Shepard sat across from Garrus on the shuttle whilst James piloted it. He was hesitant about letting him fly it at first but decided it was better to have him do it than anyone else since he was the only one who even could fly it. The ride was fairly quiet as they all remembered Noveria and what they had to do. It was a tough mission to say the least as having to kill the mother of a friend is never easy and negotiating with the last surviving queen of a race that nearly wiped out the galaxy as we know it was… stressful. James spoke to the group as it was just Shepard, Garrus, Liara, and himself.
"Coming in on the LZ Loco." Shepard smirked at Vega's nickname for him.
"Roger that James, take us in nice and slow." He nodded. Garrus was absentmindedly fiddling with his Mantis; Liara sat in silence, holding her Hurricane tightly. Shepard cleared his throat and spoke to the crew. "We're here to link up with Aralakh Company and check this all out. With luck, there'll be no Rachni and we get to go home early." Garrus let his mandibles flair, giving off a small smile, Liara remained silent. Shepard sat next to her this time, putting his arm around her. "You ok?" She looked at him with cold, dead eyes.
"Shepard… I don't know if bringing me along was the best decision." Shepard raised an eyebrow. "If this really is the Rachni… I may kill her on sight Shepard. I make no promises of self-control." Shepard nodded, sighing.
"Just do your best Liara, we'll get through this. We always do." He said with a grin. She looked at him, returning the gesture, albeit in a smaller manner. She nodded and Shepard stood up as they descended. The shuttle touched down and they all stepped out. Aralakh Company stared at the small interspecies group. However, a Krogan pushed past them all in bright silver armor. He was as big as any of them, putting him well above Shepard's size. His skin was a pale orange and he stepped forward. He was about to speak when he saw them but ran forward.
"SHEPARD!" Grunt and Shepard butted heads, his cybernetics granting him the ability to deal the same force, or near it at least, as opposed to having his skull caved in.
"Grunt! I see you're moving up in Urdnot." Grunt let out a low laugh. "You in charge of Aralakh?" He nodded and crossed his arms.
"Not that I'm complaining, but why are you here Shepard? Thought those idiots had you in lockup on Earth?" Shepard nodded, crossing his own arms.
"Yea they did, but when the Reapers his Earth, I got out on good behavior." Grunt let out a short, loud laugh and punched his shoulder.
"Good, let's get to it." He turned to his squad. "They're tough bastards, all of them think their invincible. Reckless but damn good at their jobs" Shepard nodded.
"Glad to hear it. How'd you get in command of Aralakh anyway?" Grunt grunted.
"Wasn't easy. Wrex put this team together and wanted someone who 'represented the future of our species' as he put it, after my Rite, I took my chances. Earned enough scars and cracked enough skulls to get put in charge." Shepard nodded.
"Bet some of them didn't like being led by a tank bred, huh?" Grunt nodded.
"Yea, but I earned it. These Krogan respect me." Shepard gave a confirmatory nod.
"Alright Grunt. Well as far as we could tell on the way in, this place has no Rachni activity. No sign of the scouts either." Grunt bowed his head.
"Same on our end. Still though, this place smells all wrong. Like a bad wound." He looked to Shepard. "Our scans are showing that all the tunnels lead to a central point. My guess is it's the nest." Garrus sighed behind Shepard.
"That's just what we needed Shepard, to fight Rachni. Well, it's no worse than the old days at least." Grunt let a low and savage laugh erupt before turning to his team.
"Aralakh Company! Move out!" Feet shuffled as they hustled into the tunnel. "Grab anything you need Shepard, we'll meet up at the scout camp ahead." Shepard replied.
"See you on the other side." He laughed again and left. Shepard checked his Valkyrie and began to walk forward. They moved up into a small building teetering on the edge of the cliff. Their steps were slow and steady as they moved through but it was not enough as it slipped off the edge in a mighty crash. The whole squad was sent tumbling to the ground. Grunt called from above.
"You still alive down there!" Shepard shouted back.
"I'm insulted that you think us that easy to kill Grunt!" His laugh echoed through the canyon and Shepard called again. "Keep in radio contact. We'll keep moving from down here." Grunt nodded, calling back.
"On our way!" With that, Shepard and tow moved into the cave. Soon enough they came upon the corpse of a Krogan, he was decayed and smelled absolutely horrible. Garrus and James made face and Garrus spoke.
"Been dead a few days." Shepard grunted and looked at the Krogan's weapon, an M-451 Firestorm. Shepard shrugged and picked it up, putting his Valkyrie on his back. They relayed the info to Grunt and kept moving forward, the Firestorm making quick work of the webbing that attempted to block their path. "Webbing? I don't like the looks of this Shepard." Shepard nodded and they moved into the system, darkness enveloping them. Everyone tapped their arms and helmets covered them, granting night vision for the blackness. The world was tinted in green as they made their way through, climbing rock formations. They rounded a corner and were blocked by a patch of what appeared to be spore. Taking a risk, Shepard tapped the trigger of the Firestorm; the spores erupted in a small explosion. They looked to the wall and saw shrapnel. James whistled.
"Let's not be near those when they explode, OK Loco?" Everyone nodded and they moved past the spores, coming upon more of them, these however were surrounded by cords, Liara commented.
"It appears to be Reaper technology…" Shepard grunted.
"Maybe." James replied.
"If the Reapers reformed the Rachni… Madre de Dios, I don't even wanna think about what happens then." Garrus nodded and they moved along. Another Krogan corpse arose and James picked up the Krogan's Firestorm as well. The group rounded the corner and light streamed in from above, night vision was turned off and on the far end, a Rachni waltzed out of the dark, but it was different. It was covered in sacks and had mini Rachni pouring from behind it. On its back were two massive cannons that looked like they could do some serious damage. The moan of Husks could be heard echoing through the cavern as they streamed out, glowing with a barrier from the generator that sat along the floor. Garrus dropped the generator and Shepard and James took turns burning the Husks as the Rachni Artillery opened fire with its cannons. Rock was turned to dust instantly as Liara let loose biotic barrages on the beast and its armor. A thin walkway along the side gave Shepard a chance to flank around and he took it. He fought off a husk and let loose on the Rachni. Its screams were like that of demons and the smell was even worse. Charred flesh and cord permeated the air as the body began to dissolve. When it finally fell, where it once stood was now acid that was eating through the rock below. Garrus remarked.
"Even its corpse can kill you…" James nodded and they kept moving. Shepard hailed Grunt and spoke.
"Grunt, the Rachni are definitely here and have Reaper modifications. Say again, Reaper modded Rachni are here. Play it safe or they will rip you apart. Also, their bodies turn to acid when they die so be weary of that." Grunt replied.
"Yes! Something to kill. We'll play it safe with the dead Shepard, Grunt out." Shepard smirked and shook his head. Moving forward, they burned more pods, Garrus looked to the left and spoke, pointing.
"Those are Reapers parts Shepard." Shepard came over and nodded. The legs of a Reaper sat against the rock, separated from the rest of the body by something. They decided to keep moving, a barrier generator was holding up a leg that blocked their path. Liara sighed.
"Destroying this generator will almost definitely block our way back Shepard." Shepard let his weapon hang on his side and he weighed the risks. He remembered though that all the tunnels met at one cavern, from there they could take the way out Grunt and his team took. Shepard nodded and shot the generator, diving through the entranceway. The cave began to buckle and shake as rocks fell behind them, sealing them in. Darkness enveloped them again and they switched back to night vision. Shepard called to Grunt.
"Minor problem Grunt, our exit is sealed off. We'll meet up at the center and follow you out." Grunt replied.
"Good, glad I don't have to dig you out." Shepard grinned and spoke.
"You've hurt my feelings Grunt." Grunt laughed before replying.
"Yea yea." Shepard and tow moved on, burning more pods as they moved through the black. As they burned more pods Grunt called back. "Shepard, we've got an idea on what happened to the scouts." Shepard raised an eyebrow under his helmet.
"What do you think?" Grunt sighed and spoke.
"They got hit hard, leader must've ordered the weapon cache to be moved up. They tried to make our lives easier." Shepard nodded.
"I'll be sure to send them a thank you letter Grunt." He laughed and everyone continued on. Around a corner were more spores but this time Husks moved in, they died quickly in the tight space as they came to a massive cavern. Water sat on the ground and rocky pads were spattered about like lily pads on a pond. A barrier generator could be seen ahead and husk moans could be heard. Shepard called out. "Garrus, drop those barrier engines nice and quick." There was no reply only the loud bang of the Mantis going off the pop of the engine dying. Husks rushed ahead but were ripped apart by biotics and fire. The going was slow as more Husks pushed into them but they kept moving. From above on a cliff side a Rachni opened fire, two shots dropping Shepard's shields before he could get to cover. Liara biotically pulled it off the cliff and it landed on a spire with a splat. He turned to her and nodded in thanks. On the far side, another Rachni appeared, this time with a friend and a group of Cannibals. Garrus made short work of the Cannibals and James and Shepard burned the Rachni quickly. They climbed over rocks and crossed crevices, going up and then rounding down. Garrus commented as they moved.
"There's something different about them, not just the upgrades. They move differently. No ambushes or hiding, they hit us head on and hit hard Shepard. These Reaper upgrades are serious." Shepard nodded.
"I know what you mean, back on Noveria they never attacked head on, always hid around the corner or above us." Garrus replied.
"Bet they're making an army down here. I mean look around, this is waaaaaaaaay out of the way, low population with plenty of time and space. It makes sense." Everyone nodded as they continued.
"It's a good thing we're here then, huh Garrus? Someone's gotta play exterminator here, guess it's us." Shepard remarked, Garrus smirked as the group made their way forward. They came to an outcropping, spying Grunt and his team. There were less of them then when they started. Rachni were moving in on them quickly and Grunt called.
"Shepard! We're sealed in and about to be overrun! Get us out of here." Shepard called back.
"We're on it Grunt." He turned to his team. "Double time it people!" They moved down the walkway, burning spores, Husks, and webbing along the way. Three generators held a leg up behind Grunt's team, Garrus made quick work while Shepard and James moved up, providing cover fire as Grunt and Aralakh fell back. Shepard tossed out two grenades, killing another Rachni. They stopped their assault and fell back, skittering up the walls to alcoves and holes. Grunt spoke.
"Thanks Shepard. We owe you one." Shepard clapped his shoulder.
"More than one Grunt." He grinned and Grunt laughed. "The end is just down that path." He nodded.
"Go on Shepard, we'll hold here." Shepard nodded and turned to his team.
"Liara, I want you to stay here, cover them with your biotics, James you stay too." They nodded and Shepard spoke to Grunt. "Good luck Grunt." He scoffed.
"I don't need luck, I have ammo." Shepard shook his head as he and Garrus made their way forward. Shepard burned the spores as he and Garrus slid through a narrow passage that opened way to massive room with a being in the center. Light was streaming in and off went their night vision. Garrus pointed to the being.
"What in the spirits is that?" Shepard shrugged as they dropped down; pillars sprang up, sealing them in. Shepard slammed his fists into it, taking a deep breath to calm down.
"See if you can find the power node and let's get this done with." Garrus nodded and looked around; eventually he spied the node and blasted it into oblivion. A wall came down and Cannibals opened fire. Shepard and Garrus made quick work of them, moving forward. Another node, more Cannibals, more corpses. Shepard dropped his Firestorm, taking out his Valkyrie and taking shots at the Husks and Cannibals. A set of Rachni moved in but with sustained fire and grenades, they died quickly. Yet another node and more Cannibals and Rachni. Shepard engaged his Inferno Ammo, ripping through them with spits of fire and hatred. One final node that Garrus took out and Grunt sounded.
"Rachni tried to push through us but we held the line. They're falling back Shepard. Doubt it'll last though." Shepard replied,
"Copy that Grunt." The wall fell slowly; Shepard and Garrus checker their corners, moving forward. They came face to face with a massive Rachni that appeared to be tied to the rock. The Over Captain of the Krogan scouts lay dead but it spoke as Shepard and Garrus moved in. Shepard remembered that the Rachni can speak through people, including the dead. The dead Over Captain spoke in a loud whisper.
"Si…lence. The… maddening sour note has ceased." Shepard stopped looking at the corpse and turned to the massive Rachni.
"Are you the Queen?" The dead Over Captain spoke again.
"The machines come to make slaves of my children. They come to make them make war. My children die alone, so far away. The sour note of the machines did this to us." Shepard crossed his arms.
"Why were the Reapers even able to get to you if you did like we agreed back on Noveria?" The Corpse replied.
"We did retreat as asked. We created beautiful children on another world all our own. But the machines heard our song, their new song of death and war drowned our music out." Shepard let his arms fall.
"You're safe now Queen." The Krogan echoed.
"Yes, we… understand." Shepard spoke again.
"The Reapers were controlling you, are you free now?" The Over Captain boomed.
"Nearly, there is only one shackle left that holds us." There was a boom overhead and the Over Captain began to shout. "The machines return! Break the shackle and release us!" Grunt called over coms.
"Shepard, getting a lot of movement on the scanners." Shepard replied.
"Copy that Grunt." He turned back to the Queen. "Can you fight the Reapers?" The Queen replied through the Over Captain again.
"We hate the machines; we will crush them for the unborn!" Garrus looked to Shepard and back to the Queen.
"She's wounded Shepard; we'd need to buy her some time." Grunt called.
"Shepard! We're being overrun, falling back to your position. We need to get out of here or we all die!" Shepard called back.
"Negative Grunt, we're coming to you and going out through your way!" Shepard and Garrus hustled forward, traversing broken ground and Rachni overhead. They came upon Aralakh and Shepard's team, tossing grenades and clearing a path. The group rushed forward, Grunt at the head with this Claymore shotgun. He dropped Rachni in one shot while everyone else picked off stragglers. They rounded a corner and came upon seven Rachni blocking their path to the shuttle. Everyone checked their ammo, they were low. Shepard only had one clip left, Grunt was down to his last two shots, James's flamethrower ran out when he and Liara helped hold off the tide of Rachni, Grunt was one of two members of Aralakh left, there was no way just the two of them could deal with all seven in such a confined space. Shepard pulled back and called everyone over. "Alright, we're outnumbered and outgunned and have to go that way. Any ideas?" There were blank stares and Shepard sighed. "Fine, Liara and James, take the right and kill those ones as fast as you can; no chance to react." He turned to Grunt and the other Krogan "You two take the left, clear that way out just as fast. Garrus and I will run cleanup, then we all make a break for the exit before we get boxed in, sound good?" There were nods and grunts as they readied up.
Shepard pulled his last two grenades out, tossing them into the pack. As the explosion rocked the room Grunt and the other Krogan rushed in, shotguns echoing off the rock as the squeals of the Rachni resounded. Liara and James ripped the right side apart with biotics and gunfire. There was a problem though, the original seven never seemed to dwindle and the going was slow. Their original run had been slowed to a crawl through blood and acid, guns had been reduced to clubs and bats. The toll Liara's biotics were taking on her was visible now as she sweat and was sluggish. The Rachni overpowered the left side, ripping the Krogan from his feet, his screams bounded off the walls as the Rachni pulled him apart. The end was in sight though when a Rachni pulled Liara from her feet, sending her cascading to the ground. The group kept moving but Shepard stopped, trying to help her up but she shrugged him off. She looked to Shepard.
"Get out of here John, get out and end the cycle." Shepard was about to argue but stopped, he nodded, standing and breaking off in a sprint. Liara turned back to her Rachni attackers before wiping her brow. "Now you face the wrath of a pure Asari biotic." A Rachni cannon fired and Liara blocked it with a biotic field, she turned to the creature and tore the cannon from its back, throwing it and impaling another to a wall. Liara clenched her fist, charging her power. In her time on Illium, she harnessed her biotics, allowing them to grow exponentially. She theorized that she could focus the power into a small area, like a fist, and release it in a wave; it could topple a small building. The resulting back blast would probably kill her but she figured that since she was to die on this day anyway, now would be a good time to test her hypothesis, like any good scientist. All that it needed was a name, quickly names came to mind but she settled on one; Cataclysm. The Rachni closed in and Liara brought her fist back, slamming it into the rock below. The wave of pure energy sent her flying back into stone but the world in front of her was a mess of blue and purple as the ground cracked and devastated the Rachni. Liara could feel her vision fading but she looked up and could swear she saw Beneziah smiling down at her. Liara smiled back and her vision clouded over with blackness one last time.
Shepard felt the impact; most of the continent probably did. The group was nearly knocked to the ground but managed to stay stable. James looked back to the hole they crawled out of.
"Blue did that?" He looked to Shepard who turned to the hole and nodded. "Madre de Dios…" Garrus nodded, the shuttle waited ahead and they piled in, silently riding back to the Normandy. The shuttle set down, Shepard spied the other shuttle, signifying that Sam was back too. Silently they stepped out; Shepard made his way to Wrex who was lying against the railing, twiddling his thumbs. He perked up when Shepard walked in, but he shook his head, heading to the Holocom to contact Hackett. He hailed him and relayed the situation. Hackett held his chin with sorrow in his eyes.
"I'm sorry about Dr. T'soni Commander, truly I am. I cannot begin to fathom what you and her went through." He put his hands behind his back as Shepard gripped the railing, his knuckles whitening. "As for the Rachni, you did well. That could've gotten ugly quickly. I'm trusting your gut on this, Commander, I don't want to get burned by the Rachni. Still, all is not lost. We cost the Reapers some Rachni troops and gained some Krogan support. Once again Commander, I am deeply sorry about Liara." Shepard nodded, not looking up. Hackett saluted and blinked out of existence. The anger in Shepard was getting to him, his friends were falling one by one, Thane was dying, Ash almost died, and now Liara… He walked out to Wrex. Wrex spoke first.
"Shepard, glad to see you made it out of there in one piece, sounds like I missed one hell of a fight." Before he could stop himself, he let a savage right hook that rocked Wrex.
"It was one hell of a fight Wrex, so much so in fact that Liara didn't make it out." Wrex's expression went from one of anger to sadness and Shepard walked away before anything more could be said. He needed to find Garrus and needed to get very very very very drunk.
A/N: Not gonna lie guys, that one hurt to write a little. I mulled on it for a while about what to do as well. Either way, leave all your hate or whatever you feel in a review. As always, may fortune favor you.