Chapter 10: Zavalon
xxxx
Datapad # 122041
Mfd. Ariera Corp.
Firmware = 2.03
Password protected = 1
Incoming message
Sent to: Forrest Jackson
Sent from: Warlord Charrac
Subject: News?
Hey human. Had to do some digging, but found this address. Hope it's the right one. Haven't seen you back on Omega in while. You probably got bigger varren to kill, but I was hoping someone might know more about that damned Asari. Remember, the one we talked about? Yeah. She's only getting to be more of a pain in the ass. If you know anything useful, I might be able to work a deal with you.
Good hunting.
/end message
Outgoing message
Sent to: Warlord Charrac
Sent from: Forrest Jackson
Subject: RE: News?
Charrac,
I haven't been back to Omega since we talked last. Didn't hear anything more about your chief of organizations, either. Sorry. I'll let you know if I hear anything, but chances are you'll find out before me. Space doesn't spread rumors too quick.
Good luck with everything.
/end message
Personal log entry added:
Well, feels like I'm really starting to get the hang of things. Definitely learning a lot out here. Between what I can find on the extranet and what knowledge the commandos are willing to pass on, I spend most of my free time training. Mostly CQC, but also biotics and weaponry. They can kick my ass, but at least I'm learning. The hard way.
It's also interesting to see the use of element zero… I'm amazed how much technology depends on it. Hell, even I depend on it now. Which reminds me: biotics. I'm still a bit in shock that I can manipulate dark energy – but it is empowering to know. So far, I've only been able to train physics-based attacks: pull, throw, and charge. If something's close enough, I can lift and control it that way. It seems like the more I use my biotics, the stronger they get, too… But then I see what Kaira can do – spawn a singularity, catch a few enemies, and then blow them to kingdom come with single warp. She's had nearly 400 years to work on that, and it shows. I just try and learn what I can from her – as well as the rest of the squad. Delina knows her way around firearms and Rana could take about anything down with her omni-tool alone. They might be deadly, but I feel like I'm in good company. I'm starting to think that we're more like one big happy, dysfunctional family now. Kaira and Rana are responsible enough, but even at that… And then there's Delina. I think I've proven myself enough that she would only joke about opening the airlock on my way by now. Regardless, we bicker. And there are probably safer people to do so with.
I do have to say I get a little homesick at times. The fresh air, the safety, the known. I didn't have anything to complain or worry about back there (relatively speaking). If I didn't know about all this, I would be peaceful. Ignorance is bliss. Now that I'm here, things have gotten pretty crazy. There's all the usual commando work like taking down mercs and pirates, but now we've got a Reaper threat on our hands. In all honesty, I didn't want to be one of the few responsible for that chase. But we're here, so suck it up and find a way to fight the metal bastards.
This reminds me: the council. They seemed to take our meeting in stride, but like the commander said, there's a good chance they'll come back raging. It makes me worry. Kaira took a big risk in recruiting me. I can't let her down, and I definitely don't want to be responsible for getting her into a political shitstorm.
/end log entry
/Close datapad report
xxxx
And there we were again, quietly gathered in the mess hall, starting yet another day. By now, I had become accustomed to the "healthy" commando food and the fact that breakfasts were our quiet time. Even Delina didn't cause a ruckus since we starting eating breakfast together.
"So." Then again, Delina liked to prove me wrong. "What's on the agenda? More floating around empty space?"
Kaira didn't look that bothered. "No. Actually, we still have work to do. Our next operation is on Zavalon." She seemed to pick up on my confused expression. "For those of you who don't remember, Zavalon is on the edge of the Terminus. It's essentially a tourist retreat – but like Illium, it's got a fair share of corruption. Every now and then we have to go in and clean things up just enough to keep it running."
I nodded. "Sounds like fun. Is it developed like Illium?"
"Hardly. It's a garden world. There's a lot oceanfront; beaches and the sort. Then inland is a lush green paradise."
"Yeah, there's just one really bad thing." Delina piped up again. "Don't try eating any of the plants. They'll kill you."
"That is not entirely accurate. The local biology utilizes an acid base that is neither dextro nor levo acid based. As such, it causes acute allergic reactions." Rana explained.
Delina shot the engineer a glare, but Kaira continued before there was a problem. "And that's Zavalon for you. We should be arriving in a few hours, so I want you all ready. And expect a fight. It usually doesn't disappoint."
xxxx
The Akina docked in what was presumably a commercial sector. As we stepped through the airlock, I could see how much they had built up around the natural world. Only about twenty meters down from the skyway were the tops of tropical-looking trees. Ahead, a massive complex sprawled for as far as I could tell, going both down into the trees and up into the sky. There weren't any oceans around this part, either. Must've been inland.
It was about a hundred meter walk from our ship on the open docks to the facility entrance. I could see already that this place was heavily guarded – an Asari and two Salarians welcomed us as the doors slid open.
Maybe "welcome" wasn't the right word. All three were armored up and carrying ARs and bore even more hostile expressions. The Asari spoke first.
"That's close enough. Who are you?"
"Spectre Kaira T'Suni. I believe the administration bureau is expecting us." She calmly responded.
"Yeah, right. Prove it." The local Asari shot back
That was really pushing her luck. Apparently, Kaira thought so too. "I'm a Spectre. I don't have to prove anything to you."
"Alright, fine. Just remember, this isn't Council space. Those tricks aren't always going to work." She took a step forward. "However, I will have to collect your weapons. Just standard procedure."
"That's not happening. Sorry." Kaira took a half step back and folded her arms defiantly. In response, the security guard gave a quick nod to her goons, who proceeded to level their rifles at us.
Threatening four commandos was a bad idea. Kaira's biotics flared threateningly. Delina whipped out her sniper rifle, Rana pulled out her pistol and I drew my heavy shotgun. If they really wanted trouble, we could deliver.
The two Salarian exchanged glances, shook their heads, and lowered their rifles. The Asari took a moment more, but she relented. "Alright. You've made your point. Your squad won't be hassled any more. Just… please try not to shoot anyone right away."
"It's damn tempting." Delina snarled as she holstered her rifle. It didn't seem like the guards heard. Probably best.
The other three of us managed to holster our various weapons and Kaira said thankfully: "No guarantees, but I'll do what I can."
There was no more fuss as the guards stepped aside and let us pass. The Asari and I exchanged cold glances as I passed by. That was that.
xxxx
"Spectre – am I glad to see you!" The Turian stood up from his desk and shook the commander's hand as we reached the corporate headquarters. Some bigwig, probably. Judging by the placard on his desk, he was Chief of Security.
"Sounds like you've got a fair share of work cut out right now, chief." Kaira responded professionally.
"More so than ever. You actually helped before you arrived, though. The Red Suns were making a push to develop an outpost here. As I recall, you set them back a ways on Illium." His mandibles flared in what I suspected would be a frown. "Unfortunately, there are countless other rabblerousers around. It's difficult to keep a respectable image for the place when people keep disappearing."
"I can imagine. What sort of problems are we looking at?" Kaira asked. I tried to stay present, as did Rana, but Delina wandered off to look out of one of the windows that looked out over a clean-looking plaza.
"We've got two gangs trying to tear the place apart and a pirate group smuggling goods and people. We've sent patrols after one of the gangs, and, well… they didn't come back."
"Better than last time I had to come here." Kaira shook her head, "So, where do we start?"
"Of course. I don't think any of us will forget you having to put down an entire revolution." The administrator laughed once and then continued. "Just so you know, It's been hell trying to track these guys down. Any cop who gets too close winds up dead or worse. The best I can do is give you their general location. Some of the security firms might know more. You could check with them."
Kaira frowned a little bit, as if disappointed. Nothing was ever easy. "I'll see what I can do."
"Thank you, Spectre. You're doing us a great favor. I have forwarded some addresses to help get you started."
xxxx
We headed back out to main complex. It reminded me of a giant shopping mall back home – only with a more impressive centre plaza. Stores, restaurants, clubs. The whole nine yards. it actually looked a nice place to hang out. But no, we had to pass it all by and make our way down into the lower levels. We even had to use the stairs. As Rana had pointed out, nobody wanted to get on an elevator with four heavily armed commandos.
But with each level we went down, the surroundings got progressively seedier. I figured we had to be underground at this point, but why they would develop it so far down was beyond me… there was plenty of unused space above ground.
Finally, we came to a halt outside of a most energetic club. Even from a distance away, it made its presence known – much like Afterlife on Omega. Only this was far more youthful and energetic. I was distracted by the resounding bass for a few seconds more before Kaira's voice brought me back the mission at hand.
"According to the administrator, two of the security firms are on this level – but in opposite directions from here. It would probably be quicker if we split up two and two. Delina and Forrest – you go that way. I've forwarded the address. Rana and I will take care of the other outpost. This is just recon. Try not to get in any firefights… and please just stay out of trouble. We'll meet back at this joint. Any questions?"
I shook my head, and Delina answered simply "Nope. I'm ready to move."
"Alright. Good luck then."
"Likewise." I gave a final nod, and took off at a quick pace next to the arms specialist. Already, she had taken a faster walk, which was encouraging. I wasn't sure exactly how far we had to go, but the quicker we got our job over with, the better. I also hoped Delina knew where we were going. Because I sure didn't.
It reminded me a lot of Omega down on this level – dark, messy, dangerous feeling. At least there weren't any bodies lying around. Not that I could see, anyway. Both of us had remained quiet so far, most likely hoping to obey Kaira's order of "stay out of trouble." But no. Delina had to say something.
"You know, with all these big galactic threats, it feels like a waste to be fighting gangs on a damn tourist world."
"Yeah, agreed. There isn't much we can do about the other right now, though. Might as well be doing something – even if it is a little below our pay grade." Hell, I've yet to get paid… so technically this isn't under mine.
"Humph. I guess. Still seems like a waste of our time." She shook her head. "I've been thinking about that more – the big threat, impending galactic doom, the whole deal. I'm still skeptical, though. But if it is real… shit. Why the hell does our future look so bleak at times?"
I had no good reasons, only bad answers. "Because you touch yourself at night."
"You're one to point fingers." She immediately snapped back.
"Hey, you wanted a reason."
"You're a pain in the ass." She said it with conviction, but at the same time she was chuckling.
"Likewise." I shot back.
"You know, I hated the idea of having to work with an alien."
"I noticed." I noted bluntly.
"Yeah. I was going to say that you're not as bad as I thought… But then again…"
"Ouch. I guess I had that coming."
"Damn right you did. Now, do you want to try that again?"
"Try what again?"
"Intelligent conversation. I was going to explain how you're not that bad."
"Right. Yeah. Sorry for temporarily making your point null, then." I scratched the back of my head, noting that I should probably try and keep things low for now.
"Your loss, not mine."
"You know what? You're not an easy person to talk to."
"What, you just now figured that out? Hell, most of my life that's what it's taken to survive. Kaira, Rana and even you are the first people I've really felt I could trust. Even at that, I know I have to look out for myself." She pursed her lips for a moment. "Actually, I've been wanting to ask you something for a while now. If we were pinned down by a brigade of pirates or mercs, had to retreat, and I fell, what would you do? Honestly?"
Judging by her suddenly somber voice, I figured it wasn't the time for more witty comebacks. "No one gets left behind, Delina. I hope that goes both ways."
"Yeah yeah, sure." She replied, then added. "Sometimes it's just nice to have the reminder. "
"We all do from time to time. But it'll probably be my ass that you have to come save."
"Again. I've already saved you from an angry Krogan, several dozen mecs, plunging to your death... Want me to keep going?"
"Nah, I think I got it."
"Ok, good. Anyway, benefits of being on a squad." She shrugged. "Ah hah. Here's the place the chief was talking about. Let's go get that intel."
That was brash, but I just raised an eyebrow. It was really only a whole in the wall, the desk manned by an armored Salarian. A few brochures lay out describing their services as well as some special merchandise.
"Hello there! You two look ready to work – we've got a lot of excellent opportunities open for security on the government plaza! Or are you interested in a specific job?"
"We're interested in a specific job. But we're not here to sign on." Delina leaned forward on the desk, leaving little room for anything besides fear.
"Oh… I, well the company - we don't – what do want to know?"
"There's a lot of gang activity around here. We're going to put a stop to it. You're going to tell us where to find them."
"You mean the Knights? Oh dear. It's not, well, I can't… we have an arrangement!"
I took a step forward. "Be reasonable. If you help us get rid of them, you'll have a lot better arrangements without the strings attached."
"I – listen – I appreciate the offer! But I just can't do it! What if they find out? Bad things happen to the people who work against them!"
"Dead people tell no tales." Delina cracked her knuckles together. We almost had him…
"I would like to help. I'm sorry, but giving out that kind of information is against company policy." He took a step back and folded his arms.
Delina was clearly beginning to lose patience. "You know what else is against company policy?" She snarled and drew her pistol. "Being on the receiving end of one of these!"
The clerk threw his hands up and stammered for a moment, but finally gave in."You… you have a point. Ok. The Knights are based out of the very lower levels. They have it locked down, but I know the password is '1682.'"
She holstered the sidearm. "Isn't that the year this place was founded?"
"Yes, it is. I won't take any more of your time. That should be all you need to get in. Just… good luck. The Krogan that leads the gang… he's not what you'd expect. Far more dangerous. Just warning you."
"Sure." Delina shrugged. "We can handle it."
"I hope so."
Those weren't really encouraging words, but Delina and I left anyway. That was enough to get started, and so we began our way back to the club to meet up with the rest of the squad.
"Well, that went good enough." I commented.
"Yeah. What did you expect?"
"I don't know. Gunfire, explosions. It's nice to have something go smoothly for once."
"You haven't been around long enough." Delina shook her head. "Threatening people at gunpoint is standard fair."
xxxx
It seemed like we had taken our time in collecting intel, but Kaira and Rana hadn't showed up yet. Then again, we had made light work of getting our data… Regardless, that left Delina and me waiting outside the club. Which spelled trouble.
"What do you think?" The arms specialists nod towards the entrance door clarified what she was referring to.
"Can't imagine the commander would have a problem with us taking a look around. Just as long as 'we' don't start any fistfights…"
"Nah, 'we' won't start any fights. Anyway, It sure as hell beats sitting out here doing nothing."
With a nod apiece, we entered. Frankly, I was curious. I had a rough idea of what a place like this would be like back home, but no telling what it would be here. I quickly received my answer:
Loud.
The equivalent of techno-metal nearly had the place shaking. There were barely any lights, save a few spotlights dancing about wildly. The level we were on only had a few people, more of a balcony overlooking the bar. Below us, it would have been damn near impossible to walk through the masses. Most everyone at the bar seemed to be civilian, although a few armored silhouettes here and there must have been mercs. It looked like they were just out for a good time.
So there we were, Delina and I, leaning on the balcony railing and observed at the scenery. Yes, scenery. In a place with no windows and flimsy lighting.
Strippers. We were looking at strippers. Delina seemed to have no reservations about the deal, so I quelled what little shame I had about the deal. Shit, I wasn't about to protest too much. These Asari were damned good at what they did, true professionals – not just the washed up dancers like on Omega.
"So, which one do you think has the best show?" Delina asked, gesturing to the dancers but not actually looking away.
"I hadn't thought about it that way..." I began. "Besides, I doubt Asari go for the same qualities as humans."
"Bah. Don't try to fool me, being all culturally sensitive all of a sudden. Your conscience getting to you?"
"No, it's…" I began to protest, then thought twice about arguing that. "Aw hell. I guess the one on the far left. I really like her markings?"
It was true. She did have a crazy tribal pattern of dark blue and white markings running from her eyes to her shoulders and down her left arm. And there was something about the way she moved. Like she had killed before. Like she wanted to again. It was strangely mesmerizing.
Delina stifled a laugh, presumably at my choice. "Those markings are silly. I've seen lots of Asari like her. Badass wannabes."
"Well then." I shot back. "Since you're such a good judge of character, which would be your pick?"
"I'd say the one in the middle." She shrugged a little, gesturing to the blankfaced Asari dancing twenty meters away.
"Any reason for that?"
"Nice ass."
I nodded slowly, rather taken aback unsure how to respond to such a crass comment. I should have expected something like that from Delina. "That's… ok."
"What, you disagree?" Delina asked, putting me on the spot.
"No…" I shook my head, looking ahead noting to myself: Delina's got a point. "I just didn't expect you to be so outright about it."
"Oh, here we go." Delina rolled her eyes and fell into a diatribe. "Everything's fine until I see nice qualities in other Asari and comment on them. Goddess forbid I like something you like. That it?"
Good gravy, she could be vindictive. I replied simply "No."
The arms specialist narrowed her eyes at me for a moment, trying to stare me down. "You know what I am, and you told me you didn't have a problem with that. Better not have changed your mind."
"Even if I had, I sure as hell wouldn't say so."
"Good answer." She smirked, then looked back to the dancers.. "So then what didn't you expect?"
My gaze ended up wandering the same direction. It was blood hard not to stare. "That you'd be so… crude about it."
"It's not crude. It was a fucking observation." Delina shot back. She didn't even sound mad about it.
We stood in contemplative silence for several seconds more, then suddenly I felt someone grab my shoulder. Just as I was about to flip the hell out, Kaira pulled herself in between Delina and I.
"I thought I told you both to stay out of trouble." The commander noted, looking at Delina then I.
The arms specialist glanced around. "I don't see any bodies. I consider that a success."
Kaira shook her head. "Well, with the two of you, I suppose that's a success." She paused. "Now, are you two going to leave on your own willpower, or am I going to have to use force?"
"No need for that commander. We were just waiting on you - and now you're here." I responded quickly and cheerfully.
"Good. Let's go then."
Delina and I exchanged glances of "If someone has to fess up for this, it's going to be YOU!" as we fell into line behind the commander. We stepped back out onto the equivalent of the sidewalk and Rana greeted us with a bemused look.
Kaira spoke again. "In hindsight, I should have divided us into more responsible teams."
"That worked out just fine." Delina shrugged. She sure didn't have a problem with how things turned out. Neither did I.
The commander shook her head. "Alright, alright. I get it. Now, we do actually have a mission. What were you able to find out?"
"Some gang called 'The Knights,' ran out of the lowest levels." Delina responded, back to business for a minute.
"Good. Sounds like the other gang is close to there, too. As are the pirates. Let's go show these people how it's done - when you're done gawking off."
"Forrest..." Delina charged.
"What?" I came right back. "I remember you being pretty enthralled, too."
"Wow, you remembered? That was a good two minutes ago now."
Kaira interrupted our bickering. "Do you two act this way when I'm not around? Because if you do, I'm disappointed. If you don't, I'm not as impressed as you're fooling yourselves into thinking."
Delina and I just exchanged glances and shrugged, but didn't say anything more. No need to give the commander a larger headache then she already had on her hands.
xxxx
Kaira and Rana had found more intel on their quest. Apart from the locations of the other gang and the pirates, there was also access to some maintenance stairways. Apparently, they thought that only workers would be able to get access. They were wrong. I didn't know what the commander had done to get us in, but I figured it would be better to leave that subject alone.
The smaller of the two gangs was our first target – and ironically, the highest up in the levels. We had managed to sneak into their warehouse undetected, but we were easily outnumbered 10 to 1. It would have been a hell of a fight – and Delina definitely seemed up to it. But instead, we edged around their forces and got into their supply stations. Kaira carefully procured a small vial, and added it to their water system. In theory, most of them would drink the water… and also whatever that was. They hadn't done anything terribly wrong, so I only hoped it would only knock them out.
We still had to worry about getting out without notice. One merc had come over and proceeded to take a nap against a shipping container along our route. To his credit – and benefit – he was a sound sleeper. For once, I was happy to run across a slacker.
And so we quickly made it back into the maintenance stairwell. Once safely down another level, Kaira let out a short sigh of relief.
"Just what was that you added to their water?" I questioned, trying not to be too condescending.
"Only some simple neurotoxins. It'll knock them down for a while, but shouldn't kill them."
"And you just happen to be carrying that kind of thing with you?"
"You got it. It doesn't weigh much, and is invaluable in the right situations. I like to be prepared. Anyway, the local authorities can come down and clean the aftermath up themselves. It should be easy enough."
"Yeah, collect up a few unconscious bodies… that's really hard. I hope they can handle it." Delina snorted, voice dripping with sarcasm.
"I hope so too. Now, to our next target: the pirates. We're getting close, and according to intel, it's a smaller operation. We should be able to take them on if they don't stand down."
"Good. I don't like this sneaky shit." Delina muttered before we continued down one more set of stairs and were greeted by an open door. Kaira gave us a quick hand gesture towards the wall. We fell into place two on each side of the door and waited. I could hear them talking nearby. From the sounds of it, a Turian and a Batarian.
"We should be able to hit that club tonight. We have it all planned out, all you have to do is walk in the front and herd those fools into the ship."
"You think it'll be good enough?"
"Hell, it's our biggest haul yet. Besides, boss said he doesn't care what shape they're in."
"Yeah. Ok. I'll be ready. I'll take Jorak and Khelar with me, then."
"Good. The shuttle will be up at 0900."
Kaira gave us another signal to move up. Thankfully, there was a big crate right in front of the open doorway, so we were able to continue moving up without notice. We all lined up with our backs against the metal cover. She gave us another hand signal, meaning lay low, and then leaned towards us and spoke a tiny whisper. "Rana, hack the doors and lock them in. We'll give them a chance to surrender first."
"Done." The engineer had only taken a few seconds to complete the task.
"Good. Be ready for a fight." She nodded once and stood up. The rest of us followed suit, drawing our usual weapons. It only took a second to survey out the situation. There were about ten pirates and then the two ringleaders. We had lots of cover, but so did they. They immediately took notice, and drew their weapons. There were only Turians and Batarians, but they all wore the same grey armor adorned with a solid red right arm – and they did seem to have good equipment. They weren't freelancers. Whoever they were working for wasn't going to take any risks of having them underprepared.
"What… what are you doing down here! I thought we had the main entrances blocked!" The lead Turian was clearly caught off guard. I took it he wasn't here to fight a land war, just infiltrate. Too bad for him.
"It doesn't matter how I got here. I overheard your little conversation, and I'll suggest that you change your plans for this evening."
"Oh yeah? What if we don't want to?"
"Then it'll be more than a subtle suggestion. No fight, you walk out of here alive. Otherwise, things might not end up so well for you." Kaira flared her biotics, making it clear that she meant business.
It seemed like a reasonable offer. But the pirates exchanged glances, drew their weapons, and began diving for various cover. We did the same. Kaira and I took cover behind a crate right in the middle, and the other two commandos ducked down on our flanks. As I came to a stop next to Kaira, I gave her a shrug. "It was worth a try."
She looked disappointed. "Maybe. I figured this would happen." She paused, then addressed all of us. "Clear to engage!"
With that, I swung out to the side and fired on the closest exposed merc. But instead of the shotgun shavings hitting his armor, they were simply greeted by a flash of blue upon impact. Damn. Shields. I thought, pulling back into cover. Strong shields, at that.
Rana caught my attention from her cover several meters away, gesturing furiously. She kept pointing at her forearm, then to the pirates, and then to me again…
Ah yeah. My omni-tool. I brought it up, keyed up an overload function, then leapt out of cover and flicked two fingers at the still-exposed merc. A burst of electricity confirmed the success of my poorly aimed overload, and with his shields down I fired another shotgun round. That one hit him square in the chest and took him down.
With that technique in mind, I looked for my next target. Just when I had a fix on a Batarian, his head seemed to blow out to one side, shields and all. Score one for our sniper. I ducked back behind cover again, and spotted a shotgun-wielding Turian trying to flank Rana. There was a clear path between shipping containers, so I knew I'd have immediate cover if I took him down. I stood up, let my biotics flare, and went right into a charge to cover the 20 meters in a split millisecond. I smacked into the merc, knocked him off balance. A shotgun blast took down his shields and sent him staggering back, giving me a chance to load another round and seal the deal. Another blast.
Already about half of them were down for the count. I leaned out of cover long enough to deliver the final blast to a pirate more concerned with staying out of Delina's sights. I pulled back into cover, and then felt my barrier flicker. I glanced up to see another goon up on top of the shipping container, aiming another shotgun blast at my head. Before he could pull it off, I panicked and hit him with a throw – sending him flying and screaming over the other pirates. Judging by the sudden lack of screaming following the thud of his landing, he wasn't going to be a problem for a while.
I caught a glimpse of another merc trying to flank Delina. I knew she could take care of it herself, but I didn't like being in the same spot too long. With that in mind I stood up and thrust my shoulders forward again and closed the gap. A single blast to the torso at that range made light work of both shields and armor, clearing me to duck into cover next to Delina.
"Show-off." She hissed.
"You're welcome." I quipped before peeking back out above the cover. Only two mercs left. One was suddenly locked down in a stasis trap, but the other was making a run for it – about 25 meters away.
I don't think so. I scrambled out of cover, climbing onto the crate, powering my biotics and then launching myself into another charge. I crashed right into his back and he fell flat forward. That had actually worked better than I had planned, so I placed a boot in the middle of the Batarian's back and kept my shotgun ready. Hoped I wouldn't have to use it. "She said walk away, not run away."
"You've got no idea who you're messing with!" He protested, almost on the brink of sounding nonsensical.
"Is that right?" Kaira spoke, almost right behind me. She moved fast for not charging. She motioned for me to stop standing on the dude. I complied. The commander continued. "I'm a Spectre, and I need answers. You're going to help me out here. Understood?"
She had her assault rifle drawn for once. Didn't leave the merc much room to talk, but he tried anyway. "Listen, it's not how it sounds! I just need to complete this job, and then I can fall of the grid! I can't say anything about it… or who I work for!"
"No. you're going to give me a name."
"Please! You don't understand! I can't! if I -"
"No excuses." Her finger moved onto the trigger.
"Alright… I…" he trailed off, and looked down at the ground for a moment. It seemed like he was afraid of more than just Kaira. "What they do to us… I won't be able to – ok, ok! I work for the Cont-"
Without warning, his head exploded. Literally. I wiped some bloody bits off my arm, and looked at Kaira. "At least we know he wasn't lying about that."
Delina walked up, surveyed the carnage, and looked the commander. "Well… I guess he went out with a bang."
Despite blood and brain matter everywhere, I reluctantly laughed. Kaira just shook her head and said, "Whoever they were working from didn't want his identity revealed. Although… It's concerning to hear what they were planning."
"Do you think there is any correlation between this and the pirate ship we apprehended several weeks past?" Rana offered.
"Maybe. Both were going for massive numbers of prisoners, regardless of age, capabilities or race. Rana, see if you can hack one of their omni-tools."
The younger commando nodded, and took the tech device off of the headless merc. While she began hacking, I went and investigated the Turian who had previously been the ringleader. I could see nothing externally wrong, so I brought up my own omni-tool. The scans were disturbing, to say the least. There was a small circuit board mounted at the base of his skull, wired directly into his brain and to an explosive charge. I glanced back to Kaira, who was just standing with her chin in hand. "Commander, you might want to see this."
I held my left arm out so she could see the scan. The commander commented: "Damn. I wish I had known. It shouldn't have ended like that for that other merc."
"You couldn't have known. He was a criminal anyway." I offered.
"Criminal or not, he would have been useful. I didn't intend on killing him, nor did I want to. I could have found other ways."
"Right. Point taken." I nodded, considering what she had just said.
"Well, keep that data. We might be able to find something useful from the design."
"Yes ma'am." A few taps and it was successfully backed up. I was beginning to really like the modded omni-tool.
"Commander? You may want to see this as well." Rana spoke with a tinge of urgency in her voice. As we turned our attention to her work, I noticed a dialog had come up from the pirate's omni-tool. Almost like a communicator. Without warning, the flat line upon the screen broke into a jagged wave and we were greeted by a deep, gruff voice. Not machine, but close. It was modulated at least.
"517th commando unit. I see it is now necessary to give you a single warning. Do not interfere with my operations further. I will not tolerate your meddling."
"Why are you doing this? What are using these people for?" Kaira snapped.
"Spectre, there are matters out of your realm of comprehension. I am doing what the weak cannot." He seemed to already know who we were. That was probably bad. "For the sake of your squad, for T'Lan, T'Kasan, and Jackson, forget about this incident. Do not cross me."
First off, how the fuck did he know me? Second, who the hell was this thing behind the modulated voice? I was starting to patch things together. "You're the Contractor, aren't you?"
There was a moment of silence.
"So you have fit the pieces together. Perhaps now you have a name with which to store the file. But step down. You are running on borrowed time as it is, Jackson."
Without another word, the transition cut.
The four of us stood there in silence and shock. I was wondering what the hell had just happened. And what was going to happen yet. It was probably bad. Really bad.
Rana was the first to speak. "This 'contractor' sounds like a force to be reckoned with – both with information and a private army."
"Maybe. Did you find anything useful on the omni-tool?"
"Nothing of any use. Simply some layouts for their planned job and weapons caches. There are also passwords for the latter, but those are of little use. According to their logs, most of their weapons are here in this room."
"Damn. So nothing," Kaira shook her head. "This isn't good. That Contractor has far too much information and too many plans."
"So what are we gonna do?" Delina asked.
"Get information on him, track him down, and shut him down." Kaira replied. "But for the time being, we're here. We've only got one more gang to take care of. Let's do that and see what we can make from the data we got here."
xxxx
The final assault was only three levels down in yet another warehouse.
Why the hell did we always have to fight in warehouses?
Anyway, we seemed to be alone for the time being. None of us thought it would remain that way for long and we all had our weapons drawn. We advanced in our usual formation: Kaira in the center, Delina on her left wing, and Rana then me on the right. If anything was here, we'd be ready… As far as I could see, there wasn't a lot of cover here besides heavy crates near the walls. Otherwise, it was a decent sized room with only a small bunkhouse about a fifty meters away.
And bam. A wide door slammed to the ground as a Krogan stomped out of the bunkhouse. Krogan were big, but this one had the shiny grey armor to make it about the size of a small tank. And then his henchmen; about a dozen Vorcha. The lead tank began bellowing. "Offworlders, we are the Knights of Zavalon! You are given this chance to flee, taking the rest of your scum with you. We will return this world to those who it rightfully belongs!"
"Ironic, since no known race is known to originate here." Rana commented quietly enough for only us – and not the raging Krogan – to hear.
But we didn't run. And that worked him up more. "You were given the chance to flee, but now your only way out is in a bag. Troops, attaaaaack!"
Before the first Vorcha could move, his head caved away in perfect time with the crack of a sniper to my left. Delina hadn't even bothered get into cover before opening fire. Kaira made a dash for the same side, while Rana and I were closer to the other side. As the Krogan slowly lumbered towards us, the Vorcha had charged. With a singularity, some pistol, shotgun, and sniper fire, they didn't last long. Honestly, the more I fought Vorcha, the less impressive they were.
That just left the Krogan. Four against one, the odds were in our favor. He let out a final battle roar and then reached for the weapon on his back. To my surprise, it wasn't a gun of any type… it was a sword. A damn big sword, at that – probably as long as I was tall. Wielding it in his right hand, he began a much quicker approach.
I quickly toggled an overcharge shot on my shotgun and let it fly. It hit him square in the chest. He only stumbled back and when he recovered, he was madder than before. He was fixed on me. That gave Rana the chance to get to safer cover while I let him close in. Once he was about five meters away, I leapt into a biotic charge. The impact sent him off balance slightly, giving me the chance to deliver one shotgun blast, strafe around to the other side, and deliver another. He was massive, but I was smaller and faster.
I backpedaled like hell as he turned. I was far too close when he had that sword. Even as I jumped back, the tip of the blade caught my right shoulder. It was just a glancing blow, but it was enough to send the armor pad flying. An unwelcome sting made its way into the slashed armor as I ducked underneath another swing. I didn't get another shot in before I charged away, making sure to get well out of range.
I could hear persistent fire as I exchanged the shotgun for my assault and dropped to one knee. One burst. Two bursts. Three bursts. All twelve rounds hit him in the chest. No effect. The rest of my squad was barraging him too. No effect. That was bad, since he was still focused on smashing me with his goddamn sword.
I charged out of the way again, making damn sure to stay out of CQC range.
"Stupid. Squishies!" The Krogan roared before changing direction and smashing right through the kaira and Delina's cover. They were able to get out of his way easily enough, and I continued to lay on the rifle fire from fifty meters back.. Kaira tried to put him in stasis, but apparently he was too big for it to have any affect and he proceeded to thrash through more cover.
I switched to incendiary ammo, hoping for a different effect. Several more bursts, and he was partially on fire. It distracted him, giving the other three commandos time to flank him while he swatted at some fire on his helmet. At least that got his attention. Once again, he found me the most annoying. I barely dropped and rolled out of his path and he sprinted back across the hold. A vertical swing impacted the floor I had stood just a moment before. I scrambled back to my feet and fired off several more bursts. I continued to sidestep as he drew his sword back again, firing somewhat wildly from the hip and trying to stay out of striking range. Easier said than done.
This continued for what seemed like hours. Circle, shoot, dodge, repeat. I could barely hear other weapons being fired somewhere, but otherwise it seemed silent. Just the fight. I had never thought that the sword would beat the gun, but now it was beginning to look like that might be the case.
"Jackson, I've got an idea if you can just lure him back towards that building!" Kaira spoke over the commset. I glanced, and then charged that way. A giant fuel talk was right over my head. That would definitely take out the Krogan… but my own odds just decreased significantly. Whether he took note of the surroundings or not, the warlord hesitated.
"What, you ain't got the plates to keep fighting?" I taunted the Krogan. I knew it was literally playing with fire, but it worked.
"Offworlder, you don't even have plates! Nothing more than an annoying lurric!" With even more rage, he charged. I waited until he was almost on top of me before throwing myself to the side.
"Good – if you can just keep him there for a few seconds, we'll try to bring that tank down. Be ready to get out of there fast!"
I nodded. Now, the Krogan and I were in an even closer match. After ducking under another swing, I fired up my biotics and charged again. This time, the impact was enough to send the Krogan stumbling back. I took the opportunity to retreat out of what I thought was range. But as he lashed out again, I found out it wasn't – right as the tip of the sword slashed through my chest plate. It didn't go deep, but the blow sent me spinning to the ground. Once down, I rolled as fast as I could, drawing the M-280 since my AR had gone flying. After narrowly missing a vertical blow that shook the ground, I fired a shot from my horizontal position. It only distracted him, but It bought me precious time to scramble back to my feet.
But I was nowhere near out of range. I didn't have time for anything else as another swing came around horizontally, so I just threw myself backwards. But I wasn't fast enough; the flat of the blade slammed into my chest and sent me flying.
I flailed, trying to get my feet back under me before I landed. Flying was a familiar feeling, but never had I been batted away like that. I must have gone at least thirty meters in the air. No doubt I was out of control, but I still managed to get turned back around and facing the direction of travel – just in time to see a shocked commando right in my landing. Rana. It would have made a glorious tackle if that was what I was trying for, but I hadn't really been aiming for that. And I crashed into her, sending both of us down. I hit the ground first, getting rolled over several times before coming to a stop on my back. I didn't want to move. I knew the adrenaline would wear off in a moment.
That moment didn't last long. I felt someone shake my shoulders just as the pain hit. I couldn't pinpoint it over the panic of trying to take a breath, and I wasn't about to get up. A second later, I heard – or rather felt, an ground-shaking explosion. Probably the end of that Krogan… Finally, I got enough breath to think again and try sitting up. Someone immediately grabbed my shoulder and helped as I sat up. I finally had wit enough to open my eyes. Rana was crouched next to me waving her free hand in front of my helmet.
"…come on, can you hear me?!" Her voice finally began to register. I nodded. The alarmed look on her face faded slightly. "Are you alright?"
"I'm…alive." Was all I managed to say. If that hadn't broken a rib or two… well, it felt like it had. No disappointment there. Despite her feeble attempt at keeping me seated, I lunged forward and got my feet back under me. Staring at the floor was the best I could do for a moment until I got things back under some control. With an effort, my breathing returned to its normal depth. I looked back to Rana. She was standing, but still had her hand on my shoulder. I asked, "Are you ok though?"
"I am fine. You took the worst of the fall." That and a simple nod answered my question.
The slash of red blood across her chest made me panic again. Wait, no… they have purple blood. I tried to reason with myself. I glanced down, realizing it was from my own injuries. Woops. I made a motion towards the bloodstain on Rana. "Sorry... about that."
"It is the least of our concerns right now." She replied, taking some medical glue out of her belt and trying to apply it to the gash across my chest. "Please hold still."
"Unless it's contagious." Delina added morbidly.
"It doesn't look that bad, but I'm sorry." Kaira apologized. "That was a risky diversion."
"It worked." I shrugged, wincing as I tried to walk off the hurt. "But next time we have to fight a Krogan with a sword, I'm running the hell away. Between almost getting blown up, and then swatted away like a lurric…" I started to laugh for a second. Big mistake. I let out a yelp and I clutched at my ribs.
"Get over it. They're probably just fractured." The arms specialist grumbled.
"How are you otherwise?" the commander continued, intentionally ignoring Delina.
"Fine. Ready to move." I cautiously took a deep breath.
"Are you sure? Doesn't exactly look like you are."
I smirked. "It's going to hurt more tomorrow, so might as well keep going today."
"That's what I like to hear. Good work." Kaira gave me a slap on the other shoulder, and then headed back towards the managerial building that was right past the big charred spot. Delina just nodded at me before following suit.
"Are you alright?" I motioned towards Rana with my chin.
"I was going to ask you the same. I only took a slight blow."
"Yeah, well… I guess I should thank you. For being there to catch me when I fell." I grinned at my half-joke.
"I do not believe that is as amusing as you think." She shook her head with some bemusement, probably at me, and added, "Regardless, you are welcome."
I sort of chuckled, careful not to disturb my ribs.
"I do not see how you can be so upbeat after taking such abuse."
"Well, we did just defeat a bulletproof Krogan. That's reason enough for me."
She gave me a final questioning look, but remained silent.
xxxx
We had made it almost all the way back the Akina. There was no other business to deal with, so our route was direct. I even recognized the current level of the industrial district. And then I also recognized the same security detail standing between us and freedom. Oh, and the lead Asari looked even more pissed off than before.
"Do you realize what a bureaucratic nightmare this has become? First, there are reports of a tremor as far up as level 18, next we receive reports of businesses getting shaken down, and then we receive word about a small war going on in the lower levels! This is nons-"
"Get over it. You'd be up to your neck in shit if we hadn't done what we did." Delina snapped before shouldering her way past.
The guard seemed only to get more worked up by that. "And finally, there's the worst part. The reports of an unidentified, bloody mess of an alien have been streaming in! This is a tourist world – if they see something like that, they won't come back. Simple as that. And we need them to come back – everyone here depends on it." She took a step towards me, really getting in my face. "I don't care if you're with a Spectre. This destructive behavior is unacceptable! It is my job to see that all operations remain under control…"
Her voice trailed off in my mind, turning into an indistinct buzzing. Her mouth continued to move, as did her arms to illustrate her mute points. I wasn't sure what she was trying to tell me; all I knew was the ringing was getting louder and louder. Finally, enough was enough. I leaned back, rocked over my right foot, and held nothing back as I smashed forehead to forehead. A dull crack ended the ringing, and things went blank for a moment. When I could see straight again, she was sitting on the ground and clutching her head.
"Save it for someone else. I'm not in the mood for your crap." I growled before followed Delina's lead of leaving. I did remember to hold my arm in the sliding door to let the remaining two commandos pass through.
Once we were well out on the skyway, Kaira looked at me, shook her head, and grinned. "You know, for once I've seen someone be more violent than Delina."
"I would not consider that a good thing." Rana added.
"Normally, maybe not. But it shut that guard up, and that's a good thing." The commander countered. She gave me another glance. "But you know… you're hard on equipment, kid. You've already broken a shotgun and an assault rifle. And now that armor is done. The entire shield interface got fried."
"Well, I guess that means I'll have to take it easy for a while. Commander's orders." I joked.
"Nice try. I don't think so."
xxxx