A/N: Back once again, and with another chapter to boot! Like I said in my last post, being bed ridden gives me nothing but time and I can't think of anything better to do during my recovery.
I first wanted so say thanks for all the support guys, it warms my heart knowing that you guys care so much. And a couple of you are right, I've had a pretty rough string of luck in the last few months. Being electrocuted, now with my leg and shoulder messed up, it is pretty unlucky. But I've also been told by quite a few people that I'm the luckiest SOB alive.
To go through all that and still be kicking? Someone upstairs must love me since I'm still here. And I'm never one to take things for granted when they've been given to me.
But enough about me, let's get this next chapter to the people! (I own nothing)
Alexander 'Maverick' Drake
Shadow Sea Nebula - Planet Horizon (Orbit)
October 4, 2185 - 14:23 hours
"Try again, Prophet." Alex said as his hands flew across the console in front of him.
"Connection Cannot be Established. Unknown Frequency is Disrupting Planet Side Communications." said the AI.
The Post-Human pressed a few keys and brought up the frequency in question. "Can you trace it? Where is it originating from?" he asked as he looked over the odd radio wave that was throwing off all communication in the nebula.
He knew it had to be the Collectors preparing to attack the colony. From the data he and Liara had gathered they always start their assault by cutting settlements off from the rest of the sector before making landfall and sending out their Seeker swarms.
"Frequency Originating from the Edge of the Shadow Sea Nebula."
"IFF Signal Matches that of Collector Vessel as listed in Shadow Broker Archives."
"Possibility of Enemy Attack on Colony World Horizon: High"
"ETA of Enemy Force: 40 Minutes"
Alex punched it, the Wraith's thrusters kicked to maximum and shot toward the Human colony world as fast as it could go. Five days traveling through the Traverse to get this far for one purpose and he was going to make damn sure that the Collectors failed.
The green colored world came into view and reflected off of his crimson visor as he drew closer and closer. Time seeming to slipping by faster as the ship closed in.
X
Meanwhile on the planet, the colonists went about their business as usual. Communications had gone out two hours ago and were attempting to make repairs, but they didn't seem worried in the slightest as they continued their daily routines.
Among the people, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams walked side by side with another woman as they conversed about the situation with the GARDIAN turrets that had been set up around the colony.
"Still can't calibrate the targeting matrix?" asked Lilith as they continued on their way.
Ashley shook her head, "Those defense towers are useless if we don't figure it out." she said stepping around another colonist."
"Sorry, Chief. Getting our comm systems back online takes priority." said the other woman.
The Chief stopped and chuckled humorlessly. "Yeah. Okay. Surprised people haven't tried to blame that one on me too." she said rubbing her forehead.
Lilith looked at her sadly, "People out here don't trust the Alliance. It's nothing personal." she said honestly.
Before anything else could be said, the low hum of a small ships engines could be heard. Looking up, the two women and a few colonists saw a black Kodiac shuttle coming down from the atmosphere and heading straight toward the colony.
"What is that?" asked Lilith as they watched the shuttle zoom overhead and head straight for the nearest landing zone.
Ashley pulled off her assault rifle and unfolded it in her hands. "This is Chief Williams, I want all available Alliance personnel to assemble in the field 100 meters from the colony's South-West border! We have an unknown vessel on a landing approach, assume hostile!" she ordered as she double timed it toward where the shuttle was touching down.
The Alliance had given the Gunnery Chief a small squad of Marines and Engineers to help set up the defense system. They would have supplied a bigger force, but with the colony being in Terminus space gave them little space to handle and could only supply what was needed to get the GARDIAN system set up and keep the place secure.
However, with what the Brass had told them what was happening out here and how the colonies were going dark. Ashley wished they had given her a battalion or two to fight what could be coming their way.
Reaching the landing zone, the Chief looked at the seven other Marines that had assembled with their weapons at the ready. The black shuttle had barely touched down a few dozen meters away and they wanted to be ready for anything.
"Alright, safeties off but keep your fingers off the triggers. With communications out we have no idea who it could be, but be ready for anything." said Ashley readying her rifle.
"Yes, ma'am." said one of the Marines as they began to close in on the vessel.
The side hatch on the shuttle popped open and slid aside causing all the Marines to kneel with their weapons ready to fire. A large form slowly stepped out of the interior and into the bright sunlight making half of the assembled soldiers to lower their weapons in slight awe.
Ashley was down right speechless. "...Alex?" she whispered as the nano soldier stepped off the shuttle and approached them with long strides.
"Ashley." he said with his filtered voice. "Sorry about the sudden arrival, but your communications are out. You've got trouble coming your way."
Having the Marines stand at-ease. The Gunnery Chief regarded her friend. "What's going on? You disappeared for nearly two years and you suddenly show up out of nowhere? What the hell is coming?" she asked still a bit baffled.
Alex checked his omni-tool and cursed. "We don't have a lot of time, Ash. The Collectors are on approach to the colony as we speak, and will be within the atmosphere within the next 15 minutes."
The news sent a shocked ripple through the gathered Marines. "The Collectors are coming here?" asked one of the men looking up at the sky.
The Post-Human nodded seriously, "I've been tracking them every spare chance I could get. There was a possibility that they would be coming here and I came to warn the people. Guess I lucked out when I discovered that there was an Alliance presence here."
Something clicked with Ashley, "It was you that brought the data about the Collectors to Anderson and Hackett, wasn't it?" she asked already knowing the answer.
Alex nodded again, "Yes, but this isn't the time for explanations. We need to get the colonists inside and out of the open before the bug bastards are close enough to unleash their Seekers." he said heading toward the colony. The Alliance personnel quickly following in step behind him with Ashley on his left.
"I expect a good explanation when we get a spare moment, Alex." she whispered as they entered the colony.
"I hope you have a lot of free time, because it's a hell of a story." he replied.
X
Getting the colonists to fall in was a damn nightmare. But even though they didn't trust the Alliance they could tell the severity of the situation when Alex explained and revealed what he had picked up on his approach to the colony.
The citizens began to head into the safe houses that were set up around the settlement when an atmospheric disturbance caused everyone to look to the sky.
Dark clouds began to form around a specific area and volts of lightning flashed as a large Hive-like ship broke through the clouds and come into view.
"Shit! Everyone inside! NOW!" Ashley shouted as people began scrambling to the nearest safe haven. The gathered Marines helping everyone that they could while at the same time preparing for combat.
Alex watched the Collector ship come fully into view, eyes narrowed behind his visor as he remembered the same ship fleeing after it destroyed the Normandy and killed Jane. His hands clenched into tight fists as he felt his blood boiling.
"Warning. Bio-Organic Machines: Designated Seekers, Detected and Closing." said Prophet as a large dark cloud comprised of the small robots was released from the large ships under belly and began to descend on the colony below.
"SEEKER SWARMS INBOUND!" he shouted taking out his Harrier and firing on the incoming swarm. The rounds tearing through a handful of the robotic bugs but did almost nothing to stop the swarm.
Ashley heard Alex shout out and added her own weapons fire to the assault along with her fellow Marines. Doing everything in their power to give the colonists enough time to get into cover.
The Seekers infested the colony in seconds. A handful of colonists that couldn't make it inside fast enough were stung, the venom freezing the innocent people where they stood and leaving them vulnerable.
One of the Alliance engineers fired an incinerate into a cluster of the bugs and burned them in moments. But a lone Seeker latched on to the back of his neck and stung him before he had a chance to defend. His body froze in place with his hand attempting to reach back to grab the little robot.
Seeing what was happening around him, Alex leapt off of the building he had stood on and hit the ground hard. "Maximum Armor." A small cluster of Seekers attacked him immediately, latching on to his body and attempting to sting through the nano suits hardened weave only to have their stingers bounce off.
Keeping a close eye on his energy meter as it dropped a little with each sting. The nano soldier ran full sprint through the colony, shouldering his weapon as he gathered any frozen colonists and bringing them inside. Using a hack program to seal the doors so that the people were safe.
"Energy Level: 81%" Prophet warned.
Grabbing the Seekers that were still stinging him, Alex crushed them in his hands as he fired an incinerate on another cluster of the bugs. Lighting the little bastards up and giving him a moment to grab a frozen Marine and toss him into a storage unit and seal the door.
More Seekers began stinging the suit, trying harder and harder to pierce through the outer layer and complete their programming.
"Energy Level: 68%"
Alex shook off the little attackers and began running again. The sounds of gunfire that had been so loud before was almost silent as what little defenders the colony had either found cover or were frozen in stasis.
It was impossible to protect and secure them all, the colony was just too big and the swarms were bigger than he thought they were.
One Seeker attached itself to his visor and he quickly swatted it off as he picked up a frozen woman and handed her off to a group of people in a nearby house. "Lock the door, and don't open it until these freaks are gone." he said getting a nod from one of the men as the door sealed and locked quickly.
"Energy Level: 42%" "Just keep it on the HUD and stop telling me!" shouted the Post-Human as he tried to concentrate.
'Alex? It's Ashley, We've gathered everyone we can at the Northern safe house. But we lost half of the squad to whatever the hell these things inject when they sting.' said Ashley over a private comm line.
"I'm heading your way, just keep everyone safe and inside." said the nano soldier as he ran through the colony. The silence being filled with loud buzzing from the Seeker Swarms.
Checking the meter on his HUD, he saw that he only had a quarter of his energy reserves left. Alex pushed himself harder as more of the bugs tried to freeze him like the colonists.
Rounding the next corner he saw the safe house Ashley had mentioned just ahead. A group of people was running through the streets ahead of him to try and make it before they were attacked by the swarms.
At the end of the group was a mother and her son trying to keep up with the others. The little boy, who looked no older than five or six, ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. A crack in the road caught his foot causing him to crash to the ground "MOMMY!" he screamed making the woman whirl around.
"DANIEL!" the woman cried. She never got a chance to move as a black blur ran up and scooped the boy in his arms. "GO!" Alex roared as they all began to push harder. A large swarm closing in on their backs as they closed the distance between them and the safe house.
The Post-Human could feel a bunch of the Seekers on his back stinging hard. He curled the little boy in his arms closer to his chest to keep him safe as his remaining energy began dropping steadily until it reached zero. "Energy depleted."
He felt the first sting pierce the nano suit when he was 20 yards away from the safe house door. The second not two steps later.
"Xeno Neurotoxin Detected. Attempting to Isolate." Alex heard Prophet as he felt the Seeker venom spread, causing his movements to slow as the suit and the nanites in his body fought back the effects.
Another sting was felt when he reach the ten yard mark. Ashley and two other Marines stood in the door way to the safe house as they brought in the group and could only watched as the nano soldier kept pushing to reach them with his passenger.
"Neurotoxin Spreading. Systems Being Disrupted."
His movements were all but slown to a crawl. The boy in his arms was looking up at him in fear and in awe as he continued to push. The Seekers on his back continued to sting him in an attempt to put the Post-Human down. The nanites in his body fighting back against the toxin but only managing to slow down the process.
After what felt like hours, Alex made it through the opening as the Marines slammed the door behind him. The boy's mother ran forward and took her son into her arms and checked him over while his savior began to freeze up where he stood.
Ashley swatted the remaining Seekers off her friends back and stomp on them with her armored boot before checking on him. "Maverick! Maverick talk to me!" she shouted as she watched his movements become barely noticeable.
"Suit Systems Disrupted. Motor Functions Seizing."
"Isolation of Neurotoxin: 4%"
"A...A...Ash...ley..." he tried to say as the Seeker venom finished spreading. The nano soldier now stood frozen solid. Wisps of black and ember colored energy fluctuating around his form while the Marines and colonists looked on wide-eyed.
Ashley looked on helpless as her friend and comrade was now nothing more than a lawn ornament. "He...he saved me..." said the little boy curling into his mothers arms as silent tears traveled down his cheeks.
The woman looked up from her son at Alex's frozen form, "Maverick...we had heard rumors that he was out here in the Terminus helping fight back against mercenaries and slavers. Thank the gods he arrived when he did to warn us."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Ashley looked down at his right hand and brought up her omni-tool. "Prophet? Are you there? Please, tell me that you're there." she said praying that the AI in the nano suit would respond.
Alex's omni-tool flared to life and Prophet's hologram form appeared above it. "Gunnery Chief Williams. What do you Require?" asked the AI.
Relieved to hear the synthetic voice, the Chief looked at the small hologram. "What is his condition? What the hell are these things injecting people with?" she asked referring to the Seekers.
"Collector Forces Implement Seeker Swarms in order to Paralyse Organic life. Swarms are armed with a Powerful and Unique Neurotoxin that is Designed for Organic Targets solely." explained Prophet.
"Once trapped in Paralysis, the Collectors are able to Capture Victims without Problication. User is Currently under the Effects of the Seeker Neurotoxin. Suit Systems and Nanites Working in Tandem to Isolate the Toxin and Formulate Countermeasure."
Ashley let out a breath of relief, but became serious when she remembered their situation. "How do we deal with the Collectors?"
"Once the Seekers have Finished their Programmed task, Collector Ground Forces will move in to Begin Gathering Colonists."
"The Remaining Number of Defenders and Alliance Personnel are Insufficient to hold off a Direct Assault."
"Then what the hell are we suppose to do then?" asked one of the remaining Marines.
Ashley bit her lip, it felt like the Eden Prime incident all over again. Steeling her resolve, she looked at the remaining personnel under her command. "Make sure that the safe house is secured. And try to get the other safe houses on short-range radio." she ordered as they began to check over the safe house and the colonists that made it.
While this was going on, Alex could only watch from his paralysed state as everyone around him got ready for the worst.
"Isolation of Neurotoxin: 19%"
"Hurry the fuck up Prophet..." he thought helplessly as the AI tried to help him get control of his body back.
X
Jane Shepard was not happy.
She'd been awake for almost two weeks now and felt put off by how much things had changed across the galaxy since her...she couldn't even think of it.
Her last memory of what happened was the Normandy being destroyed. Being in space with Alex as he tried to save her from the ruptures in her suit. Then there was a bright flash and everything went black.
The next thing the Commander knew, she was waking up on a Cerberus station that was under attack and finding out that she had been 'dead' for Two Years.
After making it off the station, and meeting with the Illusive Man, she was informed of what had happened in her absence. The Collectors had been abducting Human colonies for one reason or another and the terrorist organization was providing her with the resources needed to take them down.
At first she was skeptical. But a trip to Freedom's Progress and seeing first hand of what had happened told her how serious things were.
Meeting up with Tali had also did her some good...but when the 'mission' was over, after she had been given a ship that had both Joker and Dr. Chakwas on board waiting for her, everything had crashed into Jane like a tidal wave.
Two years...she'd been gone for two years and things seemed so much more different.
She thought about her old crew...her friends...and Alex. The mere thought of the nano soldiers name was enough to bring her to her knees in grief. What happened to him? Was he okay? Did he...did he die after being spaced like she had? She needed to know.
She had to find him.
With that in mind, Jane began to gather people for her fight against the Collectors as she searched for clues of Alex's whereabouts. Her first top was Omega where she acquired Zaeed Massani, a well renowned bounty hunter. Mordin Solus, a skilled and very intelligent Salarian scientist. And a vigilante named Archangel who turned out to be her friend Garrus Vakarian.
Seeing another familiar face, the Commander wasted no time pulling the Turian aside not long after he recovered from his facial injury and began grilling him about what had happened while she was gone.
Jane was shocked, to say the least, when Garrus told her everything that transpired since her death. How Alex discovered what the old Council had been up to and his plan to bring them down while keeping the threat of the Reapers alive in her memory.
It had cost him his Spectre status, his good name in Council space, and his home. But she knew that it was something only he could have done. Alex would have done anything to keep everyone safe and aware of the bigger threat, not matter the cost to him,
Leaving Omega, Jane received a message from Anderson and immediately went to the Citadel to put more pieces of the puzzle together.
The meeting with Anderson and the new Council had been a tense one. Even though the HUman Councilor was on her side, the rest of the Council was a little hesitant to trust given her current ties to Cerberus.
But unlike the previous Council, they believed in the Reaper threat and what she was currently going up against. They reinstated her Spectre status and restricted her to the Terminus systems, but at least they took what she said seriously and she was greatful.
When the meeting was over she asked Anderson what had gone on. He didn't bullshit her and told her everything he knew.
Her heart nearly burst out of her chest when the ex-Alliance Captain told her that Alex was alive and somewhere out in Terminus space. That he'd been fighting against Cerberus, mercs and slavers all while handing out vital data to the right people that none of them knew how he was getting a hold of.
The Councilor was full of pride, telling her that even though Alex was considered a wanted man he was still doing all in his power to make sure everyone was ready for the Reapers and any other threats that could have been posed.
With renewed resolve, Jane went back on her mission. More determined to find Alex than ever.
Recruiting the master thief, Kasumi Goto before venturing back out into the Traverse. The Commander did some digging in the new Normandy's archives with the help of the ship's AI EDI. It turned out that Alex had single-handedly halted, disrupted and obliterated multiple Cerberus operations all over the Traverse. And did so in the style that many had known him for.
Fear griped her when she finished reading a few more reports. What if he hated her because of her ties to Cerberus? What if he had moved on with his life after her death and couldn't handle seeing her back from the dead?
Forcing those thoughts from her mind, Jane gathered two more crewmates for the mission.
A powerful biotic criminal named Jack who had a personality as colorful as the tattoos that covered her body. And a tank-bred Krogan that was said to be 'pure' according to the Warlord that had grown him.
It was an interesting group, to say the least, but Jane couldn't help but keep thinking back to her old friends on the original Normandy. Garrus, Chakwas and Joker helped make everything manageable, but she still had trouble sleeping at night with thoughts of the past.
And it didn't help that she was being monitored on the ship almost all the time. She was constantly frying all the surveillance equipment in her quarters with overloads every spare chance she got. And Miranda was smart enough not to mention it every morning in the mess hall when she had them replaced when the Commander wasn't around.
Jane always grinned after that. If Alex had ever taught her one thing, it was to make sure that whatever you wanted private stayed that way.
Putting all thoughts aside. She entered the Comm room while the table slipped into the floor and activating the QEC panel as she stepped into it.
Her hologram form was transmitted across the Traverse and appeared in the Illusive Man's office while said tycoon sat in his chair smoking a cigarette. "Shepard. I think we have them!" he said flicking the ashes off the cancer stick. "Horizon, one of our colonies in the Terminus Systems just went silent."
An image of the planet appeared in the center of the room as he continued, "If it isn't under attack, it soon will be. Has Mordin delivered the countermeasure for the Seeker Swarms?"
"Not yet." said Jane shaking her head.
"Let's hope he works well under pressure." said the Illusive Man. "There's something else you should know." he took a drag on his cigarette. "One of your former crew, Ashley Williams, is stationed on Horizon."
The Commander looked a little surprised, "I thought Ash was Alliance. Why is she out in the Terminus Systems?"
The Illusive Man was silent a moment, "Almost a year ago, a packet of intel was sent to the Alliance regarding the colony disappearances. No one knew who the sender was, but the data was accurate. The Alliance sent out several groups to the colonies to improve relations and help the colonies better defend themselves from whatever was attacking them."
Jane didn't completely buy it. "Why would the Collectors target a colony one of my crew is stationed on? I doesn't make sense."
"It shouldn't be a surprise the Collectors are interested in you. Especially if they're working for the Reapers." The Illusive Man's glowing eyes locked on her jade ones. "They might be targeting her to get to you."
Gently scratching at the healing scars on her face that glowed a dull orange, Jane nodded. "Send us the coördinates. We'll head straight there."
The Illusive Man nodded back, "This is the most warning we've ever had, Shepard. Good luck." with that the channel closed.
Lights flickering back on in the comm room, Jane let out a deep breath. "Joker, set a course for Horizon. And have the team assemble in the comm room, we need to plan our attack carefully."
'Aye, aye Commander.' came the reply as she leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. The image of Alex's smiling face filled her thoughts making her heart clench a little. Wanting nothing more than to see and speak to him again.
"I'll find you..." she whispered to herself with conviction and opening her now hardened green eyes. Nothing would stand in the way of either one of her missions.
Stopping the Collectors...and finding her lover.
X
In a dank, dark room surrounded by terminals. A large insectoid-like being shuffled it's way around looking over the readings that scrolled by in a dialect that would have been hard to read by any other race.
The four beady, glowing yellow eyes of the Collector General surveyed each read out in seconds before quickly moving on to the next. Video feeds passed through it's vision from its underlings out in the Traverse. The Seeker swarms had completed their programmed task on the Human colony world.
Now it was time to prepare for the next stage.
One video feed from the surface caused the General to pause. The image of a large Human with black and silver armor with a crimson visor was on the screen of the terminal before it. An angry buzzing in the back of its mind knowing that this particular Human had helped to disrupt the cycle.
"HIS PRESENCE CHANGES NOTHING." The Collector General turned to a large holo-tank in the middle of the room where the glowing image of a Reaper hovered in the air. "HE MAY HAVE HELPED SHEPARD POSTPONE THE CYCLE. BUT OUR WILL CANNOT BE DENIED. HIS DEMISE WILL BE THE FIRST OF MANY."
Harbinger's hologram glowed brightly, the Collector General's eyes doing the exact same as the Reapers booming voice echoed through the room.
"ASSUMING DIRECT CONTROL!"
A/N: Everything's coming together. And you know that the next chapter will have some damn good fighting in it.
I had to be as realistic as possible in this past chapter. The nano suit is strong, but it can't hold off Seeker venom forever. Even with the nanites helping him the neurotoxin would still affect Alex like everybody else, but it would take longer since the nanites fought it off and is now helping the suit create a countermeasure.
Next time: Fighting, plot changes, fighting, awesome one liners and more fighting. The Collectors have a whole lotta hell coming their way!
