This chapter has got some more character development some fun parts, and some sad ones. I've been noticing a lack of violence and enemies in the stories lately, so expect a lot of explosions, gunfire and general ass kicking in the next chapter. Hope you like this one, and as always, Enjoy.
Chapter 11
The surface of Eden Prime was still burning when they arrived. In the distance lines of black smoke were visible, like scars on the once gorgeous skyline, tarnishing the beauty of the forested mountains. The area had smelled like a cool mountain wind, fresh pine needles and clean, delicious air. Now there was only the horrid smell of firearms and the putrid stench of burning bodies. What was a place of joy, of nature and peace, was now a corrupted haven, a true Eden gone bad. Everywhere Ashley stepped , every time she put her foot down on the trail, there were already hundreds of footprints imprinted into the soft ground. She sighed, steeling herself to what was to come. I never thought I'd be coming back here, not after what had happened, she thought.
"Williams, eyes front," commanded Shepard.
Ashley shook off her fear and anxiety. "Yes sir!" she answered strongly.
"I know it's hard, Williams, but just remember the reason we're here is to find the guy who killed them. Keep that image in your mind, it'll help ease the pain," advised Shepard, sensing what she was feeling.
Ashley took those words to heart. She knew that Shepard had been there before; she could see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, and even see it in his body as he moved. He's lost a lot of people, many very dear to him, she thought.
She tried envisioning a piece of evidence they could use against Saren, something to track him down to wherever he was in the Galaxy, and catching him completely off guard. She imagined his face in utter shock as she let loose her assault rifle, rounds tearing through flesh and armor, ripping off limbs and breaking bones apart, his mouth agape in a scream of terror. She imagined the corpse he would leave behind, a bloody blue mess that would look like a chicken dinner after all the meat was eaten out of it. She smiled. Shepard was right: it did help.
The team arrived at the docks. The flat metallic area was clean, completely devoid of any evidence of the Geth that Shepard, Kaidan, and Ashley had destroyed. The area looked almost suspiciously clear, as if a battle hadn't occurred her at all.
"They cleaned it up, and by the looks of it, they did it well," Shepard stated.
"They must've been busy while we were trying to disarm those charges," Kaidan mused.
Shepard knelt down, his hand tracing a spot of the silver colored floor. "Garrus, over here!" he yelled.
Garrus hustled over to where Shepard knelt. "What is it?" he asked.
Shepard turned his head to look at Garrus. "This is where Nihlus laid dead."
Garrus knelt down as well, tapping on his omni tool. A light projected from it, Garrus pointed it to where Shepard indicated. The light shone over the spot, illuminating a portion of the metal floor in an oblong puddle like shape. Garrus turned off the light on his omni tool. "Indeed it is. They took the body, cleaned up the blood, but didn't eliminate the remains of his blood on the floor's surface. They must have been in a rush."
"They probably were. Their original plan was to blow up the station and the surrounding buildings, but after we disarmed them, they were forced to clean up the scene," Shepard pointed out.
Kaidan stepped closer, eager to put in his two cents. "Yes, but what did they do with the bodies? It's understandable that they'd remove them, but they must've disposed of them somehow."
"Perhaps they piled the bodies in a pit somewhere and torched it?" Garrus suggested.
"I don't think so. Kaidan, do you remember those blue metallic looking zombies? They ones that tried to run at us rather than using a firearm? I don't think they were built by the Geth," Shepard said.
Ashley spoke up this time. "I remember! They had these tripods, and they would put people on top of them, and a spike would impale them through the chest!"
"Did you see what happened to the people on the spikes after they were impaled? Were they still alive?" asked Shepard.
Ashley shook her head. "No, I, I was too busy trying to get away. I know they did it to people while they were alive, but some the impaled were already dead."
"Well it's a start," Shepard said.
"Are you suggesting that those, things, were human?" Kaidan asked.
"They were definitely human like. They had two eyes, five fingers on each hand, a human jaw and teeth. They moved like humans for the most part. I don't think the Geth built them, do you?" Shepard debated.
"So then Saren has some sort of 'robotification machine', that can turn humans into robot zombies? This mission gets worse and worse," Garrus said.
"I'm not saying anything until I can prove it. I'm only drawing connections between the fate of the dead bodies and the appearance of those 'husks'. For now, it's just a theory," Shepard stated.
"Perhaps you should review the video footage on the core I found," suggested Tali.
Shepard pointed to Tali in confirmation. "That's definitely a good idea. Speaking of that video, where are we on our mystery matriarch, Garrus?"
Garrus checked his omni tool, a pointed claw scrolling through the holographic list projected by it. "Well, I have her identity, for the most part. I'd have to wait for all the data to come through though, considering we need more than a name."
"What is her name, for the record?" Shepard asked.
"Matriarch Benezia. Apparently, she's quite famous, hence the time it's taking to gather all the data on her. She has one daughter, according to C-Sec records," Garrus stated, reading off his omni tool.
Shepard's eyebrow rose. "Really?"
Garrus looked up. "Yeah, did you want me to pull up some info on her, too?"
"Yes, but after you've finished getting all of the data on Benezia first. Maybe it will be easier to find her daughter, and then use her to trace Benezia. Once we have Benezia, we can use her to track down Saren," Shepard surmised.
"Sounds like a plan, Commander," stated Kaidan.
"Yes, yes it does. Take your group and check out the station, Kaidan. You're in charge now, you hear?" Shepard said.
"Yes sir," answered Kaidan.
Shepard motioned to Kaidan to come closer. He spoke quietly, so that only Kaidan could hear. "And go easy on Ashley; she might have some painful memories connected to this station."
"Got it," said Kaidan with a firm nod.
"Good. Move out!" Shepard commanded
Kaidan, followed by Ashley and Garrus, jogged over in the direction of the Alliance station and living quarters, leaving Shepard with Tali and Wrex.
Ashley led the group to the living quarters, walking along the path while deep in thought. It had not been very long since she had been on the planet, but to Ashley it felt like years. Kaidan sensed her troubled thoughts, catching up to lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, I'm right here with you," he spoke softly in her ear.
Ashley nodded, her body relaxing as the feeling from Kaidan's hand calmed her down. She smiled comfortably.
Garrus looked at the pair, squinting slightly, and then posed a blunt question.
"Are you guys having sex?"
Kaidan and Ashley turned to Garrus with faces completely stupefied. Kaidan began babbling meaningless questions. "How did, what the, how the, when the hell did you, wha-what?" he asked, the words jumbling up in his mouth.
Ashley spoke with more sense, her voice taking a slightly angry tone. "You don't understand half the things we say, yet you pick out the two people who are sleeping together like nothing?! How the hell did you pick up on that?! That doesn't even make sense."
Garrus raised his hands in a passive stance. "Turians have sex too, you know. You humans say idioms I've never heard of and make references to things I've never seen, so don't expect me to understand you in that respect, but sex is pretty universal from species to species. I mean, it's pretty easy behavior to point out."
"But how could you even, what gave it away?" Kaidan asked his speech now rational enough to form complete sentences.
"Well, the concern you have for one another is way past just friends, the way you to go to each other's aid makes it really obvious you two are lovers, and your body language projects what you're thinking, so there's that. By far, this is the easiest thing to understand about humans," Garrus said, shrugging his shoulders.
Kaidan's hand swung upward, slapping himself in the face.
"See, that right there, really hard to understand," said Garrus, pointing at Kaidan's face palm. "Sex is pretty easy to understand, slapping yourself in the face isn't."
"Look, just don't tell the Commander, ok?" Ashley pleaded.
"Why not?" Garrus asked, confused.
"Because he, just don't do it ok?" Ashley stated.
"Alright, I won't tell him. I guess this is the part of human sexuality I'm not going to understand," Garrus mumbled.
Satisfied, Ashley turned back to the trail, recognizing her surroundings.
"We're here," she stated stiffly.
The area Ashley indicated at was a large flat place where several metal buildings resided. The area was a wide clearing, a perfect spot for a settlement without disturbing the forest. The buildings weren't anything special; just basic accommodations for settlers on the outer rim, but they got the job done. Well, technically that didn't get the job done, considering the fate of its occupants, thought Kaidan.
The buildings were organized into three groups, in each group were two rows of houses, facing inwards, making a clear path in between the houses like hallways. Each metal house had its own front yard area, which some settlers had chosen to decorate with white picket fences and pink flamingoes. At the North side of the camp was a large military building with an Alliance logo on it, obviously the barracks Ashley was stationed at.
Ashley stood, looking at the barracks in a blank, endless stare.
"Garrus, how about you check out some of the houses, see if you can't find any diary logs or something," Kaidan commanded.
"Ok, I'll see what I can find," said Garrus, walking in the direction opposite of the barracks.
Kaidan walked up to where Ashley stood, her back facing him. He spoke softly, unsure of how to proceed. "Hey, Williams, let's go," he said with a nudge.
Ashley blinked, turning to look at Kaidan, almost coming out a trance. "Oh sorry, Kaidan, I was somewhere else," she said apologetically.
"Kaidan? It's Lieutenant Alenko to you, Williams," Kaidan said with a smirk.
Ashley's face brightened up. She punched Kaidan in the arm, a punch that Ashley didn't hold much back on, as Kaidan cringed, his hand clutching his arm instinctively.
"Ohhh, we're all 'Lieutenant' and 'Alenko' and 'Williams' today? We're in business mode, trying to act professional now that the Commander has put you in charge? Getting pretty full of yourself, are we, Jedi?" Ashley mocked Kaidan's words.
"Jedi? Is that what you're calling me now, gun freak?" Kaidan said, smiling through the pain, clearly still enjoying the conversation.
Ashley looked hurt for a second. "Gun freak? How dare you!" she shouted, trying to punch Kaidan as he evaded her strikes. He ran off in the direction of the barracks, a smile on his face and a laugh in the air, Ashley chasing after him.
Garrus watched the two from a distance, scanning a piece of hardware with his omni tool as he watched. Finding it useless, he threw it over his shoulder, shaking his head as he did so. "Humans," Garrus said under his breath as he continued to search for more evidence.
"How are those scans going?" asked Shepard.
Tali stood up, turning from her position above the floor to look at Shepard. "Not good, Shepard. There's barely anything to find here, and even less incentive to search for anything. It's all been cleaned up for the most part, or hidden in one way or another," Tali said glumly.
"Swept under the rug, huh?" Sheppard muttered.
Wrex spoke while he held up a large metal plate that Tali had wanted to look under. "We shouldn't waste time looking for evidence we don't need. We know who we want, we know why, and we should be out looking for where he is," Wrex lectured.
"I didn't come here looking for evidence, Wrex; I came here to see how Saren operates," Shepard stated plainly.
"What are you saying, Shepard?" Tali asked, turning from the piece of ground that had caught her eye before.
Shepard turned inward to explain. "I'm saying that rather than find out where he is or what he's up to, we should find out where he's going and how he's going to get there. If we know how this guy works, how he gets what he wants, we can trace his movements and hit him where and when he is at his most weakest."
"How do you figure, Shepard?" asked Wrex.
"I've been thinking about it for a while: his plan on Eden Prime was to find the Prothean artifact and blow up the entire station afterward, but if he came here for the beacon, why did he leave it here where my team and I could find it? Did Saren want the artifact, or just the information on it? It seems that whatever was on that artifact was important enough to lead a full blown attack on a human colony, kill Nihlus Kryik, and attempt to cover up anything that could point to him as the culprit. Instead of using his Spectre status to access the beacon himself, sweeping any authority in his way to the side, he opted for a surprise attack on a colony. He didn't just want that information, what he wanted was a war with the Terminus systems, from either the Council or the Alliance, something that could serve as a distraction while he went about his business. He likes to strike from the shadows and his strengths are secrecy and espionage. He's avoided confrontation so far, though his tactics might change as he gets closer to his goal."
Wrex folded his arms, leaning on his rear leg, his eyes thoughtful. "Tactics, huh?" he mumbled softly.
"His actions show his true motives. He's looking for something, but he doesn't want anyone hampering his search nor does he want anyone keeping tabs on what he's doing. His ideal conditions were to have Council space in disorder while he flew around trying to find what he's looking for, which means whatever he's planning must involve the Council races somehow. He'll kill anyone who has information on him once they cease to be useful to his cause, and that means that we need to find someone who Saren wants dead," Shepard explained.
"Well, I'm talking to one right here," Wrex chuckled.
"Yeah, that's true, you're pretty lucky to be alive, Shepard," said Tali.
Shepard eyes looked at Tali with a sly face. "You're one to talk, Tali. Besides, luck had nothing to do with it."
Wrex slapped Shepard on the back with a hearty laugh. "Hahahaha! The boy survives a couple of hopeless situations and now he thinks he's bulletproof, huh?"
"Hey, I call them like I see them. Anyway, let's go find those kids, see what trouble they've gotten caught up in."
Ashley and Kaidan walked through the halls of the Alliance barracks. It was eerie to Ashley; she had just been here, at this very station, not but a couple of days ago, and now so much had changed. A thin layer of dust covered everything, evidence that the barracks was truly deserted. The desks were messy, in the same state they were left in, and in the mess area there was food, now rotten and spoiled, without even one bite taken out of it.
Ashley closed her eyes, recalling the memory of it all, the noise of the alarm that sounded throughout the barracks, the rush of everyone to their lockers, slapping on their combat gear, their weapons at hand, and the question that was on everyone's tongues even though they held them silent. What set off the alarm? What was out there, waiting for us? Will it be dangerous? Will we come back alive? All these questions had gone through Ashley's head during the rush outside the barracks, up until she saw the Geth shooting her comrades down like clay pigeons.
Ashley opened her eyes, trying not to think about what happened to her unit. She wanted to stay positive, especially while on a mission, but also in the presence of Kaidan. He's sharper than he acts, she thought to herself. She rubbed her shoulder with her hand, remembering the comforting feel of Kaidan's hand on her it, Kaidan's voice flowing tender words into her ear, so close she could feel his breathe on her neck. Get a grip, girl! You're in the middle of a mission, maybe not an exciting mission, but a mission nonetheless, and you can't be going on your perverted daydreams, ok? Though, that doesn't mean you can't make plans for after the mission…
Ashley shook her head, trying to shake herself sober and focused. She happened to look over and see a locker room that caught her eye. She walked in, slowly remembering the layout of the barracks as her mind focused back on the mission. She stepped into a hallway, taking a left, like she always did after her shift was over, and found her locker.
Ashley smiled, looking at the cruddy locker with nostalgia. The beat up metal panel had been there possibly since the barrack's founding. She fingered the lock, an old mechanical lock, rotating to side, counterclockwise. 5, 37, 8, she thought, twisting the locks display, landing on each number momentarily before proceeding to the next. When she reached the number eight, the lock clicked, she pressed the lever and pulled the door open. She was greeted by a putrid smell of stinking sweat, so vile that she had to turn away with a cringe. I still had sweats I needed to wash in here. I guess I forgot, she thought.
Pulling the old sweat pants and shirt out, mildew settling in on its fabric, and chunking them into a nearby garbage can, Ashley managed to bear the remaining smell enough to investigate the remaining contents of her locker. Wow, I forgot how important all the stuff in here was, she thought, pulling out a metal tin cigar box from the top section of her locker. She opened the metal box, and was instantly reminded of what was in it. She reached inside, removing an old picture, slightly yellowed in old age. It displayed a soldier, proudly saluting in full uniform. Hey there dad, she thought, rubbing the picture intimately with her finger. She looked under it for another, more recent picture of her father with all of her sisters. The picture had Ashley's father in the center, while surrounded by all four of his daughters. Every girl in the picture had a smile on her face, but the biggest smile was on her father's face. The gang's all here.
"Williams, I think I found something!" shouted Kaidan from down the corridor from another room.
Ashley jerked slightly, putting the pictures back into the box and closing it. She placed the box into a bag that was in her locker, along with some other miscellaneous items she wanted to take with her. As she slung the bag over her shoulder, Kaidan walked into the locker room.
"Hey, did you hear me, I think I found something very- oh god what is that stench!?" Kaidan yelled in pain, his fingers clamped over his nostrils.
Ashley looked guiltily around, feigning ignorance and avoiding eye contact. "I don't know, maybe an air purifier malfunctioned or something. You never know with these old buildings."
"Well, let's go meet with Shepard, he'll want to see what I found. I wonder where Garrus is up to," Kaidan asked.
"Being bored out of my freaking mind. There's nothing in those houses, but pictures of dead family members and tacky wallpapers. I trust you found something of more use, Alenko?" Garrus asked hopefully.
A smile spread across Kaidan's face. "Why yes, I did find something of use," he said smoothly, tapping his omni tool gently.
Garrus tapped his omni tool, receiving whatever Kaidan had sent him. His eyebrow plates rose and his mandibles spread open in a manner Ashley would associate with amazement.
"Oh yes, this will prove very useful."
Both teams had met back up on the Normandy. Shepard was satisfied with the mission's outcome, despite his heavy doubt that they would find anything of use. He looked over to the large box with an Alliance insignia engraved on it. At least I can send him home, he thought to himself.
"Commander, have we got some stuff to show you!" Kaidan exclaimed.
"Indeed Shepard, this is something you'll definitely want to see," Garrus added.
The two talked excitedly together to Shepard. Putting them together in a group was a good idea. They're like a buddy cop pair; one's a straight lace stickler for rules, the other is a renegade badass.
"Alright you two, just give me a minute," Shepard said to the pair. He glanced back down at the box, laying a hand on it ceremoniously. Goodbye, Jenkins, you naïve son of a bitch, he thought. He let out a breath, took his hand off the box, and walked over to the pair.
"Ok, ok, now what is it?" Shepard asked, his mood lightening up due to the elated attitudes of his comrades.
"At the barracks, a video was recorded right before the attack," said Garrus.
"And guess what came up on that recording!" Kaidan cheered.
A hologram popped up on Kaidan's omni tool, showing the Eden Prime horizon. Nothing was out of the ordinary, until number of black dots came into view. They grew increasingly bigger until they were easily identified as a group of ships, most likely Geth designed. Though one ship in particular caught Shepard's eye.
"Freeze the frame, would you Kaidan?" Shepard said. The video froze, Shepard pointed at the ship he found to be a much different make and model than the other Geth war ships. It was much larger than any other in the group, a black purple color, it had a squid or bacteria like design, and it was eerily smooth in its movements as it hovered above the surface of Eden Prime. The Geth warships were far less controlled, almost clumsy compared to this unknown alien behemoth.
"Zoom in and follow this ship as the video progresses," Shepard instructed. He watched as the mysterious ship came down from the heavens like a metal beast from another dimension, so evil and strange. It banked and turned, positioning itself exactly where it needed to be with extreme precision. Shepard watched with interest as a hatch on the bottom of the ship opened up, a smaller personal hover craft floating down like a halo of the damned to the forest below, a single figure standing on it.
"Pause, zoom in and enhance on that figure," Shepard said, not taking his eyes off the screen for a second.
Kaidan tapped his omni tool, the hologram zooming into the obscured figure. As the picture got closer and the resolution became more detailed, Shepard gritted his teeth. "Son of a bitch," said under his breath.
The figure was none other than the former Spectre Saren Arterius, smugly standing with his arms folded as he descended to the surface of Eden Prime.
"I know we already know that Saren is involved on the attack on Eden Prime, but this proves he was there personally," said Garrus.
"And that means he was the one that shot Nihlus," added Kaidan.
"More than just that, Saren has access to this, monster, a ship even I'm not familiar with. We need to get it analyzed, see what kind of propulsion system it might have, what kind of weapons it might point at us, and figure out where the hell he got it. Send a copy of this video to the council, see if they can't do anything with it," Shepard said.
"That's not all we have, Shepard," Garrus said.
Shepard's eyebrow rose. "You have more?"
"Yes I do. While we were on the mission, the data transfer from C-Sec network finished. I have all the information you could ever want on Benezia," Garrus bragged.
"Except where her location is," Shepard pointed out glumly.
"No, I have that too. According to records, she made a trip to Noveria recently, and I mean very recently. I also have her daughter's location as well, she happens to be situated in the Artemis Tau Cluster, looking for some Prothean ruins," Garrus recited from memory.
Shepard whistled. He was impressed with Garrus; in a mission like this it was definitely worth having a C-Sec detective onboard. "Alright then, send the information to my omni tool, let me look over it before I decide which planet to go to first. I think it would make more sense to apprehend Benezia's daughter considering her specialty in Prothean ruins, perhaps she's been doing some independent research for Saren, looking for this 'Conduit'. What do you think?
"Either planet has something we need, and we need to hit both of them quickly. I'd say go to Noveria first, Benezia's daughter might be in the ruins for a long time, while Benezia could be in and out of Noveria in a couple of days. It's your call though, Shepard," Garrus said.
"I agree, either would benefit us, though Benezia seems to be more useful as Saren's apparent second in command. It'd be nice to get a picture of what we're up against exactly, so going for her daughter may give us leverage over Benezia," said Kaidan.
Shepard turned and thought deeply about which Asari to go for first. My mind says to go straight for Noveria, take out Benezia in one shot while the opportunity still presents itself, but my gut is telling me something else. My gut tells me to find her daughter first for some reason, why I'm not sure, but I feel it in my blood, in my bones, for whatever reason I need to go to the Artemis Tau Cluster.
"We're heading to the Artemis Tau Cluster. Find out what you can about her daughter. What's her name, by the way?" Shepard asked.
"Dr. Liara T'Soni," Garrus said.
"Well then, let's pay the good doctor a visit, shall we?"
Garrus worked arduously on the mechanics on the bottom of the Mako. The Normandy would reach their destination soon, and the Mako would be needed to seek out Dr. T'Soni planet side, but Garrus hadn't finished his modifications and upgrades to it yet. I can't hamper this mission in any way, the Council, the Citadel, the Chief, Shepard, they're all counting on me, Garrus thought, angrily twisting and fiddling with various parts on the Mako's under berth. He heard footsteps coming closer, human footsteps, but too heavy to be Ashley's. He rolled out from underneath the vehicle, expecting to see Shepard but instead saw Kaidan.
"Oh, hello Lieutenant Alenko, how is going?" Garrus asked awkwardly.
"Good. Better than you are, apparently," Kaidan commented.
Garrus chuckled, rolling back under the Mako. He continued talking as he still fiddled with engines. "Yeah this armored truck looks pretty useful, so I asked Shepard if I could make some upgrades to it. He seems like a pretty laid back guy, that Shepard," Garrus said.
"Well that only applies when it doesn't affect the mission. You should see him when a situation gets tight," Kaidan said.
"I supposed as much. I'm sure we will get caught in something that gets his blood boiling, and then I'll get to see the great 'Black Dog' in action. Not that I haven't already seen him make some moves before," Garrus said.
"Yeah he gets pretty intense in battle. He's always been like that, nonchalant on the ship but deadly precise out in the field," Kaidan said.
"Just how long have you worked with the Commander, Lieutenant?" asked Garrus.
"About six months now. I was very excited when I got a position aboard the Normandy, back when Captain Anderson was in charge. When I met Shepard, I had a feeling that he would be a jerk, thinking that all the fame and glory would go to his head, but I was sorely mistaken. He is, amazingly competent, so much that a perfectionist like me almost couldn't stand it. Everything he faces gets torn down by some plan, a tactic, and well thought out maneuver that he comes up with on the fly. I was jealous for a while, but then I realized he was better than me, and rather than being bitter, I should accept his leadership and try to learn from him. So far, it's done me a lot of good."
"Sounds like you two have a lot of experience together," said Garrus.
"Not that much. We never really had missions like this before. It was always a routine patrol, some sort of public service or something like that, not really a straight up fight like this mission. It's the first time I've had someone on my team die…" Kaidan trailed off.
Garrus keep quiet, sensing a sore spot in Kaidan's psyche, opting to try to fix something else under the Mako. Garrus' hand slipped, the tool clutched in it stabbed into one of the various tubes, spraying steaming coolant all over the floor. Garrus leapt out from under the Mako, half from shock and half from anger.
"Spirits, this infernal machine! Why can't I get this piece of junk working?!" Garrus yelled kicking the metal panel on the side of the truck.
"What's this? The young Turian Pyjak can't seem to get the truck working?" Wrex's voice rumbled behind Kaidan.
"It does seem to be eluding him, despite his best attempts," Kaidan pointed out.
"Think you can do better, Merc?" Garrus sneered.
It was odd to see Garrus so agitated, but Kaidan supposed that no one could be so neutral for so long without popping a gasket. He just hoped that Garrus didn't start anything with Wrex; Kaidan wasn't sure if he could hold the two apart with his biotics completely, nor was he sure that he wanted to.
Wrex stepped forward and sneered right back, getting into Garrus' face. "As a matter of fact, I do. You see, unlike a spoiled Turian C-Sec officer, I've worked with machines that don't come with their own instruction manual. Step aside, youngling!"
Wrex walked past Garrus over to the Mako and began raising the side of it up with the hydraulic jack. Garrus stood and watched, his arms folded, clearly displeased.
Wrex crawled under the Mako, messing with various bits and pieces. He stuck out his hand from under the vehicle, clearly indicating a need for a particular tool. "Hey, Turian boy, get me something to catch this coolant, there's no point in letting it spill on the floor."
Grumbling as he did, Garrus grabbed a nearby metal basin, handing to Wrex's hand.
Wrex pulled it in and assumingly placed it under the coolant leak as the sound of liquid pouring could be heard. "Good, now that we got that leak taken care of, we can take a look at the problem with the engines. Now I see you've been trying to make upgrades on the thrusters down here, am I right?" Wrex asked.
"Yes, what I've been trying to is-" Garrus began.
Wrex cut in. "Is narrow the exhaust to increase the lifting power of the thrusters. A good idea, but that would lower the stability that you get with wider exhausts, and once you flip over, your enemies will pop your little Turian head like a pimple."
"Then we'll increase the power of the thrusters by adding thicker fuel lines," Garrus answered
"But that would lead to a larger consumption of power, and it would take longer to recharge after each usage," Wrex corrected.
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Garrus asked desperately.
Wrex looked a Garrus, the wisdom in his eyes hinting that he already knew the answer.
"Get under here, kid, I'll explain how we're going to make this truck the baddest hunk of metal on the battlefield," Wrex said with a chuckle.
Shrugging his shoulders, Garrus bent down and crawled under the Mako, now much easier with the hydraulic jacks lifting the side of it high enough to fit Wrex's hump.
Kaidan watched as the two aliens talked while crawled under the Mako, making adjustments to the engines systems. Shepard walked over to Kaidan, intent on inquiry.
"What's going on? Are Garrus and Wrex fighting under there somehow?" Shepard asked Kaidan.
Kaidan pulled out chocolate candy bar from his pocket, and began eating it as he watched the two work. "No, Garrus was trying to upgrade the Mako's thrusters and Wrex decided to help, though I think the roles are reversed now. Wrex seems to know a lot about armored trucks, based on the way he's been talking to Garrus."
Shepard looked from Kaidan as he nonchalantly ate his candy bar to Wrex and Garrus as they worked on the Mako. The two crawled back out, and Garrus was positively livid.
"Amazing! So if we can motorize the exhausts to widen and narrow on command, we can pilot the Mako much more accurately!" Garrus exclaimed.
Wrex chuckled, his laugh deep and loud. "Exactly, and with that we can float or fly around or whatever the hell we want to do."
Shepard stepped in. "Alright guys, what the hell? When did you start working together?" Shepard asked.
"Well, I was having a hard time fixing up the Mako, and Wrex here stepped in to help me," Garrus said.
"You had the right idea, but just the wrong way of getting it done. You got to be careful when you make adjustments like that or you'll blow yourself up before your enemy does. And then you'll have more than just a nice facial scar," Wrex said.
Shepard was confused as he saw that the formerly hostile attitude had melted into a friendly discussion about engine parts. "Ok then,… I trust the Mako will be ready by the time we get planet side?" Shepard asked.
Both Garrus and Wrex smiled.
"It won't be ready Shepard. After we're done with it, this truck will take out so many Geth, it's going to have a bounty on its head," said Garrus.
"For what we've got planned, this metal monster will need all terrain wheels to drive over the piles of Geth we kill in it," Wrex chuckled.
"Well, that sounds like my kind of truck! I can't wait to drive it then," Shepard said with enthusiasm. His omni tool beeped, and Joker's voice came on the intercom.
"Commander, we entered the Artemis Tau Cluster, and we got a distress call coming from the Knossis system, from a planet called Therum."
"Yeah and?" Shepard replied.
"You better hear this," Joker stated, putting the distress call onto the intercom.
Throughout the grainy recording were loud explosions and gunfire. A young woman's voice spoke, very robotically yet still clearly troubled. "This is Dr. Liara T'Soni, I repeat, this is Dr. Liara T'Soni, I am currently located in the Prothean ruins on Therum, and several Geth have begun attacking me and my team. I have fought off some of their forces, but there are far too many for me to fight off. I require assistance, repeat, I require assistance. Goddess help us."
"It seems that the doctor needs our help more than we need hers," Shepard stated.
"I don't know Shepard, it seems like a trap to me," Garrus warned.
"I agree, and a good one at that. They went with the classic 'Damsel in distress' bait, and you know how weak you are to that, Commander," Kaidan said, half joking.
"Alenko, let me remind you that I have been a soldier for ten years now, and every time I get a distress call or an SOS from some remote location that seems like a trap, it is always a trap. I didn't survive all those times by wondering whether or not it was a trap, I just assumed it was and went in anyway. Nine times out of ten, I was right, and ten times out of ten I had the jump on my attackers because I knew exactly what I was walking into. If the people trying to kill me think I'm stupid enough to walk into something like this not expecting something fishy, then I'll let them think I'm stupid and kill them when the first opportunity presents itself," Shepard explained.
Garrus raised a hand in question. "I'm sorry, but 'fishy'?"
"It means suspicious," Kaidan answered.
"Oh, that makes a bit of sense, I suppose. Wait, no it doesn't," said Garrus.
Shepard continued. "So anyway, we go in, see what the situation is, see whether or not Dr. T'Soni is really in trouble, grab her dead or alive, kill any Geth we see, and bust out of there like a bat out of hell."
"Really? 'Bat out of hell'? What is that even supposed to mean?" Garrus asked.
"It means we're gonna get out of there like we've caught our pants on fire," Kaidan answered.
"Exactly. Suit up and strap down. And fix that Mako to be the death machine you promised me, I want one of those Geth flashlight heads as a hood ordainment."
To my best friend Airam.
