Date Published: 2014/02/15

Date Re-Edited: N/A

Warhammer and Mass Effect, are the sole properties of Games Workshop/THQ and Bioware/EA Games respectively. This is a work of Fiction, as well as non-profit, and thereby complies with their 'Term and Conditions' stipulated by the Companies themselves. The only thing I seek to gain with this Literary Work; is to improve my Creative Writing abilities, and if in the process someone were to enjoy what I have written…

So be it.


Writing Styles

"Talking Normally"

Thinking/Projecting Thoughts

=Radio Transmissions/Synthesised Voices=

+=Computer Text/Coding/Written Text=+

Warhammer Date/Time Keeping

+=[Mark: +/- The Time since or before the Mission Started]=+

+=[Seconds:Minutes:Hours]=+

+=[Days (1 to 365):Years(1 to 999):Millennium (M3=2000/M31=30000)]=+


Chapter 8

- Turian Disgruntled. Krogan Bored. Quarian Interrupted. -

Part 2


+=Super Shepard Strike Force-Go!=+

+=Citadel=+

+=Tayseri Ward=+

+=In Transit to Chora's Den=+

+=[043.183.M03]=+

+=[31.26.14]=+

+=[mark: +31.26.27]=+


Shits and Giggles.

Knocking down Doors.

Give me a piece of your Mind.

Shepard's Krant advanced quickly and quietly… well as quietly as possible when most of them were giggling like a bunch of Hatchlings. Wrex just shook his head at these strange humans from his spot at the rear of the column. Their behaviour was so unprofessional… but he couldn't work up the effort to care. However… he had to admit, that Shepard – who was apparently a Hellion on the Battlefield – was not much of a leader when it came to raising the moral of her Krant. The human in pink – this 'Chief Williams' – on the other hand… after her 'declaration' of the formation of the 'Super Shepard Strike Force-Go!', she managed to lift the Spirits of almost everyone… even a gnarled old-soul like Wrex.

These humans might just prove interesting, thought the old Battlemaster with a harrumph.

During the long boring march his eyes were inevitably drawn to the blue giant standing next to Shepard…

I have never seen armour like that before…

I have never seen someone that fast before…

I have never seen a human that big before…

He thought back to the CNN report he had seen while waiting in the Holding-Tank back at C-Sec… and thinking back now he chuckled at how wrong those reporters were. Just one look at this 'Sigmund' told Wrex that he wasn't a Mech. That proof had raised it arrogant little mug when he had taken his helmet off… Then those CNN pundits started claiming that he was wearing some kind of Alliance Exo-Suit.

Bloody Fools, so blind they couldn't see the truth, even when it was looming over them…

There was one 'Expert' that had very nearly asked the right question… not that surprising that a Salarian had thought of it… he'd asked 'Why would the Alliance build a Super-Soldier?'

That was part of the question anyway; pondered Wrex in introspection, it wasn't why they would build a Super-Soldier like him… No… its not that. The real question is what they built him to Fight?

Wrex didn't know what he was made to fight… but he wanted to… and that's what made all this so exciting… that's what made this so interesting.

That human is built like a Yahg… and armoured like an old-fashion Krogan Transport… All guns and metal-plate… and very little else. Whatever he is… whatever he was meant to do… it's about three steps past over-kill, thought Wrex with what he had come to belatedly realise was… anticipation.

And with a feral grin plastered across his face, Wrex carefully approached the rest of the Squad stacked-up at the entrance to Chora's Den. One over-riding thought tumbling through the carefully constructed halls of his reptilian mind.

I wonder what glorious battles await us ahead…


Wrex was drawn from his blood-thirsty daydreams… by that annoying Turian – I think his name was Vakarian or something – and his most eloquent description of their current predicament…

"Crap they've changed the Lock!" declared Garrus, he was absolutely incredulous, "my C-Sec over-rides won't work… This things a custom job, it'll take me at least half an hour to Hack."

"Damn, you got anything Kaiden?" Shepard asked as she turned to face the human engineer.

"Sorry Commander… I didn't pack any Breaching-Charges… I didn't think I'd need them," he replied apologetically.

Shepard swore under her breath, before she turned to ask the blue giant, "How 'bout you Sarge?"

"Let me knock," he replied evenly – or was it sarcastically, it was hard to tell with that helmet – as he stepped up toward the door.

In a rather casual gesture, he reached down – with one hand – as he picked-up the kneeling Turian by the scruff of his armoured collar. And after depositing the Detective – none to gently – to one side, he reached across his chest for the hilt protruding over his shoulder.

He then pulled the blade from its scabbard, and levelled it at the door; he held the hilt with both hands – horizontal to the floor – as he called back to the Squad in warning…

"Stand clear!"

"Hah, that's not going to work," Garrus muttered, moments before –

Shhlick-Crunch!

Wrex noticed with satisfaction, that the Turian Detective almost dislocated both pairs of his mandibles at the sight of… that was of course until the giant twisted the blade. And with a flick of his thumb, the sword began to glow an eerie electric-blue as a palpable chill filled the air… cracklingsnapping… the door groaned… and –

Thump!

And to Wrex's delight and Garrus's continuing shock the door was blasted apart, the pieces slamming open and grinding into the recessed spaces (built into the frames) in a blur, as the shockwave released from the blade deafened those taking cover throughout the Bar. To say that most of the Ground Team was stunned, was an understatement… It was Sigmund whom led the way, not missing a beat the blue giant charged forward, his massive blade raised skywards and clasped tightly within both guantlets. Shepard and Wrex… after shaking off their shell-shock… were right behind him and ahead of them… were at least a dozen human thugs dug in and clustered behind the barricades surrounding the island of a Bar. Not a single one of them were wearing armour. The tension in the semi-spherical room was palpable; the stunned silence had stretched to breaking point… almost no-one there dared make a move to break it –

"Stop them!" yelled an armed thug near the back with a pistol and a headset.

And so the silence was broken, as every two-bit thug in the room opened fire. Barriers frizzled as a veritable Wall of Metal slammed into the advancing Squad. Most of which ricocheted off the blue giants armoured plates harmlessly. To the surprise of almost everyone, Sigmund seemed to pause for a moment… however unseen by those behind him, his crimson lenses started to glow dangerously.

To the shock of everyone his synthetic voice boomed out through the club, as he declared thunderously, "Ask not for whom the Bell doth Toll!"

His malevolent voice boomed through the vaulted space, echoing across the walls and vaulted ceiling. His blade arched through the air, and bisected a pair of shell-shocked thugs. Stunned, the rest of the thugs almost forgot to open fire… their fear far out-weighing any control their commanders may have had. The terrified thugs completely ignored Shepard and her Squad as their hearts were gripped by sheer terror as an unstoppable blue behemoth bore down – inexorably – upon them.

"Nunc lento sonitu dicunt, Morieris…"

The smell of ozone and copper choked the senses, as the blades force-field bisected and bludgeoned those unfortunate enough to be within the giants reach.

"Now this Bell…"

Another fell apart before his blade…

"Tolling softly for another…"

A table split, the men cowering behind it falling in pieces to either side…

"Saise to me…"

With a flourish, his blade bisected a pair of panicked retreating thugs from shoulder to hip… to floor.

"Thou must DIE!" Sigmund's voice boomed out menacingly as he advanced round the Bar.

The remaining handful of terrified thugs – in desperation – tried to get past Sigmund, whom with an almost cavalier – single-handed – sweep lopped the heads off from a duo of backpedalling thugs. His sword swept through them so easily, that it continued on and on, sailing through the air… until it stopped with a sudden –

Chlunk!

The blade was embedded into the blue-tinted wall on his right… it was stuck, and he struggled to heave it from the wall.

"ROOOAAAARRRRR!"

Sensing an opportunity the so-far hidden Krogan Bouncer leapt out of cover and charged at the 'apparently' defenceless giant.

Boom-Boom-Boom!

The roar of the Bouncers shotgun rang out, as the hypersonic tungsten shavings chipped away at the paint covering his giant helm and shining breastplate. With savage delight the Bouncer kept firing away… even as he got closer… and closer… he roared with savage glee until… unexpectedly –

Crack!

To the surprise of everyone (that was still alive in the Bar) the limp body of the Bouncer sailed through the air, his head twisted at an almost unnatural angle –

Crunch!

And with a sickening wet smack, he struck the wall behind the Bar, before he slid down limply… and collapsed on the floor in a heap. The last enemy dispatched silence descended upon the spacious room, it was only broken by the sickening sound of twisted metal as Sigmund wrenched his blade free from the Wall. He scanned the Bar quickly before turning to check the rest of the Squad, only to find a very angry Krogan stomping toward him.

Wrex was absolutely livid…

"You selfish Bastard! Leave some for the rest of us next time!" he growled angrily as he stomped past Sigmund, and closing in quickly on the only other door in the room, "Taking point Shepard."


That got a couple of chuckles and a laugh or two from the rest of the Squad, however… Ashley was strangely silent – it was hard to tell if she was confused or angry… or upset at the devastation that surrounded her.

Concern for her mental state and its negative effect on the mission, Sigmund approached the Marine and asked her cautiously, "Penny for your thoughts Chief…"

She looked him in the eye – er lense – she wasn't impressed with him at all, "Of all the things you could of said… You just had to quote John Donne… are you kidding me?! Could you have been more Clichéd?!"

"Uhm Chief… of all the things you could've been angry about… you got angry about that?" asked Kaiden in confusion at the rather strange focus of her anger.

"That's not the point and you know it… there's a fine-line between cliché and bad-ass, and someone's got to point it out to the rest of you, Damn it!" she declared with mock severity, and to the laughter of the rest of the Squad.

Sigmund shrugged as he sheathed his sword, before turning back to the matter at hand as he took in the devastation that surrounded him.

"Well in my defence Chief… I thought it was appropriate," he informed the Alliance Marine, however at the look of confusion on her face he decided to explain a bit further, "'Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde'."

"Deep man, real deep," Ashley replied jokingly, "I would have quoted William Henley myself –"

"I am the Master of my Fate. I am the Captain of my Soul," recited Sigmund knowingly, as he advanced into the next room, "Maybe next time…"

Ashley gave him a quirky smile at that, "You quote poetry… while killing people… is that standard Legion practice?"

"Psychological warfare Chief," he replied calmly in way of explanation, "an unnerved enemy tends to make mistakes, mistakes you can exploit…"

And on that ominous note, silence descended upon the Bar once more (a disturbing trend had anyone really noticed) as they entered the warren-like warehouse the spread out erratically behind the club. It wasn't open plan exactly… just a single serpentine corridor that snaked between a series of Store-Rooms… Rooms that they had to check… individually… one by one… before they could advance further than a few feet at a time.

"Clear…," called Ashley, after giving the room she had just entered a final sweep.

"Clear… move up," Shepard ordered, as she led part of her Team back out into the corridor.

They moved further up the twisting passageway, alternating in pairs, each pair checking a room on opposite sides of the passage… until –

"D-don't move," cried a nervous sounding voice, which on closer inspection came from a rather rattled looking Warehouse Worker, "I mean it!"

Shepard just shook her head at that statement… no he really didn't mean it… she thought exasperatedly as she shook her head once more at the absurdity of it all.

She looked past the pair of very 'inexperienced' thugs… only to see that most of the Dancers and Waitresses from the Club were kneeling on the floor behind the desperate duo. She was about to open her mouth to try and talk them down, when – to her surprise – Sigmund with his Bolter still holstered walked right past her into the 'occupied' Storage Room. He walked – ever so calmly – up to the jittery gunmen, their eyes growing bigger and bigger the closer he got, until – at less than three feet away – he towered over them as their eyes began to bulge… and were mere moments away from popping right out of their sockets.

He then stopped, and reached forward… gently taking the cheap-looking pistols out of their slack grips… the weapons themselves looked like a pair of children's toys in his massive gauntleted fists.

He then turned side-on to partially face Shepard and asked her ever so casually, "are these worth anything Shepard?"

She looked into his over-turned hands, and saw that the thugs had been armed with yet another crappy pair of pistols… which were now resting in the armoured palms of Sigmunds massive hands.

"No… not really," she replied with a shrug.

"Very well," he muttered and casually brought his palms together, the pistols clanking together with a clack.

And to the surprise of pretty much everyone (Shepard and Co. included), he started to grind his palms together… filling the room with the rather disturbing crunching sounds as the pistols were simply… crushed into powder. Every living soul in the room had their eyes glued onto the tiny little pieces that fell out from between his enormous fingers. He then dusted the powder off his hands casually, as if what was on his hands was simply dirt, and not say… the crushed remains of what used to be a pair of titanium polymer hand-guns.

He then ever so casually lifted his hand, and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, informing the now disarmed Warehouse Workers that…

"Gentlemen… I suggest that you seek alternate employment…"

With a final nod he turned and walked past a shell-shocked Shepard, an astounded Ashley, an amazed Kaiden and a slack jawed – er mandible'd – Garrus… and back out into the warehouse corridor. It took a while for Shepard to realise that she had been standing staring at the powdered remains of the pair of cheap pistols for several minutes… and after shaking herself out of her stunned-stupor she looked toward the pair of ashen-faced – would-be thugs and part-time – Warehouse Workers, and decided to take pity on the terrified pair.

"Alright people… just wait here," she told the people in the room before her, "C-Sec are on their way… Alenko, secure this room… Lock the door behind me and wait for the first responders."

With a slightly shaky nod Kaiden took up a position at the door and locked it behind her as she led the rest of the team back out into the corridor. Having found all the missing Hostages… well most of them anyway… all that really left was Fist, an unknown number of thugs between them and their objective, and of course their missing undercover C-Sec Agent…

"Garrus I need more Intel, how far are we from Fist's office," Shepard asked the Turian Agent, it was about time she made a Command Decision.

"One hundred more meters, at the end of this passageway… there's an L-Shape outer Office – according to the plans from the C-Sec archives at least, and after that another door then leads to his Personal Office…," explain the Turian Agent as he carefully swept the corridor for threats, "There's supposed to be two other rooms leading off from his Office Space… he could be in either of those, but there's no way out… well… except through us."

"So be it… okay team… move up," she ordered them forward with authority, as she moved to take point from Wrex, "Williams… Vakarian… watch our six… Sigmund… Wrex… we'll breach the Main Office door… I want everyone alive, Confirm?"

"Negative Shepard," Sigmund declared bluntly across the Squad Com-Channel, thus bringing the entire group to a stunned halt, "I am not equipped to resolve an armed Hostage situation."

"Sergeant… you have the heaviest armour in the entire Squad… we need you on point," Shepard stated factually by way of explanation, "I need you to lead the Assault."

"Commander… I do not have the necessary munitions," Sigmund tried to explain more urgently, or as urgent as the dull drone of his respirator could make his voice sound, "I cannot deploy my Bolter… not in this confined space."

"I don't understand why you cannot –"

"Shepard, the over-pressure alone would be enough to cause casualties with the Squad… and even a single round would create 'unacceptable' amounts of collateral damage from both the Hostage… and the Intel Source," Sigmund clarified for the Commander, before advising her that she should, "I recommend deploying Vakarian to breach the door, and have Wrex take point during the Breaching Action."

Silence filled the corridor at the end of his rather blunt statement, no-one dared to make a move… and no-one dared to utter a single word… before Shepard made her decisionn.

"Okay team… you heard the man, Wrex take point… Ash… Sig… you've got our six," Shepard gave the order, before heading toward the opaque Plexiglas door at the end of the corridor.

They all got to it – quick and quiet – Sigmund took up his position at the rear of the Squad, standing to the left of Ashley, who was watching the way they'd come. At the head of the squad, Shepard and Wrex entered and cleared the room before Fist's Office…

"Clear… I want that door open Garrus," she ordered the Turian, with a wave of her hand.

They could all feel the crackling tension in the air. They were moments away from a critical milestone, in the Hunt for Saren.


Shepard was worried…

"Ten seconds till breach Shepard," called Garrus his voice distorting slightly due to his translator.

The reason… she couldn't quite put her finger on it…

"Five seconds…"

She shook her head once, trying to clear her thoughts of doubt, it didn't work. So she tried to switch her focus, from gazing aimlessly at the wall, to the Turian kneeling at the Office door. The various lights and geometric shapes orbiting his wrist were just so entrancing, and they managed to distract her from the worry clutching painfully at her heart. She had some tech expertise… she wasn't a complete technophobe by any means… it was just so… amazing how… so many tiny little shapes… each one a different App or Program… could fit together so –

"I'm in Shepard…," Garrus informed the Commander, breaking her from her self induced trance, "awaiting your signal Commander."

Shepard checked the heat-sink on her Avenger Assault Rifle, warming up a Concussion Shot… before she gave Garrus a nod, "On my Mark…"

Garrus took cover by the door…

"Three…"

Wrex unfolded his Shotgun…

"Two…"

All their weapons were trained on the door…

"One…"

The weapons creaked as their grips tightened…

"Mark!"

Shhh-lunk…

Before the door had even fully opened, Shepard swung through the gap and opened fire at the first thing she saw… Time seemed to slow. As she watched a man in red-and-black armour, spin round to face her… He was holding a waitress… He had a gun to her head… It was Jenna… Paralysed… Shepard stared in horror as the slow moving round sailed – almost lazily – towards them –

Fzzzzt…Pock!

Shit…

The shot hit a barrier surrounding Fist and his Hostage, it almost sounded like an empty tin can bouncing of a wall, before it dissipated harmlessly.

Shit…

Shepard and her Team froze as they locked their hard determined gazes with Fist and his Hostage… for but a mere moment –

Bzzzt-Shhh-lunk!

Shit…

"Take cover," yelled Garrus as he ducked back out of the doorway…

Fzzzzzt!

Two chrome cylinders descended from the ceiling with mechanical precision, unfolded, and began to tear away at Shepards Kinetic Barriers. Shepard her training carefully masking any panic under a carefully veneer of calm determination, backpedalled away from the turrents… taking cover in a doorway on the other side of the room. One thought; just one… very important thought… that was all that was going through Shepard's well-honed mind…

Never… let your enemy dictate the course of your Battle…

"Vakarian Overload…! Wrex, throw whatever you've got at those Turrets," Shepard screamed into her Com-Link, trying to be heard over the deafening roar of the Sentry Guns.

Leaning out of cover, Shepard opened up with her Assault Rifle… damn… she was really regretting not Modding any of her weapons.

A shield-bypassing Mod would have been real nice right about now, Shepard thought sarcastically, as she put several controlled bursts of gun fire right into the centre mass of the nearest Turrets Barriers.

She ducked back into cover as her Heat-Sink started to over-heat… waiting… waiting… come oncome onBoop

Yes!

She lean out of cover brought her Rifle up… only for her Shield to pop… throwing her backwards, slamming her ass into the floor… She lay there… stunned… exposed… staring down at least four separate barrels…

So this is how it ends, Shepard thought deliriously, she might have been slightly concust and a little disorientated from the tumble.

Her head was spinning… she wondered why… Why hadn't the turrets fired on her yet? Cautiously… she rolled over… and raised herself up on shaky legs… Drawing herself up to her full height… she spotted Garrus and Wrex standing – calmly, if not a bit out of breath – in front of Fist's armoured desk. She walked up to them, confusion writ large across her sweat-stained face, only to be thrown even further of kilter when she found Fist face down on his desk with his armoured forearms moulded together with Omni-Gel. And standing behind the scowling crime-boss – with her fist clasped round the back of his neck – was a grim looking Jenna… a rather twisted but satisfied smirk plastered across her face.

"Thanks for the distraction… Commander. But couldn't you have waited just a few more minutes…?"


+=C-Sec Internal Investigations Hearing=+

+=Citadel=+

+=Temporary C-Sec Headquarters=+

+=Temporary Public Courtroom 06=+

+=[064.184.M03]=+

+=[11.02.10]=+


It was only several months later – at a C-Sec Tribunal – that the true events of that day would be would come to light; when the contents of Jenna's surveillance tapes were released (in their entirety) to the general public…

"Docket Number 183-043-889… in the matter of Officer Jenna Smith and her involvement with the Death in custody of Christopher 'Fist' Carlson… in accordance with Article 6 of the C-Sec Code of Conduct… I hereby bring this Court to Order," declared a harried looking Asari sitting behind a raised podium at the centre of a multi-species Judicial Panel that sat against the main wall of the Court room.

The observers in the gallery whom stood behind the emergency barricades, that had been commandeered for this purpose, however continued to speak… loudly.

"This Hearing will come to order!" declared the tired looking Asari – turned temporary Chairwomen of these proceedings – raising her voice a slight bit more than was strictly necessary, "If you do not come to order, I will have the Bailiffs clear the Court –"

The talking ceased… instantaneously.

"Thank you… This hearing calls Officer Smith to the Stand."

Officer Jenna was led into the Court through a side entrance; she was escorted by a pair of Turian Patrol Officers… They weren't there to prevent her from escaping per say; more over they were there for protection, her protection to be precise. Once she was situated at the Petitioners (Trestle) Table, the Asari Chairwoman (after nodding towards her counterparts on the panel) continued…

"I believe that it is necessary that I remind all of you that; this is not – in any way – part of any form of Criminal Proceedings… We are here today to determine whether or not Officer Jenna's actions constituted Criminal Negligence… And if so, should therefore be directed to the appropriate Judicial Branch…"

She paused to let it sink in before she continued once more, "Now, Officer Jenna, in your own words could you please describe what occurred in Sector 23-B of the Tayseri Ward on the 12th of the 2nd… 2183 in the Social Club known as 'Chora's Den'."

"It's all there in my report; from Fist's initial freak-out when Shepard showed up at his bar for the second time… including up until he sent his Club into lock-down and held all of the wait-staff at gun-point…"

"Irrelevant. The report is not the Focus of this Tribunal, Officer Smith… you are –" declared a Salarian sitting near the left-hand edge of Judicial Panel.

"With all due respect your Honour… my testimony would, generally, be considered suspect – and self-serving – it is therefore my belief that the Surveillance Footage – in this matter at least – is more… impartial…"

"Very well… we will forgo the preliminary Questions until after the Surveillance Footage Evidence has been presented to this Tribunal," announced the Chairwomen unanimously, as she activated her Omni-Tool.

With a wave of her glowing hand the Chairwomen activated the large Holo-Projector sitting in front of her Podium.

"I hereby present; Tribunal Exhibit Number 2-B, Surveillance Footage form Sector 23-B… Officer Smith, would you please describe to the Tribunal what is occurring in the Footage currently displayed for the Court?"

Jenna then stood up and gestured toward the Holo-graphic Footage, which displayed a quartet of flat-panel displays that showed black and white footage from a series of Intel-Cameras.

"As you can see, in Cameras One and Four, the… Thugs –"

"Please refrain from using derogatory language Officer Jenna," interrupted one of two non-descript Turians seated on the Panel impartially.

"My apologies your Honour… the 'Hired Help' moved to fortify the Club, while several others herded the majority of the Wait-Staff towards the rear of the Structure – which contained approximately a half dozen storerooms – and if we fast forward… and enlarge the Footage of Camera Two…"

Jenna paused to allow the Chairwomen to – once again – manipulate the Footage with her Omni-Tool… a few seconds later one of the holographic panels had been enlarged just enough that it encompassed the majority of the Holographic Platform.

Those present in the Tribunal Chambers could see what appeared to be a 'Terrified' Jenna being threatened by a Human in Red-and-Black Armour. It was at this point that Jenna started to give a very Cavalier description of events, which quite surprised the majority of those, present.

"As you can see… I played up the whole 'Helpless-Damsel-in-Distress' to lure him into a false sense of security… It worked, he asked several very incriminating questions –"

"Please elaborate. For the record. Wish to be thorough." muttered the lone Salarian on the panel, distractedly… he seemed to be engrossed with a small image of the surveillance footage projected from his Omni-Tool.

"Of course… however I did provide a point-by-point list of every single incriminating question he 'asked' me," replied Jenna rather smugly.

With a chuckle the second Turian on the Panel (whom hadn't spoken as of yet) declared sarcastically, "Yes it is quite clear that he failed to notice your rather… lacklustre acting skills. He never did learn not to try and interrogate an undercover Agent at gun-point. Your good… you had him right where you wanted him… and you led him into your – what is the Human word? Sting-Operation? Spirits… you almost had him naming the names of the Bare-Faced Bastards pulling his strings –"

"Erhm… please refrain from using such 'Coarse Language' in the course of these proceedings," requested the Chairwoman – in irritation – again.

Admonished the Turian then yielded the floor to Officer Jenna once more.

It was a slightly less assured Jenna that continued her narration of the Surveillance Footage, "That was of course, until… Shepard and Company assaulted the Club. However… 'inconvenient' the Assault appeared to be, it provided me with the perfect opportunity to hack Fist's internal data-network. While Fist was staring in abject Horror at his Desktop Console, I was able to make my move. Utilising my Special-Issue Omni-Tool I was able to quickly flash-forge a couple of basic Radio Frequency Transmitter Chips… All I needed to do was plant a few of them on some of his equipment –"

"With all due respect," this from former Ambassador Udina, knowing Udina it was obvious no respect whatsoever was intended, "but all I see Ms. Smith… is you quavering in a corner –"

"Perhaps… further extrapolation is in order; How… you planted these RFT Chips… Officer Smith," interrupted the Salarian representative on the Panel, he was not trying to ease tensions, not really anyway… just trying to ascertain 'certain' facts.

"Well techniques have changed in the last year or so, I cannot see why I cannot tell you… Actually it was quite simple really; my Omni-Tool would flash-forge the Chip right into the palm of my hand. All I had to do was slap my hand onto a nearby surface within a couple of feet of an electronic device… and the custom Trojan-VI in my Omni-Tool would hack it remotely," she paused to consider her words, before continuing a few moments later, "The more chips I use… the greater the number of pathways available for my VI's brute-force hacking attempts. All I had to do really was keep an eye on Fist… If you pause here – see there… at the lower corner by the Desk. After that one, my Omni-Tool started getting some return signals from the half-dozen or so Chips I had already planted. It was surprising… I actually got quite a few returns. More than I should have gotten from a simple desk."

Jenna then paused; distractedly she shuffled the holo-pads sitting in front of her until she found the one she was looking for.

"If you look on page eight, of my report, you will find the results of my scans… I direct you back to the footage – there… While keeping an eye on Fist, I quickly flicked on the display of my Omni-Tool –"

Everyone in the Courtroom then turned their attention to the Holographic Footage, while Officer Jenna continued her narration.

"… I checked my VI's Bot-Net, only to find several networked security devices –"

"I do not see how this is relevant to –"

"With all due respect Mr. Udina… as a trained C-Sec Officer, I knew that at that moment – right then and there – that if I were to try and call in re-enforcements… they would be slaughtered the moment they entered that room. Things could've gone real bad, real fast. I needed to act…"

Jenna then directed their attention to the image, where they saw her Omni-Tool active and scanning Fist while his back was turned.

"Fist was so entranced with what was on his Terminal, that he didn't even notice me scanning his armour…"

He also didn't notice the look on Jenna's face, unlike the Court-Room audience, whom had no such trouble. They could easily see the determination writ large across her face.

"There… you see the flash from my Omni-Tool… that was when I got the results from my scan – see the bottom of page nine from my report – it was around that time I took my eyes off of Fist –"

"Your first mistake, but clearly not your last," muttered Udina softly, but loudly enough that almost everyone in the packed Court-Room could hear him.

"Regardless, it was a good thing I did; I thought the guy was wearing some kind of cheap knock-off… trying to look more… intimidating. Page two of my report has an inventory of all of Fist's possessions… he was wearing a heavy Mercenary Mk. IV hard-suit – hell he even had an Exo-Skeleton Mod – and look at his fire-arm… a Carnifex Mk. VIII with a Shredder Mod. I wonder if he was over-compensating for something."

Jenna paused for a moment, as the general murmur and laughter died away.

"I watched Fist… he was still distracted, I decided to make my move. I flash-forged and palmed a special type of Contact Overload Chip… all I needed to do was slap that Chip on his Exo-Skeleton Mod – there… the processor is at the base of his spine. One slap and the Chip would do the rest… I couldn't reach it from where I was… so I switched the Chip into my right-hand. I then moved toward him… see there, I raised my hand to –"

Fzzz-Bang!

The image cut-out, and the holo-platform was filled with electronic-static. Jenna was silent.

"What happened next Officer Smith," asked the Asari Chairwomen gently.

With a sigh Jenna explained that, "Before I knew what was happening, I had an arm around my throat… with a gun up against the right-side of my head. It all happened so fast… and in the scuffle I dropped the Overload Chip. It was mortifying… there I was helpless… and my would-be 'rescuers' were seconds away from being cut to ribbons…"

And then Jenna paused, and stared distractedly off into an empty corner, before muttering, "And then I saw it… out of the corner of my eye… right there… right next to Fist's big fat armoured boot… It was that Overload Chip I dropped… I could work with that… So I readied another Overload Chip, and waited… and waited… all I needed was an opening…"

Silence filled the room, the public were on the very edge of their seats, and they were hanging on the softly spoken C-Sec Officers every word.

"And then… I got it. Shepard's over-shield broke… SNAP… she had her feet knocked right out from under her. Fist took his pistol from my head… he started waving it around, and had it pointed right at Shepard… and then I made my move… I shifted my weight to the right, brought my left hand up – and had Fist even noticed – he would have found that his pistol had jammed… He didn't, because right at that moment… he stumbled trying to catch my weight, he shifted and brought his boot down… right on top of the Chip… Hah!"

Jenna paused for a moment, looking very pleased with herself, before explaining that, "According to our Techie down in the Armoury, what happened was… When Fist stood on that Chip; it caused a minor error to occur in his onboard CPU… which then led to his armour's Power Cells to 'accidently' diverted a 'small-bit' of electricity through the wearer. Seeing that he was a slight bit 'distracted', I slammed him back into the wall, after all that electricity he was pretty boneless… I only had to slam him into the wall twice before he dropped the pistol. After that I let my training take over… I ducked under his armpit – taking his arm with me. With a grunt of pain he dropped down to his knees, I then hauled him up and slammed him down onto the desk… driving the air right out of his lungs."

She chuckled for a bit at that.

"He was a tad bit distracted… he was far too stunned to notice when I brought his wrists together behind his back. By the time he noticed that I had flash-forged his arm-guards Omni-Gel… it was too late."

"That's about it," with a shrug she carried on vaguely, "it was then just a simple matter of using my Omni-Tool to deactivate the automated Defences."

With a chuckle she then related that, "the first thing I saw when I looked up, was this pair of… erm… 'gentlemen' – a Krogan and a Turian – and boy did they look scary… they were smiling, I think. And then I spotted Shepard – struggling to her feet – stumbling towards us, and… I did when anyone would do when you meet a celebrity… I smiled and tried to act witty… if I do say myself."

"An accurate portrayal. Supported by evidence. What happened next?" queried the lone Salarian in the strange white armour.

With a sigh, she muttered angrily, "That Professor Solus is the Million Credit Question. Little did I know, that less than a minute later… everything would go straight to hell…"


Meanwhile back in the present…

Shepard was quite impressed… and she continued to be as she watched Jenna slam Fist once more into his own desk, when he tried to get back up. Not only could this rookie talk the talk, but she could walk the walk too… impressive.

"Come on Shepard… just a few more seconds and he would've given me the deed to the farm, and the location of the family silver ta' boot," Jenna exclaimed sarcastically, standing over her latest 'Trophy'.

That brought a smile to Shepard's lips, may haps some verbal duelling is in order, me thinks…

"Well… if you'd returned my calls, I wouldn't have had ta come and check on ya personally… now would I?"

"Ha… Ha…you're very funny Shepard, but as you can see… I'm kinda had my hands full," Jenna declared sarcastically, as she slammed Fist down into the desktop once more, "I was a tad bit distracted… what with being held at gun-point and all."

"Excuses, excuses," Shepard muttered jokingly, as she waved away Jenna's comment, "However… we've got a few questions for your little friend over there."

"We~ll… Shepard you're going to have to get in line. I have to get this bastard to processing, and from there it's into the holding tank," Jenna replied, she looked quite contrite about it, "Sorry… its procedure."

Shepard hesitated, she couldn't claim outright that Fist had colluded with Saren… if I couldn't convince the Council, I doubt I'd convince her… so that left…

"An innocent life hangs in the balance, Officer," Shepard pleaded with Jenna, trying to appeal to her sense of duty, "Fist promised her a Safe-House… three guesses what he actually did Jen. She could be dead in an hour, for all we know… this can't wait."

Jenna paused, she looked conflicted… uncertain, at this point Shepard decided to go for broke, "How 'bout we make a deal?"

Jenna bristled at that.

"Are you trying to bribe me, Shepard?" Jenna asked incredulous at the thought.

"No, no, no… No, I'm offering you… corroboration," Shepard replied picking her words carefully, after a moment's hesitation she held up an Omni-Disk, "A trade… some incriminating evidence from an 'independent' source. All I want… is a crack at Fist."

Jenna held her hand out for the Disk, Shepard handed it over. Jenna quickly inserted it into her Omni-Tool, she browsed the contents and after a few minutes of contemplation she shoved Fist down into his desk-chair, and then turned to leave the room.

"You've got five minutes Shepard," she called over her shoulder as the door shut behind her.

Shepard smiled. A lead… she had a lead. She turned that grin on the defiant looking criminal 'cuffed' – figuratively – to his own desk. It wasn't a grin the most people saw and lived to tell about.

Without preamble, she got right into his personal space and told him bluntly that, "You've got five minutes to tell me where the Quarian is Fist… and if you do it in the next sixty seconds; I might just put in a good word for you."

"You can't touch me –"

"I don't have to," Shepard informed him quietly, as she dismissed Fist's retort with a calculated swipe of her hand, "You colluded with Saren… and he just killed more Alliance Citizens in one foul swoop than all the Batarians in the Blitz or Torfan combined…"

She let that sink in… all she needed to do was wait –

"You can't prove anything…"

… and let that thought fester a bit – or not…

As the colour drained from Fists face, Shepard noted with satisfaction that Fist didn't even believe his own words.

"If-if… if you had anything – if you could prove anything… you wouldn't be here… you'd… you… you would have… you'd be going after Saren," stuttered Fist, the venom rapidly draining from his voice, along with most of his confidence.

"I don't have to prove anything…You Traitor!" Shepard snarled as she slammed her fists into the desk, hamming it up to push the worm just that little bit harder, "the Alliance knows Saren did it…"

Fist had started sweating, the tactic was working, just a little bit more…

"How long do you think it'll take the Council to hand you over to the Alliance?" she whispered ominously, in such a way that could be heard throughout the office, "How long do you think it will take… before they'd be glad to be rid of you…?"

"Do you know what happened to Mussolini, they lynched him in the street… What about Stallin? He had a seizure… they left him to drown in his own vomit. But you're not like them… no you're not even worth dirt on their shoes… You're a patsy… the man everyone loves to hate."

"You can't kill me –"

"I don't have to… you killed Kennedy, Fist – at least they think you did… and just like Lee Harvey Oswald, all it takes is just one man… one woman… one father… one brother… one sister… one mother…that's lost someone… someone important… that hates you just enough… and all they need to do is get lucky just once," Shepard's smile turned particularly nasty, as she jabbed a sharp digit into his gut, before she asked the million credit question, "How long do you think you'll last Fist… when Humanity starts baying for your blood in the street?"

Shepard was pleased with Fist's reaction, she didn't know how he did it, but he had managed to turn an even paler and pastier shade of white… He had started off with a rather fetching pasty white, but was now sporting a quite fashionable shade of ashen grey.

"I don't know where she is," Fist yelled, begging… pleading, "I don't know… I don't know!"

Shepard didn't believe him; she stepped up and got right in his face.

"I swear… I don't, I haven't seen her since she left the Bar… that was er- more than ten hours ago," he whimpered.

"What did you promise her?" Shepard snarled; she was so close to Fist he cringed when she nearly spat in his face.

"She wanted to meet the Shadow Broker –"

"Hah… no-one meets the Shadow Broker, even I was contracted through an Agent," Wrex growled dismissively, breaking the tempo Shepard had been building throughout the interrogation, "let me guess… you told her you'd arrange a meet."

"Yeah-h… she didn't know…," he stuttered, his panicked eyes flitting between Shepard, the scowling Krogan and a very unimpressed Turian, "but Saren… he p-paid me… t-to s-set her up – to meet with his Agents instead… Please he'll kill me… I don't know where she is –"

SLAP!

Shepard drew her hand back yet again, as she looked the coward straight in the eye… she had to get back control. Fist needed to fear her for this to work.

"You're dead already…," she spat, "even if you survive the Mob… even if you could outrun the Shadow Broker… the Alliance is still going to try and find a way to put a needle in your arm!"

Fist was – by now – shaking in his seat.

He begged – no pleaded, "Please, I don't know… I swear… all I did was put her in contact with Saren's men… I haven't heard from either of them since!"

"You're lying!" Shepard yelled growing angrier and angrier by the minute.

She got right in his face, seething with range.

"Do you know how I know?" she whispered venomously, "Do you know how I can tell? Hah! It's the oldest trick in the book…"

She got even closer, and hissed at him under her breath, "… your lips are moving."

"I don't know. I don't know…," Fist muttered hysterically, all semblance of bravado gone.

Shepard had, had just about enough of this pathetic worm… she raised her fist to strike the pathetic criminal again, when –

"Shepard! That's enough… this interview is over!" an incensed Officer Jenna declared angrily as she re-enter the room.

A stunned Shepard stepped away from a relieved looking Fist.

That it… we've lost… he was the only lead we had… by the time the Alliance gets a hold of him the Quarian will be dead…

Wrex however wasn't taking it nearly as well, he turned to glare at the approaching C-Sec Officer… before turning to glare at the rather piteous looking Fist.

"We're not going to get anything from this Pyjak…"

Wrex shifted, spreading his feet a little for balance…

"And once C-Sec gets a hold of him, he'll be untouchable…"

He whipped out his shotgun and levelled it at Fist… before informing the whimpering coward that, "the Broker sends his Regards…"

Shepard could only stand there frozen…

Her mouth had no such problem, "Wrex NO!"


Blam – Blam!

Shepard!

Sigmund spun round and charged into the deathly silent Office… only to find that Shepard was very much alive… and Fist – well, let's just say – he was dead.

Yes very dead… a hole that big… in a man that small… probably lethal. Of course the fact that he was missing most of his face might have been a contributing factor as well…

"Report," he demanded from the silent figures in the room, it was his instinctive response when faced with the unknown.

Shepard was the first to snap out of her trance, before she turned on the grinning red armoured Krogan and demanded – in no uncertain terms – in a very quiet voice that most sane men dread to hear, "What the hell were you thinking?!"

She marched toward the red-crested Alien with murder in her eyes… no, that's not right… to be more precise; she had Wrex's maiming, torture and – eventually – his slow painful death in her eyes… just trying to be specific.

She looked the unabashed reptilian alien – creature – in the eye, and with short sharp words she began to flay his flesh from his bones with her rapier sharp wit, "Tell me Wrex… in what possible Universe would it ever be a good idea to shoot an unarmed man… cuffed to a chair… in front of – not only one – but two C-Sec Officers, and a pair of Foreign Military Commanders… Oh but wait it gets better; the man you just shot had vital intelligence that we needed to prosecute a psychotic mass-murderer… and wouldn't you know… he just came down with a serious case of DEAD!"

It was around this point that Wrex began to think that he might just have made a mistake… No killing Fist was necessary, nay essential … No, the mistake would have been not killing him. The Broker would not have been pleased… and Wrex wouldn't have lived very long after that. No… the mistake was getting between this fiery human and her prey. It was the look she was giving him, he had never quite felt like this before… he felt like a… a varren staring down the barrel of a really big shotgun… that look was starting to worry him. The look she was giving him – he had seen something like it before – but it didn't quite frighten him then. He feared nothing, but now… that look… it gave him pause.

"Now Wrex… you had better have had a damn good reason for killing him without my express permission," every little word was said so quietly and with such menace that Wrex unconsciously took a step back, as he watched her body as it was wreathed with malevolent swirling dark energy, "Or… are we going to have to see if Fist's condition is contagious?"

An uncomfortable silence smothered any conversation in the room for several moments, before –

"Is there no other avenue open to us," Sigmund asked diplomatically, as he tried to ease tensions in the room, "Officer Jenna, can you access any of Fist's data files?"

She looked a tad bit bashful as she informed them despondently that, "Uhm… yeah, I was going through it, and… nothing. There's nothing there… the last two days are completely blank… there's no data… sorry."

Sigmund turned back to look at the deceased criminal…

"His Omni-Tool?"

Jenna looked a bit contrite at that, "Sorry… I may have fried it earlier… it'll take our Techs weeks to retrieve any data at all…"

Shepard just shook her head at the news, while she rubbed her palm into her eye she muttered, "Well… that's it… we're out of options."

With a sigh Sigmund refuted that claim, "Not quite, Commander."

As Shepard looked on, Sigmund reached for a 'small' – for him anyway – Combat-Knife strapped beneath his pack. He drew the knife from its sheath as he approached where Fist's corpse was slumped over in his chair. He grabbed the deceased Crime-Lords head with his left-hand and brought his knife to bear on the opposite temple. He took a deep breath as he placed the tip of his blade against the corpse's temple.

"Urgh… I always hate this part…"


Codex Entry: Power Armour

Is a technology unique to Humans from the Lost Galaxy, it is made up of a series of technologies that are not quite fully understood. And like most Technology from the Lost Galaxy its archaic appearance belies it highly advanced nature. The first recorded deployment of Power Armour was seen on Eden Prime, worn by a Legionnaire by the name of Sigmund Tyrannous (see. The XII Legion), sent to make first contact with Alliance forces on the planet. Initial speculation; lead the public to believe that Armour was actually an autonomous robot; this was disproven at the Council Hearing on 12th of February when Sergeant Sigmund removed his helmet in full view of the public.

Power Armour differs from standard Hard-Suits circulating in Citadel Space, in that it is far more costly to produce and far more complicated. Whereas Hard-Suits are a form of semi-rigid body-armour, Power Armour is designed to not only fully enclose and protect the wearer, but interface and augment their physiology. A Hard-Suit has impact resistant material in place in case the Hard-Suits Barriers should fail. Power Armour however is designed around a series of custom crafted Ceramite Plates (see. Imperial Composite Materials) that are mounted on Armoured Fibre Bundles (which act as artificial muscles) and Servos which replicate and enhances the wearers movements. Power Armour also includes a form of neural interface, the specifics of which are not specified. Some Citadel Scientists claim that the Armour is piloted by a form of Mind Impulse Unit (see. Titan Pilots / Sub-Folder MIU), however this has neither been confirmed nor denied by Legion Officals. Power Armour is believed to be a synthesis of various technologies that pre-date the Age of Strife (see. The Old Night / Sub-Folder The Dark Age of Technology).

Comparing a standard Hard-Suit to a complete set of Power Armour is misleading. Comparing the two can be likened to comparing a Flak Vest (see. World War II / Sub-Folder Allied Aviators) to an Astronauts EVA-Suits (see. Late 20th Century Space Programs / Sub-Folder NASA) comparatively the Hard-Suit is archaic in comparison. That is not to say that the Legions do not deploy Hard-Suit analogues, in fact they deploy Armour similar to Imperial Carapace Armour (see. Storm Troopers) with their Scout Marines (see. Legion Recruitment / Sub-Folder Neophyte) which are well suited for Stealth and Skirmishing Missions, where deployment of fully armoured Marines would be impractical. According to evidence gathered these lesser Armours do not have neural interfacing capabilities.

There are three distinct types of Power Armour:

Standard Power Armour; which is deployed by the majority of Legionnaires acts as a self-contained environment protecting the wearer from multiple Hostile surroundings including the Vacuum of Space and the most toxic of planetary environments in the Galaxy. The majority of the parts and Ceramite Plates within the Armour are standardised for mass production. It is not known to what extent the Armour enhances the strength of the wearer, as Legion Artificers guard the specifications of their Armour Religiously.

Artificer Power Armour; is a type of Power Armour which is tailored to an individual and often contains unique or specialised equipment, such as advanced medical suites or the ability to repair damage done to the Armour. It is noteworthy that many veteran Space Marines deploy such Armour, and that most Power Armour deployed by Imperial Commanders would be considered as Artificer Armour (as it requires specialised technology so as not to harm or injure the un-augmented wearer) (see. Imperial Guard / Sub-Folder Ignatus Pattern Power Armour). To a certain extent Tactical Dreadnought Armour is considered a form of Artificer Armour. Note the first recorded evidence of Power Armour deployed was a form of Artificer Armour called Runic Power Armour (see. Space Wolves / Sub-Folder Runic Priest).

Tactical Dreadnought Armour; is perhaps the most imposing man-portable Armour ever deployed, making its wearer a nigh-unstoppable force of destruction on the battlefield. The Armour is considered a miniaturised form of Cybernetic Combat Walker (see. Dreadnought), performing a variety of functions to hazardous or gruelling for Standardised Power Armour. This Armour – often referred to as Terminator Armour – is made up of a Ceramite / Plasteel alloy exoskeleton (the process used to create this Alloy is unknown), upon which a series of very large – and very thick – Ceramite plates are mounted. This allows the Wearer to shrug off most Anti-Tank Weaponry and deploy Weaponry more Suited to Vehicles or Gunships. There is speculation that Terminator Armour deploys some form of unknown Warp Technology (see. Warp Tech / Gellar Field / Teleporter), to deflect most Melta, Plasma and Power Weaponry.

It should be noted that development of Space Marine Power Armour has accelerated in the years since their transition into Citadel Space. The majority of Marine deploying the widespread Mk IV Praetor Pattern Power Armour (based upon the Maximus Pattern) upon their arrival in 2183, however by 2185 two thirds of Legion forces had upgraded to the Mk VI Corvus Pattern, with the remaining third Armoured in either Terminator Armour or the latest developed Pattern the Mk VII Aquila.

According to anecdotal evidence the Mk V 'Heresy' Pattern was a stop gap measure during redeployment and re-armament of the Legion. There are also rumours of a series of Mk VIII Errant Pattern Armour; however it is believed to simply be a slightly more armoured version of the Mk VII Aquila or a limited series of Artificer Armour.


Okay and there we have part Two. I hope you enjoyed Professor Solus's Cameo, I plan to include several other Mass Effect 2 Charaters in a similar way... we'll see how it goes. Anyhoo, its Nine at Night and I have been writing right up until the wire so... I didn't read your Reviews... again... I sorry maybe next time.

Stay Tune for Chapter 9 Part 1 "From Sycorax with Love". Which is in no way a jab at the Winter Olympics... probably.