A/N: Alrighty folks! It's finally here. Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the bonus chapter, but I know you've all been waiting for this one. Again, sorry for the delay, but sometimes real life is a pain. Anywho, enough talking. Enjoy the chapter!
Briefing Time
A beeping from my omni-tool wakes me up. Well, it's nice to see that my alarm still works, even though I really wish it didn't right now. I guess it's 9:00. Still have no clue why I decided to wake up at 9…
But whatever. I tap a few buttons on my omni-tool and turn the alarm off. Despite not going to bed until around 1:00 am, I actually feel surprisingly rested. Maybe it's the fact that I'm not trying to sleep through the constant sound of gunshots, screams, and aircars that you get on Omega. I kinda forgot how silently the Normandy runs.
Well, no sense in lying here any longer. With a small groan, I sit up and swing my feet off the bed, sitting on the edge for a few moments. While I try to build up the mental strength to actually get up, my thoughts wander to yesterday. I honestly can't believe all the shit that happened in one day: Jenny comes back, I rejoin the Normandy crew, we save Ian and Garrus, Garrus almost dies. The list goes on and on. And of course there were the various interactions with the crew, culminating in a late night chat with Jenny, just like old times. I forgot how fun Questions was.
I take a deep breath and slowly exhale, finally deciding that I need to get up. Jenny said last night that we'd be reaching Korlus around noon, so I guess that's why I woke up this early: I want to be fully awake for the mission. Though…I'm not actually sure that I'm on the mission. But I guess it's better to be safe than sorry.
Now that I remember why I woke up, I can get started on my morning. Grabbing some clean clothes and toiletries, I head up to deck three to take a shower. Luckily there's no one else in here, leaving me in peace. The warm water helps relieve some knots that I have from yesterday, and for some reason, this sort of feels like me washing off the residue of Omega. I know that that horrible shit hole has left its mark on me—though I'm still not sure how much of a mark—but it's symbolic, you know? It's a sort of final reminder that I'm back where I belong.
I turn the water off when I feel like I've been in here long enough. I walk up to the mirror and dry my hair, following that with lathering up my face with shaving cream. Luckily, my face survives the process, so I get dressed and find a place to store my bathroom stuff. I don't want to lug them back and forth every time I want a shower. Now if only there was a way to deal with my dirty clothes.
And over on the wall, there's totally a laundry chute. Awesome. I toss my dirty clothes in there and walk out of the bathroom, freshly shaved and clean as a whistle. Out on the crew deck, I don't hear any conversation from the mess hall. That's odd. I'd think at least someone would be in there talking over breakfast. Even some of the Cerberus crew that we never really learn much about. You know, I'm actually looking forward to meeting them. The only one I can remember from the game is Hadley. I forget where his station is, but for some reason, I remember his name.
Whatever. I can eat in peace, I suppose. Wonder what Gardner cooked up for breakfast. Rounding the corner, I'm surprised to see Garrus sitting at a table, staring down into a cup. He looks…I'm not really sure. I don't think I've ever seen that look on him. It certainly doesn't look happy, though. I quickly scope out the rest of the mess hall and don't see anyone else. I guess Rupert is off doing something. Well, no sense in creeping anymore.
"Hey, Garrus," I say, walking over to Rupert's table. Luckily he has some food laid out, so I grab a plate and sit across from the former vigilante. He looks up from his cup for a moment, but his gaze quickly returns down.
"Morning, Dylan," he mutters. He seems content to leave it at that, so I guess I'll just eat my breakfast. I can't really tell what it is…but I'm hungry enough not to care. I take a bite and—
—Have to force myself to swallow it. That…that might just break some sort of galactic convention. The thing is, it doesn't actually taste that bad, but it also has a sort of unnerving consistency to it. My mind shies away from finding words to describe it. I slowly and deliberately push the plate away from me, eliciting a small chuckle from Garrus.
"I see you've discovered Gardner's cooking," he says dryly.
"Is that why you're only drinking whatever that is?" I ask. I was about to say coffee, but then I saw that it's actually purple.
"Well, he doesn't have any dextro ingredients, so until we stop somewhere we can get some, I'm stuck with MREs." He pauses and seems to think of something. "I actually don't think that's a bad thing."
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." I get up and put the tray back where I found it and walk over to the cupboard. I'm sure Jenny won't mind if I take a few breakfast bars…
"So how are you feeling, big guy?" I ask once I sit down again.
"Well, considering I'm even sitting here after taking a shot that, by all rights, should have killed me, I can't really complain, can I?"
He's got a point. Under normal circumstances, he probably should have died from that shot. You know, I just thought of something. Has Ian told Garrus about Death? And going off that, does he know what Ian did during the surgery? I'm curious, but that's not really the sort of thing that you just ask someone. I guess I'll have to either lead up to the question or get him to tell me himself.
"Do you remember anything after getting shot?"
He takes a deep breath and exhales slowly, looking back down into his cup. "Not really. I don't even think I heard the shot. There was the briefest moment of pain, but then it went black." He quickly glances around then lowers his voice. "I had a brief chat with your tall, skinny friend." His voice returns back to normal. "I woke up in the med bay with Mordin and Chakwas fretting over me."
Well I suppose that answers my question about Death. I guess Ian told him at some point. Well that's good. Means I can talk freely with Garrus, too.
"I still can't believe Ian agreed to that game," I say, keeping my voice low. There's a sort of oppressive silence that follows my statement, and the temperature of the room seems to drop a few degrees. I look up from my breakfast bar to see Garrus giving me a frosty stare. Uh oh…I think I might have messed up.
"What was this Ian agreed to?" he asks, deathly quiet. Oh yeah, I definitely dropped the ball on this one. Shit.
"You know, maybe I should let him explain this—"
"What did he agree to, Dylan?" He, uh, sounds a bit angry. It might be in my best interests to not mess about.
"While you were in surgery, I was out here talking to Ian, trying to calm him down. Suddenly, our tall, skinny friend appeared right after I had gotten Ian to stop crying. As you can imagine, his appearance didn't really help Ian feel better."
"Just get to the point, Dylan." Oh, wow. He's really not messing around.
"Alright, alright, I just wanted to provide some context. Long story short, Ian agreed to play our friend in a game of poker for your life. If Ian won, you'd be safe. If he lost, our friend would take him instead of you. Because you ended up fine either way, Ian didn't see any downside."
"He did what?"
Yeah, that's about the reaction I was expecting. Hands slammed into table, half standing up, angry look in his eye. You know, the usual. It was all I could do not to flinch back…much.
"Garrus, calm down," I say, really hoping he takes my advice. "It all worked out in the end."
"What was he thinking, pulling a stunt like that?"
"He was thinking he would save your life, Garrus. Wouldn't you have done the same?"
He opens his mouth to retort, but my words seem to have brought him up short. "You're right," he says after a moment. "But that doesn't explain why he would be so distant afterwards."
"Really? I'd have thought he wouldn't let you go."
"Oh, he didn't. He kept physical contact all night. But at the same time…" He trails off, shaking his head.
"What's wrong, Garrus?" I ask, giving him a slightly concerned look. "I don't want to pry, but Ian's my friend, too."
"It was strange," he says after a moment. "He was clingy, but he was distant at the same time. He wanted to be close, but he didn't want to talk about it at all. Anytime I tried to bring it up, he dodged the question. Did he say anything to you when you talked with him?"
I think back to the conversation we had before Death showed up. One part of it stands out fairly prominently. "He feels guilty."
Garrus gives me a curious look. "Guilty? About what?"
"The squad."
For a long while, Garrus just sits there. I can't even begin to imagine what's going through his head right now.
"I thought I told him it wasn't his fault," he mutters after a while.
"I tried telling him the same thing, Garrus, but he feels like someone needs the blame. In his mind, he deserves it."
"The only one to blame is Sidonis," Garrus growls. Ok…that was kinda scary.
"I know that, Garrus. Again, I tried explaining that to him, but he wouldn't listen. I don't really know what to do."
"I'll try talking to him. If that doesn't work, we'll just have to think of something."
"Alright. If anyone can help him, it's you, Garrus."
"If not me, then you," he says with a small smile. I return the smile, and for a while, we talk about small, unimportant things. You know, looking back at my time on the original Normandy, I never spent much time with just Garrus. It seems like Ian was always around, too. I love the little Brit, but it's nice to have some interaction with Garrus without him around.
Over time, other crew members enter the mess hall. Zaeed comes up first, and he and Garrus start getting into arguments about who's the better merc killer. A few Cerberus crew members come in, but when they see who's sitting at our table, they choose to sit at the other one.
"I heard you killed three Suns with one shot, Garrus," I say, trying to spark a new stage of hilarious one-ups-manship.
"Well, the third one had a heart attack, so I can't really count him," Garrus says modestly.
"That's it? And here I heard Archangel was supposed to be a guddamn badass," Zaeed says. "I went into a bar on some batarian colony one time. One of the four-eyes tried to accuse me of stealing his woman. Now, ignoring the fact that I wouldn't touch a batarian woman with his dick," he points to one of the Cerberus crew, "I never go after someone else's girl. I broke a bottle over the bastard's head. Twenty minutes later, I was the only one to walk out of that bar alive."
Before Garrus can think of something to top that, Joker's voice comes over the speakers.
"All members of the ground team report to the comm room for briefing," he says. There's an audible click as he turns the PA off. The three of us share a quick look then get up from the table.
As we're standing in the elevator, I decide to check the time. Oh wow, it's 10:30. Time flies when you're having fun, right? Considering the banter they were up to earlier, Zaeed and Garrus are oddly silent during the ride up. Maybe they're getting into mission mode. Whatever, I'm happy with the silence.
The door finally opens, and the three of us walk into the briefing room. Jenny's already in here (big surprise there), and Jacob and Mordin are also here. I guess it makes sense seeing as they're both right next door. All of exchange short greetings then find a place to stand over by Mordin. I really wish there were seats in here like the old Normandy, but I guess it saves space this way.
After five minutes or so, everyone's here, and the briefing can begin.
"In about an hour, we'll be arriving at the planet Korlus," Jenny starts. "We're here to pick up the krogan warlord Okeer. His dossier has been sent to your omni-tools." And right on cue, my 'tool lights up with a new message.
Dr. Okeer
-Millennia of combat and strategic experience
-Rumored familiarity with Collector technology
A brilliant and brutal krogan warlord who fought in the Krogan Rebellions, Dr. Okeer has become obsessed with saving the krogan people from the genophage and is believed to have contacted the Collectors in an attempt to gain technology to that end. He is currently in a Blue Suns camp on Korlus, though the nature of this relationship with the mercenary group is unknown.
Well, that all seems pretty in line with the game. I never really read the dossiers, so I don't know if it's exactly the same, but the general info seems good.
"A Suns camp," Zaeed mutters. "Just fucking wonderful."
"I couldn't agree more, Zaeed," Jenny says. "Like the dossier says, we don't know if Okeer's there of his own free will. In the long run, it'll be safer to assume he's not and that we'll have to fight our way to him."
"Methods sound barbaric," Mordin says. "Curious why he is needed."
"Cerberus intel says that the doctor has had contact with the Collectors in the past," Miranda says. "He might know why they've suddenly started targeting humans."
"Even if he doesn't, Okeer fought in the Rebellions," Jenny says. "His combat experience must be astronomical."
"I wouldn't let Wrex hear you say that about another krogan," Garrus mutters. "He seems the jealous type."
I try. I really do. But I can't hold back the laughter. Jenny quickly joins me while the others look at us like we're crazy. We regain our composure after a few minutes.
"Don't worry, Garrus, Wrex'll never know," she says with a final chuckle. "Alright, back to business. We're gonna have to land about a klick away from the base to stay out of AA range. Approaching on foot should also increase our chances of getting in undetected."
"Do we know where Okeer is?" I ask, curious if we actually learn that beforehand.
"We don't have an exact location, but we can assume he'd be somewhere near the center of the base. Until we actually land and gather some more intel, we'll plan to reach the central building here." Pressing a few buttons on her omni-tool, Jenny brings up a 3D map of the base. It's not a full floor plan, but we can get a general idea of the layout of the base. "It looks like an approach from the east will offer the least resistance."
"Is there an estimate on the number of hostiles?" Jacob asks.
"Enough to make things interesting. Any other questions?"
"Who's going with you?" I ask.
She pauses for a few moments, looking around the room at everyone. "You, Miranda, Zaeed, and Ian," she says. Hmm, interesting team, but it sounds good to me. Zaeed and I will be the designated tanks, Jenny and Ian have sniping and infiltration covered, and Miranda's our biotic. "The four of you should be armored up and ready to go in half an hour in the shuttle bay. Dismissed."
Well, it's good to see that Jenny's briefing methods haven't changed. They've always been short, sweet, and to the point, and I'm perfectly fine with that. Gives me plenty of time to get ready. My first stop is deck five to put on my armor's undersuit. Once that's on, I'm back up to deck two and the armory. When I walk in, Ian's in there getting his stuff together. It also looks like he's in the middle of a conversation with Jacob.
"Where'd you find that thing, Ian?" the Cerberus operative asks as Ian straps the sword to his back. You know, I've been wondering the same thing ever since I saw him put it on back at his base.
"I found it in a merc base," he says.
"What was a merc doing with an HVB?" An HVB? The hell's that?
"Well, the base was actually a lieutenant's mansion. The bastard had a thing for interesting weapons."
"He probably didn't like you taking it, then," I say, walking up next to Ian and starting to put my armor on.
"He wasn't alive long enough to complain about it," Ian says coldly. I quickly glance up to see if he's joking around, but his face is completely stoic. Ok…
"So do you have any training with that?" Jacob asks, steering the conversation away from wherever it was going.
"Some, but not as much as I'd like. Maybe I'll get some in on this mission."
Jacob gives a small sigh. "Wish I could be going with you."
"You got shot yesterday, Jacob," I say with a smile, getting the last pieces of armor on. "You deserve a little time off."
"I've never really been a good patient. Recovery always seems to take too long."
"Well unless we go on two missions again today, I think you'll be ready for the next one," I tell him.
"Here's hoping," he says with a small smile of his own. "Good luck down there, guys."
"Thanks, Jacob. Hope the leg feels better." I put my guns in their proper spots and grab my mask. I'll put that on right before we land. Looking over at Ian, he just nods, and we walk out of the armory together.
When the elevator finally reaches us, it's empty. As it starts to descend, I actually decide to hold off on starting a conversation. I think back to the talk I had with Garrus and think that Ian might not be in the mood right now. There was also that thing with the merc lieutenant. I've never heard him talk about killing in such a…blasé fashion. I think Garrus is right; someone needs to really talk with Ian.
The elevator opens to deck five, and we step out into the shuttle bay. Jenny's already standing next to the shuttle, so Ian and I go stand with her. No one says anything, and it's barely not an awkward silence. After about five minutes, Zaeed and Miranda join us. The old merc is wearing an evil-looking smile, and the Cerberus operative is giving him an icy glare. I can only imagine the conversation they had in the elevator.
With everyone finally here, Jenny motions for us to get in the shuttle. Just like my elevator ride with Ian, the trip down to the planet is silent. No one seems to be in a talkative mood. While I'm fine with silence, I'm used to others around me talking before a mission. It's a little strange and a tiny bit unnerving.
"Thirty seconds, Commander," a voice says from the cockpit of the shuttle.
"Roger that, Hawthorne," Jenny says. Then she looks at the rest of us. "Everyone ready?" We all give some sort of affirmative. "Good. Now remember, the longer we can stay undetected, the better. Ian and I should be able to handle most patrols, but any engagement is gonna need to be over quickly. Understood?" Another round of confirmations. "Then let's go."
The shuttle comes to a stop and the door opens. The five of us quickly exit the vehicle and get behind some nearby cover. When no shots come our way, we cautiously stand up and start proceeding towards the base.
"There is only one measure of success: kill or be killed!" The sudden voice makes all of us freeze in our tracks. "Perfection is your goal!" Everyone seems to realize that the voice isn't coming from someone close by, and that's when we notice the speakers. Wow, I forgot about that part of this mission.
"Broadcasting orders over a loudspeaker? Charming," Miranda says, voice absolutely dripping with contempt.
"I get the feeling I'm gonna like killing her," Zaeed mutters.
"My guess is that she's in charge of this base," Jenny says. "Okeer is still our primary objective. Let's keep moving, but keep an eye out for patrols."
The path that we set down on is absolutely littered with debris and garbage. Actually, the whole planet is that way. I guess they weren't kidding about the whole "Dumpster of the Galaxy" title for this place. It really does look like a shithole.
As we approach a bend in the trail, the same voice comes over the loudspeaker. I honestly don't pay it much attention. It started spouting off shit about empires and armies. I don't really care, and looking at the others, they don't seem to either.
"Stop," Ian says right before we round the corner. "Four people around the bend. Let me take a look." He presses a few buttons on his omni-tool and suddenly vanishes. Holy crap! That little bastard got a tactical cloak! Son of a bitch!
There's a faint shimmer in the air where Ian used to be. If I look really closely, I think I can almost see where he is. Maybe. I could just be imagining things. About five seconds later, he shimmers back into view. He's crouching behind some cover, and he puts a finger to the side of his helmet.
"There's a small outpost at the end of a short straightaway," he says over the radio. "I only see two on the walls, so the others must be inside. I can cloak again and take out one of the guards. Shepard, you should be able to take out the other in the confusion. Once we do that, the others should be able to storm the outpost."
"Copy that, Ian," Jenny says. In response, Ian just cloaks again.
"Three…two…one…"
The crack of a sniper rifle fills the air, and in an instant, Jenny is around the corner taking aim. A second later, a second shot flies down range. And that's our cue to move up. Miranda, Zaeed, and I round the corner and advance towards the enemy position at a crouch run. Zaeed and I are in the lead with Miranda about a meter behind us. We charge up the ramp to the outpost, Zaeed going left and me going right.
I quickly scan my side of the room, Mattock at the ready. Surprisingly, I don't see anyone. I glance towards the back entrance and find one of the mercs running away. Well, we can't have that, now, can we? Though now that I think about it, don't we need intel? Maybe this guy could provide that for us.
He's already got a decent head start: enough where I'm not sure I could catch him. Well I need to stop him from reaching any of his friends…assuming he hasn't already radioed for help…
Not wasting any more time, I decide that I can't be bothered by whittling his shields down. Instead, I open my omni-tool and send an overload his way. I see a burst of electricity flow across his armor, and he stumbles a little, but otherwise he keeps running. Well at least his shields are down. Taking careful aim, I pull the trigger. The hyper-accelerated round flies true and punctures the merc's armor in the upper thigh. He doesn't seem to notice until he tries to stride with that leg. He collapses.
"All clear on my end," Zaeed says through the radio. "Where's the fourth one?"
"I got him," I say. "He tried to escape, so I shot him in the leg. He's still alive if we want to try getting intel out of him."
"Nice job, Dylan," Jenny says. "Go make sure he doesn't crawl away, and we'll be right there."
I simply click the radio as confirmation and start walking towards the merc. He's sort of writhing on the ground, clutching at his leg.
"Shit, shit, won't stop bleeding," I hear him mutter as I get closer. "I'm gonna…son of a bitch!" He tries to stand up, but his leg gives out on him and he falls to the ground again.
"You'll be fine," I say, coming to stand in front of him. "If I had hit your femoral artery, you'd probably be dead already."
"Shit. I knew it wasn't berserkers. Not at range. You're mercs, or Alliance. I'm not…I'm not telling you anything."
"You know, you could still bleed out if you don't get that treated," I say in a flippant tone. "It just so happens that I could offer said treatment…if you cooperate." It's right about now that the others walk up.
The merc looks between me and the others, an agonized look on his face. Finally, he seems to realize that he's at our mercy. "Shit. Listen, I don't know anything. I just shoot whatever comes out of the labs. The old krogan up there has really been cleaning house lately. Jedore hired him to make her an army, but all the krogan he gives her are crazy. We use them as live ammo training."
"And what does Okeer think about all of that?" Jenny asks, taking over the questioning.
"I have no clue. We can't go in the labs. I only know what I've seen, and I've seen hundreds of mindless krogan come out of there. Whoever's up there knows what's going on."
"Is the lab heavily guarded?"
"We've got big guns to keep ships away," he says. "We're not prepared to fight fucking commandos."
Before Jenny can ask him another question, a voice comes over the merc's radio. "Outpost Four? Jedore wants us to move. We need coordinates on that krogan pack." The merc gives a fearful look at Jenny. He seems unsure of what to say.
"If you want that leg to feel better, you'll get rid of your friends," she says, leaning in so they're face to face. "Understand?"
The merc gives a fearful nod before tabbing his radio. "Uh, patrol? The last group…dispersed. Lost sight five minutes ago."
"Dispersed? Jedore will be pissed. She wanted a show."
"You asked for a report, you got it. Dispersed."
"Understood. Returning to the labs." The radio clicks off, and the merc gives a small shake of his head.
"You see? I'm helping."
"Your assistance has been noted," Jenny says. Then she tosses a packet of medigel at his feet. "There, that should be enough to keep you alive." And with that, she walks off. The four of us quickly follow, leaving the injured merc to fend for himself.
Time to get us a krogan warlord.
A/N: So there we go! The start of Korlus is all set. Next chapter we'll meet the warlord himself in addition to some good old fashioned action.
Before I leave you guys and gals, I actually have two (yes, two) story suggestions for you. The first one is a new SI that I've been beta-ing. It's called Cause and Mass Effect by claihm solais. It's still pretty new, but CS has some awesome stuff planned. I might go as far as saying it's the best new SI. (New being the last few months.)
The other one is a story called Atonement Forsaken by Fiery Hawk79. It's an origin story for the character Erash from Masses to Masses 3, and it shows definite promise. If you're a fan of MtM3 (and Erash), I'd give it a look-see.
Anywho, I suppose that's it for now. Until next time, ta ta!