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Chapter 11: Virmire Part 2
As the Mako enters the Salarian camp, Horus and his sons debate their next course of action. They need more intelligence on the situation and why the Illusive Man has sent Shepard to this planet. Despite the fact that there is a large enemy present here there has to be more. As Septentrio scans the warp for signs of disturbance, Olympias shows his eagerness to join the battle for the glory of the Emperor most high. Notus quickly punctures his thoughts of glory with a sharp rap on the head and an admonishment that they are supposed to watch from the shadows. As Zephyrus is about to explain why that course of action is not wise, the teams comms pick up conversation between Shepard and the xenos form called a Salarian.
As the Normandy looms over the Salarian camp, Shepard and the advance team leave the Mako and find the ranking officer to get a better picture of what Saren has on this rock. As the rest of the Normandy's combat teams disembark the team member's cluster around Shepard and Capt. Kirrahe. All of them want to know what is going on here. The Salarian does not waste time with pleasantries but is a focused all-business warrior. He starts, "You and your crew have just landed in a hot-zone. Every AA gun within ten miles has been alerted to your presence."
Shepard asks, "What are we going to do about it?"
"Stay put and wait for the Council to send the reinforcements we requested," replies Kirrahe.
Kaidan interjects, "We are the reinforcements."
Shocked and angry Kirrahe starts, "What? You're all they sent? I told the Council to send a fleet."
"The message was garbled and the Council sent us to see what is going on."
Kirrahe gets more annoyed at Shepard's reply, "That is a repetition of our task. I lost half my men investigating this place. This is Saren's base of operations. He's set up a research facility here, but it's crawling with geth and very well fortified."
"Is Saren here?"
"Possibly but we have had no definite sightings. His geth are here though and we have intercepted some comms referring to Saren. I would say there is an eighty-eight percent chance he is here right now."
"What is Saren researching?"
"He is using the facility to breed an army of Krogan."
Upon hearing this news Wrex speaks for the first time, "How is that possible?"
Kirrahe hesitates before answering the large battle-scared krogan, "Apparently Saren has discovered a cure for the Genophage."
"Saren wants an army of Krogan in addition to the Geth. With this cure he will demand the loyalty of the entire species as well as gain another army. This one capable of conquering the galaxy. We can't let him become that powerful," declares Shepard.
Kirrahe nods in agreement, "Exactly my thoughts. We must ensure that this facility and its secrets are destroyed."
Wrex however does not like what he is hearing, "Destroyed? I don't think so. Our people, my people are dying. This cure can save them."
Kirrahe disagrees, "If that cure leaves this planet, the Krogan will become unstoppable. We won't allow the same mistake to happen again."
Wrex growls and steps closer to the frail Salarian, he declares angrily, "We are not a mistake!" He then storms off to vent his anger and decide what to do.
Kirrahe recovers fast and asks, "Is he going to be a problem? We already have enough angry krogan to deal with."
Shepard replies, "He is not part of your unit. He is my problem, I will deal with it."
Kirrahe relaxes grateful to bypass this problem, "Thank you commander. My men and I need to rethink our plan of attack. Can you give us some time?"
"Sure, it will give me a chance to calm Wrex down."
Kirrahe nods and moves back to his tent with his men as they pour over the latest Intel about Saren's base and how to destroy it. Shepard heads over to Wrex with Ash in tow as a body guard. He walks over and sees the krogan unloading his shotgun into the shallow river that the camp is located near. He pauses as Shepard approaches and looks at him with a deadly glare. As the two soldiers talk, Horus has reached a decision. "My sons we will deal with this base and uncover its mystery's before it is destroyed from orbit. Come we have a battle to finish." The Astrates move back to the shuttle and skim over the landscape toward Saren's base.
Utilizing their training as scouts the marines slip inside undetected. Moving from the north part of the base they hear the sounds of battle as Salarians and their allies attack the center. Breaking down a door the marines are met with a large number of Geth. "For the Warmaster," is shouted just before the whoosh-crack of bolters erupt. The Geth try to leave the maelstrom, but are struck down in short order as the rocket propelled bullets pierce their light armor and tear them apart. Drawing his blade Horus commands his sons to move faster stealth is no longer a concern. He takes the lead and charges into a Geth prime, bisecting it with a single blow. Zephyrus and Olympias charge in the wake of their Primarch, cleaving through several destroyers with flicks of their sword arms. Notus bearing the banner of the Legion pours forth holy bolter fire into the massed ranks of Geth soldiers, the air is filled with chunks of blacken metal as the veteran reaps a deadly harvest. Skeiron and Septentrio walk through the chaos of combat with a calm air. Skeiron's mechadendrites lash out with flamer, blade, melta, and plasma killing any fools that enter his reach. Septentrio, eyes ablaze with power, unleashes the power of the warp upon the hunters and snipers as their cloaks do not hide them from his sight. Flames and bolts of lightning flare from his fingers as he melts the geth in his path. His force staff craves out a blinding circle of destruction finishing off those that survived his mental onslaught.
With the main Geth barracks and information hubs purged the Astrates move into a large courtyard. As they enter the sunlight they see a dozen Geth drones flying a lazy circle overhead. Without needing to be told they open fire. The drones are sent to the ground as wreckage. Over the comm channel of the assaulting STG teams Ashley shouts, "Damn. Those drones would have been serious trouble. I wonder who stopped them, not that I am ungrateful." Those last words were more of scream as she ducked behind a rock as a salvo of rockets arced toward her. The Astrates reloaded and made their way across the open ground. At the halfway point a colossus appeared with two armatures escorting it. The colossus stands an impressive twelve feet off the ground and the pair of armatures stand level with Horus at nine.
Without waiting for the machines to attack Horus moves with eye blurring speed. The targeting sensors on the walkers cannot compensate enough to fire a siege pulse. Their machine guns lash out and do nothing. A slight pinging can be heard where the sand sized grains strike his holy armor. He flexes his legs and vaults into the air. As he falls his blade strikes forth cobra quick and beheads the colossus. Skidding to a halt the Primarch sends a mist of torn up concrete in his wake as he slows to a stop. The armatures turn to track the target but are distracted.
"We are His Fury born upon the wings of His Wrath!" shouts Olympias as he ignites his jump pack. He lands amid the smoke upon one of the walkers backs. His heavy form is imbedded in its hull. Pointing his blade downward he speaks, "Holy Emperor guide my hand for I do your Will." He thrusts the armatures very molecules are being ripped apart by the power field of his ancient Lightning Claw. It sputters and dies.
Skeiron charges the other walker, "By the Will of Omnissiah, You fall." His melta equipped arm tracks the sluggish walker. A wave of red plasma is sent forth. Metal is gone reduced to atoms, coolant is vaporized creating a fine mist, and its internals are slagged. As the heat haze clears the second armature is a melted piece of debris that has been scattered across the yard. With their foes bested the team reforms and heads deeper into the facility. Their assault has caused the Geth to draw move forces from the center and south of the complex to the north in a vain attempt to stop the rampaging angels.
This allows the assaulting forces of the Citadel an easier time. The Salarian teams however still suffered heavy casualties in breaching the fortresses outer defenses. If those additional Geth units had stayed in place Kirrahe's gamble would have been a slaughter. Shepard, Garrus, Tali, and Wrex managed to slip inside with little problem. On the way to the gatehouses they encountered several Geth patrols and flanking units. Each skirmish was dealt with in a fast and brutal manner. Tali and Garrus would use their tech skills to disable weapons and shields from a distance. Garrus would then switch to his Volkov sniper rifle and pick off the command units. Tali would maintain offensive tech attacks while Wrex and Shepard would engage the geth at close range with assault rifles, shotguns, and biotics. They took out the roving patrols with little issue and manage to keep their presence concealed.
Along their infiltration route they discovered a comms satellite outpost. Using similar tactics they assaulted the outpost. It was defended by a juggernaut and two geth fire teams. The juggernaut was killed at long range by Garrus and Shepard as Tali and Wrex moved in under the cover their snipers. Once close enough Wrex used his biotics to tear apart one fire team as Tali engaged the other. After a powerful overload and dampening rendered the geth helpless, Tali followed up with a carnage round and several bursts of sledgehammer enhanced rounds. With the nine geth defeated the comms relay is taken offline. The Geth attacking Team Jaëto is thrown into confusing allowing for Ashley and Team Mannovai to wipe out the attackers and save Jaëto in a devastating counter-attack.
As the Salarians get closer to the fortress several Geth frigates begin to unleash highly accurate orbital strikes, pinning the attackers in place and grinding the assault to a halt. The Geth in orbit have begun to amass their ships in order to end the threat to their terrestrial base. Sovereign is patrolling the system closer to the mass relay and is unconcerned with the actions of a few worthless organics. He will soon meet these organics at the Citadel to herald their destruction. Shepard and his team find the relays that have been directing the orbital strikes and move to stop them.
As the squad leap frogs closer to the Geth, sheets of fire pepper the defenders damaging the lighter platforms. A hunter off to the side slips its cloak and fires a single round on assassination mode, hitting Tali in the leg. Her shields crumple and her armor fails as the high-velocity round cuts into her soft flesh. Garrus switches the ammo on his assault rifle fires several high explosive rounds at the hunter. It is caught in a storm of metal and killed. Dragging the Quarian into cover he begins to apply medi-gel to the wound. He stops the bleeding and deadens the pain. Resealing her suit with an omni-gel patch he radio's Shepard to inform him of Tali's injury. Giving her a quick stim injection she stirs, coughing she slowly regains consciousness. Garrus's shouting breaks through the haze and din of combat, "Are you alright? Can you still fight?" Slowly nodding Tali crawls to the edge of the rocks and fires off an overload leaving a Destroyer weaponless. With a click of his mandibles Garrus uses dampening to drop its shields. Shepard finishes it off with a head shot. Wrex using his biotics charges the remaining geth and hits them with the force of a tornado. With the resistance overcome, Wrex smashes the uplink consoles and relay towers. With their targeting data gone, the frigates cease their bombardment and begin to enter the atmosphere to deploy their combat platforms right on top of the STG team.
As the system around Virmire gets more crowded, Speer's ship has remained undetected due to its powerful jammers and that he is running dark with everything on minimal power. He watches as the pair of geth frigates begin to enter the atmosphere and has a pair of fury fighters armed and placed in the launch tubes. As he is reading his first attack against the geth, Joker has detected the geth ships. "Ah Commander, Joker begins over the radio, "We have two Geth dropships heading for the STG units. Do you want me to intercept them?"
"If you can remain undetected while doing it then discretion is left up to you," replies Shepard. Joker enters the clouds and waits for the two ships. The Furies are cold launched from the Deus ex Aquila and head into the planet's atmosphere after the two frigates. One run is all that Speer gave them. The pilots will mass fire their missiles at one dropship and use their lascannons on the other. Diving they attack the ships like eagles. The missiles their talons, most were stopped by the guardian lasers but two hit and inflicted moderate damage to the hull. The other was subjected to a withering barrage of shot and beam as the lascannons and auto-cannons acted as their terrible beaks ripping into the Geth ship. Its hull torn and leaking it burned up in its last part of reentry. The Furies peeled off and accelerated out of the upper atmosphere and back into the cold void. The Normandy attacked the damaged frigate and in one pass destroyed her with a mass accelerator round to the reactor. With the airborne threat gone for now Shepard and his team enter the base.
The few Geth inside the first entry point were quickly overwhelmed. As the team moves into the dark twisting hallways they here the faint voices of several Salarians begging for help. Entering a staircase they find a strange science floor. The scientists unleash several husks as they draw pistols and open fire. The few husks that charge are killed with overlapping shotgun blasts from Tali, Wrex, and Shepard. Garrus has the researchers pinned on the far side of the room. Shields flare as Shepard and Wrex advance to finish them off. It is over after a few flashes of light impact unarmored bodies.
Moving deeper in they come across several trapped Salarians. Walking up to the nearest cell, the Salarian looks at them with glazed over hallow eyes. "Well, you're not a Geth and you're not wearing a lab coat. I guess I'm glad to see you. Lt. Ganto Imness of the Third Infiltration Regiment. I was captured during recon. I assume the fleet was called in to destroy the base?" His dull eyes show a flicker of hope.
"The message wasn't clear, my team is what you got." replies Shepard.
"The captain must be attacking. This facility must be destroyed. My team was altered, indoctrination. He knows about the breeding grounds but indoctrination is a greater threat and far more horrifying. I watched good people reduced to mindless husks and those were the survivors."
This must be what Benezia was talking about on Noveria thinks Shepard. If Saren was studying the effects then even he might not the one controlling it. More evidence that the Reapers are real and are a major threat to the galaxy. The pleading to of Lt. Imness snaps Shepard out of his thinking. "Sorry but I can't let you out. You could have been altered and may pose a threat to the operation." With that they leave the trapped Salarian banging on the glass and begging to be set free. Leaving the trapped soldiers behind the team enters an elevator and heads outside.
Walking along a short catwalk the team guns down a trio of drones guarding a small office. Entering it they encounter an Asari scientist that surrenders to the group. Throwing her hands up she shouts, "Don't shoot."
Shepard's skeptical, "Everyone else in this place wants to kill me."
"Do I look like a soldier? I am a neuroscientist. I was hired to study the effects of indoctrination that is caused by Sovereign." Shepard notions for her to continue. "The ship emits some kind of energy that disrupts tough patterns and alters brain chemistry. It gives the person suggestions to follow like an itch in the back of your mind. Eventually you just stop thinking for yourself and become its thrall."
"Thanks for the information now give me a reason not to kill you."
The Asari panics and runs over to the locked elevator and opens it. "This leads to Saren's private lab and all of his files. Can I go?"
"No," replies Shepard. He whips out his pistol and fires in one smooth motion. His team mates behind don't even shift as he walks over the corpse and activates the elevator. As the elevator ascends to Saren's level the Astrates are closing in on the lab. Shepard's team enters and sees another beacon. Walking up to it, his presence activates the fifty thousand year old relic. More images are downloaded into Shepard's mind. Flash of combat, of machines killing organics, organics fighting amidst themselves. One Image break through the clutter and stands out in bright red hued clarity. It is a planet. With that the beacon turns off leaving Shepard dazed.
A console activates and projects an image of Sovereign. As Shepard, Garrus, Tali, and Wrex crowd around the image the Astrates move into the room like shadows. Tali's quip is lost as the hologram speaks in a haunting artificial voice. "You are not Saren."
Garrus says what is on everyone's mind, "What is that? Some kind of VI?"
The voice continues, "Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh. You touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding."
Tali remarks, "I don't think this is a VI."
The voice, "There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. I am beyond your comprehension. I am Sovereign!"
Shepard understanding, "Sovereign isn't just some Reaper ship Saren found, it is an actual Reaper."
The reaper as if it is an insulted, "Reaper? A label created by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. In the end, what they choose to call us is irrelevant. We simply are."
"The Protheans vanished fifty thousand years ago. You could not have been there. It's impossible."
Sovereign continues, "Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your lives are measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal. The pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before us, you are nothing. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything."
Shepard scoffs at that remark, "Whatever you plan is going to fail. I'll make damn sure of that."
Sovereign continues almost mockingly, "Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken."
"What cycle," asks Wrex in a heavy voice laced with boredom?
"The pattern has repeated itself more times than you can fathom. Organic civilizations rise, evolve, advance. At the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. Protheans," explains the Reaper, "Were not the first. They did not create the Citadel or the mass relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind."
Shepard confused, "Why would you construct the mass relays then leave them for someone else to find?"
Sovereign's answers is one of cold logic, "Your civilization is based on the technology of the mass relays, our technology. By using it, your society develops along the path we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because we allow it. You will end because we demand it."
Garrus remarks, "They are harvesting us! Letting us advance to the level they need and then wipe us out before we can fight them."
Shepard shouts back, "What do you want from us? Slaves? Resources?"
The Reaper replies, "My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness. You cannot even grasp the nature of our existence."
"Where did you come from? Who built you?"
"We have no beginning. We have no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten we will endure.
"Where are the rest of the Reapers? Are you the last of your kind?"
"We are legion. The time of our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom."
"You're not even alive. Not really. You're just a machine and machines can be broken," Shepard shouts defiantly.
"Your words are as empty as your future. I am the vanguard of destruction. This exchange is over." A pulse of power shatters the windows of the room as Sovereign cuts the link.
As the team looks around for a threat, Shepard is hailed over the comm. "Commander? We got trouble," Joker says.
"Lay it on me Joker, I love bad news."
"That ship, Sovereign? It's moving. I don't know what you did down there, but that thing just pulled a turn that would sheer any of our ships in half. It's coming your way, and its coming hard! You need to wrap things up in there, fast!"
"Let's head to the breeding facility. It is time to blow this place to hell," commands Shepard. As they leave through the door on the left of the room. Six giants detach themselves from the shadows.
The largest is the first to speak, "The true enemy has been revealed. It is time to destroy this place. Septentrio what have you gathered from your warp senses?"
"The Reaper seems to being using a mild form of mind control. Its mind manages to skim the warp and pull the smallest essence from it," replies the Librarian, "It must not be totally robotic then. For its warp signature is small, smaller than the Tau it can still use it to enslave its followers. The dangers of demon summoning and possession are virtually non-existent with that kind of limited power."
The Astrates leave the base through the weakened south side. They come upon the trapped and indoctrinated Salarians. The thralls are given death quick and painless as to deny the reaper any followers. They come across Lt. Imness and receive the same information that Shepard got. Unlike Shepard just leaving him in his cage to be destroyed by nuclear fire. Notus kills him with a bolt to the heart, "Suffer not the Xeno and Tainted to live." Once they reach a point outside the facility there shuttle swoops in and picks them up.
As the Astrates are clearing the atmosphere, Shepard has planted the nuke and placed it under Kaidan's protection. He is now racing to save Ash and the rest of the Salarian team. Half way to the tower Kaidan reports that the number of Geth that are attacking the bomb are growing and that he is now arming it so it will blow. As the two humans argue on which one Shepard is to save. Shepard is weighing their lives against his mission, stop Saren and the return of the Reapers. Save Ash and the Salarians, thus ensuring that the AA stays down and that exfiltration is possible and gain good will with a galactic power. Save Kaidan and sacrifice the chance of leaving, condemning Ash and the Salarians to death, and allowing for the chance that a warning about the Reapers is never given. In addition Kaidan has armed the bomb and the Salarians have assured me that it is tamper proof. The bomb will go off because of Kaidan so the mission dictates that exit must occur and that Ash be saved. "Kaidan. Hold them off for as long as possible. We will get you after the AA is secured. Good luck."
"Understand Commander. You can count on me."
Shepard and his team enter the AA tower. Bodies of Geth, Krogan, and Salarian are strewn about the wreckage. Moving up to the command floor, Shepard and his team gun down the Geth Juggernaut that is attacking Ash and the reaming STG troopers. As they take care of the wounded and the dying Saren attacks on a hover platform scattering everyone. As the bullets fly Saren tries to convince Shepard that by serving and helping the Reapers he will ensure that some organics will survive. Shepard calls him a fool and tells him he has been indoctrinated and will be left to die a worthless puppet. With his shields overwhelmed and armor damaged Saren leaves the battle with a large shadow of doubt in his twisted mind.
Kaidan is now laying against the bomb as the Geth make their final push. He falls with thirty seconds to go on the bomb. As Shepard and the rest of the survivors scramble on the Normandy, the Geth cluster around the nuke. As the planet falls away Kirrahe thanks Shepard for his help and remarks that more would have fallen. Thirty seconds pass and the bomb does not go off. Shepard shrugs off Kaidan's death and focuses on the mission, just like he did at Torfan. He is about to tell Joker to turn around when the planet is destroyed by an unknown ship. It flashes on their sensors screens for a brief moment.
Onboard the Deus ex Aquila, Speer has the ship ready its payload of cyclonic torpedoes. After watching Kaidan's last stand via the servo-skulls left behind in the shuttles wake. He is happy that the humans of this reality can show the same determination in the face of death that is all too common in the Imperium. He rages as the Geth disarm the nuke however. Once the Primarch is confirmed to be safe the battlecruiser opens its torpedo tubes and let's loose a pair of planet crackers. As the missiles descend Speer addresses the crew, "It is by my hand guided by our eternal lord that the galaxy is made safe for humanity. To those who threaten us, we shall fight knowing the Emperor is with us, our cause holy, our victory assured. Set a course to Cronos Station."
On the Normandy Shepard is going over what he has gleamed from the beacon. After a meld with Liara they have found the Conduit. It is located on Illos, through the Mu Relay. Ashley is trying to cope with Kaidan's useless sacrifice. Shepard tells her to honor his courage and focus on the mission, his soul will rest easy once job he gave his life for is complete. He has Joker set a course back to the Citadel to inform the Council of what he discovered about the Reapers and the threat they pose.
