessed, she tore through her completion, but stayed behind after each fight to make sure that each opponent was still breathing. Finally, she came to a metal door.
"I've seen this before. It was from one of the memories mom pulled from dad and shared with me. This is Maelon's lab, or at least it used to be. Okay, going off the memory rattling around in my head, this room isn't really all that big. Gotta watch the confined space. Alright, mister semi-final. Let's see what you got."
Krinda entered and immediately stumbled backwards when she saw who was to be her opponent.
"Grunt?"
"Heh, heh. Didn't think it'd be you, Krinda. Oh well. Always wanted to test my mettle against Shepard. You're the next best thing. So, shall we?" Grunt said, sliding into a combat stance.
Krinda regained her composure and planted her feet. Her biotic aura flared violently.
"Sure thing. But I'm warning you. I'm coming at you with everything I've got. I'm not holding anything back!"
"A real Krogan warrior wouldn't, so I expect no less of you. Wrex mentioned on the way here that Liara and Shepard are recognized as full-fledged, honorary Krogans. Both are damn heroines if there ever was some. So, let's see if you're worthy of your heritage!" Grunt shouted, finally charging.
"Heh, I was waiting for that." Krinda said.
Krinda flipped out of the way with her biotics and fired an almost playful warp attack into the back Grunt's head once his back was to her.
"What the?" Grunt said, confused.
"Come on, you overgrown lizard. You've got to try harder than that. I thought we were fighting, not playing tag. By the way, you're it."
"I'll show you it!"
Grunt picked up a large piece of loose stone lying nearby and threw it at Krinda. Krinda smashed it to pieces via a point blank warp attack that looked more like she was punching through it. This, however, was a distraction. Grunt charged through the air born debris and grabbed Krinda around the waist. He then proceeded to keep charging until he slammed Krinda into a wall. He pinned her against the wall and tightened his grip into a mighty bear hug.
"I'm going to squeeze the life out of you! We'll see who's 'it' then!"
"Ug! Y-you're still it!"
Krinda charged up her most brutal shockwave attack to date and channeled the energy into each fist. She then slammed her fists into Grunt's shoulders and unleashed the attack. The biotic energy raged through Grunt's body and violently popped one shoulder, one elbow and all the toes in one foot. Krinda took this new found leverage and kicked free from Grunt's grasp. She then proceeded to hammer away at Grunt's midsection with biotically charged punches and even a charged up kick. Grunt finally recovered and grabbed Krinda's leg just as she went for a second kick. He threw her over his head and she bounced off the ground as she landed several feet away. Before she could get up, Grunt was on, punching repeatedly at her stomach. One strong punch to her stomach made Krinda feel like her breakfast would see the light of day again. Swallowing hard to keep her meal down and charging her biotics, Krinda fired up a biotic barrier that launched Grunt two feet into the air. This gave Krinda time to roll out of the way. She saw Grunt hit the ground hard.
"My turn! Dodge this!"
Krinda turned a lift attack on to all nearby pieces of stone, creating a hundred makeshift projectiles for herself. She then launched them a mighty throw technique. The shards of rock and small stones pelted Grunt, bruising and cutting all exposed skin. Blood leaking from all sorts of wounds, Grunt's eyes narrowed.
"Fantastic, Krinda. You triggered blood rage in him. Well, only one thing to do now. Dig deep and open whatever little vault my inner Krogan is sealed in. Time to see red!" Krinda said out loud.
Krinda thought of everything in her entire life time that had angered her and pooled it. By doing so, she succeeded in unlocking her own potential for Krogan blood rage.
"Alright, let's do this, Grunt!" Krinda snarled.
The two warriors charged each other, with Krinda's biotics flaring so violently the air around her shivered. Slamming in each other, the two began to punch each other in the side of the head. Krinda took three skull rattling punches from Grunt before charging an unbelievable amount of biotic energy into her left fist and slamming it into the side of Grunt's head. She detonated it like a point blank warp and sent Grunt spiraling to the floor. Krinda then ran towards where Grunt had landed, snarling like wild animal. She jumped on top of his prone form and rapidly punched him in the face with biotically charged fists. At one point, she knocked several teeth free. Grunt head-butted Krinda to break free. Krinda was knocked to the ground, but got back up on to all fours. Grunt got up to one knee, but found it difficult to stand fully. As he tried to get to a vertical basis, Krinda screamed in, running on all fours. She pounced on him and punched, kicked and clawed at every spot she could hit. Grunt managed to grab her and threw her to the ground. She bounced hard and struggled to get up. Grunt took this moment to get to his feet. He then saw that Krinda standing as well now. With what sanity they had, both warriors knew the fight would be decided by this next attack. Throwing the sensations of pain that wracked them, the two charged one final time. Grunt struck first, catching Krinda with a punch to the chest that contained all the strength he had left. However, Krinda would not be defeated. She charged a violent aura and grabbed ahold of Grunt's head. She flipped up into the air, using his head a vaulting point. She planted her foot into the back his head to get more air time. She then turned around in the air and, charging every bit of biotic power her body could muster at this time, Krinda head-butted Grunt with enough force to drive them both into the ground.
"Urg! I, I can't move!" Grunt stuttered, his rage fleeing and all the pain returning.
Krinda remained standing long enough for somebody to come in and check on her. The Krogan that came declared her the obvious winner and called for another Krogan to help. The second Krogan dragged Grunt out of the chamber and sent him off to be healed. The first walked Krinda out and held her hand high.
"I knew she could do it." Wrex said to a nearby Bakara.
"And she did quite the number on Grunt." Bakara said.
Ciala and Liara were the first to rush to Krinda's side. Krinda looked to her friends and family, with a strained smile on her face. She took two steps towards them and then collapsed.
"Krinda!" Ciala called as she rushed to her friend's side.
"Ugh. Anybody…got something to eat?" Krinda asked before passing out.
Krinda was taken away to be healed and the final contestant was walked out of the testing grounds. The other to make it through the semi-finals, having fought another brood-brother of Wrex named Wrayn, was Mordin. Like Krinda, she was exhausted, bruised and bloodied.
"So, it's going to be them. Gotta admit, I've been expecting this one for a long time." Wrex said.
"Let's be sure they're healed to one hundred percent first." Bakara said.
"Right. Otherwise, Liara will want our heads. Hell, she probably does now. Alright, let's go check on them."
"Right behind you, Wrex. Do you know what you'll say to them when you see them?"
"Yeah. 'Make it a good one.'"