A/N: Ok so here is part two of Noveria, this will cover the rest of the mission. Well it is currently just past one AM right now so… fuck.
Chapter 10: Always explosives
The tram comes to a stop and we move out cautiously. I keep scanning the area for ventilation grilles, dam they're everywhere.
"Lotta places to come from in here boss." I say quietly to Shepard.
"Yeah, keep your eyes peeled everyone, especially vents."
We continue moving through the hundreds of doors in this place before we see the security team.
"Hey were huma- ach er good guys." Shepard yells to the guards.
The captain stands up from his cover, cautiously glancing around. "Whew, I heard noises and thought it was more Rachni."
"How is it there are Rachni here in the first place?" Shepard asks pointedly.
"I wouldn't know one of the docs might be able to tell you, they just pay me to shoot things." He replies evasively.
I half listen to the conversation while still watching for bugs. A few minutes later I hear a loud thump from one of the vents. I raise my shotgun and get Tali's attention; she nods and raises her shotgun too. Another thump and Shepard turns around aiming his weapon and signaling the others to do the same. The vent suddenly bursts open and a Rachni jumps out only to be decimated in a hail of gunfire. More vents burst and we have to un-focus our fire, the security forces behind us are helping but they honestly aren't very good, tired, injured, and ill equipped as they are. There are only a few Rachni in this wave and we kill them pretty quickly.
"These things are allot easier to manage when you're expecting them." Kaidan says reloading his pistol.
"Yeah, lets keep it that way as much as possible." Shepard says.
We move into the area where all the survivors are situated, Shepard talks to the doctor and agrees to go get his cure, we talk to the captain and head down to the quarantined barracks. I remember that the Asari attacks you in here, so when we enter the room I lean against the wall next to the door while Shepard makes the cure. Sure enough the Asari and two Geth walk in so intent on Shepard that they don't check their corners. She addresses Shepard as I bring up my shotgun.
"Your journey ends here!"
"Not today." I reply calmly from behind her.
She whirls around and I fire, point blank range there's no chance, I quickly switch to one of the Geth and everyone else fires at the other. It's over shortly.
"How many of these people are on Saren's payroll? Half of them? All of them?" Kaidan asks rhetorically.
"I think it's safe to assume we can't trust many of the people here." Shepard replies grimly.
We step around the bodies and head back up to give the doctor the cure. He's grateful and gives us his maintenance pass so we can get into the labs. We head back down and through maintenance tunnels into the labs. The head researcher is just sitting there in a chair.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Shepard asks coming up to the man.
"Yes, we need to activate the neutron purge and clear the facility!" He replies.
"Hang on, what's going on here?"
I remember what happens to this guy so I move off and begin examining the room for entrances. Shepard keeps talking to the doctor about the Rachni. I hear something in a corner of the room and see a Rachni moving towards the doctor.
"Shepard!" I shout aiming at the Rachni and firing.
Shepard sees it and fires his pistol, it dies before it can reach the doctor.
"We need to activate the purge!" The doctor says again.
"Here give me the code to activate it and get up stairs it's too dangerous down here."
"Ah, yes here."
The doctor heads back upstairs and we move into the control room to activate the purge. I get ready to make a quick exit, and Shepard activates the countdown. We quickly run back to the elevator, firing randomly at the Rachni in the way. We reach the elevator and pile in, as it ascends the countdown tics away on Shepard's Omni tool.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
A massive explosion followed by a constant roaring for several seconds follow up the shaft rocking the elevator, it screeches and grinds to a halt.
"Stupid bosh'tet elevator."
"Out the escape hatch, we'll just have to climb the rest of the way." Shepard says opening the hatch on the ceiling.
I link my fingers together and give Tali a boost up, she gives me her hand and helps pull me up. Shepard and Kaidan follow shortly after, but Wrex well he's too big for the hatch.
"Start climbing I got this." I say.
Shepard just shrugs and starts climbing up the shaft. It has an emergency ladder on one wall.
"Ladies first." Shepard says, gesturing elegantly to the ladder.
"What so you can stare at my ass for 20 floors? Nuh uh get going." Tali replies.
Shepard blanches at that a slightly shocked expression on his face. He shakes his head and steps up to the ladder.
"You're rubbing off on her Jon, human curses, and practical knowledge like that."
I snort "Whatever you say bossman but you just got busted."
"I was not trying to look at her ass!" Shepard replies from a continually lengthening distance up the ladder.
I wait for them to get a ways up the ladder before I stick my head through the hole and talk to Wrex.
"Ok, so I'm going to try and make the hole bigger by blowing it up with a grenade ok?"
"The elevators not going to fall is it?"
"Nah, when one of these fancy mass effect elevators has a malfunction like this it locks up so I can't fall."
"Alright just don't blow me up ok?"
"I won't just uh make sure you're shields are good and stand as far away as you can."
He grunts and I stick a grenade to the side of the hatch set the timer and quickly start climbing the ladder.
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BOOM!
I look down to see the hole widened enough and Wrex climbs out.
"You good?"
"Pfft grenades are worthless, I've been in closer with allot bigger things."
"I figured, come on let's get out of this shaft."
The climb out takes about five minutes and when I get to the top Shepard pulls me the last bit up.
"Always explosives."
"It worked didn't it?"
He just shakes his head and we keep moving.
We head deeper into the facility, if I remember correctly all we have left is fighting Banezia. We head into the large room where Banezia is.
"Bah, Saren will succeed his light fills my mind!"
"Banezia we can help you! Just stand down."
"No! Tell me commander have you ever fought an Asari commando unit before? Few humans ever have." She then lets loose her- OH SHIT THAT'S NOT A STASIS OOF!
Shepard takes the brunt of the push but is propelled backwards into me.
I groan as Shepard rolls off of me and offers me a hand. "At least I didn't knock you out this time."
"Yeah yeah, we gotta stop doing that." I grunt as I scramble for cover next to Tali.
"You ok Jon?"
"Yeah I'll feel that later though." She nods and starts returning fire with her assault rifle.
We end up in a fairly tight firefight with the Geth and commandoes she sends at us, we're getting shot at from three directions and returning fire through the cluttered room. Biotics are impacting all around and I have to watch for moving crates. A biotic lift hits the crate I'm hiding behind and I have to scramble to another piece of cover as it floats into the air. We slowly whittle away all the Geth and Asari then move up onto the platform where Banezia is.
"Fools! I will destroy you!" I prep a carnage round in my shotgun.
She sends an attack at us and I hear Wrex grunt as he is knocked off balance by the push. I fire my carnage and see it score a solid hit on her barriers. The fight is brief; while her barriers are formidable we simply outnumber her. She eventually collapses Shepard goes over to receive her final helpful information. I take a moment to check myself over, my armor has several new dings and dents but I appear to be ok. I'll enjoy it while my adrenaline is still numbing the overall punishment my body has taken.
"Are you ok Tali?" I ask quietly.
"Yeah I'm gunna be real sore though."
"Yeah me too, no punctures or anything though?"
"No the armor upgrades you've given me work well."
"Good, that's what they're for."
Me and Tali are a bit separated from the group looking out the Window, Shepard, Wrex, and Kaidan are all over by the queens tank.
"Oh and don't be too shocked if one of those commandoes gets back up."
"What?"
"WHAT THE-"
We whirl around to see Shepard pointing his gun at an Asari who has gotten back up and walks over to stand in front of the tank.
"This one serves as our voice, we cannot sing not in these low spaces. Your music's are colorless." The voice seems to be more than just the Asari speaking, almost as if part of it is being spoken directly to your mind, It transmits a sense of wonder and seems to fill the entire room.
I and Tali come a bit closer to everyone else.
"Music? What Music?" Shepard asks confused.
"Your way of communicating is strange, flat it does not color the air, when we speak one moves all, we are the… mother."
"We sing for those left behind the children you silenced, we are Rachni."
"You're speaking through this Asari?"
"Our kind sing through touchings of thought, we pluck the strings and the other understands."
"They literally communicate through thought, that's why it's translating oddly, music, color the air, it's the closest thing in our language to what she's trying to say." I speak up.
"Yes, this one understands our dilemma; we find it difficult to convey our meaning through your language."
She pauses for a moment.
"You are not like the others here, your music is strange, clear then erratic, wild and then calm, there is also a strange… synthetic quality to it, like the machines that were here."
"You're saying Jon talks like one of the Geth?"
"In some part like a machine but then not again like any living thing we have encountered."
"But that is not why we sing to you now, we sing for our incarceration. Will you allow us to compose anew, or will our music fade to the blackness of time?"
"Lets melt the bug Shepard, we don't need another Rachni war." Wrex says.
"I don't know Shepard… we need any allies we can get but… I don't know it's up to you." Tali says.
"She seems to have learned her lesson, and we definitely need allies." I say.
"The Rachni were a major threat to the galaxy, but the reapers threaten them too, maybe we should let her go…" Kaidan is the last member to speak up.
Shepard nods and goes over to the controls.
"I won't destroy your race, you're free to go."
"We will compose anew! We will make sure our children sing of you for generations."
The tank moves up and the queen leaves.
"Now you got bugs singing about you Shepard." Wrex grumbles.
We head back to the Normandy. As I walk into the cargo bay Garrus comes over.
"Spirits, what happened to you?"
"Rachni, fire, acid, Geth, explosives… What didn't happen would be easier." I reply sarcastically.
"You're ok though, you look like shit."
"Yeah, I'll be sore as hell tomorrow but no major injuries."
The PA comes on. "Everyone up to the briefing room in ten."
"I'm gunna finish putting my stuff away I'll see you later Garrus."
"Yeah should be an interesting debrief." He says walking over to the elevator.
I finish putting my gear away and head up to the debrief. Shepard goes over what happened and we're unsure of what our next move will be until we get more intel. Or a call from the Citadel. We get out of the debrief and I immediately take a shower and grab some food. By the time I go for the food Shepard is regaling the rest of the team with the details of the mission. As I sit down Ash turns to me.
"You went hand-to-hand with a Rachni and then used an incinerate? You should be dead."
"Well I'm not, that was fucking hot though."
We go over the rest of the mission to the squad members who weren't there, I notice Liara isn't with us. I quietly lean over to Shepard.
"How's Liara?"
"I talked with her after the brief she said she's ok but wanted some time alone."
"I think she'll be ok, she's tougher than she looks."
"Yeah, I wish I could help her right now though."
"You do more for this crew than anyone has a right too, if she wants you're company she'll ask, but sometimes you just need to be alone."
"Yeah, I understand her position."
When we finish in the mess hall I drag myself into bed and am out in minutes.
A/N: Whew well that's finished next chapter will be an interaction chapter, with maybe a few side missions thrown in there much like the last interaction chapter.
I'm not sure but I think I may have wrote part of the mission out of order, I can't remember if you fight Banezia then purge or purge then Banezia or if they were interchangeable. I didn't want to rewrite the part of the chapter and delay it further so I just left it I hope I doesn't bother anyone, sorry.
Thanks for reading and reviewing faving alerting ect.., ROCK ON!