I don't own the Mass Effect.
Chapter 11: The Kill
The fighting had barely begun, and it was already going poorly.
If that wasn't obvious from the panicked chatter filling the radio waves, it was also entirely apparent that, unlike the rear-echelon troops that had been inspecting the crashed warship, Captain Dougal didn't skimp on the gear for his personal soldiers. Or on their training either. They'd hit Wasea's front units with all of the subtlety and strength of a fucking battering ram.
I did have to admit that the second unit was doing a respectable job holding out against the heavy force hitting them straight on. Between the main Sun trench running parallel to the ship's side, the communications trenches running back from there, and an assorted number of hastily dug foxholes they actually had a decent enough position to fight from. But their success was costing their friends in unit Three.
While Two's right flank was secured by the ship's bulk, and then by unit Four and Chen's snipers in the tower on the other side of that, their left was hanging in the breeze. Sure they could curl around into the Suns' main trench, but we just didn't have the people to man the entire thing. If we tried, we'd end up spread as thin as the Blue Suns that we'd evicted just the hour prior.
In the end, what that meant was that Unit Three was stuck in the no man's land between the junkyard wilderness and the ship. Their only cover was what few bits of wreckage the Suns hadn't managed to clear and what foxholes they'd managed to scrounge out in the time they had. And then, just to make things interesting, their Lieutenant had bought it in the opening volleys. As one would expect, things had only degenerated further from there as Dougal left a few squads to keep Two pinned while the bulk of his forces swung around to hit the crumbling flank.
I winced as Wasea tried to keep pace with the crap that was happening not more than two hundred yards away.
"You have to hold them together Sergeant!" she barked, crouching down further behind my bulk. "And make a controlled withdrawal around to Two's left!"
"We'll try ma'am!" The Salarian had to scream to be heard, even over the comms.
"Athame's tits.." the Eclipse leader muttered as soon as the line cut, "What's it look like Kean?"
My lips twisted. I was in cover as much as I could be, trying to blend in a bit with a Gardian turret that had been ripped free when the ship hit the planet's corroded soil. "Not that I can see all that much hiding behind this thing, but it looks like they're getting hammered."
There was a muted growl over my speakers. "They're going to fucking break."
I agreed entirely with that assessment, but it didn't need to be said aloud. Instead I switched to a different channel and hoped for better news. "Rane, time?"
"Still working." Her voice was harried. "Call it ten for bay nine, five more for twelve. After that.. it's going to be a bit."
I blew out a breath. That we'd have five more missiles so soon after our first volley was good news, but there was no way we could take out everything hitting us or on its way to with just eleven missiles. Even if they were fucking big missiles.
"Scales?"
She apparently didn't have any issues reading my mind. "Their shuttles are staying a bit more spread out than I'd like, it'll take most of those to take out just the next two companies." That that would leave us with two more still on the way didn't need to be said.
"That can still work." I tried for optimism, but I could tell that it came off a bit flat. "The last groups are further out right?"
"Yeah." There was a beat, and her tone turned wry "Ape.."
"Would you rather me be convinced we're all about to die?" And all over fucking Balak's life too. If we did survive this by some miracle, I was going to have a very fucking long talk with Nynsi.
Wasea growled. "Don't start human. It's a good damned plan, you fucking came up with it, so believe in it."
"He's good at coming up with plans. Just not that second bit."
"First time for everything." I muttered, shrugging out my shoulders as best I could within my restraints. The forced belief had barely even begun to formulate before I noticed the yellow-clad forms darting left to right in the distance. Some were living long enough to dive into cover. Most weren't. "Wasea, they're breaking."
"Athame's motherfucking.. Unit one, prepare to advance! Shaaryak, you better be ready!"
"Of course." My Tarath'shan's voice had tightened as it usually did before a big fight, the bits of irritation and anger suppressed. For now at least. "They're pursuing your people towards the trench-line."
"Lieutenant Ghadon!"
A burly male voice came on as Two's commander updated his boss. "I'm already pulling my command unit plus my rightmost squad and rotating them to my left. I'll try to stop what's left of three from running all the way back to Illium."
"You survive this I'm giving you a bonus." Wasea rose up a bit behind me, checking over her massive weapon. "Any indication they've detected us?"
It was Nynsi who replied. "No. They're pursuing hard, looks like they're going to try and break through what's left of them right into the backfield."
Which would, more or less, make Two's position instantly untenable. They'd have to surrender or be wiped out within minutes against that many Suns streaming around their flank.
"How long until they hit the trench?"
"Momentarily."
"Shit. Shaaryak, move in! Soon as you're on the ground we'll hit those tides spawned assholes!" To either side of me mercs quickly began to check over their weapons, a few rocking back and forth as if to make sure that their adrenaline got to every limb.
My systems flickered as she shifted back to the command line. "Kean, odds are they're going to rush us as soon as they realize we're here. Our position isn't all that much better than three's was. They get within twenty meters I'm going to order a counter-charge with my Vanguards. You're coming with us."
"Got it." Hefting my gun up a bit, I did a quick visual check of the heavy weapon. "Xan, Feai. That happens, you two are staying back."
"No problems with that order, Harath'krem." Xan spoke for the pair. "We'll cover you as best -"
A sniper round slammed into my exposed shoulder before she could finish the sentiment, and I quickly lowered my gun to respond in kind. Three heavy rounds thundered down range towards the Sun who'd apparently spotted me. Two of them sent explosions of mud and dirt flying around him, while the third hit him hard enough to send the distant figure sprawling back.
"By the goddess.. " Wasea swore. "All units open fire!"
Our broken line promptly exploded with roaring gunfire, tracers and streaking shots filling the air as everyone sighted in on our enemy and began blasting away. Dragging my flat metal feet out of the muddy soil, I shifted around my makeshift cover and settled into a better shooting stance.
In the distance to my left, my cameras caught the flickering lights of a half-dozen shuttles making a rapid descent. More importantly, the entire field in front of us was filled with Blue Suns. Nearly all of them were in heavy armor and were moving left to right as they chased what was left of unit Two towards the trench-line. But a few had been moving along in the backfield, double-timing it as they headed straight for us, probably having originally been sent to extend the flank further.
I didn't have anymore time to pay attention to what everyone else was doing after that, as the first shots started reaching out in my direction as the Suns belatedly realized that it was their turn to be flanked.
Settling my left hand onto the weapon's grip, I slowly began to fire off short bursts, the double-barrels thundering as the heavy rounds exited. Focusing on the few who had noticed us, I switched targets after three or five rounds in each's direction. Not usually enough to kill, but enough for my companions to finish them off. Xan hogged most of them, her sniper rifle booming every few seconds as she patiently executed them.
Wasea snapped off a carnage round under my right arm before ducking back to let her weapon cool, her voice barely audible as she tried to keep in touch with Ghadon and Nynsi. The latter's forces had begun to land, adding their own shots in from that side. But on the other.. it was obvious that Three wasn't going to be putting up any kind of meaningful resistance anytime soon.
"Fuck." I swore quietly as I watched the Suns reaction continue to evolve. "You called it Captain!"
Normally I'd think it was stupid to divide your forces once, much less three or more times, but that was apparently what Dougal was doing. At least one group was still keeping two pinned, and another began to throw themselves to the ground, focusing on keeping what was left of Three likewise stuck in place. Maybe forty broke off to the left, stoically accepting the losses that Nynsi and five were dealing in order to press into the junkyard after them.
The rest, more than I could easily count, headed straight for us. Snipers dropped to one knee or went prone, their heavy weapons quickly dropping several of the Eclipse. Omni-tools flashed brilliantly as tech mines began to soar, our lines rippling as incinerates, overloads, and cryoblasts began to disrupt the shooting rhythms. And while they were busy keeping my allies pinned down, more were sprinting as fast as they could.
Hoping that my reduced coolant would still be enough to keep the weapon from overheating, I yanked hard on the trigger and swept my fire left to right without bothering to aim. A few went down, dead or just battered, I didn't know. I couldn't spare the time to even worry about it either, relying entirely on my companions to finish off anyone that I merely knocked down or maimed.
"How fucking many of them are there?" Xan protested as she finished off a Turian for me, switching targets as quickly as she could.
"Shut up and keep shooting!" I snapped back, flinching as another light round hit my chest. The fucking snipers were the only ones bothering to shoot at me, a few of them apparently volleying their shots into the easy target. It couldn't have been anything heavy because they weren't doing crap to my actual armor, but they were keeping my damned barriers on the verge of collapsing.
The danger of that became obvious when the first grenade whipped just over my head, quickly followed by a carnage round that drove me back a good half meter as it struck my chest flat-on. I was fine up until the next one hit my right arm, shrapnel tearing at my gun. The weapon itself held up, but the vulnerable coolant line once again snapped as shrapnel tore into it.
"Son of a... Wasea!?"
"Not yet!" She snapped back, another heavy shot from her weapon killing a human woman who'd gotten too far ahead of her comrades. "Not until they're closer!"
I could only growl and space my shots out more carefully, trying not to make the fact that I was edging a bit more behind the wrecked turret obvious. A move that paid off a few seconds later when another grenade from a launcher slammed into the debris. Not more than a few seconds later another carnage round clipped my exposed right shoulder.. tearing the previously damaged pauldron free with a scream of tearing metal. Wasea actually had to duck as it nearly took her head off, and then scramble back as I staggered, trying to let my eezo core properly stabilize me.
"Unit One.." The Commander hefted her gun up as she managed to get herself upright, slapping her weapon into a proper two handed grip. "Advance!"
Lights flickered crazily as the Vanguards hurled themselves directly into the rushing enemy. The light-show only grew more intense as they began to hurl shockwaves in every direction, countering enemy numbers with the controlling blasts from their biotics.
Someone, Lieutenant Elissa I thought, started shouting. "Up! Up! Move you fucking asses! Eclipse to the Captain!"
I wasn't Eclipse, but the order still applied.
Flat feet dug into the ground as I heaved myself around the shattered turret, slightly trailing the rest of the Eclipse as they sprinted into the increasingly chaotic melee, blasting away as they did so. Biotic powers and tech mines were exploding chaotically everywhere, and I couldn't even begin to guess how many people were dying every second.
That was about all of the time I had to take in the view, because even with my slow speed I lumbered past where Wasea was executing a Batarian within a few moments.
And then shit got messy again.
My gun turned into a club as I heaved it up and then brought it down to slam onto a Turian trying to aim a shotgun at the Captain, his scream of pain nearly inaudible amidst dozens just like it. A shotgun roared as I turned away from his broken body, sending sparks across my visor.
Three rounds were all it took to kill the human woman who hadn't been smart enough to load a carnage round.
Another member of my own species, a guy this time, tried to dart past me. Snapping my left arm out, he let out a yelp of pain as I clotheslined him. The hit was barely enough to move the heavy limb as he went flying. He had enough time to start to curl up on the ground before an Eclipse engineer put a round through his visor.
More rounds ricocheted off of me as I quickly looked around, finding a pair of Turians standing over two dead commandos. The first didn't' even get a chance to realize that I'd shifted my aim before the large rounds blew his chest apart into a disgusting mist of blue blood and viscera. His companion staggered away, managing to get off a burst that didn't do anything besides annoy me. Another short burst ended his life as easily as I'd killed his friend, but brought my gun worrying closer to the red line in my HUD.
"Kean!" Wasea's scream echoed from my speakers as she hurled past me, her biotic charge more of a flying kick that broke the neck of a Sun about to finish off a wounded Asari. "Start falling back! Adepts, we need a wall!"
Biotic barriers began to snap to life, rippling as shots peppered them.
"Already?" I staggered back a bit, glancing at my screens. I'd thought we were pushing them back pretty well, and we'd barely even gotten started. It hadn't even been more than a minute. So why the fuck.. oh.
Maybe twenty of the fifty or so Eclipse we'd started with were staggering backwards behind the glowing walls. Which themselves weren't all that long with only four adepts gasping with their arms raised.
The Suns weren't in much better shape, there was a hell of a lot of blue clad bodies on the ground. But there was still a lot more of them than there was of us, and from the flashes on the flanks we weren't going to be getting any support soon.
"Back to the foxholes!" Wasea was limping as she waved her people back, "Watch the flanks! Grab our wounded! Kean, I need an update!"
I began to backpedal as carefully as I could, trying to keep an eye on either end of the dark energy barrier. It didn't really seem like I needed to bother, the enemy seemed content to likewise grab their own wounded ad get reset for the next round.
A few finger flicks brought the right channel up. "Rane, please tell us you've got good news."
"How's this?"
Brilliant light flared to life on my right, and the battlefield went abruptly quiet as the first missile roared free from the crashed ship. It was swiftly followed by several more, massive grey tubes trailing plooms of fire and smoke as they accelerated at an astonishing rate before whipping away to the right and vanishing into the low cloud cover.
Rane'li's voice was entirely too smug, if still a bit frazzled. "So much for their second wave. Give us a few minutes and the third will be dealt with too."
I couldn't help but blow out a relieved breath, a move that Wasea echoed. "Good job girl. Glad to see Kean was right about you."
Before we could do any more self-congratulation, the center most barrier exploded with a flash and roar of fire. The Adept who'd been holding it let out a high pitched scream that cut off abruptly as she collapsed.
Charging through the smoking cloud that the grenade launchers had left behind, a knot of eight or so Blue Suns rushed forward. Unlike the others, their armor was midnight black and utterly devoid of markings. Shotguns roared before I could belatedly get my gun back into position, killing the remaining adepts before they could make any moves to defend themselves. Blue light rippled and vanished as the barriers collapsed.
Though obviously as taken aback by the sudden change in fortunes as we were, the remaining Suns quickly got themselves back into gear and started moving after the apparent elites.
"Move!" Wasea screamed, firing off a wild shot before hauling ass. The other Eclipse followed her example, setting off a few wild shots and biotic attacks to cover themselves as they dove for whatever cover they could find.
I, unfortunately, couldn't do that.
My gun had cooled enough that I could open up on the elites as I frantically backed up. My first burst caught the leader, blowing thick pieces of armor away before red blood sprayed into the air. Tracers shifted right as I corrected my aim, trying to take out the next opponent in line before I ducked back behind the broken turret yet again.
But just as I could shoot them, they could shoot me right back.
The elites got their shots off first. But rather than a single volley of carnage rounds and solid slugs, they fired in sequence. Really, the only difference was that it gave me time to realize just where and how hard they were hitting me.
The first shot hit me high on the left, the scratch repairs nowhere near strong enough to withstand the blow. Unlike the other side the entire plate didn't fly free, instead buckling with a tortured scream of metal as some of the round's energy ripped into the actuators and motors controlling the shoulder. Carnage round number two hit me smack on around the waist, bending a few plates but not really doing any severe damage.
The next pair did their damnedest to make up for that, hitting more or less at the same time. One hit the protective box around my skull, throwing my head against the padded sides as my ears rang with echoes. The other hit my left leg smack in the shin. Like the shoulder pauldron on that side, the armor twisted and tore at the impact.. but unlike my shoulder there wasn't an extra layer of equipment to stop the round.
I couldn't stop the yowl of pain from escaping when something like a hot poker slammed into my calf.
My HUD was flashing madly as systems failed, the computer desperately rerouting to what few backups there were as the eezo core fought to keep me upright. Between the ringing in my ears, the fire in my leg, and the chaotic displays all demanding my attention, I almost didn't even notice the next volley.
I had just enough time to snap my eyes up at someone's shout, seeing three tumbling canisters descending directly at me.
Things got.. a little confused for a few moments after that. I remember the impacts, being thrown hard to the left and then bouncing against my restraints as the armor fell, the HUD snapping off as everything went dark around me. I remember somebody shouting that I was down, gunfire shockingly loud without the engines dull rumble to drown it out.
"Kean's down!" Wasea's voice was warbling through the speakers. "Cover him!"
Right. I was down. Fuck. And my engine was out. Fucking fuck.
"Ape! You alive!?"
I gasped as my leg throbbed in pain, as if it was reassuring me that I still as. "I'm.. fuck.. alive."
"Thank the goddess.. don't fucking get out, you're totally exposed. Wasea's pulling back to the trenches, you have to get up and follow!"
Up. Right.
Almost hesitantly I jerked my head down, my chin hitting the power key. The engine thrummed before giving a long rattle.
Grimacing at another wave of fire in my calf, I tried again. This time it coughed to life, followed by an ear-splitting clatter as something was ripped free. I almost flinched, expecting it to die, but the usual hum slowly settled back into place as my HUD flickered on.
Everything was red, flashing red, or at best yellow.
"Ape, fucking MOVE!"
My body was moving by reflex within seconds. It at least remembered that when Trena told you to do something in that tone of voice, you well and fucking did it.
There was more metallic screeches and grinding as I rolled to one side, my eezo core wobbling my mass dangerously as I fought to stand. A quick glance confirmed that it was damaged, possibly even leaking. Which explained why my back felt too damned heavy, it wasn't compensating for the engine's weight sufficiently. For more fun and games, the gun wasn't in my hands anymore, and I didn't have the time to look for the damn thing.
I had just managed to get up to one knee when another fucker shot at me.
Thankfully it was just lightweight rounds from my right side, but it still meant that at least one Blue Sun had noticed that I wasn't dead.
"Got him!" A sniper round rang in time with Xan's voice, and the incoming fire ceased. "We've got your back!"
"Just hurry up!" Feai shouted as her own gun thundered off a burst.
Yanking my other flat foot under me, and struggling to contain myself as my left calf screamed in pain, I turned back towards the cruiser and began lumbering.
The fighting had shifted, and actually moved away from where I'd fallen, which was probably the only reason I was still alive. Wasea and her people, plus Xan and Feai, had pulled back to their right towards the trench line in front of the cargo bay we'd used to get in and out of the ship. By pursuing them as directly as possible, the Suns hadn't actually gotten too close to me.
Most of them were currently setting up in the same debris field we'd been using. Fire was volleying between them and the Eclipse in the trench, but that status quo would only last until the rest of the Suns got their shit together and showed up.
Fuck.
The only reason any of us were still alive was that the Elites had made their move before their regulars were ready for it. They just hadn't been able to exploit the devastating assault with enough people to wipe us out.
As I half walked, half limped, systems squealing and shrieking while my left leg screamed with each step, more Suns began to realize that I was still up and moving. Between them and the increasingly worrying flashes from my eezo core an damaged engine, it was clear that while I could currently move, that state of affairs wouldn't last much longer. And since both sides of my armor were riddle with holes and loose plates, the only thing I could really do was bite my tongue against the pain, hope everything stayed together, and run as best I could.
Shots started hitting me a few steps after I made the decision. Assault rifle and SMG rounds that sent sparks flying across my vision. A few found their way through the torn armor to hit the artificial muscles and motors beneath. One or two might have made it to my light armor, which thankfully did a better job against them than it had against the hit to my leg.
Directly ahead of me, Xan and Feai's upper bodies appeared as they moved onto a fire-step. The former was firing as quickly as her rifle would reliably allow, sending two Suns tumbling and another ducking back into cover. Her companion simply kept her trigger held down, sending a stream of tracers left and right as she tried to protect my flank.
"Come on! Almost!" I don't know which of the two shouted. I know that they were right, that I was almost there.
Then another Carnage round tore at me from the side, slamming directly into my engine. Heat flared at my back, and alarms shrieked briefly. I stumbled hard to my right at the impact, only belatedly realizing that I didn't have any control over my own movements anymore. I barely managed to tuck my chin down to brace myself before I crashed to the ground and rolled. My neck strained as I fought to keep my head from bouncing off the armored plating again, and pain continued to shoot up my leg.
Eventually the armor gave a final rattle, the movement ceasing as I slid to a stop. I could smell the disgusting local air, and most of my body had joined my leg in its pulsing misery.
"Fucking... fuck.. no.. move.. move your fucking.. pale ass..Cieran.."
It probably wasn't a good sign that I was giving myself verbal orders, but they were enough to get my chin to jerk down against the release button.
Unsurprisingly the hydraulics failed to start.
Grimacing, I pressed the button and held it down. There was a long pause that nearly gave me a heart attack before the backup system kicked in. A quiet whirring reached my ears as the tiny motors unscrewed a few select bolts, and the chest plating sagged away from me.
Moving hurt, but the increasingly loud sounds of gunfire and explosions were all the motivation I needed to start shoving and wiggling to get free. Hunching my shoulders and head down, I used my forehead to shove the plating open enough for me to try and get free.
"Harath'krem!" Strong hands grabbed my shoulders, seizing the thin armor plates and heaving as Feai fought to help me get out.
I'll admit to screaming when my left leg hit something, my body spasming as fire raced up and down my nerves. My world briefly turned white from it, my vision only coming when someone shoved my helmet into my hands.
"Harath'krem! Please!" Feai was kneeling in front of me, flinching as tracers shot overhead. One of her hands was holding my little SMG, while the other was still pressing my helmet into my grip.
"Hurry up!" I glanced to my left, seeing Xan kneeling near the armor's legs. She'd laid her heavy rifle down across them, an impromptu tripod that was letting her fire quickly. "They've definitely noticed us!"
It took Feai's help to get my helmet on, the crisp air from the tiny filters giving me just enough of a shock to get my shit back together.
"Can you run?"
I glanced down at my leg and tried not to flinch. My left calf, on its side, was bloody all the way down to my boot thanks to a shard of metal that was actually fucking sticking out of it.
"Fuck! No, don't yank it!" My hand grabbed Feai's arm before she could. "Don't know if it's.. fuck that hurts.. close to something. You're going to have to help me up. Xan, we need to know when to run!"
"Got it!" Her rifle barked again. "Feai, get him up but stay down!"
"Contradiction!" Nevertheless she grabbed my right arm and threw it around my neck as both holstered our guns. She heaved me up into a low crouch, ignoring my snarl of pain as I tried keep my weight on my right leg. "Pillars you're lighter than I thought.. Ready!"
"Wait.." One more heavy shot was followed by a distant scream. "Go!"
The Batarian woman heaved me to my feet, hauling me along like I was luggage. If moving in my armor had hurt, moving without it was agony. I had to throttle back a scream with each step, doing my best to propel myself along with my good leg as we moved. As we passed her, Xan snapped off another shot as she rose to follow.
"By the goddess move faster!" Wasea briefly appeared as she fired off a shot before vanishing back into the trench. Her voice still carried as she reminded us why we needed to. "They're gathering for a push!"
Just ten yards. Eight now. A metallic grain of sand whined off my barriers, several more sending sparks off of Feai as we tried to hunch a bit more yet keep staggering. Five yards. Two.
We tumbled into the trench, almost crashing into the Eclipse Captain as we did so.
"About fucking time! Elissa, grab Kean and get him to the ship! Girl, help them!" I barely had time to glance at the Asari before the human Lieutenant was grabbing at me, pulling me back up. The two women quickly had my arms thrown over both of their shoulders, letting me hop on my right leg as they dragged me.
Wait.. two women.. "Xan?"
Feai's steps hitched. "You didn't hear her?"
Fuck.
"You still there ape?"
"Mostly." I hissed at another throb. "Xan.."
"I know... just keep moving ape. Get back into the ship, everyone else can hold out while the missiles do their damned job."
It wasn't as if we had any other choice.
Shots began to chase us as we moved up the ramp leading out of the trenches, depositing us right in front of the cargo bay. More walking wounded were head of us, a few taking the time to fire off what shots they could while others just limped for the safety of the ship's interior. We'd barely made it to the cargo bay proper when the volume of fire suddenly increased, sending two yellow clad beings to the ground before they could react. Next to me, Feai yelped as something hit her, but she kept moving.
"Move move move!" Wasea's voice was overlayed by shotguns snarling. "Fuck, you two, grab them!"
Feai and Elissa had to let me go as two more Eclipse grabbed them. Before I could do more than stagger, strong arms were suddenly around my chest and the Captain was screaming in my ear.
"Exhale and relax!" That was the only warning I had before she hurled herself into a biotic charge.
If I never, ever, have to live through that experience again, I will live a long and happy life. I can't even begin to properly.. fuck. I was pretty sure that we left most of my internal organs behind when it happened, at the very least. One moment she was clutching my tightly to her, the next everything swirled in a blur and we were stumbling through the doorway as she sagged against me.
Some of the Eclipse that had already gotten inside quickly yanked us aside. Moments later there were more flashes of blue and our companions staggered past us.
Feai and Lieutenant Elissa moved past me before almost collapsing, sucking down oxygen heavily.
"How.. many?" The former managed to gasp the question out.
"A lot." Wasea growled as she let me go. "Kean, we need this door sealed."
"Right.." I staggered over to the control panel. A few seconds of examination later, and it slammed shut with a metallic clang, locking into place as I hit a few extra commands.
"Locked." I couldn't help but lean against the wall, trying to keep my weight off my wounded leg. "Not getting in this way."
"This way." Elissa sucked in a long breath. "There's plenty of other ways onto the ship. If they get to the auxiliary bridge, or find Hetherus.."
"And they're looking for ways in." Trena's voice filled our radios. "A few guards making sure you lot don't make a run for it, rest are spreading the fuck out and searching."
Which wouldn't take them long. The ship was basically a sieve, they'd probably find half a dozen ways on in a matter of minutes.
"This is Shaaryak." Nyn's voice was tense. "I'm coordinating with unit two, we're launching a counter-attack now!"
"Move your ass girl, they aren't going to last long in there!"
While that was entirely true, I could have done without Trena pointing it out aloud. Wasea apparently agreed, because she promptly cut me and the others out of the command channel. "You three, take a few moments. Get water and check the human's leg. Rest of you, anyone not wounded sound off."
I was too tired to be annoyed, or to pay attention to where she was sending the half a dozen other mercs who'd lived. Instead I just sank to the ground in relief. My helmet hit the decking a moment later, joined by the women's as they yanked theirs free. Elissa turned out to have dark skin and short hair, her cheeks accented by tribal tattoos that lent her a dangerous edge.
"How's it feel?"
"Hurts." My lips twisted as I glanced at my calf. The fucking piece of metal was still sticking out. "Mind?"
She snorted, quickly yanking some medical tools free from her belt. Some, like the medigel canister, I recognized. Others I didn't, but the omni-tool scan seemed harmless enough. "Looks like it's just through the meat. Sucks and it probably hurts like hell, but you'll live if nothing gets infected. Might want to bite onto something for this part."
Of course she didn't give me time to do so, instead yanking the piece of my armor free with a quick pull.
My teeth ground as I held in a scream, my eyes burning a glare into her skull.
Still, she more or less made up for that bit of agony by having Feai slather medigel onto and into the wound. A few hypo-shots later and I was trying not to moan at the simple recession of pain.
"Am I good to walk?"
"Would your rather die sitting here?"
Feai snorted and I felt my lips twitch. "Good point."
"He going to live?" Wasea interrupted us before we could get too positive. Probably for the best, all things considered. Behind her the rest of the Eclipse were shuffling away, heading to wherever she'd posted them.
"He'll be fine, just slow."
"Good." The Asari captain heaved her gun up, resting the barrel on a navy colored pauldron. "Because we need your gun. Kean you're with me, we're heading to the auxiliary bridge to check on that girls' progress. Elissa, take the Batarian and find Hetherus. Keep that twerp alive until he gets the goddess damned missiles ready."
"Athame's ass.." I sighed as I grabbed my helmet, hoping like hell that Rane and that Salarian were on the ball.
Next up is Chapter 12: The Return
So.. working seventeen out of eighteen days right after a vacation, averaging sixty hours per week over those two and a half weeks fucking sucks. But we just got our last official build out, so hopefully things will slow down now that the priority level crap is done and out of the way.
This chapter was half written before GenCon (where I played very poorly in my chosen events, but had fun on the Expo floor and watching the cosplayers), and then in bits and pieces of the last few weeks when my sanity required that I do something else besides work. I think it came out all right for how choppy the process was. Hopefully the combat is still up to par.
The next chapter should post this Tuesday, 8/25/15, with the story resuming its regular Tuesday/Friday update schedule after that.
Please read and review, criticism is welcome, flames not so much, as usual. Reviews are my lifeblood as a writer.. every-time my email goes off with a review it makes me want to write more, so please take the time to leave one. Guests can leave them as well, and it only takes a minute, so please. Even if it's as simple as "I enjoyed it, please continue."
Thanks, Kat
Tropes Page / Request:
As I've posted on profile, and in the prior chapter, GreaterGoodIreland was kind enough to create a TvTropes page for this series. I took the time to add a few things, but I'm also very interested in seeing what you, my readers think of the tropes in play.
Please, if you've got some time, go through the page and make a few tweaks here or there. If you don't have an account, or don't want to make one, feel free to PM me any thoughts you have and I'll be more than happy to add things for you.
To find it, simply go to TvTropes . Org and search for "Another Realm" or "Katkiller".
Author's Fun Fact: Profiles in Courage II
Lt. Cmdr Theodore Gates, N7, "The Survivor"
The eldest child of Captain Elicia Gates and Commander (posthumous) Johnathan Gates, Theodore Gate's military life effectively began when he was born. As his parents were moved from ship to ship, he and his younger sisters were continuously shuttled from one station or vessel to another, only rarely making planetfall when their parents had leave.
Graduating in the same N7 class as Anders and Shepard initially gave Alliance Intelligence dreams of forming their own elite unit around this core, preferably with Anders in command. Not only did he have the military pedigree, but his strong appearance and dedication to military regulations endeared him to most of his superiors. Typically, it also estranged him from his fellow N7's, who were all too happy to see him re-assigned to command a recon team as the brass began to groom him.
The now infamous drop onto Akuze, where Gates was the only survivor of a vicious Thresher Maw nest, broke something in the stalwart warrior. Several years of counseling were required, with the only silver lining being that the experience brought him closer to his old comrades who were instrumental in his recovery. During their long talks, he finally began to understand the deep pains that drove them both.
Upon returning to active duty, he was granted a transfer to the Corsair program, secretly vowing to repay his debts to his friends by joining their pursuit of justice against pirates and criminals. As an executive officer, he quickly earned a reputation for effectiveness during several raids into the Traverse. That, in time, earned him his own command, and he wasted no time in establishing himself and his crew as the premier anti-pirate unit in that region of space.
Spectre Candidate: Third selection group, Rejected by Admiral Hackett. Reason: Currently too critical to Corsair operations to be withdrawn, being groomed to take command of the Second Corsair flotilla when Rear Admiral Theosis retires in 2184.
Posting, January 2183 – SSV Queen Anne's Revenge, C.O.
Review Responses:
envy34 → Less her holding a grudge, more of her increasingly growing unhappy with how the situation is playing out and having a hard time keeping it together.
Excalibur812 → Glad you're enjoying them. :)
GreaterGoodIreland → A little bit of one, to be sure. I love the DA series about as much as the ME, and it seems appropriate to borrow a few things here and there.
SpiritStrike → It would seem that most of the players would agree that a big damned talk needs to happen if they live through this.
Cmitts93 → There's.. going to be a lot of crap to deal with after this, so you'll definitely get your wish.
Ari989 → He's spent most of a year on Illium by this point, with next to no contact with other humans.. so yeah, I would agree that it's starting to effect his psyche. How much remains to be seen, but it'll definitely continue to crop up as the series progresses. That most of his friends are females or Asari.. I'm not sure what that says about him either.
The Guest / Calibans legacy / cainchaos → Glad you're all enjoying it.
