Guardians of the Effect

Victory is yours! – Shaxx

Chapter 10: Blue Justice


Illium

AS they exited the air car Jane was met with an argument between an asari and a volus, something about not leaving before she was done with an investigation. As she took stock of the surrounding area she considered what info EDI was able to pull up about their mission. They were deep in Eclipse territory. Which meant lots of shielded enemies, both standard and biotic barriers. Jane and Garrus would be more focused on the standard shielded enemies while Bearl would concentrate on the Biotics with void powers. After that quick thought she made the way towards where the Asari officer's office was. As she approached the Asari in question Jane could tell she was not in a mood for games. 'Good' thought Jane 'Games are not my forte'.

As she approached the asari looked up from the terminal she was working at. The trained eye of a detective was taking stock of her but it didn't perturb Jane much.

"IS there anything I can help you with Miss?"

"Commander Shepard of the Normandy. I'm looking for a Justicar by the name of Samara. I was told she had been through here recently."

"Shit. You got a beef with her too?"

Jane raised an eyebrow at that "No. I'm recruiting for a mission and need the best at my side. The Collectors warrant the best after all."

"Justicars are drawn to impossible odds." Mused the officer. "She's currently in eclipse territory. I'm not sure why but that will be the best place to start looking. I'll let my people know to let you through."

As the three left it was Bearl that asked the question that was on everybody's mind.

"Is it just me or does it seem the Justicar isn't well liked around here?"

It was Garrus that provided an explanation "While I was with C-Sec you were guaranteed to have a bad day if a justicar was on the Citadel. They pursue their targets with single-minded intent, regardless of the collateral damage caused in the pursuit. Luckily they tend to stay in Asari space most of time."

As they approached the guards leading to the crime scene Jane noticed the wary looks the officers had for not her but the crime scene itself. It was reinforced that the Justicar made people on edge if the few interactions she had caused such fear in the officers. As they waved them through each of the squad took position the telltale marks of a firefight greeted them. Schorch marks and Bioticlly thrown eclipse were strewn about the area. Each of the Eclispe squads they came across had a sentinel or vanguard with it, Needless to say Jane was already impressed with the Justicar's work. Jane heard voices down the next ghallway as she motioned htem to take positions. Garrus took over overwatch position on a stack of crates while Bearl and she took cover near the small squad of mechs and Eclipse.

"Can you give me numbers and equipment Garrus?"

It took a moment before he responded. She could mentally see him counting out the enemy or more likely letting his visor do the work. "I've got two eclipse, one vanguard from what I can tell. Three LOKI mechs are with them, and the other eclipse is a sisterhood initiate."

"Alright. Garrus get an overload ready for the mechs. Bearl, I need a grenade right on the two Eclispe. Remember people were dealing with biotics and barriers. Plan accordingly and pick your targets. On my mark."

Both she and Garrus raided their sniper rifles to the two Eclipse that had not noticed them yet. Bearl had prepped a grenade and was waiting for the chance to throw it. After getting the bead on the Vanguard she slowed her breathing as the adrenaline of combat started to fill her.

"Mark"

Bearl was the first to engage as she threw the void enhanced grenade right at the feet of the two Eclipse. Both of the biotic's barriers were instantly stripped away, giving Jane a clear headshot of the tow. Leading the shot her incisor put out three shots. It was only because she had been using the rifle so much that she was able to get two on the three shots on the Vanguard and the last on the eclipse next to her. Garrus' overload crippled tow of the Loki mechs, giving Bearl ample time to put round into the three mechs. Blinking forward Bearl took the hand cannon she had shown the rest of the crew and fired repeatedly from the hip. While Jane would usually tell her to Aim she noticed that Bearl was constantly making headshots, even though it should have been more difficult. Approaching Bearl Jane looked around at the quick and efficient work they had done. Biotics were always somewhat of a hassle to deal with due to the difference in standard kinetic barriers. The Guardians void powers were a great advantage to the team due to their ability to strip powerful barriers with just a grenade. It was more than helpful in dealing with most of the biotics they had encountered in the last few days.

"If I may ask" started Garrus "What exactly is that weapon you are using. It's not like any of the other hand cannons you and the rest of the guardians seem to use."

Lifting the gun in question Bearl held it out to the turian sharpshooter as they walked and talked. "This, my dear turian, is known as the Last Word. It's more of a duelist's weapon than a standard hand cannon. The internal stabilizers allow you to hip fire the weapon without a major loss in accuracy. Add in increased fire rate from your standard hand cannon and you get a weapon that can easily punch through most shields and light armor. The small magazine and decreased range are some of downside of wielding it. But in close encounters such as this it's more than perfect at its job."

"I'll just come out and say it then." Jane replied "That seems like a weapon Kane would use more than you. You seem to be the sharpshooter type for the most part."

"Well that's because…"

Both Jane and Garrus turned towards the Exo as she rubbed the back of her helmet and cloak. It was more human than either of them expected, but they were slowly getting accustomed to the nuances of their Exo squad mate. As they proceeded Garrus piped in, his detective instincts flaring at the unanswered question.

"It's his isn't it?"

Bearl let out a rather loud sigh "Yes it is. And he would probably beat me over the head with it when he finds out."

"When?" Jane asked while she was working on the lock where more fighting could be heard.

"The only reason he hasn't found out yet is because I haven't used it. I'm expecting him to suddenly appear behind with murder in his eyes."

"Men and their toys." Muttered Jane as she finished unlocking the doors. As they took up positions again she could hear the fighting behind the door come to standstill. Activating the panel the three rushed in and were greeted be the remains of the Eclipse forces that were here. Jane's attention was drawn to the two asari on the balcony above them. In the few seconds she had to see this the Eclipse was sent careening through the window followed closely by the other asari. As the three relaxed at the sight Jane caught the conversation between the two asari.

"Give me the name of the ship she left on."

"Screw you! You think I don't know what will happen to me if she finds out?!"

"Tell me."

The asari in eclipse armor was clearly panicking. Jane could see the other one, the Justicar she believed, was a force of nature or biotics in this case. Slowly she made her way to the Eclipse, and before any of them could blink the Justicar had broken the mercenary's neck. As the Justicar turned towards them Jane had the distinct feeling of facing Benezia again, without the Reaper indoctrination. She walked towards the Asari, but kept her hand on her weapon just in case things went sideways.

"I see three heavily armed people before me. Are they friend or foe?"

'Well that's one way to start a conversation' thought Jane "Friends. I'm Commander Shepard and I was looking for you Justicar."

"Indeed?"

"I'm building a team to take on the Collectors. I need the best and it seems you are one of them."

"I would be honored to help. However I am pursuing a target that must take priority. The Eclipse managed to smuggle her off world. I need to find the ship name she left Illium on."

"I wish you would have just gone with the Commander Justicar." Said the officer that Jane had met in the spaceport. "My superiors have commanded me to bring you in."

"The code will allow me to abide for twenty four hours. After that I will leave." Jane picked up on the threat the Justicar was making, and based off the Asari's expression so did she. Before they could get far Jane brought their attention to her. It was a shot in the dark, but better than having a Justicar on the loose it seemed.

"If I can find the name of the ship can you come with me then?"

Turning back towards her the Justicar was silent in thought for a moment. Looking straight into the Commanders eyes she replied yes, if they could get the name the code would be fulfilled for the current situation. She also suggested to talk to Pitne For, as he was somehow involved with the Eclispe in the area. After they had left Jane turned towards the two that were with her. Garrus merely shrugged in a human way and Bearl was busy spinning last word around her finger. Sighing at the circumstances which seemed to follow her everyday now they proceeded back to the Space port. The volus that had been making a scene when they first got here was in fact Pitne For. To say the Volus was hesitant in talking to them was an understatement.

"Look Pitne I don't give a damn what you did. I need to get into eclipse territory. Whether or not you help me is of no concern to me."

"All right commander" agreed the Volus after five minutes of dodging questions "The local leader of the eclipse should have what you are looking for. You'll be able to access their base from the elevator over there."

"Anything else I should know before I go storm an eclipse base?"

"Um yes. The eclipse are in possession of a biotic enhancing drug by the name minagen X3. It boosts biotic powers.."

"At the cost of being dead" finished Garrus with more than a hint of threat in his voice.

"Yes. Ah here is the passcard to get into the base." as the Volus handed Jane the card he sped off towards his guards, though both Jane and Garrus were pissed at the thought of facing enhanced biotics. Bearl was standing off to the side as a lookout while they interrogated Pitne, and rejoined them as they made their way to the elevator.

"So I take it this isn't going to be a simple smash and grab?" Asked Bearl after they had gotten into the elevator.

"It's still a smash and grab. Just with more complications." Garrus replied.

"Something to do with whatever that volus was selling?"

"Yep."

"Exciting. Just so you know I and the other guardians can't be affected by drugs. Alcohol yes but nothing in the form of drugs."

"How exactly do you do that?" Jane asked in bewilderment as she readied her combat programs.

"I don't. But I know Kane and Tara have gotten drunk on occasion. More Kane than anyone."

"Ah so you're kind of like their ride home."

"More often than I care to admit."

As the elevator stopped all three of the occupants checked their weapons before exiting. Bearl instantly unloaded upon the lone LOKI mech that awaited them when the door opened leaving Jane and Garrus to do a quick sweep before moving out. As they proceeded down the hallway Jane picked up three hostiles down the hallway and motioned for the squad to take positions. Jane counted two Loki mechs and one Eclipse vanguard, a small advance force to alarm the rest of the base in case of attack. She had no doubt that there were nearby units just waiting to pop out. Before she could plan an attack EDI came over the comms.

"Shepard I am detecting active Mitagen X3 in your vicinity. Caution is advised when engaging."

"Thanks EDI. Bearl I need a grenade on the Vanguard while I and Garrus take out the mechs. No doubt there will be more coming in so keep you head on a swivel."

Jane set her incisor up at the same time as Garrus with his mantis. Long range was their best bet against many of the Eclipse. As she had found out from fighting them before. Engineers, vanguards and other close range specialists seemed to fil the eclipse ranks. It was good to have a short range specialist like Bearl with them, as it gave her and Garrus the range they were comfortable at. Bearl approached as quietly as she could while prepping a grenade. The vanguard must have noticed something, as she turned right when Bearl was taking cover behind one of the crates that littered the hallway.

"Bearl now!"

Before the mercenary could bring her weapon up Bearl threw the grenade she had prepped, landing it right beneath the eclipse merc. Violet fire spread in a line form the impact, causing the eclipse to shout in fear as the fire ate through her shields the next moment Bearl was firing round into the screaming eclipse while the her and Garrus took out the still activating mechs before they could bring their weapons to bear. Two headshots and one bullet riddled merc later Jane picked up more movement on her HUD. Motioning for Bearl to take point Jane noted three contacts, another two Vanguards and a sisterhood initiate. More barriers to deal with. Luckily they were bottle necked into coming towards the waiting snipers. All they needed was for Bearl to draw them in.

The Exo Hunter must have gotten what Jane wanted her to do. Bearl rounded the corner firing off more shots as the Eclipse finally took notice of the weirdly armored person firing rounds at them. Biotics and bullets were soon flying towards the hunter, who then proceeded back towards the awaiting snipers. As the mercs rounded the corner they were met with the combined fire of incisor and mantis sniper fire, which quickly broke both barriers and heads in the same shot. The sisterhood initiate and one of the vanguards instantly fell before the combined onslaught, leaving the last vanguard to Bearl. Taking the Last Word she unloaded six rounds into the vanguard, shattering her barriers with the first four and armor with the other two. After making sure there were no more enemies in the immediate area Shepard to a moment to assess the numbers and stretch of the Eclipse base they were assaulting. The fact that there were more vanguards at the beginning did not bode well, as she knew that there would be engineers and commanders enforcing the rest of the Eclipse that they would probably have to fight their way through.

"Gonna be a hard fight through the base." voiced Garrus. It was a comfort to know that even after missing for two years they were still on the same wavelengths when it came to fighting and assessing the enemy strength.

"What I wouldn't give for a void fusion rifle right about now." Remarked Bearl.

"Why don't you have one with you then? From what I have seen you and the Kane seem to be collectors of powerful weapons."

Looking back at the two others the Exo let out a rather exaggerated sigh. "We are. The problem is that fusion rifles are among the rarer of the weapons we can find. It's only by pure chance that Kane had his solar one with him. For now though a shotgun should suffice."

"Spoken like a true krogan" joked Garrus while they continually scanned the rooms they moved through.

"Please my dear turian. I believe I have more finesse than our dear baby Krogan."

Jane picked up movement on the radar and followed where the ping picked up. It led to a room off to the right of it. Tossing the new scimitar to Bearl for storing as the guardians had quickly become the go to storage for any field mission they came on. Moving towards the door she and Garrus took positions on opposite sides of the door while Bearl readied her new weapon for use. Hitting the panel Bearl rushed into the room, followed by Jae and Garrus. Before any of them could recognize the reclispe armor the asari spoke up.

"Please don't shoot! I-I'm not one of them. I thought Elnora the mercenary would be cool but I didn't know it would be like this."

Jane motioned for them to lower their weapons, which was instantly followed by the Asari lifting hers. Without missing a beat both Bearl and Jane fire several wounds into the Eclipse, promptly ending the eclipse mercenary. After searching the room for anything valuable, of which Bearl was a particular help when she found a biotics upgrade, they left the room and proceeded up the stairs when het map pinged more contacts further ahead. Taking cover behind another crate Jane brought her incisor up and scanned the room quickly before going back to cover. She counted two vanguards, 3 sisterhood initiates with rocket launchers, one with a standard assault rifle and plenty of Loki mechs. Her eye also caught red canisters, which she could safely assume was the Mitagen X3 that Pitne has sold the eclipse. At this range Jane was more worried about biotics and rockets than the mechs and close range weaponry.

Taking the lead Jane opened with an overload on the two closest mechs. Garrus and Bearl made quick work of the stunned mechs and led their next few rounds towards the eclipse that were at the other end of the room. The eclipse took cover, giving her and Garrus enough time to set up firing lanes while Bearl inched towards them. When one of the rocket wielding initiated popped up she was quickly brought down by the combined sniper fire, though the two Vanguards took the opportunity to throw some biotics their way. Jane hated fighting biotics for many reasons. One being their ability to unleash different forms of mass effect altering fields on a whim. By the time Jane could get another overload out Garrus has hit one of the vanguards with a concussive shot, bringing down its barriers and receiving some hand cannon round into its torso. This caught the attention of the remaining eclipse, who redirected their fire to the closer of the three attacking them. This gave Jane and Garrus ample opportunity to whittle down their barriers. After a few more moments of cross fire Bearl threw another grenade into the eclipse, but instead of the purple void fire smoke immediately erupted from the thrown object, causing the mercenaries to cough and lose their cohesion. Another few rounds of sniper and hand cannon rounds ended the immediate threats, though Shepard was sure the best that the remaining eclipse could muster in this base would be waiting ahead of them. Once the lull between fights began Jane asked Bearl a question that had been on her mind for a while.

"Bearl, do you think the Vanguard would help in the fight against the reapers?"

It took a moment for the Exo squad mate to respond. But when she did Jane's hope for allies grew immensely. "I can guarantee that the Vanguard is more than willing to fight against the Reapers. They stand for all that we fight against. If anything I will not be surprised that many of the elder guardians come to lead the fight against them personally."

After scaling another set of stairs the standard Eclipse they had been fighting were more, but were also backed by what her Hud was calling an Eclipse heavy. Armor and biotics. Joy.

Garrus I need you on sniper and shield duty! Bearl, whittle down their barriers while I flank. If you got anything armor-piercing now is the time!"

"Please this is me were tal-" before she could continue a cascade of rounds forced her to take cover. "Right shoot now joke later."

As Shepard was inching her way across the battlefield she took note of a misplaced rocket launcher, probably form one of the mercs they had killed along the way here. While a devious grin plastered itself to her face she brought the launcher up and made out the targets. Knowing the damage it could cause she had Bearl and Garrus take cover before unleashing the remaining payload on the more hjeavily armored enemies.

The effects of the rockets were immediate. The eclipse that hadn't been caught in the initial wave of rockets had to scramble for cover, which let Bearl and Garrus have a free day in regards to easy targets. After another minute or two of flushing Eclipse from cover they regrouped at the door leading to what she assumed were another set of wither pathways or docks. She received her answer form Bearl's ghost.

"Open pathway in the next section commander. I believe that gunship we saw taking off would likely ambush us here."

Nodding at the Ghost for the information she turned to Garrus and Bearl for conformation.

"Shields and Armor, mid to high grade possible. If we can quickly overload the shields-"

"I can hit it with the solar Rocket launcher. Fire beats armor every day of the space year." Finished Bearl. Rolling her eyes at the Exo's joke she proceeded to hit the holo-lock ad take up cover. She noted that the sparse cover in the immediate area was crates. That were very breakable. A couple of eclipse lined the opposite pathway. With the quick disposal of the opposing Eclipse Shepard had a gut feeling they were for more diversion than anything. A thought that was proven once she heard the oh-so familiar hum of a gunship engine.

Each of her squad moved in tandem with her. Garrus and her had unleashed heavier than normal overloads, followed by disruptor sniper rounds to the front of the gunship. With a resounding crack Bearl followed up with the unfamiliar 'swoosh' of the Guardians style of rocket launcher. The distinct difference was more apparent once the two payloads hit the gunship.

The first hit rocked the gunship substantially, as the impressive force form the explosion reached to three watching with more than mild interest for the results of the second payload. When it hit the ensuing explosion, form the combination of both the gunshipo and the rockjet itself, caused two of the three watching to duck under cover. Bearl, in a somewhat maniacal fasion, just watched the ensuing explosion while saving a recording of it for Joker.

"Spirits! And you actually fire those things inside buildings?!"

"To be fair the building we fight in are abandoned and made to withstand orbital bombardment."

"Still…"

"Also yes they have brought down structures before."

Both Garrus and Jane gave the Exo deadpan looks, or at least that was what she assumed Garrus was doing. The Exo in question just shrugged and proceeded to twirl the handgun while whistling a harmless tune. Shaking her head Jane swiftly caught up with Garrus covering them from behind. Letting the N7 take the front Bearl palmed the door interface. The three swiftly descended on the corridor, which was empty except for the lone Volus at the end.

The subsequent conversation, which Jane was sure Bearl had recorded for her and Jokers amusement, revealed some rather crucial information that she was sure to get to Officer…..well crap she had forgotten. Mentally shelving that tidbit until further notice the fire team proceeded through the door, coming face to face with a pacing asari, no doubt the leader of the base they had just fought their way through.

"So you're the ones who have been tearing though my base. Hell, just chalk up another point to things that have gone wrong ever since we got that bitch off world."

"Such a charmer." Bearl sarcastically drawled, drawing the irritated gaze of the asari.

"Maybe if I kill you." She said as the familiar glow of biotics wrapped around her "I can kill the Justicar and be done with this charade."

"That's a tall order, think you can fill it?" Jane snarled as she began firing on the Asari. Unprepared for the shots whizzing past the asari managed to throw a thing of red sand before ducking to her desk for cover. Garrus and Jane managed to keep the Asari down while Bearl moved forward, hampered by the wild biotics moving to and fro.

"Alright I got a shot!"

"Bearl! No rockets!" Jane had no doubt that if Robots could pout she would be seeing it on the face of the Exo if the helmet was not in the way. The familiar crash of a barrier signaled reinforcements, with more armored vanguards making their way towards them.

"Bearl! I need those reinforcements pinned down now!"

"Shadowshot incoming!"

The next moment saw the hunter leaping into the air with an ethereal bow, as if materialized with deep purple biotics, forming in the Hunters hands. The pull of the bow seemed to be amplified as the shot arced to the middle of the charging reinforcements, halting them in their tracks rather quickly. All three of the fire team turned their attention to the weakened enemies, easily putting them down with a combined rain of sniper and hand cannon rounds. The lead Asari paled a rather sickly shade of blue before a few rounds made their way past her armor, one in the knee and shoulder respectively. Essentially out of the fight she watched as the rest of her security detail were mowed by the combination of weird biotics, tech and gunfire. Another minute, or however long it took, passed before she found herself on the receiving end of three different weapons. She knew she was going to die. The bullet in her shoulder was bleeding profusely, where she was rather certain even medi-gel would not be able to stem in completely.

"F-Fine" she coughed out, growing weaker the found herself on the receiving end of three different weapons. She knew she was going to die. The bullet in her shoulder was bleeding profusely, where she was rather certain even medi-gel would not be able to stem in completely.

"F-Fine" she coughed out, growing weaker by the second "The data on the ship she left in on my desk. Now end me."

The nod form the human, Shepard she recalled, signified the flash of a gunshot and darkness.


Samara

To say the Justicar was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. Not only had Shepard delivered on her promise to find the data on the ship her daughter had left on, but she had shown honor and integrity by reporting the crimes she had discovered on her way through the Eclipse base. She was currently amused at the banter between the three that had come to enlist her help in dealing with the collectors, especially with the one known as Bearl.

"C'mon Shepard. What the harm ion having a little fun?

"One, your fun ends in the humiliation of one or many persons. Two we need to do some shopping before heading back to the ship. And three." At this point the human commander tuned to look at her teammate. "I and Garrus need a designated Driver after we recruit the other member of the team."

"Ugh. I wish I had never told you that."

"You bad luck. Or running mouth, take your pick, replied the Turian, who was a vakarian by the clan markings, despite the extensive damage.

"Fine fine. By the way, how do you think the other team is doing?"

"Don't know. Apparently they'll be moving out the same time we do."

"Ah I'm Sure their fine then."


Greetings and YES this story is alive. Just been more on the wayside with my other story taking off with thunder and lightning. Anyways Illium will be finishing next chapter, as i personally despise the Thane recruit mission. Only good thing is the viper.

Till next time Guardians

Sandewrpally