Chapter 11
"Faster, faster! Must go faster!" Shepard leapt over another ledge leading down, her breath coming in short harsh gasps of air as she pushed her limbs as fast as they could go. Her lungs burned and her legs screamed in protest at the stress of not stopping. She took a quick glance back to see Mordin and Samara not far behind, just as physically exhausted.
"Going as fast as possible, Shepard. Too many enemies" Mordin shouted as he incinerated another husk. More and more rounded a corner in the dark corridors of the Collector ship as the three ran for the exit. Twenty feet before they reached the door it closed shut, the locking mechanism turning on. The group was forced to take cover as a Praetorian floated around a corner.
"Bloody hell! Don't these things have anything better to do?"
"Unlikely, Shepard. Clear Collectors still interested in you"
"Rhetorical question" Shepard seethed with annoyance as she pulled out the particle beam she had picked up on Horizon and aimed for the creature. It was only a few seconds before it fired its own beam, effectively knocking out her shields. The Commander ducked back behind cover.
"Shepard, more Collectors inbound" Samara shouted over the sounds of gunfire.
She gave another small curse as she took a deep breath "Samara, keep them away from us with your biotics. Mordin, here, take my warp ammo and don't let up on its barrier with your SMG"
"Understood" her team replied in unison as they maneuvered into the best spots. Lucky for her squad, the Praetorian only seemed interested in Shepard. She slipped up the ramp, remaining low behind cover as she tried to get a height advantage. Mordin was whittling the barrier down and once gone Shepard shot at it. She only took about a quarter of its armor down before the beast slammed into the floor knocking her back as it recharged its barrier. Shepard backed away, staying behind cover as the thing floated closer to her before she found herself out in the open, having gone around in a complete circle. Collectors and husks continued to pour into the room but the asari Justicar did her best to keep them off the Commander by throwing the creatures back.
"I don't mean to rush you, Commander, but their engines are almost fully online!" Joker's worried voice boomed over the comm link.
"I know damn it!" She kept whittling down the Praetorian's barrier and armor but it wasn't going down quick enough. It was almost on top of her when a final bullet pierced its head. The thing began to glow before it exploded sending Shepard on her back. A hand gripped her arm and pulled her to her feet "Thanks Samara"
"Thank me after we are safely on the ship" was her cool reply as she headed toward a different exit.
The three continued running through the maze that was the Collector vessel, only to be stopped by more enemies as they appeared out of nowhere.
"Keep pushing forward" Shepard pulled the shotgun from her back and prayed she was still a good shot as she charged toward the horde of husks "We're almost to the shuttle"
More husks rounded the corner as she reloaded her shotgun. She waited until one was right in front of her before slamming the barrel into the creature's stomach and blasting a hole through it. She bashed another skull in with the butt of her gun as she kept a steady pace forward. As they grouped together she used her incineration that put most of the beasts out of their misery. A blue glow threw the rest back into the wall.
"Not a good time to show off" Mordin rambled as he sped past the Commander. Shepard nodded as she took up the rear. She kept any remaining creatures off her team as they raced toward the shuttle. Once she was sure they were close enough to the shuttle she turned her back and ran faster.
The shuttles were in sight but the sounds of screeching and screaming grew louder in her ears. She glanced over her shoulder to see marines scattered about the place, most dead, and the rest on her heels with fear in their eyes. The ground shook violently before it broke open and a giant worm the size of a skyscraper came through the crack before lunging down and swallowing more soldiers. More of the beasts rose through the ground spitting acidic venom left and right. The smell of rotting flesh filled the air and Shepard had to hold in the urge to empty her breakfast.
No one saw the attack coming. The Alliance had stationed a group of fifty marines to the planet Akuze to oversee the construction of a human colony. There had been rumors of recent pirate activity and the Alliance had agreed to send aid while the colony was established. Not long after they arrived a distress beacon had gone off a few miles away. It seemed odd as the colony was in the opposite direction but the soldiers had left to investigate. The beacon was in the middle of nowhere with no one within sight of it. Shepard's commanding officer shut the beacon off and ordered the marines return only for the ground to rumble beneath them.
That's when the creatures attacked, a horde of Thresher Maws broke through the ground and struck them. She had heard rumors of Thresher Maws before, most famous on the krogan homeworld, but no amount of stories could prepare you for an attack like this. Within a matter of minutes her commanding officer had been dragged underneath the sand. The order to retreat to the shuttles was given but it seemed hopeless as more men died screaming in pain.
Shepard stumbled over as one of the Maws burst up and loomed over her. She expected to be eaten right then and there but a strong hand wrapped around her arm and started frantically dragging her to her feet.
Mordin and Samara had made it to the shuttle only to find the Commander on her hands and knees with husks not far behind her. They spotted blood pouring from her nose and immediately knew what was happening. The salarian covered Samara as she raced back for the collapsed woman. Samara gathered as much biotic power as she could before releasing it at the rest of the creatures, hurtling them far away.
"Shepard! You must snap out of it" Samara began dragging the woman by her arm as she continues to gain her attention "Shepard!" Soon the woman began moving her legs, starting at a clumsy walk before turning into a full out sprint. It wasn't clear if the Commander knew where she was but it was clear she knew there was danger not far behind.
Shepard allowed the marine to pull her along to the shuttles. The man tossed her in the small ship before screaming behind him for the rest to hurry. She staggered to her feet and walked to the entrance. Another Maw popped from the ground, poised toward the shuttle as some of the marines got near it. It let loose its acidic venom, catching several of the soldiers. Their bodies began to burn and some collapsed. Another shot of venom hit the side of the shuttle and the spray caught just under Shepard's right eye. Her skin felt as though it was melting off but she ignored it as she grabbed two staggering marines by the collar and pulled them into the shuttle.
One glance showed that no one else was alive to save. With a deep regret, she slammed the door shut before taking the controls. The shuttle flew off before the Maws could make another attack. She set it on autopilot before moving to the back to check on the others. She almost gagged at the sight before her. The face of one marine had completely melted off, the acid beginning to eat away the bone as well. He was dead. The other marine held his side tightly, blood poured out quickly and the man gave a pained look at the woman. She knelt down and grabbed his shoulder "Hold on"
"Sorry ma'am. Don't… think I can" and just like that, the man died. Shepard sat on the seat opposite the marines. Staring at them for what felt like hours, the smell of death almost consuming her.
As soon as the shuttle had docked in the bay, Samara gave Joker the order to go and the ship jumped out of the system before the Collector ship was fully functional. The squad took a moment to breathe as the pilot told them they were safe. They all sat in the shuttle in silence, slumping against the seats. Shepard was the first to get up after a few minutes. She opened the hatch and took one step outside before stopping. She took a look back at the two "Thank you for pulling me out of there. I'm headed to the med bay. I suggest you see Chakwas as well when you're up to it" The two nodded, not bothering to follow as they understood the look in her eye that asked to be alone.
Chakwas swiveled in her chair as she heard the doors slide open. Her eyes almost bulged out of her head as she saw Shepard trudge through the door with a trail of bits of armor following behind her. The woman was unclasping each piece of armor as she moved forward, leaving it haphazardly on the ground. All that was left was a gauntlet and leggings. Blood dripped from her nose, landing on her white tank top and bruises littered her arms.
"Commander!" The doctor jumped up from her chair as she grabbed a cloth "Jeanette what happened?"
"Besides being tricked by the Illusive Man? Oh, nothing much. Got into a fight with a couple of kids from school"
"Now is not the time for jokes"
"Maybe" the word sounded hollow to the doctor's ears when she heard it. The doctor led her to one of the beds where she had the Commander sit down before dragging a chair over with her tools. She started a scan over Shepard's body but the woman grabbed her hand "Shepard, I know you don't like being here but I can't help you if you don't let me"
"My body's fine, doc. Bullets didn't make it past the armor, the bruises should go away in a few days. I need" Shepard stopped as she took a deep breath "I need you to check my mind. I had another attack"
Chakwas nodded in understanding and ran a few tests not that it would do either of them much good as still no conclusive data had been made to stop the flashbacks. Shepard knew Chakwas couldn't do much for her but she just wanted the silent company of a friend. The doctor gave her a pain reliever just as Samara and Mordin walked in. Shepard was about to make an excuse to leave when Joker called over the Comm.
"Hey, Commander. The Illusive man wants to see you in the debriefing room. Figure you have a few choice words for him too"
Shepard's calm yet shaky demeanor turned into seething anger as she jumped off the bed and stormed to the elevator, almost tripping over her armor that still lay on the floor. Any crew that had been waiting for the elevator quickly vacated the premises as they caught the murderous glint in the Commander's eye and no one made a comment about how she still only wore her metal greaves and left gauntlet as it was clear she was not worried about her appearance. The woman tapped her foot impatiently as she made her way up.
She didn't even give the man the chance to speak as she pointed an accusatory finger at the man lounging in the chair before her "You foul little man! I will beat you to within an inch of your life! I said no more sacrificing people"
"Actually, what you said was 'no more sacrificing innocents.' I wouldn't call anyone on your team innocent, Shepard" The man blew a puff of smoke before extinguishing the cigarette in an ash tray.
"For some who spent a lot of resources to bring me back to life you sure try hard to get me killed"
"I know it seems that I betrayed you, but we needed that data. It's the only way to find the Collector's homeworld. If I had told you about the Collector's trap it may have tipped them off. I wouldn't have sent you in if I didn't think you could handle it" Shepard tapped her foot to calm her as the man explained about a device to allow the Normandy through the Omega 4 Relay.
Shepard didn't like it but the data was too important to over look. She hated it even more that she had to practically defend the Illusive Man's decision when she called a meeting to decide their next step. Though Jacob argued they should just go for the IFF the Illusive Man mentioned but Miranda and Shepard disagreed, claiming they weren't ready. Once Jacob backed down Shepard ordered everyone get some sleep as it had been a long day.
Sleep, however, was the last thing on her own mind. She eventually found herself on the crew deck. The lights were dimmed which indicated most of the crew was asleep and only the night shift was up at their stations. This meant that the mess was most likely void of life and the thought drew Shepard to a chair at the large table but she stopped when the ground beneath her feet felt uneven. Beneath her feet lay the pieces of her armor. Nobody had seemed to dare touch the armor out of either laziness or just afraid the Commander would hurt them for touching her things. Shepard wasn't sure which but also didn't care. She trudged forward and plopped down in a chair. She couldn't seem to sake of the adrenaline and fear from the memory and her breath would not slow. Soon she felt the need to eat, regardless of the stench of death that still lingered around her. She tried to lift herself from the table but her arms and legs grew weak and she collapsed back in the cold metal chair. How she could feel so tired and weak yet hyped up on adrenaline and unable to sleep was a mystery she didn't really want to figure out.
"I am surprised you're up, Shepard" Jeanette's head snapped up when the deep voice spoke. She didn't know but she must have been losing her touch if she hadn't heard the drell arrive. Though she supposed you couldn't be the best assassin in the galaxy if people heard you coming. As she glanced at Thane across the table she saw familiar blue armor in his hands. She was almost touched by the action as the man carefully laid the pieces on the end of the table before gesturing at a seat. Shepard nodded when she realized he was asking to join her "I half expected you to be asleep after what happened on the Collector ship"
"Can't. Too much adrenaline. Besides, if I tried to get up now I would just fall face first on the floor"
"I understand the feeling" Thane clasped his hands before him in his usual manner as he settled into the seat "Joker kept the entire ship alert to the situation. It sounded… unpleasant"
"That's one way of putting it. Not what I call a vacation but you take what you get" Jeanette slouched in the chair, her legs stretching out under the table but making sure to avoid the drell's personal space. She leaned her head back, exposing her neck as she stared at the ceiling.
"I mean no offense, Commander, but you look like a varren's chew toy"
The woman gave a small snort at the joke as it was not common from the drell. Mind you, it sounded like an accurate statement as Shepard still had blood staining the front of her white top and was wearing only half of her beaten up armor while what skin was exposed was a sickly yellow and purple. Her short, pixie styled hair stuck out at odd angles and sweat still clung to her body "By the joke I can tell you've been hanging around Garrus too much"
"Actually, I believe I have been spending too much time with you" a smirk played on the man's lips as he spoke "Vakarian warned me that you were a bad influence, claimed you're where he got his jokes from"
"Yeah, I guess you're right" Shepard laughed at the thought "When I first met him he was always so serious, especially about getting the job done. I blame C-Sec for that but then at one point I thought he was denied fun as a kid and that's why, as Joker likes to say, 'had a stick up his ass.' It took awhile but I guess I got him to loosen up. Now it's hard to have a single serious talk without him cracking a joke. The Savior of the Citadel is a bad wise-cracking influence"
"She is" the assassin agreed as he lowered his hands to the table "but most seem to call her a true paragon"
"Uh-huh" she sighed as she looked back at her companion "Yeah, a paragon is exactly what I am"
"You sound doubtful"
"I help people. I like helping people but… I don't always go about it the right way" Jeanette shook her head of the thought. It was the past and it wasn't about to change. But what she could do is have that nice, possibly philosophical talk she had wanted before shit went to hell. Now was as good a time as any if Thane was awake. Which prompted a very good question "Why exactly are you up?"
"My body requires little sleep. My senses have been honed in case someone tries to catch me in my sleep. And when I'm not sleeping or exercising, I meditate. My meditations bring me rest of mind and afterward I am wide awake"
"I tried meditation once. It didn't exactly work out well"
"Oh?"
"Yeah, a friend of mine in the Alliance did meditations often, part of his religion. He convinced me to try it so we sat down on a mat cross-legged and took even breaths. I'm not sure how long it took but I apparently fell asleep. Will thought it was so damned funny I fell asleep sitting up that he decided to take a picture of it. I found it the next day on the wall of the mess hall. Totally kicked him for it" the woman smiled warmly as she spoke "Didn't even care that my commanding officer was there to see it. The Captain just laughed and as he did so he gave me and Will a toothbrush and told us to clean the floor. I kicked Will again for good measure as the Captain kept laughing"
"I find you always have something interesting to say. It's… invigorating to chat with you, Shepard"
"The feelings mutual, Krios" just then a loud rumble came from the Commander's stomach and she found she wanted to smack the grin off the drell's face. Before a word could be uttered Thane had stood from the table and took the few steps to the kitchen. She watched curiously as he shuffled through the new ingredients Shepard had procured the last time they had landed. The assassin pulled out a skillet and turned on a burner after finding satisfactory ingredients "What the bloody Hell are you up to, Mr. Krios?"
"I wonder if your language is just as influential as your jokes. But as for your question, I am making you dinner. During my travels I had experienced many cultures and cuisines, human food included. I'm not an expert at cooking but I believe you will like it" Shepard watched the man shuffle around in the kitchen, not only cooking but setting up a kettle for tea. The aromas from the sizzling meat wafted up her nose, effectively clearing out the last of the scent of decay from her nostrils. It was long before a small plate with steak and cooked red, yellow, and green peppers sat in front of her, soon followed by a steaming cup of tea "Do not worry. I have already added a spoonful of sugar for you"
"You remember? How sweet" the words were barely uttered as the Commander felt her mouth water. Thane sat across from her with his own plate of food and tea, taking the time to cut his meat into squares. Shepard didn't hesitate and tore at the food. Politely of course, no need to scare off dinner guests with bad manners, right? The food was savory and she filled up easily. For the past few days she had missed normal meals that Gardner made and had just grab easy-to-go food when she had the chance. This was one of the few times she had just sat still and ate "You have out done yourself, Mr. Krios! It is a wonder that women do not come swooping down to claim a gentlemen like you. After all, you are a dying breed. I don't know when I came across a true gentleman last"
"Maybe there's more to you besides assassinating after all, good sir" The blue scaled woman joked as she took another bite of her dinner. He had thought that the dinner may not have gone well, his previous actions had been inexcusable before after all. For the woman to be sitting across from him and enjoying his company was more than he could have hoped. Those sunset eyes defiant in the scope, the smell of spice on the spring wind. Their first meeting had not been a pleasant one but this evening was far more than pleasant.
Thane blinked a couple of times before he focused on the present. Worry gripped him, afraid he might have relapsed out loud. He watched as the woman across from him continued to chew her food and seemed unperturbed by his relapse of an old memory. But though she seemed calm he saw the hint of curiosity as her brow had lifted just enough for him to notice meaning his fears were confirmed. He tried calculating the best response to say before the woman spoke up.
"Someone has the habit of reading romance novels" the woman said in a sing song tone as she continued her meal.
"I… no, that is not" the drell sighed as he found himself unable to find the proper words "Drell have something you might refer to as solipsism"
"Solipsism?"
"Yes, drell have perfect memory. We can relieve any moment in our lives, down to the smallest detail. The memories can be difficult to control at times and we slip into them. That is solipsism. The memories feel as though you are living through them again. It can bring back the smell of cut grass, the warmth of another's hand on yours, the taste of another's tongue in your mouth"
Jeanette felt a small heat rise in her cheeks at the out of place comment. The man was either a tease or completely oblivious to the implication "Or sunset colored eyes"
Jeanette wasn't positive but she swore the man shifted in his seat nervously before speaking "Yes"
"I'm glad you're date went well then" she reached for her cup of tea as she mulled over what Thane had said "Do you relive bad memories as well as good ones?"
"Of course. Remembering the times I got shot is… unpleasant. But I can look down and see my leg is not shattered"
This new knowledge of the assassin was intriguing to say the least. It seemed the two had far more in common than the expertise to wield a sniper "Something we share I suppose" Jeanette shut her mouth as she had not meant to speak the thought out loud.
"Perhaps you are right"
"Except for the fact that you don't get bloody nose bleeds"
"Nose bleeds do tend to be bloody, Shepard"
"Smart ass"
"Your influence again, I'm afraid"
"Laugh it up, Krios. But laugh too much and I'll whip out elephant jokes"
"Elephant jokes?" a devious smile grew on the woman's lips as she tried to decide if she should torment the poor man. Joker almost died of shame as the woman whipped out bad joke after bad joke.