Same old disclaimer as before.
Seriously i love reviews andso does everyone else. Close to 3000 hits and 27 reviews? You're killin' me here.
Thank you Padme for review.
Turian ships do not have view ports.
Not that they could see much besides the red-blue shift of the ship as it slipped through space.
Jones and her team spent most of their time studying up on Feros and the Colony established there. A site of a Prothean city it had little or no natural resources to profit from. In their flight Jones mentally prepared herself those that she had known in her time since she came to Klencory.
"We are in orbit, Doctor." relayed the secondary helmsman. "Picking up geth activity around the colony."
"Can we sneak past them?"
"It would be slim but this baby is faster and more agile than standard frigates." there was a hint of pride in his voice. Jones found it reassuring.
"Take us in Dash." ordered Lazarus.
"Aye, Aye ma'am."
Jones could not feel if the ship did a quick spiral or dived to out maneuver a geth ship or projectile. All she could feel was the armor she wore. It was expensive, glossy black and red. It was light and fit her very well. Everyone in the ground team would wear the same class of armor. Kumun did not want his people to die because of The Council or The Alliance. Her nerves were tingling at the thought of being in an area with attacking geth. The smell of fire and burning flesh become the phantom smell in the air.
Eden Prime...Marines dying...Fire... Falling Embers
"Docking complete." sounded the VI.
Jones visibly relaxed. "Here we go." she breathed and headed towards the exit with a towering Krogan and two agile asari.
The tower leading up to the colony was eerily silent but the colony itself was pandemonium. Colonists were racing about as missiles and shots rang through the air. None of the colonists seemed to be paying attention and did not stop them as they came over to and older man helping his wife into a freighter that landed in the heart of the colony. A tanned woman in light armor and short black hair came over to them.
"You! Come with me now!" she barked and waved to Jones. "Fai Dan wishes to speak to you!"
Jones could barely hear her over the cacophony of the attacking geth. "This was not part of the agreement." growled Lazarus loudly.
"Fine!" shouted Jones. "Go back to the ship and wait for The Normandy if you feel that way!"
She turned around and stalked after the woman, leaving her guard behind her. Lazarus turned to the asari. "Get back to the ship and inform Tosk that he and Derak need to gear up and send a team to help with the colony's defenses."
"But what about Jones? We can't leave her here alone." Gioda asked.
"I'll be with her but I don't want you two to get lost. Now Go!" Lazarus didn't wait but lumbered quickly in Jones direction.
The human was already bent over a datapad with an older human male. The man looked up at her immediately went for his assault rifle. Lazarus raised her hands up showing that she was unarmed. Jones nodded to Fai Dan and then waved Lazarus over.
"Geth have overrun this tower and the two nearest us."
"Dr. Jones," she started. "Mr. Shol would not want you getting into a situation where you would be injured."
"Relax Lazarus. I'm to much to live for to die now."she shrugged. "Besides Shepard should be here in a little while might as well make ourselves useful until he gets here."
"Fine, but if you get killed Shol and Shepard will have my head."
Jones sighed in exasperation. "I'm not going to get killed, Lazarus. I know how to fight. Fai Dan thinks that there is a geth transmitter in the substructure of the tower. He's asking us to go down there and disable it. Plus there are vital systems that need to be reactivated down there." Jones straightened and pointed a finger at the krogan. "I wouldn't have thought krogans ran from fights."
She hoped the towering female would take the bait.
Lazarus growled. "If I weren't assigned to protect you I'd throw you across the colony for that remark."
Jones pouted. "Come on Lazarus. I know you're itching to kill something."
Strangely enough the effect of the human's large, green-gray eyes made Lazarus relent. "Alright, Jones. Shol put you in charge and if you want to help these people I'm behind you."
Sad pleading look shift to pride. "Thanks Lazarus, now lets get the Wonder Twins and head out."
Lazarus didn't know exactly what Wonder Twins meant but she figured it had something to do with the asari tag-a-longs. Gioda and Marisku were waiting for them next to the freighter isolated from the colonists. Either out of fear because they were aliens or because the colonists were too busy to notice them. Eagerly they jogged over to Jones, their body language telling both krogan and human that they had no desire to be here.
"What's happening?" Marisku asked.
"We're going down into the substructure,"replied Jones.
"Why? What's down there?"
"Geth transmitter," answered Lazarus. "The colony's leader is asking us to go down and destroy it."
"Why? We are scientists not soldiers. He should wait until reinforcements get here."
"Does there look like there are any reinforcements coming?" Jones asked sharply. "This is a privately run colony. The Alliance isn't going to come and Exo-Geni is writing this place off from the looks of it."
"Why don't we wait for Commander Shepard? His crew are established professionals."
Jones gave Gioda a patented "mother stare". "I'm not saying we charge the geth defenses. What I'm saying is that we take down a dozen or so that are in the tower. If you don't want to we can get a couple of your mother's commandos to do so."
The shock on the asari's faces made Jones smirk. "Yes, I know matriarch Shelara is your mother. Now honestly do you feel you cannot handle going into the tower. I won't be mad or disappointed."
Marisku looked at her sister and then at Jones. "No, Jones you are right. I will stay with you."
Gioda sighed. "You are right. We should help if we can." she unholstered her pistol and gave Jones a smile. "Let's do this."
Jones couldn't but grin. "Alright then." she turned to Fai Dan. "We'll be back and if Commander Shepard arrives just point him towards the geth base and on the off chance he asks: We went to get a couple of batteries."
Fai Dan nodded. "Thank you, Doctor."
The first encounter with geth was the landing of the first staircase. With the quartet moving slowly the geth didn't know they were there until Jones blasted the first trio with her shotgun. Gioda and Marisku used their biotics on a couple of larger geth while Lazarus and and Jones finished them. In Jones HUD she saw three more just beyond the elevator. Crouched low she crept to the other side of the
corridor and let Lazarus pick them off while she waited to clean up after her.
"By the Goddess!" gasped Marisku. "They're really geth! Why are they here?"
"I don't know but Saren's leading the geth so there must be something he wants here."
"Hopefully Commander Shepard will arrive before the geth become even more entrenched in the towers." Lazarus checked her shotgun.
They were heading into cramped quarters and with Jones in front cover her legs their scatter shot would be devastating. The asari kept to their pistols but they were ready if they needed to used their biotics. The rest of the way to the substructure was free until they came to the canals. With the first waterworks valve came the first shot at geth in the tunnels.
"Concentrate on the big on Marisku!" ordered Lazarus. "Gioda see if you can't get rid of the sniper! Jones flatten!"
The group's movements were coordinated after the first tunnel and soon all three valves were open. Jones could hear the water rushing through the corrugated pipes. Stepping onto the nearest walking way caused their HUD's radar to become jammed.
"They must be behind this door." replied Gioda and stepped through the door on her right. Her pistol was ready and the blue corona of a barrier distorted the view of her.
Jones pulled out her pistol and slid in front of her assistant. The resistance they met made them sweat with concentration and made them try very hard to not get injured. The trio of krogan after the geth force made Lazarus jump ahead of the three younger females. She roared in anger and shot off the helmet of the closest krogan. Gioda Lifted one of the krogan into the air and Marisku shot him down with her little used sniper rifle. Jones was left with a krogan who charged straight at her. She didn't flinch as she brought out her shotgun and fired it point blank into the alien's face. The thick skinned skull turned to mush and he dropped at her feet.
"Well that was interesting." replied Marisku. She holstered her weapon and looked over at her comrades. "Where's the transmitter?"
"Over here." answered Lazarus. "Let's blow this thing and leave." she placed a few grenades at the middle and bottom of the transmitter. With her lumbering pace she came over to Jones and pressed the trigger to the grenades.