Nothing much to say...just enjoy!
(He He)
Hyst
Garrus shouldered his rifle, the weapon folding down to easy to carry size.
"C'mon…Time to go…" he said, dusting his claws off and made to turn into the crowds. Ashley didn't follow, merely looking on with a rather grim expression. "…Chief Williams?" Ashley sighed, her memory rushing back to the crowded interior of the Mako a few minutes before;
"Alright! That does it…!" Ashley swore, grinding her teeth as she did so "…what is wrong with you?"
"I don't know. How about I dance around and act promiscuous or something. I'm incapable of thinking perhaps. I mean, I have no other use then to be 'eye candy'!"
"Oh…you heard…" Ashley said, sheepishly tugging at one of her sleeves.
"Yes. Yes I did…" Liara retorted, the sudden in change in personality causing the others to look up from their work "…how dare you say such a thing. We are not…"
"Oh come on…!" Ashley levered herself forward as in the darkness, Kaiden was quite plainly pinching the bridge of his nose between finger and thumb "…That's all you Asari do. Dress up so the men can drool over you, in thigh highs and tin foil skirts. If that isn't eye candy, I don't know what is!"
"Oh, how can you say that…you've barely seen Asari outside of those strip clubs you keep having to visit."
"That's it! That why! My point exactly! They all wear barely anything! And have I seen any humans doing it! No! Turian women…!"
"I don't think we'd be very good on a pole." Garrus added from the front seat.
"…No! That's because it's only Asari who are willing to do it!"
"You bigot! That's not true!"
"Er…" Kaiden let the data pad fall "…people?"
"It is…I mean look at you!"
"Do I look like a dance for men for a living!"
"Well I don't know!" Ashley replied forcefully "…how you glide around in that…thing…that…tight…little scientist uniform with a short skirt and tight trousers!"
"That is supposed to be practical!" Liara fumed, a slight blue aura gathering round her hands as she sat squarely in her seat.
"Er…Guys?" Kaiden ventured, the air becoming extremely close in the few feet between Liara's face and Ashley's own. Liara was positively vibrating, the Asari's face colouring visible. Completely at ease and quite enjoying her team mate's distress, Ashley was grinning rather impishly.
"Practical. Well I'm sure you've got most of the crew's attention. I mean, I bet everyone is pulled in by your charms…!" Ashley added, the blue aura taking a more vibrant shade of….well….blue. This, however, was not the only other visible sign. There was a slight flicker of movement. In the darkness of Shepard's chair, a pair of grey eyes erupted from the black, the cold pupils snapping round to focus on the Gunnery Chief Williams. Williams wasn't quite aware of the suddenly awake Commander and if she had been, would have shown a little restraint. But in her usual manner, she waded in quite happily her tone taking a more serious edge; "…The Commander is always coming to see you in that quiet little office of yours. I bet you love tha…"
"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams…!" Shepard's voice cracked in the suddenly thick air "…don't you fegging push it. I would shut the hell up right now. Understand!"
"But, Sir!" Ashley made to protest but found a rough hand on hers, Kaiden shaking his head warningly.
"Don't." he said softly.
"Sir." Ashley said quietly, sitting back. Beside her, the Commander closed his eyes and became one with the shadow once again. They are sat back with a sigh, the silence filled with the rumbling of the wheels and the cries of people on the roadside.
"What the hell is his problem!" Ashley tugged a pair of rather beaten sunglasses from a shoulder pouch on her webbing, the old style aviators slotting down round her features as she made after the Turian.
"Well, you insulted one of the crew, in front of him…" Garrus called up a holographic display, disappearing into a gap between a hot food stand and a scrap dealer. Ashley followed, her eyes focused on the guards that sat in the towers above their heads. In the wide, though crowded arena like space, a clear line of sight from the ground level was troublesome at best. The watchtowers had the best position…
"…Blue Suns controlled Territory. Must be of some importance that this place stays up and running…" Garrus took a right, avoiding one slow moving Elcor trader "…bad for business if thieves operate in this area."
"Yeah…very lenient. I wonder if they practice capital punishment." Ashley muttered sarcastically, gaining a rather hard stare from a passing salarian.
"…anyway…what I was saying…." Garrus half turned his head, pushing through a throng of Quarian workers, making for an alley at the far end of one of the Market's 'streets' "…you can't insult Liara, especially."
"I mean…it's been everything…he questions my competence in everything, all the missions, weapons cleaning, weapon adaption, Weapon Smithwork…everything I do." Ashley let out a deep breath, running her eye over one particular stall laden with new weapon parts.
"Shepard's a perfectionist… In his eyes there is no plan B…" Garrus stepped aside to allow a one wheeled cargo 'lifter' pass them by, "…and anyway…have you ever considered that you may actually be bad at your job."
"What…!" Ashley batted at the back of the Alien's head with one hand "…I am fine at my job. I have never fucked up any of the operations we've taken on so far."
"Fine…fine…fine…I was only pulling your leg, Chief."
"Yeah…pull the other one, its got bells on." Ashely grumbled as Garrus updated the holographic display, his hard suit's VI displaying a single shining red dot on the image. They stood before a large reinforced door, its surface covered with scorch marks and dents. It seemed to be a civilian dwelling, several post boxes dug into the walls on either side. It was locked too, Ashley trying the handle. There was no noise through the door, the silence of the house beyond cancelling out the sound of the market behind them. Garrus activated his rifle as did Ashley, the soldier hunkering down by the door's side.
"Right…" Garrus, brought his boot back "…lets be bad guys."
The door, even though appear reinforced, folded under the Turian's boot, the cloud of rust which rose from its now wrecked form evident of the poor quality of the door. It was then a quick sprint across a wide, concreted area before a short flight of stairs. The apartment building was empty of all life, Garrus dropping into position beside a large wooden door, the graffiti on the walls and the stench of old, forgotten things reminding him what a grave this apartment building was. On his map, the Red Blip was only metres away from where he sat, the omni-tool whirring as the Nano-Machines controlling the device altered the trajectory of the image.
"Through here…" he tapped a rhythm on the tool, several blueprints flickering before his eyes. "…small apartment. I'm not reading any occupier signatures on any of the building's data."
"Looks like a close proximity raid." Ashley rested the rifle against her chest as she pressed a hand to the door, trying to listen through its wooden material. The only noise was the loud sound of splintering wood as Garrus slammed his boot once again into the material.
"Idiot! Have you ever heard of stealth! Like…been quiet!" Ashley yelped as Garrus ran forward.
"Only with a sniper rifle…! And I was polite!"
"If you're polite…you knock you moron!"
"Well…" Garrus broke the last of the door apart as he passed through the door frame "…I could of shot the door off its hinges if you wanted."
In the cloud of splinters and dust, Ashley shook her head and charged forward, Garrus, swearing as he caught his foot on the threadbare carpet, his rifle rising up to pan round the room as the bright lights of the windows blinding compared to the darkened concrete filled hall outside. Garrus blinked, twisting round from the greeny light of a badly cleaned fish tank, slack jawed as the sudden brightness burned through his retinas. Ashley did not share the same fate, having put on Sunglasses before entering the building. Garrus wished he had done, as disorientated, he yelled and raised his rifle ready to fire.
The five strong Turian family who sat round the table watching the two soldiers tumbling into the room were also exhibiting the same symptoms of disorientation, their meal half eaten on the table before them. Garrus took a step back, surprised as the small group looked on. Only a small Turian child, his crest not quite developed seemed nonplussed by the entire situation and instead, waved his arms seeming to become almost excited by it all.
"So…Garrus…" Ashley sidled by behind Garrus "…this is where you start been the Bad Guy then."
"Err….um….err…this is….ah…Spectre Business…?" He quavered. "…just to…um…use one of your windows."
"…….yes……."
Garrus nodded sheepishly while with one foot, pushed the remains of the family's door back into the shadow. Best not tell them about that yet… With a rather flat glare back into the hall, he cracked his shoulders, doffed his forehead to the small group and stepped into the next room, trying to regain his pride while doing so. He also attempted to whistle nonchalantly, trying to restore any shred of coolness he could muster. Sadly, nothing revealed itself and Garrus, grinding his teeth, felt his composure running for the hills.
The adjacent room appeared to be a child's bedroom, posters and brightly colored fragments of cloth hanging from the walls while a large, though faded bed showed images of Alliance Ships in mid flight on the quilt. One particular alliance ship, Garrus stared grimly at the faded image, trying to place the odd ship…
"So…" Ashley interrupted his thoughts adjusting the monocle over her eye as shestared down into the street below "…empty?"
"It must have been a mistake…" Garrus yanked hard on the sniper rifle release catch, Ashley opening the window for him to push the barrel on through "…how was I supposed to know….Pressly gave me Blue Print Signatures which were five years out of date."
"Yeah, and Top Brass wonder why the Alliance Military haven't got the best set example of 'A Well Oiled Machine…" she nodded down into the street, taking a seat beside the Turian as he rested his armor plates on the bed, setting the stock back into the fold of his shoulder "…right. That's the shop down there…" Garrus allowed the scope to rove across a large rounded hanger complex, noting the white coat of the Mako which sat outside "…escape routes behind and to the left of us. I couldn't spot any in the building opposite; there aren't any other buildings of this height nearby…" She signaled to the door directly behind them which led back through to the entrance and to another which appeared to go out onto the roof on its right. Through the blinds, the ships of the space port were black dots, passing through the peerless blue sky on white streams of super heated water vapor which cut white lines through the sky. In the street below, Garrus adjusting a set of blinds hidden in the drapes which gathered on the ceiling, people still thronged, never looking up to spot the large sniper rifle which erupted from the window.
The house they occupied was a squalid mess, the walls peeling, the posters faded and nearly colorless. The floor was nearly bare, the poverty the small family were living in made Garrus sick to his gut. Crime did this…and here…there was no shortage of it.
He shot a quick glance at the Turian child who stood beside the door, his armor plates soft and undeveloped. He was watching them with wide eyes, even here it wasn't everyday that a heavily armored Turian burst through your door, especially one which hadn't come to threaten or extort.
"'Sup Kid..." Ashley tapped away at the monocle; the holographic display zooming through multiple programs till the zoom was adjusted correctly. "…Calibrations set, Garrus."
"I need something rest the barrel on…window sill is too low down…" Garrus gestured for some rag or block to raise the barrel "…anything you can use?"
Someone handed him a soft object…Garrus glanced down at the offending object and found he was grasping a rather lurid cuddly Pyjak . He glanced up, meeting the eyes of the shy looking Turian who stood beside a half rotted desk by the door. And then he realized who'd handed it to him…
"Thanks Kid." Garrus said at length, tucking the cuddly toy beneath the sniper barrel. It worked perfectly, though seeing the large plastic eyes staring back at him was a bit unnerving. In an after thought, Garrus reached across to twist the head to one side so he didn't have to look in the accusing eyes of the stuffed toy before once again, awkwardly nodding his thanks to the child. They both exchanged glances…
"Do you think it really bothered him…?" Garrus said after a short time.
"What?"
"Tali…been burned. When Liara told him, he barely batted an eyelid."
"This is Shepard we're talking about, isn't it? And yes, I'm sure he did 'feel' something…" she sunk down beside the Turian once again "…he's not a complete bastard."
"Look…he's probably very good with dealing with this kind of thing. With all that responsibility, it must be hard to get his priorities sorted out. I mean she's not dead…"
"I think our newest member is going to extract her when we get back."
"What? Tali out of her suit…!" Ashley exclaimed, knocking Garrus's elbow "…sorry…he's going to remove it!"
"Well, he'll have to, the suit's exterior is compromised, and seeing as seems to have installed himself in the ship's clean room, there's no one else to do it. Anyway, from what he was saying over breakfast, he's dealt with Quarians before."
"Knowing him, that won't be pleasant."
"Eh…excuse me…" the voice was rather high pitched, the juvenile now standing at the base of the bed. He looked vaguely nervous, the small Turian looking down at his claws. He'd seized what appeared to be home made badge from the side, where a single Red square cut out of card beside a large white colored number 7. Obviously well used, the card was dog eared and creased but the way he held it was with such a degree of reverence; it meant a great deal more.
"Are you with the Alliance?"
"Shouldn't you be interested in something vaguely related to the Turian Hierarchy…" Garrus commented, resting his chin on one hand. The day and the target outside would have to wait. "…the Alliance is human related military."
The child tugged at the N7 logo, mumbling something. Ashley twigged exactly what was been said, though Garrus turned back to the window, blissfully ignorant of what was been said.
"But he's human, Kid."
"But he's so cool! Flying round in his Space Ship 'The Hastings'…!" Ashley sighed, realizing the Alliance Vessel they were lying on "…saving the galaxy. Surrounded by his brave and resourceful crew!"
"Hear that Garrus…" Ashley slid backwards, rising from her position "…he thinks' we're brave and resourceful….right…gotta check the routes out of here." She jogged away into the dark adjacent room, digging the monocle from behind her ear. There was no wind or stiff breeze to worry about, the air was perfectly still. Ashley stepped out onto a large balcony, clamping her fingers round the rusting metal railing which prevented anybody walking straight out into empty air. Not that they had particularly far to fall. The Balcony was only a metre above the roof of another building, the 'balcony' more of a lip of one of the apartment's roofs.
At this point, the balcony was in shadow, Ashley raising her sun glasses so she could see through the shade and stretched her legs, the trip in the Mako and lying on that uncomfortable bed's surface taking its toll. The city sprawled out before her, the streets caught in a heat haze as the millions of people continued to throng the streets. This would be like this for quite a few hours, not just having an extensive night life, Tortuga also boasted extended day time hours, its orbit far wider then any of Earth's. If they'd had more time…perhaps Shepard would have allowed them leave, they'd been due that for quite some time. Not that they were complaining not officially anyway, this had stopped being a military Operation since they'd left the Citadel…
Ashley could see the stress they were all under, Kaiden's migraines were getting worse, the LT lying down for hours at a time, they were hiding one extremely pissed off, caffeine addicted Asari in Dr Chakwas's back room. Wrex was barely saying anything these days, the Krogan's face creasing in the semblance of nostalgia. Garrus however, was unchanging always willing to get his hands dirty, never truly able to escape from the job.
She checked the roof tops for any suspicious bodies and stepped back into the dark. In the room beyond, the Turian boy now occupied the end of the bed, his hands resting in his lap. His mandibles were clicking rather agitatedly as Garrus recounted some story.
"So what Happened next!"
"Well…the commander said 'The Doctor stay's with us, thanks.' So that really threw the Krogan…and this guy is really big…not as big as Wrex obviously but pretty large. Anyway, he's pretty pissed and Shepard is just there grinning…"
Grinning like an idiot…Ashely smirked at the thought. Several bullet wounds had meant that Shepard's suit had pushed a mild pain killer into his bloodstream. He had been numb from the neck down and feeling extremely light headed…pain and fatigue bringing on a near stage of delirium. Garrus was defiantly avoiding most of what was said, most would not be good for public consumption…
"…so anyway…Shepard was there…"
Joker accepted the coffee with a wide grin, sinking back into his seat as Pressly smoothed a crease out of his uniform and took the seat beside him.
"So, how's it going back there?" Joker said, wincing as he took a sip, Pressly settling back in his chair with his own brew.
"Ok…we've just relayed the last of the Mission Status to the Commander…looks like a clear run…we're getting confirmation of a new set of co-ordinates as we speak."
"Oh…going that well is it…get the feeling…"
"Yeah…that it's going way too smoothly…" Pressy took a long drag from his coffee, staring flatly at one pyjak sitting beside the view port "…That bloody follicular challenged space-monkey's back again. Ever thought of installing a horn?"
"Tried…asked the Commander…" Joker's voice took on a more deep tone, obviously pertaining to the Commander's own gruff speech. Crewman Phillips who sat at the first station beyond the air lock also winced at the sound, Joker's horrible attempt at the British accent crackling through the speakers. "…We're supposed to be a Stealth ship…installing a horn would get attention…oh what a daft twat you are…"
"He called you a 'Daft Twat'?"
"No…he just left at that bit. Grumpy Bastard…"
There was a crackle on the line, the static buzzing in Joker's ear.
"The comm. is on you know…" Liara's voice echoed through the confined space, warranting several sniggers from the flight staff.
"Oh….crap…" Joker shook his head, taking a drag from the coffee "…he's going to kill me, isn't he."
"Yes...Mr Monroe…yes he is…" Liara echoed back matter of factly
"How are things going down there…?" Pressly tapped into the comm. Joker sinking down into his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose between finger and thumb "…any trouble?"
"Nothing yet. Every-thing's Shiny. Shepard's just dealing with the data transfer. Don't worry, I'm sure Garrus will have us covered…" there was a brief uncomfortable murmur before Liara returned, sounding a little annoyed "…Wynne also asked me to say 'Hello'." Again the flight staff sniggered, Pressly smirking rather widely as there was another brief grumble.
"We're forwarding the data to you know…are you reading this…" There was a brief rattle of keys, Joker smirking as his console flashed once. Pressly nodded studiously before dragging a piece of data into the projection before him "…is the Co-ordinates relayed ba….Oh by the Goddess!" There was a shriek and a meaty thump. The clank of armor rattled across the speakers, Shepard's low guarded tones crackling across as Liara's comm. echoed with the sound of heavy breathing and Wrex's own rumbling voice echoing back.
"Shepard!" Joker pushed his mug to one-side, activating the comm unit "...please read! Goddamn it, Shepard...!"
"Radios just went down..." Pressly groaned rather loudly "...Standard Issue Piece of Crap."
"Pressly!" Phillips activated several holographic displays as with the coffee forgotten; Pressly deactivated his own console and sprinted back into the midst of the Flight Crew. Phillips, the first console through the door activated the images before her with a twitch of her fingers;
"What've you got, Phillips?"
"Just ran a long range scan to see if we were getting pinged by any Batarian Satellites…" she activated Tortuga, a small holograph of the planet flickering into life in the middle of the console. As if it was a piece of paper, Pressly jerked it away, his circuit lined gloves slowly twirling in space, the holograph expanding under his finger tips.
"Show surrounding Satellites…" several iridescent dots flickered into life above the Planet, each moving in sync as they roved the outer atmosphere or hung in space, several hundred miles out "…I don't see anything, Phillips. You sure you didn't just spot a glitch in the system."
"There's' something else. Its not a frigging glitch…" she turned to activate the Haptic Display, the whirl of data beneath her own implanted fingers causing Pressly's head to spin as he watched.
"Really can't understand why you'd want to be implanted." He said, eying the Flight Sergeant's circuit inlaid fingers.
"A lot easier to use…doesn't mean I have to wash my gloves all the time after long hours of usage….here…enlarge image over Township; Muerta."
The planet exploded outwards, been replaced by a single 3-D square. Upon it, laid out in hundreds of Glimmering lines, the Town ship of Muerta continued to run and work, Pressly narrowing his eyes. But he wasn't looking at the Township itself…instead his gaze was fixed the satellites.
"What the hell is that…?"
"Bears no registering marks. I'm not picking up any signatures on board. No Life signs…but its falling…"
"Could it be loose debris?" Pressly selected the falling dot…magnifying it with a click of his fingers.
"No, picking up minimal traces of an engine core in use. What ever it is, it's powered…"
"Could be an attacked ship limping back to port."
"I thought that too…but I'm reading no life support systems and its trajectory is toward the town ship not the port…most VI's would be able to navigate a path even if the crew were dead…damn…"
"What?"
"It must have VI on board…its changing course."
"But we're reading zero power outage on board, only the drive core is activated and that's only powering the drivers…" Pressly shot the holograph down the hall with a wave of his arm, Joker seizing the image between finger and thumb and pulling it before his eyes.
"Looks as though we've got badly aligned flight panels…its messy, but someone's driving it..." Joker caused the image to sizzle; the force feed back pressing against his finger tips. "…what the hell is it?"
"Images confirm that it's what's left of a tramp freighter…" she activated a single glowing icon "…the trajectory is changing again."
"Shit…!" Pressly hared down the gangway, pushing aside several crew members who were exchanging reports. "…tell Shepard!" he activated his console, the display rolling out beneath his fingers. He activated the falling ship, the machine showing possible trajectory. It was coming down…he traced the line with one finger…right in the centre. There was something too precise about all this, the way it was falling and the way it kept changing course.
"Are we picking up any Geth Signatures aboard!"
"No…nothing…no neural Network."
"Damn…" Pressly activated the image, magnifying the falling ship "…what the hell is it doing?"
"That's so amazing…" The infant looked on wide eyed as Garrus turned back to the street out. "…so…what's he like? I mean…you know him…what's he like as a person…"
"Not exactly the poster boy the Alliance makes him out to be. He's a soldier…"
"Garrus…" Ashley pushed him aside so she could get a clear look out the window "…try to not give all out reports away…" both jolted as Pressly's voice rippled through the speakers.
"Damn it! Garrus…come in!"
"Pressly…!" Ashley activated her own bead, the Turian massaging his ears. "…what've you got for us?"
"…Shepard won't respond. We've got something dropping from Orbit and its coming your way. It'll be on your six in a matter of seconds…" Suddenly it all came to clear as with a scream and roar, the sun was blotted out. Ashley brought her head to the window and in the seconds that followed, swore rather loudly.
"…what in God's name." Pressly breathed through the comm. in the silence that followed. In the sky above, a vast pillar of black smoke was shrieking down from orbit, the source, a Tramp Freighter was showing no signs of slowing as it tore downward. The sound was unbearable, all other noise blotted out by the scream of tortured metal and the inferno which plunged earthward. Garrus swore too, jumping up, leaving his rifle where it was and grabbed the child, hurling the boy across the room. Ashley was yelling in pain, clutching at her face as the window exploded inward in a vast shower of glittering particles as she fell backward, reaching for her rifle as she did so. Garrus was still roaring in surprise and anger as he leapt forward, wrapping his arms round the boy as he sank his head as close to the floor as he could get it.
The blast tore out the windows out through out the building, the debris hurled by the impact raining down through the streets below. Blue fire rose up in a vast mushroom cloud, quickly replaced by a gout of black smoke which engulfed the streets, several districts down. Buildings nearer the site disintegrated, their occupiers ripped to pieces where they stood or being thrown clear. Bits of stall, the last segments of the market the freighter had fallen onto as well as pieces of houses, scrap metal and stone chips, were catapulted across the town, a moisture which were coppery to the taste sprinkling across the most of the districts.
Dust followed, billowing in a vast wall of noise and colour, rattling off the walls outside, the room obscured from view. There was a second crump of explosives, sirens starting echo through the streets as voices, most yelling in panic began to sound through the streets. Shouts and cries of pain began to make themselves known, people filtering into the streets to either stare up into the dust cloud or to run…their panic begetting any chance of a rescue attempt to all those caught in the centre of the cloud.
Coughing, Garrus opened his eyes to a blurred image, dragged himself clear of a fallen piece of metal sheeting; the young boy he'd been shielding crying into Garrus's armor as the Turian soldier made to stand. He winced, a rib or two broke, several of his natural armor plates peeling away under his fingers. He tasted blood, in the dust and glass covered space, the cloying air digging away at his sense of smell. In that horrible, blinding hell everything hurt…Garrus pushed the sheet aside hobbling forward. His ears were ringing, every movement causing his balance to tip precariously.
"Pressly…gorram it Pressly…where the hell are you…!"
"Ga…..ccrrrcck…..us…..hit…..crrrrckcc….losing……ccrrrck…something…ccccrrrckkk...attack….get out….."
The building around them had taken the full force of the blast; he could hear the very structure creaking beneath his feet as he moved. His eye caught a hand sticking out amongst the debris, the familiar form of the Gunnery Chief caught beneath the rubble and dust of the window. Garrus wasted no time in clearing the way, dragging the remains of the bed clear to get at her form. Behind him, the Turian child sank back into the corner, clasping at his head with both hands, whimpering as a second crump of explosives caused the building the shake.
"Ashley…" There was no response as Garrus stooped to the human's side. She didn't respond still face down in the dirt, her rifle discarded, even as Garrus tugged at her arm. "…Chief Williams!"
In the streets outside as the panicked yells turned into fear filled screams, things began to howl.