Disclaimer: Mass effect and the Halo franchise are property of Bioware and Bungie respectively. I no see no plagiarism, I say no plagiarism, I hear no plagiarism.
Chapter 11
Peculiar Weapons
The Normandy's armor was no place for casual conversation, and Jacob preferred it that way. Any other part of the ship held too many people, even with a smaller crew of a usual military vessel; and in a place stocked with weaponry and armor, the armory was not the ideal place for any type of social gathering. So the Gunnery Chief was used to modifying and checking the equipment and munitions. But the day had certainly not gone as planned.
On the other side of the room, sitting on an ammunition crate, sat a heavily armored soldier with a skull carved into the visor of his helmet. The Spartan had entered the room hours after the Commander had deployed onto Korlus, so the unexpected intrusion had made Jacob weary of the other's motives. But the Spartan paid no attention to him, instead taking a seat on a crate, unsheathing his knife, and sharpening it on his right shoulder piece. As it were, Jacob had kept a close on the other soldier but he did not make an attempted with a word to the Spartan.
A good two hours had passed, with neither man talking to the other. Finally, as the rhythmic scratch of the Spartan's knife slowed, one of them spoke.
"Your Commander is one tough mother." The Spartan said casually, inspecting the blade of his knife.
This had surprised Jacob, who had been accustomed to the silence that had befallen the room. But Jacob would not allow the other to know of this.
"You have no idea." Jacob said looking over his shoulder, "So your Emile right."
To this the Spartan gave a gruff 'yeah' in response. Inspecting the knife's blade, he let a gloved finger press gently against the tip and slice down the blade's edge. In truth, Emile had wanted to inspect the lower decks of the ship. But there was still a matter of settling the rest of Noble Team's gear. Getting to his feet, he placed the knife back into its sheath.
Jacob watched curiously as the Spartan lifted the crate he was sitting on moments before. Along with the rest of the storage crates in the room, the crate was fitted with this steel casing; along its side were the letters U.N.S.C.
When the crate was first loaded into the armory, Jacob had been told not to open the crate by the AI Cortana, so Jacob had left the package alone expecting one of the Spartans to handle it. Seeing Emile lift the package up onto the worktable, Jacob's curiosity had gotten the better of him.
Turning around from his work, Jacob watched the Spartan withdraw what appeared to be a shotgun. But the weapons design differed from most models he had seen before. The gun's body was lengthier, and the stock of the gun was folded over the receiver (1). The over all appearance was similar to weaponry used during the last century.
He smiled, "Your weaponry looks a century out of date." Jacob lifted a M-27 Scimitar to prove his point.
Emile chuckled back, unfolding the stock from the shotgun to show its full length, "Looks can be deceiving."
"Looks won't make up for firepower." Jacob countered.
Emile only seemed to be more amused, "It didn't stop us from cleaning your clock last time."
At that point, Jacob's teasing demeanor had diminished. Emile chuckled; having won the little battle, and simply went back to taking out the other weaponry from inside the crate. As he went back to his workstation, Jacob occupied his thoughts of how the Commander was doing.
The squad had met heavy resistance from the Blue suns as they ascended to the upper platforms. But the Commander and her team had been able to push to upper platform non-the less. Though, the increase of Krogan that obstructed their path had weighed heavily on the Commander's tolerance. The hot searing heat on her cheeks made the Commander aware of her implants, this did not help her already patient disposition was slowly being nibbled away. This change in mood had not gone unnoticed by her squad, who made sure to stay alert for orders.
Reaching the top of the stairs and the round the corner, the group stopped at a set of blast doors that went to the next area. Popping the heat sinks to their guns, the Commander gave a firm nod for the squad to be prepared. Opening the blast doors, the Squad was met with four Blue suns already in positioned in key covering positions overlooking the blast door at the top of an incline. Shepard gritted her teeth, taking aim down the sights of her assault rifle. Staying with in the doorway, the Commander threw a grenade between to between the two mercenaries positioned in the front. The blast knocked on of the mercenaries off balance, making him stumble and fall off the Platform, and falling to the rubble covered ground. Garrus quickly dispatched the blue that was still standing, sending a concussion shot to the chest, which blasted the Blue sun's ragged body backwards.
Running down the narrow catwalk, the commander noticed two Blue suns still hiding behind cover. When one peeked around the corner, a sniper round quickly erupted through his head. The other mercenary was caught off guard, and did not notice a large shadow loom over him.
As the Commander watch the mercenaries body smash into the blast door leading to the next room. As the man quickly whipped his head in retaliation, the Commander just as quickly stuck the muzzle of her pistol to the Sun's head. The doors were no sooner splashed with blood, and the mercenary's body slumped to the floor. The Master chief watched the Commander's actions like a scientist observing an experiment. He had been analyzing the woman since they had landed on the planet. Every move, every action, was calculated. It was not that Shepard could not show leniency, as she had proved to show mercy when with the wounded Blue sun. But her actions seemed only dictated by if a person could provide her with what she needed. As it were, the Master chief had witnessed enough to understand why the Commander had earned her respect from her colleagues with her tactical maneuvers on the battlefield.
The Spartan had been left with the interpretation that the Commander was a sadist after reading the Commander's files, as she had always killed her targets leaving any opposition to dead. But the mercy he had witness with the trooper had proven the Spartan wrong. Nonetheless, he was intrigued.
Moving into the room with their weapons raised, the Squad found the room deserted. The Commander motioned for the squad to aim their sights on the door as she pulled out her Omni-tool to hack it a computer console on a lone desk. Looking over to his right, the Master chief noticed a Krogan body laid on an operating table. The Spartan had come accustomed to the dead Krogan along their way to the labs, but what he found strange was that the Krogan did not have bullet holes in him, but incision along the side of his body. This had not gone unnoticed by the Turian beside him.
"They were doing experiments on the Krogan?" Garrus said in astonishment.
"I thought the doctor wanted to strengthen his race." The Master chief commented.
The Commander only looked at the Krogan body for a moment, her eyes seemed to only analyze the scratch marks the corpse's side. Aside from acknowledging that the body was there, the Commander did not show any emotion at the body.
"Something the Doctor will have to explain to us when we find him." The Commander dismissed.
Suddenly, the doors to the next room opened, making the soldiers lift up their weapons in anticipation. But to their surprise, a barrage of gunfire did not come blazing through the door. Instead only a deep voice flowed through the door like the breath of a beast rattling its throat.
"Here you are! I've been watching your progress."
Walking into the next room cautiously, a single Krogan stood at a terminal a courtyard. This had to be Okeer, the Commander thought, holstering her pistol and walking to the Krogan doctor.
The Krogan glanced over his shoulder at the new arrivals, irritation shown on his face.
"It's about time." Okeer said, "The batteries on these tanks will not wait while your play with these idiot mercs!"
The Commander was irritated, "Not the smartest way to greet the heavily armed group that just kicked in your door."
Okeer was not intimidated, "I'm sure whoever sent you does not want me dead. No one looks for me without a motive. Certainly not the deceased Shepard."
The Commander only raised her eyebrow in confusion as the Krogan explained further.
"Surprised? Every Krogan should know you. Or have you forgotten your actions on Virmire?" Now the Doctor had turned around to face the Commander head on.
"I'm sure you would love to retell me what happened." The Commander encouraged.
Okeer gave a large toothy grin, though the smile was not made from a jovial occasion. The grin that the old Krogan gave was malicious, as if he was trying to stir an angry mob to make them succumb to their primal instincts.
"What a Tale! Saren, the traitor Spectre threatens the return of the Krogan horde by curing the Genophage, undoing the gentle genocide of the Turians and Salarians!" Okeer exclaimed, "But before Saren can deliver his endless troops, in rides Shepard, securing victory through nuclear fire."
Okeer turned, still grinning, "I like that part. It holds weight."
"I won't apologize for what I did, it was either that or allow Saren to have unlimited Krogan army." The Commander defended.
But instead of an outraged response, the Krogan doctor lifted a hand, shaking his head.
"But I approve." Okeer reassured, "Saren's pale horde were not true Krogan. Numbers alone are nothing. The mistake of an outsider, one these mercenaries have also made."
The doctor turned away and walked to the observation window over looking the courtyard.
"I gave their leader my rejects for her army. But she grows impatient. It's time for you to take me out of here."
"We're here about the Collectors, not your problems." Garrus informed.
The Krogan turned to face the squad.
"I see. Yes. Collector attacks have increased. A human concern. My requests were focused elsewhere." Okeer explained, directing his attention to the tank beside the terminal.
"I acquired the knowledge to make one pure Krogan. With that, I will inflect upon the Genophage the greatest insult an enemy can suffer: to be ignored."
The Krogan looked at the towering Spartan and smiled, "Most Krogan are born and are coddled while sucking at the teat. These Krogan are weak, unfit to be warriors. But I wanted to make the perfect Krogan, one worthy to spread honor to the Krogan race."
The Doctor circled the Spartan, while examining him.
"Like you. You have been genetically modified; I can smell it in you. Though not Krogan, you have what most Krogan lack: strength, endurance, and agility beyond what any mere human has. You are a fine example of what all Krogan should be."
"I am here to fight alongside the Commander." Master chief replied.
Okeer was even more intrigued, "And loyalty. The most respected quality of a warrior." Okeer stopped directly in front of the Spartan, "Or a fool."
The Commander gritted her teeth in irritation, she had had enough of the old Krogan's fanatical ideology.
"I'm getting you out of here, Cerberus has an interrogator to find out if your useful or not." The Commander said.
Okeer turned from the Spartan and back to the Commander, "Any group the spent enough to rebuild you won't care what happens to me. Perhaps we can strike a deal. One that secures my prototype, It is key."
Suddenly the loudspeakers throughout the compound blared to life, carrying through the sound of Jedore's infuriated voice.
" Attention. I have traced the Krogan release. Okeer, of course."
The Krogan doctor quickly moved to the observation window. In the courtyard was Jedore, looking back at him, with a hand to her earpiece.
"I'm calling a 'blank slate' on this project. Gas the Commandoes and start over from Okeer's data. Flush the tanks!"
Suddenly, the pipes all around the lab began to burst.
Okeer gritted his teeth, " She is that weak willed? She will kill my legacy with a damn valve!"
Turning to the Squad, Okeer spoke hastily, "Shepard, you want information on the Collectors? Stop her. She'll try to access contaminants in the storage bay."
The Commander shook her head, "You are not in a position to negotiate at the moment."
"I understand. But you will have nothing if she poisons us all." Okeer reasoned, "Jedore will be with the rejected tanks. I will…stay, and do what must be done."
As the Krogan began rapidly typing at the terminal, the Squad quickly rushed out of the labs, heading for the courtyard. Heading down the ramps that lead to the courtyard, the Commander was sure he scares were beginning to burn the flesh on her cheeks. To her right she could feel the concerned look Garrus was giving her, but right now she had to focus on the current objective. Opening the doors that lead to the courtyard, the Squad could hear Jedore yelling to her Troops.
"I don't care who they are! I want them dead! This is my world! I'll poison them all!"
The Squad sprinted as slugs peppered their position, moving behind the tanks for cover. Peeking her head out of cover, Shepard could see the Jedore from across their position along with a YMIR mech. The YMIR's rocket launcher and machine gun would make it difficult to traverse the battlefield.
Facing her squad, the Commander barked orders over the gunfire, "We need that mech out of commission!" Shepard yelled, "Garrus, provide us with suppressive fire on that mech."
A rocket blast near the their position knocked to their sides. Garrus quickly moved to his feet, aiming down the sights of his M-29 Incisor, and firing at the mech from across the courtyard.
"Master Chief, with me!" Shepard ordered.
The Master chief quickly moved with the commander down the ramp that led to the lower level of the courtyard. Over the sound of her heart racing, the Commander could hear Garrus fire shots at the YMIR mech. Then, something of the Commander's peripheral vision caught her attention. The red blur shot towards her fast, and the turned to face her opponent fully.
In front of the Commander stood one of the tank bred Krogan, the Commando was still wet from being released from the tank, and fluids soaked his body. Shepard lifted her assault rifle and began pelting the creature with slugs, tearing away at his armor. The Krogan roared, running head long toward the two soldiers. The Krogan was less than an inch away before a green line extended from her side, colliding with the Krogan's face and pushing the beast back.
From behind the Commander, the Master chief began fire round at the Krogan's face, slicing the skin and head crest from close range.
"I'll cover from here!" The Master chief said, as the Krogan fell to the ground.
Moving up the incline to the other side of the courtyard, where Jedore was waiting for her.
"I will kill you all!" Jedore said in a maniacal frenzy.
Aiming her missile launcher at the Commander. The Commander only had a second to jump to her right into cover as the ground next to her erupted in an explosion. Popping a heat sink, the Commander stood out of cover and started firing rounds at the Blue sun. As her tech armor fizzled under the constant stream of slugs, Jedore was forced to seek cover. Moving out of cover, the Commander kept the Blue sun in cover with selective shots.
On the lower level, the Master chief was combating waves of Krogan, while Garrus kept the Mech's attention; who was now moving down to the lower levels. Every shot was slowly eating away at the Mech's armor. But then the mech turned its attention to the Spartan, who was still fighting the tank bred Krogan on the ground. Garrus tried to regain the Mech's attention, but a rocket shot made him press back into cover.
"Chief, look out!" Garrus yelled over the COMS.
Shooting a Krogan to the ground, the Master chief realized the danger he was in. In front of him were eight Krogan Commandoes, and behind them stood the colossal YMIR Mech. The Spartan quickly fell back as the Mech's gun tore away at the Krogan behind him. Jumping over a Storage crate, the Master chief pressed his back against it. Heated slugs from the YMIR's gun began to tear away at the cover the Spartan had.
Garrus, having recovered from the rocket blast, took shots at the Mech's back. The Mech whirled, shooting along the ridge in which the Turian was perched. The Master chief noticed the YMIR was distracted reloaded his assault rifle before charging out of cover, grabbing one of the shotguns that lay on the ground. With shotgun and assault rifle in hand, the Master chief strafed to the right while firing at the Mech's back. Caught un aware, the Mech retaliated be firing a rocket at the Spartan's position, but the Master Chief quickly dove out of the way. From behind, Garrus took aim at the Mech's head, taking his time to take the shot.
On ground level, the Master chief dashed around Krogan as he kept firing at the Mech. One Krogan had managed to get in front of the Spartan, but a swift knee to the face brought the Krogan fall on its back. Though the Master chief had not taken any physical damage, his shields were absorbing more than they could take and were on the brink of collapse. As a Krogan rushed to his left, the Spartan covered his chest as shotgun blast penetrated his shield and knocked him back. Stumbling but regaining his footing, the Spartan quickly lifted the shotgun in one hand and fired directly at the Krogan's head; the burst of blood and skeletal material were flung through the air. Turning back, his eyes were met staring down the barrel of the Mech's rocket launcher. When looking up to see the Mech's head however, revealed an explosion of metal and hardware.
"YMIR is down." Garrus said with a sigh of relief.
As the Mech fell on its back, The Spartan noticed a pack of Krogan marching toward his position. The Master chief lifted the assault rifle in on and fired the remaining Krogan. Popping a heat sink, the Spartan quickly had to cover his eyes as a rocket hit dead cent of the pack and exploded. Both he and Garrus were surprised as they looked to the opposite side of the Courtyard.
The Commander smirked at the damage caused by the rocket launcher she had requisitioned from Jedore. As there was no ammo left in the weapon, the Commander dropped it next to the blood soaked Blue sun, and walked to other side of the courtyard.
Shepard smiled genuinely, "Nice work, lets get back to Okeer and—'
Suddenly the alarms in the lab began blaring loudly over the courtyard.
"Alarms in the lab! What is that Krogan doing up there!" Garrus yelled.
The COMS in the Squads headpieces activated, "Shepard, the alarms coincide with a systems failure." EDI relayed, "The remaining lab systems are unprotected and I have gained limited access. According to lab scanners, the room is flooded with toxins, and Okeer's personal signs are failing rapidly. I recommend haste."
The Commander cursed, "Double time, we need to get Okeer out of the labs!" Shepard barked as the squad raced back to the labs.
***
"You gave me time Shepard. If I knew why the Collectors wanted humans, I would tell you. But everything is in my prototype. My legacy is pure. This…one soldier, this grunt. Perfect."
The final message Okeer had left replayed over the Krogan's lifeless body. Okeer had preserved his legacy, but at the cost of his life. The Commander gritted her teeth, she knew that letting the doctor stay was a bad idea. Looking at the tank, the Commander sighed.
"Why would someone so fanatical sacrifice himself for one Krogan?" Garrus wondered.
"We should probably destroy it." The Master chief remarked.
The Commander shook her head, "No. Okeer risk his life to save him. He could prove useful."
The Commander lifted opened up the COMS, "Normandy, Okeer is a no-go. But we have package that needs retrieval."
"And he's a big one."
(1): The stock of a shotgun is folded over the receiver so that the handle is pointed upward. For those who may not understand what I am saying, just search on the Internet for a diagram of a shotgun to understand all these technical terms. (Yes, I actually do look up information on these types of things.)
Authors Note: This Chapter took a long time to finish, but it is here! Chapter 11!
I hope you guys liked the battle sequences I put in here; I actually put in a lot of effort into them. Which reminds me…
Here is a big shout out to Just a Crazy-Man for helping me with writing some of the battle scenes. (You rock man!)
Though I am still looking for a Beta reader, Just a Crazy-Man did provide me with help writing, and for that I am really grateful.
So I guess I will continue the hunt for a Beta, just got to get the right net…
Next Chapter is going to be a bit more technical as we learn a bit more about some of the crew.
I hope you enjoyed reading the story, and it entices you to leave a review and continue reading as more chapters are release!
…I love you…You complete me...
Taking you back to '83,
Bleachedcookie
